Wiki News Live
Today:
Mike Johnson Would Prefer Not To
NEWS | 06 August 2026
This morning, House Speaker Mike Johnson finally broke his silence on the scandal engulfing Representative Max Miller of Ohio. Johnson added, “There’s all sorts of domestic events going on with 435 members of Congress all the time. It’s not my business to get engaged in it.”This raises the question of what Johnson does think the speaker’s business is. One might imagine that the Miller situation would concern Johnson for several reasons. He will face Republican Mike Rogers in November in a battleground contest that could help determine control of the Senate.

Top Stories:
A Biopic That Ends Right When It’s Getting Started
NEWS | 06 August 2026
Tony follows a very familiar sort of 19-year-old menace—the kind of character coming-of-age movies like this were made for. Yet Tony, as played by Dominic Sessa, is more than just a pretentious bad boy; he’s starting to work his way toward something meaningful. Read: The missing pieces of Anthony BourdainThe viewer meets Tony at Vassar College, where he spent two years before dropping out. That inherent empathy is how Tony gets away with being a biopic that ends in the early chapters of a person’s life. Tony is learning how to create shellfish delicacies; at the same time, he’s cracking open oysters and cleaning plates.

World:
A 'Spider-Man' Ad Beamed Directly to Your Car
NEWS | 06 August 2026
With a few taps on the sedan’s massive touch screen, you can play Pac-Man or let the car park itself. Spider-Man just dropped on your BMW!”Click on the prompt, which appears in most BMWs made after 2020, and the touch screen is taken over by a commercial for Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the latest movie in the Marvel franchise. Though drivers can choose to skip the ad, it persists as an app on their car’s display. Many BMW drivers have not been thrilled by this uninvited pitch for Peter Parker. “The animation is available for a limited time and only visible to drivers who proactively initiate it on their vehicle’s touch screen,” he said.

Current Events:
Someone Is Mysteriously Snapping Up Used Books Around the World
NEWS | 06 August 2026
We know that at least one major AI company has used physical books to train their models. Someone—if not more than one group or company—has been snapping up massive volumes of books from shops around the world. “What’s with the online purchasing bonanza of used books right now?” asked one bookseller on Reddit three months ago. On May 26, a book-industry newsletter called Publishers Lunch noted accusations that Zoom was buying books for AI companies. For now, this is what we know: A lot of used books are suddenly being bought up by companies including Zoom Books.

News Flash:
The Once-Shameless President Is Deeply Embarrassed
NEWS | 06 August 2026
One of President Trump’s superpowers is his shamelessness. His attention was particularly drawn to the Reflecting Pool. The Reflecting Pool was an unlikely cause célèbre this summer, but it seemed likely to end with a whimper at the end of last week. He set the same aggressive timeline as with the Reflecting Pool: He wanted the interim plane ready for use on the nation’s birthday. Trump, once more, was furious and embarrassed, and summoned FBI Director Kash Patel to the White House.

Sponsored:
Remote Monitoring App
SPONSORED | 06 August 2026
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Latest:
Was Herbert Hoover America’s Most Misunderstood President?
NEWS | 06 August 2026
Then, David is joined by Margaret Hoover, the host of PBS’s Firing Line and the great-granddaughter of President Herbert Hoover. My guest this week will be Margaret Hoover, host of the TV program Firing Line, and, very relevantly for today’s discussion, great-granddaughter of President Herbert Hoover. Hoover: Well, you know, Silent Cal, who was, of course, the, sort of, begrudging president, begrudging of Hoover a bit. But the president really didn’t believe there was, to your point, a role in emergency relief. Hoover: Hoover had a quote later on.

Breaking:
‘Disappear the Democrat’ Backfires in Montana
NEWS | 06 August 2026
The state Democratic Party has been preparing for her to leave the race. Bankhead told me that former Governor Steve Bullock, a Democrat who has not yet endorsed in the race, called her last week to ask if she would meet him for coffee. State Democratic party bylaws say that the party central committee “shall” call a meeting and “shall” vote on a replacement. The Montana secretary of state, a Republican, says the state party must follow those words and pick a replacement. “It’s pretty wild out here,” Nancy Keenan, a former Montana Democratic Party executive director, told me.

