Another Word for Love

“I was once told by someone wise that writing is perilous as you cannot always guarantee your words will be read in the spirit in which they were written.” 
― Jojo Moyes, The Last Letter from Your Lover

I’m sure it has long since become clear to regular readers of this newsletter that for me very little of this is about the past, strictly speaking. I am not writing a memoir.

No. If this kind of writing had a name, maybe it would be called a memoir of the future. Everything that has happened until now is prologue, from my point of view, with an unknown outcome.

But time is not a constant, as quantum physics has demonstrated, so what in conventional terms might seem like a comparatively short future may in all the ways that really matter to be the best part of the whole story.

I love the quote up top by Jojo Moyes, the English journalist and romance novel author, about how perilous writing feels when you are doing it truthfully. Telling the truth, not with your brain but with your heart, is a perilous business. 

Accordingly, I know whenever I have touched on the past too closely because when I publish that essay I am scared. 

The problem with the past, the honest past, is it involves digging up and stirring up old passions, old pains that may never have completely healed.

I am not a psychiatrist, and I’m willing to believe that some good comes of the process of resurfacing painful memories, processing them, recovering from them, if that is actually possible.

But I suspect some good also comes from acknowledging them privately but allowing them to fade away in favor of celebrating the better outcomes of our efforts at leading self-examined lives.

It’s just an instinct, not a proposition. Some things stay private.

So I’ve established that this is ordinary, that there’s enough good and bad in my past to fill a conventional memoir but that would be the book I have chosen not to write.

Everything I have been doing since this started is about the future. 

The New Yorker’s Janet Malcolm believed that people led secret lives out of view from their public lives. Her writing sometimes explored these secrets, such as her book about the relationship between Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.

The way I refer to such matters is that we each have a rich inner life. And for me the definition of true intimacy is when one person feels able to share his or her inner secret life with another person, even a stranger.

To me that is just another word for love.

(An earlier version of this was in 2021.)

HEADLINES:

• Why Iran chose to restart the fight after the US stopped firing (CNN)

• US launches ‘heavy wave’ of new attacks on Iran (Al Jazeera)

• U.S. Begins New Wave of Attacks on Iran, Military Says (NYT)

• Trump threatens to hit Iran ‘hard’ following missile attack on U.S. assets (WP)

• Iran is getting Chinese shoulder-launched missile systems within weeks. (Reuters)

• Vote on Blanche Is Delayed After Senators Express Skepticism Over I.R.S. Provision (NYT)

• Goodbye, Iowa. Hello, Michigan. Which Democratic primaries will matter most in 2028? (Silver Bulletin)

• The most fiery moments from Fauci’s Senate hearing (Axios)

• Fauci, in Private Diary, Reflected on Covid’s Origins and His Own Fame (NYT)

• Rescuers search for survivors after a 7.1 quake kills 18 in southwestern Japan (AP)

• The Trump administration is reportedly planning to cut a subsidy program that has been helping lower the cost of prescription drugs for people on Medicare, potentially raising prices for millions of seniors in 2027. [HuffPost]

• Divided Fed holds interest rates steady, but three members voted to hike (CNBC)

• Russia’s main domestic security agency said that Pavel Durov, founder and owner of the messaging app Telegram, has been charged with aiding terrorism and put on an international wanted list. [AP]

• Ukraine’s Strike on an Iranian Ship Could Bring Two Wars Closer (NYT)

• Ukraine says it hits 2 major Russian oil refineries hours after Zelenskyy's meeting with Trump (AP)

• Internet erupts as Trump is caught with his eyes closed throughout Lindsey Graham’s funeral (Independent)

• Scientists Discover a Vagus Nerve Signal That Links Food Directly to Memory Formation (ScienceAlert)

• The habit that helped me climb from intern to CEO (BI)

• The Paramount Deal Is in Trouble. It’s Not About the Movies. (NYT)

• Dakota Johnson stuns as Marilyn Monroe in first look after director doubted casting (Fox)

• Pentagon flamed after photo reveals AI request details and commander’s name (AlterNet)

• Writers Guild Withdraws Support From Film Festival Over A.I. (NYT)

• OpenAI's rogue agent compromised a customer at a second tech firm. (Reuters)

• OpenAI, Anthropic ask U.S. government to consider slowing down AI (WP)

• NASA Requires Astronauts In Training To Drop To 25 Pounds To Simulate Weight On Moon (Onion)

Frontline Heroes

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, I visited the Gulf Coast where at least 1,833 people had died. My intention was to cover the aftermath of the tragedy for Salon, but once there, I got involved with relief efforts by the grassroots groups that had gathered to help survivors.

