Can you think of a few other systems that don’t need to be accessible from Iran?

https://www.theregister.com/security/2026/08/07/water-system-controllers-dont-belong-on-the-internet-says-ex-nsa-chief-after-suspected-iran-attacks/5285070

Water system controllers don't belong on the internet, says ex-NSA chief after suspected Iran attacks

More significant that I thought.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/08/world/europe/russia-wildberries-tatyana-kim.html?unlocked_article_code=1.31A.lizT.19wq63dNxZ_O&smid=url-share

She Is Russia’s Richest Woman. Her Business Empire Is Going Up in Flames.

… Wildberries has lost up to one-third of its warehouse space and as much as 480 billion rubles’ worth of goods ($5.9 billion) in the Ukrainian attacks, according to Moscow-based Data Insight, an e-commerce consultancy.

Wildberries “has almost run out of its biggest warehouses,” said Sergei Semko, an analyst at Data Insight. “Every single day one warehouse after another is getting methodically destroyed,” he added.

So, the president is the one negotiating with Trump?

https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/irans-president-difficult-contact-supreme-leader-mojtaba-khamenei-rcna591110

Iran’s president says it’s ‘very difficult’ to contact absent Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei

Khamenei hasn’t been seen publicly since taking up the role, most notably failing to attend his own father’s public funeral proceedings in Tehran last month.

(Related) Who is shaping it now?

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2026/8/3/who-will-shape-post-war-iran

Who will shape post-war Iran?

… On one side is the security establishment, which includes the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its volunteer paramilitary, the Basij; the regular army, or Artesh, with its ground, air, naval and air-defence forces; and intelligence and internal-security bodies. The IRGC remains the most politically influential part of this architecture, but Iran’s security capacity is distributed across several institutions and chains of command.

… Then there is the elected government. President Masoud Pezeshkian controls the ministries that manage the economy, reconstruction and diplomacy, but not the armed forces or the final decisions on war and national security. His government, therefore, carries much of the burden of keeping the country functioning and negotiating abroad while operating within security limits set through the supreme leader and the Supreme National Security Council.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf occupies a different position. He has access to both civilian and military networks. That has made him important in building agreement around sensitive files, including negotiations. His influence comes from being able to move between institutions that do not always share the same priorities and turn military red lines into positions the government can implement.

(Related) Yet another view… (Including a chart)

https://www.cnbc.com/2026/08/01/iran-ceasefire-power-structure.html

Iran’s overlapping power centers make ending the war more complicated

… Whenever negotiations resume, Iran’s opaque power structure — spanning the Supreme Leader, the Revolutionary Guards, civilian government, commanders and other groups — will shape not only what is agreed, but whether any deal can be enforced.

How is a wider war better?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2026/08/07/russia-could-attack-nato-within-weeks-us-intelligence-warns/?ICID=continue_without_subscribing_reg_first

Russia could attack Nato within weeks, US intelligence warns

Russia could attack a Nato country within weeks to test the alliance’s resolve, US intelligence has warned.

US officials believe Russia might attempt to escalate tensions by mounting a small land incursion or launching cyber attacks across Eastern Europe any time from this autumn to 2029, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The report marks a significant shift in US intelligence assessments from their previous stance that Vladimir Putin would not attack while still caught up in his war in Ukraine.

Last month, The Telegraph reported that European and US intelligence had picked up on Russian considerations for an armed provocation on Polish soil, missile or drone attacks against critical infrastructure, or false flag attacks attempting to pin blame on Ukraine.

(Related)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/05/the-leipzig-drone-bomb-marks-a-dangerous-escalation-for-europe

The Leipzig drone bomb marks a dangerous escalation for Europe

The armed drone found at Leipzig airport on Wednesday may not have exploded, but the fact that it got inside the perimeter, close to Ukrainian cargo planes, raises obvious concerns for the security of international aviation.

Though the identity of the culprits is unknown, the initial evidence points firmly towards a Russian-orchestrated plot. It is the first time that a drone with explosives has been found in Europe far from the Ukrainian border.

Timely searches?

https://pogowasright.org/courts-tell-law-enforcement-that-delayed-applications-for-warrants-to-search-cell-phones-will-be-denied/

Courts tell law enforcement that delayed applications for warrants to search cell phones will be denied

Seen on FourthAmendment.com, a decision from the Eastern District of New York:

“The government seeks a warrant to search two cellular phones that have been in its possession for more than two months since the time to execute a prior search warrant lapsed. In United States v. Smith, 967 F.3d 198 (2d Cir. 2020), the Second Circuit held that a delay of less than half that length violated the Fourth Amendment. Smith stated and clarified principles by which to determine when law enforcement’s delay in seeking a warrant to search a seized personal electronic storage and communication device make the retention and search of that device unreasonable and therefore unconstitutional under the Fourth Amendment. 967 F.3d at 213. Applying those principles, I conclude that the warrant application must be denied.” In re Application for Search Warrant for Two Cellular Phones, 2026 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 169896 (E.D.N.Y. July 27, 2026).

