Clay weekly context brief for the Substack category (ISO week 2026-W34). Clay tracks publications from the Substack feed list. Below are recent items from this category, each with its source and a short description of what the publication covers when one is available in the source feed. Recent publications: 1. The Scientists Who Want to Steer Hurricanes Source: Bari Weiss Link: https://www.thefp.com/p/scientists-cloud-seeding-hurricanes-ai-tropical-storms-natural-disasters A new study suggests cloud seeding could help us divert tropical storms. But do we have the right to meddle with acts of God? Evan Gardner reports. 2. Sunday thought: Beyond shock and outrage Source: Robert Reich Link: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/sunday-thought-beyond-the-lies Surviving a madman 3. Community Wisdom: Recovering from burnout, what Airtables sale says about the ceiling on a startup, keeping architecture docs up to date, running competitor Source: Lenny Rachitsky Link: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/community-wisdom-recovering-from Community Wisdom 197 4. London meetup with Rob Henderson Source: Rob Henderson Link: https://www.robkhenderson.com/p/london-meetup-with-rob-henderson August 20 5. August 14, 2026 Source: Heather Cox Richardson Link: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/august-14-2026 Today the Trump administration asked the United States Supreme Court to let it build Trumps ballroom where the East Wing of the White House used to be. 6. What is college worth? Source: Matthew Yglesias Link: https://www.slowboring.com/p/what-is-college-worth An enrollment cliff combined with high sticker prices no one is paying has some private colleges rethinking their tuition. 7. THE RISE OF AOC: Outside, in Source: Anand Giridharadas Link: https://the.ink/p/the-rise-of-aoc-outside-in Can a renegade make peace with the system -- and change it? 8. The Pinocchio Presidency Source: Dan Rather Link: https://steady.substack.com/p/the-pinocchio-presidency Leavitt is leaving as the lies start falling on deaf ears 9. Listen to This Article: Cliché Alert: Return of the "Beer Test" Source: Matt Taibbi Link: https://www.racket.news/p/listen-to-this-article-cliche-alert Narrated Version | The New York Times reverts to old form, thanks to a blue-party schism. 10. The strongest experimental hint that gravity is quantum in nature Source: Ethan Siegel Link: https://startswithabang.substack.com/p/the-strongest-experimental-hint-that At a fundamental level, nobody knows whether gravity is truly quantum in nature. A novel experiment strongly hints that it is. 11. Submit Your Questions for This Week's Q&A Episode Source: Glenn Greenwald Link: https://greenwald.substack.com/p/submit-your-questions-for-this-weeks-273 Live TONIGHT at 7:00 p.m. Eastern, Glenn will answer your questions, all of which you can submit by commenting on this recurring post. 12. Hoe Mayor Source: Hunter Harris Link: https://hunterharris.substack.com/p/eric-adams-vegetable-thirst-trap The Devil Eric Adams do be finding work. 13. Toronto Webworm Meetup Source: David Farrier Link: https://www.webworm.co/torontowebwormmeet/ Make sure you RSVP! 14. Anthropics Watermarking, How It (Probably) Works, Worse Than It Seems Source: Ben Thompson Link: https://stratechery.com/2026/anthropics-watermarking-how-it-probably-works-worse-than-it-seems/ Anthropic is adding watermarking in response to the E.U.'s AI law. It's a terrible idea, first and foremost for philosophical reasons. 15. Announcing the latest book from StarTalk! Source: Neil deGrasse Tyson Link: https://startalk.substack.com/p/announcing-the-latest-book-from-startalk Start your countdown to get Lost in Space! 16. Superintelligence is a dragon Source: Casey Newton Link: https://www.platformer.news/zuckerberg-ai-manifesto-dragons/ What Mark Zuckerberg misunderstands about powerful AI 17. Reforging The Mechanical Crown cover Source: Simon K Jones Link: https://simonkjones.substack.com/p/reforging-the-mechanical-crown-cover Watch now | Several very bad covers, an OK cover and a very good cover 18. "The Illumination of Santiago" Source: George Saunders Link: https://georgesaunders.substack.com/p/the-illumination-of-santiago A new story for us, by Nona Fernández 19. The Bear Cave #338 Source: Edwin Dorsey Link: https://thebearcave.substack.com/p/the-bear-cave-338 New Activist Reports, Recent Resignations, and Tweets of the Week 20. VFYW: A View Askew Source: Andrew Sullivan Link: https://andrewsullivan.substack.com/p/vfyw-a-view-askew For contest #518, the scene centers on a quirky building, but lots of cooler things are nearby, including the biggest water fight in the world. 