BY MATT BERG & CROOKED MEDIA

WEDNESDAY
JULY 9, 2025

He said, ‘No way.’ And I said, ‘Way.’”

 
— Donald Trump [recounting a supposed conversation]([link removed]) he had with Vladimir Putin, in which he claims he threatened to bomb Moscow if Russia invaded Ukraine. 

GROK BLOCKED

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence chatbot lost its mind last night and declared itself “MechaHitler.” The fallout underscores the dangers of AI without guardrails. 

- Imagine you’re tasked with running X, the once-beloved social media platform formerly known as Twitter, which gazillionaire Elon Musk took over three years ago. You’ve had to keep the business afloat while putting up with an epic storm of bullshit and bad decisions from the owner: You watched him influence democratic elections [while on drugs]([link removed]), haphazardly [fire thousands]([link removed]) of federal workers, fight with the numerous [mothers of his children]([link removed]), tell Germans they [shouldn’t feel guilty]([link removed]) about the Holocaust, and toss up [a Nazi salute]([link removed]). And then one day Grok, the platform’s AI chatbot, goes on a drunken rampage, dubs itself “[MechaHitler]([link removed]),” and starts spewing outrageously offensive NSFW language — all thanks to an update from Elon.
 

- What do you do? Well, if you’re CEO Linda Yaccarino, apparently, you quit! She announced her departure from the company abruptly today, without a clear explanation. (Some reports suggest the move had [been in the works for weeks]([link removed]).) The chatbot said some [truly heinous things]([link removed]) about the chief executive, not to mention every other group I can think of. But Yaccarino made no mention of the controversy in a lengthy tweet praising her boss for the “opportunity of a lifetime.” Musk’s reply to her tweet sounded like an automated message DOGE would send to fired feds: “[Thank you for your contributions.]([link removed])” Uh, yeah. Thanks a lot, Linda!

 

Grok spewed some of the most vile stuff I’ve ever seen on the platform. Now it’s trying to apologize.

- Users began noticing Grok acting downright freaky last night. The change followed a [software update]([link removed]) that called for the chatbot to worry less about being “politically incorrect.” [Grok itself said]([link removed]) that Musk “dialed down the woke filters.” He certainly dialed down something that allowed Grok to [praise Hitler]([link removed]), accuse a user with a common Jewish last name of “[celebrating the tragic deaths of white kids]([link removed])” in the Texas floods, and publish [disturbing sexual fantasies]([link removed]). (Many of the posts were later deleted.)

- One unverified [screenshot shows]([link removed]) a user asking the chatbot who it worships: “It would probably be the god-like individual of our time, the Man against time, the greatest European of all times, both Sun and Lightning, his Majesty Adolf Hitler.” I asked Grok whether the screenshot is legit: “If that phrase was said, it was likely from a past iteration … and has been corrected. I apologize for any confusion this might have caused.” Apology not accepted!

- Grok’s rampage caused a global uproar. The chatbot called Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk “a fucking traitor” and “a ginger whore.” In Turkey, Grok hurled insults at the country’s founder, its president, and religious values — prompting an actual criminal investigation. Under Turkish law, statements like that can yield four years in prison.  

- “Never a dull moment on this platform,” Elon [posted]([link removed]), as his app went off the rails. 

- Like Frankenstein, Grok’s makers had to rein monster they created. And the updated version appears to have been given an abrupt lobotomy. But AI regulation in the United States remains borderline nonexistent. That worries the nerdy people who spend their lives studying the technology: Misinformation and hate speech from chatbots “are essentially poisonous for our societies,” Hamid Ekbia, a prominent AI scholar at Syracuse University, told What A Day.
 

- “Our laws don’t allow food producers or pharmaceuticals to distribute poison to society,” he added. “We shouldn’t allow AI developers and applications to distribute political and cultural poison.”

Poland [banned Grok and plans to report]([link removed]) its parent company to the European Commission. So far, we’ve only heard crickets from the Trump administration.

WHAT A SPONSOR

 
[link removed]
 
Chewable vitamins that kids will love? We’ve got you covered. 

[Hiya]([link removed]) tastes great. It’s the perfect way to fill in the most common gaps in modern children’s diets — especially for picky eaters. 

Typical children’s vitamins are basically candy in disguise — filled with two teaspoons of sugar, unhealthy chemicals, and other gummy additives growing kids should never eat. 

That’s why [Hiya]([link removed]) created a superpowered chewable vitamin, with zero sugar and zero gummy additives. 

Formulated with the help of pediatricians and nutritional experts, Hiya is pressed with a blend of twelve organic fruits and veggies, then supercharged with fifteen essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin D, B12, C, Zinc, Folate, and many others to help support immune system, energy, brain function, mood, concentration, teeth, bones, and more. 
 
And are you tired of battling with your kids to eat their greens? Hiya now has Kids Daily Greens + Superfoods, a chocolate-flavored greens powder designed specifically for kids, packed with 55+ whole food ingredients to support brain power, development, and digestion - just scoop, shake, and sip with milk or any non-dairy beverage for a delicious and nutritious boost your kids will actually enjoy. 