For your spare time…

https://www.zdnet.com/article/free-ai-course-stanford/

Taught by AI pioneers, Stanford's free online course takes you far beyond ChatGPT

…  Udacity is hosting a free version of the landmark Intro to Artificial Intelligence course that Peter Norvig and Sebastian Thrun originally taught at Stanford in 2011.

The course was massive in both size and influence. More than 160,000 people enrolled in the original online offering, making it one of the pioneering massive open online courses and helping set the stage for Thrun to create Udacity.

Norvig is a distinguished education fellow at Stanford's Institute for Human-Centered AI and a research director at Google. He also co-authored Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach , a leading textbook still used in university AI courses in 2026, including at Carnegie Mellon, Boston University, Texas A&M, and San Jose State.

A unified Iran is questionable. Who should we be talking to?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/04/irans-president-denies-threatening-to-resign-during-talks-over-strait-of-hormuz

Iran’s president denies threatening to resign during talks over strait of Hormuz

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s president, has been forced to deny claims that he has repeatedly threatened to resign as he battles hardline factions opposed to reaching a settlement with the US over the strait of Hormuz.

Thanks for answering my question.

https://fortune.com/2026/08/04/insider-trading-trump-truth-social-early-access/

‘This is insider trading by definition’: Trump sells $100,000 monthly subscription service to Wall Street to further monetize the presidency

Amateurs study strategy, professionals study logistics.

https://www.bespacific.com/why-is-the-u-s-running-so-low-on-weapons/

Why Is the U.S. Running So Low on Weapons?

The Atlantic, gift article: “Although the united states has been the world’s preeminent military power for decades, it apparently cannot fight a regional power such as Iran for more than a few months before experiencing an armaments crisis. Since hostilities with Tehran began on February 28, the U.S. has reportedly used up two-thirds of its Patriot missile interceptors, more than a third of its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, and a third or more of its prewar stock of Tomahawk cruise missiles. The rate of consumption is all the more striking because a shaky cease-fire had halted most fighting for months. Based on recent production patterns, replenishing the supply of weaponry will take several years. Making America’s challenge still more daunting is a major shift in war-fighting technology toward cheap, unmanned aerial vehicles. The United States and its allies in the Persian Gulf have been forced to use expensive, advanced air-defense systems—such as Patriot PAC-3 missiles that each cost millions of dollars and have a long production cycle—to shoot down Iranian drones that can be swiftly assembled for about $30,000. The munitions shortfall doesn’t just affect the current war. It also sends a worrisome message to allies around the world: The United States has been caught off guard by the latest evolution of warfare and lacks the armaments-production capacity to adapt quickly. Suddenly, relying on American military technology looks far less reliable as a security strategy than it did before President Trump went to war with Iran. And in the long run, governments that counted on the United States to equip their military are going to need a Plan B…”

There are at least three possible negotiators Trump could be talking to: the ‘civilian’ president, the military, and the religious leader. Could one offer a deal while another refuses to deal? Do the three even talk to each other?

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/02/nx-s1-5913347/trump-says-the-u-s-and-iran-have-agreed-on-a-deal

Trump says the U.S. and Iran have agreed on a deal

(Related)

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/trump-says-iran-talks-take-place-monday-sets-no-deadline-deal-2026-08-02/

Trump says talks with Iran under way but Tehran denies any planned

Is this automatically ‘insider trading?’

https://www.npr.org/2026/08/01/nx-s1-5912219/trump-truth-social-access-insider-trading

For sale: early access to Trump's Truth Social posts

… Trump Media & Technology Group is now shopping to traders and investors a premium version of Truth Social delivering early access to the feeds of high-profile users, including the president.

Starting Saturday, for a fee of up to $100,000 a month, trading firms can access "Truth API" to get a glimpse of the president's often market-moving announcements about economic policy and global affairs before the rest of the world.

(Related)

https://www.investors.com/market-trend/stock-market-today/dow-jones-futures-trump-stock-market-rally-palantir-earnings-spacex-on-deck/

Dow Jones Futures: Trump Sparks Stock Market Rally; Palantir Soars On Earnings With SpaceX On Deck

Futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the other major stock indexes traded slightly higher ahead of Tuesday's open. On Monday, the Dow Jones industrials rallied 693 points as oil prices plunged amid hopes of a fresh U.S.-Iran ceasefire deal after President Donald Trump halted military strikes.

