The US has one of the most advanced “smart” surveillance apparatuses in the world. So why does this administration insist on building environmentally destructive, physical walls?
Andy Burnham exchanged messages with somebody posing as White House chief of staff Susie Wiles (whose phone was hacked last year) before becoming suspicious that the contact was an impersonation, Politico reports. The incident has since been reported to the White House, and the undisclosed message contents are reportedly “of no significance.”
“Roblox appears to prioritize revenue and engagement metrics over the safety and well-being of our children, and the alleged criminal activity on Roblox warrants congressional scrutiny,” Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) wrote in a letter to Roblox CEO David Baszucki.
The online gaming platform has also been subject to state lawsuits regarding alleged child safety issues. Roblox has settled some of those lawsuits, and it recently launched dedicated accounts for younger users.
[Josh Hawley, U.S. Senator for Missouri]
The New York Times reports that Mangione, who is accused of murdering healthcare executive Brian Thompson, may plead guilty on Friday in the federal case against him. Mangione is also facing New York state charges in a trial that is scheduled to start in just a few weeks. His legal team could argue that the New York charges amount to double jeopardy if Mangione takes a plea in the federal case.
[NYTimes.com]
The end of USAID, which Elon Musk fed “into the wood chipper”, will cause an extra 14 million deaths through 2030, including 4.5 million in children under the age of 5. SpaceX shares are $141.10 as of this writing, above their IPO price of $135.
Correction: A previous version of this post referred to the journal article’s estimates as “new.” It was published in 2025.
The group says that while changes like more limited data retention is welcomed, the devil is in the details. “Transforming an exceptionally dangerous mass surveillance system into one that is fully protective of civil rights and civil liberties is a difficult, if not impossible task,” it writes.
[American Civil Liberties Union]
AI data center projects are continuing to pop up across the US, with frequent opposition from locals concerned about their impact. Here are a few recent articles about the projects:
In a lawsuit filed on Wednesday, the Freedom of the Press Foundation and The Intercept Media claim Truth Social’s up to $100,000 /month subscription is “profoundly corrupt” and “unconstitutional,” alleging Trump is illegally “profiting by selling government information.” The Intercept and FPT are asking the court to block the Truth Social subscription.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani has come out in support of The Delivery Protection Act, a union-backed proposal that would force companies like Amazon, FedEx, and others to hire the workers who deliver packages wearing their logos. As it is, those workers are often contractors, which the backers of Intro 518 say serves as a smokescreen allowing the big companies to avoid responsibility and minimum pay regulations.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal filed by the tech companies, allowing more than 3,000 child safety lawsuits to proceed, according to Reuters.
Separately, the court also rejected Meta’s request to push back a trial linked to social media addiction allegations from dozens of state AGs. The trial kicks off on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump tapped Danielle Thumann Severs to join the Federal Communications Commission. If confirmed, it would bring the agency’s makeup to three Republicans and one Democrat, with room for one more non-Republican commissioner. Chair Brendan Carr praised the nomination, though he already has enough votes to pass his agenda.
