Aggregator

The “Nostradamus of AI” made a pair of $5 billion bets — only to watch his $45 billion hedge fund implode.

Mark Walter is looking to sell another piece of his sports portfolio. For now, however, there remain no indications that the Dodgers could be next. Days after Walter’s stunning sale of the Lakers last week, the longtime Dodgers owner was back in the news Monday, when the Financial Times reported that he and business partner...

If protecting America's kids were their true goal they’d be going after TikTok and YouTube first, since teens use both much more, before assaulting Instagram’s owner.

Panettiere was best known for her roles in the long-running series "Heroes" and "Nashville."

Panettiere was best known for her roles in the long-running series "Heroes" and "Nashville."

The Never-Ending Cycle Of Taking Offense...

Authored by J.B.Shurk via AmericanThinker.com,

Americans should not fear the past...

I remember the first time I came across a “trigger warning.”  I was on a university campus in the ‘90s, attending the first lecture of a new history professor.  As I perused her course syllabus, I was impressed with the reading list and organization.  Then I spotted an incongruous “warning” to women and African Americans suggesting that they might find some of the material offensive.  At first, I thought it was an inappropriate joke.  I asked someone about it, and I was informed that “trigger warnings” had become increasingly common in the classrooms of America’s elite boarding schools.  I rolled my eyes because I knew right then and there that it would take decades to remedy the problem.

The idea that a history professor would implicitly warn students to be afraid of the past unnerved me.  I had always believed very much the opposite — that it was important for young minds to face the past with open eyes.  As living members of the human race, we enjoy the great privilege of being able to learn as much from those who came before us as possible.  And a person can never learn too much about the past!  Whether you take the lessons of history with you to the battlefield, boardroom, small office, or kitchen table, understanding the people, events, and ideas that created today’s world is an invaluable tool for navigating the present and building the future.

I don’t want people to be afraid of the past.  I want them to be invigorated by it.  I want them to exercise their imaginations and step into the centuries that came before us.  I want them to understand the points of view of our ancestors and to appreciate everything that we have inherited from them.  Our role as the current custodians of this material world is not to judge previous generations by today’s mores and standards.  Our job is to prevent the great lessons of history from ever slipping through our grasp.  Sometimes, grappling with the past takes courage!

But the “trigger warning” was just the tip of a much bigger and more socially destructive iceberg.  The message on that syllabus was antithetical to personal growth.  It communicated three poisonous ideas: (1) History is terrifying.  (2) It’s okay to look away.  (3) It’s permissible to rewrite history if it makes us “feel” better.  None of these messages is true.  History is treasure.  Understanding the past is the only way of glimpsing the future.  And if a person understands that seeing into the future is priceless, then that person should similarly understand that learning from the past is priceless, too.  

Furthermore, I do not believe that we should be teaching children to be afraid.  Do we want them to learn that a hot stove burns skin?  Of course.  Should we then encourage them never to sit near a fire?  Absolutely not.  Courage is a virtue.  It comes only when we appreciate the dangers before us and move carefully around them anyway.  History is not there to scare us.  It can’t hurt us.  What it can do is inform us.  It can equip us with the wisdom and strength to ably meet the real challenges of this life.

Whether printed on classroom syllabi or repeated as some modern mantra of “political correctness,” “trigger warnings” exude cowardice.  Why must leftist politicians recite “land acknowledgments” before government meetings or solemnly intone, “Black lives matter,” during public speeches?  Why must they patronize the descendants of native tribes who were here before the Pilgrims?  Why do they insist on treating black Americans as if they were children? 

But that’s the point, isn’t it?  At their heart, “trigger warnings” are infantilizing.  Although outwardly respectful, they are outrageously condescending.  They say, “You do not possess the intelligence to process the past or the moral strength to persevere after learning what your ancestors might have experienced.”  Those who provide “trigger warnings” essentially appoint themselves as higher authorities who are ostensibly capable of doing the tough job of deciding what parts of history should be known and which should be buried.

And there’s the rub!  Because as soon as some privileged group of elites decide to become the official “guardians” of history, their efforts to hide the past from the people are never finished.  Bowdlerizing history becomes its own end.  There is always some new collection of people who might be offended about old news from the past.  There is always some old idea from the past that might be newly adjudged as offensive. 

