Somehow things that would have been a background gag in a Verhoeven movie are now just real
Joe Sonka 😐
@joesonka.lpm.org
State government reporter for @kentuckypublicradio.org — @lpm.org, @weku.bsky.social, WKYU, @wkmsfm.bsky.social. Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe/BBN. Did a Pulitzer many years ago. DM me news/apocalypse tips! https://www.lpm.org/people/joe-sonka
NEW: Meta reviewed, approved, and ran more than 50 ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads. They ran for nine months. Some were live this week. After WIRED asked about them, researchers found ~30 more
Meta Ran Ads That Contained AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Imagery
More than 50 offending image and video ads were published across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, or Threads, according to Meta’s ad library data. Some ran as recently as this week.
wired.com
NEW: Police in Wisconsin used Flock to determine that a man “travels to Michigan frequently,” where marijuana is legal, then back to Wisconsin, where it is illegal. They then used his travel across state lines as tracked by Flock as part of the probable cause justification to search his car.
Cops Used Flock to Track a Man Across State Lines to Create Pretext to Search His Car for Weed
"The vehicle travels to Michigan frequently which is a known source state for marijuana as it is legal there," a probable cause justification reads.
404media.co
That Abdul El-Sayed was able to win this race despite being outspent 9:1 is mind-blowing
This is an important breaking story published through our collaboration with the Appalachian News Exchange, written by @justinhicks.lpm.org and Howard Berkes. Appalachia’s black lung rates highest in nearly 50 years as miners’ protections stall kentuckylantern.com/2026/08/05/a...
Appalachia's black lung rates highest in nearly 50 years as miners' protections stall • Kentucky Lantern
A new report found that working veteran underground coal miners in central Appalachia are suffering from black lung at the highest rates in nearly 50 years.
kentuckylantern.com
NEW A group of anti-Trump MAGA figures are prepping to run a third-party candidate for president in 2028. The name at the top of their list: Tucker Carlson www.wired.com/story/maga-i...
MAGA Is In Turmoil Over Tucker Carlson's Possible 2028 Presidential Bid
Joe Kent says that he and other anti-Donald Trump MAGA figures have formed a new movement. They want Tucker Carlson to run for the presidency in 2028.
wired.com
Wolf Blitzer: Why is Israel, another country, your red line right now, this is what your critics are saying, rather than a domestic issue that impacts Americans' everyday lives? John Fetterman, visibly confused throughout the entire interview: Yeah, absolutely.
The head of the Democracy Alliance, the big donor network, releasing a statement is perhaps more important.
AP calls it for Abdul El-Sayed. Much closer than the polls had it.
Black lung rates are now as bad as the 1970s, with thousands of coal miners sick and dying. Mining experts blame toxic silica dust, now more common in mines. From @justinhicks.lpm.org
Appalachia's black lung rates highest in nearly 50 years as miners' protections stall
Rates are now as bad as the 1970s, with thousands of miners sick and dying. Mining experts blame toxic silica dust, now more common in mines.
lpm.org
Rather absurd framing when you consider the results up and down the ballot, and where expectations were before just the last few weeks.
Politico@politico.com · 14h agoProgressives didn’t get the big election night they wanted
Activist and grassroots organizer Will Lawrence has won the Democratic primary election in Michigan’s 7th Congressional District, with a campaign focused on data centers’ regulation and demanding accountability for big tech and AI companies. www.wired.com/story/anti-d...
The Anti-Data-Center Movement Is Reshaping Michigan Politics
Climate activist Will Lawrence cofounded the Sunrise Movement. Now, he has shifted his focus in his attempt to compete for a swing-district seat by calling for a data center moratorium.
wired.com
Judge Wise finds that ICE coerced a 20-year-old Tongan man — admitted legally to the country three years ago — to sign a document accepting deportation, despite no criminal record or immigration proceedings against him. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Michigan US Senate Democratic Primary - Current Results - 🔵 Abdul El-Sayed (D) - 199,688 (51.2%) - 🔵 Haley Stevens (D) - 176,504 (45.3%) - 🔵 Mallory McMorrow (D) - 13,782 (3.5%) ~26% reporting
A group called the 1861 Initiative spent more than $2.2 million to help Army vet Noah Taylor win the Dem nod for #KSSen. The race was already called for pastor Adam Hamilton, and Taylor is currently in third.
Two more GOP amendments go down to crushing defeats, both in MO. #4 would have made future ballot initiatives impossible to pass by requiring winning a majority statewide *and* in each congressional district. #5 would have eliminated the state income tax.
The AP hasn't called either contest yet, but Missouri's Amendment 4 is losing 82-18 statewide and failing in every county with 10% of votes reporting so far. Kansas' Amendment 1 is losing 71-29 and getting crushed in numerous Trump counties with 26% of votes in. These look over
Republican power grabs in Kansas and Missouri are going down in flames with 18-25% of votes reported so far. Missouri's Amendment 4 aimed to make citizen-initiated constitutional amendments practically impossible. Kansas' Amendment 1 was designed to flip the state Supreme Court to ban abortion
“The moratorium will not impact the hyperscale data center that is currently under construction on Camp Ground Road near Shively. That project was already approved under the outdated zoning rules Louisville currently has in effect.”
Louisville Metro Council advances data center moratorium
A final vote on Louisville's proposed data center moratorium is expected next week.
lpm.org
Jeffersonville is the latest Southern Indiana city to implement a data center moratorium. www.lpm.org/news/2026-08...
Jeffersonville approves 1-year data center moratorium
Jeffersonville is the latest Southern Indiana city to implement a data center moratorium.
lpm.org
Polls closed a little while ago in Virginia, one of five states holding primaries tonight. Most of the rest close at 8 PM ET, with Washington not until 11 PM ET. While you wait for the results to come in, get up to speed with our comprehensive preview! www.the-downballot.com/p/michigans-...
Michigan's bitter Senate primary will finally be decided on Tuesday
Our guide to the biggest election night between now and November
the-downballot.com
🚨Someone did, in fact, take a knife to the Reflecting Pool! 🚨 Only it was a National Park Service engineer, trying to stop the peeling from worsening. “The government’s own engineer determined that it was better to cut off the peeling sections than to let them flap around."
Olympic canoeist charged by Pirro seeks to permanently sink Reflecting Pool case
Amid Trump’s criticism of the decision to drop the case, attorneys for David “Davey” Hearn said prosecutors shouldn’t be allowed to try to bring new charges.
nbcnews.com