AI makes progress..and enemies
AI Actress Tilly Norwood Draws Backlash From Hollywood
This video is ENTIRELY made by AI and all characters are AI-generated. And "Tilly Norwood" is cute...I understand why human actors feel upset and threatened. Imagine how good AI content will be in another year or two. How are human actors to compete? The only thing I can think of is that movie studios will have to specifically market movies as "made using actual human actors." But for smaller, especially online, content, it might be every bit as perilous to be an actor (unless you're already very famous) as it is to be a computer programmer these days.
This will absolutely not satisfy anyone
More "Tilly"...and again imagine how good this will eventually be if it's this good already
The AI takeoff on the Sydney Sweeney genes ad
.
Today's Guests
Kurt Couchman is a senior fellow in fiscal policy for Americans for Prosperity with a long resume of policy work in think tanks and for members of Congress.
We'll discuss the government "shutdown" that began at midnight Eastern Time.
What happens now that a government shutdown is underway | AP News
Polling at the moment is a little worse for the GOP than I expected it would be, which shows the reason for the ad below: Polls show if Democrats or Republicans will get blamed for shutdown
750K federal workers risk furloughs in government shutdown, CBO estimates
No! The Obamacare subsidy fight is already splitting congressional Republicans - POLITICO
Shutdown near certain after Senate again rejects funding bills - POLITICO
Rand Paul voted "no" as well. BREAKING: Here's How Many Democrats Voted to Shut Down Government
Not today: Compromise Remains Most Valued in D.C. Leaders
I don't think it's true that the Dems are asking for healthcare spending for illegal aliens, but the GOP is definitely making it a key talking point: Government shutdown: The ACA, immigrants and health care
.
DJ Summers is Director of Communications and Research Operations for the Common Sense Institute. We'll discuss CSI's analysis of Denver's spending and budget.
Denver Spending in the Last Decade
.
Michael Cannon is the Director of Health Policy Studies at the libertarian Cato Institute. He's an aggressive opponent of government involvement in health care, including of price controls and de facto government setting of prices. We'll talk about yesterday's surprise announcement by Pfizer of a drug-pricing agreement with the federal government.
Michael F. Cannon | Cato Institute
White House Unveils ‘TrumpRx’ Drug-Buying Site and a Pfizer Pricing Deal - WSJ
Interesting quote from CNN article: "The TrumpRx site, which will not go live until early 2026, will not sell or distribute medications, a senior administration official told reporters Tuesday. Consumers will be able search for their medicines and will be redirected to manufacturers’ direct-to-consumer channels."
Pfizer's press release: Pfizer Reaches Landmark Agreement with U.S. Government to Lower Drug Costs for American Patients | Pfizer
White House press release: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Announces First Deal to Bring Most-Favored-Nation Pricing to American Patients – The White House
Unsurprisingly, Michael is not a fan of the Trump/Pfizer collab:
.
Other Stuff
When you make something expensive costless to users you will incentivize excessive demand. RTD to vote on major service cuts to Access-on-Demand disability ride program - Axios Denver
.
I get that there are serious crime problems in some American cities but this is wrong, probably illegal, and utterly un-American.
.
Offered without comment: Downtown tax district plans to buy Denver Pavilions mall under $37M deal
.
The overall news story here, including about Tulsi Gabbard, isn't new, but the press release from TSA about their investigation into themselves is. Unsurprisingly it includes a fair but of Trump propaganda but that doesn't mean its underlying conclusions are wrong: DHS and TSA Expose Targeting of Political Opponents by Former Biden Administration Officials, Refers Case to Congress & Justice Department | Transportation Security Administration
‘Unconstitutional dystopian nightmare’: TSA watchlist targeted Biden critics (Washington Times)
.
A little creepy: Vietnamese man earns record with more than 19 feet of fingernails - UPI.com
And how does he get through a day? How does he wipe his rear end? You can see him eat in the video...I like how serious the Guinness Book guy is, talking about "celebrating his achievement."
.
British conservatives might not think this is enough but it seems like more than you'd expect from the left, showing the power of the issue in the UK now: Migrants will have to contribute or leave UK, says Shabana Mahmood
.
Although I don't buy the pearl-clutching from Democrats that Trump represents a clear and present danger to "our democracy", I also think he represents some level of threat. He does not mind breaking the law and does not care about the Constitution. Of course, neither did Joe Biden, though the quantity of Trump's aggressions against the Constitution is now developing a quality of its own. But Trump will only be president for about 3 more years. Let's say he does erode some part of the nation's respect for the Constitution. Then what? I still remain modestly optimistic about the future of the country but less than I used to, and David Souter picked up on the same fact that worries me, long run, for our republic:
A Warning From Justice Souter: Democracy Is in Peril - The New York Times
.
Yesterday, I mentioned the Saudis being part of a group buying EA Sports for $55 billion, the biggest taking-a-company-private transaction (at least in nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation) of all time. I didn't get to these other two stories about the Saudis trying to boost their involvement with other sports (and by definition cultural) events and thereby "sportswashing" (a term suggested by a listener yesterday) their reputation as a backward, conservative, even primitive place:
A recent major boxing match was basically funded by the Saudis: Inside Canelo v Crawford and the Saudi-TKO plan to dominate boxing | Boxing | The Guardian
As part of a bigger push into fighting sports: Paramount Sets Media Rights Deal With Zuffa Boxing
They’re also hosting the world cup in 9 years, starting a golf league to compete with the PGA, and are spending lots of money on US movies.
.
One way to try to get employees for particular niche job descriptions: A Colorado firm struggling to hire has no job openings — and that’s the new plan
.
Not sure if I'll go because I have work the next day, but tempted...'Airplane!' 45th anniversary to bring David Zucker, Robert Hays to Colorado | 9news.com
.
Harvard deserves to be punished. But I still don't like the government forcing a private institution to operate according to the government's wishes when those wishes go far beyond simply "don't break the law." Trump says deal reached to end feud with Harvard - POLITICO
.
.
Today's Videos
Awesome nerdiness