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Erin Cunningham

@erinmcunningham.bsky.social
7.6K followers 1.3K following 274 posts

🪬AP news director in Jerusalem; former Mideast editor + correspondent at WaPo. Previously in Cairo, Kabul, Gaza, Istanbul, Baghdad. All the pieces matter.

PostsRepliesMedia
Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Israel and the U.S. say they want UNRWA out of Gaza. But the Board of Peace overseeing the ceasefire has quietly met with the agency and its workers about maintaining services - and it continues to rely on UNRWA to distribute aid apnews.com/article/lazz...
apnews.com
Exclusive: Board of Peace quietly met with UNRWA, ex-agency chief says
The U.S.-created Board of Peace has said the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees has no place in Gaza.
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Dr Abeba Birhane @abeba.blacksky.app · 24/09/2026
over the past few weeks several AI evaluation/cybersecurity experts have explained how what's happening is a result of human incompetence rather than "AI going rogue". I'm begging the media to show a shred of journalistic integrity and stop parroting what altman or amodei say
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Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
JUST IN: POLITICO's joint lawsuit with CNN and MSNOW to lift the White House ban is now live. Read it here: storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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MS NOW @ms.now · 21/09/2026
BREAKING: MS NOW, CNN and Politico are suing Trump and senior officials over White House ban. The lawsuit alleges the president violated the First Amendment by blocking reporters’ access to the White House. READ MORE: ms.now/news/ms-now-...
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
This should help you sleep at night: “There’s no one set of standards for how the US verifies the information generated by these tools.” www.cnn.com/2026/09/18/p...
cnn.com
Exclusive: US military had close call after using AI for false intelligence report, sources say | CNN Politics
The episode shows the risks of using this new, relatively poorly understood technology in the middle of the Iran war
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Jeff Stein @jeffstein.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞 Big news: The Washington Sun launches w/: — Huge investment in DC & local reporters — Legend Tom Sietsema — Capital Weather — Newsroom of +100, w/ great reporters (& me) Comes after Bezos's enormous cuts to WaPo To support, sign up for (free!) newsletter: washingtonsun.com/newsletters
washingtonsun.com
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Three munitions weapons experts believe were Lockheed Martin's new PrSM missiles killed civilians more than 160 feet from where they detonated in the Iranian city of Lamerd on Feb. 28, according to research conducted by @airwars.bsky.social and verified by @apnews.com. apnews.com/article/iran...
apnews.com
New US missile appears to have killed Iranian civilians far from its blast site, expert report says
Lockheed Martin has touted the pinpoint accuracy of its Precision Strike Missile. But the conflict monitor Airwars says a close look at what is believed to be its first use in combat highlights the po...
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kate bush’s husband @airbagged.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
RIP TO ONE OF THE GREATEST TO EVER DO IT
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Ben Mullin @benmullin.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
NEWS: The Washington Post has been ordered to rehire @karenattiah.bsky.social , the columnist it fired last year for posts made in the wake of Charlie Kirk's shooting. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/24/b...
nytimes.com
Washington Post Ordered to Rehire Fired Columnist Karen Attiah (Gift Article)
An arbitrator ordered the newspaper to reinstate Karen Attiah, who was fired after posting about “white men who espouse hatred and violence” following Charlie Kirk’s killing.
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Chris Osieck @chrisosieck.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
A painful story to read about how the bombing of Niloufar Square in Tehran, including a double-tap strike, destroyed a musician’s life, her home and her double bass.
newlinesmag.com
What Remains of a Musician’s Life After the Bombs Fell on Iran
Deadly protests in January cost her a place in the Tehran Symphony Orchestra. Then a U.S.-Israeli strike destroyed her home and the double bass she had worked decades to afford
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 15/08/2026
An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon killed seven people early Saturday, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said.
bit.ly
Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon kills 7 people, Lebanese state media say
An Israeli airstrike on southern Lebanon killed seven people, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said. The early Saturday strike wounded three others.
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Headlines from hell.
Screenshot of a headline from The Guardian app says: US Senators urge crackdown on wildfire betting amid warnings of arson risk.
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
A family that would still be alive but for one man’s war on a whim. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/31/w...
nytimes.com
Evidence Indicates U.S. Dropped Bomb on Residential Area in Iran, Killing 3 Civilians
The weapon, one of the largest in the U.S.’s arsenal, struck a house in a heavily populated area, according to a Times analysis.
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
We’ve added a new dumpster to the fire: Joint U.S.-Saudi strikes on Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq apnews.com/article/iran...
apnews.com
Jordan intercepts Iranian missiles as US and Saudi Arabia launch strikes against militias in Iraq
Jordan’s military says its air defenses intercepted five missiles launched from Iran early Wednesday.
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Aric Toler @aric.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
New, from me and @ckoettl.bsky.social: Iran has attacked at least nine U.S. military sites in the last two weeks, destroying radar sites, personnel areas, hangars, and other structures, and killing at least three service members. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/w...
nytimes.com
What Visuals Show About Recent Damage to U.S. Military Sites in the Middle East
Video footage and satellite images reveal new details about Iranian strikes on U.S. targets during the latest flare-up in fighting.
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Jan Kooy @kooyjan.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
According to the United Nations, over 17 million people in Afghanistan, out of a population of about 44 million, are projected to face acute food insecurity this year, a crisis that hits women and children hardest. New dispatch by @fereshtaabbasi.bsky.social / @hrw.org ⤵️
hrw.org
‘I Can’t Feed My Children’
A man in western Afghanistan recently told me that his neighbors knock on his door to ask for food. A man in the capital, Kabul, said, “I can no longer feed my children properly,” and described how th...
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Emergency personnel responded to a call at Graham's home on Saturday night, and later said the man was suffering from cardiac arrest, per police scanner audio obtained by The Post.
washingtonpost.com
Lindsey Graham, longtime South Carolina senator, dies at 71
The staunch ally of President Donald Trump died after a sudden illness, his office said.
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Dan Diamond @ddiamond.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
Lindsey Graham has passed away after a brief illness, his office told me tonight. The longtime senator and staunch Trump ally had just returned from Ukraine. Will have more in a story soon.
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 12/07/2026
