AI does not live in the cloud. It is dug out of the earth, cooled with fresh water, and trained on data labeled by workers half a world away from Silicon Valley.
In this lecture, political theorist Hansong Li walks the entire global supply chain of artificial intelligence — the minerals of the DRC and Chile, the chips of Taiwan, the data centers of the Gulf, and the invisible laborers in Africa and South Asia who sift the world's filth so that others receive clean information. He then lays out the three futures Silicon Valley is actually betting on, and asks the question the industry never answers: whose welfare does AI amplify, and who carries the risk?
His conclusion is a call for planetary justice — and a warning: do not outsource your thinking to automated systems.
Hansong Li is Assistant Professor at the School of International Service, American University, and a faculty associate at Harvard University's Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. He holds a PhD from Harvard and is the author of "Common Justice: Interpolitical Thought in Western, Indian, and Chinese Traditions" (Harvard University Press, forthcoming).
Timetable: 00:00 AI Is Not in the Cloud 00:20 Where AI Actually Comes From 02:03 Whose Knowledge Counts 03:29 Can a Chatbot Respect You? 05:26 Silicon Valley's Dark Enlightenment 05:47 Minerals, Water, and Compute 07:48 Who Does the Dirty Work 08:38 The Invisible Labor Behind AI 12:30 The Data Funnel 17:45 The Scholarship That Got Squeezed Out 22:52 Where Are We Heading? 24:20 Three Visions of the Future 29:00 The Robot-Centric Dream: Abundance Through Automation 29:59 Planetary Justice and Normative Agency
Jay Stratton discusses his memoir Out of the Shadows with Bret Baier on Fox News.
Jay Stratton spent more than 32 years in U.S. intelligence, including the Army, the Air Force, Naval Intelligence, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, where he was Chief of Air and Space Warfare.
He co-founded the Advanced Aerospace Weapon System Applications Program (AAWSAP), helped create the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP), and was the first director of the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force. His memoir, Out of the Shadows: Revealing the Truth About Non-Human Intelligent Life, is published by William Morrow.
Missile threats are grounding flights and closing skies across the Gulf. What does this mean for the region? After repeated warnings, Yemeni missiles struck Terminal 3 & 4 of the King Khalid Airport in Riyadh, as Sana'a imposes the same reality on Saudi Arabia as it has endured since 2015.
On this episode of The Target, Robert Inlakesh provides a comprehensive breakdown of the latest Middle East developments. As the U.S. intensifies military and economic pressure on Tehran, Iran has carved a new strategy in the Strait of Hormuz, Israeli security officials are preparing for the possibility of Iranian retaliation as they prepare for renewed strikes and deploy additional air defense batteries to the greater Tel Aviv area. Plans to target Iran's critical national and energy infrastructure, following a call between Netanyahu and Trump.
Meanwhile, with Saudi Arabia's King Khalid International Airport closed and the EU and FAA issuing stark airspace warnings, the logistical toll of the conflict in Yemen is mounting. Saudi airspace is effectively shutting down as repeated missile and drone attacks on major airports in Riyadh and Jeddah force massive flight cancellations and trigger severe international aviation warnings.
On the ground, Yemen's armed forces are dealing unprecedented blows to Saudi-backed PLC forces & capturing even more territory.
Andy Burnham claims Russia interfered in the 2016 Brexit referendum, years after every investigation found no evidence of meddling. In this episode we break down how Burnham is using the Russia narrative to rebrand Labour as the party that will rejoin the EU, possibly without a referendum, while the AfD and BSW in Saxony Anhalt push Germany to resume buying Russian gas. Is Burnham uniting the remainers, or handing Labour's Brexit heartland seats straight to Reform UK?
Timeline:
00:00:00 Burnham Claims Russia Meddled in Brexit
00:01:10 Years of Investigations Found Nothing
00:02:39 Makerfield Promises Quickly Abandoned
00:03:38 Holborn and Camden By Election Boost
00:05:13 Burnham's Strategy to Rejoin the EU
00:06:06 Russia Cast as the Permanent Enemy
00:08:22 Burnham, Starmer and Merz: Same Agenda
00:09:13 Can Brexit Be Reversed Without a Referendum?
