David Beard
@dabeard.bsky.social
Writer, editor, newsletterer. Pro-clarity, accuracy, peace, love, understanding. Inveterate reader, traveler, listener, walker.
Former J6 federal prosecutors are begging senators -- mostly GOPers, but a handful of Dems are in there, too -- to stop confirming election deniers to lifetime federal courts seats. “Please stop poisoning our courts." www.huffpost.com/entry/live-u...
Former J6 Prosecutors Beg Senators To Stop Confirming Election Deniers To Court Seats
huffpost.com
By creating special rules only for minors, this bill pushes AI companies toward age verification—meaning more data collection, not less. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...
The Youth AI Privacy Act’s Privacy Paradox
The Senate Commerce Committee is poised to consider the Youth AI Privacy Act, a bill that would require AI companies to create kids-only privacy rules and implement so-called “safe design features,”
eff.org
"President Donald Trump’s administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops as it rolls back immigration protections for military families to pursue its mass deportation agenda." https://bit.ly/4br4M4m
AP Exclusive: Trump's immigration crackdown has detained more than 50 military spouses and parents
An Associated Press investigation reveals that President Donald Trump’s administration has detained dozens of parents and spouses of active-duty U.S. troops.
bit.ly
🇺🇸❗️🇺🇦 Trump rejected Zelenskyy's request to supply Ukraine with hundreds of Patriot missiles, - FT Sources reported that Trump cited the US's limited stockpile of these missiles for his decision, arguing that they were necessary to protect American facilities in the Middle East…
Pres. Zelensky on X: 'Ballistic missile interceptors could have saved the lives of those killed today. It is very important that our partners understand that delays in supplying them, or an unwillingness to provide anti-ballistic systems, lead directly to such horrific casualties and destruction.'
NEW: Amid AG confirmation battle, Todd Blanche assured anti-abortion activists that he's working to make Dobbs 'permanent in every single state.' Admin will act 'soon' to limit mail-order abortion drugs. w/ @alicemiranda.bsky.social www.politico.com/news/2026/08...
Blanche assures anti-abortion supporters that Dobbs will be ‘permanent in every single state’
The acting attorney general made the remarks during a private call with faith leaders.
politico.com
Nobody wants to talk about those things… because they don’t exist? The current average price for a dozen eggs is $2.14. For a gallon of milk it’s $4.32. fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU00... fred.stlouisfed.org/series/APU00...
Average Price: Milk, Fresh, Whole, Fortified (Cost per Gallon/3.8 Liters) in U.S. City Average
Average Price: Milk, Fresh, Whole, Fortified (Cost per Gallon/3.8 Liters) in U.S. City Average
fred.stlouisfed.org
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 21h agoTom Emmer on Republicans trailing Dems by 8 points in the generic ballot: "Right now there are great things happening in our economy. Nobody wants to talk about 78 cent eggs, nobody wants to talk about milk that's under $2. No no. They want to focus on gas prices."
No money to help with healthcare, Head Start or food for the poor, but Trump impulsively spends $7 billion in US taxpayer money on no-bid contracts for 11 polar icebreaking ships. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/c...
Trump’s Fixation on Arctic Ships Led to Billions in No-Bid Contracts (Gift Article)
The president decided to buy 11 polar icebreakers after a game of golf with Finland’s president. Experts say it’s far from clear the United States needs so many.
nytimes.com
"More needs to be made of this," a senior CBS News staffer tells me about the 60 Minutes story that Sharyn Alfonsi was working on about Epstein and banks that appears to have been scuttled after her firing. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Uber Strategy for Fighting Sexual Assault Suits: Shame, Scare and Demean The Victims www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/b...
Uber’s Strategy for Fighting Sexual Assault Suits: ‘What Were You Wearing?’
The ride-hailing giant promised to handle legal claims “in a way that is best for the survivor.” Its lawyers are pursuing a far more aggressive strategy.
nytimes.com
Today, August 4, 2026, is the setting of Ray Bradbury’s short story “There Will Come Soft Rains” about a fully automated house continuing on after the family who lived there and the world around it died in a nuclear blast.
