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Jeff Bezos this week continued to dismantle what’s left of the Washington Post via another massive round of layoffs that left remaining staff stunned. Among the latest cuts is the elimination of the paper’s popular sports desk, scaling back of international and local news, the firing of an untold swath of journalists, and the ending of the paper’s book sections, among other major changes.

This comes on the heels of other decisions by Bezos to fire all of the paper’s black columnists, turn the op-ed section into pro-corporatist agitprop, censor cartoonists that criticize Jeff, and generally shift the paper’s journalistic tone in a more right wing, autocrat-friendly, corporatist direction. You know, like every other major corporate media outlet from CNN to CBS.

Of course, nobody actually wants this. The actual audience for extraction class agitprop is arguably very small and already quite well served. So it’s amusing to see WAPO leadership insist that these additional, brutal cuts are necessary because the paper has been losing subscribers and “wants to be competitive“:

“Murray acknowledged that the Post has struggled to reach “customers” and talked about the competitive media marketplace. “Today, the Washington Post is taking a number of actions across the company to secure our future,” he said, according to an audio recording of the meeting.”

Let’s be clear: billionaires like Jeff Bezos don’t want a functioning press. They want the lazy simulacrum of a functional press that caters to their ideology (more for me, less for you) and protects their interests. As with Larry Ellison’s acquisition of CBS and TikTok, and Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, it’s best to view this as a global project to defang accountability for the planet’s richest, shittiest people and corporations.

Former Washington Post editor Marty Baron didn’t really mince words about what this means for a once-functional newspaper that, at this point, probably can’t be salvaged:

A staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."

— Ben Mullin (@benmullin.bsky.social) 2026-02-04T14:34:22.001Z

WAPO management insist that they’re going to “narrow their focus on politics.” By this they mean more of the feckless, “both sides,” “view from nowhere” DC gossip reporting you see at other billionaire-owned outlets like Axios, Semafor, and Politico. Glad-handy journalism that’s less concerned with the truth than it is appeasing ownership, protecting access, and keeping the ad money flowing.

The kind of wimpy, soft-knuckled cack that can (and repeatedly is) exploited by authoritarian zealots who know these outlets lack the courage to call them out for what they really are. You see, if you’re honest about the extremist nature of our unpopular autocratic government, you might lose access, upset paper management, alienate Republican ad viewers, or piss off regulators eyeing your latest merger.

Bezos could fund functional journalism at the Washington Post for decades to come without making a dent in his finances, were that something of actual interest to him. This is a guy who just blew $75 million on a propaganda puff piece kissing the ass of the president’s wife. That kind of money could fund most independent newsrooms for the better part of the next decade.

Jeff wants to ensure the administration will pay him to launch his unreliable rockets into space, slather his fledgling LEO satellite network with subsidies, coddle his cloud computing empire, allow him to dominate every last aspect of modern retail, and generally be broadly exploitative in a way that undermines competition, consumers, and labor. He wants, and applauds, Trump’s destruction of the regulatory state.

Bezos still “wins” even if the Post doesn’t survive his “leadership.” At worst (for Jeff) the paper is converted into a sad, pseudo-journalistic simulacrum that exists largely to blow smoke up the ass of wealth and power. At best another major media institution is destroyed, eliminating yet another outlet that used to (admittedly with increasing inconsistency) hold billionaires and corporate power to account.

But it’s really something even worse than just rich people destroying journalism to coddle their delicate egos and protect their financial interests. All of this really is part of a broad, multi-generational effort by the extraction class to eliminate checks and balances and accountability, erode informed consensus, befuddle the electorate, and dismantle not just democratic norms, but democracy itself.

And, if you hadn’t noticed, it’s been a smashing success so far.

If there’s a plus side to this mess, it’s that Jeff and Elon and Larry’s clumsy efforts to dominate and destroy U.S. journalism create vast new opportunities for indie newsletter authors, worker-owned newsrooms, and independent outlets (like Techdirt), to serve a public that’s desperate for something tangible, courageous, and real in a sea of bullshit and clumsy artifice. Give them, and us, your time and money.

