Gluten-free quiet
President Trump cancels trade negotiations with Canada over an ad. Meanwhile, Washington and Beijing prepare for a week of intense talks. / Politico, Semafor
The practice of various American officials flying to Israel to keep pressure on Prime Minister Netanyahu is being referred to as “Bibisitting.” / The Wall Street Journal [$]
Some inside baseball behind the photos this week of the White House’s former East Wing. / Dan Diamond’s newsletter
Archaeologists begin to excavate the remains of hundreds of children secretly buried in a small Irish town. / The Dial
More than 1,300 AI startups now have valuations of over $100 million, with 498 AI “unicorns,” or companies with valuations of $1 billion or more. / CNBC
A brief history of artificial intelligence, and how child psychologists shaped its development. / personal canon
Teachers are worried that AI is creating students who can “produce passable work but don’t have usable knowledge.” / The Guardian
See also: Anthropic gives its chatbot Claude the ability to end conversations when it’s experiencing distress. / Lawfare
Universities are increasingly adding retirement communities to raise funds and (potentially) benefit students. / The New York Times [$]
A small North Carolina college draws students with a steakhouse that teaches manners and an airplane-cabin interior for rehearsing spontaneous meetings. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
Unrelated: Probably everything you’ll never need to know about “gooning,” or the dream of endless self-gratification (nsfw). / Harper’s
An extensive review of standing ovations at film festivals finds they’re basically meaningless regarding a movie’s fortunes. / Stephen Follows
A report from one of the nation’s quietest parks: “The human body is a heavy-metal concert if you get the opportunity to really hear it.” / Travel + Leisure
The story behind the Yoshida Manufacturing Corporation’s 90-year “obsession” with making better zippers. / Carryology
Thanks to this week’s anonymous pair of new supporters!
In the members area, unlocked links from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times ↓