🗞️Meta's new AI model

April 8th, 2026

What happened today 🇺🇸,

• Meta has launched Muse Spark, a proprietary AI model that it says narrows the performance gap with top systems like those from OpenAI and Anthropic, improves on Llama 4, and will power Meta AI across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp

• President Trump announced on social media that the U.S. will impose a 50% tariff on all imports from any country that is supplying military weapons to Iran

• Israel launched a series of airstrikes across Lebanon, including central Beirut, killing over 100 people and injuring hundreds more…the attacks come just hours after a U.S.–Iran ceasefire took effect, with Israel insisting the truce does not apply to its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon

• After Israel’s strikes in Lebanon, Iran effectively halted most ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, warning it would withdraw from the ceasefire if Israeli attacks on Lebanon continue, even though the White House said that the U.S.–Iran deal does not cover Lebanon…Israel privately complained via reports it wasn’t properly consulted on the agreement’s terms and Iran’s Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said three parts of the 10‑point proposal have already been violated by the U.S. and Israel…TLDR the ceasefire is fragile and unstable 

• Iran plans to charge ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz a toll equal to about 1 dollar per barrel of oil, but require that the fee be paid in cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or stablecoins

• VP Vance will lead the U.S. negotiating team in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday during direct peace talks with Iran, Vance will be joined by Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner

• Former Attorney General Pam Bondi is not going to appear for a subpoenaed House Oversight deposition about her handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files after the Justice Department told the committee she won’t attend because the subpoena named her in her official capacity and she has since been fired

• Republican Clay Fuller defeated Democrat Shawn Harris in the runoff election for Georgia’s 14th Congressional District that took place last night

• The New York Times has published a year‑long investigation arguing that Adam Back is the most likely candidate for Satoshi Nakamoto (who is the creator of Bitcoin) but it explicitly stops short of claiming definitive proof…Back has come out and denied this report

• Jeff Shell is out as president of Paramount Skydance following a lawsuit from gambler R.J. Cipriani accusing him of fraud and leaking confidential corporate information about deals

• Southwest Airlines is now also increasing its checked baggage fees by $10 for both the first and second checked bags on new bookings due to higher fuel costs…read more here

• S&P up 2.51% / Nasdaq up 2.80% / DOW up 2.85%

Bonus: A look at states with the most military bases

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Quote of the day: “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed it ourselves.” -Abraham Lincoln

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