Reposted by Tim O’BrienArtButMakeItSports @artbutmakeitsports.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Circus Performers, by Walt Kuhn, 1978, 📸 via @marisakabas.bsky.social 168121092579
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 6hMonths before OpenAI’s artificial intelligence went rogue, two employees raised an alarm with top executives. They were ignored. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/t...nytimes.comOpenAI Ignored Employees’ Warnings About Safely Testing A.I. ModelsEmployees and security researchers said that they had cautioned the company on safely testing its A.I. models and strengthening its corporate infrastructure, but that OpenAI did not listen. 1010531
Reposted by Tim O’BrienJim Lokay @jimlokay.com · 23hIf you want to really know how the outrage machine gets fired up: 1. Schmitt plans to drop “bombshell” on Smith 2. Someone plants story that Schmitt is a Vance VP contender to run same day 3. Right-wing Twittersphere gets talking points 4. Schmitt steps in it 5. Scheduled tweets go out anyway 23939721029
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Klobuchar FTW here at the end. And Jack Smith maintains his composure throughout this charade. 1622346
Reposted by Tim O’BrienAaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026wow -- Darline Graham cuts off Jack Smith just as Smith start explaining how her brother Lindsey in fact denounced Trump's lies about the 2020 election on the Senate floor 2743075787
Reposted by Tim O’BrienAaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026Jack Smith: "History teaches that the rule of law is rarely destroyed all at once. It's often weakened by attacks on the institutions and the public servants sworn to uphold it. Since January 2025, we have witnessed precisely such an effort." 684275229381
Reposted by Tim O’BrienPBS News @pbsnews.org · 29/09/2026Former special counsel Jack Smith testifies Tuesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. to.pbs.org/3VUAJwG to.pbs.orgWATCH LIVE: Jack Smith testifies before Senate Judiciary as GOP targets past Trump probesThis week's Senate Judiciary hearing comes after a key Republican lawmaker said in July he believes that special counsel Jack Smith may have lied to Congress while testifying about his investigation o... 31422129
Reposted by Tim O’BrienKyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Jack Smith says he stands by his decision to bring charges against Trump in the classified documents case. "If asked whether to prosecute a former President based on the same facts today, I would do so regardless of whether that President was a Republican or a Democrat." 593082803
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 28/09/2026The theft by a hacking group of reams of sensitive personal data involving potentially tens of thousands of former and current FBI employees is emerging as one of the worst breaches of sensitive government information, leaving the FBI rushing to protect its personnel. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...nytimes.comEmbarrassing Breach at F.B.I. Fuels Fears of Harm to Its EmployeesIn an internal memo, the F.B.I. said it believed the hackers may have stolen sensitive information on all of its employees. 1719686
Reposted by Tim O’BrienFrancis Wilkinson @franciswilkinson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026“In every poll, in every race, the undecided…are conservative Trump critics at this point,” says Democratic strategist Pete Giangreco. “Some of them will hold their nose and vote Republican; some of them will hold their nose and vote Democrat. But I bet a big chunk of them just stay home.” 1414223
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 25/09/2026(Bloomberg) -- “The US Supreme Court reinstated President Donald Trump’s expansion of a federal database to help verify voter eligibility for the midterms, putting on hold a judge’s finding that the government is misusing Social Security information and violating privacy rights.” 238745
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 24/09/2026The AI build-out is on track to become the biggest economic bet in U.S. history, dwarfing the investments made to fund other huge U.S. infrastructure projects such as the railroads, the highway system and the plumbing for the internet. www.wsj.com/economy/the-...wsj.comThe AI Build-Out Is Becoming the Biggest Economic Bet in U.S. HistoryData-center spending is greater than that for canals, railroads and grid combined—creating jobs and stock-market wealth, while boosting inflation and crowding out housing. 49398165
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Tech leaders to UN: For the sake of humanity, please control the AI technology we created. apnews.com/article/ai-a...apnews.comTech leaders to UN: For the sake of humanity, please control the AI technology we createdThe heads of major artificial intelligence firms pleaded with the United Nations to set controls over the burgeoning technology they are designing in order to save the world — or at least its people. 1011339
