September 9, 2026

DON’T TRUST CHINA… YOU KNOW THE REST: China’s $5.6 Million AI Miracle Just Got a Lot Less Miraculous. “For nearly two years, DeepSeek’s $5.6 million number has helped sell one of the most dazzling stories in artificial intelligence. The Chinese company appeared to have built a frontier-level model for a fraction of what American firms were spending. A new federal cybersecurity advisory says the bargain came with a rather large missing bill.”

Related: US accuses Chinese AI firms of ‘malicious’ copying of AI technology.

Posted at 11:11 am by Stephen Green

LAWRENCE KUDLOW: The Boom They Never Saw Coming.

Secretary [Bessent] pointed out that President Biden’s big government socialism has been restructured since Mr. Trump took office, nearly 400,000 government jobs have been eliminated, while more than 900,000 private jobs have been added. This is part of the economic boom story.

What’s more, we tried big government socialism under Biden, and it produced a 21 percent cumulative inflation rate. And to a large extent, we are still suffering the hangover from that inflation even today.

I asked Mr. Bessent about how “we’re seeing free enterprise move through this hemisphere. Very interesting. A lot of overturning of the left and socialism moving back towards free market economics.”

The headline employments figures haven’t looked great, largely because under Trump, we’re shedding government jobs at almost half the rate we’re gaining private-sector jobs.

But the latter are productive while the former… not so much.

Daniel McCarthy had related thoughts yesterday.

Posted at 10:40 am by Stephen Green

“REPEAL THE 19TH” STARTED OUT AS A JOKE, I THOUGHT:

Previously: The Lindsay Clancy Trial Set Women Back Decades. “A significant number of liberal women have at least one diagnosed mental illness. Having such diagnoses can, and should, limit the types of employment you can have. We don’t want someone who is mentally unstable being a surgeon or working with children, for example. But let’s just think through the logical implications of what the defense and Lindsay’s supporters are arguing here.”

And that was before certain female jurors went public.

More from Sal:

If you have an easy time getting off the fact that the woman on trial viciously killed her children, maybe you need to rethink a few things.

Posted at 10:24 am by Stephen Green

THE MEDIA LIES:

Posted at 9:53 am by Stephen Green

GOOD NAME: The Air Force Wants to Retire the A-10. The ‘BRRRRT Act’ Would Keep 126 Flying.

The name stands for the Bolstering Recognition, Resurgence, Retention, and Remembrance of the Thunderbolt Act. It also imitates the unmistakable noise produced when the A-10 fires its 30 mm cannon.
…
The proposal would require the Air Force to retain at least 126 A-10s in its total inventory beginning in fiscal 2027 and maintain enough aircraft, units, pilots, testing and support to keep the fleet viable through fiscal 2033.

It would also give the service 90 days after enactment to explain how it would restore depot maintenance, pilot training, weapons instruction, flight testing and other support programs previously reduced in anticipation of retirement.

The bill would prevent additional retirements until the defense secretary certifies that an aircraft or combination of systems has entered service, become fully operational, and can perform the A-10’s missions.

They’re old airframes, getting more expensive to fly and maintain, and probably not survivable against even a near-peer rival. But as we saw earlier this year, they haven’t run out of missions.

Posted at 9:38 am by Stephen Green

THAT SEEMS LIKE OVERKILL FOR THE HOOD OF THE CAR:

But it might do nicely for the roof of the house.

Posted at 9:22 am by Stephen Green

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: The Kids Are Fine — Old Commie Hippies Are the Real Problem. “Young people value authenticity. The elders of the Democratic Party village are all B.S. and artifice, which doesn’t go over well with Gen Z. When President Trump shows up to speak in public, everyone knows he’s not putting on an act. He says what’s on his mind, rather than what he thinks a politician should say. The stuff that makes the older ‘Harumph!’ Republicans uneasy makes younger voters cheer louder.”

Posted at 9:07 am by Stephen Green

OUCH: Third biggest taxpayer flees Britain in huge Labour blow as John Healey promises ‘growth.’

Chris Rokos, who reportedly paid £477 million in tax last year alone, will head to Greece which has far more friendly tax laws for the super-rich.

The news comes on the same day that the Labour Chancellor John Healey announced he wanted to see the country’s economy growing more.

Mr Rokos, 55, is worth an estimated £2.3bn and runs a hedge fund looking after more than £22bn in the UK.

Conservative Shadow Chancellor of Exchequer, Andrew Griffith MP said: “Chris Rokos is Britain’s third-highest taxpayer.

“He has made huge contributions to charities and educational causes across our country. Yet another wealth and job creator leaving Britain is bad news for all of us.

“Whatever your personal finances, wealth creators leaving the UK means fewer opportunities for young people and leaves the rest of us paying more.

Meanwhile: Options for UK finance minister Healey to tax wealth in October’s budget.

I can think of £2.3bn Healey won’t have around to tax.

Posted at 8:36 am by Stephen Green

DEREGULATION AS PROMISED:

From the linked article: “Our legacy regulations have applied basically anytime somebody builds a tower. And people have been trying to argue that they now apply to these huge constellations that are being launched by SpaceX, Amazon, and others,” a senior FCC official who requested anonymity told Pirate Wires. “They want to trap that entire economy under multi-year environmental review.”

All that should end later this month.

Posted at 8:20 am by Stephen Green

ROGER SIMON: Jews Should Welcome, Not Revile, the Rise of AfD.

Beneath the rhetoric and the accusations, they may well be fighting for us.

After all, it’s not Jews they are fighting. It’s not Jews who have been driving cars into German Christmas Markets and wreaking other forms of mayhem, from rape gangs to random killings, across Europe and the USA. Everyone knows who has, but we don’t want to talk about it or deal with it, even though we are on the eve of the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Everyone knows where the West’s problems stem from, though so many want to deny it. In fact, the reverse has occurred. New York City has a mayor who sympathizes with the Islamists, and Texas, of all places, has an epidemic of mosques with a growing constituency eager to adopt Sharia with all its misogyny.

Reading through AfD’s program again, I see people with the courage to face all this and a desire to preserve their country’s and Western Civilization’s traditions. Their fight is our fight.

Indeed.

Posted at 8:19 am by Glenn Reynolds

“HE HAD THE HARDEST TIME…:”

Related:

Posted at 7:45 am by Ed Driscoll

WHAT A MESS: Texts reveal Katie Wilson’s staff calling the shots during Bite of Seattle mass shooting response.

Within minutes, Wilson’s staff knew they were potentially dealing with a mass shooting. Yet the communications show Wilson’s senior aides, rather than Wilson herself, repeatedly debating how the mayor and her administration should respond publicly.

At 6:36 pm, one staffer noted, “Mayors have historically shown up to mass shooting scenes when they stabilize FYI. Just wouldn’t want to draw a comparison.”

Another responded, “The stabilization part is the key.”

Hours later, as aides debated whether Wilson should appear at Seattle Center or Harborview Medical Center, one pleaded, “I reaaaaaaally think the mayor should go down there.”

To be fair, when Wilson did finally appear, she hardly covered herself in glory.

Posted at 7:34 am by Stephen Green

INDEED:

Historian John Bulkeley adds: “Many of these men are from the Iranian IRGC or other terrorist groups in the Middle East. There is absolutely no way to check their true identities, and the UK doesn’t seem to care. A few days ago, some men were seen loading weapons into a car outside a mosque in Ireland. If this report was accurate, then the West in general has a bigger problem than just Iran.”

Posted at 7:18 am by Stephen Green