News
- Here’s what Jack Smith’s case against Donald Trump will hinge onwww.semafor.com Here’s what Jack Smith’s case against Donald Trump will hinge on | Semafor
Legal experts say Trump’s defense will hinge on questions about his intent, his legal advice, and whether he was exercising free speech rights.
- Fitch cuts US credit rating a notch from AAA to AA+www.reuters.com Fitch cuts US credit rating to AA+; Treasury calls it 'arbitrary'
Rating agency Fitch on Tuesday downgraded the U.S. government's top credit rating, a move that drew an angry response from the White House and surprised investors, coming despite the resolution of the debt ceiling crisis two months ago.
- Texas troopers told to push children into Rio Grande, deny water to migrants, records say
Also of note, Texas State authorities trespassing into the river (which is international territory) to sabotage lawful crossings
- The Democrats Are Now America’s Conservative Partywww.theatlantic.com The Democrats Are Now America’s Conservative Party
Liberals find themselves in the strange position of having won most of their major battles of this century.
- Russia Blocks U.N. Inspectors at Occupied Nuclear Plantwww.wsj.com Russia Blocks U.N. Inspectors at Occupied Nuclear Plant
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency want to investigate Ukraine’s claims that Russia is planning to sabotage the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
- Samsung warns of imminent profit plungewww.theregister.com Samsung warns of imminent profit plunge
It looks like memory glut and consumer indifference to smartmobes are persisting
Tl/DR: The COVID-era semiconductor and RAM profits are over. Phone sales are lackluster.
- 'Fairly big problem': Squatters invade homes and refuse to leave. How is this legal?www.usatoday.com 'Fairly big problem': Squatters invade homes and refuse to leave. How is this legal?
Squatting is not a particularly difficult problem to solve. It simply requires police and prosecutors to enforce existing laws.
> There is little evidence of legislative action in many cities. However, Democrats in Congress have moved to pass a federal housing law − to bar landlords from learning whether potential tenants have criminal records, which would include past squatter offenses. > > The common nuisance of squatting reflects a breakdown in basic deterrence of our laws. Property offenses have been steadily downgraded as priorities in many cities, while prosecutions are viewed as politically risky for officials who do not want to be viewed as targeting people who are homeless.
- The TSA will use facial recognition in over 400 airportswww.theverge.com The TSA will use facial recognition in over 400 airports
The agency claims 97% effectiveness in its 25-airport pilot.
- If the US won't protect children from gun violence, should I protect mine by leaving?www.usatoday.com If the US won't protect children from gun violence, should I protect mine by leaving?
In a nation wrought with gun violence, do I owe it to my country to do something, or do I owe my child my best efforts to keep him safe?
- Google tells Canada it won’t pay “link tax,” will pull news links from searcharstechnica.com Google tells Canada it won’t pay “link tax,” will pull news links from search
Canada requiring payments from tech to news orgs; similar bills pending in US.
- Supreme Court Strikes Down Biden’s Debt Forgiveness Planwww.nytimes.com Student Loan Forgiveness: Supreme Court Rules 6-3 Against Biden Plan
The proposed cancellation of more than $400 billion in student debt would have been one of the most expensive executive actions in U.S. history. President Biden vowed to try again.
> The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority struck down President Biden’s proposal to cancel at least some student debt for tens of millions of borrowers, saying it overstepped the powers of the Education Department. > > In a 6-to-3 decision, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote that a mass debt cancellation program of such significance required clear approval by Congress. > > Chief Justice Roberts declared that the administration’s logic — that the secretary of education’s power to “waive or modify” loan terms allowed for debt cancellation — was a vast overreach. “In the same sense that the French Revolution ‘modified’ the status of the French nobility,” he wrote, quoting a previous court decision.
- U.S. eavesdropped on U.N. secretary general, leaks reveal
I'm sure almost every other spy agency in the world is too, but it's still not a good look.
- Supreme Court rejects affirmative action at colleges, says schools can't consider race in admissionwww.cnbc.com Supreme Court rejects affirmative action at colleges as unconstitutional
The Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action at Harvard and the University of North Carolina is a blow to efforts to boost enrollment of racial minorities.
- The Supreme Court ruled that the affirmative action admission policies of Harvard and the University of North Carolina, which gave weight to a would-be student’s race, are unconstitutional.
- The court’s majority opinion said that both Harvard’s and UNC’s affirmative action programs “unavoidably employ race in a negative manner, involve racial stereotyping, and lack meaningful end points.”
- Portland, Ore., Is Losing Residents Weary of Crime and High Housing Priceswww.wsj.com Portland Is Losing Its Residents
The Oregon city’s population decline of about 17,400 people to 635,000 was the sixth largest decline among the 50 largest U.S. cities.
> Pacific Northwest city lost nearly 3% of its population between 2020 and 2022 > > Mark Rogers has made a list of things he misses about Portland—its vegan restaurants, Powell’s bookstore, public transit—and the things he doesn’t—having his things stolen, stepping in human excrement, extreme politics. > > The 44-year-old artist moved across the country to Fort Wayne, Ind., last year. > > “I don’t want to talk trash about my home city even though there’s trash everywhere,” Rogers said. “I still love Portland even though it’s got some problems, and I wouldn’t have left if the housing prices weren’t so high.”
