Once Again, Trump Looks To Get Out Of Paying E. Jean Carroll By Having The DOJ Substitute In For Himself
A federal jury awarded E. Jean Carroll $88.3 million after finding former President Donald Trump liable for sexual assault and defamation. Trump has repeatedly tried to avoid payment, most recently asking the Justice Department to substitute the United States as the defendant under the Westfall Act. The Second Circuit rejected the motion, citing a prior waiver and untimeliness, and the issue is now headed to the Supreme Court. The DOJ has filed a separate petition seeking Court approval for the substitution.
Court To DOGE Bros: Asking ChatGPT ‘Yo, Is This DEI?’ Is Not Proper Legal Process & Also A First Amendment...
A federal judge ruled that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) officials’ use of ChatGPT to label National Endowment for the Humanities grants as DEI and cancel them was arbitrary, capricious, and a violation of the First Amendment. The court...
Appeals Court Kills FCC Effort To Acknowledge Racism In Broadband Deployment
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously struck down the FCC's 2023 rule that would have allowed consumers to file complaints over broadband services that cause disparate impact on low‑income and minority neighborhoods. The court held the agency exceeded...
GameStop CEO Appears To Be Auctioning Off Video Game History
GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen announced an ambitious bid to acquire eBay, proposing $20 billion in cash from the retailer and another $20 billion from investors, far short of the roughly $56 billion price tag. In a terse CNBC interview, Cohen offered vague explanations,...
To The Surprise Of No One, Cops Are Using ALPR Cameras To Stalk Their Exes
The Institute for Justice identified at least 14 instances since 2024 where police officers misused automatic license‑plate reader (ALPR) networks to monitor romantic interests, predominantly women. The cases span multiple states and involve private surveillance platforms such as Flock Safety...
FCC’s Gomez Calls For Review Of Paramount’s Dodgy Merger Financing
FCC Commissioner Anna Gomez has urged a thorough review of the proposed $111 billion merger between Paramount, the Ellison family, and Warner Bros. She highlighted that roughly 49.5% of the deal’s financing comes from Middle‑East and Chinese government‑linked investors, raising foreign‑ownership...
Nintendo Shuts Down Fun Faux ‘Pokemon Documentary’ YouTuber Via Copyright Strikes
Nintendo’s legal team filed four copyright strikes against the YouTube series PokeNational Geographic, targeting 20 videos in a single day. The strikes, based on alleged use of Pokémon game audio and imagery, put the creator’s channel—home to nearly 100,000 subscribers—at...
Matt Taibbi Loses His Vexatious SLAPP Suit As Judge Explains What A ‘Metaphor’ Means
Matt Taibbi’s defamation lawsuit against author Eoin Higgins was dismissed by Judge George B. Daniels, who clarified that metaphorical language and opinion are protected under the First Amendment. The case, filed as a vexatious SLAPP suit, alleged that Higgins’s book...
More Liability Will Make AI Chatbots Worse At Preventing Suicide
California enacted a law that obligates AI chatbot providers to either flood users with 988 crisis‑line numbers or terminate the conversation whenever emotional distress is detected, creating a strict liability regime. New York is considering a similar bill that would...
This Trump FCC Cybersecurity ‘Fix’ Is About To Make Hardware Way More Expensive For Everyone
The FCC, led by Chairman Brendan Carr, announced a ban on any testing labs that maintain offices in China from certifying electronic devices for the U.S. market. Roughly 75% of U.S.-bound smartphones, cameras and computers are currently tested in Chinese...
Steven Soderbergh On AI In Films: If There’s a Filmmaking Tool, I’m Going To Explore It
Acclaimed director Steven Soderbergh says he is experimenting with generative AI to create surreal, dream‑like images for upcoming projects, including a John Lennon/Yoko Ono film and a Spanish‑American War picture. He stresses that the technology requires "very close human supervision" and is...
Someone Ask Alito: If December Was Too Late To Fix Unconstitutional Gerrymandering For The 2026 Midterms, Why Is May Okay?
Justice Samuel Alito criticized a December request to redraw Texas’s congressional map as untimely, citing the need for certainty before the 2026 midterms. Days later, he rushed the certification of the Callais decision, which declared a Louisiana map unconstitutional, shortening...
