Episode #162: 18 September 2025

Sixteen posts set a brisk agenda. A New York Times story on a $2B UAE investment tied to the Trump family’s crypto venture, and its timing with U.S. AI export approvals, prompts national security questions and debate over Sudan ties. Markets react to the Fed’s 25 bps cut, with chatter about a sell-the-news pattern. On tech, OpenAI’s system is reported to have solved all 12 ICPC World Finals problems under contest conditions, while Elon Musk says Grok 5 training starts soon, stirring AGI hopes and environmental concerns. Domestic politics heats up as Trump announces plans to label Antifa a terrorist group, drawing legal scrutiny. Media and culture threads run through ABC’s move on Jimmy Kimmel, an FCC chair’s celebratory GIF, workplace speech arguments from Greg Gutfeld, and Walter Kirn’s view that late night is refocusing on audiences. SpaceX’s Starlink launch update faces weather, and a Rush Limbaugh clip on a young Charlie Kirk circulates amid tributes. Another post revisits how including 9/11 data reshapes charts on political violence.