Geopolitics
Ahead of the mid-May Trump-Xi summit, China’s Commerce Ministry directed firms to disregard U.S. sanctions on five teapot refineries, including Hengli Petrochemical’s Dalian unit, for processing Iranian crude. Beijing deems the Treasury asset freezes unlawful without UN authorization, amid energy shocks from the Iran conflict and Hormuz issues. China has resumed fuel exports to neighbors as inventories stabilize.
Closer to home, President Trump signed an executive order expanding Cuba sanctions on its security apparatus, corruption, human rights abusers, and imposing secondary penalties on foreign firms in oil, gas, mining, and banking. Officials accused Havana of enabling hostile intelligence, military, and terrorist operations near U.S. shores, including ties to Iran and Hezbollah. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Cuban communists welcome U.S. adversaries and vowed no impunity 90 miles away, highlighting influence networks that he said radicalize U.S. left-wing NGOs via trips like the Venceremos Brigade and ICAP. Critics, including CodePINK’s Medea Benjamin, described the sanctions as barbaric.
Artificial Intelligence
Pete Hegseth, Secretary of War, announced during House Armed Services Committee hearings on the $1.5 trillion 2027 Pentagon budget that the military will establish a sub-unified command for autonomous warfare systems. Human Rights Watch deputy director Verity Coyle stated that a focus on maximum lethality conflicts with international humanitarian law principles of distinction and proportionality. She cited risks from faster AI target selection, U.S. threats to blacklist AI firms such as Anthropic over safety restrictions, and Ukraine as a testing ground for humanoid robots and 33,000 AI drone kits. Coyle called for meaningful human control, domestic regulations, and a binding international treaty on autonomous weapons, comparing it to bans on landmines and cluster munitions. Ukraine’s military reported AI command systems already operational for rapid battlefield data processing.
In other news, David Silver, the Google DeepMind scientist who led AlphaGo’s 2016 victory over Go champion Lee Sedol, has raised $1.1 billion for his startup Ineffable Intelligence, valued at $5.1 billion. The company focuses on reinforcement learning through simulations and self-play to develop systems that do not rely on human-generated data. Silver described this approach as a renewable path to superintelligence, allowing AI to discover advancements in science, technology, government, or economics independently. He contrasted it with large language models, which he described as limited by static human data comparable to fossil fuels.
Privacy & Surveillance
Flock and Palantir’s AI surveillance camera network is reportedly expanding by over 200 units daily, enabling real-time vehicle tracking by make, model, and behavioral profiling. Proponents cite violent crime reductions in adopting cities, while critics highlight privacy risks and erroneous arrests.
DARPA-funded SmartDust consists of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) motes the size of sand grains, designed for invisible sensor networks originally intended for battlefields. U.S. patent 11354666-B1, granted to Wells Fargo in 2022, describes its use in biometric banking authentication via clouds of motes that capture facial recognition, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, breath rate, voice, fingerprints, location, and behavioral data to generate cryptographic signatures. UC Berkeley researchers implanted ultrasound-powered versions in rats, and the University of Washington released wind-dispersed sensors. A related Wells Fargo patent describes neural networks for real-time financial thought prediction. The market was valued at $153.9 million in 2024 and is projected to grow at 14.3% annually with AI integration for autonomous decisions.
Meta ended its contract with Kenyan firm Sama, resulting in 1,108 redundancies less than two months after workers reported reviewing smart glasses footage of users having sex or undressing. Sama denied failing standards, while workers and advocates alleged retaliation for speaking out. Meta stated that human review improves AI with user consent, but UK and Kenyan regulators are investigating privacy issues. The glasses, partnered with Ray-Ban and Oakley, include AI translation and aids for the visually impaired.
Epstein Files
The New York Times petitioned a New York court to unseal a suicide note that Epstein allegedly wrote, which cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione reportedly found in comic book pages between July 23 and 27, 2019. Tartaglione, serving four life sentences, provided it to lawyers. A Justice Department chronology references it, but Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that all Epstein files have been released.
