2025-05-10

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• Your washing machine may not actually rid clothes of harmful bacteria

• Newark Airport Hit by 90-Second Radar Outage, the Second in Weeks

  • Newark Airport Suffers Another Tech Outage, FAA Says

Horseshit

• The Centuries-Long Struggle to Make English Words Behave

• UnitedHealthcare sued by shareholders over reaction to CEO's killing

  The lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which seeks class action status, accuses the health insurance company of not initially adjusting its 2025 net earnings outlook to factor in how Thompson's killing would affect its operations.

• Boy Accidentally Orders 70k Lollipops on Amazon. Panic Ensues.

• ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC

  • Physicists turn lead into gold – for a fraction of a second

  • ALICE detects the conversion of lead into gold at the LHC

  • 30 picograms, for an approximate cost of $48 Septillion (10^24) per Troy ounce.

• Phrases introverts use that set them apart

• Companies have plans to build robotic horses

• Ellen Miles is planting seeds of hope through guerrilla gardening

• 'Inheritance is an injustice': Why a 33-year-old redistributed €27M

• Plane caught fire as pilot confused left and right

• TikTok trend sees kids setting Chromebooks on fire; at least one hospitalized

Obit

• John S. Foster Jr., Pentagon scientist who developed warheads, dies at 102

• Former Supreme Court Justice David Souter Dies at 85

  • R.I.P. David Souter, the Last of His Kind | National Review

  Souter was most likely the last of his kind: a liberal Republican appointee. Even the most moderate subsequent Republican-appointed justice, Chief Justice John Roberts, is significantly to Souter’s right.

• Richard Bernstein, Pioneer of Diabetics' Self-Monitoring Blood Sugar, Dies at 90

Musk

• India asks X/Twitter to ban 8k accounts

• USPTO refuses Tesla Robotaxi trademark as "merely descriptive"

• Watch: Anti-Musk Activists Crush Tesla With Tank In Politically-Motivated Stunt | ZeroHedge

Electric / Self Driving cars

• Arrow reborn: an all-Canadian EV aims to revolutionize industry

• Ford's EV sales fell 40% in April, now it's adjusting project

  Ford sold 208,675 vehicles in the US last month, a 16% increase from the same period last year and a new April record. Electrified vehicle sales, including EVs and hybrids, rose 8.4%. Despite higher sales of internal combustion (ICE) and hybrid vehicles, Ford sold significantly fewer electric vehicles last month. Ford sold 4,859 fully electric vehicles in April, which is nearly 40% less than the 8,019 sold in April 2024. All three of Ford’s electric vehicles —the F-150 Lightning, Mustang Mach-E, and E-Transit —had double-digit sales declines last month.

Religion / Tribal / Culture War and Re-Segregation

• Pope Leo XIV ‘looked the other way’ when confronted with child sex abuse allegations against priest in his Chicago church

• Catholic Church To Excommunicate Priests for Following New US State Law - Newsweek

  The Catholic Church has issued a warning to its clergy in Washington state: Any priest who complies with a new law requiring the reporting of child abuse confessions to authorities will be excommunicated. The new law, which will take effect on July 27, eliminates the long-standing confidentiality of the confessional, forcing Catholic leaders and lawmakers into a highly charged standoff over religious liberty and child protection.

Edumacationalizing / Acedemia Nuts

• "Everyone is cheating through college" with GenAI. Who should bear the costs?

Info Rental / ShowBiz / Advertising

• Apple Created a Legal Mess When It Skirted Judge's Ruling

• VS Code forks are facing a grim future

• Italy's Moltiply sues Google in 3B euro lawsuit over market dominance

• Corporate Turned 'Roseanne' and 'A Different World' into AI-Upscaled Nightmares

• Instagram CEO testifies about competing with TikTok

• 'Tone deaf': CrowdStrike responsible for global IT outage to cut jobs and use AI

• The 'Black Mirror' of dating apps takes California colleges by storm

• Apple: "millions to billions" lost without App Store commissions

• Nintendo reserves the right to brick your console following "unauthorised use"

• If Google is forced to give up Chrome, what happens next?

