Call It Like I See It James Keys, Tunde Ogunlana

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the turmoil that took place recently with OpenAI and its leadership, including key things that seemed to set the stage for it and the path things seem to be on in its aftermath, and consider whether the exercise of caution in the development of AI is even possible (1:34).  The guys also discuss eye contact and take a look at a recent study which suggests that people rarely make direct eye contact when conversing with strangers (48:51).
OpenAI Tried to Fire Sam Altman. It Only Made Him More Powerful. (The Ringer)
OpenAI’s board might have been dysfunctional–but they made the right choice. Their defeat shows that in the battle between AI profits and ethics, it’s no contest (Fortune)
Sam Altman Returns as OpenAI CEO. Here’s How It Happened (Time)
The Unsettling Lesson of the OpenAI Mess (NY Times)
Unpacking the hype around OpenAI’s rumored new Q* model (MIT Technology Review)
Businesses, tech groups warn EU against over-regulating AI foundation models (Reuters)
Making Eye Contact With Someone Has a Surprisingly Powerful Hidden Effect (Science Alert)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the apparent disconnect between what the numbers are telling us about the economy, which is that it is doing pretty well, and the negative view of the economy that is reflected in recent polling and just general sentiment (1:57).  The guys also react to new evidence that confirms that the Vikings were traveling back and forth to North America up to 500 years before Columbus (45:54).
Economic Viewpoints: Retail Sales Dip, But Consumers Keep Spending (US Chamber of Commerce)
CNN Poll: Half of Americans think the economy is getting worse, despite months of stronger economic news (CNN)
The Share of Americans Who Are Mortgage-Free Is at an All-Time High (Bloomberg)
Never Mind the 1%. Mini-Millionaires Are Where Wealth Is Growing Fastest (WSJ) (Apple News Link)
How the American middle class has changed in the past five decades (Pew Research Center)
Javier Milei, a Self-Described Anarcho-Capitalist, Is Elected President of Argentina (WSJ) (Apple News Link)
A Stunning Discovery Proves That Vikings Reached the Americas Before Columbus (Popular Mechanics)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss ongoing blockade of the confirmation of military promotions by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and how his “my way or the highway” approach is so antithetical to the principle of compromise that is baked into the U.S. system by the Constitution  (1:10).  The guys also react to a recent study which suggests that walking can be as good as Viagra for men (44:32).
Why a single senator is blocking US military promotions and what it means for the Pentagon (AP)
Military families and retired service members lobby to end Tuberville's blockade (CBS News)
Tommy Tuberville Has Taken Another Breathtakingly Bad Stance on Diversity (Vanity Fair)
Sen. Tuberville criticized for remarks on white nationalists: ‘I call them Americans’ (AP)
Senate Republicans erupt in anger over Tuberville’s military freeze (WaPo)
'Lying to America': GOP lawmaker blasts his fellow Republicans, vows he won't seek reelection (USA Today)
There's a Free, Low-Risk Alternative to Viagra, Study Shows (Science Alert)

Sarah Colt’s “The Gilded Age” takes a look at the rapid industrialization and growth, as well as the exploding wealth gap between the capital class and the working class which defined the late nineteenth century in the United States, and James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss their takeaways from documentary, which originally aired in 2018 on PBS, including what drove the mass accumulations of wealth, how such wealth can warp society and politics, and how this period may mirror what is happening in the U.S. today.
The Gilded Age (PBS)
The Gilded Age Documentary (Amazon)
The Gilded Age Documentary (iTunes)
The Gilded Age Documentary (YouTube)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the tens of billions in federal child care funds that recently expired and what the role of government should be for something like child care (1:28).  The guys also consider why it always seems like masculinity is under attack (32:29).
Federal childcare funding is about to expire–and it could be terrible for the U.S. economy (Forbes)
Opinion: Federal funding for child care is about to fall off a cliff. Why that’s a disaster (LA Times)
End of federal program funding childcare centers could impact local economy (CBS News Miami)
Column: U.S. policy basically discourages having kids. Now our economy is paying the price (LA Times)
Are We Not Men? (Esquire)

James Keys and Tunde Ogunlana discuss the way many have seemed to want to take sides in an all or nothing way when viewing and discussing the Israel and Hamas war, and how several factors in our society seem to be involved in promoting this approach (1:37).  The guys also react to Robert Sapolsky’s premise in his new book “Determined” that humans actually have no free will (45:29).
Harvard Student Groups Face Intense Backlash for Statement Calling Israel ‘Entirely Responsible’ for Hamas Attack (The Harvard Crimson)
‘Stunned and sickened.’ Wexner Foundation cuts ties with Harvard over ‘tiptoeing’ on Hamas (CNN)
The Anguished Fallout from a Pro-Palestinian Letter at Harvard (The New Yorker)
Top law firm rescinds job offers to Ivy League students over Israel letters (NBC News)
York University threatens to revoke student unions' status over Israel-Hamas statements (CTV News Toronto)
Disinformation surge threatens to fuel Israel-Hamas conflict (Reuters)
The Israel-Hamas War Is Drowning X in Disinformation (Wired)
What happens when a group of Fox News viewers watch CNN for a month? (The Guardian)
Stanford scientist, after decades of study, concludes: We don’t have free will (LA Times)