Fascinating. Martin Shkreli's NEW Lawyer, In The FTC Contempt Matter... Was A USDC Judge-Admonished Defense Counsel, In J6 Cases. YIKES!

Look -- I get that pretty much only the "bottom of the barrel" is now willing to risk both reputational, and financial harm. . . by choosing to represent one Martin Shkreli. [Almost all his prior, and competent counsels have eventually withdrawn, when he welshes on paying them. Or flat out runs out of funds -- which seems to frequently transpire in these matters. I can document that list, if anyone cares / insists.]

But this morning, one Jonathan Gross -- out of Maryland -- filed his appearance to represent Martin in the FTC orders / violation / contempt matter.

He has previously said he has only ever practiced as a general civil attorney (primarily on First Amendment / religious freedoms cases), and has never handled a criminal case, of any kind. [This case presents the potential at least, to send Martin back inside, BTW. But oddly enough, he had signed on at DoJ, and then shortly after -- resigned -- as a special counsel for "DoJ civil rights" -- under the odious Harmeet Dhillon.] Odd choice.

Moreover, as a practicing Orthodox Jew, he drew a sitting USDC Judge's ire, a few years ago -- in representing a J6 felony defendant (one with a well-known, previously scheduled weeks-long trial sitting) -- by saying he would not appear at all, in court during the longish Passover holidays. That was after a capable criminal defense co-counsel had resigned, BTW.

Attorneys in felony matters well-know that when they sign on -- for a case with a trial date already scheduled -- it is their responsibility to be sure the client will be well-represented, even during the highest Orthodox holidays.

And that holds true -- whether or not the client is paying at the moment.

So -- if nothing else. . . this FTC matter could get. . . spicy.

It likely morphs into a DoJ criminal matter, under the capable USDC Judge Kiyo Matsumoto's Brooklyn orders, re the SEC fraud convictions, as well -- when Martin is found guilty of violating his prior (FTC) release orders.

Should be good. . . street theater, if nothing else.

Onward.

नमस्ते

Since Last Week, Merck's Stock's Been Rising On NYSE -- Due To Longer Keytruda Exclusivity Arc (Via Patenting Strategies) -- And All Other R&D Hitting Targets...

I've said so for quite a while, right here: Rahway has a plethora of paths to keep subcutaneous [or other versions] of pembrolizumab as the exclusive and preferred line of therapy. . . well into the mid-2030s. [There are quite a few Wall Streeters who are not fully-versed in patent extension tactics in the US.]

But it is really the continuing strength of all the rest of Merck's formidable medicine cabinet. . . that is driving this multiple expansion, now underway on the NYSE. That, and high quality pharma being a safe-haven investment (with a fat quarterly cash dividend!), when Tangerine 2.0 lunacy makes oil a dangerous investment -- and crypto / AI / chip tech face very choppy seas as well.

Here's a bit on some of Merck's other wins -- in R&D (this one for people living with HIV positivity):

. . .Our goal is to bring forward oral options, including daily and once-weekly HIV treatment regimens, as well as a once-monthly HIV prevention pill. Because no single medicine works for every person, we are committed to expanding choices that may help address the diverse needs and preferences of people living with HIV or those who could benefit from PrEP.”

At HIV Glasgow, Merck will present Phase 3 subgroup analyses of once-daily IDVYNSO, including Week 48 resistance and weight analyses from Trial 53 comparing IDVYNSO to bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide (BIC/FTC/TAF) in adults with HIV-1 who had not previously received antiretroviral treatment, as well as Week 96 patient-reported outcomes for IDVYNSO in adults with virologically suppressed HIV-1. Separately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted two supplemental New Drug Applications for IDVYNSO (doravirine and islatravir): one based on the Phase 3 Trial 053 in adults who had not previously received antiretroviral treatment and one based on the Phase 3 Trials 051 and 052 to include 96-week data in virologically suppressed adults. The FDA has set a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) or target action date of April 22, 2027, for both applications. . . .

