Stag party
Republican-led states are using public health agencies to enforce Trump’s deportation efforts—and discouraging immigrants’ US-born children from seeking Medicaid. / KFF Health News
In its settlement with the state for providing child transgender care, Texas Children’s Hospital must pay $10 million and establish the country’s first “detransition clinic.” / The Texas Tribune
The last time there was an El Nino as severe as the one predicted this summer, worldwide droughts caused famines that killed at least 50 million people. / Futurism
“Part of what has led us into this state of impasse is precisely the generations of confident, optimistic thinking that claims to have divined the future.” Roy Scranton’s climate writing isn’t mere doomerism. / Literary Hub
According to a new poll, more Americans would rather live next to a nuclear power plant than a data center. / Gallup
An interactive map details the data centers that could be coming to a town near you. / Track Policy
“In 2024, advisers to Musk ran a $45 million false-flag campaign so precise in its cynicism that it deserves to be described slowly and disdainfully.” How AI could buy 2026. / The Farce
See also: On “rich guy quote journalism” and why we shouldn’t listen when wealthy people complain about Zohran Mamdani. / String in a Maze
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The number of data breaches has tripled since 2020, due in large part to the proliferation of AI, which is likewise fueling a surge in identity theft cases. / Bloomberg [$]
Related: How to spot an AI-generated deepfake, according to a leading digital forensicist. / Science
A video from Trump Mobile of its long-promised devices is either AI slop or evidence the company doesn’t know how many stripes are in the American flag—or maybe both. / The Verge [$]
Since the launch of ChatGPT, more students are getting more “A” grades—to the point where few employers care about GPAs anymore. / The Wall Street Journal [$]
See also: AI is all over knitting podcasts, where you won’t learn anything about history technique, but mainly that you should feel good about knitting. / Kate Davies
“It wouldn’t be for everybody, but I am known to be slightly different.” At work with the last full-time museum taxidermist in the US. / The New York Times [$]
Police in a rural French region issue a warning to drivers that fruits fermenting in the wild means it’s drunk-deer season. / UPI
On accepting what it means to now be a Costco member. “Where else can you purchase a wedding ring, a baby carrier, and a casket?” / Taste