Section 702 Vote Pushed Back Another Six Weeks Following GOP’s ‘But With Cryptocurrency Ban’ Failure
Congress pushed the reauthorization of the NSA's Section 702 surveillance authority back by roughly six weeks after the House attached a controversial rider banning the Federal Reserve from issuing a digital currency. The House approved a three‑year extension, but the...
FL House GOP Roadblocks DeSantis’ Childhood Vaccine Requirements Repeal
Governor Ron DeSantis and Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo pushed to repeal all school vaccine mandates in Florida, framing the effort as a fight against medical tyranny. The proposal cleared the Senate but hit an immediate roadblock when the Republican‑led House,...
Paramount Reveals Company Will Be 49.5% Owned By Foreign Investors If Warner Bros Merger Approved
Paramount Global has filed a petition with the FCC to approve its $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that would leave 49.5% of the merged entity owned by foreign investors, including Chinese partners and three Middle‑East sovereign funds....
Trump’s Surgeon General Search: Casey Means Out, Casey Means In Groucho Glasses & Mustache In!
The United States has been without a confirmed Surgeon General since January 2025, a gap that underscores the Trump administration’s staffing turmoil. Former nominee Janette Nesheiwat was withdrawn after a public outcry, and her replacement, wellness influencer Casey Means—who lacks...
With First Choice Women’s Centers V. Davenport, The Supreme Court Managed To Do At Least One Helpful Thing: Further Protect...
The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously allowed First Women’s Choice Resource Centers to proceed with its federal lawsuit challenging a New Jersey subpoena demanding donor identities. The Court held that the mere existence of the subpoena creates a concrete, imminent injury...
Appeals Court Hands Roy Moore Another Loss In Yet Another Bogus Libel Lawsuit
The Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a jury verdict that awarded former Alabama judge Roy Moore $8.2 million in a defamation case against the Senate Majority PAC. The court held that the political ad’s consecutive quotes were accurate and did...
Online DRM Or A Bug: Sony’s Silence Adds To Recent PS Update Confusion
Sony’s latest PlayStation system update displays a “Valid Period” tag on newly purchased digital games, indicating a 30‑day window for an online check‑in before the license expires. A support bot has confirmed the timer is intentional, but several insiders and...
Paramount Is Trying To Blame Netflix For All The Negative Merger Press
Paramount Global and Warner Bros. Discovery are pursuing a $111 billion merger that has sparked a backlash from more than 4,000 Hollywood insiders. The insiders signed a letter warning that the deal would deepen debt, trigger layoffs, and hurt consumers and...
The Other Side: Game Dev Tim Cain Isn’t Helping In The AI In Gaming Debate
Veteran game designer Tim Cain recently touted a future where generative AI creates entire games, TV episodes, and even doctor appointments, sparking a heated response from industry observers. The author argues that the conversation should move from whether AI will...
Leading Cancer Charity Stops Funding Open Access Publishing Because It’s Just Not Working
Cancer Research UK announced it will stop directly funding open‑access (OA) publishing, a move projected to save roughly £5.2 million (about $6.6 million) over the next three years. The charity cites the prevalence of hybrid journals, which charge authors for OA while...
Appeals Court Dumps California Law That Would Have Banned Federal Officers From Wearing Masks
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower‑court injunction that blocks California's law prohibiting federal immigration officers from wearing masks during enforcement actions. The state law, signed by Governor Gavin Newsom, was intended to address public‑safety worries about masked...
FCC Leaks To Semafor They’re ‘Investigating’ ABC Because A Comedian Told A Joke. Again.
The Federal Communications Commission, led by Trump‑appointed chair Brendan Carr, is reportedly preparing a review of Disney’s ABC broadcast licenses after a Jimmy Kimmel monologue that displeased the president. ABC holds only eight licenses, none of which are due for...
The Secretary Of Health & Human Services Doesn’t Believe In The Foundation Of Modern Medicine
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. publicly denied the germ theory of disease during a Senate hearing on the measles outbreak, prompting sharp rebuke from Senators Bernie Sanders and Bill Cassidy. Kennedy cited outdated studies to argue that sanitation, not vaccines, reduced...
