Monday, June 22, 2026

ONE ANGRY MAN

 

One Angry Man

And the existential threat he poses

Credit: Getty Images

All the ink spilled and lies spewed about the corrupt refurbishing of the Reflecting Pool, the court-ordered removal of Donald Trump’s name from the Kennedy Center, the taxpayer bill of $307 million for the “privately funded” ballroom are distractions.

Each is a worthy outrage for citizens who continue to watch the bar on this presidency fall to new lows. But for those who closely monitor Trump, including some members of Congress, these distractions may be part of a much bigger and perhaps more menacing plot.

Regular readers of this Substack know that Steady has long been reluctant to write about the many stories regarding plots that swirl around the internet and various podcasts. But there is a current one that may be worth attention.

Jamie Raskin, a high-ranking Democratic congressman from Maryland, knows Trump well. He was one of the House managers who led Trump’s second impeachment for inciting a violent insurrection against the Constitution. That impeachment failed in the Republican-dominated Senate.

Raskin is currently the ranking minority member on the House Judiciary Committee. He also served on the January 6 Select Committee. Though Democrats are in the minority and have had negligible power to stop Trump, Raskin has remained a vocal critic. And as cracks in the MAGA coalition widen, more people are listening to him and taking him seriously.

Last month, Raskin introduced legislation to block the $1.8 billion slush fund created to pay Trump’s allies and to nix the immunity deal shielding the president and his family from any past or future criminal, civil, or tax prosecution.

The fund was the eyebrow-raising “settlement” in the frivolous $10 billion suit Trump brought against the IRS. You’ll recall the stories about the president suing himself, and, no surprise, he won! $1.8 billion.

In a recent, wide-ranging interview with Puck, Raskin explained the need for the legislation, even though acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told a congressional hearing that the fund was “not going forward, period.”

Here’s the most important part. The congressman believes Trump “wants a political slush fund for his movement to turn that January 6 army into a permanent private militia for future political entanglements.” Once the former insurrectionists are paid, they will be beholden to Trump.

He could call them up to “monitor” midterm voting or intimidate his perceived rivals. We’ve already heard Trump talk about using ICE or other federal law enforcement to ensure election integrity for the midterms. Many of the now-pardoned insurrectionists would be ready to go again for their guy.

On the pro-democracy website Fulcrum, ethics lawyer James Kobak writes, “Controlling sources of compensation, whether through the slush fund settlement or some other means, gives Trump a new tool from the autocrat’s playbook: rewards for the insurrectionists and encouragement for them to do it again. This time, they would be primed in advance and would have other administration-appointed allies. This time, compensation from the slush fund would allow them to be well-resourced and well-armed. This time, they might succeed.”

“Everybody can see what’s going on here,” Raskin told Puck. He clarified that the fund is not only sinister but illegal. “The vast majority of Americans and members of Congress say no, the president cannot act as the legislature and appropriate $1.776 billion to give away to his political foot soldiers in MAGA, and the Proud Boys, and Oath Keepers, and Three Percenters, to pay them for their service working for insurrection against the government.”

When the slush fund was announced last month, Republicans got to Trump and convinced him what a terrible idea it was, especially so close to the midterms. He uncharacteristically heeded their advice and dropped it. Or did he? Is funding for the slush fund just on pause?

Last week, a federal judge requested that the Department of Justice provide the court with a written declaration confirming that “they will not take any action to create or operate the Anti-Weaponization Fund, and that the Anti-Weaponization Fund will not proceed in any manner, or under any name.”

Blanche, Trump’s former personal defense attorney, refused to put anything in writing, pointing to his congressional testimony, promising the fund was dead.

That may not be enough for senators who must vote on Blanche’s confirmation as attorney general next month. He is making the rounds on Capitol Hill to assuage any concerns lawmakers might have. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), who is up for reelection, described her meeting with Blanche as “very good.”

“We had an extensive discussion on the Anti-Weaponization Fund, which he has assured me with no equivocation at all that he is not for it, will not pursue it, that it will not exist,” she told Politico.

Collins was famously assured by Brett Kavanaugh during his Supreme Court confirmation hearings that Roe v. Wade was “settled law,” and he would not touch it. As we know, Justice Kavanaugh did in fact join five other justices in overturning Roe. Earlier this month, Collins said she did not regret her vote to confirm Kavanaugh.

Trump’s corruption-laden vanity projects, including the slush fund, are diverting our attention from Trump’s bigger failures and grifts: losing his war against Iran, his multifaceted criminal enterprise operating with impunity, and the president’s most recent executive order about voter identification that could disenfranchise tens of thousands of Americans.

The throughline for all of these things is Trump’s mounting rage as he is backed further into corners. Anyone who has been following his presidency knows Trump is an angry man. Angry men often become violent men.

