Instapaper Weekly – May 17, 2026

The week's most popular stories SPONSORED From Palabra.ai Palabra — real-time voice translation that sounds like you. palabra.ai For engineers — Free API key. Embed live voice translation into any product in minutes. For creators & marketers — Stream in 60+ languages on YouTube, OBS, or any platform. No dubs, no delay. For teams — Native integration with Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet. Zero plugins. Trusted by people from DHL, UNICEF, Paramount, BCG, Deloitte. Try Palabra.ai free Most Popular Friday May 15, 2026 What is the Thucydides Trap and why did Xi Jinping mention it in his meeting with Donald Trump? theguardian.com A messy war in the Middle East. Tensions in Taiwan. When the leaders of the world’s two superpowers met in Beijing this week, these were the flashpoints everyone expected they would talk about. Instead, Chinese... Save Thursday May 14, 2026 Why Steve Kerr stayed with the Warriors espn.com STEVE KERR WALKED into the lobby of the Beverly Wilshire with a secret. Win or lose, he'd decided to retire as head coach of the Golden State Warriors. It was a Tuesday morning in mid-April,... Save Wednesday May 13, 2026 Software Developers Say AI Is Rotting Their Brains 404media.co Tech company executives are confident that AI will completely transform the economy and point to the changes they see in-house to prove that this change is coming fast. At Meta, Google, Microsoft, and others, leadership... Save Tuesday May 12, 2026 Why the Future of College Could Look Like OnlyFans newyorker.com Fault Lines Universities have become generic, one professor and former dean argues. In the A.I. era, students may demand something they can’t get elsewhere. May 12, 2026 Photograph by David Rowland / Getty This is... Save Monday May 11, 2026 I Work in Hollywood. Everyone Who Used to Make TV Is Now Secretly Training AI wired.com My name on the platform is ri611. Or h924092b12ee797f, depending on who’s paying me. I work as an AI trainer. I assess whether a chatbot’s tone is natural or flat, affected or annoying. I identify... Save Sunday May 10, 2026 Checkmate in Iran theatlantic.com It’s hard to think of a time when the United States suffered a total defeat in a conflict, a setback so decisive that the strategic loss could be neither repaired nor ignored. The calamitous losses... Save Saturday May 9, 2026 How China’s Leader Lost Faith in His Generals nytimes.com Xi Jinping spent 13 years building a military to rival that of the United States. But the stronger the Chinese forces grew, the less he trusted the generals he had handpicked to run them. Listen... Save instapaper.com  ·  @instapaper  ·  unsubscribe © 2026 Instapaper, All rights reserved. P.O. Box 310663 · Brooklyn, NY 11231