The atmosphere in Menlo Park in the summer of 2025 became heavy with a particular kind of ambition. The new Meta Superintelligence Labs was being frenetically assembled. Its stated goal, articulated by Mark Zuckerberg, is to build an intelligence surpassing the human, a “superintelligence.” This artifact is framed not as a remote, centralized oracle, but as a “personal superintelligence," an egalitarian gift for everyone. The name of the first planned AI supercomputer cluster, a multi-gigawatt facility slated for 2026, is “Prometheus.”The myth of Prometheus is one of enlightenment and hubris, of stealing fire from the gods and suffering the eternal consequences. To name your machine this is to write your own legend before the fact, to cast your venture in the most heroic, and perhaps tragic, terms available. It is a very Californian story: the pursuit of a world-changing gift, shadowed by the risk of overstepping natural limits.These projects are meant as a contemporary Apollo program, aimed not at the moon, but at the mind.To pursue this modern myth, Meta began to “upend itself.” The reports suggest crisis. We learn of four distinct AI division overhauls in six months. We learn of an internal memo that spoke of an “AI arms race” that Meta was, until this consolidation, losing. The reorganization was perceived as an act of existential urgency, one with a specific texture, a specific cost. The 2025 capital expenditures were raised as high as $72 billion. Zuckerberg announced plans to spend hundreds of billions of dollars more. In October, a $27 billion deal was struck with Blue Owl to fund a single data center. These are the numbers of the new arms race.The talent war of 2025 feels less like recruitment and more like a kind of high-stakes, frantic prospecting. By mid-August, Meta had poached more than 50 top researchers, pulling them from OpenAI, Google, xAI, and Anthropic. The compensation packages are beyond generous. We hear of nine-figure sums. We hear of a $1.5 billion offer made to a single AI lab co-founder, an offer that was declined. This is not the quiet, collegial work of a corporate lab. It is a frenzy.This burst of activity was meant to correct a failure. The pivot came not from the excitement of new discovery, but from a place of dissatisfaction. The Llama 4 family of models, released in mid-2025, had landed with a thud. The Behemoth model, a 2-trillion-parameter research project, was scrapped. The reception was lukewarm. In response, Zuckerberg handpicked a new team. The old AGI Foundations group was dissolved, its staff redistributed. A new, small, elite working group was formed, mysteriously named TBD Lab, led directly by the new chief AI officer, Alexandr Wang.This TBD Lab is the core, the protected center. When 600 roles were cut from MSL in October to “reduce bureaucracy,” TBD Lab was spared entirely. The rest of the machinery was re-engineered around it: the long-standing FAIR research arm, once as independent as a university, is now an “innovation engine” to feed TBD. A product team under Nat Friedman is tasked with bridging the lab to the market. And an infrastructure team must build the necessary colossal computational backbone.RELATED: A new study hints what happens when superintelligence gets brain rot — just like us Photo illustration by Li Hongbo/VCG via Getty ImagesThe physical scale of this infrastructure might seem to justify the mythic language. We are no longer talking about servers in a rack. We are talking about multi-gigawatt data centers with a physical footprint that would cover a “significant part of Manhattan.” These projects are meant as a contemporary Apollo program, aimed not at the moon, but at the mind.The new story Meta tells is one of focus. A “leaner, more efficient unit.” A “startup within Meta.” The company even instituted a hiring freeze in October, not to save money, but to let the new structure “jell.” As if the chaos of $72 billion, of nine-figure salaries and $1.5 billion declined offers, of warring cultures and dissolved teams, of data centers meant to cover small cities, would simply set with a little time.Inside this new, streamlined venture, a cultural story unfolds. The new guard, the expensive hires coaxed away from rivals, collides with the old guard, the Meta veterans who believed in the company’s previous ethos of open-source science. That mindset, which set Meta apart, is now very much in doubt. Zuckerberg has signaled that the most powerful models, the ones that might actually approach “superintelligence,” will not be open-source. They will be kept closed, due to safety concerns, or perhaps due to strategic ones. The shift is palpable. The open-source ideal of sharing gives way to the new, closed, competitive, secretive model of the arms race.The skepticism from the outside world has its own narrative. Analysts warn, as Business Insider reported, of an AI bubble, of “diluted shareholder value without any clear innovation gains.” We are told, as one enterprise AI expert put it, that investors “aren’t wowed by flashy demos anymore; they want to see revenue.” The grand, Promethean vision of superintelligence runs headlong into the quarterly demand for durable, scaled products.We are watching a company, and perhaps a culture, wager its identity on a future it can only describe in mythic terms. The question is not whether a machine can be made to think. The question is what we reveal about ourselves, our ambitions, and our anxieties in the attempt. Meta has entered its moment of truth, fueled by sums of money that are nearly as abstract as the goal itself, and driven not by the quest for fire but by a most human motivation nonetheless: a founder’s dread of being left behind.