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It is no secret that large language models (LLMs) are being used routinely to modify and even write scientific papers. That’s not necessarily a bad thing: LLMs can help produce clearer texts with stronger logic, not least when researchers are writing in a language that is not their mother tongue. More generally, a recent analysis in Nature magazine, reported by Science magazine, found that scientists embracing AI — of any kind — “consistently make the biggest professional strides”:

AI adopters have published three times more papers, received five times more citations, and reach leadership roles faster than their AI-free peers.

But there is also a downside:

Not only is AI-driven work prone to circling the same crowded problems, but it also leads to a less interconnected scientific literature, with fewer studies engaging with and building on one another.

Another issue with LLMs, that of “hallucinated citations,” or “HalluCitations,” is well known. More seriously, entire fake publications can be generated using AI, and sold by so-called “paper mills” to unscrupulous scientists who wish to bolster their list of publications to help their career. In the field of biomedical research alone, a recent study estimated that over 100,000 fake papers were published in 2023. Not all of those were generated using AI, but progress in LLMs has made the process of creating fake articles much simpler.

Fake publications generated using LLMs are often obvious because of their lack of sophistication and polish. But a new service from OpenAI, called Prism, is likely to eliminate such easy-to-spot signs, by adding AI support to every aspect of writing a scientific paper:

Prism is a free workspace for scientific writing and collaboration, with GPT‑5.2⁠—our most advanced model for mathematical and scientific reasoning—integrated directly into the workflow.

It brings drafting, revision, collaboration, and preparation for publication into a single, cloud-based, LaTeX-native workspace. Rather than operating as a separate tool alongside the writing process, GPT‑5.2 works within the project itself—with access to the structure of the paper, equations, references, and surrounding context.

It includes a number of features that make creating complex — and fake — papers extremely easy:

• Search for and incorporate relevant literature (for example, from arXiv) in the context of the current manuscript, and revise text in light of newly identified related work
• Create, refactor, and reason over equations, citations, and figures, with AI that understands how those elements relate across the paper
• Turn whiteboard equations or diagrams directly into LaTeX, saving hours of time manipulating graphics pixel-by-pixel

There is even voice-based editing, allowing simple changes to be made without the need to write anything. But scientists are already worried that the power of OpenAI’s Prism will make a deteriorating situation worse. As an article on Ars Technica explains:

[Prism] has drawn immediate skepticism from researchers who fear the tool will accelerate the already overwhelming flood of low-quality papers into scientific journals. The launch coincides with growing alarm among publishers about what many are calling “AI slop” in academic publishing.

One field that is already plagued by AI slop is AI itself. An FT article on the topic points to an interesting attempt by the International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR), a major gathering of researchers in the world of machine learning, to tackle this problem with punitive measures against authors and reviewers who violate the ICLR’s policies on LLM-generated material. For example:

Papers that make extensive usage of LLMs and do not disclose this usage will be desk rejected [that is, without sending them out for external peer review]. Extensive and/or careless LLM usage often results in false claims, misrepresentations, or hallucinated content, including hallucinated references. As stated in our previous blog post: hallucinations of this kind would be considered a Code of Ethics violation on the part of the paper’s authors. We have been desk -rejecting, and will continue to desk -reject, any paper that includes such issues.

Similarly:

reviewers [of submitted papers] are responsible for the content they post. Therefore, if they use LLMs, they are responsible for any issues in their posted review. Very poor quality reviews that feature false claims, misrepresentations or hallucinated references are also a code of ethics violation as expressed in the previous blog post. As such, reviewers who posted such poor quality reviews will also face consequences, including the desk rejection of their [own] submitted papers.

It is clearly not possible to stop scientists from using AI tools to check and improve their papers, nor should this be necessary, provided authors flag up such usage, and no errors are introduced as a result. A policy of the kind adopted by the ICLR requiring transparency about the extent to which AI has been used seems a sensible approach in the face of increasingly sophisticated tools like OpenAI’s Prism.

Follow me @glynmoody on  on Bluesky and Mastodon.

Microsoft engineers and other stakeholders have been developing LiteBox as a security-focused library OS written in the Rust programming language and leveraging Linux Virtualization Based Security "LVBS". The design is for LiteBox to operate as a secure kernel protecting the normal guest kernel via virtualization hardware...

