Ghost-impressionism
A federal judge in San Francisco weighs whether to halt the latest wave of layoffs by the Trump administration. / NPR
The Department of Housing and Urban Development lays off its entire team of building inspectors. / Bloomberg
A round-up of ways the White House is seizing power during the government shutdown. / Wake Up to Politics
Airports around the country refuse to show a video from Homeland Security blaming the shutdown on Democrats. / CNN
A leak of private messages between leaders of Young Republican groups finds plenty of talk about gas chambers, slavery, and rape. / Politico
Despite commitments, global deforestation isn’t slowing in a meaningful way. / Mongabay
In California, Gov. Newsom says data centers don’t need to reveal how much water they use. / The Sacramento Bee
See also: A small pinwheel device demonstrates a “lo-fi acknowledgement of energy costs.” / It’s Nice That
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A revealing essay from Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark on why he fears AI systems designing their successors. / Import AI
Around 200,000 entertainment jobs in Hollywood likely will be disrupted by AI by 2026; in Indonesia, the tools are already welcomed. / rest of world
Did you know? China’s Mixue Ice Cream and Tea is the world’s largest fast food chain going by number of stores. / China Daily
A miniature art gallery, installed at 1:6 scale, sells tiny art in Provo, Utah. / Colossal
A visual tour of Miles Davis’s eclectic wardrobe. / The Wall Street Journal Magazine [$]
Scientists find people who frequently get tattoos appear to (briefly) have higher levels of certain immune molecules, including antibodies. / The Atlantic [$]
A reporter tapes his mouth shut for 100 nights to improve his jawline—and develops a new habit: grinding his teeth. / GQ
For your midweek wanderlust, a tour of ghost towns in Texas. “If you want to see a ghost, I can think of no place more promising than Baby Head Cemetery.” / Texas Highways
Unrelated: 50 Cent adjusted for inflation. / 50centadjustedforinflation
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