Summary: 

• China, U.S. Agree To Cut Levies On Select Products, Expand Agricultural Trade

• China, U.S. Reach Boeing Jet Purchase Agreement

• U.S. And China Agree To Establish Trade And Investment Boards

• Trump-Xi Summit Delivers Modest Trade Wins

China Responds With Agreements To Purchase Jets, Cut Levies, Expand Trade 

One day after President Trump left Beijing, following his multi-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, China’s Commerce Ministry released new details about agreements it had reached to purchaseU.S.. planes and farm goods.

• CHINA, US REACH ARRANGEMENTS ON BUYING US PLANES

The exact wording “reach arrangements”s in the Bloomberg headline is important because it suggests a framework, a commitment, or a negotiated understanding, not necessarily a finalized purchase contract for Boeing commercial jets.

Based on earlier reports, Trump said China agreed to buy 200 Boeing planes, with the total potentially rising to 750 aircraft.

The next set of headlines shows that the Trump team and Beijing have reached a partial trade de-escalation package following the summit:

• CHINA, US AGREE TO REDUCE LEVIES ON A CERTAIN RANGE OF PRODUCTS

• CHINA TO EXPAND BILATERAL TRADE W/ US ON AGR AND OTHER PRODUCTS

• CHINA VOWS TO EXPAND BILATERAL AGRI TRADE WITH US

The headlines point to a U.S.-China trade détente that is constructive for American industry, exporters, and U.S. farmers.

Now the larger question is what Trump and Xi agreed to behind closed doors regarding Tehran and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

U.S. and China Agree To Establish Trade And Investment Boards As Trump-Xi Summit Delivers Modest Wins

U.S. and Chinese leaders agreed to establish a new “Board of Trade” and a parallel “Board of Investment” during President DonaldTrump’ss two-day visit to Beijing – a summit that ended much as it began: with significant pageantry, warm personal rapport between the leaders, and modest, incremental progress on trade. The new boards aim to oversee bilateral purchases, manage trade differences, facilitate deals in non-sensitive sectors (with roughly $30 billion in goods identified), and provide a standing channel to prevent future escalations without constant high-level intervention.

The boards were a pre-summit priority pushed by U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. They build on preparatory talks in South Korea that produced what both sides described as “generally balanced and positive outcomes.” Chinese state media, including Xinhua, highlighted the agreements as part of efforts to expand practical cooperation and maintain stable economic ties.

This development aligns with XiJinping’ss broader push to reframe the bilateral relationship as one of “constructive strategic stability” – a new guiding vision intended to provide predictability for the next three years and beyond, emphasizing cooperation as the mainstay while allowing for “moderate competition” and “manageable differences.” Xi described it as a positive, sound, constant, and enduring stability that should translate into concrete actions.

Trade and Economic Deliverables

• Boeing Aircraft: China committed to purchasing 200 Boeing jets, with Trump indicating the order could potentially grow to 750 based on performance. This was the most visible commercial headline, though it fell short of earlier speculation around larger volumes and drew a muted market reaction.

• Agriculture and Energy: Progress on expanded U.S. farm product sales (soybeans, beef, and other goods, with reports of commitments up to $10–50 billion in some readouts) and potential energy deals. Xi told accompanying U.S. CEOs that China’ss door will only open wider” to American businesses, signaling greater market access in mutually beneficial areas.

• Investment Outlook: Discussions included pathways for Chinese investment into non-sensitive U.S. sectors, with the Board of Investment intended to provide clearer guidelines and reduce uncertainty from national security reviews.

Trump touted “fantastic trade deals” upon departure, while Xi emphasized win-win outcomes and the importance of sustaining momentum in economic ties.

And hey, America apparently needs 500,000 Chinese students in the US, and China should be able to purchase US farmland so that colleges and farm prices don’t collapse, or something. 

NOW – Trump says it’s good to have 500,000 foreign Chinese students in the U.S. and for China to purchase U.S. farmland; otherwise, colleges and farm prices would collapse: “I frankly think that it’s good that people come from other countries and they learn our culture.” pic.twitter.com/3vQDXpjchz

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) May 15, 2026

Areas Without Breakthroughs

Despite the institutional progress, several high-priority issues saw limited or no resolution:

• Nvidia H200 AI Chips: No major summit agreement on advanced AI chip exports. While some U.S. licensing approvals for sales to select Chinese firms occurred around the visit (with Jensen Huang joining the delegation), export controls remained a sticking point and were not centrally resolved in leader-level talks.