Handing out food and blankets to people, I got into conversations with newly homeless residents of East Biloxi and Gulfport. These were people who were poor before the big storm struck and destroyed all of their possessions.

One of the few things many of them had left was their faith. So I found myself often standing in a circle and holding hands, praying with people.

As part of my reporting, I noted that the large, well-known relief organizations, such as the Red Cross and United Way, were no longer on the scene. This was four to five months after the storm and they had exited once their initial relief efforts had stopped getting media coverage.

In their place, small organizations with limited resources took on the work of helping local people rebuild and gain access to the insurance and government benefits they were entitled to. Most residents had no access to the Internet, which was the only way they could apply for aid from FEMA. Since many could not read or write well, they needed basic help with their applications.

Church groups, often from distant congregations, came to their rescue. It was one of the most impressive and selfless examples of people helping people I had ever witnessed.

One day, as I was talking with a man who’d lost everything but his truck, where he now lived, he thanked me and said he knew we would switch roles someday in the future.

“You live out there in California, where they have those big earthquakes. When that big one hits, I’ll be coming there and I’ll look you up and make sure you’re okay.”

When I got back home to the Bay Area I filed my story, which I titled “Everything’s Broken,” after a Bob Dylan song. A few old friends contacted me about the situation down south and asked what they could do for the people I’d met there. One Stanford colleague, Perla Ni, decided she was going to form an organization that would provide guidance to anyone who wished to support the types of non-profits I’d witnessed at work on the Gulf Coast.

The organization she created, GreatNonprofits is alive today, providing information on thousands of non-profits that is difficult to get elsewhere. One feature allows volunteers, donors, beneficiaries, employees and board members to rate each organization.

The next time you are looking for small to medium non-profits to support, check it out.

TODAY’S LYRICS: “Everything’s Broken”

Broken lines, broken strings,
Broken threads, broken springs,
Broken idols, broken heads,
People sleeping in broken beds
Ain’t no use jiving
Ain’t no use joking
Everything is broken

Broken bottles, broken plates,
Broken switches, broken gates,
Broken dishes, broken parts,
Streets are filled with broken hearts
Broken words never meant to be spoken,
Everything is broken

-- Bob Dylan

HEADLINES:

• Everything’s broken (Salon)

• ‘Ash fell from the sky’: Tourists describe fleeing ‘apocalyptic’ wildfires in France (Guardian)

• Japan earthquake searches continue into night, with people missing in collapsed mall and factory (BBC)

• Anthony Fauci invokes Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions at Covid hearing, calls Sen. Rand Paul ‘unhinged’ (NBC)

• It’s Hard to Believe This Is the Situation We Face (Bulwark)

• Iran attacks US bases in Middle East as Trump meets Netanyahu (Al Jazeera)

• Iran hosts Hormuz calls with Saudi Arabia, Oman as Trump hails ‘good talks’ (CNBC)

• Trump and Netanyahu meet for the first time since launching the Iran war (ABC)

• Trump Backs New Iran Talks but It’s Unclear What He Hopes to Achieve This Time (NYT)

• Just one in three Americans support the war on Iran, the lowest reading in a Reuters/Ipsos poll since the five-month-old conflict’s early days, with most respondents saying that Trump has failed to explain his goals. (Reuters)

• US diplomats walk out as France addresses UN Security Council (Al Jazeera)

• Gorsuch: US ‘never supposed to be … about one race or one religion’ (The Hill)

• ICE Arrests Surge at Airports, Opening New Front in Deportation Drive (NYT)

• Russia closes window for dissent as Ukraine’s attacks stir public dismay (WP)

• Speak or resign: Beshear ups demand for McConnell health status (Axios)

• Senate Confirms Jay Clayton to Lead U.S. Intelligence Community (NYT)

• Why Trump reportedly told RFK Jr. he had the ‘yips’ (Independent)

• Could Cable TV, That Vestige Of Bygone Media Glory, Undo The Paramount-WBD Merger? (Deadline)

• Washington says goodbye to Sen. Lindsey Graham, a ‘true American original’ (NBC)