The Trump administration is set to conduct a review of the over 185,000 refugees imported by the Biden administration — especially those imported from terrorism hot spots such as Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Venezuela. This initiative, which is aimed at keeping America safe, has liberals at various NGOs throwing fits.'I don't want that person in my country.'According to a Nov. 21 memo outlining the plan reviewed by Reuters, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will undertake a review and "re-interview of all refugees admitted from January 20, 2021, to February 20, 2025," having determined that the previous administration prioritized expediency, quantity, and admissions over quality interviews and proper vetting.Foreign nationals found not to meet refugee criteria will lose their status, says the memo.The memo, which was signed by USCIS Director Joe Edlow, also orders a pause on the processing of permanent residence applications for refugees who entered under former President Joe Biden.DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Blaze News, "For four straight years, the Biden administration accelerated refugee admissions from terror- and gang-prone countries, prioritizing sheer numbers over rigorous vetting and strict adherence to legal requirements. This reckless approach undermined the integrity of our immigration system and jeopardized the safety and security of the American people.""Corrective action is now being taken to ensure those who are present in the United States deserve to be here," added McLaughlin.RELATED: 'Begin repatriating': German chancellor admits it's time to give Syrian migrants the boot Photo by ARMEND NIMANI/AFP via Getty ImagesUpon retaking office, President Donald Trump paused the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, halting the potential admission of hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals, noting in the corresponding executive order that "the United States lacks the ability to absorb large numbers of migrants, and in particular, refugees, into its communities in a manner that does not compromise the availability of resources for Americans, that protects their safety and security, and that ensures the appropriate assimilation of refugees."This caused consternation among activists and the liberal media, who had evidently grown accustomed to having the floodgates open to the third world.In fiscal year 2023, the Biden administration admitted 60,014 refugees from 75 countries. Foreign nationals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, Afghanistan, and Burma made up two-thirds of the total admissions. The Biden State Department brought in over 100,000 refugees in fiscal year 2024 and had projected to admit over 125,000 refugees as well as "531,500 other arrivals in FY 2025, the majority of whom are expected to arrive as Cuban and Haitian Entrants through lawful pathways."Trump was one of many critics who raised concerns in recent years about whether the Biden administration had done a proper job vetting many of the refugees, particularly those from Afghanistan. Clearly, some radicals made it over.In January, for instance, Gul Nabi Rahmati, an Afghan refugee who settled in Dearborn Heights, Michigan, allegedly stabbed a caseworker helping refugees. Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard indicated that the motive might have had something to do with religion. Rahmati's attempted murder trial will commence in early 2026. Rahmati was not the only bad egg former President Joe Biden brought into the U.S.Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, a 27-year-old Afghan citizen living in Oklahoma City, was arrested after the Justice Department foiled his "plot to acquire semiautomatic weapons and commit a violent attack in the name of ISIS on U.S. soil on Election Day," former Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement in early October.Tawhedi pleaded guilty to two terrorism offenses in June. His 19-year-old co-conspirator, another Afghan refugee, was sentenced last week to 15 years in federal prison for his role in the foiled terrorist plot.RELATED: Virginia high-school principal allegedly suggests anti-ICE 'hunting' plot; brother brags about 'assault rifle,' cop claims Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun Staff "Zada was welcomed into the United States and provided with all the opportunities available to residents of our nation, yet he chose to embrace terrorism and plot an ISIS-inspired attack on Election Day," said John Eisenberg, assistant attorney general for national security. Vice President JD Vance said in a January interview with CBS News' Margaret Brennan, "Now that we know that we have vetting problems with a lot of these refugee programs, we absolutely cannot unleash thousands of unvetted people into our country."When pressed on whether some refugees were actually being radicalized once in the U.S., Vance said, "I don't really care, Margaret. I don't want that person in my country, and I think most Americans agree with me."'It would re-traumatize tens of thousands of vulnerable refugees.'The news of the Trump administration's new initiative to ensure that decisions made and persons imported by the previous