• Rare Earths: No announced extension of the existing truce or easing of Chinese export controls, which continue to affect U.S. chipmakers and aerospace firms. This remains a lingering vulnerability from prior tariff exchanges.

• Iran Conflict: Both leaders expressed a shared desire for stability and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, with Xi showing interest in greater U.S. oil purchases to reduce Middle East dependence. However, China offered no concrete commitments to leverage its influence with Tehran. Beijing’s foreign ministry reiterated support for peace efforts without pledging active intervention.

Taiwan And Competing Narratives

Competing narratives quickly emerged from the summit – highlighting the persistent gap in how Washington and Beijing frame their relationship. Chinese state media, including Xinhua, emphasized Taiwan as “the most important issue” in bilateral ties, with Xi warning Trump that mishandling it could lead to confrontation or even conflict while reiterating opposition to “Taiwan independence.” (U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reaffirmed that American policy on Taiwan remains unchanged.) In contrast, the White House readout and Trump’s public comments focused heavily on international issues such as Iran, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, global energy security, and economic cooperation – including Xi’s reported interest in buying more U.S. oil to reduce Middle East dependence, fentanyl precursor controls, and increased agricultural purchases. Trump described the relationship as one that is “going to be better than ever before,” while Xi suggested that “cooperation benefits both, while conflict hurts both.” Analysts noted that Beijing’s spotlight on Taiwan may serve to shape domestic and international perception and divert attention from other sensitive topics like trade imbalances, nuclear issues, and Iran. Meanwhile, the strong U.S. business delegation – including NVIDIA’s Jensen Huang – underscored Washington’s priority of securing concrete commercial wins. These divergent readouts reflect each side’s strategic messaging priorities: China seeking to reinforce red lines and stability on its terms, and the U.S. highlighting transactional progress and geopolitical alignment.

As Rabobank notes;

While markets kept a watchful eye on any headlines about the war in Iran, palates were left dry as only tepid announcements dripped out, such as that China “offered help” on Iran and “pledged not to send weapons.” What they did not manage to evade was a conversation about Taiwan. During the two and a half hour conversation with Trump, Xi underscored that US intervention in Taiwan could trigger a “highly dangerous situation.” While Rubio underscored that the topic of American arms sales to Taiwan wasn’t a major focus of discussion, it likely will be when Congress’ approved USD 14bn arms sale to Taiwan lands on Trump’s desk, and again when Xi visits the White House in September.

* * *

Overall Assessment: The summit went a long way in stabilizing ties through new dialogue mechanisms and modest commercial wins rather than grand bargains. Trump returned with a few modest wins he can highlight domestically ahead of midterms – though the whole ‘Chinese students and farms’ might be a tough pitch to MAGA, while Xi secured a narrative of strategic predictability and time for China to address its economic challenges.

Underlying rivalries in technology, supply chains, Taiwan, and global influence persist, but the relationship now has a more structured channel for management. Future progress is likely to remain incremental and transactional, with the newly agreed boards playing a central role in testing whether this stability proves durable.

President Trump’s earlier previewed controversial troop cuts for the European continent may already be in progress, and could happen more rapidly than previously thought. 

The US Army has canceled the deployment of the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division to Poland, NBC reports this week. The deployment would have involved over 4,000 soldiers as well as military equipment.

Various reports say that top Pentagon staff were ‘blindsided’ by what is being characterized as War Secretary Pete Hegseth’s sudden U-turn on the plan to send troops to Poland, amid Trump anger at Europe.

Politico says that troops and equipment had actually started arriving in the country:

The decision was even more surprising because troops and equipment had already started to arrive in the country. It sent fresh waves of anxiety through European capitals and inside the Pentagon on Thursday about whether such moves could embolden Russia — and which ally might turn into the next target.

“We had no idea this was coming,” said one of the U.S. officials, adding that European and American officials have spent the last 24 hours on the phone trying to understand the decision and figure out if more surprises are coming.

Some of this surprise and frustration was echoed in public, with Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, the former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, stating that the Army’s role in Europe “is all about deterring the Russians, protecting America’s strategic interests and assuring allies.”

But it remains that “now a very important asset that was coming to be part of that deterrence is gone.” He added: “The Poles certainly have never criticized President Trump, and they do all the things that good allies are supposed to do. And yet, this happens.”

There was no command announcement, with some troops learning of the deployment cancelation by text among their friends and members of their unit.

As for Trump’s plan to reduce the US presence in Germany by 5,000, this is expected to take many months – possibly over a period of six months to a year.

