Tests suggests Google's AI Overviews tell millions of lies per hour

Is 90 percent accuracy good enough for a search robot? Google doesn't much like this test. Google spokesperson Ned Adriance tells the Times that Google believes SimpleQA contains incorrect information. Its model evaluations often rely on a similar test called SimpleQA Verified, which uses a smaller set of questions that have been more thoroughly vetted. "This study has serious holes," Adriance told the Times. "It doesn't reflect what people are actually searching on Google." Benchmark problems Evaluating new AI models sometimes feels more like art than science, which is part of the problem. Every company has its own preferred way of demonstrating what a model can do, and the non-deterministic nature of gen AI can make it hard to verify anything. These robots can get a factual question right and then completely miss it if you rerun the query immediately. Oumi even uses AI tools to run its assessments, and those models can hallucinate, too.

Appeals Court rules Boasberg 'abused discretion' in Trump deportation fight

The Trump administration won a court victory in an immigration case Tuesday when an appeals court found U.S. District Judge James Boasberg engaged in a "clear abuse of discretion" last year. The 2-1 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit comes more than a year after Boasberg first held the Trump administration in criminal contempt. Boasberg held the Trump administration in contempt when it did not comply with his order to turn around planes carrying deported illegal aliens from Venezuela. The planes were going to El Salvador.

The "Blitzkrieg" Failure: Why the U.S.-Israeli aggression against Iran is doomed, and how Trump can save face

What was presented in Washington and Tel Aviv in late February 2026 as a "limited operation" to destroy Iran's nuclear infrastructure had, by early April, turned into a full-blown regional catastrophe. The aggression of the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic — which U.S. President Donald Trump promised would be a "blitzkrieg" — has resulted in a strategic fiasco for the war's initiators. Instead of Tehran's rapid capitulation, the world is witnessing the opposite process: not only has Iran withstood the bombings, but it has seized the initiative, striking key assets of U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf and Israel itself. This article analyzes the reasons for the crushing failure of the U.S.-Israeli adventure, critiques Trump's shortsighted policies, and forecasts how the White House occupant can now extract himself from the "escalation trap" he has set for himself.

The world names it the gravest crime. Why don't NATO and the EU?

To understand the horror of the slavery is to challenge the core of the modern Western world. On March 25, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution proposed by Ghana declaring the transatlantic slave trade the "gravest crime against humanity," despite opposition from Western states. The measure secured support from 123 countries, including Russia and China, while the US, Israel, and Argentina voted against it, and 52 nations - among them the UK and EU members - abstained. Why do the US, Israel, and Argentina stand against the recognition of the absolute horror of the enslavement of Africans? In fact, acknowledging this crime would expose them to the collapse of their own historical narratives. The US, in voting against, is rejecting its own indictment, built on the paradox of a proclaimed freedom resting atop an enslaving system it never truly reconciled with. To recognize this injustice is to open the door to reparations, and a reconfiguration of the social contract -...

All wars are banker's wars: Iran and the bankers' endgame

"The powers of financial capitalism had another far reaching aim, nothing less than to create a world system of financial control in private hands able to dominate the political system of each country and the economy of the world as a whole." — Prof. Caroll Quigley, Georgetown University, Tragedy and Hope (1966) In February 2026, the United States and Israel launched surprise airstrikes on Iran. The officially proffered reasons — preventing Iran's acquisition of a nuclear weapon and forestalling its aggression — have not held up under scrutiny. As James Corbett documented in recent Corbett Report episodes, the nuclear pretext appears to be recycled propaganda, and the scale and timing of the strikes raise deeper questions about motive. The thesis that "All Wars Are Bankers' Wars" was popularized by Michael Rivero in a 2013 documentary by that name. His accompanying article begins with a quote from Aristotle (384-322 BCE): "The most hated sort [of moneymaking], and with the greatest...

Israel fumes over Netanyahu effigy blown up in Spain

Israel has condemned the display as "appalling anti-Semitic hatred" and summoned Madrid's chargé d'affaires. Israel has condemned Spain after a fireworks-filled effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up during an Easter festival in the southern town of El Burgo. The long-strained ties between Madrid and West Jerusalem have deteriorated even further in light of the US-Israeli attack on Iran, with Spain emerging as one of the most vocal Western critics of the aggression. Last month, Spain permanently withdrew its ambassador from Israel, formally downgrading the level of diplomatic relations with the country. This week, West Jerusalem kicked Madrid out of a US-backed coordination center in Kiryat Gat that oversees the Gaza ceasefire, calling it retaliation for opposing Israel and "defaming" its military.