00:10:40 Why Reform Could Win Labour's Heartlands
00:13:46 AfD and BSW Push for Russian Gas Return
Today on Questions For Corbett, James answers your questions on Japanese residence cards, online research tips, a digital bill of rights, trash reading and what happened to NWNW.
Jeffrey Sachs tells Judge Napolitano that Ansarallah has hit Saudi oil fields, the Red Sea, and the airport in Riyadh, and that US weapons have not stopped it. On Trump, he says a November election that costs the president control of Congress would drain his power and shift attention to 2028, without stopping what Sachs calls reckless behavior.
Pepe Escobar breaks down Trump secretly deploying US Navy SEALs to the region as Iran blitzes the Strait of Hormuz and Yemen's fierce resistance to US-Saudi aggression has led to major strikes on Riyadh's airports. Trump is now seriously considering a US intervention into the Yemen front, even as his administration struggles to stop Iran from shutting down the Strait of Hormuz.
While they discuss diesel deal, SMO goes on, as does West's collapse. Martyanov says the US lifting of sanctions on Russian diesel, with no Kremlin concessions, is a drop in the bucket that the media turned into a major story, and that the constraint remains two nuclear superpowers.
Andy Burnham now says Russia interfered in the Brexit referendum, a convenient claim for a prime minister whose government is built around reversing Brexit. Alex breaks down why Trump's energy ceasefire is really a lopsided refinery deal, as Russian strikes black out Kiev, the Houthis squeeze MBS from Riyadh to Aden, Iran tightens control of the Strait of Hormuz, and the AfD and BSW demand Germany resume trade with Russia. Is the Russia blame game Europe's last card as its leaders run out of answers?
Timeline:
00:00:00 Europe's Russian energy hypocrisy
00:00:22 Trump's Truth Social energy ceasefire post
00:01:59 Axios reveals a lopsided refinery for refinery deal
00:07:48 Witkoff and Kushner Moscow trip on hold
00:08:32 Zelensky's 60 day ceasefire and elections demand
00:10:51 Russian strikes hit Kiev and Kharkov power grid
00:12:51 Burnham claims Russia interfered in Brexit
00:16:28 Burnham and Merz push Russian meddling claims
00:17:28 MBS in trouble as Houthis strike Riyadh airport
00:21:00 MBS faces two bad options in Yemen
00:23:40 Iran enforces its approved Hormuz route
00:24:38 AfD and BSW call to resume trade with Russia
00:28:18 Mystery Ukrainian van crosses Austria
00:30:20 Trump may fire Ambassador Kimberly Guilfoyle
00:31:27 Clown World with Kamala Harris and Stunning and Brave
Nima Alkhorshid asks Larry Wilkerson about reports that King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh is closed until October 17 after missile strikes, and that Mohammed bin Salman is moving between bunkers over the risk of attacks on his palaces.
Wilkerson says the Houthis have become a competent military against an unprofessional Saudi force, that the House of Saud faces an existential threat, and that the United States has no coherent policy for the region.
Nima Alkhorshid asks Jacques Baud about a Wall Street Journal report that Saudi Arabia is short of interceptor missiles after daily Yemeni attacks, including cruise missiles that crossed more than 800 kilometers, one of them striking King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh. Baud says missiles have become the decisive weapon in this war of attrition and that the West has little left to offer after Ukraine and the Middle East.
Stanislav Krapivnik discusses Houthi advances in Yemen, strikes on Saudi airports and oil facilities, and whether the United States could open a new operation there. He questions what Pakistan and Turkey would do, compares the Geran-5 with American cruise missiles, and says a Trump energy deal with Russia will not hold while Europe stays tied to Russian fuel and BRICS has no military bloc.
