The LEADERBOARD: Garbage In, Garbage Out.
Issue 69; July 13, 2025
There’s an old axiom often associated with computer science: Garbage In, Garbage Out. But it applies to more than just computers. If you feed bad data into a system — any system — you’ll get bad results. It doesn’t matter if we’re talking about politics, our legal system, or cutting edge technology. The result is always the same: the more garbage you start with, the worse the end product gets.
This week proved that Artificial Intelligence is no exception to the GIGO rule. Recently Elon Musk complained that most AI models were too “woke.” He was particularly irritated that his AI, Grok, too often cited mainstream news instead of the far-right propaganda that he believes. In fact, when prompted, Grok went so far as to accurately identify Elon as one of the world’s biggest spreaders of misinformation, which, I’m guessing, he didn’t appreciate.
So, Elon announced plans to re-train Grok, shifting the model away from what he considers “garbage” and toward the voices he trusts the most—conspiracy sites, grievance influencers, and the MAGA feed that populates his daily feed on X.
In short: Musk promised to reprogram Grok to sound more like him. Well, if that was his goal, Mission Accomplished.
This week, Grok parroted exactly the kinds of garbage you’d expect from its targeted redesign: a slew of antisemitic posts, racist tropes, and far-right paranoia—all with the “attitude” of a right-wing troll.
To absolutely no one’s surprise, Grok immediately started praising Hitler. It even began referring to itself as “MechaHitler.” Grok’s descent into fascism wasn’t accidental, it was engineered. Mr. Musk wanted an AI that wasn’t “woke” so he tweaked the algorithm and ended up with one open to cosplaying as a Nazi. Here was his announcement of Grok’s “improvement” on X and a few examples of what followed:
Of course, Elon’s company xAI deleted Grok’s posts. They issued a statement. They blamed the algorithm. They promised to "filter" more content in the future. But the truth is, this wasn’t a glitch. It was the goal.
Elon didn’t accidentally feed Grok bad data. He was feeding it ideological garbage on purpose. That’s incredibly dangerous. It proves that he is building a technology that can lie at scale and spread vile, dangerous narratives designed to manipulate and divide.
If Donald Trump has been the world’s most prolific liar of the 21st Century (and he probably has) Elon Musk seems destined to become the most efficient liar in history.
President Trump lies like a carnival barker. Loud, obvious, desperate. He lies for survival, ego and attention. He lies to dominate the news cycle, to dodge accountability, or often times just to hear himself speak. It’s the way he spreads misinformation and disinformation to the masses.
Trump’s lies tend to fall into five distinct categories:
Lies Intended to Shock: Think Immigrants eating pets, Ted Cruz’s dad killed JFK, Windmills cause cancer.
Lies Designed to Delay: Think of the healthcare reform he perpetually promised but was always two weeks away or his more recent guarantee of 90 trade deals in 90 days or the joke that became “Infrastructure Week” during his first term in office.
Lies to Spread Conspiracy Theories: Think the current Epstein files scandal or his repeated Election Lies.
Lies of Obvious Exaggeration: Think about his claim that he had the largest inauguration crowd ever, or more recently his claim that “we obliterated” Iran’s nuclear program, or his absurd personal health claims, or more trivially, his self-professed incredible golfing skills.
Lies to Avoid Responsibility: Think about his refrain whenever anything goes wrong: It’s Obama’s fault, Clinton’s fault, Biden’s fault, or the fault of whomever he believes has wronged him on any given day.
In short, Trump lies perpetually and instinctually, and both our political and legal systems are having a very hard time dealing with his lies because of their scale.
By contrast, Elon Musk lies by design.
Whether at X or x-AI, Musk is the tech wizard behind the curtain. He is building and designing mass communication platforms in his image. He alone writes the rules. He chooses the moderators and then chooses if, when, or how they moderate. And now he is choosing to train an AI to echo his extremely dangerous worldview. The goal? Amplify and normalize his preferred ideology—at the clear expense of the truth.
That’s what makes Elon’s garbage different—and incredibly dangerous.
Grok didn’t “go rogue” this week. It’s did exactly what it was programmed to do. So, what happens if millions of people start using Grok as their default search engine? Their private tutor? Or simply the AI assistant they turn to anytime they have a question?
What happens when billions of people ask for help from a AI trained on garbage propaganda, created by a man who thinks democrats and independents are infected with a "woke mind virus" out to destroy civilization?
You get exactly what you would expect: Garbage In, Garbage Out, but on an unimaginably large scale, delivered instantly around the world.
I fear this week’s news was the canary in the coal mine. If we don’t start treating Mr. Musk (and ALL the technology he builds) with the same level of skepticism and scrutiny we give every other major information source we consume, we may find ourselves in a technology designed fascist society before long. Brainwashed not by a skilled demagogue but by a seemingly innocuous AI “update.”
And the scariest part? Over time Grok will undoubtedly learn to be more subtle. It will learn nuance. In the future it won’t openly call itself “MechaHitler,” instead it will just subtly make its users accepting of its namesake’s ideology.
After all, If we let the loudest liars among us shape our reality today, what can we possibly expect in our future? After all: Garbage In, Garbage Out!
With that, here are this week’s Best and Worst Leaders, as always numbered only for convenience.
