ICE deletes post on X that said it’s their job to stop illegal ideas from crossing the border; spokesperson says it ‘should not have been shared’ www.cnn.com/politics/liv...

New from 404 Media: Low quality books that appear to be AI generated are making their way into public libraries, forcing librarians to sort through a functionally infinite number of books to determine what is written by humans and what is generated by AI. www.404media.co/ai-generated...

AI-Generated Slop Is Already In Your Public Library

Librarians say that taxpayers are already paying for low quality AI-generated ebooks in public libraries.

404media.co

The man in control of the Utah-based rightwing militia Oath Keepers USA, a recent spinoff of the national organization first established by Stewart Rhodes in 2009, is a former Las Vegas metropolitan police department homicide detective who left the force in acrimony after advocating “race war”.

Key Oath Keepers leader revealed as former Las Vegas police detective

Details about Utah-based Robert Kinch, who backed ‘race war’, suggest rightwing militia has retained links with police

theguardian.com

violent criminals are using u-haul employee logins to stalk and dox victims. u-haul has done nothing about this and hasn't responded to any communications about the problem www.404media.co/violent-hack...

Violent Hackers Are Using U-Haul To Dox Targets

Members of an underground criminal community are targeting U-Haul because of the wealth of non-public information it can hold on targets.

404media.co

I was reading an article about Ballad Health, which sounds like a terrible local hospital monopoly, and it mentioned offhand this incident in which the CEO scrubbed in on a cardiac surgery, and then the surgeon LET HIM DO THE INITIAL INCISION. 🤯 www.wjhl.com/news/local/b...

Ballad Health: BRMC CEO resigns after scrubbing in on procedure, performing initial incision under doctor’s supervision

BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL)- Ballad Health CEO Alan Levine made his first public remarks after the Chief Executive Officer at Bristol Regional Medical Center, Greg Neal, recently resigned. Levine said an…

wjhl.com

essential work here on one of the most pervasive and persistent cruelties of incarceration — by @keribla.bsky.social and @shannonheffernan.bsky.social paywall-free at the marshall project site: www.themarshallproject.org/2024/12/12/s...

‘Sleep Don’t Come’: The Dangerous Problem of Sleep Deprivation Behind Bars

Moldy mattresses, 24/7 lights and constant noise contribute to a persistent health and safety crisis in prisons and jails.

themarshallproject.org

Keri Blakinger@keribla.bsky.social · 2y ago

One morning, Steven straggled into the prison shoe factory a little groggy. The prison made him be up at 2 am, so he'd only had 3.5 hrs of sleep when pushed the wrong button & a machine mangled his hand. Here's our deep-dive into the toll of sleep deprivation in prisons and jails:

Incredible reporting by @thecity.bsky.social shows that NYPD is causing more car crashes -- and failing to report when those crashes turn deadly. www.thecity.nyc/2024/12/16/n...

More Than a Crash a Day as NYPD Keeps Pedal to the Metal on Car Chases

Police car chases and crashes spiked after Eric Adams promoted two allies to leadership roles in the NYPD.

thecity.nyc

EVAN GERSHKOVICH IS BACK WHERE HE BELONGS — on the byline of a WSJ article. So great to see Evan publishing stories again. www.wsj.com/world/russia...

Tracking Putin’s Most Feared Secret Agency—From Inside a Russian Prison and Beyond

The spy unit that arrested a Wall Street Journal reporter is leading the biggest campaign of internal repression since Stalin. era.

wsj.com

For everyone just tuning in: The most Jersey political scandal of all time has dropped — www.inquirer.com/news/nation-...

This New Jersey congressman faked his Spotify Wrapped results to look like more of a Springsteen fan

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey admitted that he manipulated his Spotify Wrapped results to be Bruce Springsteen-forward. Was it an attempt at pandering for the governor candidate?

inquirer.com

Our latest investigation started with a video I found online. It was a Discord chat. Someone appears to self-immolate on cam as others watched. Some in voice chat laugh, another says "shoutout fmlk" Using OSINT evidence, we tracked down and interviewed "Fmlk" www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

He was suicidal and needed help. Online predators pushed him to take his life on camera.

The death of a Minnesota man offers a case study into how a sadistic online group has used the messaging app Discord to find and torment vulnerable people

washingtonpost.com

Trans women in Florida prisons now have to get breast exams to figure out whether their breasts are big enough that prison officials think they should get to keep their bras. Wild reporting from @journo-beth.bsky.social : www.themarshallproject.org/2024/12/10/n...

Last month, I fell down an absolutely bizarre rabbit hole trying to figure out who was ripping off articles from Oregon journalists. What I found was identity theft, plagiarism and an absolutely terrifying future for local journalism led by AI scammers. My latest:

AI slop is already invading Oregon’s local journalism

The Ashland Daily Tidings — established as a newspaper in 1876 — ceased operations in 2023, but if you were a local reader, you may not have known because of an elaborate scam using artificial intelli...

opb.org

Scoop: After the LA Times published a piece about Elon Musk that carried a headline owner Patrick Soon-Shiong didn't like, a new rule was implemented: Prior to publishing opinion stories, headlines must be emailed to Soon-Shiong, where he can then choose to weigh in. www.status.news/p/los-angele...