Timeline:
00:00:00 Houthis Expand Their Control Across Yemen
00:03:08 Krapivnik Assesses Strikes Against Saudi Arabia
00:06:24 Krapivnik Questions Pakistan's Military Capabilities
00:09:15 Saudi Air Force Faces New Threats
00:12:43 U.S. Could Launch an Operation in Yemen
00:16:20 Krapivnik Considers the Use of Foreign Mercenaries
00:19:24 Trump Faces Military Industrial Challenges
00:22:25 Krapivnik Compares Geran-5 With American Missiles
00:25:52 Saudi Arabia Faces Growing Domestic Risks
00:29:27 Trump Discusses an Energy Deal With Russia
00:32:56 Europe Remains Dependent on Russian Energy
00:36:08 Krapivnik Examines Trump's Domestic Political Challenges
00:39:24 American Politics Sparks Growing Domestic Debate
00:42:38 Maritime Shipping Costs Continue to Rise
00:46:57 Krapivnik Explains the Limitations of BRICS
00:50:35 Russia and China Emerge as NATO Counterweights
00:53:44 European Politics Faces New Internal Divisions
Israeli intelligence officers — including a major general — have been seen inside Saudi Arabia's war consultations in Riyadh, Transition Protocol's Pakistani sources say. Here is why Riyadh needs them, who is refusing to fight for it, and what Yemen does next.
In this week's edition of The Week Ahead, Pepe Escobar — speaking from Bangkok after midnight — joins host Zulfiqar Ali three weeks before the US midterms.
Timeline:
00:02:08 Riyadh's appeal to China
00:03:22 The confirmation
00:20:09 Yemen's plan
00:24:44 Who won't fight
00:27:55 Iran
Tamlyn Hunt, JD, is an attorney and renewable-energy specialist. He is the co-originator of the General Resonance Theory of Consciousness, developed in affiliation with Jonathan Schooler at UC, Santa Barbara. He is author of Eco, Ego, Eros: Essays in Philosophy, Spirituality, and Science; Mind, World, God: Science and Spirit in the 21st Century; Solar: Why Our Energy Future Is So Bright; and, most recently the topic of this discussion, The Hippies were Right: About Consciousness and Everything Else.
Tamlyn discusses the General Resonance Theory of consciousness, co-developed with Jonathan Schooler, which posits that all things resonate, possess a basic awareness (panpsychism), and form higher-level consciousness through shared resonance of electromagnetic fields.
He explores connections to hippie-era insights on vibrations, RNG experiments at Burning Man linked to collective attention, the hard problem of consciousness, electromuticals as non-chemical therapies, comparisons with other theories, and implications for AI.
Drawing on his personal journey from a hippie upbringing through military service and psychedelic experiences, Hunt reflects on what the hippies got right and wrong, advocating love-based activism for today's challenges.
(Recorded on Thursday, September 17, 2026)
Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:05:45 General resonance theory axioms
00:11:20 Burning Man RNG experiments
00:17:10 Electromagnetic fields and consciousness
00:23:15 Faraday cages and psi phenomena
00:28:50 Panpsychism and the hard problem
00:34:40 Electromuticals and theory testing
00:40:25 Comparing theories of consciousness
00:46:10 Hippie background and personal journey
00:53:50 Conclusion
Trump just said it out loud: Ukraine needs a new leader. Alex breaks down how Zelensky calling Trump weak over the Putin diesel deal backfired, why Elon Musk is piling on, and how the EU is answering with new Russia sanctions and Financial Times claims that Putin is targeting European defense CEOs, a storyline that echoes what Alexander Mercouris has long said about Project Ukraine. Is Zelensky about to be recast, and can Trump finally find his way out?
Timeline:
00:00:00 Trump says Ukraine needs a new leader
00:00:55 Trump blames Zelensky for refinery strikes
00:02:07 Who green lit the drone campaign
00:03:36 Can Trump get the CIA to walk away
00:05:00 Europe's emotional meltdown over the diesel deal
00:07:40 Zelensky called Trump weak
00:09:30 Recasting the role of Ukraine's president
00:11:02 Elon Musk and Alice Weidel pile on
00:12:36 Oval Office clash and Trump's big mistake
00:15:00 Financial Times claims Russia targets defense CEOs
00:16:52 Poland reports plot against Tusk
00:19:28 Houthi strike on Riyadh airport
00:22:55 Trump says the US may get involved
00:23:35 New press secretary and the Guilfoyle recordings
00:27:32 Clown World: Kallas, Sikorski, Johnson, Estonia
UAP Files looks at infrared footage shot in Long Beach, California, on 21 October 2017. The witness, Jim Films UFOs, says a large bright object released at least 40 smaller orbs, first in a triangle and then in a stream, and that the smaller orbs showed up only on his full-spectrum camera. The host adjusts contrast and color and does not upscale the clip.
