R Jeffrey Smith

Managing director at RosettiStarr, LLC, a corporate security & investigations firm. Formerly at the WPost, Science Mag. and Center for Public Integrity.

[Wesley @WesleyLowery]

NYT publisher AG Sulzberger, pens an op-ed tied to the 250th anniversary of American independence - on the challenges facing, and necessity of, the press in our era https://t.co/69fW7qGWE9

[Robert Wright @robertwrighter]

Nobody does bigthink roundups like @JoelAchenbach. https://t.co/pkJ5C7VDAd

[James Henry @Jameshenry1970]

As a DC9 union painter with 30+ years in coatings, I’m looking at the failure not a conspiracy theory.
When a coating is lifting off in large sheets like this, that points to an adhesion failure: improper surface preparation, contamination left behind, the wrong coating system, poor recoat timing, or water introduced before the system fully cured.

A quality two-part epoxy system can perform well but the product is only as good as the prep and application. The substrate has to be properly profiled/cleaned, the specified primer or first coat applied correctly, recoat windows followed, and the full system allowed to cure before being put back into service.

That is not “vandals.” That is a coating failure that deserves a real independent inspection and an explanation of exactly what system was specified and how it was applied.

#Coatings #Epoxy #SurfacePreparation #PaintFailure #UnionPainter #QualityControl #Accountability #ReflectingPool
#Properpreperation #Elonmusk
#DonaldTrump #Donaldtrumpjr
@krassenstein @EdKrassen @eddsmitty @LucasSa56947288 @adammocklerr @harryjsisson @acnewsitics @Acyn @Bakari_Sellers

[ian bremmer @ianbremmer]

china did it with rare earths.
iran did it with the strait of hormuz.
use a critical chokepoint once
and the world starts building around you.
@gzeromedia

[Polymarket Intel @PolymarketIntel]

Lionel Messi is now the all-time leading goalscorer in men's FIFA World Cup history.

[ian bremmer @ianbremmer]

the brits turning over their governments more often than the italians is quite something.

[ian bremmer @ianbremmer]

having read the memorandum, you can understand why trump wanted to keep it private.

[R Jeffrey Smith @rjsmithnatsec]

No compliments from S Rice.

[Susan Rice @AmbassadorRice]

This is a jaw-dropping, horrific surrender document complete with hundreds of billions in reparations. It is the predictable result of incompetent negotiation and the foolhardy strategic catastrophe of starting and pursuing this disastrous war. The U.S. will not soon recover from this, the biggest national security blunder in decades.

[R Jeffrey Smith @rjsmithnatsec]

part of a useful thread.

[(((James Acton))) @james_acton32]

The deal (text from @nytimes) is not primarily about Iran's nuclear program but it contains two important nuclear-related provisions: (i) maintaining the nuclear status quo in Iran and (ii) negotiations toward a settlement. (2/n)

https://t.co/nxMDteNJFr

[Bryce Nickels @Bryce_Nickels]

In May 2025, OSTP promised a new policy on dangerous gain-of-function (DGOF) by Sept 2025.

In July 2025, NIH promised a new policy capping allowable publication costs by January 2026.

As of June 16, 2026, and there is no DGOF policy and no policy capping allowable publication costs.

[Alina Chan @Ayjchan]

A May 2025 executive order asked the Office of Science and Tech Policy to establish guidance to end federal funding of dangerous gain of function research by foreign entities in countries of concern (e.g., China).

That guidance has not materialized more than a year later.

[bob kovach @bkovoDC]

This morning at the reflecting pool

[Tymofiy Mylovanov @Mylovanov]

Former MI6 Chief Richard Moore: Without China, Russia would have lost war in Ukraine.

North Korean troops and Iranian drones grab headlines. But what keeps Putin in Ukraine is China — chemicals for artillery shells, components for drones and missiles.

1/

[Tymofiy Mylovanov @Mylovanov]

Applebaum: What binds Russia, China, Iran and North Korea is not religion or ideology.

China is communist, Russia nationalist, Iran theocratic. What binds them is fear of liberal language: rights, rule of law, separation of powers and independent courts. 1/

[Boring_Business @BoringBiz_]

Investors with 1 share of SpaceX allocation getting ready for the stock to start trading

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

The World Cup begins tomorrow, and many will watch the matches. Soccer reminds us of something we must not forget: life is not a race to show off on our own, but a path we learn to walk together. Anyone who does not know how to pass the ball, even if they have talent, has not yet understood the game. Anyone who does not know how to live with and for others has not yet understood life. #ApostolicJourney

[NTI @NTI_WMD]

AI is making it easier to create biological weapons. That is why NTI CEO Christine Wormuth joined a chorus of top AI CEOs and national security and biosecurity experts in signing an open letter calling for mandatory screening of DNA synthesis orders in the United States. 🧵 ⤵️

[R Jeffrey Smith @rjsmithnatsec]

Hmmm.

[Hedgeye @Hedgeye]

Rule changes for the SpaceX $SPCX IPO:

Index providers waived the profitability requirement and cut the seasoning window from 90 days to 5.

This forces over $30 trillion in passive 401k and retirement money to buy SpaceX at IPO valuations.

Bloomberg Intelligence estimates S&P 500 funds must absorb 19% of SpaceX's float within 6 months.

Russell 1000 and Nasdaq 100 funds will absorb 24%.

The rules built to protect passive investors:

1. S&P 500 has required 12 months of trading and 4 quarters of GAAP profitability since 2002. Both waived.

2. Nasdaq cut its inclusion window from 90 trading days to 15.

3. FTSE Russell cut its to 5.

All three benchmarks are now structured to buy SpaceX at IPO pricing.

[Hedgeye @Hedgeye]

Rule changes for the SpaceX $SPCX IPO:

Index providers waived the profitability requirement and cut the seasoning window from 90 days to 5.

This forces over $30 trillion in passive 401k and retirement money to buy SpaceX at IPO valuations.

Bloomberg Intelligence estimates S&P 500 funds must absorb 19% of SpaceX's float within 6 months.

Russell 1000 and Nasdaq 100 funds will absorb 24%.

The rules built to protect passive investors:

1. S&P 500 has required 12 months of trading and 4 quarters of GAAP profitability since 2002. Both waived.

2. Nasdaq cut its inclusion window from 90 trading days to 15.

3. FTSE Russell cut its to 5.

All three benchmarks are now structured to buy SpaceX at IPO pricing.

[Dr. Tom Frieden @DrTomFrieden]

The hantavirus outbreak is a stark reminder that hollowing out CDC and walking away from WHO leaves Americans and the world more vulnerable. So far, this disease outbreak is small. The next may not be. That's why we need to rebuild CDC, rejoin WHO, and address disease spillover at the source.