This never-ending cycle of taking offense is a hallmark of “political correctness” and cultural Marxism, more generally. 

Leftism’s engine runs on the fuel of social conflict.  The working class must be taught to hate business owners.  Blacks must be encouraged to hate whites.  Women must replace men.  Gays must revolt against the nuclear family.  “Transgenders” must rebel against biological sex.  Islamic supremacists must wage war against Christians.  There must always be “oppressed” groups to support; there must always be “oppressors” to resist.  The “revolution” must continue at all times.  It can never be permitted to end.

This is how we have gotten to this absurd point in history when self-described “intellectuals” redefine their beliefs every few years.  They wanted a color-blind society and an end to segregation; then they wanted race-based affirmative action programs, “diversity” quotas, black-only graduation ceremonies, and awards based on skin color, not merit.  They wanted equal rights for women; then they wanted special rights for women; then they wanted to shove men in women’s locker rooms.  They believed in genetics and biological sex; now they believe in “gender” and that physical differences between men and women are imaginary “social constructs.”  Had I asked a group of university professors twenty-five years ago whether they believed men and women are biologically distinct, every single person would have raised a hand; now those same professors would insist that men can have babies.  Moral and intellectual relativism produces cowards.

The antidote to ever-shifting Marxism is to stop dividing people into groups and to begin treating everyone with respect and dignity.  Doing so requires that we acknowledge that there are good ways and bad ways to live.  There are virtuous ways to behave, and there are sinful ways to behave.  Virtue and vice do not change from one decade to the next.  Courage, prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, faith, hope, and charity cannot be expunged with “trigger warnings” or “political correctness.”  No matter how often we fail to live honorable lives, the struggle to be moral, honest, and virtuous provides its own eternal rewards.  

These truths echo something President Calvin Coolidge said in a 1926 speech celebrating the one-hundred-fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence: “If all men are created equal, that is final.  If they are endowed with inalienable rights, that is final.  If governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, that is final.  No advance, no progress can be made beyond these propositions.”  

In other words, America’s Founding principles require no “trigger warnings.”  They are just as true today as they were two-hundred-fifty years ago.  As Coolidge said so eloquently, “If anyone wishes to deny their truth or their soundness, the only direction in which he can proceed historically is not forward, but backward toward the time when there was no equality, no rights of the individual, no rule of the people.  Those who wish to proceed in that direction can not lay claim to progress.  They are reactionary.  Their ideas are not more modern, but more ancient, than those of the Revolutionary fathers.”

Young minds should not be afraid of history.  They should approach the past with courage and be grateful for their inheritance.  Living virtuously requires the strength to face difficult truths.

Tyler Durden Mon, 08/17/2026 - 18:25

The former beauty queen recently threw shade at the drummer's current wife, Kourtney Kardashian.

The former beauty queen recently threw shade at the drummer's current wife, Kourtney Kardashian.

Watch video from the cast's night out at Maison Close.

Watch video from the cast's night out at Maison Close.

A rep for Kirk's EMS stated the call was fielded at around 9:28 a.m. for a man suffering from "chest pain."

Mark Walter's legacy with the Los Angeles Lakers was short-lived, but was quietly a roller coaster of a ride.

The biting lawsuit lingering over Puka Nacua's head could remain there for possibly two more years.

Christian Kirk was supposed to give the San Francisco 49ers another experienced option in a receiving corps already carrying plenty of uncertainty. Instead, he may not even make the team. David Lombardi of the San Francisco Standard projected Kirk outside the 53-man roster, with Mike Evans, De’Zhaun Stribling, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, Jordan Watkins and...

Colombia Begins Mass Mobilization Against Terror Group As Moscow Warns Of New "Anti-Russia Provocation In Latin America"

Trump-backed Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella has wasted no time combating Marxist terrorist groups in a country that is part of the US-led "Shield of the Americas," an initiative aimed at eliminating transnational drug cartels and preventing weaponized migration flows toward the US. 

De la Espriella recently announced joint US military operations targeting the far-left terror networks, as footage posted on Instagram by local media outlet Primicia Caribe shows what appears to be a mobilization of Colombian troops.

