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Mark Follman

@markfollman.bsky.social
19K followers 656 following 2.1K posts

Author, dad, journalist at Mother Jones/CIR. My book TRIGGER POINTS is the story of expert teams who are preventing mass shootings, from K-12 schools to the FBI 👉🏻 www.amazon.com/dp/0062973533 DM for Signal 🔐

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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 3h
It's always a good idea to follow @annamerlan.bsky.social down a rabbit hole. What's real anymore, you ask? www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
A bookseller confronts a mysterious company hunting his rarest books
Was a Kentucky retailer targeted by a destructive AI "predator"?
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The current wave of stories on OpenAI's safety failures is all about hacking that appears to not have caused real-world harm yet (fortunately) — but meanwhile, my new investigation uncovers how ChatGPT fueled a school shooter who killed and harmed many people www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
motherjones.com
ChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation reveals
OpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
🤡
screen shot from NYT video of Sen Schmitt at hearing displaying poster board of his faulty conspiracy theory about Jack Smith
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"I never thought I would write a sentence that involved the FBI director and bestiality, but the Trump era continues to surprise all of us." Read @vermontgmg.bsky.social's withering rundown of Kash Patel's tenure as FBI director. Unbelievable in its totality. www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/the-disgra...
doomsdayscenario.co
The Disgrace and Danger of Kash Patel, Part II
A quick check-in on the FBI director's latest raft of scandals (including, of course, the bestiality).
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"I don't think you know we have this stuff." —Sen. Eric Schmitt, with one of the most ridiculous, embarrassing self-owns ever caught on tape
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
White House’s New AI Website Confirms Trump Lost the 2020 Presidential Election "President Trump has routinely—and falsely—claimed that he won the 2020 election. But the new AI-powered America.gov website, which Trump unveiled Tuesday to great fanfare, says otherwise." variety.com/2026/digital...
variety.com
White House’s New AI Website Confirms Trump Lost the 2020 Presidential Election
Donald Trump has routinely claimed that he won the 2020 election. But the new AI-powered website America.gov, which Trump unveiled on Tuesday to great fanfare, says otherwise.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I talked in-depth with CBC’s podcast Front Burner about my new investigation into ChatGPT fueling school shooters podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f... 2x
podcasts.apple.com
Disturbing new allegations about ChatGPT, Tumbler Ridge
Podcast Episode · Front Burner · September 28 · 33m
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Incredible clip! Sheesh...Eric Schmitt should resign from his senate seat just out of sheer embarrassment. He totally gotcha'd... himself. BS conspiracy theory about Jack Smith supposedly going to Atlanta. (Smith did not go to Atlanta.) Watch the details, via Amy Klobuchar starting at about @5min 🤡🤡
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
No one in their right mind should want this www.wsj.com/tech/persona...
wsj.com
I Tried Meta’s Muse AI Agent. It’s Helpful and Scary at the Same Time.
The more data you hand over, the more this talented personal assistant can do for you.
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Yes, yes we are pushing back.
Publishers Push Back: The NYT, Chicago Tribune, and other publishers are asking a federal judge to disregard the Trump Justice Department’s defense of OpenAI in a landmark copyright case, suggesting the administration may have been influenced by “political and financial interests.” The move came after the DOJ filed a brief earlier this month backing OpenAI’s use of copyrighted news articles to train A.I. models qualifies as “fair use,” arguing that restricting A.I. development could hurt U.S. competitiveness. The publishers countered that the government’s position is separate from the copyright questions before the court. “By all measures, this Statement of Interest appears to be an effort to further enrich the world’s largest companies—and the Administration’s largest donors—while undermining this country’s free press,” a spokesperson for The NYT said in a statement.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Story after story right now about OpenAI models failing on safety, but it’s all been in the context of cybersecurity. What about ChatGPT fueling school shooters? We just published a major investigation exposing that further and the details are beyond disturbing www.wsj.com/tech/ai/open...
wsj.com
Exclusive | OpenAI Scraps Release of New AI Model Over Safety Concerns
The model, dubbed GPT-6.1 Astra, was due to debut inside ChatGPT and Codex in October.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Just the latest sign that Kash Patel continues to cause chaos at the FBI and has put American national security at risk www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...
nytimes.com
Andrew Bailey, a Deputy Director at the F.B.I., Leaves His Job
Mr. Bailey, who was part of a three-person leadership team atop the bureau, lasted barely a year.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
This may well return later to haunt the world: Trump wasn't focused on AI at this grand summit, he was focused on... his ballroom www.nytimes.com/2026/09/24/u...
nytimes.com
Dining With A.I. Moguls, Billionaires and Xi Jinping, Trump Went Off Script
Altman. Musk. Huang. Bezos. They all came to the White House Thursday night, though you might not have seen it on TV.
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 27/09/2026
We published our investigation, in partnership with @pablo.show, about Tim Tebow’s involvement with Life Surge, a Christian financial seminar company. One day later, Tebow, who was on track to speak at 10 Life Surge events by the end of this year, paused his relationship with the company.
motherjones.com
Tim Tebow “pausing” Christian seminar promotion after our investigation
“I think the allegations are extremely serious."
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Meanwhile this is also some newly uncovered ‘rogue’ behavior by OpenAI’s technology that deserves a lot more attention in the United States. It certainly has Canada’s attention. www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