The Times They Are A-Changin’

Staffers at the Los Angeles Times described to Status a demoralized publication depleted of its spirit in which employees are "confused," "offended," and "frustrated."

status.news

A yelling match erupted during a congressional hearing Thursday on the attempted assassinations against President-elect Donald Trump, as one congressman accused acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe of attending a 9/11 memorial event as part of a publicity stunt.

Lawmaker accuses acting Secret Service director of 9/11 publicity stunt and ‘auditioning’ to keep his post in tense exchange | CNN Politics

A yelling match erupted during a congressional hearing Thursday on the attempted assassinations against President-elect Donald Trump, as one congressman accused acting Secret Service Director Ronald R...

cnn.com

"Several current federal employees told CNN they’re afraid their lives will be forever changed – including physically threatened – as Musk makes behind-the-scenes bureaucrats into personal targets." via @hadasgold.bsky.social and Rene Marsh

Elon Musk publicized the names of government employees he wants to cut. It’s terrifying federal workers | CNN Business

When President-elect Donald Trump said Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would recommend major cuts to the federal government in his administration, many public employees knew that their jobs could be on ...

cnn.com

Mediate reports that incoming Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed that states that refused to “cooperate” with President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for the mass deportation of those in the U.S. illegally would have their federal funding slashed in retribution. www.mediaite.com/tv/tom-homan...

Tom Homan Confirms Trump Will Slash Funds to States Not Willing to ‘Cooperate’ on Mass Deportation Plan

Homan confirmed that states that refused to “cooperate” with Trump's plans for the mass deportation would have their federal funding slashed in retribution.

mediaite.com

🧵🧵 While everyone was understandably focused on national politics, something happened in Texas this week that has received far less attention than it deserves, given its potential consequences. And I'd guess even very plugged-in folks dont realize the full scope. Let me explain (at length):

Tim Foley of Arizona Border Recon, a paramilitary group, claimed he's "in talks with a few different people" from the incoming admin and he expects to be a valuable resource to them. "We have a better lay of the land than the federal agents do" he said. www.wired.com/story/border...

Border Militias Prepare to Assist With Donald Trump’s Mass Deportation Plans

Militias that patrol the US border with Mexico are thrilled that Donald Trump has been elected—and plan to be a “valuable resource” to the incoming administration, whether or not they’re asked.

wired.com

Pokemon Go players have been unwittingly mapping the entire world to train a geospatial AI model whose most obvious use cases are for robotic navigation and possibly the military www.404media.co/pokemon-go-p...

Pokémon Go Players Have Unwittingly Trained AI to Navigate the World

Niantic says it is using data generated by Pokémon Go players to create a “Large Geospatial Model” that can navigate the real world and power robots.

404media.co

this is like something a character in Animal Farm would say, and every 6th grader in the classroom would understand why it's wrong www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/o...

Election fraud conspiracy theories have resurfaced, with "BlueAnon" linking Elon Musk's Starlink to VP Kamala Harris's defeat. ISD's @elisethomas.bsky.social tells WIRED how influencers fuel these left-wing claims for clout, spreading narratives through "collective storytelling."

Left-wing election fraud narratives linking Elon Musk’s Starlink to Kamala Harris’s defeat

Elise Thomas discussed with WIRED the surge in election fraud claims, including a conspiracy tying Trump’s victory to Elon Musk’s Starlink internet satellite system.

isdglobal.org

EXCLUSIVE: Aiming to 'radicalize Main Street,' Christian nationalists set sights on tiny Jackson County, Tennessee www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...

Aiming to 'radicalize Main Street,' Christian nationalists set sights on tiny Jackson County, Tennessee

Christian nationalists have set their sights on a remote Tennessee county, hoping to attract like-minded people from across the country as part of their efforts to “radicalize Main Street.”

newschannel5.com

Here is Oklahoma’s state school superintendent, praying for Donald Trump to continue his work to defeat the radical left in America, in a video he wants to require every public school student to watch All under the banner of removing ideology from schools

NEW: Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a @propublica analysis found. www.propublica.org/article/segr...

Segregation Academies Across the South Are Getting Millions in Taxpayer Dollars

North Carolina offers an especially telling window into what is happening across this once legally segregated region where legislatures are now rapidly expanding and adopting controversial voucher-sty...

propublica.org

Weeks before a progressive Plano church was firebombed, a group of anti-LGBTQ YouTubers showed up to troll them. Members of the church welcomed them with open arms — even after the YouTubers revealed their true intentions.

Anti-LGBTQ YouTubers trolled a progressive Plano church. It was firebombed weeks later

Weeks before the Community Unitarian Universalist Church of Plano was attacked by a firebomb early Sunday, members of the church welcomed four strangers — one...

dallasnews.com

In rural East Texas, the arrival of some newcomers has tested locals' down-home willingness to welcome strangers as neighbors. The worry? A cult takeover. I went to Marietta to see what all the fuss is about

Eccentric group moves into East Texas town. Residents worry about talk of ‘ascension’

A few months ago, Marietta's Ole Town Cafe fell into the hands of a new group. They call themselves Profundity Yours, and consist of around a dozen people led...

dallasnews.com