• The FCC Must Reject Efforts to Lock Up Public Airwaves

  The FCC is quietly contemplating a fundamental restructuring of all broadcasting in the United States, via a new DRM-based standard for digital television equipment, enforced by a private “security authority” with control over licensing, encryption, and compliance. This move is confusingly called the “ATSC Transition” (ATSC is the digital TV standard the US switched to in 2009 – the “transition” here is to ATSC 3.0, a new version with built-in DRM). The “ATSC Transition” is championed by the National Association of Broadcasters, who want to effectively privatize the public airwaves, allowing broadcasters to encrypt over-the-air programming, meaning that you will only be able to receive those encrypted shows if you buy a new TV with built-in DRM keys. It’s a tax on American TV viewers, forcing you to buy a new TV so you can continue to access a public resource you already own.

AI Will (Save | Destroy) The World

• AI predicted the next pope. Did it get it right?

• Cloudflare CEO: AI is killing the business model of the web

• AI use damages professional reputation, study suggests

• AI Is Not Your Friend

Space / Boomy Zoomers / UFO

• A 1970s Soviet Spacecraft Is About to Fall Back to Earth

  • EU SST closely monitors upcoming re-entry of space object Cosmos-482 Descent

  • A Soviet-era spacecraft built to land on Venus is falling to Earth instead

  • Ground track map: COSMOS 482 DESCENT CRAFT (ID 6073)

• Statistically Speaking, We Should Have Heard from Aliens by Now

Crypto con games

• Celsius's Mashinsky, Former Crypto High-Roller, Gets 12-Year Prison Sentence

  • Celsius founder Alex Mashinsky sentenced to 12 years for "unbank yourself" scam

  • Founder of crypto lender Celsius sentenced to 12 years in prison

• Energy use in Kuwaiti city fell over 50% after crack down on crypto mining

Economicon / Business / Finance

• Supermicro Hiccups on Hopper, Pulls $40B Guidance for Fiscal 2026

• Coffee shops ditch WiFi and laptops to limit remote work

• Cargo thieves attack the U.S. supply chain

Gubmint / Poilitcks / Law Making

• Entire BART system is down due to computer systems failure

  • Entire BART system shuts down due to 'computer networking problem'

  • Computer Problem Shuts Down Entire BART System in Bay Area

• Florida bill requiring encryption backdoors for social media accounts has failed

• Sen. Cotton's bill would require AI chips to track location, curbing Chinese use

Trump

• Trump Administration's Big Fix for Air Traffic Control Released

  Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy released the Trump Administration’s plan for a “Brand New Air Traffic Control System Plan” today. They want to spend a lot of money to modernize technology quickly, things that airline stakeholders will be on board for, without addressing institutional failures that created the mess in the first place. That means they’re likely to make some progress (money does that!) but not accomplish nearly what they hope. There’s no question we’re dealing with a crumbling system. That’s the fault of the FAA (how the system is managed) and Congress (poor funding models, no accountability). We’re literally decades behind NavCanada, with nearly 40% of systems “unsustainable” according to the Government Accountability Office.

• Trump Asks Supreme Court to Revoke the Legal Status of 500k Immigrants

• US weighs plan to slash China tariffs to as low as 50% — down from 145% — as soon as next week.

Democrats

• Jill Biden gives Joe 'SECRET SIGNAL' to stop answering dangerous question on The View...as he sports mysterious hand wound

Left Angst

• Trump Declares High-Speed Internet Program 'Racist' and 'Unconstitutional'

• Senate passes "cruel" Republican plan to block Wi-Fi hotspots for schoolkids

• Trump Administration Fires Librarian of Congress

  • President Trump Fires Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden

• Lawyers Say Trump Is Trying to Send Asian Immigrants to Libya

• Doge software engineer's computer infected by info-stealing malware

• Workday gets contract from US agency behind DOGE staff cuts, no other bids

  The federal human resources agency at the heart of billionaire Trump advisor Elon Musk's efforts to slash the federal workforce has awarded a contract for a new cloud-based HR platform to Workday (WDAY.O), opens new tab without seeking bids from rivals, raising questions among the agency's current and former employees. The workers, consulted on Thursday, described the sole source contract as unusual, given the competition in an industry that includes ADP and SAP (SAPG.DE), opens new tab. They expressed surprise to see OPM's largely successful in-house HR platform on track to be replaced.