LGBTQ+ employees at companies that have rescinded inclusionary policies are finding their workplaces hostile, and some say they’ve become less productive, according to a new Human Rights Campaign Foundation study. But inclusion pays off for workers and companies.

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#6478 Erma: The Game

Genres/Tags: Adventure, Point-and-click, 2D
Company: Outcast Studio Games
Language: ENG
Original Size: 4.6 GB
Repack Size: 1.1 GB

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Discussion and (possible) future updates on CS.RIN.RU thread

Screenshots (Click to enlarge)

Repack Features

• Based on Erma.The.Game-TENOKE ISO release: tenoke-erma.the.game.iso (4,918,257,664 bytes)
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The post Erma: The Game appeared first on FitGirl Repacks.

Pleb-tier LPDDR5x apparently good enough for Arm-backed AI startup's next-gen Asimov accelerators

On paper, Positron's next-gen Asimov accelerators, no doubt named for the beloved science fiction author, don't look like much of a match for Nvidia's Rubin GPUs.…

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Task Force Admiral – Vol.1: American Carrier Battles Free Download PC Game Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. Task Force Admiral – Vol.1: American Carrier Battles – Experience the thrill of leading American aircraft carriers to victory in this innovative full 3D command simulation wargame…

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Game Overview

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Developer: Drydock Dreams Games

Publisher: MicroProse Software

Release Date: 27 Jan, 2026

Genre: Simulation, RTS, Strategy, Management

 

Task Force Admiral Vol.1: American Carrier Battles is a single-player experience centered on the command of an early Pacific War US Navy carrier task force. As the overall commander, you are in charge of seeking the destruction of the enemy naval forces and preventing your opponent, the Japanese Navy, from accomplishing its objectives. To achieve your aims, you have at your disposal the most fearsome sea projection weapon known to Man in 1942: your carrier air groups and the task forces that support them.

As a carrier task force admiral in this pioneering age of air/naval warfare, assume the mantle of retribution in this innovative interpretation of a classic topic, as the first title in a new series that will further explore and develop the genre. Forget about the limitations of the past, and let the best of wargaming and simulation blend and blossom together in this new take on command at sea! Re-live the great battles of the first year of the Pacific War as if you were there yourself. In here there is no dice roll, no artificial skill-tree, no arbitrary stats, selective fog of war or supernatural crystal-clear communications. It is real-time crisis management for you, realism and historicity without concession, as little abstraction as can be, and loads of action, suspense and refreshing gameplay packed in the same single computer software.

The full game at the end of Early Access will include the following content:

As an Admiral, command the legendary American carrier task forces of 1942

Innovative approach to serious wargaming in a full 3D simulation-based environment

Pausable real-time, time compression available, no clickfest !

One of the most detailed & authentic WW2 naval command game ever attempted to date

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Lead the US Navy & its ANZAC allies in 30+ historical & hypothetical single scenarios

Over 90 classes of ships and 40 types of aircraft meticulously researched & recreated

Accurate real-life ship, aircraft camouflages & markings

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Play it the way you like it: fully customizable realism & difficulty settings

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DOWNLOAD LINKS

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All links are interchangeable, you can download different parts on different hosts
Request a game or request re-upload, visit Game Request
If you need help a problem, visit F.A.Q

 

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(See instructions if you don't know how to install: Instructions on how to install)

1.  Extract/Install.
2.  Crack if needed.
3.  Play game.
4.  Have fun ^^.
5.  (OPTION) Install the update version if they have the future in the link below:

 

---

System Requirement

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Minimum:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS *: Windows 7 or greater
• Processor: Intel i5 6th generation or greater
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• Additional Notes: Temporary system specs info, might change during development

Recommended:

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The post Task Force Admiral – Vol.1: American Carrier Battles Free Download appeared first on Install Guide Games.

Captain Hardcore Free Download PC Game Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. Captain Hardcore – Board your ship and explore a universe built for sexual experimentation, creativity, and complete freedom. Build your crew, customize every detail of their…

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Game Overview

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Developer: AntiZero Games

Publisher: AntiZero Games

Release Date: 22 Jan, 2026

Genre: Simulation, VR, Nudity, Mature, Action

 

Get Ready for the Ultimate Galactic Sex Sandbox!

