Ironweeds

Updates on the war against Iran abroad and immigrants at home. Open AI makes some big announcements. Slop YouTube videos are teaching kids to play in traffic. Two wildflowers, because you deserve it! https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/flock-safety-s-national-search-tool-disabled-troy-22090293.php https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/24/tech/meta-new-mexico-trial-jury-deliberation?cid=ios_app https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/27/us/florida-immigration-desantis-republicans.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://apnews.com/article/lion-king-circle-of-life-lawsuit-2b653d3ae9337f231e6a74201f4011e8 https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/openai-cancels-spicy-chatbot https://news.mongabay.com/2026/03/california-condors-nesting-in-pacific-northwest-for-first-time-in-a-century-on-yurok-territory/amp/ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/29/cpac-maga-anxiety-iran-war https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-approval-hits-new-36-low-fuel-prices-surge-amid-iran-war-reutersipsos-2026-03-24/ https://www.dexerto.com/youtube/educational-ai-youtube-videos-accused-of-teaching-kids-to-play-in-traffic-eat-toxic-food-3340769/ https://www.cnbc.com/2026/03/27/trump-strait-of-hormuz-iran-war.html https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/03/26/us/trump-news?unlocked_article_code=1.WFA.7mEw.ubKoY6aNTxWh&smid=nytcore-ios-share

An AI Army girl. War with Iran. The oil crisis. Afroman wins his day in court. https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/03/17/meet-jessica-foster-the-viral-onlyfans-ai-fooling-millions-of-maga-fans https://www.npr.org/2026/03/19/nx-s1-5753563/afroman-lemon-pound-cake-trial https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/9248ebd9-a96d-450e-96b8-2a3ef740b150 https://archive.ph/RLDUv https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/iran-war-us-israel-trump-03-20-26?post-id=cmmzikyj50000356tysjbi7o4 https://www.jpost.com/international/article-890725 https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/16/man-charged-planting-bombs-capitol-trump-pardon-00831086 https://aje.news/9wi9du

The Pentagon spends billions on luxury goods. We’ve blown our load in munitions a little too early. Facial recognition software throws an innocent grandma in jail for five months. Cops decide an anxiety attack is more important than a bullet in the back. Police brutality in South Burlington. Doge Bros tell all. https://newrepublic.com/post/207693/palantir-ceo-karp-disrupting-democratic-power https://www.politico.com/news/2026/03/11/data-center-moratorium-gains-traction-among-hill-progressives-00814163 https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2026/03/12/gen-z-men-poll-wife-obey-husband/89087781007/ https://newrepublic.com/post/207555/pete-hegseth-billions-dollars-fruit-basket-stands-chairs-crab https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/10/trump-florsheim-shoes // https://x.com/epsilontheory/status/2031717210746446029?s=46 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/12/world/middleeast/stryker-iran-cyberattack.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/9962d453-418d-458f-9707-d29068ac18e8 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2026/03/11/trump-endorses-jake-paul-political-office/89108352007/ https://www.reddit.com/r/vermont/s/hXQ47QXmH9 https://vtdigger.org/2026/03/12/ice-agents-took-into-custody-a-person-they-were-not-seeking-after-vermont-standoff/ https://www.grandforksherald.com/news/north-dakota/ai-error-jails-innocent-grandmother-for-months-in-north-dakota-fraud-case https://apnews.com/article/police-shooting-connecticut-892f366b847d9443a2bc3e3569a092dc // https://connecticut.news12.com/attorney-dyshan-best-had-vape-pen-but-no-gun-when-police-fatally-shot-him https://apnews.com/article/uk-house-of-lords-hereditary-peers-expelled-535df8781dd01e8970acda1dca99d3d4 https://www.404media.co/i-watched-6-hours-of-doge-bro-testimony-heres-what-they-had-to-say-for-themselves/