• Fauci’s diary reveals his thoughts on a ‘rambling’ Trump and his own fame (WP)

• Tech Stocks Tumble on Worries Over A.I. Spending and China’s Chips (NYT)

• Aide Who Had Affair With Newsom 20 Years Ago Details Her Experience (NYT)

• Anthropic’s Claude Code Reigns Despite Rising Interest in Codex, Open-Source Models (The Information)

• Amazon overhauls its AI strategy (BI)

• Chinese A.I. Start-Up Shows the World What It Has Built (NYT)

• Pharmaceutical Ad Urges Viewers To Fight Doctors Who Say Drug Not Right For Them (Onion)

Trump's Election Threats

Many of those watching and listening to Trump closely believe he will try to subvert this November’s midterm elections.

As polls stand as of today, the Democrats seem likely to win control of the House, which would likely lead to Trump’s third impeachment. Democrats have a fighting chance at winning the Senate, which would paralyze Trump’s legislative agenda and make him a true lame duck.

So what would he do in response? Jeffrey Tobin has written an essay in the Times outlining Trump’s options:

• If the Democrats win a majority in the House, the president could declare that the election was fraudulent and that the winners should not be certified.

• The House of Representatives ceases to exist at noon on Jan. 3 following each election. After that moment, none of its 435 members remain in office unless and until they are sworn in again.

• This is why any delay tactics, like those conceived by President Trump’s lawyers in the 2020 election, could have a particularly bad outcome for the House. Trump could maneuver to keep it out of session indefinitely. 

• “No one knows what would happen,” Brian Kalt, a law professor at Michigan State and an authority on House procedures, told Tobin. “You could have votes on who gets to vote. That would be a huge mess. It would get very ugly.”

There are a lot of technical details in Tobin’s piece about how this could happen, but the good news is this assessment from one of Tobin’s main sources, Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY): “The American people, I think, are not going to just sit by while an election which has given a Democratic majority of the House is taken away by some subterfuge that involves a removal of the sitting clerk and an acting clerk put in his place, who happens to be an election denier.”

Let’s hope for our democracy’s sake that he’s right about that.

HEADLINES:

• What’s the Worst Thing Trump Can Do in the Midterms? (NYT)

• Trump asks Supreme Court to let him curtail mail voting (CNN)

• Many people trapped inside Japanese shopping centre after earthquake, fire service says (BBC)

• U.S. and Iran pause fighting, Trump dismisses concerns of dwindling stockpiles (CNBC)

• Trump says US and Tehran having ‘good talks’ as drones hit Iran’s neighbours (Reuters)

• UN human rights chief says Israel must end occupation and house demolitions in Lebanon (AP)

• New Heat Wave Could Worsen France and Spain’s ‘Unprecedented’ Fire Season (NYT)

• What is a ‘fire cloud’, and how have they worsened wildfires in Europe? (Guardian)

• White House report accuses Smithsonian museum of ‘extreme political activism’ (WP)

• McConnell Extends Senate Leave, Will Miss State Picnic (NYT)

• Trump Poll Collapse Hits New Milestone as Leaks Reveal Fresh GOP Panic (TNR)

• Employers Fear Labor Shortage as Many Immigrants Lose Protected Status (NYT)

• After being targeted by President Donald Trump during the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner, CNN’s Kaitlan Collins appeared to address his insults with a subtle social media post. [HuffPost]

• Gordie Howe’s family are the 1st to cross the bridge (CBC)

• For small farmers, goats are becoming big business (WP)

• 15-year-old shot into Seattle food festival crowd during deadly gunfight, prosecutors allege (NBC)

• Man Convicted in Idaho College Killings Seeks to Take Back Guilty Plea (NYT)

• Project Pilot: Can AI control a drone? (Anthropic)

• Profits Soar As Taylor Farms Rebrands As Biological Weapons Manufacturer (Onion)

 

Raising Dreamers

                               

When I was growing up, many parents advised their children to focus on a career by a certain age (12ish), and some kids responded well to that advice. Back then, the major predictor of a man’s eventual career was what his father did.

With women, the path was less direct, if only because many girls had not grown up with career women as Moms. And most women’s careers became infinitely more complicated simply by birthing children.

There was no maternal, let alone parental, leave in those days.

