The MOU between the United States and Iran was signed this week, and then chaos broke loose. US Iran-hawks are not happy, Israel is definitely not happy, and before the ink even dried, talks were postponed due to Israel bombing Lebanon.
Today we heard there’s a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah (maybe), and this was after four Israeli soldiers were killed in Lebanon, with 47 Lebanese killed in response. Want to know what Israel’s leaders think about the US/Iran deal?
From all I’m seeing, peace gets a big yeah nah at this stage, but I do think Trump will do everything in his power to put this behind him. Expect shenanigans elsewhere to take America’s attention off this failed war, but we wait and see, huh? Some worthwhile coverage around this whole story.
- As Lebanon tests US-Iran deal, Trump must rein in Netanyahu, analysts say | Israel attacks Lebanon News | Al Jazeera
- Netanyahu Finally Learns the Truth About Trump – The Atlantic
- Bowen: US-Iran deal raises inescapable question of what the war was for
- Iran deal ‘worst policy blunder in decades’: criticism spreads across US political spectrum
- MAGA hawks’ Iran mutiny deepens Trump’s isolation
- Trump Does Not Understand the War He Lost – The Atlantic
Something good
I know everything feels awful, so here’s a speech worth spending time with. It’s full of hope, beauty and possibility, and let’s be honest, Michelle Obama is a great orator.
Something else good happened. While work had already begun, the removal of the ocean monitoring system has been blocked by a judge. This is an incredible piece of news – Trump Administration Backs Off Plan to End Ocean Monitoring System – The New York Times – worth celebrating.
A must-listen, especially if you’re a parent. I’ve sent this to my boys, because I think it’s so important, and I’ll definitely encourage them to listen to it, even if they hate podcasts. It discusses looksmaxxing and longevity, and it’s a super interesting view from Gary Shteyngart, who wrote a novel about this future more than a decade ago, so he’s a bit surprised we’re already here. In this conversation Shteyngart speaks about the influencers in this space (like Clavicular) as having a mental illness, which is a view I haven’t heard before. Definitely listen: I Keep Telling People We’re Living in This Dystopian Novel –The Ezra Klein Show – Apple Podcasts.
What else?
Don’t expect the price of oil to stay low – More than 1 billion barrels of oil have gone missing | CNN Business.
Peter Thiel has been in the news again. Two pieces worth reading:
- How the Peter Thiel-Linked Dialog Club Secretly Ranks Its Members | WIRED
- Leak Exposes Members of Peter Thiel’s Secretive ‘Dialog’ Society | WIRED
Mark Zuckerberg has been getting a shellacking too – ‘Tell Him He’s a Piece of Shit’: Meta’s New AI Unit Is a Total Mess | WIRED.
And this is a story that really should be getting more attention – Creating Baby Geniuses to Thwart the AI Threat? (Yes, Really.) – Mother Jones – I mean, what could possibly go wrong?
I’m not a fan of the “AI response” posts, but in this case, I made an exception and asked AI what it thought of the idea, because, you know, it’s about countering AI’s risk to humanity. The idea of human genius babies to counter AI risk, I believe, has the potential to create monsters.
Anyhoo, I got a really long and detailed response (which I won’t bore you with), so here’s the shorter version:
Your core objection—that optimizing solely for analytical intelligence risks producing humans who are more efficient but less wise, empathetic, or relationally intelligent—is directly supported by the article’s own evidence and is the most under-addressed flaw in the proposal.
The piece shows proponents treating intelligence as the single variable that solves the alignment problem, while downplaying or ignoring the coordination, moral, and social intelligence required to actually govern powerful technologies or prevent societal fracture.
This is classic complex-systems blindness: the polycrisis is not primarily a raw-compute shortage; it is a failure of collective decision-making, restraint, and value alignment across human groups.
The article also confirms the governance risk you flagged. Because these technologies are being developed and funded privately by the same narrow cohort already concentrated in AI power, the most probable outcome is not broad human uplift but a new hereditary advantage for the already-wealthy.
That trajectory does not solve the AI control problem; it simply adds another layer of unaccountable power and potential for cascading unintended biological and social effects. The “merge” framing therefore functions less as a safety strategy and more as an admission that the builders have greater confidence in redesigning the species than in regulating the machines.
The question we should be asking is this
If we change what it means to be human in order to control AI, have we already lost the very thing we were trying to protect?
Moving on
Attila the Trump it seems – Trump’s “Great Man” theory: “No limits” to his power.
This is an interview I encourage EVERYONE to watch, featuring the publisher of the New York Times, A.G. Sulzberger, where he provides a powerful warning on how AI companies are violating settled law and is urging news organizations to stand up for their rights to ensure a sustainable future for reporting. Very important – A.I., Journalism and the Public Square | The New York Times Company.
It has arrived…
There’s a lot more on the news page, so get stuck in if you want to catch up on the main news happening around the world and be sure to read about the Earth Energy Imbalance (EEI), the extreme weather report for Asia 2025, the scientists permafrost shock, the 260 million people at risk of famine, and the fact that 50% of the world’s children face three or more climate risks.
Finally, they should have called it Ministry of the Future, but I’d work for this organization, if it ever happens: A UN Planetary Council could help tackle the global climate and nature crisis.
Friends content and my own
No guest on The Shit Show this week, which meant we had a chance to cover a lot of the world’s news. Please do have a listen. Yes, we know it’s long (there’s a lot going on), but when you’re doing something with your hands, put it on in the background to keep you company.
The anti-immigration protests and violence make me sick, but it’s also completely not in our interest. The people on the streets, acting on behalf of powerful groups, backed by people like Elon Musk, don’t realize that their future will be worse if we let this continue to grow and fester. Immigration is in ALL of our interests. Please read and share if you agree – We have a problem – White Supremacy – Uncommon Courage – An Invitation.
A short from Jan Omsonst, The Earth Systems Nerd, who joined us on The Sh*t Show last week – will this forthcoming El Niño be an extinction-level event? We don’t know yet.
Your daily dose of courage
Dig into the news
When you go into the daily news app, remember to save it to your home screen and you can check the news anytime, as it’s updated throughout the day, every day – by a real human, me.
This news curation tool covers news and thought leadership across all issues relevant to the polycrisis, as well as some light stuff, because we can’t be serious all the time. To get to the news, click through on the image below, and a reminder, this goes back weeks, so have a scan and read/watch/listen to whatever jumps out at you. The categories are right on top as well, so you can dig into whatever issue you care about.
Let me know what caught your attention? Or share with me what has your attention now? There’s a lot going on, which means none of us can cover everything. Besides, it’s always great to get feedback so I know I’m delivering something of value.
Cheers
Andrea
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The Sh*t Show
The Sh*t Show is a Livestream happening every Friday, where Andrea T Edwards, Dr. David Ko, Richard Busellato and Joe Augustin, as well as special guests, discuss the world’s most pressing issues across all angles of the polycrisis, working to make sense of the extremely challenging and complex times we are all going through, plus what we can do about it. Help us move the needle so we can change the name of the show to something more genteel when (or if) it is no longer a sh*t show.
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