We’ve started a war in Iran. To what end? We discuss. Also, AI. https://www.theverge.com/policy/887678/supreme-court-ai-art-copyright https://thehill.com/policy/defense/5750716-pentagon-pizza-report-hegseth/ https://www.politico.eu/article/isis-teaching-recruits-how-to-use-ai-responsibly/ https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/24/hegseth-sets-friday-deadline-for-anthropic-to-drop-its-ai-red-lines-00795641 https://www.sfgate.com/tech/article/brockman-openai-top-trump-donor-21273419.php https://xcancel.com/sama/status/2027578652477821175 https://jonathanlarsen.substack.com/p/us-troops-were-told-iran-war-is-for https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-says-kristi-noem-stepping-homeland-security-secretary-rcna248719 https://x.com/adamjohnsonchi/status/2029984467096359352?s=46 https://aje.news/gzweqa https://aje.news/4f7kkx https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/threats-water-supply-and-food-inflation-stalk-gulf-states https://www.csis.org/analysis/37-billion-estimated-cost-epic-furys-first-100-hours

Troubling mobilization around Iran. The NRA and other pro-gun groups criticize administration officials on public statements about Alex Pretti murder. DHS lies about detainees. And the Yangtze River is rebounding after a fishing ban. https://www.them.us/story/story/work-stress-gay-says-malaysian-official https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/us/politics/us-military-iran.html https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/19/us/politics/trump-iran-military-strikes.html https://apnews.com/article/andrew-mountbatten-windsor-arrest-king-charles-61ea3c437680b8341e623e4d9efa47b8 https://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/2026/02/kid-rocks-song-about-loving-underage-girls-resurfaces-ahead-of-tpusa-super-bowl-show.html https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/19/trump-administration-memo-ice-dhs-refugees-screening https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/25/alex-pretti-killing-nra-pro-gun-groups https://www.reuters.com/world/irs-improperly-disclosed-confidential-immigrant-tax-data-dhs-washington-post-2026-02-11/ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/politics/2026/02/18/robert-f-kennedy-jr-kid-rock-ice-bath/ https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/09/irish-man-seamus-culleton-ice-detention https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/feb/12/china-yangtze-river-recovery-after-fishing-ban https://apnews.com/article/immigration-chicago-shooting-crackdown-border-f05c446c37bf0cd7e7e2ad1dcfa104b1

AI developments. A new military contract has some disturbing line items. A man shoots his daughter in Texas and faces no charges. CBP gets El Paso airport shut down over balloons. And cats find refuge in a Beirut university campus. https://www.commondreams.org/news/military-contract-concentration-camps https://www.miamiherald.com/news/politics-government/article314631578.html https://www.npr.org/2026/02/10/g-s1-109346/beirut-lebanon-cats-university https://ca.news.yahoo.com/woman-shot-dad-arguing-donald-151336338.html https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4gjmye7xkwo https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/flights-el-paso-airport-texas-halted-10-days-security-reasons-faa-rcna258497 https://thehill.com/homenews/media/5733236-gallup-stops-presidential-approval-ratings-polls/ https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/free-store-troy-expansion-rite-aid-location-21343564.php https://fortune.com/2026/02/11/something-big-is-happening-ai-february-2020-moment-matt-shumer/ https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/us/trump-administration-el-paso-airspace-closure-questions.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/why-are-senate-democrats-still-voting-to-confirm-trumps-judicial-nominees https://hellgatenyc.com/propublica-strike-workers-union-contract-ai/ donation: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-propublica-workers-for-fair-contracts https://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/pam-bondi-stole-dog-21352565.php https://www.reddit.com/r/Albany/s/8rzQ2QzIMG

A couple of news stories followed by a discussion of the film Bugonia. Thanks for listening! https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/technology/bitcoin-price-drop-crypto-market.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/06/an-ai-startup-founder-says-hes-planning-a-march-for-billionaires-in-protest-of-californias-wealth-tax/

More ICE content in the wake of the Alex Pretti shooting, Pam Bondi’s request for Minnesota’s voter files, Flock partnering with Ring, Greg Bovino’s similarities to Colonel Lockjaw, facial recognition, and more. Congrats to everyone who worked so hard to save 1011 2nd Ave! https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/troy-riverfront-remain-untouched-housing-plans-21304385.php https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/16/amazons-ring-to-partner-with-flock-a-network-of-ai-cameras-used-by-ice-feds-and-police/ https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxcyK81SF_93JESOU8l25IALC7A6wSVkq_?si=iGCLzcSNpE560tUs https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/leaders-teachers-decry-ice-capitol-rally-21311723.php https://www.newsweek.com/pam-bondi-ice-minnesota-shooting-tim-walz-letter-voter-files-11413859 https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/troy-mayor-democratic-council-tension-21315555.php https://www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01/27/us/minneapolis-shooting-ice-minnesota?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://prospect.org/2026/01/27/ice-greg-bovino-minneapolis-one-battle-after-another-sean-penn/ https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/children-detained-ice-capital-region-advocates-21320062.php https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/technology/tech-ice-facial-recognition-palantir.html?smid=url-share https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/us/don-lemon-arrest-minnesota-church-protest.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/us/politics/nekima-armstrong-photo-white-house.html https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2026/01/quick-hit-at-least-20-ice-cbp-officials-have-been-charged-with-crimes-against-children/ https://www.visaverge.com/news/rise-in-ice-agent-impersonations-worries-immigrant-communities/