He compares it with footage from Elliot Howie in Christchurch, a donut-shaped object that appeared to drop a smaller shape, and with images from Ray Hermans in New Zealand of egg-shaped objects flying together.
Russia is selling the U.S. 300,000 tons of diesel fuel after a sanctions waiver to lift Trump's November electoral chances, infuriating Zelensky as Kiev suffers its most intense pounding. Trump says he won't hit Iran until after the election. And in the U.S. an execution victim awakes from a coma, while the government is planning to live-stream an execution by firing squad.
SpaceWeatherNews on a G3 solar storm and another pole-shift signal. In the last 24 hours the sun was moderately active, with flares that were less eruptive toward Earth and CMEs leaving the departing limb.
A coronal hole crossed central heliographic longitudes, a new sunspot group marched in, and large plasma filaments stayed on the disk. The expected CME shock arrived as a full draping impact. Solar wind speed was over 800 km/s with above-average density, G3 conditions lasted about six hours on October 10, and the field was calming on the morning of October 11. The official forecast had been G2, Kp 6. The show says forecasters are now underestimating storm strength because Earth's magnetic field is weakening in an ongoing pole shift.
The science notes cover an AI-assisted nova classification, after 14 new nova types in 20 years, and gamma-phase iron that a Chinese moon lander found inside glass microtektites. The show treats a solar micronova as another explanation, because that iron is not found all over the Moon.
The neocon project is crashing into the wall, and Garland Nixon joins Alexander Mercouris and Alex Christoforou to explain why the collective West has hit the limits of its power. From Russia's air campaign over Kiev and the standoff with Iran in the Strait of Hormuz to the Houthis, Saudi Arabia, German elections and the US midterms, they trace how elites who can no longer win and refuse to negotiate are losing the trust of their own people. Will the breaking point come abroad, or at home first?
Timeline:
00:00:00 Introduction with Garland Nixon
00:00:46 Neocon project crashing into the wall
00:01:55 Limits of US power: China and Iran
00:03:38 Elites vs the people at home
00:05:50 Russia's air campaign shocks the West
00:07:36 West cannot match long range strike capacity
00:10:25 Iran after the midterms, Houthis and Hormuz
00:12:05 Nuclear option against Iran
00:13:56 Europe's escalation talk on Russia
00:17:34 Elites ignore cost of living anger
00:21:11 German elections and youth pushback
00:23:48 Kiev under strikes, Merz and NATO generals arrive empty handed
00:27:03 MBS, Saudi Arabia and the Houthis
00:30:12 The April US Iran deal that was abandoned
00:33:22 Green eggs and ham diplomacy
00:35:57 Are neocons protecting liberal democracy
00:41:00 German GDP sleight of hand, elections ahead
00:43:36 Internal or external smashup
00:45:37 America's mood before the midterms
00:49:13 Will the US leave Europe
Michael Cremo is coauthor with Richard Thompson of Forbidden Archeology. He is also author of Human Devolution: A Vedic Alternative to Darwin's Theory as well as My Science, My Religion – a collection of his scientific papers.
In this 2021 rebooted video he describes the Vedic worldview as one in which consciousness, rather than matter, is considered fundamental. The Vedic universe is populated by a vast array of entities including both extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional.
There are deities and demonic entities covering a wide range of technological and spiritual attainments. Flying vehicles are frequently described. Some are described in mechanical terms others are completely mental, or spiritual, in nature. Cremo points out that there are many similarities between modern UFO reports and ancient Vedic accounts.
