We rented out our place in LA and the people viewing it were *astonished* that it basically was exactly as described/pictured in our ad. They'd been filtering through bait-and-switch properties for days.

Defector@defector.com · 5d ago

AI listings have made apartment hunting even more debasing:

God if Obama had screwed up a war this badly there would have been hearings on stripping his citizenship.

rich traditions@helldude.bsky.social · 19h ago

i don't like to go to the imagine if obama thing but can you fuckin imagine if obama

At the very least this should help settle the "are hotdogs sandwiches" debate.

James McLeod@jamespmcleod.ca · 19h ago

What are we even doing here, man.

BOMBSHELL story by Olivia Carville @bloomberg.com Internal Report Shows TikTok Kept Safety Feature From Millions A confidential document says an algorithm adjustment was kept from many users “by design,” as part of an experiment to measure engagement NO PAYWALL www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

TikTok Withheld a Safety Feature From Millions. One Died by Suicide

A confidential document says an algorithm adjustment was kept from many users “by design,” as part of an experiment to measure engagement.

bloomberg.com

Hate to be that guy, but this is sort what you get when you combine a common law system with the lack of a written constitution. It's just turtles all the way down.

open all borders. stop having them be closed 🇺🇦🇱🇹🇵🇸🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿@dov.bsky.social · yesterday

UK lawyerdom seems to have a fascinating belief that law exists somewhere outside of politics and therefore is firmly set and should not be discussed as a good or a bad.

Personally I would love to see Bluesky expand. It shouldn’t just be the app for leftists who can’t stand Matt Yglesias! It should also be the app for liberals who can’t stand Matt Yglesias. And apolitical folks who can’t stand Yglesias. And, yes, even conservatives who can’t stand Matt Yglesias!

Funny how people are losing their minds when, A) It’s the kind of thing literally every tech CEO would say about expanding their user base and, B) Broader cultural influence for Bluesky is unambiguously a good thing considering most of the global online policy discourse is an authoritarian cesspit.

The Verge@theverge.com · 2d ago

Bluesky's new CEO Toni Schneider on the platform's reputation for being a liberal bubble: "Yes, we definitely want that to change. It is already changing. It certainly wasn’t designed to attract one specific group of people."

It's telling how the advocates of this plan call for institutional neutrality and the avoidance of political controversy on one hand, while simultaneously demanding that hiring processes explicitly be tilted in favor of right wing applicants. Everyone connected with AAU should be deeply ashamed.

Dominique Baker@bakerdphd.bsky.social · 2d ago

So no I'm not surprised by: "the administration’s latest move was developed in partnership with university leaders, primarily the Association of American Universities, which represents dozens of top research institutions including all eight Ivy League colleges." 🎁 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

This was what was so frustrating about the Yale report, in particular, when it was released. It was glaringly obvious it was going to be weaponized as part of ongoing bad-faith attacks on American universities, and equally clear that its authors gave absolutely no thought to these likely impacts.

David Kaye@davidakaye.bsky.social · 2d ago

the department of education today issued a 'national call to action' - which, in plain english, is a call for capitulation to trump administration's assault on higher ed. www.ed.gov/media/docume... note how this doc deploys recent yale & vanderbilt reports

"DO YOU KNOW ANY CREATIVE OR UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS TO PRESSURE AND PUNISH IRAN??"

Ian TB@iantb.bsky.social · 2d ago

Well, crowdsourcing a war plan is certainly a first: www.cnn.com/2026/08/03/p...

A “serious” long-form piece about Paul Weiss under Brad Karp’s leadership losing its way. The primary injustice chronicled is the firm’s mistreatment of a trans partner, who also walked away with $3+ million in severance. Unmentioned: Karp’s campaign against pro-Palestine law students.

How a Top Law Firm Went From Standing Up to Trump to Bending the Knee (Gift Article)

Paul Weiss was a progressive stalwart for decades and led the legal resistance against President Trump in his first term. Then it surrendered without a fight. This is the inside story of its transform...

nytimes.com

Executive term limits are such an odd thing to fixate on since they’re absolutely not a consistent feature of healthy democracies and it’s honestly a toss up as to whether they make things worse or better.