Perhaps eradication is possible?

https://www.bespacific.com/the-first-100-effective-hiv-prevention-drug-is-approved-and-going-global/

The first 100% effective HIV prevention drug is approved and going global

Refractor: “An epidemic that’s been sustained for 44 years might finally be quelled, with the milestone approval of the first HIV drug that offers 100% protection with its twice-yearly injections. It’s a landmark achievement that stands to save millions of lives across the globe. The makers are also providing affordable access to the drug in the US and beyond, signing royalty-free licensing agreements with six generic manufacturers to produce and supply it.

Messy. It’s gonna be messy. AI isn’t a person so we have a ‘thing’ acting independently?

https://www.wired.com/story/openai-anthropic-ai-hacking-sprees-illegal/

The OpenAI and Anthropic AI Hacking Sprees Are a Messy New Legal Frontier

Who is legally responsible when agentic AI goes rogue, and what recourse do victims have when they've been breached by joyriding models? Great question.

In the wake of disclosures from both OpenAI and Anthropic that versions of their models escaped containment during internal cybersecurity experiments and hacked real-world organizations, calls for government regulation of AI have been mounting. But as more and more incidents emerge, questions about legal liability and repercussions have also come to the fore.

Researchers and lawyers WIRED spoke to emphasize that these questions have not been answered in practice in the United States legal system. In other words, there haven't been decisions in enough relevant cases for the picture to start to form. But the recent high-profile incidents from OpenAI and Anthropic suggest that answers will need to come soon.

Can we prove that existing DNA has not been hacked?

https://thenextweb.com/news/thermo-fisher-dna-evidence-file-tampering-flaw-cve-2026-17583

A flaw in crime-lab software let AI rewrite DNA evidence in 45 minutes, without a trace.

The software most American crime labs use to read DNA evidence carried a flaw. It let someone with the right access quietly rewrite the results, and leave almost no trace. AI made the attack easy. Thermo Fisher Scientific has now patched it. But the fix only guards files created from here on.

The weakness sits in several Applied Biosystems tools that turn a DNA sample into a digital file. The company’s security bulletin says an attacker could alter the .fsa and .hid files those machines produce before analysis software loads them. That works only if someone first bypasses a lab’s controls. The flaw carries the identifier CVE-2026-17583 and a high severity score of 8.2.

A topical freebie…

https://resources.hoover.org/trickle-down-theory?olc=38679&utm_term=&utm_campaign=historyofsocialism&utm_source=google&utm_medium=pmax&hsa_acc=5955820823&hsa_cam=23926266924&hsa_grp=&hsa_ad=&hsa_src=x&hsa_tgt=&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_campaignid=23931433664&gclid=EAIaIQobChMInvTh5c-ElgMVIAi0Ax04ADBLEAEYASAAEgIYwfD_BwE

Get “Trickle Down” Theory and “Tax Cuts for the Rich”

This book examines the common idea that higher tax rates on the “rich” increase government revenues. Based on empirical and careful analysis, Sowell examines this hypothesis and revisits the origins of the ideas of “Trickle Down” Theory and “Tax Cuts for the Rich”—in his signature style that we’ve all come to love.

If the AI says I’m driving a stolen car, getting pulled over will not be as friendly as it would for a speeding ticket.

https://gizmodo.com/flock-cameras-got-the-wrong-license-plate-71-of-the-time-in-california-city-2000793483

Flock Cameras Got the Wrong License Plate 71% of the Time in California City

… The analysis focused on a two-year period between 2023 and 2024, in which Roseville PD received 1,427 alerts from Flock cameras. Those alerts were meant to notify the department when a license plate associated with some sort of criminal behavior passes by the stationary camera, flagging everything from cars supposedly used in felony crimes or vehicles that have been reported stolen. In 71% of cases that generated an alert related to vehicles that were stolen or used in a felony, the system misread the license plate, seemingly producing false positives.

I notice that it is always Trump vs Iran. Who is Trump negotiating with? Is there a single person in charge?

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/2/why-has-trump-halted-iran-attacks-and-what-is-the-deal-he-is-hinting-at

Why has Trump halted Iran attacks, and what is the deal he is hinting at?

… Trump said on his Truth Social platform early on Sunday in Iran and late on Saturday in the US that Iran and other Middle Eastern countries asked him to hold off on the attacks because “the perimeters of a deal has been agreed to”.

Iran denied Trump’s claim that Tehran asked the US to refrain from conducting new strikes.

(Related) Perhaps Iran is not entirely united.

https://nypost.com/2026/08/02/world-news/iranian-revolution-can-happen-any-day-now-as-protest-leaders-try-to-arm-sources/

Iranian revolution can happen ‘any day now’ as protest leaders try to arm: sources