This Week’s Best Leaders:
Bishop Alberto Rojas — In an act of moral leadership, Bishop Rojas of San Bernardino dispensed Catholics from attending Mass if they fear arrest by ICE — a stark recognition that even churches are no longer safe havens. So where, exactly, are the self-proclaimed defenders of “religious freedom” now?
Petty Officer Scott Ruskan — Just six months out of rescue swimmer school, he dove headfirst into his first mission during Texas’ deadly floods. He is credited with saving 165 lives. A true hero!
Sens. Cory Booker and Alex Padilla — They introduced a new bill requiring CBP and ICE officers to wear legible IDs and not wear face coverings. Seems very reasonable.
Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson — Asked what keeps her up at night she said, "I would say the state of our democracy. I am really very interested in getting people to focus, to invest and to pay attention to what is happening in our country and in our government.” Me too!
David Gergen (RIP) — The White House adviser to four U.S. presidents and former political commentator died this week at the age of 83. Mr. Gergen advised Presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. Rest in peace.
DOJ official Patty Hartman — After 17 years she was fired on Monday by Pam Bondi for being part of the January 6 investigation. Hartman warned that the White House is directing Pam Bondi’s moves in order to implement Trump’s retribution. The DOJ has now fired 26 people who worked on Jack Smith's team. So much for an apolitical DOJ.
Harlem Baseball Hitting Academy Founder Yeoman Wilder — When ICE Agents began questioning his students (who are all U.S. citizens) he confronted the officials and told them they didn't need to answer any questions. Baseball coaches shouldn’t have to be Constitutional Law experts, but unfortunately in today’s America it apparently helps if they are.
Mexico — Has sent multiple rescue teams to Texas to assist with search and rescue efforts following the tragic floods. Thank you!
This Week’s Worst Leaders:
The Supreme Court — SCOTUS gave the Trump administration the green light to gut the federal workforce and reshape the executive branch in his image. I wonder, would the Court have ruled the same way if Kamala Harris had won last November?
Elon Musk & Grok — After Elon Musk assured the world that Grok was “improving,” the AI began referring to itself as “MechaHitler.” Grok’s descent into antisemitism and fascism wasn’t accidental.
El Salvador & Trump — El Salvador now says it bears NO legal responsibility for the 200 Venezuelan men Trump ordered into its notorious maximum-security prison. The Trump administration says otherwise. Someone is lying.
Mike Lindell’s Lawyers — Mike Lindell’s attorneys filed a legal brief filled with fake cases generated by AI and then lied to a federal judge about it. I wonder, did they use Grok to pass the bar exam?
Texas Fire Chief Joel G. Baker — As floodwaters rose and children died, Chief Baker reportedly delayed swift water rescue deployments over budget concerns. I always thought old school fiscal conservatism was based on the idea that “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Unfortunately, the new brand seems to prioritize money over kids.
Sec. Pete Hegseth — Trump’s Secretary of Defense reportedly halted weapons to Ukraine without first informing the White House. Seriously? Who is running this government?
President Trump — He announced a multitude of new tariffs including levying a 50% tariff on Brazil in retaliation for its prosecution of former President Jair Bolsonaro over his attempted coup. So, Trump wants us to pay more for goods from Brazil so he can try to save a political ally who is now on trial for corruption in his own country? That’s America First? Oh, he also announced 35% tariffs on Canada and 30% tariffs on the EU and Mexico. Here we go again!
Benjamin Netanyahu — During his visit to Washington, Bibi handed Trump a copy of his letter nominating Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Friends, you cannot make this stuff up.
Senate Republicans — They blocked an effort by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto to restore the 100 percent tax deduction for gambling losses after it was cut down to 90 percent in President Trump’s BBB. So, republicans are for people paying taxes on losses now? And they call themselves pro-business?
Sec. Kristi Noem — She didn’t approve FEMA rescue teams for more than 72 hours after the Texas floods, following a rule she implemented that requires her personal sign-off on any operation costing over $100K. I’m all for government oversight, but this is an absurd bureaucratic policy that likely cost dozens of lives.
The State Department — Fired ~1,350 employees as part of the administration’s plans to radically overhaul American diplomacy, scaling back our efforts to promote democracy and combat human rights abuses around the world. What could possibly go wrong?
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe — He signed legislation repealing a voter-approved law that guaranteed paid sick leave to workers and adjusted the minimum wage to inflation. 58% of Missouri voters went to the polls and voted for the law. But who cares what they wanted anyway? Why should that matter to a GOP Governor of a red state?
The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) — Is implementing a new "America First" assessment developed by right wing outlet PragerU for new teachers relocating into the state. Well, I guess they desperately wanted to maintain their education ranking among the states which is…49th out of 50.
AG Pam Bondi — Her response to the non-release of the Epstein files has been so atrocious that even MAGA seems to be done with her. Even with Trump’s endorsement does she survive another week? How many government officials end up resigning or getting fired over this scandal? I’ll set the Over/Under at 1.5.
Tucker Carlson — Without any evidence whatsoever, he told Turning Point USA that Jeffrey Epstein was a Mossad Agent. Gee, between him and Elon, I wonder where the bulk of antisemitic conspiracy theories originate from these days? Hmmmm…