  • Workday handed no-bid deal to fix staffing meltdown at US Uber-HR agency

• Institutionalizing politicized science | Science

  The opening months of the Trump administration represent a historic disruption to America’s scientific agencies. Staff have been fired or reassigned in the name of efficiency, resulting in chaos. Grants have been canceled mid-project for featuring the wrong words. “Pauses” and “reviews” are designed to block spending, in the hope that Congress will make the current impoundment of funds a baseline for permanent disinvestment. While the scientific community waits to see what the new normal will be, the Trump administration has a plan to institutionalize a much more politicized structure of control over government broadly, including both public scientific investments and the use of scientific knowledge in policy actions.

  • They cannot imagine pursuing science without government backing?

• NIH Bans New Funding from U.S. Scientists to Partners Abroad

• Boulder sex ed summer camp canceled after right-wing backlash

  The camp’s pre-registration materials said the program aimed to offer comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education that most students don’t receive in schools. Topics included “sex, sexuality, power and justice,” “bodies beyond the binary,” consent, relationships and pleasure. Two week-long sessions were scheduled for July — one for 5th and 6th graders, and another for 7th and 8th graders.

  Critics accused the organizers of “grooming” children and described the camp as “federally funded masturbation lessons.” They also objected to the LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum and falsely claimed the event would take place at an abortion clinic. The camp was scheduled to be held on CU Boulder’s campus. Boulder Valley Health Center — the program’s operator — provides gynecologic care, including abortions, and receives federal funding to offer low-cost contraceptive services, STI testing and other preventive care.

• RFK Jr. says autism database will use Medicare and Medicaid info

• As US scientists flee, MP urges Britain to do more to nab them

• Europe launches program to lure scientists away from the US

• NSF faces shake-up as officials abolish its 37 divisions

• Trump just made it much harder to track the nation's worst weather disasters

  • NOAA says it will discontinue its billion-dollar disaster database

• Leaked Interview with NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya

  During almost 20 minutes of back and forth, Kaiser pressed Bhattacharya several times to account for canceled grants as well as news accounts of turmoil inside the agency, while Bhattacharya asked Kaiser to clarify and explain exactly what she was asking. Kaiser’s interview then ended up in two Science Magazine articles that falsely implied Bhattacharya misled Kaiser about a new policy on NIH grants.

• 'Orwellian': planetary scientists outraged over deletion of research records

• Silicon Valley is coming for The Pentagon's $1T budget

• Man 'Disappeared' by ICE Was on El Salvador Flight Manifest, Hacked Data Shows

• National Snow and Ice Data Center changes service level to key sea ice datasets

• Trump tightens control of independent agency overseeing nuclear safety

• Era of U.S. dollar may be winding down

• Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Arrested at ICE Detention Center in NJ

  “The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon,” Alina Habba, the Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, posted on X.

  • Democratic Congress members storm ICE facility gates, clash with federal officials in NJ

  • Newark mayor arrested at ICE detention center amid ‘yelling and pushing.’

• Trump administration "looking at" suspending habeas corpus

• Former Palantir workers condemn company's work with Trump administration

Law Breaking / Police / Internal Security

• Nearly 60 cases dismissed due to corruption in Alabama police department

External Security / Militaria / Diplomania

• Inside China's decision to come to the table on Trump tariffs | Reuters

• Corrupt Venezuelan officials 'facilitated' Tren de Aragua gang's reign of terror in US

  A newly released intelligence assessment has found that some Venezuelan government officials “facilitated” the illegal migration of members of the brutal Venezuelan criminal gang Tren De Aragua into the United States “to advance what they see as the Maduro regime’s goal of destabilizing governments and undermining public safety.” However, while Venezuela’s “permissive environment enables TDA to operate… the Maduro regime probably is not systematically directing Venezuelan outflows, such as to sow chaos in receiving countries,” says the April memo from the National Intelligence Council, released Monday by the ODNI. The memo waters down an earlier FBI assessment that the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is specifically directing TdA activities in the U.S.

