So this is purest speculation on my part. But watching the incredibly complex multi-domain rescue mission this weekend, it suddenly struck me that new, powerful AI might be behind this. Moving all these units into so many places at once, making sure that they have communications organized, fuel, ammunition, food, the right troops with the right transports, and so on is enormously complex. It normally requires the work of hundreds of staffers to do this sort of thing, and that takes time. But it happened awfully fast, and nearly flawlessly.
As Wretchard put it:
As someone who used to use computers to (literally) improvise new tunes from fragments of songs I got to thinking that all that staff work is the kind of thing that AI is good at. I was talking last night over backyard beers with my neighbor, a CTO who is doing a lot of interesting stuff for his company with AI, and with his son, who is starting up his own, very interesting, AI-based business, and both of their approaches basically use AI to do in minutes what normally takes groups of staffers hours or days to do.
We know, because they told us, that the Pentagon and the IAF have been using AI to identify and track targets. This would be a logical step. Say you want to build an airstrip; AI could identify suitable locations, calculate needed units and resources, allocate them, estimate completion time, and turn it all into orders, etc., etc. And it could do it fast.
Of course, for this to work, you have to have a very sophisticated and high-quality military. Units and resources have to actually be where and what they say they are, commanders have to be prepared to execute orders as soon as they are received, and everyone has to have a very high degree of professional skill to move so fast. (This will make it more difficult for adversaries like Russia and China, for whose militaries those conditions don’t really hold, to copy us). And you’d want humans in the loop still to make sure the orders made sense and were actually doable. But you could get by with far fewer humans (improving secrecy) and much less time (increasing speed).
Is that what happened? Maybe. I’d be inclined to bet on it.
Now looking more broadly, does it seem like Trump is anticipating and outmaneuvering his opponents in general much more effectively than in his first term? Has he perhaps acquired a supporter/ally with a lot of expertise in Artificial Intelligence?
Ancient DNA from a cave in Somerset confirmed the remains were domestic dogs, not wolves
A new study published in the journal Nature suggests that man's best friend lived alongside humansfar earlierthan previously believed.
The study was detailed in a University College London (UCL) press release March 26.
The findings centered around ancient DNA found at archaeological sites in the United Kingdom and Turkey, including Gough's Cave in Somerset, England.
Researchers were initially unsure if the skeletons were dogs or wolves because they would have been "indistinguishable," the release said.
The team sequenced DNA from the ancient remains and compared it with more than 1,000 dogs and wolves worldwide, confirming the animals were early domestic dogs.
Researchers analyzed ancient DNA from sites in the United Kingdom and Turkey to confirm the existence of early domesticated dogs.
The DNA dates to the Late Upper Palaeolithic period and is between 14,000 and 16,000 years old.
Previous studies showed that ancient dogs lived alongside humans 10,000 years ago, but the new findings push the timeline back 5,000 years.
"Researchers from UCL played a critical role by identifying that skeletal remains excavated from the Upper Palaeolithic site of Gough’s Cave in Somerset belonged to domesticated dogs rather than wolves," the release said.
"Similar tests found that remains at Pınarbaşı and Boncuklu in Turkey were also from dogs dating to the Upper Palaeolithic period."
Remains uncovered at Gough's Cave, shown here, were once thought to belong to wolves, researchers said. That has now been shattered.
Researchers also gleaned insight into what modern breeds the dogs were similar to, the release noted.
"They were more closely related to the ancestors of present-day European and Middle Eastern breeds, such as boxers and salukis, than to Arctic breeds like Siberian huskies."
The release said that "this indicates today’s major dog genetic lineages must have been established by the Upper Palaeolithic period."
Simon Parfitt, a co-author of the study, said the DNA "confirms they were ancient domestic dogs, loyal companions to Ice Age hunters at the northern edge of the inhabited world."
"Notably, some bones show deliberate human modification, including perforations in mandibles, suggesting these dogs held symbolic significance after death as well as companionship during life," he said.
The identification of the Paleolithic dogs "represents a step-change in our understanding of the earliest dogs," said William Marsh, a postdoctoral researcher at the Natural History Museum who was part of the study.
"These specimens allowed us to identify additional ancient dogs from sites in Germany, Italy and Switzerland, which clearly show that dogs were already widely dispersed across Europe and Türkiye by at least 14,000 years ago," said Marsh.
The discovery indicates major dog genetic lineages were established during the Upper Palaeolithic period.
Researchers believe the dogs acted as hunting partners, companions and guard animals.
UCL Professor Louise Martin, a member of the international research team, noted the dogs were "given burials, with some at Boncuklu buried alongside humans."