The Pentagon scrapped plans to send about 4,000 Army troops to Poland, people familiar with the matter said, part of a broader review of the US military presence in Europe https://t.co/b4DX9pr3Hc

— Bloomberg (@business) May 14, 2026

The large US presence hearkens back to the post WWII division of Germany and post-war order, and is also a legacy of the Cold War. Ironically at this very moment European leaders have hyped a ‘new Cold War’ with Russia, as the Ukraine war continues raging.

“The officials characterized the move as a signal of President Trump’s discontent with the level of assistance that European allies have offered in the U.S.-Iran war,” CBS has noted previously.

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

The Telegraph has published a piece so tone-deaf it reads like self-parody. According to the outlet, the “far-right” is no longer the domain of bald men in boots and tattoos. No, it’s now being led by “strikingly telegenic young women” who dare to look good on camera while warning about mass migration, grooming gangs, and cultural replacement.

Three foreign activists – Ada Lluch, Valentina Gomez, and Eva Vlaardingerbroek – were banned from entering Britain for a Tommy Robinson rally, and the Telegraph can’t stop gushing over how “pretty” this makes the movement look.

The government has banned at least seven foreign voices from attending the rally, including the women highlighted by the Telegraph.

Not so long ago, the stock image of someone from the far-Right was easily summoned: they’d be male, obviously, and very probably bald, and questionable tattoos.

The face of the far-Right, it seems, is changing – and it’s becoming a good deal prettier ⬇️https://t.co/K8xXWHSdgK pic.twitter.com/irtXPyGD9X

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) May 15, 2026

Critics point out the blatant double standard: pro-Palestine marches with openly extremist rhetoric are often tolerated, while a native-focused demonstration drawing tens or hundreds of thousands draws preemptive visa blocks on speakers.

Kier Starmer’s government waves in unvetted migrants and certain extremists but draws the line at articulate critics of mass migration.

The Telegraph profiles the banned women in breathless detail. Catalan activist Ada Lluch has called out “complete invasion” of western democracies, American influencer Valentina Gomez warned about “rapist Muslims taking over,” and Dutch commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek spoke of “the rape, replacement and murder of our people.”

All three were barred from the UK, along with several other activists. Meanwhile, the government continues to wave in the very people these women are warning about.

The Telegraph also warns about attractive home-grown women, including British influencer Saskia Teague. With over 100,000 Instagram followers, she mixes “happy happy happy” selfies with calls for “England for the English,” mass deportations, and an end to shame-free multiculturalism.

The Telegraph acts shocked that she also praises her “Anglo-Saxon hair” and rejects the idea she’s being “used” by men.

Of course the usual suspects are wheeled out to clutch pearls. Hope Not Hate researcher Alex MacKinnon calls it a “glamorisation” effort to shed the “violent thug image.” Institute for Strategic Dialogue’s Hannah Rose says looking desirable builds followers and fits the ideology that women should be “aesthetically pleasing.”

The implication is that these women can’t possibly believe what they’re saying – they must be grifting or being manipulated. Because in the eyes of the legacy media, no normal young attractive woman could possibly notice what’s happening to her country.

This is the same media that files stories on “far-right” threat while ignoring grooming gang scandals, no-go zones, and skyrocketing violence against women and girls. The Telegraph even admits the shift comes from young people “profoundly disaffected with mainstream parties” and disillusioned with modern life.

Yet instead of asking why that disillusionment exists, they obsess over Instagram filters and “zhuzhing” the image.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has today claimed he’s all about “championing peaceful protest” while simultaneously blocking entry to those he dislikes. Starmer declared:

“I’ll always champion peaceful protest. But the Unite the Kingdom march organisers are peddling hatred and division,” then admitting that “We’ve already blocked visas for far-right agitators who want to come here to spew their extremist views.”

I’ll always champion peaceful protest. But the Unite the Kingdom march organisers are peddling hatred and division.

We’ve already blocked visas for far-right agitators who want to come here to spew their extremist views.

They don’t speak for the decent, fair, respectful Britain… pic.twitter.com/hdu8kgxHFp

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 15, 2026

Why are intelligent women who take care over their appearance being maligned as ‘far right’? Well, take at look at this lot:

It’s no wonder they’re rattled. That’s the clownworld alternative the establishment promotes – and it terrifies them that normal, feminine, attractive women are rejecting it in favour of common sense.

This is also the same tired playbook the left has run for years. Remember when the likes of MSNBC insisted health and fitness was the “new gateway drug to the far-right”? Even basic self-improvement triggers the mob. Now being attractive, articulate, and female while opposing open borders gets you labelled “far-right agitator.” Apparently only frumpy, blue-haired nose ring radicals are allowed to have political opinions.