Trump goaded an angry mob of his supporters to storm the Capitol when he lost the 2020 election. He ordered the destruction of unarmed boats in the Caribbean Sea, killing dozens. He promised to end all foreign wars and then started an unnecessary and unprovoked one. He seems to relish the role of an angry, dangerous man. Just look at his increasingly vitriolic and sometimes downright unhinged rhetoric toward Iran.

Five weeks into the war, he posted on social media, “There will be nothing like it!!! Open the F****in’ Strait, you crazy bastards, or you’ll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah.”

A few weeks later, he threatened to send Iran “back to the stone age where they belong,” and posted an AI-generated image of himself carrying an assault rifle with the caption, “NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”

On Sunday, effectively derailing the negotiations, he said, “We may take over the Strait if we have to. I’ll blow the s--t out of them,” he told Fox (News).

When not blowing up at the Iranians, Trump turned his ire on Raskin. “Jamie Raskin, a Loser in Life, who worked endlessly during my First Term to impeach me, will guaranteed be [SIC] trying to do it again despite one of the most successful Presidencies in history.”

Raskin says that if the Democrats reclaim the majority, nothing is off the table, including impeachment. But this time, it is about so much more than that. It is about accountability. It is about corruption and graft. As Raskin added, “We have a number of different mechanisms for checking the corruption and lawlessness that have overtaken our country.”

NEW INC. MAGAZINE COLUMN BY HOWARD TULLMAN

 

Your Customers’ Biggest Problems Aren’t Unique. Use This 1 Simple AI Method to Fix Them Fast

The most valuable data-centric businesses today understand that the game has changed again.

EXPERT OPINION BY HOWARD TULLMAN, GENERAL MANAGING PARTNER, G2T3V AND CHICAGO HIGH TECH INVESTORS @TULLMAN

Jun 22, 2026

 

Time is the scarcest resource in our lives. Data may be the oil of the digital economy, but the timeliness and contextual delivery of that data is what creates real value. One of the things I learned in my first business—providing market-based vehicle valuations to auto insurers—is that it didn’t matter how fresh and accurate our data was or how quickly we responded to inbound inquiries. What mattered is whether the folks asking for the answers were accessible and available when we got back to them with the information. The when and where of the data delivery (context) was just as important as the what (content) in the final analysis.

Driving our people crazy to meet certain performance standards, arbitrary operating metrics, turnaround times, or other contractually mandated service levels was simply stupid if the results didn’t matter to the customers. Not everything needed to be instantly available or made into a crisis or a fire drill if no one was going to appreciate, recognize, or compensate us for the extra effort. Youthful and aggressive enthusiasm eventually led to painful experiences.  

It took a while to get the flow and timing correct in that business, but the core offering–real-time and precise valuation information as opposed to the stale, generalized historical data that was the industry standard–radically changed the way in which claims for lost or stolen vehicles were settled in the auto insurance game. Today, 44 years later, that business, CCC Intelligent Solutions, is still operating as the unquestioned industry leader, works with every major insurer, and is worth billions. The most important lesson we learned is that a one-dimensional emphasis on the speed of delivery or the quantity of the data alone often creates more undue stress rather than building value.

Today, the most valuable data-centric businesses understand that the game has changed again. Now, the key and central concern is capturing vast amounts of data regarding relevant activity—in the moment, at the edge and from both employees and their customers—and then converting and communicating it back to the team members as immediate, actionable instruction. The clearer and more immediate that any strategic inputs can be, the more accurate and valuable the decisions relying upon them will become. The only right time is real time and right now.

And, with considerable assistance from AI tools, we’re seeing the emergence of companies like Pulse that are developing systems to provide real-time data flow, extensive and timely analysis and actionable feedback that can be used effectively to inform and improve employees’ qualitative behaviors rather than simply their quantitative decisions.

These new systems function as intelligent filters, flow managers, and ranking agents so that, by the time the often overwhelming and unmanageable volume of customer feedback data is parsed, parceled, and prioritized, any business can turn scattered, duplicative and unhelpful volumes of customer inputs from multiple sources spread across their entire organization into sorted, identified, consolidated and actionable categories and clear, next-step instructions and directions.

These new systems reinforce what we’ve known for decades but help to organize and deliver better, more timely and comprehensive solutions. Three key areas of addressing customer issues and concerns really stand out, and I believe that they are true of almost every business.

A small number of recurring problems and errors cause the bulk of issues with customers

As many times as you tell your team how, when and what to say, they still forget, quit, freelance, get bored, and get upset or distracted. Automated and interactive scripts, dynamic checklists, sidebar chats and prompts can constantly provide and reinforce the right messages, paths and online responses to issues and objections. Training and practice are helpful, but not as valuable or effective as real-world experiences and immediate feedback.