🔴| 🇨🇴 ATENCIÓN COLOMBIA. El Escudo de las Américas, rumbo al #Catatumbo, con el objetivo claro de combatir a las guerrillas y recuperar el territorio. pic.twitter.com/E9JCiyvsf0

— Liliana Franco (@lilianaf523) August 17, 2026

In recent days, Colombia's far-left ELN guerrilla group threatened de la Espriella's new government over military operations targeting rebel-held territory. 

#Colombia La comandante del Ejército de Liberación Nacional ELN, Silvana Guerrero, lanzó amenazas al gobierno de De la Espreilla, sobre incursiones dle ejército en zonas controladas por el grupo. Armada con una carabina de patrón M4 y sus guardias están armados con fusil Type… pic.twitter.com/mCcWTpp3pF

— Klaveec (@klaveec) August 16, 2026

Silvana Guerrero, identified as the leader and commander of the self-proclaimed Northeastern War Front of the ELN, warned that the group would resist efforts to restore state control, as armed fighters displayed military-style assault rifles. It appears that de la Espriella's government is preparing for a fight against the ELN, with a retaking of territory near the Ecuadorian border. 

On Sunday, de la Espriella wrote on X about an attack against troops and warned that the "narcoterrorists of the ELN" would pay dearly. He said, "The order to the public forces is clear: without truce and with resolve, we must put an end to that cancer."

Este ataque contra nuestros héroes le saldrá caro a los narcoterroristas del ELN .

La orden a la fuerza pública es clara: sin tregua y con contundencia, hay que acabar con ese cancer.

Mi solidaridad con las víctimas y sus familias.

¡Firme por la Patria!

(A.D.L.E) 🇨🇴 🐅 https://t.co/nN7X2rLzg4

— Abelardo De La Espriella (@ABDELAESPRIELLA) August 16, 2026

Under former socialist Colombian President Gustavo Petro's "Total Peace" policy, ELN was allowed to consolidate power, expand its territorial control, and use negotiated ceasefires to recruit fighters and further its drug trafficking operations.

By Monday morning, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation chimed in on X. It claimed a Western intelligence service, working through Ukrainian proxies, is preparing an information operation targeting Russia in Latin America:

A Western intelligence service, working with Ukrainian proxies, is preparing a new anti-Russian provocation in Latin America. ❗️ The plan: accuse Russia of supplying weapons to criminal groups in Venezuela, Colombia & Mexico.

⚡️ Russia’s #SVR:

A Western intelligence service, working with Ukrainian proxies, is preparing a new anti-Russian provocation in Latin America.

❗️ The plan: accuse Russia of supplying weapons to criminal groups in Venezuela, Colombia & Mexico.https://t.co/wHk2BnHhgE pic.twitter.com/ch9Oeoh3Qk

— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) August 17, 2026

Russian state media Sputnik cited Russian intelligence that said, "The West is plotting a provocation to frame Russia for arming Latin American cartels." 

More from Sputnik:

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has warned that the West is preparing a provocation to accuse Russia of "illegal arms supplies" to drug cartels and criminal groups in Venezuela, Colombia, and Mexico. 

• To do that, Russian-made weapons captured during the special military operation are being smuggled into Latin American countries 
• Fake audio and video recordings are being prepared to "confirm" the alleged transfers 
• The goal is to undermine Russia's constructive ties with the region and pressure Latin American governments into adopting an anti-Russian stance

🚨 West plotting provocation to frame Russia for arming Latin American cartels - Russian Intel

Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) has warned that the West is preparing a provocation to accuse Russia of "illegal arms supplies" to drug cartels and criminal groups in… pic.twitter.com/smSBTHbXFt

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) August 17, 2026

To sum up, the developments suggest Colombia's renewed campaign against the ELN could become entangled in the wider Russia-versus-the-West conflict. Bogotá's alignment with the Trump administration and its push to reclaim guerrilla-held territory create what may be only a new information war of competing narratives about who is supplying the ELN.  

Russia's claims remain unverified. Meanwhile, all eyes are on Colombia as the government prepares to confront cartels and insurgencies. 