Kerr Avon ♨️@kerravon.bsky.social · 4d ago

The fact that Georgia Meloni (to name just one person) was elected in a UK-style parliamentary system complete undercuts your position. Not to mention the fact that under said system, premierships can last longer than 8 years. Thatcher stayed in power for 11. Netanyahu for a combined 16!

This isn’t just an American phenomenon either. Internationally there’s vanishingly little institutional support for freedom of expression in its own right. Everything is moving in the wrong direction.

Riana@riana.bsky.social · 3d ago

Nobody on either side of the political spectrum actually wants a robust First Amendment anymore and it’s not going to go well for us.

Any time you get imposter syndrome just remember that in the year of our lord 2025 one of the highest paid and most powerful lawyers in the United States was utterly flummoxed to discover he had been misled by Donald J Trump.

Bill Grueskin@bgrueskin.bsky.social · 3d ago

Trump “came up with a completely false quote saying I acknowledged things I never said. “My god." — Brad Karp, then the chairman of the law firm 2/2

The thing to remember, as you read this story of base capitulation, is that everyone involved was already eye-poppingly rich. The decision to kiss Trump’s boots was driven by concern that partner salary might drop to $1-$2M per year, rather than the $3-$4M they wanted.

@bbeach.bsky.social · 3d ago

Money always bends the knee. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/02/u...

Agree with this. Digital marketing and comms skills have become entrenched across a number of “respectable” professions, from journalism, to activism, to law. I can even point to plenty of academics who use these skills to boost their career trajectory. It’s silly to pretend this isn’t relevant.

James McLeod@jamespmcleod.ca · 3d ago

It's easy to dunk on this, but I can see real value in educating people about business strategy, marketing, media theory, and the way that technology platforms operate and exert power. All these things are already taught in post-secondary institutions.

“Cameco, the Saskatoon-based uranium mining and nuclear fuel company, will mine uranium ore in Saskatchewan and convert it in Port Hope, Ont., before it is enriched in the United States.” What problem are the Carney and Ford governments trying to solve? Because it sure isn’t overreliance on the US.

Canada built its nuclear industry on self-reliance. Its new reactors will depend on foreign fuel | CBC News

Canada built its nuclear industry around Candu reactors supplied by a made-in-Canada supply chain. Ontario is building, and other provinces are considering, SMRs that require foreign uranium enrichmen...

cbc.ca

In my experience, the most visceral and hysterical anger over the Gaza encampments didn’t come from the right, but from ostensibly liberal and progressive pro-Israel folks, and I suspect this is why.

Mikhail Gorbaechev@mikhailgorbaechev.bsky.social · 4d ago

100%. There are many people who see themselves as good liberals who have made an exception for one place on earth, and they hate hate hate being confronted with that.

“Teacher stands in the middle of a semi-circle of students and asks them provocative questions” is a format that’s been around for at least 2500 years and it’s still the most effective way to educate.

Zachary Schrag@zacharyschrag.bsky.social · 4d ago

The first students who were given these teaching machines were like, “Wow, this is cool. This is amazing.” And then after three weeks, they’re like, “Wow, this sucks.” — @audreywatters.bsky.social thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/can-the-clas... via @mitpress.bsky.social

This is insane. You can afford to go to the movies, you can afford a babysitter for 3 hours. It's better than taking your infant to watch Matt Damon get repeatedly stabbed.

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 4d ago

“The Odyssey” is selling out in all formats at all times of day — including baby-friendly matinees, which are packed with newborns and frazzled parents desperate for some normalcy.

Canada should show the same guts as Spain, Brazil & Mexico in standing up to Trump as he tightens the noose around Cuba, starving the Cuban people. Good piece by @justinling.ca www.thestar.com/opinion/star...

