In @nytopinion In the 18th century the East India Company was the most powerful and dangerous corporation the world had ever seen — that is, until the A.I. giants turned up, William Dalrymple writes.

Ep. 268: News and misinformation in early America In 18th century America, news traveled slowly across the Atlantic. Newspapers reprinted secondhand reports, private letters, and unverified stories from abroad, leaving readers with multiple versions of reality. In a world educated by an unverifiable news cycle, how did misinformation shape early American life? @TheFIREorg's @NicoPerrino sits down with Jordan Taylor, historian of American history, to explore how news, rumor, and misrepresentation influenced the course of the American Revolution and the nation that followed. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro 02:05 How colonists got their news 08:28 Why foreign news dominated early newspapers 17:33 How colonial newspapers verified information 22:32 Did miscommunication help spark the Revolution? 29:57 The XYZ Affair and the Sedition Act 39:21 The First Amendment’s original meaning 44:34 Current day parallels 55:41 Outro

What's happening in Iran right now—if it's not more important for the world than Europe's Renaissance and the Enlightenment in the 18th century—is not less. We all need to support the people of Iran NOW—for our future generations. This could reshape the globe, our priorities and things to focus on for many years.

Trump just signed a memo authorizing private U.S. companies to conduct offensive cyber operations against foreign criminal organizations, under federal oversight. Cyber Letters of Marque, essentially. The U.S. Constitution (Article I, Section 8) has always allowed Congress to issue letters of marque and reprisal, commissioning private actors to fight enemies on behalf of the state. That 18th century naval warfare concept just got a 21st century upgrade. Vetted companies can now conduct "Cyber Surveillance Operations" and "Cyber Effects Operations" (disruption, degradation, destruction of criminal infrastructure) against transnational criminal orgs. The era of purely defensive cybersecurity is over.

George Washington’s farewell party bar tab still survives. With just 55 guests, they consumed 54 bottles of Madeira, 60 bottles of claret, 8 bottles of whiskey, 22 bottles of porter, 8 bottles of hard cider, 12 bottles of beer, and 7 bowls of alcoholic punch. In September 1787, just days before the U.S. Constitution was signed, George Washington attended a farewell dinner at Philadelphia’s City Tavern with fellow Constitutional Convention delegates and members of the First Troop Philadelphia City Cavalry (then known as the Light Horse of Philadelphia). More than a tavern, City Tavern served as one of Revolutionary America’s leading centers for politics, business, and public life, where influential figures gathered to debate ideas, conduct business, and exchange news. The surviving receipt has become famous because it offers a rare snapshot of 18th-century drinking culture. Madeira, prized for surviving long Atlantic voyages, was a favorite among wealthy Americans, while claret, porter, cider, beer, whiskey, and punch were all staples of social gatherings. The dinner marked a pivotal moment in American history, coming just before the Constitution was signed and the nation’s new government began to take shape. Washington himself later became one of the country’s largest whiskey producers. At his Mount Vernon distillery, nearly 11,000 gallons of whiskey were produced in 1799, making it one of the largest commercial distilleries in early America.