news

Texas Lawmakers Are Again Pushing to Spend Millions on Kits to Find Missing Kids. Experts Say They Don’t Work.
—

Texas legislators slipped millions for child ID kits into a 1,000-page budget proposal. The move comes two years after they quietly cut funding for such kits following a ProPublica and Texas Tribune report that showed there’s no evidence they work.
https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-lawmakers-child-id-kits-funding?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #Texas #Children #Safety #Government #Policy #Budget #Business

"We won 3 Supreme Court seats Tuesday. We won the Bucks County, PA, DA's race. No biggie, Dems have won it before. In 1891.

So went PA, which Fetterman betrayed days later. Fetterman's the guy you thought was when you first looked at him
https://www.blueamp.co/p/schumer-and-eight-senate-democratic #trump #news #politiics #shutdown #ai #tv #media #press #tech #democrats #donaldtrump #snap #healthcare #eu

NEW SUBSTACK: Go Read The Rest Don't Forget To SUBSCRIBE: https://www.blueamp.co/p/end-stage-democracy-has-a-mascot

"And now, we’ve arrived at the logical conclusion of all this—Eric #Trump, the barking embodiment of dumb-son nepotism. A laughable lout with inherited intellectual necrosis and the empathy of a Terminator wrapped in designer smugness.

In Eric we have the heir to a #political dynasty so corrupt it saddens Tammany Hall, b/c they’re not here to stand and clap. A guy whose gums allow you to shelter-in-place during EF4 tornadoes. Whose existence makes it so when you say the “the dumb Trump son,” you’re somehow not talking about Don Jr."

#news #politics #donaldtrump #tech #media #press #washington #maga #ai #usa #us #unitedstates #america #russia #ukraine #china #eu #tv

Trying to find more information on how the under-15 social media ban in France impacts Mastodon/fediverse servers, and while I can't see anything too concrete on that, I did come across this 2024 The Guardian article:

"The report said a 15-year-old should be able to access only what it called “ethical” social media, such as Mastodon."

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/30/stop-children-using-smartphones-until-they-are-13-say-french-experts-in-report

#news #SocialMedia #SocialMediaBan #EthicalSocialMedia #fediverse #mastodon

REVEALED by Correspondent @stevanzetti: We identified the operator of an overtly racist X account, "GlomarResponder," as #ICE Assistant Chief Counsel James Rodden, based on an overwhelming number of biographical details matched through publicly available documents, other social media activity, and courtroom observation. https://www.texasobserver.org/ice-prosecutor-dallas-white-supremacist-x-account/

#SocialMedia #extremism #immigration #border #politics #USpol #WhiteSupremacy #Fascism #Trump #news

The March/April 2025 issue of Texas Observer magazine is coming soon for our members, featuring some of our best reporting, a sneak preview of Lise Olsen's new book, Justin Miller's vital political analysis, and more.

Become a member: https://texasobserver.fundjournalism.org/join/

(📸 Cover photo by Shelby Tauber)

#journalism #media #nonprofit #politics #USpol #Texas #CriminalJustice #books #culture #news #TXlege #border #MentalHealth

ALT

"A new report from Common Sense Media says that 72 percent of teens surveyed have used AI companions, and 33 percent have relationships or friendships with these chatbots."

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/teens-are-flocking-to-ai-chatbots-is-this-healthy/

#news #TechNews #technology #AI

House Committee Leader to Investigate Agency for Preferential Treatment of Politically Connected Startup
—

The probe comes in the wake of a ProPublica investigation that revealed the General Services Administration was eyeing a tech firm with strong ties to the Trump administration to remake a massive, $700 billion federal credit card program.
https://www.propublica.org/article/investigation-ramp-gsa-smartpay-trump-peter-thiel-gerald-connolly?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #Trump #Business #Fintech #Tech #Technology #Government

Drug companies in the U.S. face few restraints on what to charge for their products. A bipartisan bill would penalize those companies that sell their drugs at higher prices than the average of the prices in other wealthy nations.
https://www.propublica.org/article/why-americans-pay-more-for-prescription-drugs?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #Drugs #Pharma #Health #Healthcare #Cancer #Business #Congress

This Lender Said Its Loans Would Help Tennesseans. It Has Sued More Than 110,000 of Them.
—

The Flex Loan, a type of payday loan pioneered by Advance Financial, has burdened low-income borrowers while generating huge profits for lenders. Tennessee lawmakers declined to rein in the lending business, even as other states did.
https://www.propublica.org/article/flex-loans-tennessee-advance-financial?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #Tennessee #Loans #Finance #Law #Business

Millions of People Depend on the Great Lakes’ Water Supply. Trump Decimated the Lab Protecting It.
—

The Trump administration’s slashing of budgets and staff have Great Lakes scientists concerned that they have lost the ability to protect the public from toxic algal blooms, which can kill animals and sicken people.
https://www.propublica.org/article/noaa-michigan-lab-toxic-algae-blooms-great-lakes-drinking-water?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #Michigan #Ohio #Environment #Trump #DOGE #NOAA #Water #Science

Not sure how many of you use ChatGTP, but you might want to scale back.

"The latest model of ChatGPT has begun to cite Elon Musk’s Grokipedia as a source on a wide range of queries, including on Iranian conglomerates and Holocaust deniers, raising concerns about misinformation on the platform.