Tech Lobbyists Hard At Work Undermining Proposed Alaska ‘Right To Repair’ Law
Lawmakers in Alaska are considering two right‑to‑repair bills that would amend the state’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act, obligating tech manufacturers to supply parts, tools, and software to independent repair shops and consumers. The proposals enjoy bipartisan public...
Amazon Gets Exemption From Trump FCC Router (Extortion) Ban, Doesn’t Say How
Amazon’s eero consumer routers and its Leo low‑Earth‑orbit routers have been placed on the FCC’s exemption list for the Trump administration’s foreign‑router ban. The FCC’s rule, announced by Chairman Brendan Carr, bars virtually all overseas‑made routers and even personal hotspots...
‘Stop Killing Games’ Got Its EU Parliament Hearing
The Stop Killing Games movement, founded by YouTuber Ross Scott, secured a European Parliament hearing to address the forced shutdown of online games. Advocates presented a proposal requiring publishers to provide offline functionality or release server code as open source...
DOJ Decides It’s Going To Try To Prosecute The Southern Poverty Law Center Out Of Existence
The Justice Department has filed a federal indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, accusing it of wire fraud, false statements, and money‑laundering related to payments made to informants infiltrating extremist groups. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche claimed the SPLC...
Judge Just Noticed The Obvious Problem With Trump Suing His Own IRS For $10 Billion
Federal Judge Kathleen Williams flagged a fundamental flaw in former President Donald Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS, which he effectively controls. The judge noted the lack of true adversarial parties, questioning whether a case or controversy exists under Article III....
California’s 3D Printer Law Would Criminalize Open Source, Enshittify The 3D Printing Space
A wave of state legislation targeting 3‑D printed firearms is poised to reshape the industry. California’s A.B. 2047 would require every printer to embed a “censorware” algorithm that scans files for gun‑like geometry and criminalizes any attempt to disable it....
RFK Jr. & White House Appear At Odds Over Attempts To Rein Him In
The Trump administration nominated Dr. Erica Schwartz, a former Deputy Surgeon General, to fill the long‑vacant CDC director post created after Susan Monarez’s dismissal in August 2025. Schwartz is widely praised for her evidence‑based public‑health background, but HHS Secretary RFK Jr....
Good News If You Have A Sony TV And Were Hoping It Would Become Less Useful For No Reason
Sony announced firmware updates that will cripple the electronic program guide for over‑the‑air (OTA) antenna channels on its premium Bravia televisions. After the May cutoff, the guide will no longer display full channel listings, logos, or thumbnail images, showing only...
Kash Patel Filed a Defamation Case Monday. His Other Defamation Case Got Dismissed Tuesday.
Kash Patel filed a defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic on Monday, citing an earlier claim against MSNBC commentator Frank Figliuzzi as evidence the outlet should have known its reporting was false. On Tuesday, a federal judge dismissed Patel’s Figliuzzi suit,...
Warner Bros CEO David Zaslav’s $550 Million Golden Parachute Sees ‘Symbolic’ Investor Rebuke
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav is set to collect a $550 million golden parachute as the company finalizes its merger with Paramount. Shareholders cast a non‑binding advisory vote against the payout, but the board can still approve it. The deal,...
Wireless Giants To Get Off The Hook For Spying On Your Daily Movements For Years
The FCC has proposed $196 million in fines—$91 million for T‑Mobile, $57 million for AT&T, and $48 million for Verizon—over years of selling users' precise location data to third parties. Carriers have repeatedly contested the penalties, and a 5th Circuit ruling last year vacated AT&T's...
Digital Hopes, Real Power: The Rise Of Network Shutdowns
Internet shutdowns have accelerated into a global norm, with 304 incidents recorded in 2024 across 54 nations—the highest tally ever. Legal mechanisms in countries such as India, Kazakhstan and Ethiopia now codify the authority to sever connectivity during “public safety”...
Arkansas Tried To Pass An Unconstitutional Social Media Law. Again. It Lost. Again.
Arkansas enacted Act 900, a revised social‑media age‑verification law aimed at protecting minors, but a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction, finding the statute unconstitutional. The bill tries to ban "addictive practices," set default privacy and notification settings, and require...
