Fake plastic trees
Every year over the past three decades, immigrants have paid more in taxes than they received in benefits—and very well may have saved the US from a debt crisis. / Cato Institute
The United Nations is in dire straits due to unpaid fees, 95% of which are owed by the United States. / Reuters
We still don’t know if a memo to ICE agents telling them to capture all available data on “hotels, agitators, protestors, etc.” means such a database actually exists. / Ars Technica
See also: “This may be another reason so many immigration officers are masked while on duty: They know better than we do what it means to show one’s face.” / The New York Times [$]
“I almost feel a sense of pride in wasting their time.” An account of being detained by federal agents in Minneapolis. / The Verge [$]
Trump is happy to jail immigrants whose cases are being decided, but Americans—including those in red areas—oppose it, and are pushing back against detention centers. / The New Republic
Running the numbers on Trump’s abuse of presidential pardons finds he’s deprived victims of nearly $1.4 billion in restitution. / Mother Jones
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Weary of threats from Trump and Silicon Valley, the EU looks to build out a slate of European companies to replace US tech giants. / Sherwood
See also: Tracking exactly how American big tech became a tool for authoritarianism at the expense of taxpayers. / The Authoritarian Stack
Detested by buyers and agents alike, AI-generated real estate photos can pose legal issues, and are a clear sign of a seller you should avoid. / The Atlantic [$]
A new book looks at the many ways contemporary art wouldn’t exist in its current form without plastics. / Hyperallergic
For four decades, Ragnar Axelsson has documented how climate change is altering Arctic lands and lives in stark, black-and-white photos. / Blind Magazine
“Even coders who can fix software when the clients are asleep, he noted, have to be available around the clock.” The death of an Indian tech worker. / Rest of World
The 2026 finalists of the Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, which celebrates novel instrument designs—for example, synthesizers that communicate through water. / Georgia Tech
In Pittsburgh, you can place a chair in a parking space to reserve it—provided you were the one who shoveled out that spot. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
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