BREAKING: Qatar's former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, who transformed the tiny Persian Gulf nation into a global player in diplomacy, media and investment, and then shattered tradition by voluntarily turning over power to his son, has died, state media reported. He was 74.
bit.ly
Qatar's former ruler Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74, state news agency says
Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has died at age 74. The state-run Qatar News Agency reported his death without offering a cause.
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
An Israeli strike in Gaza just before the kickoff of the Egypt-Argentina World Cup match killed a top Palestinian aid official who helped organize public screenings of the game across the enclave. apnews.com/article/gaza...
apnews.com
Israeli strike kills World Cup screening organizer in Gaza just before kickoff
Health authorities in Gaza say an Israeli strike killed an organizer of public screenings of World Cup matches in the enclave.
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Eileen Clancy 🧿 @clancyny.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Back-to-back powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela, causing widespread damage @apnews.com video journalist Juan Pablo Arraez, "I'm reporting here from my apartment in Caracas, Venezuela."
apnews.com
Back-to-back powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela, causing widespread damage
Back-to-back powerful earthquakes have slammed Venezuela, collapsing buildings in the capital of Caracas. The U.S.
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Abby Sewell @sewella.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Mona Khalil, who spent more than two decades protecting sea turtles along Lebanon’s coastline, was critically injured in the Israeli strike on her home in the village of Mansouri earlier this month and died of her wounds Friday Via @joudsally.bsky.social apnews.com/article/leba...
apnews.com
Mourners gather in Beirut to pay respects to Lebanese conservationist who died after Israeli strike
Mourners have gathered in Beirut to honor Mona Khalil, a Lebanese conservationist who died last week.
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Continued Israeli strikes on Gaza have pushed the death toll there to more than 73,000 people, with nearly 1,000 killed since an October 2025 ceasefire deal. apnews.com/article/mide...
apnews.com
Palestinian death toll in Gaza tops 73,000, officials say, as Israel strikes despite ceasefire
Gaza’s Health Ministry says the Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war has surpassed 73,000.
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Aron Lund @aronlund.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Iran’s blockade has begun to leak and the U.S. blockade is beginning to bite, perhaps affecting Tehran’s negotiating incentives. @jongambrell.bsky.social and David McHugh for @apnews.com: apnews.com/article/iran...
apnews.com
Analysis: Iran's stranglehold on Strait of Hormuz loosens as Gulf Arab oil reaches market
Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz may be easing and its own oil problems now seem to be mounting.
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Julian Lucas @jcljules.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
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Liliana Segura @lilianasegura.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
The view from Brooklyn. Love you NYC ❤️
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Brooklyn. 🏀 (via Paul Williams) 💕
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
A Munich court ruling “holds that when an AI generates new statements that do not appear directly in its original sources, the company that designs, trains, operates, and manages the system must assume legal liability for any damages caused by those statements.” www.wired.com/story/a-cour...
wired.com
A Court Has Ruled That Google Is Liable for False Statements Generated by AI Overviews
The ruling holds that a company that designs, trains, operates, and manages an AI system must assume legal liability for any damages caused by the responses it generates.
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Riley MacLeod @rcmacleod.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
"'Nobody consented to have the Washington Post create individualized dossiers on them to be fed into an AI system designed to extract maximum value from each person based on their personal data. It’s really a new form of price gouging, individualized and fueled by AI.'"
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 12/06/2026
FT Exclusive: A KPMG report on how AI is being used by businesses across the world exaggerated adoption of the technology with bogus case studies that appear to have been based on AI hallucinations. ft.trib.al/UweHRk2
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
😭😭😭
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Ishaan Tharoor @ishaantharoor.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
PERSONAL NEWS: I've joined the @newyorker.com full-time as a global-affairs columnist, where I'll be writing a weekly essay on the world. It's a dream gig and I'm still pinching myself that I get to say all these incredible, talented journalists I've long admired are my colleagues!
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
“Sending an email, having a conversation with a colleague, putting together a PowerPoint — sub-tasks will increasingly become digitized, automated, and we can basically generate more and more of them.” Exactly what the world needs… more emails and PowerPoint presentations. apple.news/A10bSJXPFRlO...
apple.news
Microsoft AI chief walks back comments about AI taking over white-collar work — The Verge
Microsoft AI head Mustafa Suleyman is walking back his statement about AI automating jobs done by white-collar workers, including lawyers, accountants, and project managers.
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404 Media @404media.co · 09/06/2026
Jeff Bezos believes AI is going to lead to unprecedented productivity gains which could result in cheaper food and housing. Internally, Amazon employees mock the company’s AI tools, refer to its output as “slop,” and joke about the company’s failed attempt to motivate employees to use AI.
404media.co
“Sloppenheimer:” Amazon Employees Mock the Company’s AI on Slack
Amazon employees have a Slack channel for memes where the mock and commiserate about the company’s faulty AI coding product.
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Tariq Panja @tariqpanja.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
In his first interview since being kicked out of the US, FIFA referee Omar Artan tells’s the NYT’s Matt Bigg that the biggest dream of his professional life has been shattered. The World Cup ref was questioned for 11 hours, held in a cell and then dumped on a plane. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/w...
nytimes.com
Somali Referee Says His World Cup Dream Is Dashed After U.S. Denies Entry
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Shibley Telhami @stelhami.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
"The DIA report was drafted after incidents in which American defense personnel in Israel [presumably there to help defend Israel] detected that software to tap their communications had been surreptitiously installed on their phones." www.nytimes.com/2026/06/06/u...
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Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
"I have another question... Did you at any point work with Don Hewitt, telling everybody about what Don Hewitt thought, and what his inspiration was? I worked for Don Hewitt from 1999 to 2004 and Lesley Stahl probably worked with him for 30 years. Just wondering how you have such deep insight?"
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Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Oliver Darcy got the audio of the heated 60 Minutes meeting where Scott Pelley dressed Nick Bilton down! "You know what was rude? Black Thursday. That was the absolute definition of rudeness. Telling Tanya Simon she had to be out of here at five o'clock." www.status.news/p/scott-pell...
"Bari loves this institution," Bilton told staffers at one point during the highly contentious meeting. "She loves '60 Minutes.'"