Now you know. Onward, grinning -- heading back into the High Rockies on Thursday mid-morning now. Smiling -- a sorta' sad smile, just the same.

नमस्ते

Now "Officially", Over 5,000 Are Dead In 2026 Of Bundibugyo. The Actual Figure May Be Double That -- All Avoidable. God-Dammit.

I know this sounds a brken record -- but avoidable deaths. . . from diseases we clearly now know how to arrest. . . is a uniquely heart-breaking tragedy.

Musk and Trump affirmatively chose death for over 5,000 people (with over ninety-five per cent of those people of color), and debilitating illness, for perhaps 15,000 more. It was clear as day that this would be the outcome, from gutting USAID. Here is the Beeb's weekender on it all:

. . .More than 5,000 people have died from an ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, government data shows.

Eight of 26 provinces are now affected, with more than 10,300 confirmed cases.

The outbreak, which started in May, became the country's deadliest in its history in August, public health officials said. The current case fatality rate is 48.6%.

In its latest update, the health ministry said the epicentre of the epidemic remains in the Ituri province, in the north-east of the country, which is a conflict zone, making it harder to contain the virus.

Cases have also been confirmed in Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda. . . .

Last month, a politician was beaten to death after promoting measures to stop the spread of Ebola, while in August, the Red Cross said its volunteers had been injured and an ambulance set on fire in 11 violent incidents in the outbreak's first 100 days. . . .

Again, under Mr. Biden, with USAID, the dying ended at four people in 2022. FOUR. And there were fewer than 50 illnesses, in total in the entire Ebola outbreak that year, in DRC. Do go vote.

नमस्ते

Tangerine 2.0 Is Churlishly Squandering Our US Scientific Leads, Across Many Areas... And At NASA, Selling Them Off, To Elon Musk -- On The Cheap.

I will leave Musk's graft-laden NASA contracts for another day, as at the moment -- the more immediate issue is Quantum research. China is eclipsing the US on research into building so-called quantum computers. . . ones that might be able, in a matter of minutes -- to "pick" every electronic lock, break in -- and steal. . . everything. Trump is apparently too senile to understand this threat. Or worse, he is accepting back door bribes to allow it -- for privateers.

Here's the broader weekend story from the NYT -- do go read it all:

. . .The turmoil inside scientific research has extended beyond the Pentagon. The Energy Department, a key hub of nuclear and quantum research, has lost more than 1,000 scientists and technical staff. The National Science Foundation, for decades a primary backer of long-term, foundational research, has withheld more than $1 billion in funding. And at the National Institutes of Health, the biggest funder of medical research, officials delayed or canceled more than 2,000 grants to biomedical researchers focused on topics such as Alzheimer’s, cancer and other diseases.

Under Mr. Trump, the federal government is still spending roughly as much on research — about $200 billion this year — as the administrations that came before. Scientists across the country are still receiving grants; universities are still being funded.

But beneath the surface, the system of federally funded science that helped make the United States a global superpower is under intense strain from Trump policies, jeopardizing the nation’s advantages in defense, medicine and technology, a New York Times examination has found. . . .

Do go vote. Vote to preserve America's lead in the hard sciences. And to allow brilliant immigrants to come here -- and thrive -- and thus advance our scientific programs by orders of magnitude. Onward.

नमस्ते

What A Mind Bending Capture — Of An Ongoing Reality Distortion Bubble, This Nathan Fielder Has Made — For A24.

Before we took the evening to staff a haunted house for the sweet lil' kids, I saw Nathan Fielder's "project" for A24 today. On the person at right.

Months and months ago, I wrote the below, right here -- about her.

". . .Actually, I suspect Billy is writing her replies.

And actually, I think they are going in for the Shkreli bad boy / online following / fascination thing. . . ."

And it is crystal clear -- even though she belaborers it greatly in this film -- that The New York Times reporter accurately portrayed the quotation she is so offended by now. Without giving away spoilers, I can only say that the contested quote came during an almost half hour long steadily-flowing conversation about the idea of creating "personas". . . as they walked on the beach.