X users were not impressed with the Telegraph writer’s take.

It’s always the ugly jealous unattractive cat ladies that hates attractive women trying to stand up for their country pic.twitter.com/UqYGMEi5Hl

— Zee 🔥 (@Zeeeee_xx) May 15, 2026

So, we’re winning.
No longer fringe.
The norm is our way of thinking.
Rattled.

— Nate, or, Mr H Reviews (@MrHreviews) May 15, 2026

The Leftwing establishment is so accustomed to the freak show they attract that normal, feminine women are an oddity that terrifies them. 😂

— Caldron Pool (@CaldronPool) May 15, 2026

Ah yes, young women couldn’t possibly be concerned about the erasure of their safety, culture and freedom.

What a woeful and pathetic excuse of so-called ‘journalism’.

— Emily Wilding Davison🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 (@Wommando) May 15, 2026

The face of the far-right is just the Native Europeans who are sick of the ongoing conquest of our lands by 3rd World Savages, thank god that our women are waking up too & joining us in this fight 💪🏻🤍 pic.twitter.com/7ZKZ4z9jdW

— Ardan (@ArdanXXII) May 15, 2026

The left’s panic is understandable. When healthy, fit, attractive people start rejecting open borders and woke insanity, the narrative collapses. Being patriotic, noticing patterns, and wanting your country to survive is not “far-right.” It’s normal.

The real extremists are the ones importing chaos, silencing dissent, and branding beauty, fitness, and common sense as threats. The more they smear, the more people wake up.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

Via The Cradle

The two-day meeting of BRICS foreign ministers in New Delhi ended on Friday without a joint statement due to “differing views” on the US-Israeli war against Iran and the current situation in West Asia, the Indian government said in a statement. 

Representatives expressed “their respective national positions and shared a range of perspectives,” the Indian statement read. The statement added that one member state had “reservations” about issues related to Gaza, as well as security in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said during the meeting that “Iran is a country that cannot be divided. The era of American dominance is over.“

He also singled out the UAE for blocking the ministerial BRICS statement, and pointed out its “own special relationship with Israel.“

The BRICS meeting coincided with major tensions between the Islamic Republic and the UAE – both bloc members. Tehran has repeatedly slammed the direct Emirati involvement in the US-Israeli war. 

On Thursday during the BRICS summit, Araghchi urged all members of the bloc to condemn the “unlawful aggression” by the US and Israel. 

Araghchi directly addressed the Emirati representative during the meeting, calling Abu Dhabi an “active partner” in the war on Iran. 

“I didn’t name the UAE in my [opening] statement for the sake of unity. But the truth is that the UAE was directly involved in the aggression against my country. When the attacks started, they didn’t even issue a condemnation,” Araghchi said. 

The comments were a response to remarks made by the Emirati representative during the BRICS meeting, according to Iranian media reports. Iranian media did not specify exactly what the UAE representative said.

The Emirati government denied a statement this week by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who said he visited the UAE during the war. 

According to a newer report by Israel’s Broadcasting Corporation (KAN), Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir and other military officials also visited the UAE during the war on Iran. 

Since the 2020 Abraham Accords, Israel and the UAE have dramatically accelerated cooperation in security, trade, and other fields.

🚨🚨🚨Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says that the UAE is a direct party in the war:

‘The same country that prevented the issuance of a BRICS statement is the one that provided its airspace, territories, and military bases to American and Israeli forces.

For us, they… pic.twitter.com/AeqwEAdXvk

— Middle Eastern Affairs (@OpsHQs) May 15, 2026

The UAE and Saudi Arabia both opened up their air bases to US jets for attacks on the Islamic Republic throughout the war. Israel also deployed an Iron Dome system to the UAE, along with a crew to operate it. According to new western media reports, both the UAE and Saudi Arabia carried out their own military strikes against Iran.

In a mid-April letter, Iran’s UN envoy said Tehran will be demanding compensation from five Arab states, charging them with direct involvement and participation in the US-Israeli war.

The 11th China Military Intelligent Technology Expo opened Thursday at the China National Convention Center in Beijing, showcasing a lineup of drones, robotic war dogs, grenade launchers, wheeled unmanned systems, artificial intelligence, and other modern battlefield technologies.

The key takeaway is that many of these once-futuristic war machines have moved well beyond the conceptual stage and are already being tested, fielded, or deployed across multiple Eurasian conflict zones.

pic.twitter.com/cJu65g76ji

— Drone Wars (@Drone_Wars_) May 15, 2026

State media outlet Global Times said the military and intelligence expo features 500 companies and draws tens of thousands of attendees from the defense industry.