"She's murdering '60 Minutes,'" Pelley countered. "She does not love this place. She was brought in to kill it—and she's doing exactly that."

This story is based on audio of the meeting obtained by Status. A CBS News spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment, but Pelley's stunning series of remarks left staffers on the newsmagazine wondering if he will resign.

In the meeting, Pelley pointed out that Weiss has "no qualifications for her job" and told Bilton "you have slender qualifications for this job." Pelley, the former anchor of "CBS Evening News," noted that the changes Weiss has made to that program "have been catastrophic."

"So why should we expect any of this is going to be any better?" Pelley asked Bilton.

Bilton tried to move the meeting along, but Pelley pressed on, challenging the new executive producer’s references in interviews to “60 Minutes” creator Don Hewitt’s vision for the program as he outlined his plans.

"I have another question," the veteran journalist said. "Did you at any point work with Don Hewitt, telling everybody about what Don Hewitt thought, and what his inspiration was? I worked for Don Hewitt from 1999 to 2004 and Lesley Stahl probably worked with him for 30 years. Just wondering how you have such deep insight?"

Bilton replied that he was simply quoting Hewitt’s own words from past interviews and asked Pelley whether he had any other questions. Pelley said that he did.

"I have many questions," Pelley responded. "What was wrong with Sharyn Alfonsi?"As Bilton started to say he would "defer," Pelley interrupted: "This is not the crowd to dodge."

Bilton insisted he was not dodging.

"Nobody talked to you about that?" Pelley continued, pressing him on the firing. "They're taking one of your correspondents away and nobody mentioned to you what was wrong with Sharyn?"

Bilton acknowledged that he "had conversations with people."

"And what came out of those conversations?" Pelley asked. "They are private conversations?"

Bilton reiterated that he "did not fire" Alfonsi or Vega. Pelley pointed out that Bilton had nonetheless discussed the matter with others. Charles Forelle, a top Weiss deputy and managing editor of CBS News, interjected, telling Pelley that he was being "rude."

