I can’t stress this enough. The state of 4th Amendment law is that the cops can’t force you to type in a passcode but they can force you to swipe your finger or present your face. Never stop using passcodes/passwords to unlock your devices. And consider additional code to unlock Signal.

I’m starting to think the people who are excited about “AI agents” have literally never used a computer in their lives

at least 70% of the AI hype that’s bottom-up — eg, excited users — is people who never learned how to actually use their computer suddenly realizing the computer can do things for them

NEW: Previously unreported Epstein emails show Peter Mandelson discussing a Panama-linked tax avoidance structure for a £750k Rio apartment - with Epstein as his "chief life adviser". Exclusive Tax Policy Associates report:

Judge Biery signed the order with a photo of Liam and two bible verses: The first is "But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven." The second is simply "Jesus wept." Astonishing thing for a judge to do.

'The wisdom of the British people'

we said all along that they wanted Gawker dead not because we embarrassed a pro wrestler but because the Epstein story is one Gawker was covering a decade before most other people caught up & was just one of many stories exposing powerful people and their misdeeds

Can you imagine a world in which a teacher made $490k in overtime pay

So apparently I was right to shittalk m00t this week because it's been revealed that his boneheaded decision to establish /pol/ and subsequently ruin the website was allegedly born out of a one-on-one meeting with Jeffery Epstein.

Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced… economist.com/britain/2026...

Cross-posting this comment from Jeet Heer over on Twitter. It really is kind of funny that Musk is just totally unable to pick up on code and innuendo.

“It was really nice seeing you yesterday,” the British businessman wrote. “The boys in Watersports can't stop speaking about it! Any time you're in the area would love to see you. As long as you bring your harem!”

Good morning mostly there is a lot of this, this morning, but before they dumped 3m files last night, FT Weekend had a very fine collection of reads. Let's have a thread of highlights and giftlinks which will expire (and your mission is to resist the urget to complain when that happens)

Last year, Elon Musk said Jeffrey Epstein tried to get him to go to his island but he "REFUSED." New emails show Elon Musk actively asking Epstein "what day/night will be the wildest party on =our island?" And the next year, Musk asked again if there was a "good time to visit."

He’s gonna hire Joanne isn’t he.

the story now makes clear it was far more than just £10,000, regular payments from Epstein to Mandelson partner

Sad times

A Minnesota woman observing ICE agents in her car was cornered on one-way streets. An agent approached, called her by name—citing facial recognition. Days later, her Global Entry and TSA privileges were revoked, with no explanation.

Let’s try this one in foreign correspondent voice: State Security Forces Arrest Journalist Who Covered Protests Against Regime Official

H/t @samfr.bsky.social for this one “It's going to be hard to top "if this was shown on a plane people would walk out".”

Been playing with US measles numbers - correcting the latest CDC figures for historical reporting delays and so on. Results appear disconcerting. Looks like there's been enough local outbreaks for national 6-week doubling since about August. South Carolina ramping that up to a 2-3 week doubling.

UK’s first rapid-charging battery train ready for boarding this weekend

I cannot tell you how much doubt was consistently directed at the Gaza Health Ministry’s casualty numbers and how much pressure was put on news organizations to couch those numbers as unreliable. Biden himself said they were fabricated! www.haaretz.com/israel-news/...

Sorry ... what the actual fuck?!

This was a minor story on London news this morning - but suspect is a real cautionary (and alarming) tale of an older man getting radicalised online. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The land grab goes on.

Free Liam and his father immediately

what really bugs me about the "trans people got ahead of public opinion" line is that it ignores *why* public opinion changed. it didn't just come out of nowhere, there was a deliberate push to make trans rights a wedge issue.

I think they’ve all watched too many Vampire shows.

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free

For context, the UK has a cap on credit card interchange fees of 0.3% and debit cards at 0.2%, the average bank charges 1.5% to bank your cash. Make of that what you will.

I hope she’s getting some support 😥

My one point of sympathy with the Jenrickites is that it is genuinely *mad* how so much of the commentary around Badenoch ignores that she took over a party polling in the high 20s, winning council by-elections, and has turned it into a party polling in the high teens.

Labour +52

How are the masked ICE agents arresting people off the streets different from these guys I've filmed? Proud Boys, Blood Tribe, Patriot Front, Boogalo Boyz?

🎯🎯🎯🎯

I actually believe Noem for once. Miller is Goebbels reincarnated.

Marimar Martinez is the Chicago woman shot 5 times by a Border Patrol agent after they rammed her car and one of them said, “Do something, b*tch” before shooting her. She's fighting to get the evidence released that Bondi and Noem are blocking. Body-cam footage, communications, photos, and more.

Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party etc

This tracks with LA. They make the spectacle, act like it's over when Bovino leaves and then continue the same level of crackdown without a spotlight after everyone gets used to it.

Premeditated murder?

We’re going to see US citizens actually seeking asylum in foreign consulates before long.

CNN airs compilation of federal agents acting with extreme aggression towards peaceful observers.

Can any experts on 19th century European history and/or politics clarify something about the Greek Civil War? Am I right in thinking the UK and US backed the side which had a paramilitary force made up of fascists and convicts? To eliminate the side made up of former anti-Nazi resistance fighters?

But the real question is how effective was it as a bribe?

Lads. You've invented Rumbelows.

“General taxation has been favoured by Nordic countries & is more proportionate to income than a levy. Finland provides the most robust approach, collecting tax revenue into an extra-budgetary fund, out of government reach, to ensure taxes are used for statutory purposes” But the Board appointment

Even with the caveat that lots of voters barely notice who a candidate it, Reform selecting Matt Goodwin for Gorton and Denton is... bold: • Not a politician • Has said some pretty fruity things • Quite thin-skinned Book me in for the hustings.

LEGO TYPEWRITER, this is not a drill