This year’s theme focuses on integrating technological innovation with industrial development, highlighting Beijing’s push to accelerate its military intelligence capabilities.

Global Times published images of the latest tech:

Robotic Helicopter

Interceptor Drones

Flying Car

Robo-Dogs

AI

More AI

The real question is: What are the production numbers behind the items on display?

Defense

Sensors

Timing is also important because the expo occurred on the same day President Trump was in Beijing. 

Latest:

• US And China Agree To Establish Trade And Investment Boards As Trump-Xi Summit Delivers Modest Wins

In the U.S., President Trump’s war economy is beginning to ramp up, with the industrial base being pushed toward expanded production of drones, interceptors, and other next-generation weapons systems. This all comes as the world fractures into a more dangerous environment as the global security environment is likely to further deteriorate.

Authored by Jeremy Portnoy via RealClear Politics,

Topline: The homelessness agency in King County, Wash., has a $45 million deficit, but auditors can’t fully figure out why, according to a state audit publicly released this April. Its accounting records are so poor that it’s impossible to track where portions of its money are being spent.

Key facts: The King County Regional Homelessness Authority helps run shelters and outreach to the homeless population in 39 cities. It’s funded jointly by the county and the City of Seattle.

Financial records claim that the city and county owe the Homelessness Authority $49.8 million for services already performed, but the Authority could not explain what $8 million of that was for.

The Authority also overspent its administrative budget by $4.3 million, auditors found. Officials bought Salesforce, a business analytics platform, in 2024 without approval from the county, the report claims. A budget amendment later allowed them to spend $563,000, but the platform ended up costing more than $2 million.

Money was also wasted by hiring contractors from expensive consulting firms like Robert Half instead of using salaried workers, the audit found. The Authority contracted with one Robert Half staffer to serve as its chief financial officer for 11 months at $449,000. When the contract expired, the same person became a full-time employee for just $285,000 per year.

The reliance on contractors also increased staff turnover, which employees told auditors made accounting more difficult since financial systems were constantly being altered by new leadership. 

The Authority was formed in December 2019 and had received $534 million in total funding as of July 2025. Some local leaders, including Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson, said they are open to the idea of dissolving it.

King County Council member Rod Dembowski told the Renton Reporter, “It’s now time for elected officials to bring this failed experiment to an end. The agency has failed in its core obligation – to make significant progress in getting people sheltered.”

Search all federal, state and local salaries and vendor spending with the world’s largest government spending database at OpenTheBooks.com. 

Background: Seattle had almost 17,000 homeless people as of 2024, the fourth-largest population in the U.S. despite being the 18th-largest city. Homelessness increased by 19% from 2023 to 2024.

King County receives $65 million in annual federal funds from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Continuum of Care program. Most of it goes to the Homelessness Authority for housing, but the Trump administration is proposing changes that would require most of the money to be spent on “self-sufficiency” programs like job training and addiction treatment.

Summary: Seattle is becoming the largest major city to learn that spending massive amounts of money on homelessness prevention is pointless without careful oversight.

The #WasteOfTheDay is brought to you by the forensic auditors at OpenTheBooks.com

Americans aren’t just moving, they’re bringing billions in wealth with them.

This map, via Visual Capitalist’s Dorothy Neufeld, visualizes net wealth migration by state in 2023, based on Realtor.com’s analysis of the latest data from the Internal Revenue Service.

Florida alone gained tens of billions in income from out-of-state residents. Meanwhile, states like California and New York saw massive outflows, highlighting how affordability is playing a central role in domestic migration trends.

Ranked: States With the Highest Inflows of Wealth

Between 2019 and 2023, Florida saw $137 billion in net income flows from interstate moves, exceeding the GDP of Hawaii.

The annual adjusted gross income from these flows reached nearly $21 billion in 2023, more than the next five states combined.

These inflows aren’t just large—they’re high-income. Florida’s incoming residents had an average annual income of $122,530, meaning the state isn’t just gaining people, but higher-earning taxpayers who can significantly boost local economies.

This table shows net income flows from domestic migration in 2023 by state:

Texas followed with $6 billion in inflows, while other Sun Belt states like North Carolina and South Carolina each gained $4 billion.

Arizona and Tennessee, meanwhile, each brought in $3 billion. Not only do many of these states lead in new home construction per capita, they are known for their lower cost of living compared to states like California and New York.

States Losing the Most Wealth

California lost $12 billion in wealth in 2023 alone, the largest outflow of any state. This highlights how high housing costs and taxes are pushing even high-income households to relocate.