I will probably have to think for quite a while longer before I post anything more on this A24 project -- it is one of the most deeply-layered profiles I have ever seen of a convicted felon. [And of the actress who'd portrayed her -- in at least one of the dramatic treatment movies about her.]

Moreover, I don't want to give away spoilers. I think everyone who's interested in US healthcare policy and anything touching securities fraud should watch this, from top to tail.

Then, at some future point in time (when most of America has seen it -- and it has been on cable for a few months), I will post what I think about it -- having read literally every single word of every court filing about both the civil, and the criminal trials and appeals.

I'll give away nothing by saying I am absolutely convinced that "for every garbage can, there is a lid" -- and in this case, Billy Evans is the perfect garbage can. Or maybe he's the perfect lid. Either way -- they richly deserve each other.

Even though it runs over three hours in length -- do go see it.

नमस्ते

You Know I've Been A Rock-Hound My Whole Life. So, I Love This Barsoomian Discovery, From 4.1 Billion Years Of "Time Out Of Mind"...

This is just monumentally exciting -- and is likely the oldest exo-planet rock ever encountered here on Jasoom.

Here's the scoop, from NASA's blog on all the topics related to. . . Mars:

. . .When a rose-colored meteorite was found in the Sahara Desert in 2022, no one knew how old it was or where it came from. Not until NASA-funded scientists age-dated its minerals did they realize the nearly 2-pound (800-gram) rock was a piece of Mars that formed more than 4.1 billion years ago, making it one of the oldest Martian meteorites ever found. Named Teghaza 001 after the salt plain in Mali where it was discovered, the meteorite is one of roughly 435 from the Red Planet.

In a paper published Thursday in Science, researchers offered an initial characterization of Teghaza 001, providing a rare snapshot of Mars’ ancient crust and formation. What scientists learn from future studies could help answer many questions, including how water and rocks interacted on ancient Mars. A separate paper published in Science Advances in June detailed the meteorite’s water content, offering a look at how water shaped the early planet’s surface.

“It was only after we started looking closely that we realized this meteorite is really unique,” said the paper’s lead author, Yang Liu of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “One of the paper’s reviewers called it a Rosetta Stone for Mars. . . .”

This is indeed excellent exo-planet / geological / space science! Onward.

नमस्ते

[U] Pope Leo XIV Has Voted By Mail, From Vatican City… In The Illinois Mid-Terms; Tangerine Wants A Habba "Kickback"

I can confidently guarantee you that he did not vote Republican. Not for a single office on the Chicago ballot form.

His polling place technically remains inside the City of Chicago. And every one of his public announcements on any American political topic has repudiated everything for which the MAGA / GOP stands / espouses.

Indeed, all of it is well with my soul, even though I no longer consider myself a Catholic.

Onward. Do be like my favorite Pope – go vote.

UPDATED: late this afternoon, we've learned that Trump exploded when he heard that Alina Habba got herself a $50 million "lawyer / consulting" role -- from a pardon-seeking Venezuelan billionaire.

So Trump is demanding that she make a large "donation" to his forthcoming library contstruction fund. Yes, folks -- this is a straight up stupid as all get out. . . crime syndicate. Damnation -- in every way, the antithesis of the present Pope.

[Meanwhile, the frothy hard right feels that being Pope makes Leo XIV the head of a foreign state, and notwithstanding the Fourteenth Amendment's express guarantees, a US Citizen Pope should not be "allowed" to vote in US elections. Poppycock -- and bigoted, at that. What a pack of insufferable... putzes those boys are.]

नमस्ते

No More Lawless "Kidnappings" In Or Around Houses Of Worship: That's The Well-Settled Federal Law, Since At Least 2001.

This federal ruling technically applies in DC -- but it should be beyond contestation that we don't grab people from the pews, at Sunday Mass.

Damn -- but here we are -- Tangerine 2.0 thinks churches are not hardened defensive targets, so he sends ICE in to grab people, without any regard for human decency.