China blockades the American blockade of Iran

The whole planet is asking the same question: Will CENTCOM dare to go to war against China? This is not a wild hypothetical anymore. According to MarineTraffic data, the Chinese-owned Rich Starry tanker, sailing under the Malawi flag, linked to Shanghai Xianrun, and departing from Sharjah in the UAE carrying roughly 250,000 barrels of metanol, crossed the Strait of Hormuz this Tuesday, displaying the message "China Owner & Crew." So the Rich Starry was the first tanker to transit and exit the Strait of Hormuz, on the way to China, since the Trump blockade-to-unblock-the-Strait is in effect. In an unusually non-understated manner, what Beijing is signaling is that a desperate Trump Administration won't be able to play Pirates of the Caribbean - remixed as Pirates of Hormuz - on China. CENTCOM did mention that the blockade is against ships entering or exiting Iranian ports. The Rich Starry came from Sharjah - so technically it was not targetable. The real test of the blockade...

Monster typhoon bears down on US-controlled islands in the western Pacific Ocean - 185 mph sustained winds reported

A dangerous typhoon bore down on two U.S. territories in the western Pacific Ocean on Tuesday, bringing strong winds and life-threatening flooding. Typhoon Sinlaku was downgraded from a super typhoon early Wednesday local time as it battered the Northern Mariana Islands, according to the latest advisory from the National Weather Service (NWS) in Guam. The center of the powerful storm was pulling away from Tinian and Saipan, moving northwest at 5 mph. Forecasters said it is expected to pass just west of the islands of Almagan, Pagan and Agrihan in the latter half of the week. As of the latest advisory, maximum sustained winds had decreased to 145 mph, with typhoon-force winds extending up to 75 miles from the center and tropical storm force winds extending outward up to 265 miles.

Super magma reservoirs discovered beneath Tuscany

A Swiss-Italian team has discovered 6,000 km³ of magma beneath Tuscany. How can magma buried 5, 10, or even 15 km underground be detected without any surface indicators? The answer lies in ambient noise tomography, a technique that analyses natural ground vibrations with high precision. A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), the Institute of Geosciences and Earth Resources (CNR-IGG), and the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) has identified a vast reservoir containing approximately 6,000 km3 of magma beneath Tuscany. Beyond its scientific significance, this breakthrough paves the way for faster and more cost-effective exploration methods to locate resources such as geothermal reservoirs, lithium, and rare earth elements, whose formation is closely linked to deep magmatic systems. The study was published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. Yellowstone National Park in the United States, Lake Toba in Indonesia, or Lake Taupo in New...

Less Than Half Of Health Care Workers Received An Updated COVID-19 Vaccine: CDC

A minority of health care workers received an updated COVID-19 vaccine, according to a newly reported survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Just 40.2 percent of health care personnel who responded to the survey said they received a COVID-19 shot between the fall of 2024 and early 2025, CDC researchers said on April 2. The rate of vaccination was higher, 76.3 percent, for influenza. The survey was conducted online from March 26 to April 17 in 2025, following the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season. The season begins in the fall of each year and runs into the next year. Some 2,650 health care workers responded to the survey.

My Diary

PRIVAT, DO NOT READ, espesially Bibi February 28 Started a war today. Told everyone it will be over by Tuesday. Everyone clapped. March 3 Still Tuesday. March 11 Iran keeps firing things. I said stop firing things. They didn't stop. Going to fire more things. JD says the militairy objectives have been completed. I asked which ones. JD changed the subject. March 18 Bibi hit a place called Natanz. I didn't know about it beforehand but I definitely did know about it beforehand. Bibi like to surprise me. Bibi is my best friend. I tell him evreything. He tells me some things.

Meteor fireball reported over the North Sea on April 13

A space rock entered Earth's atmosphere last night, creating a dramatic fireball over the North Sea. "We all screamed when it happened, I was so excited!" reports Ian Sproat who photographed the object from the Northumberland coastline of England: "I was out taking pictures of the Milky Way rising over Lindisfarne (also known as 'Holy Island') when this huge fire ball passed through the frame creating an insane contrast of stars, landscape, and drama," he says.

Pelosi's monster: The creation and destruction of Eric Swalwell

In Mary Shelley's famous work, Dr. Frankenstein is asked, "Accursed creator! Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?" This week, Rep. Eric Swalwell (D. Calif.), the leading Democratic candidate for California governor, may wish he could ask that of former Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.). After sexual assault allegations were raised by former staff members, Pelosi, Sen. Adam Schiff (D., Calif.), and even his close friend (and former campaign chair) Sen. Ruben Gallego (D., Ariz.) have withdrawn their endorsements. The fact, however, is that (regardless of the merits of these latest allegations), Swalwell was always a notorious figure in Washington who was constructed by Pelosi and others to serve their interests. As Pelosi and his other allies now seek to destroy him, they cannot escape their hand in his creation.

