signs of the times
Trump Lectures South African President in Televised Oval Office Confrontation
nytimes.com
“The meeting quickly became a stark demonstration of Mr. Trump’s belief that the world has aligned against white people, and that Black people and minorities have received preferential treatment. In the case of South Africa, that belief has ballooned into claims of genocide.”
This the time we are living in.
Today, states are turning to a corporate-owned media system called AI and deploying it in ways that undermine or replace political decision-making about laws and policy. In that light, this is not helpful at all. It is a fundamentally corrosive concentration of power into the hands of technicians.
Democracy & the AI Question
"President Trump took extraordinary action on Saturday by calling up 2,000 National Guard troops to quell immigration protests in California, making rare use of federal powers and bypassing the authority of the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom.
It is the first time since 1965 that a president has activated a state’s National Guard force without a requ... See more
It is the first time since 1965 that a president has activated a state’s National Guard force without a requ... See more
Life on TikTok Gave Him the Illusion of Love and a Sad, Brutal End
nytimes.com
“Beyond the sorrow and the voyeurism, Mr. Nordquist’s death holds lessons about the often inscrutable digital universe where modern lives are increasingly lived — and provides tragic evidence of the risks of social media and the 21st-century scourge of loneliness.
From Mike Pepi
It has become increasingly indefensible to plot ideas, people, or organizations across our existing political spectrum. The traditional left/right and authoritarian/libertarian models are outdated and misleading. Though they might have been useful in the twilight of the 20th Century, they ignore the complexities of today’s digital, networked economy. We need a new framework to grasp emerging powers and their political risks.
People appearing in court think that something good is happening when they hear that the government is moving to dismiss their cases. They're told by a judge that their removal proceedings are being dismissed. People understand that these proceedings are meant to ultimately deport them, so it's good to have them dismissed.
But this move to then put... See more
But this move to then put... See more
From Hellgate
At the risk-averse Gates Foundation, officials have asked aides to put next to nothing in emails or other written materials, especially anything that Trump officials could take out of context. Some employees have locked down public social media accounts and shifted much of their work to Telegram or Signal, encrypted messaging apps. (Alex Reid, a sp... See more
Gates Foundation Is Rattled by Trump’s Threat to Its Mission
nothing in writing
Political divide based on income.