Reposted by Tim O’BrienNPR @npr.org · 24/09/2026Education staff are being scattered across several other federal agencies. Despite the Trump administration's claims, employees say it's adding bureaucracy and making it harder to serve students. n.pr/3TS9SARn.prThe Education Dept. hasn't been dismantled. It's become more inefficient, staff sayEducation staff are being scattered across several other federal agencies. Despite the Trump administration's claims, employees say it's adding bureaucracy and making it harder to serve students. 20306125
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 24/09/2026A federal judge said that Trump’s order barring CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House was likely unconstitutional and ordered the administration to restore access to the three news outlets. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/b...nytimes.comCourt Blocks Trump’s White House Ban on CNN, MS NOW and PoliticoJudge Timothy J. Kelly issued a temporary restraining order and told the White House to immediately restore the press credentials for the employees of the three news outlets. 515737
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 23/09/2026More on this FBI hack: A criminal hacking group said it stole “a large tranche of sensitive personnel information belonging to thousands of F.B.I. officials in what would amount to a stunning breach of private data for the nation’s top law enforcement agency.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/u...nytimes.comHackers Say They Stole Thousands of Sensitive F.B.I. Personnel RecordsThe compromise, if confirmed, would be the latest in a string of cybersecurity failures at the F.B.I., which said it was investigating the matter. 169840
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 23/09/2026GOP Sen. John Curtis calls for probe of Trump Jr. after wedding party bankrolled by Russian oligarch apnews.com/article/trum...apnews.comGOP Sen. John Curtis calls for probe of Trump Jr. after wedding party bankrolled by Russian oligarchRepublican Sen. John Curtis of Utah wants the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate and subpoena Donald Trump Jr. after his wedding party was partially bankrolled by a Russian oligarch. 1517330
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Hispanic Voters, Abandoning Trump, Are Transforming the Midterm Map www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/u...nytimes.comHispanic Voters, Abandoning Trump, Are Transforming the Midterm MapTexas and even Florida are the places to watch in November if a polling pattern holds. 1112027
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Repeat after me, until the end of time: “Trump’s investors got hosed. He cashed in.” www.bloomberg.com/news/article...bloomberg.comTrump’s Crypto Venture Got Rich While Big Promises Fell ShortDonald Trump Jr., Chase Herro and a group of their business partners descended on Manhattan’s Jazz at Lincoln Center concert hall last year to promote an expansive vision for World Liberty Financial, ... 1126297
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 22/09/2026“Kao laid out in devastating detail how his operation worked. He gave agents a 50-page document naming dozens of lobbyists, congressional staffers and members of Congress who he said helped him trade cash for contracts.” www.propublica.org/article/fbi-...propublica.orgThe FBI Anti-Corruption Squad Was Circling Susan Collins — Until Trump Got in the WayAfter the FBI caught a defense contractor’s CEO making illegal campaign contributions, it sought to launch a sweeping political bribery probe involving Collins and others. Then the second Trump admini... 1319994
Reposted by Tim O’BrienDavid J. Bier @davidjbier.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Did you know that DHS is authorized by Congress to intentionally defame private individuals all day, every day and it cannot be sued for defamation? Now that you know that, does it make you more or less likely to believe anything it says? (Oh, he didn't illegally enter) 422977
Reposted by Tim O’BrienAcyn @acyn.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Mamdani: I told the president we would have all the members of the press here on the lawn and that is something that I believe in… Trump: They said they were going to boycott me but they never boycott me. Look at all that press. 3612009454
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 21/09/2026“A few days ago, Michelle was informed — on a brief video call, by two corporate guys she did not know, who did not know her — that, effective in two weeks, her position would no longer exist…That’s how it is in newspapers these days.” - Dave Barry davebarry.substack.com/p/michelledavebarry.substack.comMichelleA tribute. 49920