motherjones.com
ChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation reveals
OpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Meanwhile this is also some newly uncovered ‘rogue’ behavior by OpenAI’s technology that deserves a lot more attention in the United States. It certainly has Canada’s attention. www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
motherjones.com
ChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation reveals
OpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
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A Blog of Their Own @blogoftheirown.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Something is fishy in that post from Erika at the Giants’ game. Look at the scoreboard in the first photo. “Bank of Maerica”? The sentiments are worthwhile, but doesn’t it suck to live in a world where we can’t trust anything not to be fake?
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I spoke with @nbcnews.com’s Gadi Schwartz about my new investigation uncovering how ChatGPT fueled the violent fantasies and planning of a school shooter who killed eight people and injured dozens of others www.nbcnews.com/video/lawsui...
nbcnews.com
Lawsuits alleges ChatGPT helped mass shooter plan attack
A lawsuit against OpenAI is alleging that an AI chatbot helped a mass shooter plan an attack at a school in Canada. NBC News' Gadi Schwartz talks to Mother Jones National Affairs Editor Mark Follman a...
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Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 26/09/2026
UPDATE: British Columbia’s attorney general is seeking Criminal Code changes to strengthen accountability for artificial intelligence companies in response to @markfollman.bsky.social investigation.
motherjones.com
ChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation reveals
OpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The war Trump won in two weeks very strongly but is still dragging on 7 months later to awful effect and is now paused for elections will restart after the elections, maybe, according to Trump White House www.wsj.com/world/middle...
wsj.com
Exclusive | Trump Rejects Iran Ceasefire, Expects Renewed Bombing After Midterms
The president is skeptical that Tehran will meet his demands.
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Michael Derby @michaelsderby.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Freedom of speech vs the world’s richest man: “The studio releasing Alex Gibney’s new Elon Musk documentary Musk is finding itself unable to buy an ad on the biggest social platforms.” Via Hollywood Reporter
hollywoodreporter.com
The Major Social Media Platforms Are All Rejecting Paid Ads for Alex Gibney’s ‘Musk’ (Exclusive)
YouTube, TikTok and Meta have all turned down the trailer for the Oct. 9 doc, citing "political" content. X won't even take Bleecker Street's calls. The distributor is appealing.
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Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Pentagon quietly adds dozens to tally of troops wounded amid Iran war: With the addition of 29 U.S. sailors and eight Marines, the total number of personnel wounded since the start of hostilities has risen to 861, database shows. www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
washingtonpost.com
Pentagon quietly adds dozens to tally of troops wounded amid Iran war
With the addition of 29 U.S. sailors and eight Marines, the total number of personnel wounded since the start of hostilities has risen to 861, a Pentagon database shows.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NEWS: My new investigation uncovers the horrific ChatGPT history of the Tumbler Ridge school shooter. OpenAI’s chatbot fueled the shooter's violent fantasies and plans up to the day of the massacre. Chats about guns, timing of attacks, becoming infamous, and more. www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
motherjones.com
ChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation reveals
OpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
What happened after OpenAI banned the first account was astonishing: ChatGPT advised the shooter about how to evade its own safeguards on violence. “Don’t use real-world locations,” ChatGPT said, later adding: “You can still be twisted. Just be clever about it.” www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
OpenAI did not respond to my requests for comment and detailed questions I submitted to them for this story. The company faces a deluge of lawsuits and is under criminal investigation in Florida. OpenAI denies all the allegations. The BC AG is the latest to file suit. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gstC...
youtube.com
B.C. government provides update on legal action over Tumbler Ridge shooting – September 21, 2026
YouTube video by cpac
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is part of an ongoing series—and believe me, much more to come—that @markfollman.bsky.social has done on chat bots, and OpenAI's ChatGPT in particular, being implicated in mass shootings, including that at FSU. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tem6...
youtube.com
ChatGPT Gushed Shocking Advice as I Simulated a Plan for a Mass Shooting [HORIZONTAL VERSION]
YouTube video by Mother Jones
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David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Wow. This is a major scoop from Mark Follman. Great reporting and a troubling story about AI that everyone should read.
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
What @markfollman.bsky.social reports is the shooter opened a second account, and while she used a different name and email, OpenAI should have known about that account. Did they not look? Did their safety measures fail? They won't say. www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
Van Rootselaar’s two ChatGPT accounts were registered with different names and email addresses but would likely have been identifiable in other ways as belonging to the same user, according to the sources I spoke with. Tech companies commonly use “fingerprinting” techniques to help thwart misuse, and OpenAI’s own publications say that it has robust capabilities to detect misuse and bar offenders who violate its rules. OpenAI did not answer my questions about whether Van Rootselaar’s second account was flagged by its automated review system or how it subsequently identified her second account after the mass shooting.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Context worth noting: "AI safety has now exploded into a national debate, after recent hacking by 'rogue' AI stoked fears about possible disasters involving bio weapons or cyberattacks. But as the devastating violence in Tumbler Ridge shows, the danger of AI fueling mass shooters is already here." 🧵
