Author: nick
On a recent episode of “The Pitt,” a jaundiced patient learned her liver problems were likely caused by what she’d assumed was a healthy habit — taking a turmeric supplement five times a day. “With doses that large of turmeric, there have been cases of liver failure,” medical resident Trinity Santos told her. “From eating a spice?” the yellow-skinned patient exclaimed. Behind this fictional exchange is a factual concern: The cooking spice turmeric has become a popular anti-inflammatory supplement, but in some cases, it can cause liver injury. It’s a risk posed by a number of supplements marketed as being…
Ginned up by social-media influencers, the so-called right-wing civil war has little connection to MAGA voters’ concerns. Source link
Last week I wrote about the possibilities of genetically engineering humans. The quickie version is this – we are already using genetic engineering (CRISPR) for somatic changes to treat diseases, and other applications are likely to follow. Engineering germline cells, which would get into the human gene pool, are legally and ethically fraught, but it’s hard to predict how this will play out. I have also written often about genetically engineering food. I think this is a great technology with many powerful applications, but it should be, and largely is, highly regulated to make sure that anything that gets into…
Thorn argues that a recent New York Times op-ed rewrites history through omission, glossing over the collateral damage caused by the previous administration. Former Biden economic advisers Ryan Cummings and Jared Bernstein would have you believe the decline in bitcoin’s price from its 2025 peak somehow vindicates their administration’s approach to cryptocurrency. A masterclass in selective memory, their February 26 New York Times opinion piece omits the most consequential fact about Biden-era crypto policy: it was not a reasoned regulatory framework. The authors credit the Biden administration with “increasingly aggressive regulatory efforts to curb scams and fraud.” This framing is extraordinary, given what…
The U.S. naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would cost Iran approximately $276M/day in lost exports and disrupt $159M/day in imports, a combined economic damage of ~$435M/day, or $13B/month. Source link
Swalwell ends gubernatorial bid. On Sunday, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D–Calif.) ended his campaign to be governor of California after a former staffer and other women accused him of rape and other sexual misconduct. In a statement posted on X, Swalwell apologized for “mistakes in judgement” he had made while also saying he would defend himself from the “serious, false accusations” that had been made. I am suspending my campaign for Governor. To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past. I will fight the serious, false allegations that have…
As the United States and Israel press their war of aggression against Iran—now entering its second month—attention has understandably focused on the carnage in the Middle East. Yet with the Strait of Hormuz effectively blockaded and global energy markets in turmoil, the conflict’s ripples extend far beyond the Persian Gulf. In East Asia, America’s closest treaty allies, Japan and South Korea, are absorbing punishing economic shocks from their dependence on Middle Eastern oil, while Washington’s diversion of military assets has left them feeling exposed and annoyed. Meanwhile, Beijing, Washington’s bete noire, looks on with barely concealed satisfaction, its state media…
Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair The recent events on the national and world stage are pretty hard to ignore given the effects on Americans, our allies and even our fellow Montanans who just want to go fishing. But the wheels are coming off Donald Trump’s MAGA-mobile in real time and the result is absolutely predictable as he, his administration, and our once-stable nation are now all over the road, bouncing off curbs, going through fences, and headed for the barrow ditch. The undeniable signs aren’t coming from “lib-tards” — they’re coming from hard right-wing MAGA supporters, or perhaps “former supporters”…
Young Man in a Hurry: A Memoir of Discovery, by Gavin Newsom. Penguin Press, 304 pages. Let’s start with the acknowledgments, usually the best place to begin in a political memoir. Here the author admits that he is less composer and more collaborator. Although his name appears on the cover and the story is his own, the real work of compilation is done by a shadow army of ghostwriters, developmental editors, line editors, copy editors, and fact checkers. No one feels any compunction about this arrangement. It is just the way the business works. The writers and editors offer their…
In her temporary restraining order application in Doe v. OpenAI (see also the complaint), plaintiff asks, among other things, that OpenAI cut off ChatGPT access by a user; ensure that he not create new accounts; and notify plaintiff if the user does try to access ChatGPT. Here are the factual allegations: Plaintiff Jane Doe is in immediate danger. Driven by a ChatGPT-fueled delusional spiral, her ex-boyfriend (the “User”) stalked and harassed her for months—generating dozens of fake psychological reports about her via ChatGPT and distributing them to her family, friends, and colleagues, which escalated to leaving her voicemails threatening her…