Inventors Have Looked to Perfect ‘Robot Umpires’ for Better Part of a Century
Major League Baseball officially launched an automated ball‑strike (ABS) system this season, ending a century‑long quest for robot umpires that began with a 1938 patent. The technology gives each team two challenges per game, letting players contest calls by tapping their helmet. Early games have already produced historic moments, including the first game decided by an ABS challenge and multiple calls overturned in a single contest. ABS also custom‑fits strike zones to each batter, using 27%‑53.5% of a player’s height, prompting a measurable shrinkage in reported player heights.
Why Donald Trump and Kash Patel Want Your Data
Congress is set to vote on a clean reauthorization of FISA Section 702, a foreign‑intelligence tool that also sweeps up the communications of millions of Americans. The Trump administration, with FBI director Kash Patel at the helm, is pushing the bill...
The Infuriating Hypocrisy of Usha Vance
Usha Vance, the U.S. Second Lady, launched a new podcast titled “Storytime with the Second Lady,” in which celebrity guests read children’s books on a YouTube‑style show. The first three episodes have drawn roughly 6,000 views each and feature no...
Both Sides Win
Award‑winning political cartoonist Michael de Adder contributed a guest post titled “Both Sides Win,” featuring a new cartoon that pits an Iranian cleric offering control of the Strait of Hormuz against a triumphant Donald Trump clutching a trophy. The piece highlights...
A Strategic Defeat of Historic Proportions
After a two‑week cease‑fire, the United States has handed control of the Strait of Hormuz to Iran, allowing Tehran to impose a $2 million toll on each transiting vessel. The agreement, brokered by President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, leaves...
Legal Fight Club: Trump Could Face War Crimes Charges After Viral Post
President Trump’s recent Truth Social post threatened to bomb Iranian power plants and bridges, prompting legal experts to warn it could constitute a war crime. International law professor Gabor Rona explained that targeting civilian infrastructure without clear military advantage violates...
5 Things You Should Know About AI Right Now
Artificial intelligence has moved from novelty to a core economic engine in the United States, with trillions of dollars poured into data centers, chips and AI‑driven infrastructure. Generative large‑language models such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini have spawned AI agents...
Florida’s AG and the NFL Are Trying to Limit Head Coaching/Front Office Jobs to White Men
The Florida attorney general sent a formal demand that the NFL abandon the Rooney Rule, arguing the diversity‑hiring mandate violates state law. The league’s senior vice president said it is reviewing the request and maintains that its policies comply with...
Is It Too Late To Apologize?
In this episode, host Jen Rubin speaks with former U.S. Middle East negotiator Ambassador Dennis Ross about the ongoing conflict with Iran, assessing the military damage inflicted on Iran's nuclear and missile capabilities and the strategic importance of the Strait...
Elon Musk’s $2.6 Billion Tweet: The Verdict Everyone Missed
Eliza Orlins breaks down the recent San Francisco jury verdict that found Elon Musk liable for misleading investors with two tweets during his $44 billion Twitter acquisition, awarding roughly $2.6 billion in damages. The case stemmed from Musk’s May 2022 “on‑hold” tweet...
Departure of Justice
Harry Litman hosts a panel with former DOJ officials Paul Fishman and Stacey Young, plus reporter Evan Perez, to dissect the Department of Justice’s recent controversies. The discussion spotlights the agency’s aggressive tactics in the Minnesota investigations and a series...
Governance by Ideological Whim Meets the Rule of Law
A federal district court in Massachusetts issued a temporary stay halting HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s sweeping overhaul of the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule. The judge ruled the changes violate the Administrative Procedure Act because Kennedy replaced career experts...
How SCOTUS Could Change Vote-By-Mail
The episode examines the Supreme Court case Watson v. the RNC, where the Court appears poised to strike down Mississippi's law allowing postmarked mail-in ballots to be counted after Election Day, potentially invalidating similar rules in 14 states covering about...
When Intelligence Stops Judging, It Stops Mattering
Brian O’Neill’s post dissects the 2025 and 2026 Annual Threat Assessments and the recent Capitol Hill hearings, highlighting how Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe behaved. Gabbard shifted the definition of an imminent threat to...
Dire Strait
The latest "Talking Feds" episode, titled "Dire Strait," features journalists Natasha Korecki, Ali Vitali and Jacob Weisberg dissecting the ongoing war with Iran and its ripple effects across Washington. Ali Vitali highlights a recent resignation of a Trump‑aligned official, interpreting...
The Most Misunderstood Job in the Movie Biz
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded its inaugural Oscar for casting to Cassandra Kulukindis for the political thriller *One Battle After Another*. The new category crowns five nominees, including *Hamnet*, *The Secret Agent*, *Sinners* and *Marty Supreme*,...
Chocolate Whiskey Loaf Cake
Jamie Schler, an American food writer living in France, shares a chocolate whiskey loaf cake recipe that blends French terroir sensibilities with classic spirits. She explains how adding whiskey to desserts creates depth and a subtle warmth without overwhelming richness....
Why the Trump Administration Couldn’t Kill the Nature Record
Early 2025 the Trump administration terminated the National Nature Assessment, labeling it wasteful and ideologically driven. In response, more than 170 scientists produced the independent 868‑page Nature Record, funded privately with $3 million and overseen by the National Academies. The report...