"This is not actually productive," Forelle said. "This is not an interview."

"It's working for me," Pelley replied.

"Anybody came into our house—this is '60 Minutes,'" Pelley added. "I guess you wandered in expecting to read a statement off?"

Pelley then asked Bilton "what was wrong with" Draggan Mihailovich, the executive editor of "60 Minutes" who was fired on Thursday.

Bilton again said that he did not fire Mihailovich. Forelle one more told Pelley that he was being "rude."

Pelley did not let up, however. The veteran newsman told Bilton and Forelle that the way management handled the firings was "cruel." Forelle—yet again—responded by calling Pelley "rude."

"I'm not being rude," Pelley shot back. "I have some pretty—you know what was rude? Black Thursday. That was the absolute definition of rudeness. Telling Tanya Simon she had to be out of here at five o'clock. Sending Draggan Mihailovich to HR to get fired, because nobody could look him in the eye. Not talking about Tanya's contract. Not talking about Sharyn Alfonsi's contract. Not talking about Cecilia Vega's contract. Just calling them up and telling they were fired. That's rude. This is a conversation. That is rude, and you were part of that."
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Erin Cunningham @erinmcunningham.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Scott Pelley is a national treasure. www.status.news/p/scott-pell...
status.news
Pelley’s ‘60 Minutes’ Revolt
In a stunning confrontation, Scott Pelley accused Bari Weiss of “murdering” the newsmagazine and relentlessly grilled her newly installed executive producer, Nick Bilton, over the show’s recent firing...
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Jon Gambrell @jongambrell.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
APNewsAlert: DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US military says it launched airstrikes on Iranian radar and drone sites after Tehran shot down MQ-1 Predator drone.
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Lizzie O'Leary @lizzieohreally.bsky.social · 29/05/2026
There's enough recently laid off journalistic talent to staff and run 3-5 midsize to large news organizations.
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Nieman Lab @niemanlab.org · 29/05/2026
Erin Brockovich, the environmental activist whose name and work you may recognize from the Oscar-winning movie Erin Brockovich, has created a tool to map data centers across the country. www.niemanlab.org/2026/05/erin...
niemanlab.org
Erin Brockovich made a map to track data centers around the country
Erin Brockovich, the environmental activist whose name and work you may recognize from the Oscar-winning movie Erin Brockovich, has created a tool to map data centers across the country, along with a…
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Gillian Brockell @gillianbrockell.com · 29/05/2026
NEW: A group of activists have built an awesome new tool to help immigration attorneys and the general public know when an ICE flight is headed to their area. gillianbrockell.com/habeas-fligh...
gillianbrockell.com
Habeas Flight Watch: New tool helps track ICE flights to your city
Activists have been quietly piloting a live map of ICE flights to help immigration attorneys with habeas filings. Now they say it's ready for everyone to use.
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 29/05/2026
An annual United Nations report documenting sexual violence in conflicts worldwide has included Israeli forces for the first time since the review began more than 15 years ago for their treatment of Palestinian detainees.
bit.ly
Israeli and Russian forces added to UN blacklist for sexual violence in conflict zones
An annual United Nations report documenting sexual violence in conflicts worldwide has included Israeli forces for the first time since the review began more than 15 years ago for their treatment of Palestinian detainees.
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Drew Harwell @drewharwell.com · 28/05/2026
How lucky for the correspondents of the most successful TV news show in history that Nick Bilton is taking the "unutilized" brand "into the modern age" www.wsj.com/business/med...
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 28/05/2026
The International Stabilization Force for Gaza was announced with great aplomb at the inaugural meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump's Board of Peace in February. Three months on, none of the five countries that pledged troops have come through with any significant contributions.
bit.ly
Iran war has complicated plans for an international force in Gaza that has yet to materialize
An international stabilization force promised for Gaza has yet to materialize three months after it was announced at an event hosted by U.S. President Donald Trump.
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AFP News Agency @en.afp.com · 28/05/2026
US reimposes sanctions on UN expert on Palestinians who has harshly criticized Israel, after an appeals court overruled an earlier order prohibiting the action u.afp.com/SDT4
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Guardian US @us.theguardian.com · 27/05/2026
US president calls on US ally to ‘behave … or else we’ll have to blow them up’ in casual aside during cabinet meeting
theguardian.com
Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Oman amid talks over strait of Hormuz
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Stefano Pitrelli @stefanopitrelli.bsky.social · 25/05/2026
Pope elevates AI ethics to a religious imperative with first encyclical www.washingtonpost.com/world/2026/0...
washingtonpost.com
Pope elevates AI ethics to a religious imperative with first encyclical
In "Magnifica humanitas," he fires a broadside against AI companies, warning of the technology's dangers in the same way Pope Francis did about climate change.
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