• Mexico sues Google over 'Gulf of America' name change

World

• Pakistan's Chinese-made jet brought down two Indian fighter aircraft

  • Global militaries to study India-Pakistan fighter jet battle

  • Military briefing: India and Pakistan test red lines of nuclear rivalry

• India Supreme Court reverses content takedown order against Wikipedia operator

• UK: Wikipedia legally challenges 'flawed' online safety rules

• Catalonia Reignites Its Court Fight with Spain over Spyware

• Switzerland plans to ban anonymity and data retention by decree

• Australia has a graduate visa problem

• 'Hollowing out': NZ grapples with an uncertain future as record numbers leave

• French Power Price Plunges Below Zero as Solar Floods the Grid

• Two men found guilty of felling of Sycamore Gap tree

  Two friends who embarked on a “moronic mission” to fell the Sycamore Gap tree with a chainsaw have been found guilty of “mindless” criminal damage. Daniel Graham, 39, and Adam Carruthers, 32, cut down the cherished tree, next to Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, as Storm Agnes raged in the early hours of 28 September 2023. They saw it as a “bit of a laugh” and afterwards “revelled” in their infamy as the crime made headlines around the world, a jury was told. They thought themselves “big or funny or clever”.

• Canadian companies shift focus to Europe for exports, growth

• Cable Theft in Spain Disrupts Train Travel for Thousands, Officials Say

• Brazilian court reverses course, now demands iPhone sideloading within 90 days

Israel

• Israel retrofitting DJI commercial drones to bomb and surveil Gaza

• Israel is starving Gaza. It's a cheap, silent and brutal way to kill

Russia Bad / Ukraine War

• Opinion | Lessons From World War II to Avoid World War III - The New York Times

  Historical manipulation must be corrected. As Russia continues its war against Ukraine and intensifies its hostile actions toward democratic European countries, the need to promote shared European remembrance narratives across the continent and beyond is more pressing than ever. A truthful assessment and profound understanding of history form the foundation of a society’s democratic resilience. We all stand ready to counter Russian disinformation activities and Russia’s attempts to rewrite European history.

• Narva castle facing Russia hangs Putin-Hitler banner on Russia's 'Victory Day'

China

• Nvidia modifies H20 chip for China to overcome US export controls, sources say

• China exports jump 8% in April despite tariffs

• China's PL-15 Air-to-Air Missile Appears to Have Been Used in Combat

• China to launch new modules to Tiangong space station

• China approves building of 10 new nuclear power units for $27B

• China has spent billions developing military tech

Health / Medicine

• New RSV vaccine, treatment linked to dramatic fall in baby hospitalizations

• Grip strength: The test for your chances of living to 100

• In a World of Addictive Foods, We Need New Weight-Loss Drugs

• New Brunswick, Canada medical mystery: study finds no evidence of brain illness

• Golf Course Living Linked to Higher Parkinson's Risk?

  • Proximity to Golf Courses and Risk of Parkinson Disease

• Aetna reimburses 25% less than what they claim (case study)

• Causal evidence that cannabis legalization reduces problematic consumption

• Just When You Thought It Was OK to Skip Breakfast

• Saliva Is a Critical but Underestimated Bodily Fluid

• Why Do Americans Pay More for Prescription Drugs?

• Amateur Athletes Are Turning to Ozempic to Raise Their Game

Pox / COVID / BioTerror AgitProp

• Nearly 200 students under quarantine after outbreak of world's most infectious disease on campus | Daily Mail Online

  Nearly 200 students have been rushed into quarantine in North Dakota over fears they were exposed to measles. The under-18s had all been in school buses or on campus at elementary, middle and high schools at the same time as four patients infected with the ultra-infectious disease. All 180 students are unvaccinated, with officials saying they must now quarantine for 21 days — the time taken for symptoms of the virus to emerge.

  the CDC today confirmed that more than 1,000 measles cases have been diagnosed in the country. It puts the tally at 1,001 infections. This marks only the second time the country has seen this many cases since the disease was declared eradicated nationwide in 2000, with some doctors now worried the country could lose its measles elimination status.

Environment / Climate / Green Propaganda

• Skunk cabbages and other smelly plants brew their foul odour

• Gas stoves nearly double children's cancer risk, Stanford study shows

• Simple changes in brick kilns cut emissions, improve air quality in Bangladesh

• The Safest Path to Stable Climate Is Designing New Plants

• Researchers Have Mapped the Evolution of Every Known Bird Species

• Newly Discovered Algae May Speed Melting of Antarctic Ice

• Neom climate adviser warns futuristic city could alter weather patterns