Jack Newsham
@thenewsham.bsky.social
Reporter for Business Insider. Download Signal and send me tips and interesting documents: jnewsham.77. I'm u/JackNewsham on Reddit.
Amazing, a drone whose top speed increases the farther it is from a shooter
The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com · last wk.Schools in at least three states will be equipped with drones this year that can zoom through halls, smash windows and pepper-spray active shooters if teachers report a threat. The drones are capable of reaching a shooter within 15 seconds.
NEW: In a stunning admission, the Trump administration admitted in court documents that it canceled billions in energy grants to states "based solely" on politics -- and whether that state was represented by Democrats and backed Harris in 2024. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/b...
Trump Administration Admits Canceling Grants to States That Did Not Vote for Him
Federal officials said in court documents that they halted billions of dollars in funding for energy projects to states “based solely” on whether they backed President Trump in the 2024 election.
nytimes.com
Really great photos here by @simko-bednarski.bsky.social — www.nydailynews.com/2026/07/19/m...
MTA says G train shutdown worth it to finally modernize Brooklyn-Queens subway line
MTA officials said they’d discovered a leak in the tunnel under the Newtown Creek — and that repairing it alongside the ongoing upgrades meant taking the trains out of service for multiple weekends.
nydailynews.com
After this deep dive, the Washington Post should be rehired to waterproof the reflecting pool. www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...
Reflecting Pool peeling likely caused by application flaws, experts say
President Donald Trump has blamed vandals, but a Washington Post analysis finds that the peeling tracks closely with stages of the renovation process.
washingtonpost.com
2d Cir. upholds NYC's law prohibiting brokers' fees. Held: the law does not violate federal or state free speech rights, nor does it violate the contracts clause. ww3.ca2.uscourts.gov/decisions/OP...
“Beginning on July 20, all eyewear or headwear that contains cameras, microphones or other recording technology will not be allowed inside any Unified Court System facilities, according to a memo from the Office of Court Administration.”
New York to ban smart glasses from all courthouses
The ban aims to prevent people from secretly filming court proceedings.
syracuse.com
An interesting thing just happened ... and while my full account will appear in CJR Friday, I want to take note of it now. Start with this NYPost/Fox story that ran Sunday. Note the headline (including typo). Illegal immigration caused house prices to rise 30%! web.archive.org/web/20260705... 1/
Biden’s illegal immigration surge triggered 30% rise in home prices, $ 20% in rents, Fed paper finds
The paper describes 2021 through 2024 as an “unprecedented boom” in illegal immigration.
web.archive.org
New from @frontiergroup.bsky.social: These are the states where people are driving less than they used to. (Interestingly, all three West Coast states - WA, OR and CA - have seen meaningful declines in per-capita vehicle travel since 1994.) frontiergroup.org/resources/wh...
Updated: Less driving is possible
Residents of several states have driven fewer miles on average in recent years than they did three decades ago. This decline suggests that Americans’ high levels of driving are not inevitable.
frontiergroup.org
Nafiah Ikram was steps from her Long Island home when a stranger threw acid in her face. Five years later, she is trying to rebuild her life and cope with a stunning twist in her case. nyti.ms/44Lhnvb
Searching for What Pretty Means After an Acid Attack
Nafiah Ikram was steps from her home when a stranger threw acid in her face. Five years later, she is trying to rebuild her life and cope with a stunning twist in her case.
nyti.ms
Water fountains disappeared from the Longleaf Trace in June as the board that governs it grew concerned about how homeless people were using its facilities. Runners and bikers who use the 44-mile trail fear the decision could have dire consequences in Mississippi's summer heat. buff.ly/pBXSvrI
Longleaf Trace Removes Water Fountains Over Homelessness Fears, Infuriating Trail Users
The Longleaf Trace removed all water fountains in June over homelessness concerns, alarming trail users and health experts.
mississippifreepress.org
The Mitchell-Lama funding crisis arriving in spades: www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/n...
Why These Affordable Homes Face a 31% Rent Increase
nytimes.com
Awful news this morning — one of Oregon's best reporters has passed away, all too young. His absence will be felt by the media and by the public at large. www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...