The man is a monster. Here's the Illinois version of the argument (now pending):

. . .On October 20, 2026, after briefing was complete and this Court concluded argument on Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss (ECF No. 44), the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit issued an opinion reversing a district court order that denied a motion to preliminarily enjoin defendants’ sensitive locations enforcement policy. Mennonite Church USA v. United States Dep’t of Homeland Sec., No. 25-5209, 2026 WL 3132807, at *1 (D.C. Cir. Oct. 20, 2026). The D.C. Circuit rejected the district court’s conclusion that plaintiffs lacked standing to seek to enjoin the policy. . . .

The appellate court held that “Plaintiffs need not show that a stay of the Rescission Memo will restore the status quo ante; they need only show that such equitable relief will cure ‘at least some of’ their asserted injury.” Id. at *8 (quoting Diamond Alt. Energy, LLC v. EPA, 606 U.S. 100, 114 (2025)).

The court further concluded that “a reversion to the Mayorkas Memo. . . likely would alleviate at least some of plaintiffs’ asserted injury. . . by discouraging at least some immigration-enforcement activities at or near their members’ houses of worship.” Id. at *9 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).

Accordingly, the plaintiffs established redressability and had standing to seek to enjoin defendants’ sensitive locations policy. . . .

We the people need to wake up -- to the atrocities being committed in our names, and with our federal tax dollars.

Vote these village idiots out.

Onward.

नमस्ते

Nine More Humans Were Set Free This Morning -- By USDC Judge Cummings -- After The Prior ICE/DHS Chicanery Became Clear As Day...

To be certain, this is good news -- but the trend line here is. . . horrifying.

Overall now, about 10 out of every 11 purported ICE detentions -- from Summer 2025 through to this morning, in and around Chicago. . . were flagrantly unlawful.

In many cases, the grabs were procured by fraud -- without warrants.

Largely arresting people with pending hearings before the courts, who were proceeding lawfully -- and were just summarily kidnapped -- by ICE/DHS agents.

This is. . . disgusting, and beneath the minimal standards of a civilized and ordered free republic. The Tangerine 2.0 forces need to face criminal charges. These were not innocent mistakes, these were purposefully lawless grabs, just to meet Stephen Miller's insane "weekly quotas" -- for arrests. Damn them all:

. . .MINUTE entry before the Honorable Jeffrey I Cummings:

The Court has reviewed the parties' joint status report [533] regarding plaintiffs' 10/9/26 motion to enforce, which indicates that [Trumpian] defendants have agreed to provide relief for nine of the eleven individuals at issue in the motion. (Dckt. #533 at 1 (listing the nine individuals entitled to relief)).

With respect to those nine individuals, defendants shall facilitate their release on their own recognizance and without bond or conditions of release as specified in Section IV(E)(2) of the Consent Decree (ECF No. 155-1 at 9), by no later than 11/2/26.

Defendants shall file a certification by 11/4/26 that all nine individuals have been released on their own recognizance and without bond or conditions of release.

As for the remaining two individuals, one individual ("OS") is not entitled to relief and defendants require additional time to determine whether the claim of the other individuals ("FFS") can be resolved. Defendants shall file a supplemental status report regarding FFS by 11/2/26. . . .

Said another way, under ten percent of the arrests were. . . in any sense, legit. Now, let the prosecutions of these rogue ICE/DHS SOB agents begin. Out.

नमस्ते

More Delays, In Dismissing The Crisis Actors' Complaint -- About Evanston...

Welp. Not too much else to say.

The hearing -- in the Dirksen federal building yesterday -- as expected, ended with USDC Judge Kness just kicking the can down the alley. This should be dismissed, and ruled in favor of Evanston -- so the City of Evanston may sue both the crisis actors, and the US Attorney Boutros -- for the attorneys' fees it is wasting -- in defending this nonsense.