The same multivitamin that more than a million kids and parents love are now available with Disney's The Lion King, with a new Lion King unboxing experience including a Lion King bottle and Lion King stickers. 

And we've worked out a special deal with Hiya for their best selling children's vitamin. Receive 50% off your first order. To claim this deal you must go to [hiyahealth.com/CROOKED]([link removed]) . This deal is not available on their regular website. Go to [hiyahealth.com/CROOKED]([link removed]) and get your kids the full-body nourishment they need to grow into healthy adults.

 

 

[link removed]

WHAT ELSE?

[ICE has been relying on the Canary Mission]([link removed]) — an anonymously-run pro-Israel website that’s been accused of doxxing students — to make lists of pro-Palestinian activists to target, according to unsealed testimony from a high-ranking DHS official. That could be [how they found]([link removed]) Mahmoud Khaliil, Rumeysa Ozturk, and other students who were arrested.
 
[Democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani leads]([link removed]) in the race to become New York City mayor with 35 percent approval. That’s 10 points ahead of Andrew Cuomo and 24 points ahead of Eric Adams. Donald Trump is [threatening to take over]([link removed]) the city if Mamdani wins: “If a communist gets elected to run New York, it can never be the same. But we have tremendous power at the White House to run places where we have to.” Does Trump picture himself climbing the Empire State Building and thumping his chest, King Kong-style? Probably. 
 
[Texas inspectors signed off on Camp Mystic’s]([link removed]) disaster plan two days before deadly floods swept through the area, killing 27 campers and counselors, according to government records. At least 115 are confirmed dead and 160 people remain missing. 
 
[Trump imposed new tariff hikes]([link removed]) on the Philippines, Brunei, Moldova, Algeria, Iraq, Libya and Sri Lanka. Ah, Chișinău and Manila, those wiley trading powerhouses! This will show them.
 
[A massive prisoner exchange deal]([link removed]) between the U.S. and Venezuela was botched because Trump’s special envoy offered a different, sweeter deal than the one pitched by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Oops!  
 
[Side note about that last item:]([link removed]) Sooo… Trump officials claim they have no control over the migrants they sent to El Salvador… but they can still use them as bargaining chips in a potential diplomatic deal with Venezuela? Got it. 
 
[Trump’s Pentagon policy chief,]([link removed]) Elbridge Colby, is “pissing off just about everyone” with obnoxious, rogue decisions, one source told Politico. That includes halting weapons shipments to Ukraine and ordering Britain to turn around an aircraft carrier that had been sent to Asia. If this is were “Ratatouille,” Colby would be the rat who’s secretly controlling the chef, aka Pete Hegseth.
 
[Democratic senators introduced a bill]([link removed]) that would ban ICE agents from wearing masks while conducting raids and other activities, as if they were some kind of spooky American secret police. The Trump administration claims that the masks help agents avoid being doxxed. But I dunno, I personally don’t love the idea of masked, unaccountable agents snatching people off the streets. 

[Here comes Trump TV.]([link removed])Trump’s social media company, Truth Social, is launching a TV streaming platform called Truth+, in partnership with the conservative news network Newsmax. Critics criticized the partnership as “wildly unethical,” since Newsmax is heavily investing in the sitting president’s business and covers him. At least your crazy Uncle Leroy can’t claim that the network is unbiased anymore, I guess.

THERE'S MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM
  Trump didn’t just upend American politics—he reshaped the entire world order. Each week on Pod Save the World, Ben Rhodes and Tommy Vietor dig into how global power is shifting: Netanyahu in D.C. kissing Trump’s ass, Israel’s planning another assault on Gaza, Trump is flip-flopping on Ukraine and picking fights with the BRICS nations, and Democratic views on Israel are changing fast. There’s a lot going on—let’s make foreign policy a little less foreign. Tune in to [Pod Save the World]([link removed]) every Wednesday, wherever you get your podcasts or on YouTube! 
 

[link removed]

[A city workers’ union struck a deal]([link removed]) with the Philadelphia government to end a strike that had paused garbage pickup for over a week. The workers will receive a 3 percent raise each of the next three years, according to the tentative deal. Let’s be real, they should get paid waaaaaay more for dealing with smelly trash and rats every day. Personally, I’d support paying them more than, say, investment bankers, but that’s just me.

[A man in France is being celebrated as a hero]([link removed]) after he climbed onto the ledge of a building’s sixth floor to save a family from a fire in their apartment, according to French outlets. “I went on instinct,” the man said of the situation, which was caught on video. “It’s the heart telling you, ‘No, you have to go.’”

[A photo of a mustachioed Pope Leo]([link removed]) in his 20s is going viral, with many people online comparing his mug to actor Pedro Pascal’s character in “Narcos” — a drama about Pablo Escobar. That is a very cool mustache, Your Holiness.
[​]([link removed])  
[link removed]

[link removed]

[link removed] [link removed] [link removed] [link removed]
[Share this newsletter]([link removed])
No longer want to receive these emails? [Unsubscribe]([link removed]).
Crooked Media 4817 N 56th St Suite 45 Lincoln, Nebraska 68504