administration — individuals like Zada or Tawhedi — aren't endangering Americans today caused apoplexy among NGOs in the space.Sharif Aly, president of the International Refugee Assistance Project, claimed that the refugees who entered the U.S. under the USRAP "are already the most highly vetted immigrants in the United States" and characterized the proposed review as "an insult to refugees.""This order is one more in a long line of efforts to bully some of the most vulnerable members of our communities, by threatening their lawful status, rendering them vulnerable to the egregious conduct of immigration enforcement agencies, and putting them through an onerous and potentially re-traumatizing process," said Aly.Aly, the former CEO of Islamic Relief USA, suggested further that "besides the enormous cruelty of this undertaking, it would also be a tremendous waste of government resources.""This plan is shockingly ill-conceived," Naomi Steinberg, Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society vice president of U.S. policy and advocacy, said in a statement."It would re-traumatize tens of thousands of vulnerable refugees who already went through years of security vetting prior to stepping on U.S. soil," continued Steinberg. "This is a new low in the administration's consistently cold-hearted treatment of people who are already building new lives and enriching the communities where they have made their homes."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

To the amusement of staff and attendees, President Donald Trump once again went wildly off script during the annual turkey pardon ceremony at the White House. Trump pardoned two turkeys on Tuesday named Gobble and Waddle, one of which was unfortunately "missing in action." During his address leading up to the pardon, the president shared several unscripted, Trumpian quips, prompting laughter from the audience. 'I don't talk about people being fat.'Trump first set his sights on Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois, who has butted heads with the administration over calls to deploy the National Guard to the crime-ridden city of Chicago. Trump taunted Pritzker for refusing to accept federal assistance in Chicago, and of course, for his weight. "I'm not going to tell my Pritzker joke," Trump said. "They have a very cute little joke, you know. Some speechwriter wrote some joke about his weight, but I would never want to talk about his weight."RELATED: Trump cracks jokes with Mamdani in cordial Oval Office meeting: 'I've been called much worse'.@POTUS: "Gobble, I just want to tell you this — very important — you are hereby unconditionally pardoned!"?? pic.twitter.com/WmjvScCf6K— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) November 25, 2025 "I don't talk about people being fat," Trump added. "I refuse to talk about the fact that he's a fat slob. I don't mention it!"Trump conceded that although Pritzker is "a fat slob," he himself could "lose a few pounds too." But Trump did not stop at Pritzker. The president got back on track to talk about Gobble and Waddle's imminent presidential pardons but not before taking another jab at his two greatest opponents on Capitol Hill. "When I first saw their pictures ... well, I shouldn't say this," Trump said. RELATED: 'Canary in a coal mine': Ousted speaker warns against the rising risk of GOP House resignations Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images"I was going to call them Chuck and Nancy," Trump said, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). "But then I realized I wouldn't be pardoning them. I would never pardon those two people." On the topic of pardons, Trump also joked about former President Joe Biden's autopen, questioning the validity of last year's turkey pardon."He used an autopen last year for the turkey's pardon," Trump said. "So I have the official duty to determine, and I have determined, that last year's turkey pardons are totally invalid as are the pardons of about every other person that was pardoned other than ... where's Hunter?""Hunter's was good, that was the one pardon ... that was good." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Mark Levin inherited his love for America and her great founders from his father, Jack E. Levin — a devoted family man, businessman, author, illustrator, and self-taught constitutional historian. Over the course of his life, Jack authored and illustrated several patriotic, historically themed books that became best-sellers on the New York Times list.His most famous book — “Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address Illustrated” (2010) — featured beautifully hand-painted watercolor-style illustrations of Civil War soldiers, battlefields, period flags, mourning families, and solemn portraits of Lincoln alongside the Great Emancipator's famous speech.