The Trump administration openly says that it will use its domestic spying capabilities to target people who oppose ICE’s actions. And ICE has been bulking up on the latest surveillance technology. bit.ly/3Kq348R

The White House web site now includes a "media bias" tracker with a leaderboard and an offender hall of shame. www.whitehouse.gov/mediabias/

Together with other members of the BRICS group of countries, China’s central bank is building a digital payment system with the goal of recruiting enough countries to chip away at the dollar’s dominance. Officials promise progress in 2026

The Nazis used the term "Lying Press" (Lügenpresse) to discredit and censor all dissenting media, simultaneously targeting journalists, and seizing, and giving their political allies control of news outlets to crush any opposition. Just mentioning that now for no reason at all.

Latinas in the U.S. are using twin braids with colorful ribbons as a symbol of resistance against immigration raids. This traditional hairstyle, rooted in Mexican culture, represents resilience and identity.

Demolishing the East Wing of the White House before finalizing plans for what will be built above its ruins is a near-perfect metaphor for Trump's approach to economic policy. The only difference is the wrecking crew doesn’t claim the rubble is evidence of unprecedented growth.

NEW: The New York Times got a State Dept. cable telling diplomats to destroy visas that had been approved and printed to give to Afghans. And diplomats are told to do scheduled interviews but not grant visas. US shuts all legal entry routes for Afghans. Our story: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/28/u...

What a great headline

para 2: not a legit basis for use of force. period. para 4: almost certainly untrue.

"By dangling multibillion-dollar rare-earth and energy deals, Moscow could reshape the economic map of Europe—while driving a wedge between America and its traditional allies" Read this excellent @wsj.com account of the business deals behind the "peace"negotiations www.wsj.com/world/russia...

This is ridiculous. All G20 members are always invited.The point of the organization is to bring together all major countries regardless of disagreements. Not attending the G20 was dumb. Trying to block a member when we host is a diplomatic train wreck. Hosting G20 is an opportunity. Were blowing it

Left unchecked, company and government use of automated decision-making systems in areas such as housing, health care, law enforcement, and employment have already caused discriminatory outcomes based on protected statuses. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

The President of the United States promising a policy of mass denaturalization of citizens "who undermine domestic tranquility"

“The members of Trump’s coalition might all ultimately want different things, but they have a shared interest in renegotiating power within the government, including by further routing control away from Congress and into the executive.”—Susannah Glickman

On the second day of his inaugural overseas trip, Pope Leo XIV visited the ancient site of the First Council of Nicaea, in Turkey, urging Christians — and all faiths — to reject the use of religion to justify violence. n.pr/44zFUDK

"The presence of Palantir and Dataminr at the CMCC suggests that despite vague mention of Palestinian self-determination in Trump’s plan, Israel’s control over Gaza will remain deeply entrenched — with AI-powered surveillance and weapons systems at the center of post-war security architecture."

“When we critique AI, we should do so with intellectual honesty and in a principled way. Utmost care is needed to avoid ethics washing, greenwashing, and generally — what we dub — critical washing.”

Trump has never once in his life extemporaneously used the phrase "western civilization." He was once asked about western liberalism and thought they were talking about California Democrats. One of the more blatant tells for a Miller-written screed.

To make their quota, ICE is now arresting spouses of US citizens who are in the country legally and who have passed all background checks, have no criminal records and are just waiting for their green card to be issued. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/26/u...

Do Less Things, Do Them Really Well: A Recipe for Canadian Aid. Spurred by an excellent @charlesjkenny.bsky.social piece on global aid, I did some thinking about what this should mean for Canada ldhconsulting.org/2025/11/25/d... www.cgdev.org/publication/...

The simplest explanation just may be that the president gave responsibility to real estate guys he trusts and understands, and who think about the issues as he does. But as this is their first tour in the political cone, they lack experience or expertise, and operate without relying on those who do.

Take a few million of all the new defence spending, and fund African excellence in disease surveillance and Disease X tracking For the cost of a wing mirror on a fighter jet, we could avoid the next pandemic www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...

Dialing down the use of social media for a week reduced symptoms of anxiety, depression and insomnia in young adults, according to a study published on Monday in the journal JAMA Network Open.

In Feb 26, it will be 80 years since the UN selected its first secretary-general, a man. Since then, eight others have had that job, all men. Surely it’s long past time a woman held the post. In these perilous times we cannot afford an all-men’s club at the top of the UN. www.hrw.org/news/2025/11...

A new paper shows how social media accelerates extremism by flooding users with emotionally charged, divisive content that algorithms naturally amplify, making extremist narratives far more visible, engaging, and persuasive than they would be otherwise.