Zane Sparling, reporter for The Oregonian/OregonLive, dies of cancer at 33
“He wanted his identity to be a reporter, and that’s what it was,” his father said.
oregonlive.com
Are liberal communities more NIMBY than conservative ones? In new research, I examine how housing supply changed in US cities & counties from 2000–20. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... One key finding: Liberal places build *more* housing in their existing neighborhoods than do conservative ones.
“If we want to control what happens to our byline, that’s the company telling us that we need to form a union. So, hey, let’s do it.” And they did. www.niemanlab.org/2026/06/the-...
The Centre Daily Times unionizes after backlash to McClatchy’s AI tool
The local Pennsylvania outlet is the first newsroom under The NewsGuild-CWA to unionize in response to AI adoption.
niemanlab.org
udge Ricardo: I was going to issue my findings today but it is 4:45 pm. So I'll work on it tonight, instead of the Knicks game. I'll rul tomorrow at 10. von Dornum: Can you do earlier? I have a case (on West 4th Street?) Judge Ricardo: 9 am, then
www.idahostatejournal.com/news/crimes_...
Police: US 9th Circuit judge faces battery charge after parking lot confrontation turns physical in Idaho Falls
IDAHO FALLS — U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Ryan Douglas Nelson faces two criminal charges after police say he battered a man by swiping the glasses from his
idahostatejournal.com
I'm curious about state and local. Don't really buy the idea of a World Cup boost
Which clause of the Internal Revenue Code relates to dog retirement plans? 401(k)(9)
The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com · 2mo agoAfter 8 years of serving with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department, K-9 Ritter is retiring.
Actors who flocked to the booming micro-drama industry are losing roles as producers swap them with AI-generated performers. Is Hollywood next? https://bit.ly/4emabLA
She landed a dream acting job. Then AI replaced her.
Actors who flocked to the booming micro-drama industry are losing roles as producers swap them with AI-generated performers. Is Hollywood next?
businessinsider.com
Update in the case of Frank Seddio and the missing $2 million: Seddio was on the stand yesterday in a hearing on possible sanctions against him. He testified that someone—he doesn’t know who—must have sent a key legal email from his account, but it wasn’t him. hellgatenyc.com/seddio-on-th...
Seddio on the Stand
Brooklyn Democratic Party powerbroker Frank Seddio finally took the witness stand Tuesday in a sanctions hearing related to his handling of a case involving $2 million in missing escrow money. It did ...
hellgatenyc.com
The Park Slope Food Coop vote to boycott Israeli goods PASSES, 67%–31%, with 2% abstaining. 4,551 pro-boycott 2,083 anti-boycott (6,772 total present)
Joshua J. Friedman@joshuajfriedman.com · 2mo agoMain question 2: "Until Israel complies with international law, including by ceasing unlawful discriminatory practices in its treatment of Palestinians, the Coop will not sell goods produced in Israel (pre-1967 borders) or in Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory." Y/N/Abstain?
Cannot recommend highly enough the 2022 documentary by Warner Herzog's son (narrated by the father, naturally) on how unbelievably hellish will be the experience of Mars colonists. It's called Last Exit: Space and it's on Hulu / HBO / etc.
Gizmodo@gizmodo.com · 3mo agoSpaceX Taps Crypto Billionaire to Lead First Crewed Mission to Mars https://gizmodo.com/spacex-taps-crypto-billionaire-to-lead-first-crewed-mission-to-mars-2000762451
Good shit
Sammy Sussman@sammysussman.bsky.social · 3mo agoNEW for @nyc.streetsblog.org: A trooper was arrested for assault in NJ in 2024 when he was supposed to be on patrol in Brooklyn. A secret internal investigation found 9 other troopers in the unit who had also skipped out on their duties. nyc.streetsblog.org/2026/05/21/s...
![A magazine on a brightly lit table with an ad for the investment platform IG that says “stop feeding the fat cats” and a picture of a fat cat in a three piece suit. At the bottom, disclaimer text says “Your capital it [sic] at risk. Other fees may apply.”](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:u742rs4tcpj3p23qz3gkata7/bafkreid2zdvpx7xe4g5dkpzugw2bihgyf2x3xu6jke52rmpea4i4qzndx4)