Problems are rarely unique to individual, unhappy customers. Solutions need to address root causes and then be quickly circulated to the entire team

Solving one-off problems with unhappy customers is necessary, but it’s not sufficient in the long run as a strategy for overall improvements in deficient processes and unsatisfactory behaviors and/or product performance. Even more importantly, once a broader fix is determined and in place and applicable to all customers, it’s critical that the solution (either what’s working or what’s not working) be immediately transmitted to the entire team and incorporated in all of the supportive tools and materials, all future interactions, and all new changes and product enhancements and improvements.

All of us are smarter than any one of us

It’s hard to overstate the value of aggregated, collated, and carefully analyzed data collected from literally millions of conversations, transactions, interactions and dispositions when you’re trying to continually enrich and enhance the customers’ experience and your product or service’s brand, reputation, consistency, and value. Tools like Pulse’s Feedback Intelligence OS put all of this accumulated knowledge and experience directly and immediately and intelligently into the hands of your key decision-makers with actionable instruction and guidance.

The goal today is to make all your people smart as fast as possible and Pulse may be one of the best and most cost-effective systems out there to move your business quickly down the path to improved results and better satisfaction inside and outside of your business.

You are either gonna get with it or get lost.

  You are either gonna get with it or get lost.


‘It’s where we are in society,’ Plum tells Fast Company. ‘You are either gonna get with it or get lost.’

WNBA star Kelsey Plum launches a verified AI digital twin
[Photos: Getty Images]
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Fresh off a historic 40-point performance in the finals of the Unrivaled season, WNBA player Kelsey Plum is taking a different shot: an AI twin. 
Fans can now voice call with a digital version of the Los Angeles Sparks star. Plum announced the twin on her personal Instagram account on March 6, asking her AI self for advice on her ponytail and coffee versus energy drink. 
Plum is the first professional female athlete to launch a verified AI digital twin. It’s a move that’s earning plaudits as a way for women in sports to take control of their image and expand their reach. 
“The opportunity to have a twin that can connect with fans, with young people, people that love basketball, people that are just interested in sports. The range is endless,” Plum says. “It’s where we are in society, and I think you are either gonna get with it or get lost.” 
Collaboration With Talk2Me
Plum created the twin in partnership with Talk2Me, an AI communications company that creates verified digital humans. CEO Randy Adams considers himself to be on the leading (or bleeding) edge of innovation like this often. He’s a self-described serial entrepreneur—coinventor of Adobe PDF, cofounder of digital comedy brand Funny or Die, and now working on digital AI twins. 
“[Kelsey has] moved things from a business standpoint. She’s moved things first from a cultural standpoint,” he says. “We need to find people who are willing to take the risk to go out there and do this. And she’s been willing to do it. And we’re very honored that she is.” 
From a technical standpoint, the goal is to get the personality right based on what the celebrity wants. For Plum, that means interacting with fans when she can’t. 
“In the arena, I can only talk to so many people, so many fans at one time, and so I think the next best thing would then be to log on and have a one-on-one conversation,” Plum says. “I think it’s just a great opportunity to reach more people and obviously, too, we’re gonna be able to see what people are asking and wanna see, and we’ll be able to grow from there.” 
Maximizing reach
Athletes finding ways to connect with fans off the court isn’t new. OK Tomorrow founder and CEO Nilesh Ashra is an expert on the intersection of AI and creativity. He says a move like this is helpful for celebrities like Plum because they’re looking for ways to maximize their reach. 
“Old world was they write a book. Recently, new world was create a coaching program,” he says. “Brand-new world is a digital twin.” 
And it is a bit of a brand-new world. Because Plum is one of the first to step into this kind of AI digitization, she admits there might be learning curves with some of the twin’s responses. Those potential distortions are where Ashra hesitates. 
“I think there is a benefit to interactivity. I think the risks are on unexpected behavior,” he says. “All AI models are nondeterministic. You actually don’t know how they’re going to respond until they’re in that context.” 
He’s not the only skeptic. Since Plum’s Instagram launch, commenters haven’t been shy about voicing their concerns about this use of AI. 
Some words of caution
“Big fan here in cybersecurity . . . please, you’re teaching it, it’s learning every second and personal interactions add specifity to you besides what it’s gathered about you from the cloud, the IoT, etc.,” one Instagram user wrote. 
Many of the comments are from users expressing their support for Plum as an individual and player but opposing the use of AI due to environmental and cybersecurity concerns.
Others are supportive. “I’ll just do your post exit interview with your AI twin, I’ll let you know what the feedback is,” Unrivaled CEO Alex Bazzell joked. 
Plum knows the twin isn’t a replacement for her. She’s passionate about mental health and connecting young people with community. But while she’s taking care of business on the court, she wants her AI version to connect with fans in the meantime. 
“I just think it gives a way . . . to connect, and that’s a cool thing,” Plum says. “Obviously, we use basketball . . . but I think using a twin in and outside of a basketball lane is something that will be special for people.” 

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