Captain Hardcore is a deep, physics-driven sexual sandbox set across the darkest and most decadent reaches of space.

Board your ship and explore a universe built for experimentation, creativity, and complete freedom. Build your crew, customize every detail of their bodies and outfits, and use your ship’s advanced systems to create, control, and replay your own scenes – all in the name of science. This is your playground, Captain.

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Your crew has been taken. The galaxy is at risk. Chase the dominant and seductive Nova Celestia across the stars as she hunts for the Ultimate Pleasure Device. Traverse the uncharted expanse of the galaxy and unlock its deepest secrets – what you uncover out here could redefine what it means to be human… or at least, what it means to cum like one.

Tailor your crew to match your deepest desires, fine-tuning every aspect to create the perfect team. How will your unique style and choices shape the appearance of your crew? Each time you revisit your vessel, you can experiment with different body types, skins, faces, hair, clothing and more, ensuring your crew is as alluring as they are adventurous!

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---

DOWNLOAD LINKS

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All links are interchangeable, you can download different parts on different hosts
Request a game or request re-upload, visit Game Request
If you need help a problem, visit F.A.Q

 

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Link MixDrop:
Uploading…

 

Link Rapidgator:
Uploading…

 

Link Bowfile:
Uploading…

 

Link SendCM:
Uploading…

 

Link Clicknupload:
Uploading…

 

 

(See instructions if you don't know how to install: Instructions on how to install)

1.  Extract/Install.
2.  Crack if needed.
3.  Play game.
4.  Have fun ^^.
5.  (OPTION) Install the update version if they have the future in the link below:

 

---

System Requirement

---

 

Minimum:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i5-12400F or AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super or AMD Radeon RX 590
• Storage: 70 GB available space
• VR Support: All Steam VR Headsets + Vive Trackers
• Additional Notes: Minimum requirements are for VR mode. Desktop mode will run smoothly on lower-spec machines.

Recommended:

• Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
• OS: Windows 10 64-bit
• Processor: Intel Core i5 12600k or AMD Ryzen 7 7700
• Memory: 16 GB RAM
• Graphics: NVIDIA RTX 3080 or AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT
• Storage: 70 GB available space
• VR Support: All Steam VR Headsets + Vive Trackers
• Additional Notes: GPU requirements vary by headset resolution

The post Captain Hardcore Free Download appeared first on Install Guide Games.

As thousands of gay men gathered at PortMiami in Florida on Sunday to board what organizers billed as the “world’s biggest gay festival at sea,” law enforcement officers arrested nine passengers after narcotics were allegedly discovered in their luggage.

— Permalien

RAG bots could overtake human visitors on publisher sites this year, trackers tell us

The AI bot takeover of the internet continues apace, and the latest data suggests the surge is being driven less by model-training scrapes and more by the growing use of AI tools as a stand-in for web search.…

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Greater Than, a recently launched campaign to overturn gay marriage nationwide, misrepresented a quote from former President Barack Obama to falsely imply that he supports their campaign — he does not.

The campaign’s website shows Obama’s image alongside those of other anti-LGBTQ+ bigots, like slain MAGA influencer Charlie Kirk, Christian conservative commentator Allie Beth Stuckey, and right-wing “satirical news” peddler Seth Dillon.

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Christian conservative vows to continue fight to end marriage equality: It harms kids!

Below Obama’s image is a 2010 quote in which he said, “We know that children benefit not just from loving mothers and loving fathers, but from strong and loving marriages as well.”

The insinuation is that Obama agrees with the anti-gay trope that “all children deserve a father and mother” (rather than two parents of the same sex) and that he considers same-sex marriages as weaker or less loving that different-sex marriages.

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Obama’s quote actually comes from a 2010 event promoting responsible fatherhood, according to Right Wing Watch; not an anti-gay speech.

Obama expressed support for same-sex marriage during his 1996 Illinois state Senate campaign, telling The Windy City Times that he supported legalizing same-sex marriage and would fight efforts to ban it.