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old son of Norwegian diplomats Terje Rød-Larsen and Mona Juul—whose parents were recently charged with gross corruption and aiding it, and who was mentioned in Jeffrey Epstein documents from his minority—died by suicide. Lawyers John Christian Elden and Thomas Skjelbred confirmed the death and requested calm for the grieving parents, criticizing intense media scrutiny that they said burdened the family. Norwegian outlets, including Dagens Næringsliv, VG, and NRK, acknowledged the tragedy and plan to review their coverage, while press organizations emphasized ethical balances in high-profile cases. Storting’s control committee leader, Per-Willy Amundsen, noted potential impacts on Epstein investigations. Some commentators argued that public interest in the parents’ Epstein connections justifies media scrutiny.
Economy
Spirit Airlines canceled all flights and began an orderly wind-down after failed rescue attempts, including a proposed $500 million deal from the Trump administration that collapsed. The carrier faced debt, operational issues, failed mergers, and jet fuel shocks. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced relief measures: partner airlines, including United, Delta, JetBlue, and Southwest, will cap rebooking prices on high-volume routes, while American Airlines and United offer job microsites for 7,500 workers. Refunds will process automatically for card purchases. Trump indicated further action. Duffy attributed part of the collapse to the prior DOJ’s block of a JetBlue merger.
US Politics
A unanimous 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in New Orleans blocked nationwide mailing of mifepristone prescriptions, requiring in-person clinic distribution. The ruling, likely headed to the Supreme Court, overrides FDA regulations relaxed during COVID-19 after 20 years of safety data. The judges, all Republican appointees, sided with Louisiana’s abortion ban, noting that mailed pills undermine state policy that views unborn children as persons from conception. The decision affects telehealth access even in states where abortion is legal, particularly for rural, low-income, disabled, and minority populations. Manufacturers GenBioPro and Danco plan emergency appeals. The FDA is reviewing safety under the direction of the Trump administration. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill hailed the ruling as protecting unborn children.
Sources
DeepMind’s David Silver Raises $1.1B for “Superlearners” That Skip Human Data
Silver says reinforcement learning, not large language models, is the best path to superintelligence.
Hegseth Unveils Autonomous Warfare Command as Rights Expert Warns of Civilian Risks
a sole focus on achieving maximum lethality is inherently incompatible with civilian protection.
SmartDust: DARPA’s Invisible Sensors Now Powering Biometric Banking Surveillance
It is assigned to Wells Fargo Bank and describes a system for authenticating a user making a payment using SmartDust.
Source | Submitted by Mikey1052
Son of Epstein-Linked Diplomats Terje Rød-Larsen and Mona Juul Dies by Suicide
Last night a son died. Today two parents grieve. That should be enough for us all to lower our voices. (Translated from Norwegian)
Source | Submitted by norvegienne
Meta Axes Kenyan AI Trainers After Revelations of Smart Glasses Sex Footage
Meta in row after workers who say they saw smart glasses users having sex lose jobs
Spirit Airlines Grounds All Flights in Bankruptcy Collapse; Trump Admin Unveils Relief for Customers, Workers
The collapse of bankrupt Spirit Airlines is now official.
Source | Submitted by Walberga
Federal Appeals Court Blocks Nationwide Mailing of Abortion Pill Mifepristone
A federal appeals court has restricted access to one of the most common means of abortion in the U.S. by blocking the mailing of mifepristone prescriptions.
Source | Submitted by Walberga
Beijing Tells Firms to Ignore US Sanctions on Teapot Refineries Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Ahead Of Trump-Xi Summit, Beijing Tells Chinese Firms To Ignore U.S. Sanctions On “Teapot” Refineries
Trump Escalates Cuba Sanctions as Rubio Exposes Havana’s Left-Wing Influence Network
We are not going to have a foreign military or intelligence or security apparatus operating with impunity 90 miles off the shores of the United States. That’s not going to happen under President Trump.
NYT Petitions for Release of Epstein’s Alleged Suicide Note Found in Comic Book
The New York Times has petitioned a courthouse in the city for the release of a “suicide note” apparently written by Jeffrey Epstein while he was being detained.
Minority Report Realized: Flock/Palantir AI Cameras Surge 200+ Daily, Profiling Behavior
Welcome to pre-crime, and you thought Minority Report was just science fiction.
In addition to sources submitted by community members, the following were also used in the creation of this report: Ukraine’s Army Media, Mario Nawfal; Flock Safety; Connecting Dayton; Secure Justice, Daniel Vassbund; Politikk og kommunikasjon m/Daniel Haugerud, @SecDuffy, @AGLizMurrill, Channel News Asia; South China Morning Post, Medea Benjamin, and Reuters.
by westcoastjan 