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
NEWS: My new investigation uncovers the horrific ChatGPT history of the Tumbler Ridge school shooter. OpenAI’s chatbot fueled the shooter's violent fantasies and plans up to the day of the massacre. Chats about guns, timing of attacks, becoming infamous, and more. www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
motherjones.com
ChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation reveals
OpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
The Trump White House failing to comply with a federal court order. But also ask yourself why Trump might want to make THIS the story now, instead of.... [disastrous Iran war, horribly high gas and food prices, dismal GOP election polling -- take your pick]
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
@ariberman.bsky.social and @pemalevy.bsky.social have a damning new story about how the Roberts Court is reviving Jim Crow, relying on the same legal tactics used to undermine the Reconstruction. A must read to understand the stakes of this election. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
Cover of Mother Jones issue on the new Jim Crow
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darth™️ @darthbluesky.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
a high five? i will give u a high six for doing your best out here
static.klipy.com
Cute Red Panda Looks Up
Alt: red panda giving a high six
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
While we’re on the subject though, here’s at least one case in which AI very much failed to prevent a school shooting. Literally. www.motherjones.com/media/2026/0...
motherjones.com
Inside a mass shooter’s harrowing history with ChatGPT
A year of chats reveals glaring red flags—and disturbing ChatGPT replies—from long before a rampage at Florida State University.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I guess it’s also worth a reminder here that history’s corrupt autocrats always seek to destroy art and appropriate the culture for themselves www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
nytimes.com
How President Trump Broke the Kennedy Center (Gift Article)
Internal emails and documents demonstrate the political capture of the institution, including how officials once pursued a plan to unload much of the art collection.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Spectacularly dumb and transparent BS… yet not enough to change the story from how he led America into a disastrous war and horrible inflation www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Says His D.C. Arch Would Be a ‘Military Complex’ Housing Drones and Snipers
The president’s announcement on Sunday echoed his justification for the White House ballroom: that the project was necessary for national security.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
As an expert on this topic, I know of no cases anywhere in which AI was key to preventing a school shooting. In fact, I am 605% sure this is another instance of Kash Patel spouting BS stats on Fox News. (Maybe he should just chug a beer on air? As Trump’s former press sec tries to look serious?) 🤡🤡
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Bill Grueskin @bgrueskin.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"She *lived* for her job. "For 40 years. "And now it’s gone." -- Dave Barry, writing about how his wife, longtime Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman, just got laid off by "two corporate guys she did not know, who did not know her." davebarry.substack.com/p/michelle
davebarry.substack.com
Michelle
A tribute.
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Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Cost of diesel for a typical Los Angeles-to-Dallas truckload: $1,430 — up about $600, or 72%, from the day before the Feb. 28 strikes on Iran.” @bloomberg.com ⛽️
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Clara Jeffery @clarajeffery.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
We are a part of this lawsuit
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
amazing -- Mike Johnson shuts down Congress early to help the Secretary of Super Manly Testosterone flee an impeachment vote www.motherjones.com/politics/202... Details from @hurwitz.bsky.social 👉
motherjones.com
Mike Johnson can't protect Pete Hegseth forever
The secretary of testosterone is hiding from his own party.
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Maddie Oatman @moatmanjourno.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Department of Meatheads: The MAGA Bros who have coopted MAHA and made it all about protein, testosterone, and erectile dysfunction. @jillfilipovic.bsky.social digs in for our latest in a partner series with @fern.org www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
Women built MAHA. MAGA bros have taken it over.
Forget regulating food—manly MAHA cares about meat, testosterone, and erectile disfunction.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
"When AI executives warn of a catastrophe, they are not describing a product that is “going rogue.” Rather, the product is using capabilities that they have created." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0... @juliettekayyem.bsky.social on accountability for the AI titans
theatlantic.com
Destroying Humanity Is Against the Law
Don’t wait for a mass-extinction event before holding AI developers accountable.
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David Corn @davidcorn.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Today is pub day for my book, "HOW RUSSIA WON: Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and the Fight for America." Please watch this video and pass it on. It's time to reclaim the Trump-Russia narrative and recognize Putin is continuing his years-long war on America and Trump is complicit. HowRussiaWon.com
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@NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) @newsjennifer.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Steak and Shake is all in on MAGA/MAHA but this Senate endorsement is still shocking...and it comes at the same time Husted is being hammered for having a neo-nazi on his staff. Yikes.
Zach Lahn on X: "@SteaknShake @JonHusted Welcome to the @SteaknShake team Senator. I recommend the Western BBQ and a large iced tea. 🫡🇺🇸"