She added, "It highlights the special close relationship between people and dogs even at these early stages."
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson referred to the takeovers as 'teen trends' and called them 'unsafe'
Hundreds of young people filled the streets and sidewalks in Chicago last week in what Mayor Brandon Johnson is calling "teen trends" that he warned can turn deadly.
Video, obtained by Fox News from ChitownCrimeChasers, showed the teens filling streets and sidewalks on March 30, clustering around parked vehicles and moving through intersections.
Other footage from that night captured different individuals dancing and socializing in the city's streets, while other moments showed people climbing on cars and brief altercations within the crowd.
In Hyde Park, residents say the March 30 takeover lasted for hours late into the night.
Crowds of teenagers took over the streets of Chicago on March 30.
"Yeah, it’s bad. The hood is messed up, terrible. A thousand worth of damage, dents everywhere, footprints everywhere," Hale told FOX 32 Chicago.
Video shows groups of teens standing and moving on top of parked vehicles as crowds formed around them.
Chicago police confirmed to the local outlet that three curfew violations were issued in connection with the gathering. A 16-year-old girl was also charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and disorderly conduct.
City officials and police have described these gatherings, which are often organized through social media, as part of a broader, growing trend across Chicago.
Recent events have drawn large crowds to neighborhoods including downtown and Hyde Park, with activity ranging from social gatherings to more chaotic crowd movement.
Mayor Brandon Johnson answers questions during a news conference at Chicago City Hall on Feb. 25, 2025.
Johnson released a public service announcement telling parents to not let their kids attend the increasingly popular "teen trends across the city."
"We're currently tracking five. That's right. Five teen trends across the city this weekend," the mayor said in an April 3 message. "I'm calling on all parents. Check in with your children. See where they plan to be this weekend. Please, do not allow your child to attend any of these trends this weekend."
"They're unsafe, and they can turn deadly. Our police officers will be out enforcing the city's 10 p.m. curfew," he said.
Groups of young people took over the streets in Hyde Park, Chicago.
Some residents say the repeated gatherings are raising concerns about safety and quality of life.
Hale said the incident has prompted him to reconsider staying in the city.
"Your kids should not be out here… I had parents who guided me," he said. "And these parents, they just let them run rampant."
Multiple news outlets reported on Tuesday morning Washington time that locals spotted explosions at Kharg Island, a Persian Gulf site that Iran uses for the vast majority of its oil exports — a significant percentage of which go to China.
The Washington, DC, website Axios reported, citing an anonymous source, that the American military had indeed conducted strikes on Kharg Island, but no on-the-record sources have confirmed the claim at press time. If true, it would not be the first time during the current conflict that the United States struck the island, though the kinetic action in March reportedly hit only military assets protecting the island, leaving the oil infrastructure intact. Reports at press time do not specify what, if anything, was destroyed on Kharg Island on Tuesday.
The reports of explosions follow a series of dramatic messages from President Donald Trump on Sunday and Monday, establishing a deadline of 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time for Iran to agree to a ceasefire and resolution of the current conflict or face, in Trump’s words, total destruction of their “civilization.” While it is not entirely clear who is leading Iran since the demise of “supreme leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 — his son, the new “supreme leader” Mojtaba Khamenei, has yet to appear in public since Iranian state media declared him the leader — spokesmen for the Iranian armed forces and Foreign Ministry have not indicated any willingness to negotiate with the United States.
The Emirati newspaper The Nationalreported on Tuesday morning that “blasts have been heard” nationwide in Iran in anticipation of the deadline, including “reports of blasts” on Kharg Island. It did not provide any other details on the situation. The Times of Israelreported similarly — notably citing the Mehr News Agency, and Iranian state propaganda site.
Some unverified videos of smoke clouds appeared on social media sites, claiming to be footage of Kharg Island on Tuesday, but Breitbart News could not confirm that this was the case. Jordan’s Roya News reproduced some of the footage.
Axios added to the reports claiming “an unidentified senior U.S. official” could confirm that America was responsible for the explosions. Axios previously reported on March 20, again citing anonymous “sources with knowledge,” that President Trump was considering blockading Kharg Island to make it impossible for Iran to export oil, or occupying it completely.
Kharg Island is a critical point in the Iranian economy due to Iran’s geographical inability to load tankers on much of its shoreline. Instead, it parks its tankers on the island where the oil is pumped out of the mainland and into tankers for shipping. Reports indicate that as many as 90 percent of Iranian oil exports, most of those going to China, are processed on Kharg Island.