Reposted by Tim O’BrienPaul J Davies @pauljdavies.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Working for noted memecoin billionaire Donald J Trump has helped the heads of the SEC and CFTC forget conservative hatred of these agencies writing their own rules. That's not a great foundation for crypto going mainstream! @opinion.bloomberg.com www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...bloomberg.comCrypto Can’t Go Mainstream Without ClarityUS regulators are determined to boost cryptoassets. That’s unsurprising when they owe their jobs to the meme-coin billionaire (and US President) Donald Trump. But after the Senate last week voted down... 2244
Reposted by Tim O’BrienNPR @npr.org · 21/09/2026United Nations head António Guterres returns to New York for his final U.N. General Assembly as diplomacy falters over wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the global body faces deep divisions. n.pr/4xF72gCn.prWhat to know as world leaders converge at the United Nations this weekUnited Nations head António Guterres returns to New York for his final U.N. General Assembly as diplomacy falters over wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the global body faces deep divisions. 611225
Reposted by Tim O’BrienMatthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 21/09/2026BREAKING: Evanston police confirm a U.S. citizen was briefly detained by federal agents Sunday morning near Howard and Dodge before being released The man was taken to the hospital for injuries to his head, neck and teeth after agents drove offevanstonnow.comFederal agents detained U.S. citizen Sunday morning - Evanston NowPolice chief says officers responded to a man with injuries to head, neck and teeth on Howard and made contact with agents involved. 39566453499
Reposted by Tim O’BrienMatthew Eadie @mattheweadie.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Evanston police chief Schenita Stewart tells me that EPD contacted the agents involved, including one who had blood on their hands The agent "told the officer that agents had attempted to identify an individual who resembled a person they were seeking." 18953184
Reposted by Tim O’BrienPhilip Bump @pbump.com · 21/09/2026ICE shot a DoorDash delivery guy.statesman.comAttorney: Austin man shot by ICE agent was making DoorDash deliveryA Venezuelan man shot by an ICE agent in Austin was making a DoorDash delivery, his attorney said. Wilber Rafael Garces Perez, 28, was later released from the hospital into ICE custody. 25276653455
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Politico, CNN and MSNOW, whose journalists were banned from the White House last week, are suing Trump and three top advisers, calling the abrupt lockout a “direct assault on the First Amendment.” www.politico.com/news/2026/09...politico.comNews outlets Trump banned from White House announce lawsuitPOLITICO, CNN and MS NOW to seek restraining order to restore reporters’ access. 1013427
Reposted by Tim O’BrienG Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 20/09/2026It's polling season! How should you update your beliefs about the election in the face of new — often contradictory — data? Here's a step-by-step example of how we do exactly that at Strength In Numbers: www.gelliottmorris.com/p/how-to-upd...gelliottmorris.comHow to update your beliefs with new polling data, the Strength In Numbers wayPlus, just 11% of Americans want an AI data center built in their town. Your weekly political data roundup for September 20, 2026. 29530
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 20/09/2026“There is a name for this type of egocentric behaviour – ‘conversational narcissism.’l www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...theguardian.com‘But enough about you …’ How to survive in a world of monologuists, interrupters and trauma dumpersConversations are supposed to be two-sided – but all too often we come up against someone who’s passionately, exclusively in love with the sound of their own voice. Time to fight back … 26515
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Two men deported to Equatorial Guinea by the Trump administration were hooded, bound, beaten with guns and shoved down a flight of stairs recently by police officers at a remote hotel where immigrants are being held indefinitely, according to witnesses and lawyers. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/w...nytimes.comA Central African Hotel Has Become a Nightmare Prison for U.S. DeportationsWitnesses say men were hooded and beaten in Equatorial Guinea. The autocratic government there is a partner in President Trump’s deportation program. 1511165
Reposted by Tim O’BrienGillian Branstetter @gbbranstetter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026I'm admittedly not an early child development expert but it does seem the ideal scenario for any baby is being collectively raised by a traveling women's professional soccer team 271498259