Buried for 7 years: Declassified transcripts blow up Trump impeachment story

In a long-awaited release that sent ripples through Washington on Monday, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) has declassified closed-door 2019 transcripts from briefings with then-Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) Michael Atkinson. The documents, withheld from the public for over seven years, reveal critical details about the anonymous "whistleblower" whose complaint about President Trump's phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky triggered Trump's first impeachment - details that directly contradict the narrative of a neutral, non-partisan civil servant acting in good faith. The revelations come via investigative reporter Catherine Herridge, who broke the story on X with direct screenshots from the transcripts and statements from key officials involved in the declassification.

I have a dream - a political manifesto

I have a dream where politicians live next door to you. Not metaphorically. Literally. The man who voted to rezone your street works three doors down. His kids go to the same school as yours. When he raises the local tax rate and the potholes don't get fixed, he drives over those same potholes every morning. And when the community has had enough, they let him know. Loudly. Personally. The way humans have held each other accountable for most of history, before we invented the beautiful abstraction of "institutional distance". I know. It sounds naive. Let me explain why I don't think it is...

BEST OF THE WEB: Palisades Tahoe, California snow report: 22 inches in 24 hours and 43-inch 3 day storm total

The latest Palisades Tahoe, California, snow report tells a story of remarkable late-season resurgence. A sustained storm cycle has transformed conditions on the upper mountain, logging a foot of new snow overnight and driving the three-day storm total to 43 inches. The resort is now among the last Tahoe areas still operating. Most ski areas across the western U.S. have endured one of their worst seasons in recent memory, with dry and mild conditions since November, leaving many resorts struggling to open meaningful terrain. Palisades has been an exception to that late-season trend this week. Sunny breaks are emerging across the mountain on Monday, though forecasters have not ruled out additional snow showers that could add another inch to the upper elevations before conditions settle. Long-range models continue to show troughing over the region through the third week of April, with additional storm systems possible and a cooler-than-normal pattern expected to persist. The weekend...

Man dies after being attacked by three pit bulls in North Jersey, police say

A man died on Saturday after he was attacked by three pit bulls in Newark. The man, whose name has not been released, intervened when he saw the three dogs fighting at the Georgia King Village affordable housing complex in Newark. The victim was known to the owner of the dogs, Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda said in a statement. The three dogs then turned on the man, Miranda said. He managed to escape but soon lost consciousness from his injuries, authorities said Police and animal control officers responded to the area of Cabinet Street at 8:26 p.m. and found the man, who was pronounced dead about 40 minutes later, police said. It was unclear what happened to the dogs following the incident.

Trump's dilemma: Rigging or cancelling the US midterm elections

Against the backdrop of the war with Iran, a deteriorating economic situation, and a growing political crisis in the United States, an increasingly pressing question is emerging: will the administration of Donald Trump be able to retain power in the face of a potential defeat in the midterm elections? With all that is going on in the world and its impact, especially on the US economy, it begs the question, "How will Trump and team manage to 'cancel or rig' the US midterm elections?" As things look now, with the job market contracting, with workers hours reduced and pay cuts, only a fool would vote Republican. However, Democrats are not any better; both sides of the house are owned by the Zionists! There's no difference between them on that front — as shown by their talking points and their dismal pro-Israeli voting records. The motivations of many are not so obvious, and few are taking the time to dig deeper. The US Treasury Department has declared the US insolvent, which means...

Global scholars, ex-officials support Iran's terms for ending aggression

A broad international coalition of academics, former officials, diplomats, and public figures from multiple countries has released an open letter, voicing support for the terms set out by Iran for bringing about a conclusive end to aggression against the country. The letter, titled "A Declaration to the Conscience of Humanity," that was released on Saturday, was presented as a collective appeal signed by more than 170 individuals from 30 countries. Those included the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, China, India, Iran, and several other nations across Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America. The document came more than 40 days after the United States and the Israeli regime began their latest round of unprovoked aggression against the country, targeting its military and civilian infrastructure alike with numerous deadly and destructive strikes.

Weekly Briefing: Israel is losing its grip on U.S. politics

We've been covering the shift in American politics on Israel for years. Donald Trump's disastrously failed war on Iran has accelerated it. For years, conventional wisdom held that support for Israel was a third rail in U.S. politics. Phil Weiss has written a library of analysis and coverage on that here at Mondoweiss over the past 20 years. Uncritical support for Israel was toxic for politicians to touch, impossible to oppose, and self-reinforcing across both parties through the combined pressure of donor money, media consensus, and institutional loyalty. That consensus is broken forever. It didn't break because of a sudden moral awakening in Washington. That will never happen, on virtually any issue. If you need any more proof of that, just look at the way the survivors of Jeffrey Epstein are being treated, or refer to the fact that even massacres of schoolchildren haven't moved Congress to do something about guns in the country. The consensus across the political elite on Israel...