He infamously backtracked on this position during his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns — stating that he supported civil unions for LGBTQ+ couples but believed “marriage is between one man and one woman” — likely in an effort to court conservative moderate voters and avoid GOP anti-gay attacks. White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer even dishonestly claimed that Obama’s 1996 statement had been forged, but Pfeiffer’s claim was later walked back by a White House spokesperson.

Barack Obama publicly declared his support for same-sex marriage in a May 9, 2012 interview with ABC News, making him the first sitting U.S. president to do so. He also appointed two Supreme Court justices — Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan — who both voted in favor of the landmark 2015 decision legalizing same-sex marriage.

Greater Than’s website also features what appears to be an AI-generated image of a Black teenage boy looking sad and troubled, while his oblivious and uncaring white gay dads hold hands in the background.

It’s notable that a campaign seemingly entirely run by white Christian conservatives would misrepresent the only Black president’s words and then fabricate a computer-generated photo-realistic image of a Black boy menaced by gay men in order to gain sympathy from Black community members and people who care about children’s well-being; essentially treating Black people as puppets and props.

Katy Faust, the anti-marriage-equality activist behind the campaign, has also peddled decades-old anti-gay smears insinuating that LGBTQ+ people harm kids.

“There is a direct connection between gay marriage and child victimization,” Faust recently told Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, an anti-LGBTQ+ organization that has been certified as a hate group. Faust has also said that her campaign’s central message will be, “Don’t touch the kids,” a phrase insinuating right-wing smears of queer people molesting and “sexualizing” children.

The Greater Than website and its supporters — which include over 47 different anti-LGBTQ+ organizations that oppose any expansion of queer civil rights — regularly refer to LGBTQ+ parents as “adults who have their own idiosyncratic romantic desires” and people who “put adult desires over children’s needs,” as if LGBTQ+ identities or raising kids were merely some sort of queer kink rather than naturally human.

Faust has also described parenting by same-sex couples as a “destructive state-sanctioned gaslighting experiment on children,” echoing language deployed by opponents of gender-affirming care for minors.

In reality, studies consistently show that same-sex couples are just as good of parents – and sometimes better than – opposite-sex couples. Additionally, a Cornell University review showed that 75 out of 79 studies “concluded that children of gay or lesbian parents fare no worse than other children.”

In a January 27 interview with Luke Martin on the UnBelievable podcast, Faust revealed that her parents divorced and her mother is now in a 40-year relationship with another woman.

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Job cuts to fall hardest on non-revenue generating roles on the Global Customer Operations team

Workday is laying off about two percent of its staff in a bid to align its people with its “highest priorities,” but at a significant cost to its margins for the quarter and the year, the company announced on Wednesday.…

Dimraeth is a 1-8 player fantasy RPG set in a handcrafted pixel art world where you build heroes across 8 races and 6 classes, exploring ancient lands and shaping a stronghold to call home.

In Dimraeth you awaken immortal after a ritual goes wrong, bound to forces long forgotten. Across war-torn Mirkea, ancient ruins whisper of forgotten magic as fractured peoples struggle against darkness. Create … Read More

The post Dimraeth – Beta Sign Up first appeared on Alpha Beta Gamer.

💾

A threat actor is compromising NGINX servers in a campaign that hijacks user traffic and reroutes it through the attacker's backend infrastructure. [...]

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➡️ Law enforcement officers in PortMiami, Florida arrested nine cruise ship passengers boarding the “world’s biggest gay festival at sea” after narcotics were allegedly discovered in their luggage.

While Apple weren’t the first to invent high-DPI displays or to put them into consumer electronics, they did popularize them fairly effectively with the Retina displays in the early 2010s and made a huge number of them in the following years. The computers they’re attached to are getting up there in age, though, and although these displays are still functional it isn’t quite as straightforward to use them outside of their Apple-approved use. [David] demonstrates one way of getting this done by turning a 5k iMac into an external monitor.

The first attempt at getting a usable monitor from the old iMac was something called a Luna Display, but this didn’t have a satisfying latency. Instead, [David] turned to replacing the LCD driver board with a model called the R1811. This one had a number of problems including uneven backlighting, so he tried a second, less expensive board called the T18. This one only has 8-bit color instead of the 10-bit supported by the R1811 but [David] couldn’t personally tell the difference, and since it solved the other issues with the R1811 he went with this one. After mounting the new driver board and routing all of the wires, he also replaced the webcam with an external Logitech model and upgraded the speakers as well.