Reposted by Tim O’BrienRebecca Ingber @becingber.bsky.social · 16/09/2026I have a joke about Occam’s razor but you guys will overthink it. 8935
Reposted by Tim O’BrienJames Gibney @jamesgibney.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Was DHS's decision to hold off on killing TPS for El Salvador an attack of conscience? Nah, just more proof that the US is back in the bad old days of immigration policy when politics outweighed the facts and humanitarian need, says me www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...bloomberg.comThe Trump Administration Is Making a Mockery of Protecting ImmigrantsDepartment of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has temporarily deprived Democrats of a potent midterm rallying cry and averted a crisis for El Salvador’s president, one of President Donald... 0198
Reposted by Tim O’BrienBob Burgess @bobburgess.bsky.social · 16/09/2026The actual retail price of ground beef in the US is on the cusp of $7 a pound: 136232
Reposted by Tim O’BrienLiam Denning @liamdenning.bsky.social · 16/09/2026I reposted this already but had to watch it again. It is an astounding exchange 86928
Reposted by Tim O’BrienMark Gongloff @markgongloff.bsky.social · 16/09/2026Trump once again proves his bona fides as our greatest accidental proponent of the clean-energy transition www.carbonbrief.org/analysis-glo...carbonbrief.orgAnalysis: Global fossil-fuel emissions set to fall in 2026 amid Hormuz crisis - Carbon BriefGlobal fossil-fuel emissions are set to fall by in 2026 amid the fallout from the Hormuz crisis, according to Carbon Brief analysis. 45813
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 16/09/2026“We have two major waterways obstructed, active attacks, Iran escalating attacks, proxies being active and no signs of diplomatic talks,” Ms. Bakr said. “It’s a disastrous situation when you’re looking at it from an energy security angle.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/b...nytimes.comGlobal Oil Prices Could Hit Highest Levels in Months After Saudi Pipeline AttacksProlonged restrictions on exports could push oil prices even higher. 78728
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Just the man this historic regulatory moment needs. 229412
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 14/09/2026When an American oligarch decides to court a Russian oligarch: “The guest list numbered around 50. It included Trump Jr.’s brother-in-law Jared Kushner, Eric Trump — and Kremlev, an imposing man with a shaved head who speaks limited English.” www.propublica.org/article/dona...propublica.orgDonald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian OligarchThe 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... 1520882
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 13/09/2026“Almost 20 months into Mr. Trump’s second term, his long-running media clashes have grown into a sweeping campaign to control speech in America that stands out for applying so many levers, so fast, all at once.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/12/u...nytimes.comHow Trump Is Wielding Power to Stifle SpeechPresident Trump has harnessed agencies across the government to curtail press freedoms, a sweeping campaign that free speech advocates say will have lasting effects. 711431
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 12/09/2026OpenAI won’t go public in this year as the artificial intelligence company focuses on addressing safety-related concerns around the technology, Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman told Fortune in an interview. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...bloomberg.comOpenAI IPO Won’t Happen Until 2027, Sam Altman Tells FortuneOpenAI won’t go public in this year as the artificial intelligence company focuses on addressing safety-related concerns around the technology, Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman told Fortune in an in... 248224
Tim O’Brien @timobrien.bsky.social · 12/09/2026“We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models. Progress will still seem fast, and we must make wise use of the time we gain. Two things have convinced me.” darioamodei.com/post/we-must...darioamodei.comDario Amodei — We Must Pace the Frontier 45316
Reposted by Tim O’BrienEric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 12/09/2026Saying all this because I embrace and support new tech. But I am among those who are worried about what happens when we reach recursive self-improvement--if we don't have rock solid fail safes/safeguards. That has to be part of the deal. 12397
Reposted by Tim O’BrienEric Lipton NYT @ericlipton.nytimes.com · 12/09/2026Otherwise, I am deeply worried about the future world my children will live in. 2416