Hochul pauses data center builds in bid to get better legislation using un-preemptable local power mainstays (land use, utility reg.). Gov Abbott on similar course. But hyperscalers can route around without all states/feds adopting same policy. open.substack.com/pub/kevinlee...

New York’s data center moratorium and the material turn in AI governance

The political calculus led NY's governor to take a bold step that could benefit the nation

open.substack.com

Crystalline waters in Rittenhouse Square. #philly

@joshuabenton.com nails it: Australia has revised its news "bargaining" initiative to add a tax to its platform-news bargaining nudge. But it continues the fiction that this is about IP theft and not advertising monopoly. Better get serious fast about new taxes. www.niemanlab.org/2026/05/aust...

Australia’s building a great system to fund local journalism — but it doesn’t want to use it

Its proposed replacement for the News Media Bargaining Code retains its original sin: pretending that a public policy decision is actually just a little nudge to help the free market.

niemanlab.org

Disgusted that House passed Farm Bill with pork industry provision to preempt state law protections against pig torture and promotion of ethical animal husbandry. Good that Rep. Fitzpatrick (R. PA-1) voted against.

If you believe states should be able regulate against animal cruelty and that pigs should be able to turn around while being grown for bacon — Demand YES vote this week on the Luna Amendment to remove Save Our Bacon from the Farm Bill.

Beej Cat ⓥ 🌱🐝🦉🐦‍⬛🇺🇸🇺🇦🇨🇦☮️@beejcat.bsky.social · 5mo ago

I know it’s tiring making calls to senators and reps, but I’m asking everyone to please make a few more. CONGRESSIONAL SWITCHBOARD: (202) 224-3121 -Ban the sale of pork from crated pigs -OPPOSE the Farm Bill unless the Save Our Bacon Act is removed It only takes a couple of minutes. 🙏

Synthetic data solves some problems; creates more. "When an AI agent makes a consequential decision... tracing [it] through layers of synthetic data to determine whether it reflects a legitimate pattern or fabricated artifacts is currently impossible." www.techpolicy.press/the-urgency-...

The Urgency of Standards for Synthetic Data in the Era of Agentic AI

Synthetic data fuels AI but risks bias, opacity, and weak accountability—demanding standards, transparency, and governance frameworks, argues Marcelle Momha.

techpolicy.press

This essay is a beautiful explication of this truth: building a cognitive trade is time under tension. For the one who offloads to the machine “The year happened around him but not inside him. He shipped a product, but he didn't learn a trade.”

Minas Karamanis@minaskar.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Hey, I wrote a thing about AI in astrophysics ergosphere.blog/posts/the-ma...

Pleased to have signed this letter laying out why it’s illegal what FCC Chair Carr is doing to broadcasters.

TechFreedom@techfreedom.org · 5mo ago

FCC Chair Brendan Carr is weaponizing the “public interest” standard against viewpoints he dislikes. Such jawboning violates the First Amendment, due process, and the rule of law. 75+ civil society groups & free speech experts joined us in this coalition letter 🧵 techfreedom.org/fcc-threats-...

Oy gevult…painful important read.

Justin Hendrix@justinhendrix.bsky.social · 5mo ago

1/ I've taught/referenced three democracy indexes/reports over the years- from Freedom House, the V-Dem Institute, and The Economist Intelligence Unit. V-Dem just came out with its 2026 report. Like most measures of the health of democracy, it's not good news. www.v-dem.net/documents/75...

Meta changes ad disclosure from “sponsored” to “ad”. Less noticeable, though FTC research suggests more effective in communicating commercial intent (contrary to implication of this piece). www.socialmediatoday.com/news/meta-is...

Philly first city to create AI "enforcement package" on trolley routes: detection of illegally parked cars + recording of infraction. A good case for automated enforcement. Boosts public transit by forcing cars to internalize costs of road blockage. nationaltoday.com/us/pa/philad...