We talk about the general growing lawlessness in the US, from Trump and elections to ICE and protesting. Betar is out of NYS. https://www.reddit.com/r/BlackPeopleofReddit/comments/1qdog32/black_panthers_in_philly/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button https://www.reddit.com/r/minnesota/comments/1q8vvwa/st_paul_mn_a_sobbing_resident_calls_911_as/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button https://hudsonvalleypost.com/huge-center-secretly-planned-for-hudson-valley-new-york/ https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2026/01/ice-recruitment-minneapolis-shooting.html https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/14/trump-suspended-michigan-autoworker https://www.rawstory.com/trump-2674894355/ https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/18/us/minnesota-protests-national-guard-immigration-hnk?cid=ios_app https://www.news10.com/video/top-video/dos-and-donts-for-protesting-in-the-capital-region/ https://theintercept.com/2026/01/13/betar-us-israel-harassment-ny/

The United States has kidnapped the president of Venezuela. We talk about it. https://rollcall.com/factbase/trump/transcript/donald-trump-press-conference-venezuela-maduro-january-3-2026/ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5y5q173053o https://www.semafor.com/article/01/03/2026/new-york-times-washington-post-held-off-on-reporting-venezuela-raid https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/03/us-oil-trump-venezuela https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/eaf41f57-9ef4-4ec3-9118-4881b2ac71ec. https://www.diariolasamericas.com/america-latina/florida-tycoon-takes-advantage-of-oil-and-the-venezuelan-political-crisis-n5377852 https://floridaphoenix.com/2020/09/27/a-peek-at-billionaire-harry-sargeant-iii-a-somewhat-mysterious-figure-in-fl-gop-circles-and-elsewhere/ https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/sargeant-marine-inc-pleads-guilty-and-agrees-pay-166-million-resolve-charges-related-foreign https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/americas/venezuela/article299803319.html https://bsky.app/profile/atrupar.com/post/3mbm7zqpudm2c https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15432025/background-Trumps-Mar-Lago-war-room-x-Maduro-strike-Venezuela.html https://www.newsweek.com/zohran-mamdani-inauguration-live-updates-nyc-mayor-party-11293975

Trump talks to the youths ahead of Santa’s arrival. ICE agents break into a women’s bathroom and order a woman off the toilet. New York is in an affordability crisis. A California wealth tax faces staunch opposition from the golden boy of liberal. The Brown University shooter was found using Flock cameras. And economic growth is no longer linked to carbon emissions. Happy New Year, friends! Thanks for listening! https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/11/economic-growth-no-longer-linked-to-carbon-emissions-in-most-of-the-world-study-finds https://www.timesunion.com/capitol/article/new-york-affordability-crisis-debt-savings-21246442.php https://www.reuters.com/world/us/new-white-house-plaques-attack-trumps-democratic-predecessors-bush-2025-12-17/ https://apnews.com/article/brown-university-shooting-investigation-5b0b254442dd77d9056111bad902de33 https://dailyvoice.com/ny/albany/asm-gibbs-made-explicit-assembly-floor-remarks-committee/ https://newrepublic.com/post/204732/ice-agents-break-in-women-bathroom-pull-pants-up https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/24/politics/trump-santa-norad-calls?cid=ios_app https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/26/technology/california-wealth-tax-page-thiel.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Trump may reschedule cannabis. Little Marco makes waves at the State Department. Tariffs affect farmers. Bill de Blasio ain’t loyal. Rich New Yorkers find fleeing harder than they thought. And a new toadlet just dropped. https://www.vice.com/en/article/turns-out-putting-a-camera-in-a-smart-toilet-was-a-bad-idea/ https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/09/us/politics/rubio-state-department-font.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/02/us/politics/state-department-morale-survey.html https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/990b43fd-dd20-4033-9d75-5cc130e1d239 https://pagesix.com/2025/12/10/society/bill-de-blasio-tucson-mayor-hooked-up-first-time-they-met/ https://www.sciencealert.com/new-species-of-tiny-pumpkin-toadlet-discovered-in-brazils-cloud-forests https://apnews.com/article/charlie-kirk-assassination-tyler-robinson-media-e90d404b03383dec9e0d9a327b491920 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78vz2v85mpo https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/nyregion/nyc-income-tax-rich.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/advertisers-wary-cbs-news-bari-weiss-town-hall-1236608265/ https://www.cnbc.com/2025/12/12/cannabis-stocks-trump-regulations.html https://www.aaup.org/underclass-session