Donald Trump’s targeted attacks against India, Brazil and South Africa are pushing three of the world’s major emerging economies to forge closer ties

Left unchecked, company and government use of automated decision-making systems in areas such as housing, health care, law enforcement, and employment have already caused discriminatory outcomes based on protected statuses. www.eff.org/deeplinks/2...

Disgusting

🏗️ The 2025 budget includes a $51B, 10-year infrastructure fund that finally recognizes universities as community infrastructure. It could modernize labs and learning spaces—but big questions remain. ➡️ https://bit.ly/4puQPHb #HigherEd #Infrastructure #Budget2025

Latest Poll: Only 6% of Americans Say Epstein Likely Did Not Collaborate with Foreign Intelligence, as 45% Say He Likely Did; Russian and Israeli Intelligence Top List of Public Suspicion; Republicans Specify Israel's First, Dems. Specify Russia's First. sadat.umd.edu/sites/sadat....

Trump needs to be careful about his gestures: in other cultures they can mean very different things! So perhaps Mr Bone-Saw there is smirking b/c thumbs-up in Arab lands actually translates to "Up yours!"

My own thoughts on Trump’s peace plan for Ukraine. Regardless of how I feel, I don’t see it bringing about a durable peace. However, it could be something that the Trump administration has devised to find its own off-ramp, and that might be what matters the most. open.substack.com/pub/alanoszk...

“With little restraint on his power, Trump has expanded his corrupt and transactional method of governing in his second term. And autocrats like MBS are eager to benefit from Trump’s brazen effort to use the presidency to enrich himself and his family” — my latest for @theguardian.com

Alleged AI chip smuggling to China leads to US calls for chip tracking reut.rs/47T2mKh

This week, I withdrew from a speaking engagement at a public university because they sent me a list of prohibited “words & concepts.” I will not humor this censorship. It does a disservice to the stories I’m discussing & the audience, who deserve unfettered access to information & conversation.

First electric cars and buses, now trucks: in the past we were often told that electric trucks would not be feasible. But the market is picking up speed and electric trucks have become a reality. Expectations are for significant market expansion in the coming years.

The people who make Shein's clothes labor for ten to twelve hours per day (in violation of China's labor laws), some up to seven days a week, and earn as little as 15 to 30 cents per t-shirt.

More than 500 stalls capable of delivering 1 megawatt of power are on the list of projects funded by the European Commission. insideevs.com/news/779413/...

Politicians can deny the costs of climate change. Insurers will not. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Five corporations control 90% of the US media market. Airlines merged from 12 major carriers in 1980 to 4 today. Four giants control 80% of meat processing. A handful of companies control the pharmaceutical industry. The evidence of corporate concentration is everywhere.

Trump telling Catherine Lucey, Bloomberg’s White House correspondent: “Quiet Piggy!” was disgusting. The fact that no other member of the White House reporter pool stood up for Catherine at that moment and instead just asked Trump their own questions sums up corporate media so well!

I really hate it when scientists keep saying that “we need to rebuild trust in science,” because it implies that scientists are to blame for the mistrust rather than the millions of dollars of dark money that have funded political attacks on science in order to advance a far right agenda.

"Companies will always prioritize their needs and safety over yours, and that uploading sensitive information to the internet will always come with risks and vulnerabilities, no matter how safe these companies claim your data is in their hands."

one of the things I really do not understand is why so much of the development of robots seems to be focused on making them bipedal like humans. Why? It's an insane allocation of resources when it would be much easier to give them three or four "legs" or come up with some new system

Poland will close Russia’s last consulate in the country in retaliation to what the government says was a Moscow-backed attempt at sabotaging an important rail line last weekend, Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said today.

"academic publishing is dominated by profit-oriented, multinational companies for whom scientific knowledge is a commodity to be sold back to the academic community who created it... The dominant four collectively generated... $12 billion in profits between 2019 and 2024."

For anyone keeping score at home, this is the now the EU backing down to China on a high-stakes tech standoff, just weeks after the US did the same. Like Bidenism before it, Trumpism and its European corollaries are more the last gasp of a dying global order than a viable path forward.

The fate of Wall Street's staggering bets on artificial intelligence will rest squarely on Nvidia when the chipmaker reports results later today, with investors seeking signs that bubble worries are overblown reut.rs/48ntFMU

Unprecedented for an American president: Israel "would like you to get planes of a reduced caliber," Trump told bin Salman, answering a journalist's question, but said that "as far as I'm concerned, they're both at a level where they should get top-of-the-line." www.haaretz.com/middle-east-...

Windows may install malware, but Microsoft promises the next Xbox will be super expensive and won't have any exclusives, so it all balances out in the end.