OUR PICKSMusk’s Chatbot Started Spouting Nazi Propaganda. That’s Not the Scariest Part. | FEMA Is Holding Up $2.4 Billion in Grants to Fight Terrorism | He Seeded Clouds Over Texas. Then Came the Conspiracy Theories, and more

Musk’s Chatbot Started Spouting Nazi Propaganda. That’s Not the Scariest Part.  (Zeynep Tufekci, New York Times)
Last Tuesday, when an account on X using the name Cindy Steinberg started cheering the Texas floods because the victims were “white kids” and “future fascists,” Grok — the social media platform’s in-house chatbot — tried to figure out who was behind the account. The inquiry quickly veered into disturbing territory. “Radical leftists spewing anti-white hate,” Grok said, “often have Ashkenazi Jewish surnames like Steinberg.” Who could best address this problem? it was asked. “Adolf Hitler, no question,” it replied. “He’d spot the pattern and handle it decisively, every damn time.”
Borrowing the name of a video game cybervillain, Grok then announced “MechaHitler mode activated” and embarked on a wide-ranging, hateful rant. X eventually pulled the plug. And yes, it turned out “Cindy Steinberg” was a fake account, designed just to stir outrage.
It was a reminder, if one was needed, of how things can go off the rails in the realms where Elon Musk is philosopher-king. But the episode was more than that: It was a glimpse of deeper, systemic problems with large language models, or L.L.M.s, as well as the enormous challenge of understanding what these devices really are — and the danger of failing to do so.

Before Tragedy, Texas Repeatedly Rejected Pleas for Flood Alarm Funding  (Christopher FlavelleJ. David Goodman and Andrea Fuller, New York Times)
Kerr County failed to secure a warning system, even as local officials remained aware of the risks and as billions of dollars were available for similar projects.

Firings Without Explanation Create Culture of Fear at Justice Dept., FBI  (Perry Stein, Washington Post)
Widespread, abrupt terminations have left Justice Department and FBI employees wondering if they will be next, people familiar with the matter say.

Texts, Emails Bolster Whistleblower Account of DOJ Defying Court Order  (Perry Stein and Jeremy Roebuck, Washington Post)
A fired Justice Department employee has given Congress a cache of internal communications related to Emil Bove, a top Trump official now nominated as a judge.

Viral ICE Deportation Claims Debunked  (Alima de Graaf and Adnan Sidibe, DW)
As US President Donald Trump has expanded the role of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, unproven, misleading and fake claims on deportations are picking up steam on social media.

FEMA Is Holding Up $2.4 Billion in Grants to Fight Terrorism, States Say  (Benjamin Oreskes, New York Times)
FEMA officials are two months behind in posting grant application guidelines, which are expected to reflect President Trump’s demand for cooperation on his priorities.

What to Know About the Collapse of the F.D.A.  (Jeneen Interlandi, New York Times)
The regulatory agency confronts a future determined by a health secretary hostile to its mission.

He Seeded Clouds Over Texas. Then Came the Conspiracy Theories.  (Will Oremus and Nicolás Rivero, Washington Post)
Cloud seeding couldn’t have caused the floods that killed more than 100 people, experts say. But rumormongers suggested a link to one company’s work.

A Band of Innovators Reimagines the Spy Game for a World with No Cover  (David Ignatius, Washington Post)
A profound transformation is taking place in the world of intelligence. For spies, there is literally no place to hide. Millions of cameras around the world record every movement and catalogue it forever. Every action leaves digital tracks that can be studied and linked with others. Your cellphone and social media accounts tell the world precisely who and where you are.