Justin Ling: Trump’s White House is spinning a wild conspiracy tale about this country. Canada needs to step in to defend it

While Trump and Marco Rubio spin theories about Cuba, Canada needs to do what it can to protect Cuba’s residents

thestar.com

What an embarrassment. This is ringing the dinner bell for every deep-pocketed interest targeted by Amnesty’s reporting: threaten their bottom line with exhaustive litigation and they’ll roll over. If Amnesty can’t stand up against this kind of pressure what is the purpose of the organization?

Lee Hurley@hleehurley.com · 5d ago

Amnesty have issued an apology to JK Rowling and the rest. Adjust your expectations, and donations, accordingly www.amnesty.org.uk/latest/an-ap...

"Free Should Be the Strong Default Setting for Academics’ Substacks and Other Online Work," an interesting post from Paul Horwitz over at Prawfs. Long post, but the basic idea is in the screenshot. prawfsblawg.com/free-should-...

You laugh, but the world would be a far better place if more anti-woke culture warriors threw themselves into hard drugs instead of pursuing a political agenda.

Ben Collins@bencollins.bsky.social · 6d ago

lol

Waving Canadian Flag

Alt: Waving Canadian Flag

static.klipy.com

Timothy McBride@mcbridetd.bsky.social · 6d ago

U.S. Weighs $100,000 Fee for Foreign Students Wanting to Work After Graduation www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

We don't talk enough about how the Supreme Court is directly responsible for all the chaos Trump is causing. Trump v United States not only cleared the way for him to run again, but had the predictable effect of leaving him completely untethered from any laws that might reign in his worst impulses.

Mark Joseph Stern@mjsdc.bsky.social · last wk.

The Supreme Court invited exactly this when it held that the president's attempt to conduct "sham" "investigations" was a core executive power immune from all regulation, including criminal prosecution, in Trump v. United States.

One of the deep ironies about claims that we should support Israel as the region's only democracy is that both Israel and the U.S. have been instrumental in propping up despotic regimes, and helping to crush democratic movements, in Jordan and elsewhere in the Middle East.

#StupidSuez@diplomatofnight.com · last wk.

One of the A/B tested headlines for this piece is "Some Jordanians Dare To Speak Out Against U.S Troops Presence.". The vast majority of Jordanians are against the presence of American troops. If the kingdom was an actual democracy, the US would lose the ability to base in this country tomorrow.

New: I spoke to Samuel Tunick, the man the U.S. is charging with allegedly wiping his GrapheneOS phone before CBP could search it. “I hope people understand that the charges against me are meant to intimidate people against protecting their data and their privacy.” www.404media.co/the-governme...

‘The Government Hopes To Set a Precedent’: An Interview With the Man Charged for Allegedly Wiping His GrapheneOS Phone

The U.S. government has charged Samuel Tunick with allegedly typing in a passcode to wipe his phone before officers could search it. “I hope people understand that the charges against me are meant to ...

404media.co

I think this is partly a result of Carney's flashy rhetoric, which people (even professional analysts) pay attention to more than substantive strategic moves, and partly a recognition that Carney has a legitimately very difficult hand to play. But I agree that this honeymoon period won't last.

Blayne Haggart@bhaggart.bsky.social · last wk.

Columnists and analysts are slowly recognizing that there’s something wrong with Carney’s strategy. But he’s still getting far too much benefit of the doubt, and far too few people have yet considered how poorly his entire strategy hangs together. Fin.

Lots of folks are skeptical Trump has the manpower, or rank-and-file loyalty, to actually pull off a self-coup. But it's clear he learned from last time and that he can and will cause chaos in a way that makes Jan 6 look like a walk in the park. It's less clear his opponents are ready to respond.

Professa Murray@kalimurray.bsky.social · last wk.

I agree with Woke Bill Kristol. Hegseth controls the DC National Guard, Clayton controls the DNI, Patel controls the FBI, and Blanche controls the DOJ. Each of the powers centers that held against the violent J6 coup are now completely controlled by Trump loyalists.