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Mother Jones – “From nationalizing voter suppression to flooding the streets with federal agents, the president and his allies are using all the tricks in the authoritarian playbook to tilt the midterms in their favor. The scale of Trump’s interference in the midterms has become crystal clear in recent weeks. The president pressured Texas to …
404 Media: “Employees at Robert F Kennedy Jr.’s Department of Health and Human Services received an email Tuesday morning with the subject line “AI Deployment,” which told them that ChatGPT would be rolled out for all employees at the agency. The deployment is being overseen by Clark Minor, a former Palantir employee who’s now Chief …
See also Greg Olear – The Real Epstein List – A survey of the rich & powerful individuals who elevated Jeffrey Epstein, hired him, funded him, enabled him, befriended him, and/or partook of his services. Includes name and bios and information about each person’s relationship with Epstein. Dean Blundell – “The House Oversight just published …
Search Engine Land: “AI search is growing, but Google still dominates, as 95% of ChatGPT users visit Google, but just 14% of Google users go to ChatGPT. Despite ChatGPT’s explosive growth, nearly all of its users also turn to Google, per new Similarweb data shared by SEO consultant Brodie Clark. In August: 95.3% of ChatGPT …
Follow up to Burner Phone 101 Workshop – See also It Is Happening – Don’t cross a U.S. border without a “perfect burner phone”: “More and more people — both Americans and non-U.S. citizens — are thinking twice before traveling into the United States with their phones. And for good reason. Under Trump 2.0, phone …
The Economist [paywall] – Is the decline of reading making politics dumber? As people read less they think less clearly, scholars fear – [No Paywall] The Economist’s data guru Alex Selby-Boothroyd: “Sentences are getting shorter. Fact. I made this chart using Sondre Ulvund Solstad’s excellent analysis of the New York Times bestseller list for a …
How to Geek – “Despite what most tech companies will tell you, not everything needs to be smart, designed around an AI assistant, or turned into an app. Sometimes, the old bits of tech you have lurking in your closet are still the best choice. Here are some retro gadgets that you might still have …
Field Guide of All the Birds We Found One Year in the United States Paperback – August 6, 2025, by Quentin Reiser (Author, Illustrator), Owen Reiser (Contributor) Two brothers learn about competitive birdwatching by becoming birdwatchers—spending a year living in a used minivan, traveling the country to compete in a ‘Big Year’. find the field …
Via Reddit – What Verizon Collects – Source: Verizon Full Privacy Policy: https://www.verizon.com/about/privacy/full-privacy-policy Identity & Billing Info (Name, SSN, Driver’s License, Voiceprints): Verified on page 2. Your Usage Data (Call/text records, websites visited, app usage, location): Verified on page 2. Service Details (Device IDs, router info, streaming habits, driving speed): Verified on page 2. Website/App …
NNG – Summary: Our study shows that generative AI is reshaping search, but long-standing habits persist. Many users still default to Google, giving Gemini a fighting chance. Kate Moran, Maria Rosala and Josh Brown. August 15, 2025. Generative AI (genAI) is reshaping how people search for information. Anyone watching their content pageviews decline is currently …
ProPublica: “…The shock troops of DOGE, at the Social Security Administration and myriad other federal agencies, were the advance guard in perhaps the most dramatic transformation of the U.S. government since the New Deal. And despite the highly public departure of DOGE’s leader, Elon Musk, that campaign continues today. Key DOGE team members have transitioned …
Government Executive – “Federal agencies have deployed nearly 33,000 employees to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement in its efforts to dramatically ramp up detention and deportation of undocumented individuals, according to a new report, significantly multiplying the number of employees working on enforcement efforts. About 20,000 of those employees came from outside ICE, the Cato …