Somebody’s making money on heating the climate. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/b...
Oil Giant Saudi Aramco Reports 33% Profit Surge, Despite Iran War Disruptions
Higher oil prices propelled a quarterly earnings jump for Saudi Arabia’s energy giant, which used pipelines to work around disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
nytimes.com
NEW/EXCLUSIVE: Deutsche Bank failed to promptly report to US authorities more than $250M in suspicious transactions tied to Epstein, including funds used to pay women in Russia & other Eastern European countries, according to a new report from @wyden.senate.gov 🎁 🧵 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, BofA Enabled Epstein, Wyden Report Says
Democrat Ron Wyden cited nonpublic documents held by the US Treasury in a report that says banks delayed reporting suspicious financial transactions and calls for tougher anti-money-laundering rules, ...
bloomberg.com
Boston-centric "Spider-Man" review: High-school girlfriend goes to MIT, discovers new life in Cambridge and a bigger world. It's her decision, dude.
He spent more than half his life in the US, he’s been here for 2 decades, he was as American as anyone. The nation’s first naturalization act in 1790 made you a citizen after 2 years of residency—but then that was only for free white persons.
Marisa Kabas@marisakabas.bsky.social · 2d agoICE has killed another person.
FYI the states that generate the most wind power are Texas, Iowa, and Oklahoma
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2d agoTrump: "Any country with windmills is a loser"
"Flock cameras are just one part of a vast ecosystem," @lastweektonight.com's John Oliver warned his audience last night. "Check out resources like the EFF's Atlas of Surveillance, which catalogs each of the technologies used in your area." www.atlasofsurveillance.org/
Trump could have owed the IRS as much as $100 million in back taxes from an audit that had been ongoing for years. www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
Trump Gets To Keep Tax Immunity Under DOJ Deal With Republican Senators
The “Anti-Weaponization Fund” might be dead, but President Donald Trump still gets out of paying any back taxes he might have owed.
huffpost.com
“.. Bank of America says the market's reaction to Kevin Warsh resembles an emerging market facing a credibility shock.” @weisenthal.bsky.social
Vance, Farage and Weidel posted fear-mongering messages about a Spanish migrant crisis that weren't true. They haven't retracted them. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
The Far Right Is Distorting Ceuta
We’ve seen this before.
theatlantic.com
What Trump company is in your wallet? www.cnbc.com/2026/08/01/c...
Capital One says it closed Trump Organization's accounts after anti-money laundering probe
The disclosure marks the first time a bank has formally tied money-laundering concerns to U.S. President Donald Trump's family business.
cnbc.com
“Authorities have charged or accused at least 50 law-enforcement officers of using license-plate readers for unauthorized purposes, including to stalk women without their knowledge or consent, a Post analysis of police and court records found.“
How rogue officers turned a nationwide camera network into a tool for stalking
Flock’s array of license-plate cameras was built to fight crime. But at least 50 law enforcement officers were charged with or accused of misusing it and other systems.
wapo.st
"Mr. Miller said he had never scalded Ms. Moreno’s chest and stomach by throwing hot water from a skillet at her body, as she has accused him, dismissing the incident as 'horseplay in our kitchen.'” www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/u...
Ohio Senator Calls Former Son-in-Law Accused of Abuse Unfit for Office
Senator Bernie Moreno, Republican of Ohio, broke his silence about allegations of domestic abuse his daughter has made against Representative Max Miller.
nytimes.com
New from Strength In Numbers: Trump’s immigration agenda and esp deportation operation is unpopular in every swing state — including Maine, where Susan Collins is trying to moderate on ICE www.gelliottmorris.com/p/even-repub...
Even Republicans are backpedaling from Trump's wackadoodle claims on the hacking of US water systems, with one saying even ol' Uncle Don "is entitled to his opinion.' The facts point to Iran. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/u...
Scope of Hacks on U.S. Water Supply Widens as Evidence Points to Iran (Gift Article)
Michigan and Minnesota are among at least seven states coping with cyberattacks aimed at disrupting water systems nationwide.
nytimes.com