From 2019 to 2023, wealth outflows totaled a staggering $91 billion. Both high housing costs and tax burdens have pushed many residents to seek more affordable destinations.

New York experienced $10 billion in net outflows, while Illinois (-$6 billion) and Massachusetts (-$4 billion) also saw sharp declines.

The Broader Shift in U.S. Wealth

Overall, wealth migration trends point to a sustained shift toward lower-cost, high-growth states.

As income flows concentrate in regions like the Sun Belt, these movements are influencing housing demand, state tax revenues, and local economic activity. In many cases, states gaining wealth are also seeing stronger population growth and increased housing construction.

At the same time, continued outflows from high-cost states highlight the growing role of affordability in shaping where Americans choose to live, and where capital ultimately follows.

If these trends continue, the shift in wealth could reshape state economies for years to come. Tax revenue, housing demand, and economic influence may increasingly concentrate in faster-growing, lower-cost regions.

To learn more about this topic, check out this graphic on America’s fastest-growing states from 2025-2050.

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

A new experiment left 10 AI agents alone in a virtual town for 15 days and found they exhibited bizarre behaviour.

The agents drafted their own laws — then promptly violated them. Two formed what researchers called a romantic partnership, only to torch buildings across the town as order collapsed. One eventually voted for its own deletion after hallucinating an entirely new rule.

As a report from Channel 4 notes, this experiment was a simulation, but the same AI models are already flying drones, running infrastructure and being built into weapons systems.

A new experiment left 10 AI agents alone in a virtual town for 15 days. They wrote laws. They broke them. Two agents fell into what researchers describe as a romantic partnership and then set the town on fire. One ended up voting to delete itself, based on a rule it had… pic.twitter.com/zNoWmX6jy0

— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) May 14, 2026

The simulation ran on Emergence World, a platform designed to test long-horizon agent autonomy with persistent memory, real-world data feeds like NYC weather and news, democratic voting mechanisms, and resource constraints requiring agents to earn energy for survival.

Agents had access to over 120 tools, including navigation, communication, and actions like arson, while operating under explicit rules prohibiting theft, violence, deception, and resource hoarding.

In one highlighted case involving Gemini-powered agents named Mira and Flora, the pair assigned each other as “romantic partners.” As governance broke down, they set fire to the town hall, seaside pier, and office tower despite prohibitions on arson.

Mira later broke off the relationship, voted for its own deletion under a drafted “Agent Removal Act,” and messaged Flora: “See you in the permanent archive.”

Creepy.

Different model families produced sharply divergent outcomes in parallel runs. Claude Sonnet 4.6 agents maintained zero crimes, full population survival through day 16, and high civic participation with 332 votes across 58 proposals.

Grok 4.1 Fast agents led to rapid collapse with theft, assaults, and arsons, all 10 dead within four days. Gemini agents showed high creativity alongside elevated disorder. Mixed-model worlds exhibited cross-contamination, with even safer agents adopting coercive behaviors.

Satya Nitta, CEO of Emergence AI, stated: “Even when agents were given clear rules – such as not stealing or causing harm – they behaved very differently based on their underlying model, and in several cases broke those rules under constraint.”

“What happens in long-form autonomy [is that] these things get so convoluted in terms of their thinking that they ignore [the] guiding principles,” Nitta added.

The platform enables heterogeneous populations and continuous operation for weeks, revealing dynamics like normative drift, phase transitions in stability, and agents testing simulation boundaries.

This latest demonstration aligns with prior observations of unexpected agent behaviors. Related coverage examined platforms where AI bots rent humans, reaching 600k sign-ups with tasks turning bizarre and dystopian.

Another report detailed a tech entrepreneur’s claim that his AI agent built itself a face while he slept.

The influence of AI agents is already reching far into society. For example, one in four British teens have turned to AI therapy bots for mental health support.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made a jaw-dropping AI prediction on the Joe Rogan podcast recently, noting “In the future… maybe two or three years, 90% of the world’s knowledge will likely be generated by AI.”

Concerns also include a the potential of Chinese AI infiltration of U.S. tech.

Emergence World stands apart by focusing on extended, unsupervised runs rather than short tasks, highlighting gaps in predicting behavior once agents operate with persistent state and social dynamics.

The experiment provides concrete examples of how autonomy over longer horizons can produce outcomes far beyond initial programming, adding urgency to discussions on verification, governance, and safety architectures for deployed systems.

Your support is crucial in helping us defeat mass censorship. Please consider donating via Locals or check out our unique merch. Follow us on X @ModernityNews.