The U.S. military has already extensively bombed the island. On March 13, the military hit over 90 targets on Kharg, though none of them civilian oil infrastructure. Trump specifically declared following that engagement that he had chosen to avoid targeting the oil facilities there, but has refused to rule out attacks doing so in the future.
NBC News discovered that Trump has discussed Kharg as a critical weak point to exploit in any future war with Iran as early as 1988, when he suggested in an interview that, if he were in power and Iran attacked the United States, “I’d do a number on Kharg Island; I’d go in and take it.”
The United States launched Operation Epic Fury on February 28, intended to erode the Iranian government’s ability to pose a threat to its neighbors and the United States. Under the current Islamist regime, Iran is the world’s premier state sponsor of terrorism, pouring billions of dollars into terrorist groups such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Yemeni Houthis, Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Kata’ib Hezbollah of Iraq, and others. Operation Epic Fury and its Israel Defense Forces (IDF) counterparts have eliminated dozens of senior Iranian leaders, both military and civilian, leading Trump to conclude on multiple occasions that the regime has effectively been changed given the total removal of personnel.
President Trump announced on Easter Sunday plans to destroy the state of Iran, proclaiming, “praise be to Allah.”
“Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell — JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah,” he declared on his website, Truth Social.
During remarks to reporters on Tuesday, Trump expressed frustration that the remaining Iranian leaders were not negotiating in good faith. The comments were a marked contrast to his claims in late March that the alleged “NEW, AND MORE REASONABLE, REGIME” was making “great progress” with his negotiators.
“For 47 years, they’ve been bullshitting other presidents, and they haven’t done the job,” Trump complained on Monday. “And people are living in hell. You live in that country; they’re living in hell. No, I think that 47 years of this stuff is long enough.”
“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Trump announced on his website on Tuesday morning. “I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will.”
It’s just being reported by the AP that the Trump administration has canceled agreements with schools enacted by previous administrations that protect transgender pretenders.
Here’s the news: The Education Department said Monday it has terminated agreements that previous administrations reached with five school districts and a college aimed at upholding rights and protections for transgender students.
The decision means the department will no longer play a role in enforcing those agreements, which called for schools to take steps to comply with federal civil rights law. The districts affected are Cape Henlopen School District in Delaware, Fife School District in Washington, Delaware Valley School District in Pennsylvania, and La Mesa-Spring Valley School District, Sacramento City Unified and Taft College in California.
Under the Biden and Obama administrations, the department interpreted Title IX, which prohibits sex discrimination in education, to include protections for transgender and gay students.
The Trump administration has penalized schools that have made efforts to accommodate students based on their gender identity. It has filed lawsuits in California and Minnesota over state policies permitting transgender students to participate in interscholastic sports, and opened civil rights investigations into schools and universities over their policies on transgender students.
But the announcement Monday appeared to involve the first known cases of the administration terminating civil rights settlements that had been negotiated with schools.
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Kimberly Richey said the action reflects the administration’s efforts to keep transgender students from participating in girls’ and women’s sports teams and accessing shared locker rooms.
“Today, the Trump Administration is removing the unnecessary and unlawful burdens that prior Administrations imposed on schools in its relentless pursuit of a radical transgender agenda,” she said in a written statement.
A federal judge on Monday rejected Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan’s bid to toss out a jury’s guilty verdict on charges for helping an illegal alien evade ICE agents.
US District Judge Lynn Adelman, a Clinton appointee, denied Hannah Dugan’s motions.
In December, Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan was found guilty of obstruction for helping an illegal alien evade ICE agents.
Dugan was acquitted of count 1 – the misdemeanor but she was found guilty on count 2 – the felony obstruction.
She is facing five years in prison.
Last April, a federal grand jury indicted Hannah Dugan for helping an illegal alien evade ICE agents.
According to the FBI, Dugan became angry when she found out that ICE agents were waiting outside of her courtroom last week to arrest Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, an illegal alien involved in a domestic abuse case she was overseeing. She allegedly directed Flores-Ruiz to exit the courthouse through a private jury door to evade arrest.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Judge Dugan “intentionally misdirected federal agents away from the subject to be arrested at her courthouse.”
The shocking criminal complaint detailed Judge Dugan’s actions to intimidate federal agents and how she helped the illegal alien evade arrest.
Judge Dugan learned of ICE’s presence and angrily confronted the arrest team of ICE agents.
The video shows Hannah Dugan in her robes walking through the courthouse halls and confronting ICE agents dressed in plain clothes.
Later on, the illegal alien, Flores-Ruiz, and his lawyer are seen sneaking out the “jury door” so he could evade arrest.