Trending:
Gen Z Is Testing the Limits of How Weird Parties Can Get
NEWS | 06 August 2026
Read: The internet, but for hot peopleOn Instagram and TikTok, many recaps of themed parties draw millions of views, which help inspire more niche parties. Kamdar said she spends an average of $200 to host a niche party, and has held fewer gatherings because of the cost. At its best, a niche party is not about chasing clout, but about actually getting to know people. At the PowerPoint party, guests initially exchanged awkward small talk and nibbled on homemade garlic knots. Of course, there would be a theme: Guests would compete in a treasure hunt dressed up as either a Roman or a pirate.

This Just In:
Putin’s Human Safari Is the Dystopian Future of War
NEWS | 06 August 2026
Yesterday, he was sorting through vegetables when he heard the loud, distinctive buzz of a Russian drone. Today, many were shocked by yet another video of the drone “safari” Russians are carrying out against civilians in Kherson. A Russian drone deliberately hunted down a man selling vegetables and detonated right next to him. Many people, myself included, have written about the incredible achievements of the Ukrainian drone industry. Instead of avoiding civilians, Russian operators can now target them, as if playing a video game.

Today:
Trump Should Need a Warrant to See Your Phone
NEWS | 06 August 2026
As a result, Department of Homeland Security officers don’t need a warrant to search your luggage for contraband or weapons. “They don’t need to go to a judge; they don’t need reasonable suspicion” to swipe through someone’s device without a warrant. Under Donald Trump, the number of border searches of cellphones and other devices has grown significantly, amounting to tens of thousands a year. But Americans should not have to make those kinds of calculations to avoid federal agents invading their privacy. Congress could easily pass a law compelling warrants for most border searches of electronic devices.

Top Stories:
Liberals Are Now Fighting a Two-Front War
NEWS | 06 August 2026
AIPAC has become a poisoned brand among Democratic voters. The Democratic Party establishment lost credibility by standing behind a wan, ineffective president who failed in his fundamental goal of burying Trumpism. Democratic voters, writes the former Barack Obama adviser Dan Pfeiffer, “just don’t trust Democratic politicians to tell them who can really win. And the deeper you wade into the left’s view of the Democratic Party and its legacy, the more bizarre and counterfactual that belief system becomes. The mainstream liberals of the Democratic Party have focused their energies on defeating Republicans.

World:
Bidenomics Was More Successful Than People Think
NEWS | 06 August 2026
Joe Biden’s signature climate law was not just about climate. Consumer tax credits, which had given people a discount on rooftop solar, electric vehicles, and heat pumps, are gone. The OBBBA was at one point expected to get rid of tax credits for building solar- and wind-energy projects. Building all of these clean-energy factories appears to have kept the vote much closer than it otherwise would have been. When that time comes, lawmakers should remember the lesson of the IRA: Voters respond to benefits that they can actually see.

Current Events:
Atlantic Trivia: Insects Real and Fake
NEWS | 06 August 2026
(A reminder: This version of Atlantic Trivia is in its final days. More information—and a new trivia game!—will be coming soon.) Atlantic Trivia Superheroes Parasites Geography From a story (opens in new tab) by David Sims The latest Spider-Man movie includes an appearance by the scientist Bruce Banner, a character better known by what alter ego? And by the way, did you know that since its launch, in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has generated more than $33 billion in box-office sales? That slightly outpaces the total economic output of the tiny European country of San Marino over the same period.

News Flash:
What Happened to al-Qaeda?
NEWS | 06 August 2026
Since September 11, 2001, al‑Qaeda has pulled off exactly one fatal attack inside the United States. “The al‑Qaeda concept has taken root,” he said, and has given the group’s leadership—sometimes called “al‑Qaeda core”—the luxury of deciding when to begin killing Americans again. (As an extremist-Sunni group, al‑Qaeda is not a natural ally of extremist-Shiite Iran.) The various affiliates call themselves al-Qaeda, but they appear to take no meaningful guidance from anyone in al‑Qaeda core. Daniel Byman, a veteran al-Qaeda watcher at Georgetown University, reminded me that al-Qaeda has not even officially announced that Saif al-Adel is in charge.