Here's the latest:

. . .MINUTE entry before the Honorable John F. Kness:

Telephonic status hearing held on 10/29/2026. The parties addressed Defendant City of Evanston's motion to bifurcate discovery [45].

The motion is taken under advisement.

As stated on the record, discovery remains stayed pending further order. . . .

Now you know. Onward.

नमस्ते

[U] Poof! ~$6.3 Billion In Value Goes “AWOL”. More Insanely Stupid Crypto-Hacks!

Here early on Friday morning, regular Bitcoin trading has taken quite a hit as well, dropping to $76,600 and change.

Updated: Ex-Binance CEO “CZ “ asks Elon Musk to remember that Binance affiliates have put well over $1 billion of invested capital into both Twitter and SpaceX. This in turn is a threat to dump on Musk’s biggest holdings — and tank his ‘34 Act traded stocks. The threat comes after Musk has been trolling CZ and Binance, on yesterday’s $6.3 billion in theft losses. End, updated portion.

This would seem to be the largest single hack in the history of crypto. And while CZ is claiming that everyone will get their money back. . . he no longer runs Binance and in fact was convicted of frauds (pardoned by Tangerine 2.0 — after vast campaign contributions!), related to Binance ops. . . I’m not sure he’s a very reliable witness. Here's the latest, on it all -- what a train-wreck of a sector:

. . .Online sleuths are tracking the draining of a Binance wallet into a new externally owned account.

The new account now has more than $6.3 $5.7 billion of various cryptos, according to Arkahm, including nearly $1.5 of bitcoin and $900 million of ether. The wallet also has roughly $1.4 billion in USDT and USDC combined.

“Our teams are aware of reports of a potential security issue and are actively investigating,” said Binance on X.

“User funds are safe,” said Binance founder CZ. “It does look like a hack on Binance. . . I don't manage Binance anymore, but as a shareholder, I expect all user funds will be fully covered.”

The CEOs of stablecoin issuers Tether and Circle both said they were tracking the hack. Tether's Paolo Ardoino said his firm had frozen over $1.57 billion worth of USDT, while Circle's Jeremy Allaire said his firm froze over $800 million in USDC.

Lending protocol Aave may take a hit as well. The exploiter borrowed 20,000 of wrapped ETH (roughly $44 million) through the lending protocol, using stolen USDT as collateral. . . .

What a goofy [non-financially astute] market place this whole crypto-sector has metastasized into.

Y I K E S.

"Fools -- and their money. . ." right?!

नमस्ते

Merck Soundly Beat Estimates -- In Q3 2026 GAAP Results. Cool.

The juggernaut continues. And the stock is up almost five percent this morning on the NYSE.

Hard to imagine this team ever missing their mark, quarter to quarter. Here's the latest, from CNBC:

. . .Merck raked in $18.09 billion in revenue for the quarter, up 5% from the same period a year earlier.

Beyond Keytruda, Merck’s newer products also showed strong growth.

Winrevair, which is used to treat a rare, deadly lung condition, generated $694 million in sales for the quarter, up 93% from the same period a year earlier. Analysts were expecting sales of $645 million.

Meanwhile, the Gardasil vaccine, which prevents cancers from HPV, a very common sexually transmitted infection, drew about $2 billion in sales due to higher demand in the U.S. . . .

Excellent news. Onward.

नमस्ते

In Nigeria, The Lassa Fever Outbreak Is Wildly Ahead Of Where It Was Even Just A Year Ago, On Annual Case Counts -- And Fatality Rates...

Discouraging to be certain, with over 268 dead in 2026 alone. And again, largely attributable to Trump's gutting of USAID public health initiatives.

This excellent reporting comes to us courtesy of Robert Harriman at OutbreakNewsToday.substack.com:

. . .Eighty-eight percent (88%) of all confirmed Lassa fever cases were reported from 5 states (Ondo, Bauchi, Taraba, Edo and Benue) while twelve percent (12%) were reported from 19 states with confirmed Lassa fever cases. Of the 88% confirmed cases, Ondo reported 36%, Bauchi 23%, Taraba 12%, Edo 11% and Benue 6%.

