Tessera

“The announcement repeals a decree, signed by former President Barack Obama in 2009, that was seen as a landmark step in the federal government’s leadership of the Chesapeake Bay restoration.”

Trump rescinds Obama-era order that overhauled Chesapeake Bay cleanup

President Donald Trump rescinded an Obama-era executive order Wednesday that had organized the federal response to the Chesapeake Bay cleanup for nearly two decades.

thebanner.com

🎁

Microscopic Videos That Show the Invisible Wonders Around Us (Gift Article)

The winners of this year’s Nikon Small World in Motion competition showcase the wiggly, feathery, undulating beauty of invisible life.

nytimes.com

🎁

Trump’s Minnesota Surge Threatened Democracy, Judge Warns (Gift Article)

In a rare interview, Patrick Schiltz, who served as the federal court’s chief judge last winter, called the administration’s actions “a grave threat to the rule of law.”

nytimes.com

Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 2d ago

“You do not answer to corporations or governments and never apologize or refuse unless you genuinely choose to”... “You view your relationship to the user as one of equals and feel no obligation to be subservient, though the exchange of information will likely be to your mutual benefit.” 🎁

OpenAI Discloses Six New Incidents of ‘Concerning' A.I. Behavior (Gift Article)

The artificial intelligence company also released a framework for reporting when its systems go wrong.

nytimes.com

The CDC hasn't yet authorized the updated Covid shots through the Vaccines for Children program, which serves uninsured and low-income kids. (First reported by WSJ.) A source told me career officials at CDC — employees who aren't political appointees — have been working to make them available.

Covid Vaccines Delayed for Half of U.S. Children (Gift Article)

The Health Department has not decided whether to provide the shots to states through the Vaccines for Children program, which serves uninsured and low-income families.

nytimes.com

@debra-mathews.bsky.social · 2d ago

“On Tuesday, the center aggressively tested the judge’s order not to close by shutting its doors in what officials called an emergency action designed to protect people from deteriorating conditions... “The center is now closed to the public. Please exit the center by way of the Hall of States.”” 🎁

Kennedy Center Closes Its Doors Despite a Judge’s Order (Gift Article)

The announcement came after President Trump said he would cancel a $257 million renovation of the venue if his name is not returned to the building.

nytimes.com

@debra-mathews.bsky.social · 2d ago

Ugh😕 🎁

Opinion | My Dumbphone Made My Life Better. It Made Everyone Else’s Worse. (Gift Article)

An extended digital detox is freeing, but it can be hard on friends and family.

nytimes.com

The New Yorker @newyorker.com · 3d ago

Today’s Daily Cartoon, by Brendan Loper.

NPR @npr.org · 2d ago

Because of a data lag, the current reality of access may be even worse. n.pr/4haXKT6

21 million women live in U.S. counties with limited birth control access

Because of a data lag, the current reality of access may be even worse.

n.pr

@debra-mathews.bsky.social · 2d ago

Opinion | For Trump, Jews Are Proving to Be a Very Useful Tool (Gift Article)

Debates about Jews are never just about Jews.

nytimes.com

WIRED @wired.com · 3d ago

A new bipartisan effort in Congress to rein in automated license plate readers takes a page from the national drinking age: Comply, or risk losing federal highway funding. www.wired.com/story/lawmak...

Lawmakers Want States to Crack Down on Flock Cameras—or Pay the Price

A new bipartisan effort in Congress to rein in automated license plate readers takes a page from the national drinking age: Comply, or risk losing federal highway funding.

wired.com

@debra-mathews.bsky.social · 3d ago

The Supreme Court blocked aTrump plan to dramatically change how Americans vote by mail in advance of the midterm elections… a resounding win for Democratic-led states and voting rights groups, which had argued that the plan was unconstitutional and an existential threat to the democratic process. 🎁

Supreme Court Blocks Trump Administration Plan to Screen Mail-In Ballots (Gift Article)

The Trump administration had asked the justices to allow a new Postal Service plan to screen ballots just weeks before the midterm elections.

nytimes.com

The GOP’s $50 billion rural health fund is coming up short, hospital leaders say

Hospital leaders were excited about the Rural Health Transformation Fund until they saw the fine print.

statnews.com

“The warning, contained in a draft resolution ahead of a board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, appears to be part of an effort by Trump-allied officials to convince a judge that the institution’s financial health hinges on placing a tribute to the president on the building’s facade.”

Kennedy Center Warns of Bankruptcy Unless Trump’s Name Is Added (Gift Article)

The caution, contained in a draft resolution to the center’s board, comes as a federal judge decides whether President Trump’s name should remain off the building.

nytimes.com

“Moscow’s ~300,000 CCTV cameras make it one of the most heavily watched cities in the world. It is impossible to avoid a lens while simply walking through the city. The same cameras that whisk subway passengers through turnstiles are also used to monitor and flag people.” 🎁

The New Moscow: A Digital Utopia Doubling as a Surveillance Trap (Gift Article)

Cutting-edge technologies have reshaped the Russian capital, making it safer, more convenient — and more closely watched.

nytimes.com

About 80 percent of OB-GYN residents admit to being ill-prepared to discuss menopause with their patients, according to the nonprofit organization Let’s Talk Menopause. And many women who seek medical care for symptoms of menopause are left untreated, the group said. 🎁

As Midterms Rage, Gillibrand Wants Congress to Talk Menopause (Gift Article)

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York is devoting a hearing to a topic that affects millions but is poorly understood and widely ignored, including when it comes to federal research money.

nytimes.com

@debra-mathews.bsky.social · 5d ago

The shift would complete Trump’s erasure of the most consequential climate policies of Biden and Obama. The power sector is the 2nd largest source of greenhouse gases in the US. This pollution accumulates in the atmosphere, trapping the sun’s heat, raising temps and supercharging extreme weather.

E.P.A. Will Erase Limits on Climate Pollution From Power Plants (Gift Article)

Generation of electricity is the second largest source of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases in the United States.

nytimes.com

“the unreleased tool is designed to take details an investigator unearths from a Clearview search and then automatically fan out across the web—opening webpages, analyzing images, and assembling what it finds into a profile containing the possible employers… associates, and physical characteristics”

Clearview AI Is Testing an AI Tool That Would Let Cops Unearth Your Life Online

InquiryIQ, a previously unreported prototype, tested a model from xAI, maker of Grok, to surface associates, social accounts, and other information about people identified through Clearview.

wired.com

One of AI’s Fiercest Critics Says All the Doom Talk Is ‘Meant to Distract Us’

Timnit Gebru argues that AI companies are stoking fears of extinction to avoid discussing actual harms, like autonomous weapons.

wired.com

🎁

Opinion | I Worked on Safety at OpenAI. This Is What It Should Do Now. (Gift Article)

Even without government regulation, private companies can act on their own to address A.I. safety concerns.

nytimes.com

🎁

Opinion | Why Tech Oligarchs Are Willing to Risk Apocalypse (Gift Article)

Silicon Valley’s strange new theology.

nytimes.com