Welcome to today’s podcast. “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.” Now President Trump faces a stark choice: should he dispatch American B-2 bombers armed with 30,000-pound bunker busters against Fordo, Iran’s mountain-hidden uranium enrichment site? Since 1979, Iran’s theocracy has repressed its own people and poured resources into a nuclear program that Karim Sadjadpour calls a strategic “albatross.” It sustains just one percent of Iran’s energy demand at a cost approaching half a trillion dollars. After October 7th, Israel struck Iranian military and nuclear scientists, and Prime Minister Netanyahu declared, “We are doing what we need to do.” Now he’s looking to Trump’s pilots. Yet Trump, who admits, “Nobody knows what I’m going to do,” has sidelined much of his National Security Council and is torn between isolationist and interventionist camps. With a two-week deadline looming, he must resist the siren call of “shock and awe” and pursue negotiation to avert another costly Middle East disaster.
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Welcome to Uncanny Valley. Today we’re asking the question on everyone’s mind: “What is superintelligence?” Meta has just announced a major move in its AI efforts—“investing in Scale AI and building a superintelligence AI research lab.” After trailing big names like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, Meta is dropping serious cash to acquire talent and accelerate research. But what exactly is superhuman intelligence? Is it an AI that outthinks us in every domain, from science to creativity? Or a system that learns and adapts faster than any human could imagine? We’ll break down the deal between Meta and Scale AI, explore what Meta hopes to achieve with this investment, and probe the frontier where machine smarts may eclipse our own. Stick around as we unpack the promise—and the risks—of machines that could think faster, learn deeper, and maybe even surprise their creators.
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Welcome to today’s Middle East Minute. A week of Israeli airstrikes inside Iran has upended daily life, hitting fuel depots, airports and public buildings from Tabriz to Tehran. Ordinary Iranians say the attacks shattered any sense of safety. “They want to scare us,” a shopkeeper told reporters. At the same time, crippling sanctions have drained cash reserves, leaving long ATM lines and families scrambling for banknotes. Rolling power cuts and intermittent internet blackouts only add to the anxiety. “We never imagined war would reach us here,” said a university student in northern Iran. As Tehran’s leaders issue stern warnings of retaliation, citizens brace for mounting economic pain and the possibility of further conflict. That’s your one-minute update. I’m [Host Name]. Thanks for listening.
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