The CEO of Sticker Mule is running for Congress. The US Institute of Peace is rebranded after Trump. US demands dud bomb back from Lebanon. And two special wildflowers because we love you so much! https://www.news10.com/news/your-local-election-hq/sticker-mule-ceo-announces-bid-for-congress/ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8x1n9rv809o https://www.techspot.com/news/110356-activists-simulating-ice-raids-gta-fortnite-teach-immigrant.html https://www.ft.com/content/1e22422f-5859-42e0-85ff-7d6fd7869d5c https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/nov/25/national-park-fee-non-residents https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20251201-us-israel-fear-leak-of-tech-secrets-from-unexploded-bomb-in-beirut/ https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cp39qx4ledeo https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/05/us-airstrike-survivors-clung-to-boat-wreckage-for-an-hour-before-second-deadly-attack-video-shows https://apnews.com/article/trump-world-cup-fifa-peace-prize-e14f95b8adaa197c869cad407b6ef604

Trump <3 Mamdani. Mormons develop anti-gooning app. The Coast Guard gets wishy washy on uncucking itself. Rensco sheriff wants to install Flock cameras. Female crash test dummies on the horizon. And a new YMCA Parkinsons center! https://www.wired.com/story/young-mormons-built-an-app-to-help-men-quit-gooning/#intcid=_wired-right-rail_e40c6d99-0621-494b-b82a-aba0cfec8a2a_popular4-2 https://www.the-sun.com/news/15520681/natalie-greene-political-attack-trump/ https://archive.is/2025.11.20-184006/https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/11/20/coast-guard-swastika-noose/ update https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/the-coast-guard-planned-to-change-how-it-described-swastikas-and-nooses-then-came-the-outcry-and-an-updated-policy https://www.instagram.com/reel/DROmCXhEhoC/?igsh=MTM4a3V4YzZleHJkMw== https://on.ft.com/49sYK2S https://www.wamc.org/news/2025-11-21/rensselaer-county-sheriff-looks-to-install-cameras-in-town-of-poestenkill-local-stewarts-shops https://www.npr.org/2025/11/21/nx-s1-5616284/female-crash-test-dummy-design-approval https://www.timesunion.com/state/article/mamdani-jihadist-stefanik-trump-disagree-21201842.php

Conservatives move to Russia with mixed results. Empathetic depictions of men’s suffering through comedy. The shutdown is over and we got nothing. Starbucks strike. The new Gaza green zone. And Chicagoans fighting back against ICE. https://www.chron.com/culture/article/conservative-texas-families-move-to-russia-21152330.php https://www.news10.com/news/rensselaer-county/troy-launches-specialized-mental-health-court/ https://www.wsaw.com/2025/11/12/girl-13-expelled-hitting-classmate-who-made-deepfake-porn-image-her-lawyers-say/ https://newrepublic.com/post/203129/donald-trump-epstein-president-thanksgiving-2017 https://www.theringer.com/2025/11/12/tv/tim-robinson-chair-company-conner-omalley-masculinity https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/government-shutdown-impacted-pet-food-pantries-21171753.php https://www.timesunion.com/news/article/rensselaer-county-man-sues-hvac-company-billy-21178107.php https://labornotes.org/2025/11/no-contract-means-no-coffee-starbucks-baristas-walk-out https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/14/us-military-plan-divided-gaza-green-zone https://apnews.com/article/chicago-immigration-protest-arrests-agent-police-whistles-df72b2ba4e57befc085d692d227363b8