Responding to numerous public complaints, Illinois officials tell rental car companies it’s illegal for ICE agents to switch out license plates on vehicles. / NBC News Unrelated: “I’m in charge at this Hertz location, and buddy, you’re not getting a car today.” / McSweeney’s White paper: Congress members’
On Black Friday 2025, Americans spent more, got less, and opted to buy now, pay later 45% more often than last year. / The New Republic When buying items from abroad, US consumers are suddenly finding themselves stuck with paying hundreds extra in tariffs. / The New York Times [$] See also: Costco
In Gaza, where Israeli strikes have destroyed most banks and there are no working ATMs, some residents are now repairing damaged banknotes. / BBC News Sally Rooney’s support for Palestine Action, a nonviolent protest group proscribed under anti-terror laws, means she may not publish in the UK for publishers’
In a California housing dispute, the plaintiff submitted an AI deepfake as real evidence—it’s unclear how often this has already happened, which is actually the bigger problem. / NBC News Reenactments are one thing in documentaries, but AI is an entirely different line to cross, and it threatens the
“While the trauma and terror that Bovino’s unit instills is certainly real and damaging, it’s remarkable to note how ineffective the force has turned out to be.” On ICE’s retreat from Chicago. / Doomsday Scenario Bovino is who E.B. White meant when he wrote, “I am deeply
Last week’s US elections showed voters may welcome an anti-AI message, as winning candidates pledged to curtail the boom in data centers. / The New Republic See also: Data centers are cropping up in the wrong places in the US, with some areas having far too many, and sometimes
“I want you to understand that every issue you care about—any hope of participatory democracy—is downstream of this.” I want you to understand Chicago. / Aphyr One of DHS’s least-reported surveillance networks in the country is the one that operates every Saturday at college football games. / FOIAball
Dissecting the ways DHS’s propaganda paints agents as heroes—for example, by editing out the screams of children and families. / Chicago Sun-Times Elon Musk and DOGE’s destruction of USAID has, as of right now, caused the deaths of 400,000 children worldwide. / The New Yorker In the
Mamdani’s win just turned politics upside down, and certainly within the Democratic Party itself, which now has a chance to reinvent itself. / Garbage Day See also: Following Pelosi’s announcement that she won’t seek reelection, some guesses as to who might fill her San Francisco-based House seat.
ICE and CBP agents are using facial recognition to “verify” people’s immigration status, in what is certainly a severe violation of the Constitution. / 404 Media, Ars Technica “What happens to the White House’s trash is secret,” and that also seems to be the case with the debris from