But then again, that was then. Sometimes it is hard to remember that the world I grew up and into has crumbled, shattered and split up into a world where much has changed.

Now the main role models for kids are those in their 20s and 30s.

Somewhere along the line, raising children the best as I could, I may have mentioned art as a career. I’m not sure why I would have done that. Art is not really a career; it is about seeing, imagining something else than the way things are.

It's also about taking risks and being an outsider at times, looking in.

As I’ve aged, I’ve stopped giving career advice to my kids, and more recently, my grandkids. They deserve to make their own choices.

And it’s our obligation to listen to them and hear what they are saying.

(“Earth” by Julia Matthiessen Weir. This painting was exhibited in a San Francisco gallery briefly in 2022 but it is not for sale.)

HEADLINES:

• After Trump calls off bombing, Iran signals it will halt strikes as long as US does (Reuters)

• America has few good options for a “massive attack” on Iran (Economist)

• ‘There is no enrichment envisioned’ in Saudi nuclear deal, Waltz says (Politico)

• Saudi Arabia’s Vast Oil Supplies Now Increasingly Depend on a Single Exit (WSJ)

• Employers Fear Labor Shortage as Many Immigrants Lose Protected Status (NYT)

• Shoppers rewire grocery routines while digesting the biggest price jump in 50 years (ABC)

• What Trump’s Latest Tariffs Mean for the American Economy (WSJ)

• Left-wing Democrats are on a winning run - but can they lure back crucial swing voters? (BBC)

• It’s Gone from Bad to Worse to Perilous at the DNC (Bulwark)

• After Trump’s order, West Point curbed faculty speech. One professor said no. (WP)

• Why Paramount’s Warner Bros. deal suddenly looks less certain (LAT)

• What Happens Now With Paramount’s Merger Plans? (Forbes)

• How big is America’s “obesity penalty”? (Economist)

• As Lake Powell shrinks, marinas are having to adapt to dwindling water levels (AP)

• Berlin police shoot dead suspect in car-ramming attack at Pride event (Al Jazeera)

• Raúl Castro is absent as Cuba celebrates the anniversary of a key revolutionary attack (AP)

• Meet the robots programmed by kids to speak their Indigenous languages (NPR)

• Silicon Valley Splits Over Closing the Borders to Chinese A.I. (NYT)

• The Great Coding Reset (BI)

• ‘That’s All I’m Saying,’ Repeats Man Who Keeps Saying More Stuff (Onion)

Daily Slice

“I just know there’s a hole in my life and I’ve got to fill it — soon.” -- Ben Whittaker (Age: 70, “The Intern”)

______

One editor who looked over my draft memoir back when I was still writing it told me maybe it should be called “Slices,” because my entire career/life seems to have occurred haphazardly in multiple pieces. It was hard for him to see a pattern.

That sounds about right to me. Furthermore, I suspect that I am not the only person who has tried to make sense of his life only to discover that the main theme seems to be change.

But what I’m left with in the present moment is the next slice of life, whatever that yields. At least now I’m relatively free of baggage, literally and figuratively. And after many pieces of my previous self have been sliced away, others remain for the cutting board of the future.

Or the recycling bin, take your pick.

I’m not required to be any specific place. I have no job or professional obligation; I own next to nothing and I owe next to nothing; and I am not anyone’s emotional property, as far as I can tell. 

In other words, I am pretty close to a free agent. You can say that means I’ve got nothing left to lose, and you may be right, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I have nothing left to give.

Which I hope is what matters.

These days I am volunteering for several organizations I believe in, and publishing this newsletter.

The fact is I don’t know what I’m seeking but like Ben Whittaker, I know there’s a hole in my life that needs filling.

Thus these posts.

(This essay is completely rewritten and updated from the first version five years ago.)