Unfortunately for him, he probably moved from one political extreme to another. It's like there's no home for normies anymore.
- Zalando is the only European platform labelled a large online platformwww.reuters.com Zalando sues EU Commission over online content rules, seen as first challenge
Zalando , Europe's biggest online fashion retailer, has made the first legal challenge to new EU content rules, suing the European Commission for putting it in the same category as Alphabet's Google and Meta Platforms .
Basically the EU's new "tech regulations" have managed to not affect a single European company except one, which isn't happy about it and wants to be exempted.
It does seem like Europe can't cultivate any meaningful innovation, but is perfectly happy to tell foreign companies how to operate worldwide.
- Trump’s Document Stash Put American Lives at Riskplus.thebulwark.com Trump’s Document Stash Put American Lives at Risk
The Mar-a-Lago documents included information on ‘Special Access Programs,’ the release of which could endanger American military and intelligence personnel.
- After porn-y protest, Reddit ousted mods; replacing them isn’t simplearstechnica.com After porn-y protest, Reddit ousted mods; replacing them isn’t simple
Replacement volunteers have big shoes to fill.
- Hunter Biden agrees to plead guilty on three federal chargeswww.reuters.com Hunter Biden to plead guilty to tax crimes, reaches deal on gun charge
The federal charges against Hunter Biden arose from an investigation by David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in the Democratic president's home state of Delaware who was appointed by Republican former President Donald Trump.
> U.S. President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden has agreed to plead guilty to two charges of willfully failing to pay income taxes in a deal with the Justice Department, according to court documents on Tuesday. > > The federal charges against Hunter Biden arose from an investigation by David Weiss, the U.S. attorney in the Democratic president's home state of Delaware who was appointed by Republican former President Donald Trump. > > According to the deal, Biden also entered the pretrial diversion agreement on one firearm offense.
- Is Crypto Dead?
> It is definitely down, written off by thousands of individual and institutional investors. The most obvious issue: scams. In the world of crypto, big firms are scams. Little firms are scams. Stable coins are scams; exchanges are scams; NFT schemes are scams; initial coin offerings are scams; tokens are scams. Firms run by self-proclaimed altruists are scams. Firms run by the shadiest dudes you can possibly imagine are scams.
- Japan to open up Apple- and Google-dominated phone apps to competitionwww.reuters.com Japan to open up Apple- and Google-dominated phone apps to competition
Japan plans to stoke competition in smartphone app payments, dominated by Apple and Google, by banning major app store operators from forcing software developers to use the operators' own payment systems, a government panel said.
- Mike Pence offers tougher stance after reading Trump indictmentabcnews.go.com Mike Pence offers tougher stance after reading Trump indictment
After reading the indictment against Donald Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence said he "cannot defend what is alleged" but promised to "clean house" at the DOJ.
Former Vice President Mike Pence said Wednesday he "cannot defend what is alleged" in the most recent indictment against former President Donald Trump, a seemingly tougher stance than he had previously taken regarding the Justice Department's decision to charge his former running mate.
- Italy's Silvio Berlusconi deadwww.bbc.com Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi dies at 86
The four-time prime minister bounced back from sex scandals and corruption allegations.
- The Real Cost of Cheap Labourquillette.com The Real Cost of Cheap Labour
Michael Lind's 'Hell to Pay' presents a dire cautionary message to the political establishment.
- Tech, an Early Booster of Remote Work, Wants People Back in the Officewww.wsj.com Tech, an Early Booster of Remote Work, Wants People Back in the Office
The reversal is creating tension for workers who adjusted to the flexibility gained during the pandemic and arranged their lives accordingly.
- A Leaked Tesla Report Shows the Cybertruck Had Basic Design Flawswww.wired.com A Leaked Tesla Report Shows the Cybertruck Had Basic Design Flaws
The “alpha” version of the EV company’s first pickup had problems with braking, handling, noise, and leaks, according to an internal presentation.
- Trump faces federal charges in classified documents case, adding to legal woeswww.reuters.com Trump risked national secrets, prosecutors allege in indictment
U.S. prosecutors unsealed a 37-count indictment against Donald Trump on Friday, accusing the former president of risking some of the country's most sensitive security secrets after leaving the White House in 2021.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump faces a new legal challenge - this time from the government he used to lead - with charges for illegally retaining classified documents and other crimes expected to be filed next week in federal court in Miami.
- A $1.5 Trillion Backstop for Homebuyers Props Up Banks Insteadwww.bloomberg.com A $1.5 Trillion Backstop for Homebuyers Props Up Banks Instead
The Federal Home Loan Bank system provides billions to banks curtailing mortgage lending, and millions to its executives
- Reddit to lay off about 5% of its workforcewww.reuters.com Reddit to lay off about 5% of its workforce
Reddit said on Tuesday it is laying off about 5% of its workforce, or 90 employees, joining a list of technology companies that have been cutting jobs across corporate America.
I'll miss you, dear Reddit. 😢 Long live Lemmy?
