Teach a Man to Phish
In the early days of the internet, tech industry folks were justifiably excited about the possibilities presented by the internet. What we weren’t really thinking about was the fact that the bad guys would have the same access to the tools as the good guys do. We’re not nearly as naive this time around, but we’re still creating massively powerful AI tools that will give the nefarious a new set of weapons to deploy, more quickly, more cheaply, and more maliciously. I’m not sure that AI is really going to destroy a large percentage of humanity, but the age of empowered hackers has already arrived. Tech has released the tools that most endanger the future of tech. But in this fight, we’re all in the ring. From individual phishing attempts made on your parents to major attacks on healthcare infrastructure, we’ve entered into a sort of war in which the same companies are essentially providing the weapons to all sides. DJ Patil, the nation’s first Chief Data Scientist, posted a good overview in LinkedIn. It’s mostly aimed at cybersecurity professionals, but anyone can (and should) get the gist. We Built for Peacetime. Prepare for Wartime: The AI Cybersecurity Reckoning Is Here. “Sustained, destructive, adaptive pressure used to require the resources of a state. It now requires a laptop, a few dollars of compute, and a model that does not get tired. When the price of relentless hostility falls to zero, you should expect relentless hostility from actors who could never have afforded it before — including some who want nothing from you but your absence. That is the new equilibrium: an environment in which someone is always trying to hurt you, and in which the tools you would use to fight back are themselves targets.” We came for the cute cat photos, we ended up in a war.
+ “Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, said on Thursday that it had halted withdrawals after it was attacked by hackers who made off with more than $6 billion in digital coins, in what appears to be the biggest crypto heist in history.”
+ Wired: Massive Leak Exposes 41,000 Homeland Security Workers—Including Undercover ICE Agents.
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The Successful President
If you look at traditional measures from the economy to polling to America’s role in the world, the first two years of Trump’s second term has been an abject failure. But those are probably not the measurements Trump and his family (and those who have fallen in line) are using. When you consider the pace at which the system has been corrupted, along with the financial gains of those who took advantage, it’s been a hell of a run. Noah Shachtman in the NYT (Gift Article): Is This the End for Trump’s Princelings? Or Just the Start? “President Trump’s second term has ushered in a starkly different arrangement. Tariffs, prosecutions and regulations are all now subject to one man’s whims. Business leaders are being asked to underwrite government projects, such as the White House ballroom. The government assigns to itself a cut of private businesses. The White House bestows enterprises from oil fields to social media platforms on loyal allies. A coterie of top officials, their children and their gaggle of hangers-on move through the world like princelings. The rule of law can seem situational at best. It’s a throwback to an old style of governing, centered on a father figure who treats the nation like an extension of his household, and who dispenses resources and favors and jobs like a dad handing out candy to his kids. In an environment like this, fealty to the national patriarch can seem like the surest — in some cases only — way to get ahead.” (And plenty of people and companies are taking that way.) “Wealth can still buy political power, just as it did in the oligarchy’s previous iteration. The difference today is that a new gusher of cash has erupted and is flowing in the opposite direction. Political power, or even just proximity to it, is generating wealth to a degree unknown in modern American history.”
+ Has the war in Iran been a success? Depends how you measure: U.S. Oil Industry Earned Over $130 Billion in Profit During Iran War.
+ In two years, American democracy has been turned into the plot of your average mob movie. Trump Erupted After Learning of Alina Habba’s $50 Million Deal. He wasn’t mad that his pardons are for sale. He was mad that he didn’t get a taste. “Angry about the scale of a contract signed by one of his former lawyers with the family of a wealthy pardon seeker, the president told allies he wanted some of the money to go to his future presidential library.” (In the business, we call this making her an offer she can’t refuse.)
+ The tech market is looking dangerously shaky. What if things go really south and the bubble bursts? Guess who’s in charge of the bailout? The Atlantic (Gift Article): Can Democracy Survive the Next Financial Crash? “If the crash happens on Donald Trump’s watch, his administration would likely sidestep Congress entirely. A Trump bailout would proceed on whatever terms please the president and his allies, who would use it as a bonanza to enrich their favored companies and CEOs, even if they were the ones who caused the crisis to begin with.” So, yeah, the midterms are a pretty big deal.
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Schnell Game
Here’s a lede that captures this moment in higher education: “A top administrator at Dartmouth College has resigned after a faculty committee found he used artificial intelligence to shape his writing, including in a guest column in The Washington Post on AI cheating.” Dartmouth Provost Santiago Schnell resigns following accusations he used artificial intelligence for writing. “The college paper, The Dartmouth, then ran other publications from Schnell through an AI detector. Writing that predated ChatGPT’s 2022 public release was found to be human-written, but high rates of AI use were detected in his recent writing.” One wonders whether that trend is at all uncommon. But wait, there’s more... “Schnell told the paper in an email last month that he uses AI for ‘language refinement, copyediting, improving clarity and organization and making writing processes more efficient.’ The paper ran the statement through an AI-detector and found it was AI-written.” (At this point, it probably makes more sense for journalists to talk to the AI directly...)