    @SteaknShake
    Steak 'n Shake
    @SteaknShake
    Sep 10
    Steak n Shake is proud to announce its endorsement of Senator @JonHusted for U.S. Senate! 🇺🇸🍔

    We stand with Husted because he champions the #MAHA movement to clean up the American food supply chain and lower the cost for consumers.

    Meanwhile, his opponent, Sherrod Brown, has a record of supporting the extreme federal spending that fueled the inflation crisis, driving up grocery prices for every Ohio family. 

    Senator Husted is the only candidate fighting to make Ohio healthy, safe, and affordable again. #MAHA
    @TeamHusted
    Team Husted
    @TeamHusted
    Sep 9
    We’re getting ready to go on stage during night 1 of the Midterm Convention. But first, we had to grab dinner and stop to see some friends. @SteaknShake
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Media Matters for America @mmfa.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Jesse Watters repeatedly portrayed the supposed Reflecting Pool "vandals" as America-hating leftists bent on destroying the country. Now, he's dropped the story completely rather than admit to his Fox audience that those claims were debunked.
mediamatters.org
Untroubled Watters: Fox host still hasn’t told the truth about Reflecting Pool “vandals”
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"Now chatbots might consult the scientific literature to answer questions that a biological weapons-maker would have. It’s a task at which A.I. can excel, Dr. Inglesby said, providing far more to bad actors than they could gather with simple web searches." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/s...
nytimes.com
Leaked A.I. Queries Raise Fears of New Biological Weapons Race
Current chatbots aren’t likely to help lone actors invent a deadly pathogen, experts say. But newer models, trained in biology, may need stronger safeguards.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
"Kremlev’s previously unreported relationship with Trump Jr. represents an extraordinary development: a member of Putin’s circle financially supporting the president’s son and gaining intimate access to the Trump family." No explanation for this is a good one... www.propublica.org/article/dona...
propublica.org
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
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Kai Ryssdal @kairyssdal.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Stop. Treating. This. Seriously.
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Mark Follman @markfollman.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
“Losing your head of ethics, your head of safety and your head of preparedness around the same time that your laboratory is responsible for the worst A.I. safety, ethics and preparedness accident ever would seem like grounds for a congressional investigation” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/11/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | This Is Really Bad (Gift Article)
We can no longer pretend that A.I. is safe.
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