On the consolation of floss

On the consolation of floss-ophy Defense Secretary Hegseth quietly extends troop deployments in Iran into 2027. / The Wall Street Journal [$] Among war basics being ignored by the White House—make sure you have enough weapons, keep your friends on your side, define your ultimate goal—the most important is “know your enemy.” / Politico Magazine A report from Pattaya, Thailand, the seaside town currently hosting 5,000 American sailors on leave. / The Wall Street Journal [$] YouTube is being flooded by actors paid to impersonate political news creators outraged by events happening in cities led by Democrats. / Semafor See also: The current iterations of “9/11 politics” are said to be the feeblest ever, “and it's long past time to shatter Islamophobia's glass jaw.” / Forever Wars The United States added more battery capacity in the second quarter of 2026 than any quarter ever. / Canary Media This year’s fire season has so far broken or shattered multiple records, especially in the Pacific Northwest. / Weather West Some notes as summer changes in different regions of the US. “Shrunken streams are still full of squatting bathers, and baking streets are still full of lily-white Texas license plates.” / Grist At the Virginia lodge featured in Dirty Dancing, they still play the movie behind the bar. / Oxford American Unrelated: A flight simulator but you’re a passenger. / Inflight Simulator If you enjoy these headlines, please join us as a Sustaining Member to support what we do and unlock access to paywalled links. China approves a slew of “telepathy” devices to compete with Elon Musk’s Neuralink. / South China Morning Post A new toothbrush uses a camera, AI, and an "anti-gravity" capability to floss your teeth while you’re brushing. / Dezeen In case you missed it: “Meat proxies” are those coworkers or friends who send you AI slop. / Kottke An ode to “relish trays” and other dining classics to be found in Wisconsin. / County Highway Regarding the US Open—now officially partnered with Kalshi—a walking tour finds it overrun with sports bettors who occasionally shout at players. / Bounces Naomi Osaka’s first-round match is halted because of too many influencers doing photo shoots. / Yahoo! Sports Tennis influencer Morgan Riddle: “I want to be empathetic… How are they supposed to know the rules?” / Us Weekly