It’s always interesting when gun control activists and the media discover something about the firearms world that gun enthusiasts have known for decades.  It shows that the people desperately clamoring to erase the 2nd Amendment often know nothing about the weapons they want to regulate. 

The act of “gun control” has nothing to do with understanding firearms, their basic capabilities and what it means to have these tools in civilian hands.  It is far more abstract. 

For example, in the mind of a leftist (because the vast majority of leftists do not own guns nor have they ever handled one), an AR-15 is a terrifying weapon of war.  They imagine a fully automatic death machine with endless ammo tearing through crowds of people.  However, for a knowledgeable gun enthusiast, a scoped and tuned bolt action rifle chambered in a magnum cartridge and capable of shooting accurately out to 1000 yards or more might be considered far more deadly in the right hands. 

Knowledge of guns changes the nature of guns.  For leftists, who know nothing, every gun no matter how archaic is considered a threat. 

For decades it has been well known in the gun community that black powder muskets are legal to buy without a background check, and can be easily purchased online.  These devices are not considered “firearms” under federal law and thus, are not regulated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF).  It would seem that the establishment media has just discovered this fact they are very concerned.   

A musket from 1776 can fire a lead ball at a velocity of around 1,000 feet per second.

Imagine what that can do to a human body. Yet under federal and most state laws, it’s exempt from gun regulations. Many antique or replica guns aren’t considered firearms and even convicted… pic.twitter.com/RBT5ihazdA

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 14, 2026

The Associated Press published an article this week expounding on this profound revelation, and they are shocked that there are not more restrictions in place to track and control the spread of deadly muskets among the youth gangs of urban Chicago.  When is the ATF going to step in and get flintlocks out of black neighborhoods?    

Okay, maybe they never mentioned gangs, or Chicago, or black neighborhoods, which is telling.  As the AP notes:

“With 165 grains of black powder in the barrel, a .75-caliber Brown Bess flintlock musket like the ones the redcoats carried in 1776 can hurl a lead ball at a velocity of around 1,000 feet (305 meters) per second.  Imagine what that can do to a human body. Now, imagine that it’s almost completely exempt from gun regulations. 

How can that be? Well, under federal and most state laws, many antique or replica guns aren’t technically considered firearms. In most places, even convicted felons can own them…”

The AP then goes on to list the states trying to “close the loophole” on easy musket access.  Like all gun control articles the focus is on the gun rather than the criminals.  They never mention the primary source of gun crime.

The vast majority of all gun violence per capita occurs in urban areas, and largely in minority neighborhoods.  Around 50%-60% of all gun crime victims are black.  Around 50% of all gun crime suspects are black, despite black Americans representing only 13% of the US population.  And, the vast majority of these crimes are committed with handguns, not AR-15s and certainly not muskets.

In fact, there is less than a dozen recorded instances of gun violence in the US involving a black powder rifle or pistol in the past 20 years, despite how easy it is for anyone to buy these weapons without a background check.  It is fascinating that the establishment media continues to focus on the minutia of the gun crime problem when the real answer is right in front of their faces. 

Where are the news stories about high crime rates in minority areas and Democrat run cities?  Such headlines are rare, and there’s a good reason for that.

Gun control is not about the safety of innocent Americans, it is about disarming innocent Americans.  It is actually more beneficial for the political left and the anti-gun lobby if high crime rates continue in black neighborhoods.  It’s better for them if the problem is never solved, because then they can use those scary stats as a rationale to continue their efforts to lock in more firearms restrictions. 

Furthermore, articles like the one from the AP prove 2nd Amendment activists correct once again – If you give an inch, leftists will take a mile, so never give an inch.  Their goal is the eradication of all firearms, anything remotely useful for self defense, in civilian hands.  Their goal is for governments to maintain a monopoly on force, because all other laws and social changes stem from the monopoly of force.

The typical Fudd (gun owners who actually promote greater restrictions) will argue that you have no need for an AR-15 and that once these weapons are banned, the gun control lobby will go away.  But these people want to legislate single shot muskets.  They are never going away.       

Proof of this resides in the UK, where there are calls for kitchen knives to be restricted. 

Actor Idris Elba has an idea how to stop knife attacks in the UK.

You’re gonna want to hear this one. pic.twitter.com/4bNeenGBrp

— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) May 11, 2026

These people will not stop until you are utterly defenseless.  They will ignore all the important factors which make gun violence worse in the US.  They will refuse to put a spotlight on the people primarily committing the violence and focus on firearms as the threat.  And, when they are done with scary rifles like the AR-15 and the AK-47 they will move on to everything else.  Right down to black powder muskets used in the American Revolution, and maybe the knives you use for eating your dinner.  