SEPTA Deploys AI Cameras on Trolleys to Catch Parking Violations - Philadelphia Today

SEPTA and the Philadelphia Parking Authority are installing artificial intelligence cameras on trolleys across the city to identify and enforce instances of illegal parking that block trolley routes. ...

nationaltoday.com

Trump’s AI EO 14365 requires Commerce Dept to identify state AI laws they want to preempt and FTC to address Sec. 5 authorities for AI. Deadline was yesterday. Haven’t seen either.

Working on the long game for press and speech freedoms… a 2nd amendment strategy for the Press Clause that gives journalism enforceable rights… someday…and a Roe-strategy for campaign finance: passing state trigger laws to take effect when Citizens United is overruled.

I appreciate @newsguard.bsky.social fact checking claim about Bad Bunny giving away Grammy to five-year old child ICE detained as bait. I believed the false claim.

Love that this AI policy plan focuses on enabling authentication tools rather than labeling for deepfakes www.alexbores.nyc/files/Bores_...

AI as “Normal technology” perspective on future of law: good and bad frictions to converting “intelligence” into legal service. @sayash @randomwalker @justincurl arvindhttps://open.substack.com/pub/aisnakeoil/p/ai-wont-automatically-make-legal?r=8soxw&utm_medium=ios

AI Won’t Automatically Make Legal Services Cheaper

Applying the AI as Normal Technology framework to legal services

open.substack.com

Rabbi Eli Schlanger was just murdered in the Bondi Beach Hanukkah massacre. He was interviewed about rising Jew hate in Australia last year: “My car—emblazoned with mitzvah symbols—is a living example of pride and resilience….Be more Jewish, act more Jewish and appear more Jewish.” Amen. Z’l.

Local libraries may be the last trusted institution. As part of public information infrastructure stack, makes sense for them to play at edge by reviving local news. But it’s dangerous for trust. Hope Ann Arbor can pull it off and model it aadl.org/node/647334

First philly council hearing on public agency AI — Wed. @Councilwoman Rue Landau, @TechTonics phillytechjustice.org/hearing/

Hearing

Visit the post for more.

phillytechjustice.org

“There could be barriers to gaining information about [ai] inner workings, …or prove a poor outcome was caused by the AI system.” This is one reason developers and deployers don’t want xAI/transparency and why law should require it. As an input to accountability.

Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 10mo ago

In a development absolutely everyone saw coming….

שהחיינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה 🌻

Who is staying up all night to see every last living hostage returned home, please God? זמן שמחתנו!

Wonderful to see this out!

#philly

Toronto Film Festival cancels film about dad rescuing his daughters from Nova Festival in 10/7/23. Reason #1: filmaker didn’t get copyright license from Hamas to use GoPro footage of massacre! Reason #2: something something word salad fear of protests. Incoherent and craven.

Gotta love it. Why Is Martha’s Vineyard Going Vegan? It’s All About Tick Bites. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/12/d...

Why Is Martha’s Vineyard Going Vegan? It’s All About Tick Bites.

nytimes.com

A hugely important verdict. The victims were pedestrians, so Tesla can't argue they knew/accepted Autopilot's risks. People walking, biking, and inside other cars didn't consent to be Elon Musk's guinea pigs.

Tesla hit with $243 million in damages after jury finds its Autopilot feature contributed to fatal crash

The verdict follows a three-week trial that threw a spotlight on how Tesla and CEO Elon Musk have marketed their driver-assistance software.

nbcnews.com

Better link: balkin.blogspot.com/2025/07/regu...

Trump’s AI Action Plan has some good points (see also Biden EO). But they’re totally at odds with the rest of his agenda. Grid abundance (but not renewables?); surge AI labor force (but nix immigration?); grow AI diplomacy (but fire diplomatic corp?); grow deepfake forensics (but kill research?)

Love this right near Washington’s Crossing park where Washington crossed the Delaware to fight the British … inviting walkers to adorn the tree with hopes and blessings for America. Lots of “peace” “no kings” “rule of law.”