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Weekend Whats
What to Doc, Doc, Doc: This collection of weekend whats is going to be documentary themed. All three picks on Netflix are about the creative life, the love life, and, to some extent, the end of life. And all are, in their own way, very life-affirming. Martin Mull was a very successful musician, comedian, and actor. And none of those were even what he did best (or liked doing most). Who is Martin Mull? “Beloved for blurring performance and personal crisis, Maria Bamford unpacks the mental health journey behind her fearless comedy in this documentary.” Bamford is the comedian’s comedian. She once performed an entire show in her parents’ living room. Paralyzed by Hope: The Maria Bamford Story. And one from a few years ago: “Literary icon Joan Didion reflects on her remarkable career and personal struggles in this intimate documentary directed by her nephew, Griffin Dunne.” Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold. We could sure use Didion’s voice to add some context to what America is going through today.
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Extra, Extra
She Shed: Another day, another top general squeezed out at the Pentagon. And, in this case, Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia is being referred for criminal prosecution because of possible leaks. General ousted by Hegseth referred for possible criminal prosecution, officials say. My first reaction to this story was that the administration probably wanted Sylvia out because his last name sounds female-ish. As per usual, the reality is more ridiculous than any joke you could come up with. “When asked by a reporter Thursday what proof the administration has that the general leaked classified information, President Donald Trump appeared unaware that Sylvia is a man. ‘She’s going to have big problems,’ he said. ‘Long-term problems.’” Plus, Hegseth Fires Top General After Laura Loomer Targets Him. From the party of strong defense to the party of Laura Loomer in the blink of an eye...
+ Jump to Conclusions: Why would Hegseth be so concerned about leaks? Because the truth sucks. A Sailor Jumped From the U.S.S. Lincoln. The Navy Punished Him.
+ The Dan Plan: The faux outrage about the Alaska Dan Sullivan(s) controversy is leading to some very real legal moves. “But there’s a long history of political operatives from both parties deploying the tactic — and largely getting away with it. ‘It’s a time-honored tradition,’ said Thomas Kahn, director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. ‘It’s not a good practice,’ Kahn added, but ‘if trying to confuse voters was a crime, then every politician would be in jail.’” Three Bob Fergusons and two JFKs: A brief history of same-name ballot shenanigans.
+ Infrared Light Brigade: “All the research is driven by mounting concerns over the long-term brain health of contact-sport athletes. A study published on Wednesday used a statistical model to estimate that three in four former National Football League players who died between 2008 and 2023 most likely had signs of C.T.E. in their brains at death.” Can Scientists Make Football Safer? “A college football team in Utah is donning some curious caps this season. As part of their regular recovery routine, many Brigham Young University players are wearing headsets that shine near-infrared light onto their scalps — and up their noses.”
+ Oh Captain, My Captain: “Patrick Stewart, who overcame a bleak childhood in England’s coal-mining country to find acclaim as a Shakespearean actor before making an unlikely career pivot in middle age that would bring him his greatest fame, playing a noble starship captain on the TV series ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation,’ died on Wednesday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 86.”
+ Glazed Over: The Atlantic (Gift Article): Just Noting That Your Candy Corn Is Made of Bug Secretions. And hating Candy Corn isn’t enough to avoid this. It’s all about something called confectioner’s glaze.
+ Reef Madness: A ship that was once celebrated as “the fastest passenger liner in the world, is scheduled to be sunk in the Gulf of Mexico in November, creating what will be the world’s largest artificial reef.” The name of the ship: The SS United States. (Sometimes, the metaphors just sink themselves...)
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Feel Good Friday
“US schools are often named after presidents, historical figures and civil rights leaders. And soon joining those ranks is a retired longtime Texas school custodian known for going above and beyond her duties by buying classroom supplies for children in need and helping students with their assignments.” New elementary school in Texas named after beloved longtime school custodian.
+ “Surrounded by that kind of innovation, a visitor might overlook the lab stocked with little more than tubs of white powder and paint pots. After all, how interesting can white paint be? When it comes to adapting to a hotter planet, the answer is: very.” Bloomberg (Gift Article): Why I’m Excited About a Bucket of White Paint.
+ Ruth Ben-Ghiat: Strongmen Fall When Corruption is on the Ballot.
+ Pittsburgh NICU nurse creates handmade Halloween costumesfor babies.
+ This College of Magic turns ordinary kids into cool magicians.
+ Oksana Chusovitina, the 51-year-old gymnast who refuses to retire: ‘I think about the Olympics all the time’. (I also think about the Olympics all the time. Watching them.)
© 2026 Dave Pell
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