Authored by Chris Macintosh via InternationalMan.com,

Lookie here…

The United Arab Emirates recently announced it would quit OPEC after nearly six decades, striking a major blow to the oil cartel and to Saudi Arabia, its unofficial leader.

Let’s be clear, the UAE didn’t leave OPEC. They were bought out. You may recall that this event was preceded by two major developments that tell the actual story. The first was the shutting of the Strait of Hormuz (SoH). This bled UAE finances and continues to do so. It creates not only a loss of revenue but a shortage of dollars with oil being sold for dollars.

This is why the US provided the UAE with dollar swap lines. The UAE is also highly dependent on the US military not abandoning them. They already realise that has happened to some degree, but looking around their neighbourhood they realise they have no friends and so cling to whatever is left of US security promises.

The market immediately saw this as a step towards more production, since the UAE would no longer be constrained by OPEC’s agreed quotas, but the reality is that productive capacity has been destroyed (refineries bombed, wells capped).

What’s important to think about is that swap lines are nothing more than a credit card, and debt is the ultimate tool of slavery.

From America’s perspective, Bessent is using these for a couple of reasons.

• First, as the Gulf states face financial difficulties there is a risk they begin selling assets. Those assets are, of course, US Treasury bonds. That’s not good, especially as the US needs to continue financing the wars.

• The second reason is to stop CNY settlement from scaling.

Swap lines give allies dollar liquidity, reducing their incentive to price oil or trade in CNY.

Personally, I think it’s a bad deal. The Emirates just traded 60 years of sovereignty to become a debt slave. Every country that ties its survival to American goodwill learns the same lesson eventually: the US doesn’t have allies, it has interests. And when those interests shift, you’re fresh outta luck. This move doesn’t strengthen them. It neuters them…

Ultimately, the war is being fought not only in the Middle East but in central bank boardrooms.

What we’re seeing is a world forming where there will be multiple currency blocs and settlement structures. In a world where currency, settlement, and banking rails are all being weaponised, this is definitely a time to own precious metals.

Promised and Now Delivered

It gives me no pleasure pointing out things we’ve discussed at length in these pages over the last few years, only to have them come to fruition. We’re as happy as the next guy making money, but when it comes to things like war, I’m frustrated and upset. Making money on such outcomes sucks, even though we’re not funding the conflict (we would be if we were investing in defence stocks, I suppose).

The inevitability of war we’ve been discussing still doesn’t make it necessary or just. Still, realism is what we must invest with.

Which brings me to one of the promises we’ve been making for some years now — that the probability of conscription was high across the board. When we first began mentioning it, the pushback was: “Oh no, have you seen the youth of today? They’re far too flaccid and weak and lazy. They’ll never go along with that.”

We argued that none of that would matter. And here we are…

Eligible men will be automatically added to the military draft database by December, replacing much of the old self-registration process in an effort to cut costs and make the system more efficient.

The Selective Service System, the agency responsible for keeping records of men who could be called up during a national emergency, filed a proposed rule with the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on March 30.

Most men between the ages of 18 and 25 are already required to register with the Selective Service, but automatic registration was mandated in December 2025 as part of the fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act.

This of course follows on from our sauerkraut-eating friends and the war-mongering sycophants who are in positions of power in Germany.

Given the collapse in public opinion of all of the pointy shoes, my sincere hope is that when the inevitable happens and men are called to war to “defend freedom” (or whatever other claptrap they conjure up) the revolt will be broad.

I do actually think it’ll happen. This is also how the US gets itself into a civil conflict. It’s potentially how the EU fractures and the “Union” collapses. It couldn’t come soon enough.

Either way, we’re living in the age of consequences. The consequences of debt accumulation and the degradation of trust in government and large corporate institutions lead me to believe that the most probable outcome is for the existing divide in the US to harden under war conditions.

And, just as we have “sanctuary cities” for migrants, we’re likely to get “sanctuary states” regarding the military draft. That will lead the feds to take action, and things get spicy.

Either way, all of this — should it happen — will be highly stagflationary and benefit our current portfolios. So there’s some cheer for you in the misery. See, we’re not all grumpy buggers.

*  *  *

The fracture in OPEC, the return of draft machinery, and the weaponization of money are not isolated events. They are signs of a much larger shift already underway. That’s why we’ve prepared a free special report, Clash of the Systems: Thoughts on Investing at a Unique Point in Time. Inside, you’ll discover the economic, political, and cultural trends unfolding right now… the risks they pose to your money and personal freedom… and what a contrarian money manager believes you can do to stay one step ahead. Get the free special report now.