HEADLINES:

• Vance, Caine raised concerns about escalating war in Iran, sources say as US pauses consecutive nights of strikes (CNN)

• What Trump’s Latest Tariffs Mean for the American Economy (WSJ)

• ICE Took Mom and Dad. Now the Kids Are on Their Own. (Reveal)

• Trump orders warning signs near Smithsonian, escalating fight over history (WP)

• Manhunt underway for suspect with ‘Islamist’ ties after deadly Berlin Pride attack (NBC)

• How a Chinese Immigrant Driver Got Entangled in a Drug Bust (New Yorker)

• Iran blames US for Hormuz dispute as both sides confirm ongoing talks (Al Jazeera)

• Saudis shoot down missiles targeting oil refineries (Reuters)

• What’s Left of the Cease-Fire Agreement Between the U.S. and Iran? (NYT)

• Ukraine drone unit hunts Russian ships (Reuters)

• Europe wildfires: ‘Difficult hours lie ahead’ in battle to contain fires, says Pedro Sánchez as more than 300,000 flee homes in France and Spain (Guardian)

• Intern arrested in Belgium on suspicion of spying inside NATO military headquarters (AP)

• Youth protests topple India’s education minister (Reuters)

• Democrats nominate Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner in must-win Maine Senate race (NBC)

• Troy Jackson, unlike Graham Platner, is staying laser-focused on Susan Collins (Politico)

• McConnell faces growing questions about absence nearly six weeks after fall (WP)

• Experts Warn The Internet Will Go Down In A Big Way — And You’d Better Be Ready (HuffPost)

• The AI agent that went rogue (Reuters)

• One-Week Sober Man Thought All Problems Would Be Fixed By Now (Onion)

 

Is Confidentiality Permanent?

Recently, the issue of what to do with the files of an aging journalist going into a full-time care facility came up — should they be donated to a university library or similar institution? 

As that question was being debated among friends of the journalist, one raised a related, far thornier question to me on the side: 

How could we collectively protect the identity of the journalist’s confidential sources once the files became publicly available? This journalist had specialized in highly controversial stories and had relied on confidential sources extensively.

After all, the promise of confidentiality in such cases is theoretically permanent, or at least as long as disclosure could cause harm to the sources or their families.

Some journalists say that once a confidential source passes away, the promise no longer applies so they can disclose the identity. But what about the case when it’s the journalist who dies first or becomes incapacitated?

Disclosing their sources’ identities might still cause harm.

Throughout my career, I frequently dealt with confidential sources, my own or those of reporters that worked with or for me. We followed strict protocols for how we used confidential information, including taking measures to protect the identities of the sources.

But rarely did we consider the long-term implications. The recent case described above caused me to re-examine the issue and I have to say I don’t yet have a definitive answer.

This is simply a use case that slipped through the cracks, I’m afraid. Which is another way of saying I’m open to suggestions.

But of one thing I’m sure. Expunging all of your records of any traces of your confidential sources is an option. It’s just that that too might have unforeseen consequences.

(This one is from 2023.)

HEADLINES:

• Paramount Agrees to Delay Warner Bros. Merger for Months (NYT)

• France and Spain race to control wildfires as more than 250,000 evacuated (Guardian)

• Saudi military strikes Houthi targets in Yemen after the Iran-backed militia attacked Red Sea shipping (CNBC)

• Tehran slams Trump’s threat to use frozen Iranian assets as ‘incendiary’ (Al Jazeera)

• Iran and the New Rules of Global Power (Foreign Affairs)

• U.S. carries out more strikes as Trump threatens Iran, Houthis with “major military punishment” (CBS)

• Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him (NYT)

• A defiant Trump imposes replacement tariffs on biggest U.S. trading partners (NPR)

• Trump’s Trade Wars Are Back—Despite the Supreme Court (WSJ)

• ‘Is This Supposed to Be Fun?’ Trump Hurls Insults at Correspondents’ Dinner (NYT)

• The world’s balance-sheet is out of kilter with its economy (Economist)

• Measles Cases Hit New Record in U.S., as Vaccination Rates Wane (NYT)

• CDC expands largest known U.S. cyclospora outbreak to 9 states (WP)

• Judge questions Pentagon about new testosterone policy and impact on transgender soldier ban (ABC)

• Los Angeles Homeless Population Grows Again, After 2 Years of Decline (NYT)

• Knives are out for Vance in the GOP. His allies say it’s a coordinated ‘op.’ (WP)

• Behind the Curtain: AI titans’ biggest private fear (Axios)

• The Robots Cometh (Time)

• I use AI to manage family life (BI)

• China Rewrites the ‘Soft Power’ Playbook for the A.I. Age (NYT)

• Everyone In Oval Office Meeting Currently In Some Stage Of Stroke (Onion)

Opening Line

Somewhere in the archives of the Newseum in Washington D.C., or in the files of the Freedom Forum is an old calendar featuring inspirational quotations from various journalists and others celebrating freedom of speech and the press.