54 cases were reported in healthcare workers.

Lassa fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic illness caused by the Lassa virus, an arenavirus endemic to parts of West Africa (including Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea).

The virus is spread through close human contact, and is carried by the Mastomys natalensis (multimammate rat), which sheds the virus in its urine and droppings. . . .

Onward, with only three days left, until our gentle haunted house will have a "one night only" run, for all the elementary school kids in the neighborhood. . . smile.

Come to think of it, I should probably have some mylar-printed, electron microscope-shot photos, sitting on a laboratory table (alongside the similar mylar "shrunken head" photos of my grand-nieces), floating in bell jars full of brackish / greenish water -- of these lassa, ebola, hanta- and mpox viruses -- I guess.

Spooky, too. A bio-science teaching moment of sorts, that. Heh. Too much?! I honestly dunno. . . .

नमस्ते

USDC Judge Cummings In Chicago Orders DHS To "Find" A Pair Of Brothers It Deported, To Outside The US, And If They Wish, "Return Them And Set Them Free" Here In Chicago...

It is clear that DHS, and /or ICE procured these two men's deportations by fraud. [They are likely two brothers.]

Thus, while I will not show their names -- if you know of them -- let them know they are free to return to Chicago (to their families here -- on the federal dime), and ICE cannot re-arrest them. They are free to travel the USA now. Here's the latest order this morning -- in part (I will keep an archive of the PDF, on/in my web-server, anonymized -- but not release it here, as these fine person's names should be kept strictly private):

. . .With respect to M.T.-P. (AXXX) and V.T.-P. (AXYX), who were previously removed from the United States, defendants shall continue to work to secure their return to the United States. As stated on the record, when these two individuals are returned to the United States, defendants are ordered to facilitate their immediate release on their own recognizance and without bond or conditions of release as specified in Section IV(E)(2) of the Decree, (Dckt. #155-1 at 9). . . .

For any of the additional above individuals that remain detained, defendants are ordered to facilitate their immediate release on their own recognizance and without bond or conditions of release as specified in Section IV(E)(2) of the Decree, (Dckt. #155-1 at 9), by no later than 12:00 p.m. CT on October 30, 2026. With respect to those individuals who have already been released, but on bond and with conditions, defendants must take action to refund any bonds and remove all conditions on or before 10:00 a.m. CT on October 30, 2026. Defendants shall file a certification by 5:00 p.m. CT on November 3, 2026, that all individuals have been released on their own recognizance and without bond or conditions of release as required by Section IV(E)(2) of the Consent Decree. This certification shall include a certification regarding J.A.-Q. (AYYY). . . .

What a gaggle of lawless, malign idiots Trump has working for him at ICE and DHS here in the Chi. Dammit -- it is just costing all US taxpayers. . . billions of extra dollars, too.

नमस्ते

Mpox Update: Now 18 in 2026 in Pakistan -- With One Fatality.

It seems some appreciable Mpox viral outbreak will be. . . endemic -- at least in several select locales across the globe -- always, henceforth.

It will be a constant background drum-beat -- and it did not have to be this way. [Ref.: USAID slashings.]

News.AZ has the latest tallies, here:

. . .Four new cases of mpox have been reported in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, bringing the total number of infections in the province to 18, the provincial health department said on Tuesday.

Peshawar, the provincial capital, has reported the highest number of cases, with five infections, while one death from the disease has been recorded so far, the department said, Xinhua reported.

[Members of high risk communities -- primarily sex workers and men who have sex with other men -- should consider getting a prophylactic vaccine, available in country from Bavarian Nordic.]

Symptoms of mpox include fever, headache, body aches and skin rashes or blisters. . . .

If untreated, the virus can lead to long-term debilitating conditions, or even be fatal, in people with compromised immune systems. Onward.

नमस्ते

Officially, Over 10,000 Bundibugyo Ebola Cases; Actual Totals: Likely Double That -- With ~48% Mortality Rate.

