A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 63% of Americans oppose Trump's proposed $5,000 'dividend,' and separately he brushed off AI-safety calls by saying a strong, high-IQ president is the only guardrail needed. Japanese netizens read the poll as Americans being cool-headed and mocked the AI line.
Reports say this year's El Niño has reached a record-strong level, a rare rapid flip from last year's La Niña. Japanese message boards answered less with worry than with naming jokes and a sense that 'strongest ever' headlines come around every year.
A video of a man rolling sideways along the ground — described as a lifelong Indian religious austerity — went viral in Japan. Instead of awe or judgment, the reaction fixated on the helpers crouching to lay mats in his path, joked to have the harder job.