Stop Begging Big Tech To Fix Your Social Media Experience. You Can Do It Yourself.
Bluesky has rolled out an advanced beta of its Attie AI tool, letting users craft highly personalized feed aggregators that pull from their Bluesky timeline, external RSS sources, and contextual cues. The author demonstrates how a single prompt generated a...
Kash Patel’s Defamation Suit Against The Atlantic Is Designed To Generate Headlines, Not Win In Court
FBI Director Kash Patel filed a 19‑page defamation lawsuit in Washington, D.C., seeking $250 million from The Atlantic after the magazine published a profile alleging he was frequently drunk and unresponsive. The complaint, drafted by MAGA‑aligned lawyer Jesse Binnall, hinges on...
You Can’t Vote Out Amazon Web Services: Fighting Internet Contracts One Library At A Time
Click‑through terms of service have become ubiquitous, binding users to sprawling contracts that often waive legal rights and grant companies broad licenses over personal data. Because these contracts of adhesion are non‑negotiable and the market is dominated by a few...
Judge Acquits Penis Costume-Wearing Grandma While Saying Some Dumb Stuff About Probable Cause
A Fairhope, Alabama municipal judge acquitted 62‑year‑old protester Renea Gamble, who was arrested while wearing an inflatable penis costume during a "No Kings" anti‑Trump rally. The judge acknowledged the officer’s subjective motive but suggested there might have been probable cause...
YouTuber Copyright Struck After Others Layer AI Voiceovers On Video Game Music
YouTuber Nubzombie’s Silent Hill 2 playthrough was hit with two copyright strikes after AI‑generated voiceovers were layered onto Akira Yamaoka’s original track. The claims came from separate entities—"Agro memos" and "詹姆斯.K"—both using the same underlying music and filing automated takedowns. Evidence suggests...
Rep. Mike Johnson Tries, Fails To Sneak Clean Section 702 Re-Authorization Past The Goal Line
Republican House Majority Leader Mike Johnson attempted a last‑minute push to reauthorize the NSA's Section 702 surveillance program, but both the five‑year renewal and an 18‑month extension were defeated after a coalition of 20 Republicans joined Democrats. The votes, held...
Trump Is Literally Negotiating With Himself Over How Much Taxpayer Money He Gets Because His Taxes Were Leaked
Former President Donald Trump has filed a lawsuit demanding $10 billion from the IRS after a contractor leaked his 2019‑2020 tax returns. The case, lodged in the Southern District of Florida, now includes a consent motion seeking a 90‑day extension so...
Ctrl-Alt-Speech: The Silence Of The LLMs
The latest Ctrl‑Alt‑Speech podcast surveys a wave of online‑speech headlines, from federal agencies covertly testing Anthropic’s advanced AI model despite a Trump‑era ban to the company’s opposition to an AI liability bill backed by OpenAI. Apple warned the Grok app...
Oh Look, The MAGA FTC Built The Censorship Industrial Complex It Was Screaming About
The Federal Trade Commission, backed by eight red‑state attorneys general, forced all five major U.S. advertising agency holding companies to cease using NewsGuard’s journalism‑rating service. The move extends a prior condition on the Omnicom‑IPG merger and is framed as an...
The Wall Street Journal Wonders Why There Are Suddenly So Many Sleazy Fees
The Wall Street Journal recently ran a piece on the proliferation of “sleazy” surcharges such as a 3% credit‑card fee, a 5% wellness contribution and a $25‑a‑month trash‑service charge. The article attributes the surge to inflation‑driven cost‑shifting but omits that...
John Deere Pays $99 Million To Settle ‘Right To Repair’ Class Action
John Deere agreed to a $99 million settlement of a class‑action lawsuit alleging it monopolized tractor repairs. The fund will reimburse more than 200,000 owners for costly dealership repairs dating back to 2018, though the company denies any wrongdoing. The settlement...
1,000+ Hollywood Insiders Write Letter Opposing Paramount/Warner Bros Merger
More than 1,000 leading Hollywood professionals, including Glenn Close and Denis Villeneuve, have signed an open letter condemning the proposed $111 billion merger of Larry Ellison’s Paramount/CBS with Warner Bros. Discovery. The signatories argue the deal would shrink the U.S. studio...