Needle in the hay
President Trump orders a reduction in joint military exercises with South Korea, citing its unwillingness to help in the Iran war and his “very good relationship” with Kim Jong Un. / The Associated Press
Watch: A documentary on how North Koreans are getting jobs as IT workers at American companies and accessing sensitive systems. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
The Trump administration’s visa changes—along with its general scorn for immigrants and academics—have resulted in a record departure of American-trained, foreign-born physics PhDs. / American Institute of Physics
As China’s AI models proliferate, so too does their pro-China bias, Western critics argue, even as US models contain anti-China bias, Chinese critics likewise argue. / The New York Times [$]
Unrelated: Add experimental monkeys to the list of supply chains that China has cornered while the US faces a shortage. / ChinaTalk
Count Binface has been running in elections since 2017, and even though (as usual) he lost last week, this time to Nigel Farage, it was his best showing yet. / BBC News
Children apprehended traveling alone across the US border are due protections, such as legal representation and maximum stays in custody, that are not remotely being met. / Public Notice
Flight data shows a covert CIA program is behind the drone attacks on fishing boats near the Galápagos Islands. / The Washington Post [$]
If you enjoy these headlines, please join us as a Sustaining Member to support what we do and unlock access to paywalled links.
“It was there, waiting to be found.” A fan finally gets a response to the letter she wrote Elliott Smith in 2000, three years before he died. / HuffPost
Editors weren’t part of British publishing until after World War II, when publishers faced a flood of manuscripts, and needed someone to tell them what was worth printing. / Portico
“I am concerned about this trend of pretending to read by integrating AI where you have chosen not to pay sufficient attention or engage with the actual experience of reading.” / The Biblioracle Recommends
See also: Follow a package of rare books as they make their way to an Amazon facility where books are cut apart and scanned for AI training. / 404 Media
An appreciation and history of the peameal bacon sandwich, a favorite of noted sandwich aficionado Barbra Streisand. / The Sword and the Sandwich
There is a tiny museum in the lobby of a Brooklyn apartment building that’s home to an exhibit on the history of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Salvator Mundi. / Gothamist
According to user voting, these are the world’s shittiest birds. / Birds Are Shit