If this dude goes back to prison for going to and betting on a State of the Union given by the president who pardoned him, I think John Oliver’s head may explode with glee.

NEW: Trump and Hegseth's anti-trans military policy is based on unconstitutional animus, D.C. Circuit rules. The court's split ruling would protect current trans service members from discharge but allow the Trump admin to keep new trans recruits from joining the military during the case. Law Dork:

Me: What!?

Is AI spending worth it? Turns out, replacing humans with AI isn't as cost-effective as some companies once thought. Marketplace senior reporter Meghan McCarty Carino walks us through it.

The word "Congress" does not appear once in President Trump's EO on regulating AI. He's not seeking to create new laws or guardrails for AI. The only laws mentioned pertain to cybercrimes. This is not how government oversight and regulation are meant to work.

I worked closely with WYPR reporter Wambui Kamau to bring this story about a 24-hour braiding salon to Marketplace. It may seem small, but it was important to me to have this story on the air, for a variety of reasons, and I am proud of how it turned out.

The United States of America, famously the inventors of the English language

Your new Director of National Intelligence ...

Happy 250th, America

It's becoming increasingly clear that this whole thing is another grift.

Massive respect for Scott Pelley

Nursing home owner Joseph Schwartz: • paid himself $5M as a “ghost employee” • diverted tens of millions owed to taxpayers & employees • failed to pay at least 3 multimillion-dollar judgments awarded to grieving families He also received a Trump pardon. (Published March)

This Obama Presidential Center ad feels like watching something from an alternate timeline

Just want to say out loud how silly it is that the president is talking with his daughter-in-law on one of the largest news networks like this is a real interview.

This movie’s budget was less than a million dollars. That is an insane.

BREAKING: we just won our Kennedy Center case! Both the renaming & the closure of the Kennedy Center are enjoined Kudos to our wonderful client @repbeatty.bsky.social & my colleagues @democracydefendersaction.org & Washington Litigation Group This is a 1-2 punch against Trump's corruption

Sad to see another excellent independent newsroom shutting down. @thebarbedwire.com has been on my indie media feed since I created it. If you're hiring or have freelance work, reach out to these folks.

Last-place CBS Evening News has been embarrassed they couldn't crack 4 million average weekly viewers for 6 weeks. A few days ago, they announced they finally climbed back. Only problem? They didn't. Scoop in @status.news explains slimy PR trick (they point out other networks have done similar):

the clear takeaway here is that the administration wants to unlawfully seize the smithsonian and make it a temple for white supremacist “history” www.nytimes.com/2026/05/28/a...

Wow. Lucky guess. Wordle 1,804 3/6 ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟨⬜⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

Looking at 4 million applications to 1,700 positions across 150 companies, researchers found that — in many cases — an AI tool was less likely to advance Black and Asian applicants.

I really appreciate how Parker says something like this, and then follows up with a lot of smart analysis and supporting links that let you know how she came to her opinion. Social media would be so much healthier if more people could do this. (Myself included)

sound on

Damn.

The justification for attacking Iran was that they were building nukes. The admin has shown no evidence of that. What possible threat does Cuba pose to the U.S. that warrants an invasion? (Also, this story sucks. It's essentially just a rewritten Pentagon press release.)

"icons"

Commercial director and online content creator Ash Xu sees a growing trend of brands putting the spotlight on the creative process behind their advertising, as public backlash to AI content has grown.

That’s a Thunderdome

Yo, @npr.org and @texaspublicradio.bsky.social ... the story itself makes the headline inaccurate. I suggest an edit/update.

Awful. A trans woman was found dead near Brays Bayou in Southeast Houston yesterday. "Detectives believe someone might have taken the victim's clothes to limit investigators' ability to collect evidence." (story by @johnwferguson.bsky.social) www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston...

INBOX: Journalists at the five McClatchy newspapers in Washington and Idaho (the Idaho Statesman, Bellingham Herald, Tri-City Herald, Tacoma News Tribune and The Olympian) are calling a one-day strike today over wages and AI protections. That means no clicking on any links to their sites for today.

If the YouTube page is any indication, Comics Unleashed is about to be an incredible ratings dud. The channel's most popular video has fewer than 10K views.

I did not realize the Japanese markets took a lunch break

Welcome home

“Now boarding First Class & Group A” Every person gets in line “Now boarding Group B” Every remaining person gets in line “Now boarding Group C” Every remaining person gets in line “Now boarding Group D…”

Visiting family in Florida and twice I've seen my dad watching a channel of AI slop history on his main living room television. A television with multiple streaming channels. Sports. Movies. ... and he's watching AI slop. This is a level of cooked I did not realize we were already in.

Is this supposed to be some sort of dunk on Mamdani? A $700 seat is on the low end for these games. He was in the cheap seats. People were paying thousands.

Anyone else just get a bunch of follows from accounts with animal photo avatars and low follower counts? Just got a burst of them and didn't even have a post that did any sort of numbers. Weird.

There’s gotta be a Far Side cartoon that already posited this

All remaining charges against the "Broadview Six" defendants have been dismissed by U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros Thursday afternoon.

Courts have struck down some of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Now companies are owed refunds. But who gets to pocket that money, and how hard is it to get? KUOW spoke with three local companies with three very different perspectives.

“Up to 70% of rooms reserved by Fifa in Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Seattle have been cancelled, the AHLA said” www.bbc.com/sport/footba...

During his time in jail for more than a month over a Facebook post he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, Larry Bushart lost his postretirement job, missed his wedding anniversary and the birth of his granddaughter.

It cost Amazon $40M ... $28M reportedly went directly to Melania. It didn't crack $17M worldwide.

Feels like a bit of an open-and-shut case

The facts: -Bezos paid $0 fed'l income tax in 2007 -He paid $0 in '11 -Btn '14-19, his wealth grew by $99 BILLION and he paid $973 million in taxes. Sounds like a lot but it's 0.98% of his wealth growth (which is his true income). www.propublica.org/article/the-...

There are no actual specifics in this answer, and then Andrew Ross Sorkin just moves on. Follow-up questions and seeking specificity are dying interview skills.

i scared the dog I laughed so hard at this

Memphis is “under full-blown occupation” by ICE. Here’s why you may not know that.