This is very grim. The globe's fastest ever Ebola outbreak spread has reached 10,000 souls -- with nearly half of them already dead.

And, the "but for" cause of these cases and deaths? It is mostly. . . Trump and Musk. Dammit. Here's that, from Aljazeera:

. . .Confirmed Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have surpassed 10,000 as the outbreak continues to spread across the country and beyond its borders.

Government data released on Tuesday put confirmed cases at 10,060 and deaths at 4,887. . . .

It is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in the country’s history and nearly half of the 10,060 confirmed to have the virus have died, according to data from the DRC’s Ministry of Public Health. That also makes it the deadliest outbreak of the disease in the country’s history.

With cases also mounting outside the DRC, the wider outbreak is also the second-largest and second-deadliest on record, trailing only the 2014-2016 West African epidemic, which saw 28,600 infected and more than 11,000 dead within two years. . . .

And as we've long explained, the actual totals may easily already be 80% higher than the official on the record marks. Dammit -- all largely avoidable. [And go get it, in PT, Steve-o!]

नमस्ते

A Vast IPO That Admits… Its Success May Well Utterly Obliterate The Human Race -- And All Societies, As We Now Know Them. Charming.

The below are truthful statements, out of the very mouths of these founders of Anthropic, the AI IPO darling in the making -- at the moment. It is wildly highly levered, from a financial point of view (think: risk of a sinking ship, with AI running rogue -- what will it NOT do, to preserve itself?) -- and the entire crew seems to be unaware -- of their own cognitive and operational limitations.

My only real comment is. . . "What is wrong with kids, these days?!" Heh. [Didn't any of them see the "Terminator" series of movies?]

Here's the prospectus in red herring form:

. . .There are four broad categories of risk: misuse, loss of control, authoritarian abuse, and economic disruption.

Al can be misused by those who wish to do harm, for example to conduct cyberattacks or to design biological weapons. We have strict guardrails and trusted access programs that are designed to block misuse of our technology while still enabling positive applications. We regularly shut down attempts to misuse our models, report them to law enforcement when appropriate, and endeavor to transparently disclose them to the public.

Al may also behave autonomously in ways we (and our users) do not intend -- as illustrated by recent high-profile cybersecurity incidents. Losing control of sufficiently powerful Al systems could be a global security threat of the first order. Anthropic has pioneered a number of methods for improving the control of our Al systems. These include mechanistic interpretability, which allows us to look inside Al models and try to understand how they behave, and constitutional training, which allows us to train Al models to act in line with a specific written document -- Claude's constitution. We also publish model system cards that run to hundreds of pages, designed to give the public visibility into our progress on model safety. It has long been our practice to disclose incidents and publish research findings that help mitigate against this risk across the industry.

Authoritarian governments may use Al to create high-tech surveillance states, deepen repression, and make themselves much more difficult to dislodge. We are committed to working with free societies to provide a counterweight to authoritarian abuse and to promote freedom and democracy.

Finally, the incredible economic value of Al may come with economic disruption, similar to what has happened with previous technologies but greater in magnitude. We are committed to studying this disruption-we maintain an economic index that provides aggregated information about Claude's usage across the economy, and our researchers build macroeconomic models to predict the possible future impact of AI. We also suspect more radical actions will be needed and have already committed $200 million to partner with governments to run studies on different ways of responding to changes in the economy. We do this to find evidence about which types of interventions are effective, so that if society does encounter economic disruption, we will have helped build and de-risk the right tools to use in the response.

We expect to scale up this funding significantly in the future. We consider it our personal responsibility to help the world understand these risks, to prevent or mitigate them when they arise from our Al models, and to work with governments and the rest of the industry to address them at a societal level. . . .

Look -- I am an avowed capitalist, technologist and believer in scientific progress. But I still think there are some times (exceedingly rare cases where). . . we ought not trust a gaggle of about 25 year old MBAs from the elites to have an unchecked free hall pass.