Tyler Durden Mon, 08/17/2026 - 18:00

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner met for four hours with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to drop his opposition to the Trump-chaired Board of Peace’s 15-point plan that calls for Hamas to disarm in exchange for a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. “I mean, [Hamas] said all the right...

Accused kiddie-sex-assaulter Victoria Anne Cranmer, 25, appeared in the Toms River courtroom fettered in her trademark pink handcuffs and petulantly glaring at reporters as prosecutors revealed the possible plea agreement.

Half Of Typical US Family's Paycheck Swallowed By Housing, Childcare

Authored by Andrew Moran via The Epoch Times,

Typical families in the United States spend half of their income on housing and childcare, according to a report released on Aug. 17 from the real estate platform Redfin.

A man holds a baby outside a coffee shop in Washington on March 11, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Based on data from Redfin and childcare marketplace Winnie, the typical working family purchasing a home today spends 52 percent of their annual income on housing and childcare combined.

While these costs can decrease as children enroll in public pre-K or kindergarten, researchers say that where a family resides can significantly influence these costs.

Among the 100 most populous U.S. metros, working families residing in Little Rock, Arkansas, would spend less than 40 percent - the least in the country.

Annual housing and childcare costs would total $29,151 for the typical Little Rock working family, compared with a median local income of about $73,000.

The next two most affordable metros include Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (40.8 percent) and Des Moines, Iowa (41.8 percent).

Conversely, Los Angeles had the highest cost nationwide: 96.8 percent. Families spend a combined $94,613, about $3,000 less than the median local income of almost $98,000.

The next least affordable were New York City (95 percent) and San Francisco (94.2 percent).

The numbers indicate that families need to factor in childcare and early childhood education into their affordability calculations, says Sara Mauskopf, co-founder and CEO of Winnie.

"Families considering a move should weigh both of those big costs - as well as job opportunities - when deciding where to put down roots," Mauskopf said in a statement.

"Families should also make sure childcare is actually available near where they want to live. If care is scarce or unaffordable, an otherwise affordable area may not be a practical place for a family with young children."

Another challenge for families may be that home prices are modest, but childcare costs account for a sizable share of household budgets.

In Buffalo, New York, for example, childcare can make up nearly half of the combined childcare and housing price tag.

Other cities have far lower ratios, Redfin reported.

A man with children walks in Washington on July 13, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times

Dallas had the lowest share of family income going toward childcare, at 11 percent. This was followed by Charleston, South Carolina (11.4 percent) and Austin, Texas (11.6 percent).

Labor Shortage Cited

Families across the country have endured immense childcare costs for years.

Care.com released its 13th annual Cost of Care Report for 2026 in January. It found that the average weekly cost of daycare or a family care center for one child exceeded $300 last year. For families with two children, the number was slightly below $600.

Zooming out reveals a more financially dire picture of childcare costs, which even outpace general inflation, according to a report by the tax firm KPMG.

Between 1990 and April 2024, the cost of day care and preschool climbed 263 percent. By comparison, the consumer price index rose by 133 percent over the same period.

A key contributor, KPMG researchers say, is a labor shortage in both childcare and eldercare, which is pushing prices up faster than inflation.

"In 2026, growing challenges in the care economy will increasingly affect workforce outcomes, employer costs and overall economic performance. Though all states and industries are impacted, some are more at risk than others," the report stated.

The federal government and states need to implement reforms to adapt to changing conditions and ensure working families can afford childcare, says Glencora Haskins, a senior research associate at the Brookings Institution.

Some measures could consist of bolstering federal subsidies and states imposing price caps.

"The fact that there is no U.S. state that meets HHS's affordability standard for childcare demonstrates that the need for federal relief is both widespread and severe," Haskins said in a July paper.

"In sum, the potential benefits of federal childcare subsidization are being hamstrung by three main factors: insufficient funding, prohibitive eligibility standards, and misaligned affordability thresholds."

Tyler Durden Mon, 08/17/2026 - 17:40

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Attorney General Letitia James were also on-hand for the forum hosted by scandal-plauged Dem party boss Frank Seddio.

The Jason Arday tragedy is proof positive: Wokeness makes false gods and real tragedies — and the politics of identity is a disaster for all, black and white alike.