In tests done by the Guardian, GPT-5.2 cited Grokipedia nine times in response to more than a dozen different questions."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/24/latest-chatgpt-model-uses-elon-musks-grokipedia-as-source-tests-reveal

#news #technology #TechNews #ChatGPT #OpenAI #AI #GenAI #grok #grokipedia

In our magazine, from Candice Bernd: Texas is the national epicenter of #Bitcoin mining, with only about 24 total mines operating outside the state’s borders. Approximately 40 mines are operating in the state, together consuming about 3,200 MWs, enough to power 800,000 homes. https://www.texasobserver.org/the-crypto-racket/

Copublished with our friends at The Nation.

#Texas #politics #energy #ClimateChange #pollution #environment #OilAndGas #crypto #news

DHS used to only have information on immigrants who’d had contact with the agency.

Under a new data-sharing agreement, the system added information — including full Social Security numbers — on millions of Americans not in DHS databases.
https://www.propublica.org/article/dhs-social-security-data-voter-citizenship-trump?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #DHS #SocialSecurity #Vote #Data #Election #Privacy #Security #USPolitics

as she keeps going up the route leading to the summit, Perseverance sends us new visions of the crater rim and beyond

#Mars Nov. 30, 2024 (Sol 1344)
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

#perseverance #rover #Sol1344 #PerseveranceRover #PicoTurquino #JezeroCrater #JezeroCraterRim #RimCampaign #RimScience #Navcam #photography #space #science #STEM #geology #landscape #Mars2020 #solarocks #Astrodon #news

ALT

Beautiful, totally new, long-distance vistas captured 12 hours ago by Perseverance with her Mastcam Zoom camera, after her latest move up the slopes of the crater

#Mars Dec. 5, 2024 (Sol 1349)
Credits images: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

#Perseverance #rover #Sol1349 #PerseveranceRover #JezeroCrater #Astrodon #geology #Mars2020 #RimCampaign #RimScience #science #STEM #news #Martian #landscape #photography

Spain to enshrine gay marriage and abortion rights into its constitution so ‘they cannot be undone in the future’

https://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2024/12/06/spain-to-enshrine-gay-marriage-and-abortion-rights-into-its-constitution-so-they-cannot-be-undone-in-the-future/

#news #politics #spain #lgbtq #abortion #rights #humanrights #womensrights

Alas, we've not had time to pull together our usual #NewstodonFriday thread this week (sometimes you've just got to prioritize watching a group of seven-year-olds wave paper plates to the "Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy"). Instead, we're going to re-share our list of the brilliant indie publishers with an active presence on Mastodon, all of whom would love your support. The spreadsheet below shows all the Flipboard publisher accounts we've federated, many of which are also small independent publishers that would appreciate your cash and/or clicks.

@bolts
@damemagazine
@gbhnews
@KnowableMag
@ProPublica
@restofworld
@SFPublicPress
@TexasObserver
@thecontinent
@[email protected]
@themarkup
@thetyee
@thexylom
@timkmak
@TucsonSentinel

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1iUFTo6rPvhqzCReLaM1c6-xUKRuBVqlZVStZl9Al-EU/edit

#Newstodon #News #Media #Journalism #LocalNews #IndependentMedia #IndependentNews #Flipboard

New today: The Texas Observer has identified the operators of four anonymous accounts that regularly share racist, antisemitic, and neo-Nazi content on X. Three of the operators appear to live or have claimed to own property in Texas.
https://www.texasobserver.org/revealed-operators-neo-nazi-x-accounts/

#extremism #politics #USpol #SocialMedia #Texas #ElonMusk #news #racism

The DEA Once Touted Body Cameras for Their “Enhanced Transparency.” Now the Agency Is Abandoning Them.
—

An internal email obtained by ProPublica said the agency made the change to be “consistent” with a Trump executive order. But at least two other federal law enforcement agencies are still requiring body cameras.
https://www.propublica.org/article/drug-enforcement-administration-ends-body-camera-program-trump?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #Trump #Law #Drugs #BodyCam #Camera #Police #Accountability

A DOGE aide was told by ethics attorneys that he held stock in companies that Consumer Financial Protection Bureau employees are barred from owning — and was advised not to participate in any actions that could benefit him personally.

Days later, he helped fire 90% of CFPB staff anyway, including the ethics lawyers who warned him.

https://www.propublica.org/article/cfpb-gavin-kliger-doge-conflict-of-interest-consumer-financial-protection-bureau?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #DOGE #Stocks #Business #Ethics #Law #Government

The bill’s introduction follows WPLN and ProPublica reporting that found the state’s lax gun laws and enforcement allow firearms to remain in the hands of abusers, some of whom have gone on to shoot and harm or kill their victims.

https://www.propublica.org/article/tennessee-guns-dispossession-domestic-violence?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #Tennessee #Guns #DomesticViolence #Abuse

The rate of sepsis in Houston surged 63% after Texas banned abortion.

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where hospital leaders empowered doctors to intervene before patients’ conditions worsened, it rose just 29%.

https://www.propublica.org/article/texas-abortion-ban-sepsis-rates-dallas-houston?utm_source=mastodon&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mastodon-post

#News #Texas #Abortion #Women #Health #Doctors #Hospital #Dallas #Houston

"As cost unfortunately seems to have been a too predominant evaluation factor when organizing this, what you end up having is lower quality."

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-08/klarna-turns-from-ai-to-real-person-customer-service

Archived link: https://archive.is/wNUL6

Via https://macaw.social/@jay/114489949358429781

#news #technology #TechNews #jobs #labor #RemoteWork #AI