And this is. . . one of them. See -- "Oppenheimer" -- or T2. Out.

नमस्ते

CA Gov. Newsom Wins In The 9th Cir. -- Tangerine 2.0 Cannot "Federalize" The CA Natl. Guard, In Immigration Enforcement Matters...

Not at all surprising, and consistent with similar prior appellate decisions in Illinois, Minnesota, New York and Colorado.

I mention it because many of the people of this nation (going into these mid-terms) justifiably fear that Trump will militarize the various arms of the nation, and roll troops when (not if) he suffers wide losses in national politics, in the next two weeks. We must be ready to enjoin that the moment it starts -- as it too finds no basis in law or fact. Resist, resist. . . Resist:

. . .The panel denied Defendants’ motion to dismiss the appeal in Case No. 25-3727—Defendants’ appeal of the district court’s injunction against the initial federalization and deployment of the California National Guard -- for three reasons:

(1) the appeal of the initial-federalization injunction is not moot where a decision on the merits would provide relief to the State by preventing federalization of the California National Guard under similar circumstances in the future,

(2) the court and the parties have already invested substantial time in the appeal, and

(3) exercising discretion against dismissal would curtail strategic behavior and prevent a party from manipulating the formation of precedent by dismissing those proceedings that may lead to an adverse decision. . . .

Now you know. Onward, on a cloud dappled crisp and cool Fall day. Smile.

नमस्ते

FINALLY! Mr. Obama Takes The Gloves OFF, In His Criticism Of Tangerine 2.0. Excellent!

As a general rule, I am not fond of unduly negative, and ad hominem attacks in political campaigns. But we have reached a point in the hell-scape that is Tangerine 2.0 (all as enabled by regular GOP members) that the only way to break through the criminally-corrupt lying. . . is to eviscerate the whole crew -- in acerbic wit.

And this great man -- finally -- is just the perfect person to do it. He holds vast credibility for being honest, even about his own failings, four and three terms ago. These attack rallies will result in a blue tsunami. Excellent -- here's a generally unbiased non-US paper, on it all:

. . .Obama condemned critics of Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, suggesting that they’re using his name or his faith to tear him down.

“We have seen this movie before. I starred in it,” Obama told a packed high school gym in Detroit. “I’ve got a long-form birth certificate to prove it.”

“Abdul is as Michigan as it gets,” he added. . . .

Mr. Obama said never had a president “excel so wildly at just straight-up grifting.” And he cast Mr. Trump as disconnected from Americans’ needs, engrossed instead by White House renovation projects. . . .

[And later:] “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but he seems very focused on home renovation,” Obama quipped. “He should be on HGTV.” He went on: “There’s gold everywhere. He’s got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory.”

The former Democratic president acknowledged that the nation has Trump for another two years, until his term ends. But voters are not stuck with Trump’s allies, he said.

“We’re not stuck with a spineless Congress and Republican governors who are handling lawlessness and carelessness and cruelty and indifference for working people,” Obama said. “After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence. . . you get a chance to say enough is enough. . . .”

Now you know. Let us do what is needed. . . to end this long night -- of madness. Go vote. Onward.

नमस्ते

Stick A Fork In It… Thanks To Commenters!

Per our excellent commenter / follower team, that highly unethical Hep B "denial" trial against Ethiopian newborns -- will now not go forward.

The Guardian (UK) has it all, here:

. . .“The solution is clear here: take the money and vaccinate as many kids as you can,” said Paul Offit, a vaccines expert at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who sharply criticized the proposed study as unethical. . . .

[The Ackman backed] hypothesis was “fanciful” because the hepatitis B vaccine is a single protein among billions encountered by the immune system each day, Offit said.

[T]here is a very clear benefit to giving the vaccine to babies as soon as possible, because of high rates of hepatitis B in the country and the possibility of lifelong illness and death from infection. . . .

Now you know. Buffs up by one at the half (since obliterated in second half); and five more local Emmies so far tonight (more chances to come). Woot!

नमस्ते