Cash heap
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’ stock portfolios perform 47% better after they take leadership positions, thanks to favors they confer on firms and being ahead on corporate news. / NBER
What makes MacKenzie Scott’s philanthropy stand out—aside from the $20 billion-plus she’s already donated—is the gifts are unrestricted. / Fortune
See also: We can end extreme poverty, but it requires institutions to “trust the expertise of the people actually living in these conditions.” / The Kid Should See This
Elon Musk’s $14 billion foundation doesn’t donate the legally required minimum, and what is given away often heads to groups associated with Musk. / The New York Times [$]
“We get a lot of heat for whatever we spend to make the show happen. It’s over the top...But so is a Taylor Swift show, and her message isn’t near as exciting as ours.” Inside a Dallas megachurch’s Christmas pageant. / County Highway
If you enjoy these headlines, please join us as a Sustaining Member to support what we do and unlock access to paywalled links.
New Yorkers can now see when a retailer has set an item’s price based on their personal data, but it’s not clear what data is used and how. / Wired
Liz Pelly: Spotify Wrapped is another way the company steals the labor of others—and more troubling, it’s “only possible due to user-surveillance practices.” / The Guardian
“It’s what’s expected of us.” The last video store is your public library. / 404 Media
Japanese fonts through Monotype just got 50 times more expensive, forcing many game developers to rework titles already well into production. / Automaton
When AI attempts blueprints, don’t be surprised if your three-bedroom house has eight bathrooms. / Bluesky
A visit to the Prada Group Academy, where “technology cannot replace the ability to work with your hands and craftsmanship.” / Wallpaper
Unrelated: The podrace from The Phantom Menace, “but I made all the sounds with my human mouth.” / YouTube
A retrospective of Elizabeth Browning Jackson’s era-defining 1980s furniture designs, which married the playful and the brutal. / Artnet
“Raccoon goes on drunken rampage in Virginia liquor store and passes out on bathroom floor.” / Associated Press
In the members area, an unlocked link from the New York Times ↓