I think the calendar covered only one year and I’m sorry to say I don’t know which one. But I do know that I was quoted on July 23rd of that calendar and that the chosen quote came from a speech I’d given at a press event:

“Journalists used to be responsible for the final word. Now we’re responsible for the first word.”

This statement grew out of my experiences in the early days of the Web in the 1990s, when I worked at Salon and Wired Digital. The point I was trying to make was that traditionally journalists assumed they were more or less in charge of determining the “truth” about whatever topic we tackled. That equated to the last word.

But with the dawn of interactive media, featuring email, comments, blogs and social networks, it was clear that our role was shifting, to more of the conveners of conversations, not the closers.

That is very much what I try to do here at Substack, starting conversations with my daily essays, which focus mainly on my memories of 60 years in journalism, along with personal stories and current updates.

Recently I focused on the early days of Salon and HotWired to convene an effort to preserve the history of these important content companies. HotWired is no longer with us, but its legacy lives on in multiple ways -- banner ads, blogs, podcasts, online video, web designs and one ongoing service, Wired News. And a slew of talented makers who drifted away on the wind.

Salon still publishes.

But when I share my memories of these two companies, I don’t want anyone to get the impression that I felt I am in sole possession of the “truth” of these matters.

My memories are mine alone, and no doubt shaped by my personality and the unique roles I played at that time. Many of the comments from others that appeared with my essays clarify or enhance my version of what happened, and that is exactly what I hoped would happen.

Historians are accustomed to gathering multiple sources for their historiographies. That is what anyone who wishes to document what happened at the dawn of the web should do with this stuff. Mine is meant to be only one of many voices because collectively we are custodians of the history of that time. 

HEADLINES:

• U.S. launches new strikes and Trump threatens ‘massive attack’ as Iran widens war (NBC)

• US House votes to limit Iran war for first time since ceasefire breakdown (Al Jazeera)

• U.S. to Impose Tariffs on Over 80 Nations, Setting New Grounds for Trade Policy (NYT)

• U.S. allies hit with new tariffs object to Trump’s forced labor claims (NPR)

• What Visuals Show About Recent Damage to U.S. Military Sites in the Middle East (NYT)

• Yemen’s Houthis attack Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, threatening to widen Iran war (AP)

• Iranian drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf have reportedly prompted U.S. intelligence analysts to investigate whether Russia assisted by providing targeting information or advanced drone technology. [Reuters]

• Red Sea Turmoil Pushes Oil Past $100 a Barrel (NYT)

• Trump says Saudi Arabia’s nuclear deal hinges on the kingdom normalizing Israel ties (NPR)

• Project 2025 Is Kicking Democracy’s Butt and the Heritage Foundation is Damn Proud of It (Daily Kos)

• Man who killed Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman sentenced to life as family describes trauma, loss (CNN)

• U.S. to Withdraw Subpoenas Issued to New York Times Journalists (NYT)

• FCC chairman Brendan Carr said ABC’s decision not to air Trump’s address to the nation last week would likely factor into the agency’s early review of broadcast licenses for eight affiliated stations. [HuffPost]

• Judge questions Hegseth’s testosterone policy (AP)

• Is Mitch McConnell Alive? Three Questions That Could Finally Force Answers (Newsweek)

• Donald Trump Betrayed Farmers Once Again (Money Trail)

• Canada’s ‘powerful’ dairy sector is in Trump’s trade crosshairs (BBC)

• Fire in San Diego County Prompts Evacuation Orders (NYT)

• Drone Attacks on Russia’s Biggest Online Retailer Bring War Home to Middle Class (WSJ)

• OpenAI’s Rogue Agent Has Congress Reaching for the Kill Switch (Gizmodo)

• Anthropic’s top economist says AI won’t replace workers yet. Mark Cuban says it trails humans in 2 key ways. (BI)

• How a Gang of Thieves Pulled Off a Multimillion-Dollar Data Center Heist (NYT)

• For years tech experts imagined AI breaking free. Now they have to stop it. (WP)

• Stocks and the Economy Are Increasingly Relying on the A.I. Boom (NYT)

• “This price was set by an algorithm”: News subscribers are surprised by a new line in their renewal emails (Nieman)

• New Geneva Convention Allows Use Of Child Soldiers With Signed Permission Slip (Onion)