“He thought that Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address was so profound,” says Levin of his father. “And it was.”Reading Lincoln’s iconic address that consecrated the cemetery for the Union soldiers who died in the Battle of Gettysburg, Levin honors both America’s 16th president and his beloved father. “That was a horrendous battle in Gettysburg, absolutely horrendous — the number of casualties, the number of dead, how quickly it happened,” Levin reflects.He retells the story of how the two armies literally bumped into each other by accident outside Gettysburg — General Robert E. Lee’s forces pushing north toward Philadelphia, hoping a decisive strike on Union soil would force the North to sue for peace and let the South go, only to suffer a crushing defeat in the massive, unintended three-day battle that turned the tide of the war.Lincoln, says Levin, “was furious” that Union commander Major General George G. Meade “did not follow Lee's army and destroy it.” He wanted the war to end right then and there.The Civil War, he reminds us, wasn’t just about the abolition of slavery; it was also about the nation’s survival.Like his father, who was deeply concerned with “the lack of patriotism and support for the country,” Levin worries about the lack of and distortion of American history education in this country.“That's why if people don't know history, they just keep talking about, ‘Oh, it was founded by white [supremacists] and nationalists,”’ he sighs. “No — we were founded by great men.”To hear more of his commentary, watch the video above.Want more from Mark Levin?To enjoy more of "the Great One" — Mark Levin as you've never seen him before — subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Fans and supporters of female athletes are outraged over the results of a world's strongest woman competition.Multiple competitors are speaking out after a man allegedly took first place in the women's category at the event, with organizers saying they had no idea a man had competed against women.'This is bulls**t.'The 2025 Official Strongman Games took place in Arlington, Texas, over the weekend, and saw alleged transgender athlete Jammie Booker, a biological male, defeat nine female competitors. As reported by Fitness Volt, Booker took home the narrow victory after runner-up Andrea Thompson finished seventh in the final event, edging her out by just a point.The results had Booker winning with 47 points, while Thompson had 46, and Allira-Joy Cowley came in third place with 39 points.Viewers immediately began circulating footage from the winner's podium in which Thompson appeared to say, "This is bulls**t," before walking off the platform.On her Instagram page, Thompson shared multiple posts that declared her the true winner of the event, with commenters seemingly in unanimous agreement.In a video posted to Instagram, Booker thanked everyone who donated to his cause and even "checked in" regarding his mental health.RELATED: Transgender powerlifter easily defeats women as old as 58; USA Weightlifting defends 'inclusive' policy "There were a lot of, like, dark days getting here mentally and emotionally," the lifter said. Booker called the other competitors "insanely badass women" and said it was "an honor" to share the stage with them. He added that he did not think he was going to win.Booker's page lists "she/her" pronouns and the accolades of "pro strongwoman," "world's strongest woman 2025," and "North America's strongest woman." It also provides a link to a GoFundMe page titled "Help Jammie Become 'World's Strongest Woman.'"Booker raised over $1,500 for registration, flight, and hotel costs, which the fundraiser said would total around $900.On Tuesday, the strongman organization posted a statement to its social media, saying it was unaware that an athlete "who is biologically male and who now identifies as female" competed in the Women's Open category.The organization said that had it been aware, the athlete would not have been permitted to compete in that category."We are clear — competitors can only compete in the category for the biological sex recorded at birth," the organization wrote. Without declaring a new winner, the company said it had "disqualified the athlete in question" and that "athlete points and places will be altered accordingly."RELATED: Female powerlifter chases down crook who stole her bag — then gives him a black-eye beatdown Female powerlifter Morgan Irons released a video criticizing Booker for taking opportunities away from women."There has been an individual, Jammie Booker, who has been competing as a biological male within the women's division of strongman," Irons said. "This individual competed in the women's division as a biological man, plain and simple. As a woman, this is very, very frustrating because their participation in the women's division has taken away prize money, podium finishes, national bids, and a pro card from biological women," she continued.At the same time, women's sports activist and former national gymnastics champion Jennifer Sey told Fearless that women are still "being erased from their own sex-class, their own sports categories, and their own legal protections."She said that Booker winning the title "Strongest Woman in the World" was a clear indication that there is still work to be done.Critics pointed to a YouTube video seemingly posted by Booker in 2017, which described him as a "21-year-old" transgender person with a "history of abuse, struggling to stay true to herself while under the rule of her religious parents."Booker did not respond to a request for comment.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!