Substack

A new essay by scholar Norman Finkelstein arguing that Israel's campaign in Gaza amounts to genocide is being shared widely, with readers citing mounting pressure on Western governments and media to name it as such. The piece ties the accusation to ongoing operations in Gaza and regional spillover into Lebanon and Syria, reigniting debate over the legal and political use of the term genocide.

Substack is facing fresh criticism from readers who say the newsletter platform deliberately obfuscates article text to break browser reading mode, forcing people to view its own interface and ads instead. The claim, raised on Hacker News, has reignited debate over platform lock-in and reader rights, with users comparing the practice to dark patterns used elsewhere on the web.

Commenters are accusing the Trump administration of failing to act on an AI-related controversy, saying the conduct involved seems potentially illegal yet has drawn no investigation, statement or product recall. The criticism notes the administration instead welcomed AI executives Sam Altman and Nvidia's Jensen Huang to a state dinner, citing a new Gary Marcus Substack post on the issue.