September 15, 2026

DID YOU MISS THIS OVER THE WEEKEND?

If Democrats want to make AI control “the center of the Democratic agenda,” I have to assume they believe AI is a threat to Democratic control.

So related: China’s spymaster warns that AI is a threat to Communist Party rule.

Posted at 3:33 pm by Stephen Green

CHINESE AI, THE CASE FOR WAR:

China is believed to be a generation behind on frontier AI, and a “pause” allows them to catch up — or leap ahead, depending on how long a pause CCP-friendly elements in Congress might impose.

Posted at 3:02 pm by Stephen Green

CIVIL RIGHTS UPDATE: Attorneys Try to Build on Remington ‘Negligent Marketing’ Claim to Include Independent Reviews of Guns Used in Crimes.

I was just subpoenaed in an anti-gun lawsuit…for being a guntuber. Link to the lawsuit is below. The case is Roberts v. Smith & Wesson, and it’s the same playbook, almost copy+paste, of the Soto v. Bushmaster “Sandy Hook” lawsuit against Remington, which put them out of business.

This one arises from the Highland Park July 4 shooting, where the killer used an M&P15. The plaintiffs are of course attempting to blame S&W for the incident and the theory, you guessed it, “negligent marketing.” They say S&W appealed to young men interested in militaristic imagery and that this influenced the shooter to select the M&P15, and that this more or less was a cause of this incident. Insanity.

Now they are reaching beyond S&W and into firearms media.

I’m old enough to remember when the Left at least put up a pretense of supporting First Amendment rights… which makes me feel pretty old, honestly.

Posted at 2:47 pm by Stephen Green

DO NOT TRUST DAVID AXELROD:

More:

Even if you don’t know much about the issue, the way the players are lining up is a yuge tell.

Posted at 2:32 pm by Stephen Green

LACK OF CONTROL: Compared to driving, flying is extraordinarily safe – but why doesn’t it feel that way? “Driving gives people a steering wheel, a brake pedal and the belief that their skill can protect them. Flying asks passengers to place control in the hands of pilots, airlines, regulators, air traffic controllers and a complex technical system.”

One of my colleagues who used to fly B-52s hates flying as a passenger. I feel the opposite: If the plane crashes, it won’t be my fault. “Duty is as heavy as a mountain; death is as light as a feather.”

Or as one of my friends says, people will be afraid to fly in a 777, but will climb onto a Ferris wheel that was put together in a grocery store parking lot in three hours by a 25 year old meth head.

Posted at 2:30 pm by Glenn Reynolds

PRELUDE TO BRAT SUMMER: Ex-Dem insider exposes what Harris told top donors days before Biden dropped out: ‘All charade.’

Just 48 hours before Biden dropped out of the race, Harris tried to peddle the narrative that the president was still seeking a second term.

“It was either on July 19th or July 20th,” Li said, describing a call Harris held with Dem donors.

“Actually, I think it was July 19, 2024; Kamala Harris held a call saying that there was no way that Biden would drop out and that she would stick with him until the end. And these were some of the biggest donors in the party.”

But some donors were unconvinced by the narrative Harris was trying to peddle, according to Li, who branded the veep’s approach “insulting.”

“A lot of us have group chats,” she said.

“And the immediate reaction is what an effing waste of time. What a charade, how fake. Like these are like the wealthiest people in the country saying that. They were very aware they were being lied to, that Biden was clearly not okay and to be told that he was okay when he was clearly incapacitated.”

Biden announced he was suspending his campaign on July 21, which prompted Harris to rush in and shore up his donors’ support.

Well, you can’t fault her for looking to gain strength from the appearance of joy.

Posted at 2:22 pm by Ed Driscoll

THEY’RE JUST ON THE ROAD TO COMMUNISM — LENIN AND STALIN SAID SO: ‘Socialists’ Are NOT Communists, New York Times Insists. “Yet even by the standard of partisan cheerleading, every once in a while—okay, almost every day—an article comes along that is so shameless in its Democratic Party advocacy that it’s enough to make a reader laugh out loud, or at least engage in a visible eye-roll.”

Posted at 1:45 pm by Stephen Green

UNEXPECTEDLY:

Posted at 1:36 pm by Ed Driscoll

ONCE IS HAPPENSTANCE, TWICE IS COINCIDENCE, THREE TIMES IS ENEMY ACTION:

Posted at 1:29 pm by Stephen Green

TIME TO CALL SOME BLUFFS:

Posted at 1:22 pm by Ed Driscoll

THE CHURCHILL EFFECT: Yesterday’s Swedish Elections and Our Midterm Parallel.

Speculation is that part of what may have provided some of the malaise that led to the progressives eking out what may be a numbers win – remember, they still have to form a government and it looks to be extraordinarily difficult at the moment – is the success that the conservatives had in beginning to right the ship in such a short time.

This certainly sounded familiar to me.

Much more at the link, and here’s some background from last week: How to Virtually Eliminate Gang Violence With This One Weird Trick.

Posted at 12:43 pm by Stephen Green

HOW THE ANTI-AI SAUSAGE GETS MADE:

Related: New op drops:

More: “Make it a rule. Carney want that? Nope.”

Posted at 12:30 pm by Ed Driscoll

THE LEFT PROJECTS, ALWAYS:

Posted at 12:27 pm by Stephen Green

INEVITABLE: A Visa Restriction Too Far.

Regular BattleSwarm readers know I’ve become quite the immigration hawk. All illegal aliens should be deported, NGOs that helped carry out the illegal alien invasion should be investigated, disbanded and their members prosecuted, the cost of applying for a H-1B visa should be raised above $100,000, and the government should crack down hard on companies (I’m looking at you, Microsoft) who have abused the H-1B system to avoid hiring Americans.

But now someone has finally come up with a crackdown idea that’s just stupid and counter-productive.

Even a smart and well-intentioned government will come up with some genuinely bad ideas. Keep it small and divided is the best defense.

Posted at 11:41 am by Stephen Green

DISPATCHES FROM TIM WALZ’S MINNESOTA:

Posted at 11:25 am by Stephen Green