21. 428: Midwest data centers and homegrown fantasists Source: Helen Lewis Link: https://helenlewis.substack.com/p/428-midwest-data-centers-and-homegrown "thats the kind of thing wed remember" 22. Ego, Ecstasy, and Equanimity (Ep. 488) Source: Sam Harris Link: https://samharris.substack.com/p/ego-ecstasy-and-equanimity-ep-488 A Conversation with Neal Brennan 23. The influencer teaching millions to fear solar Source: Emily Atkin Link: https://heated.world/p/the-influencer-teaching-millions Alexandra Fasulo says shes protecting farms and wildlife. How much of her rhetoric is actually true? 24. Remembering Francis Crick Source: David Eagleman Link: https://davideagleman.substack.com/p/remembering-francis-crick What a life-changing opportunity for a young scientist... 25. Everything You Need to Know About Kimi K3, the Latest Model From China to Shake Up AI Source: Kara Swisher Link: https://www.bigtechnology.com/p/everything-you-need-to-know-about Here's how the web reacted to Kimi K3's performance, politics, and how it changes the AI race. 26. Turns out people will leave the house for wellness Source: Rosamund Dean Link: https://rosamunddean.substack.com/p/liz-earle-healthy-ageing-tips What happened at the first-ever Well Well Well Live with Liz Earle 27. Richard Dawkins is coming to Australia and New Zealand Source: Richard Dawkins Link: https://richarddawkins.substack.com/p/richard-dawkins-is-coming-to-australia 50 Years of The Selfish Gene. One final tour. 28. If you're missing the Culture Study Gift Guide.... Source: Anne Helen Petersen Link: https://annehelen.substack.com/p/if-youre-missing-the-culture-study Somehow it's even better than last year 29. The Seventh Wave. Episode 47. Source: Salman Rushdie Link: https://salmanrushdie.substack.com/p/the-seventh-wave-episode-47 Episode 47 30. Part 5 Alfred Wolfsohn, my father 1896-1962. Source: Michael Faraday Link: https://michaelfaraday.substack.com/p/part-5-alfred-wolfsohn-my-father His early life 31. Mangione Pleaded Guilty to Stalking. Hes Still on the Hook for Murder. Source: Bari Weiss Link: https://www.thefp.com/p/mangione-pleaded-guilty-stalking Despite his federal plea, New York can almost certainly still prosecute him for serious crimes, writes Jed Rubenfeld. 32. How to Dump the Trump | The Coffee Klatch for Saturday, August 15, 2026 Source: Robert Reich Link: https://robertreich.substack.com/p/how-to-dump-the-trump-the-coffee With Heather Lofthouse and Kamau Bell 33. How to make people care about your startup Source: Lenny Rachitsky Link: https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/p/how-to-make-people-care-about-your Three founder archetypesand how to turn your origin story into a communications strategy 34. Intimacy, Self-Promotion, Criminality Source: Rob Henderson Link: https://www.robkhenderson.com/p/intimacy-self-promotion-criminality Links and recommendations 35. August 13, 2026 Source: Heather Cox Richardson Link: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/august-13-2026 Today Trumps handpicked Kennedy Center board voted to put Trumps name back on the Kennedy Center, this time in letters saying the building was Restored and Renovated by President Donald J. Sources in this brief: Anand Giridharadas; Andrew Sullivan; Anne Helen Petersen; Bari Weiss; Ben Thompson; Casey Newton; Dan Rather; David Eagleman; David Farrier; Edwin Dorsey; Emily Atkin; Ethan Siegel; George Saunders; Glenn Greenwald; Heather Cox Richardson; Helen Lewis; Hunter Harris; Kara Swisher; Lenny Rachitsky; Matt Taibbi; Matthew Yglesias; Michael Faraday; Neil deGrasse Tyson; Richard Dawkins; Rob Henderson; Robert Reich; Rosamund Dean; Salman Rushdie; Sam Harris; Simon K Jones. Selected 35 of 543 available items for this weekly brief.