Even when counting the costs for both driver boards, the bill for this conversion comes in well under the cost of a new monitor of comparable quality from Apple, a company less concerned about innovation these days than overcharging their (admittedly willing) customers. For just a bit of effort, though, these older iMacs and other similar Apple machines with 5k displays can be repurposed to something relatively modern and still usable. Others have done similar projects and funded the upgrades by selling off the old parts.

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Proposed bills in New York and elsewhere threaten makers, Adafruit says

State and federal lawmakers have stepped up their efforts to prevent the creation of 3D printed guns. But Adafruit, a maker of electronics kits, warns that the proposed legislation is so broad it threatens everyone involved in open source manufacturing and technology education.…

Several publications have noted that Kid Rock, the headlining star of Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) all-white country rock alternative to the Super Bowl halftime show, has a 1997 song, “Cool, Daddy Cool,” in which he sings about his love of having sex with underage girls. The song hits differently now that conservatives are mired in a child sex trafficking scandal.

“Young ladies, young ladies, I like ’em underage, see,” the song’s lyrics go. “Some say that’s statutory (But I say it’s mandatory).” The song originally appeared on the soundtrack for the animated children’s film Osmosis Jones.

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MAGA’s outrage over Bad Bunny could be good for Democrats if they can learn the right lesson

Web commenters have pointed out that TPUSA supports President Donald Trump, whose name appears 38,000 times in the Department of Justice’s recently released investigatory files related to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Under President Trump, the DOJ has withheld nearly half of the 6 million files related to Epstein, according to Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), even though congressional law required the DOJ to release all of the files over a month ago. Trump repeatedly called the push to release the files a “hoax” that sought to distract from his presidential accomplishments.

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Trump pressured Republican legislators to stop demanding the files’ release until it became apparent that Democratic House members would force Republicans to undergo a public vote on whether to release the files as well. Only then did Trump give Republicans permission to support their release, saying he had nothing to hide.

“[Puerto Rican musician] Bad Bunny said he’s having a dance party, wearing a dress, and singing in Spanish,” Kid Rock said in a social media post about TPUSA’s half-time show. “We plan to play great songs for folks who love America.”

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Ahead of the imminent GNOME 50 beta release, the GNOME Shell and Mutter components have declared their "50.beta" releases to ship the latest bug fixes, memory leak fixes, and some last minute improvements ahead of the stable release in March...

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The Baton Rouge Police Department announced recently that it will begin using a drone designed by military equipment manufacturer Lockheed Martin and Edge Autonomy, making it one of the first local police departments to use an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with a history of primary use in foreign war zones. Baton Rouge is now one of the first local police departments in the United States to deploy an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with such extensive surveillance capabilities — a dangerous escalation in the militarization of local law enforcement.

This is a troubling development in an already long history of local law enforcement acquiring and utilizing military-grade surveillance equipment. It should be a cautionary tale that prods communities across the country to be proactive in ensuring that drones can only be acquired and used in ways that are well-documented, transparent, and subject to public feedback. 

Baton Rouge bought the Stalker VXE30 from Edge Autonomy, which partners with Lockheed Martin and began operating under the brand Redwire last week. According to reporting from WBRZ ABC2 in Louisiana, the drone, training, and batteries, cost about $1 million. 

All of the regular concerns surrounding drones apply to this new one in use by Baton Rouge:

• Drones can access and view spaces that are otherwise off-limits to law enforcement, including backyards, decks, and other areas of personal property.
• Footage captured by camera-enabled drones may be stored and shared in ways that go far beyond the initial flight.
• Additional camera-based surveillance can be installed on the drone, including automated license plate readers and the retroactive application of biometric analysis, such as face recognition.

However, the use of a military-grade drone hypercharges these concerns. Stalker VXE30’s surveillance capabilities extend for dozens of miles, and it can fly faster and longer than standard police drones already in use. 

“It can be miles away, but we can still have a camera looking at your face, so we can use it for surveillance operations,” BRPD Police Chief TJ Morse told reporters.

Drone models similar to the Stalker VXE30 have been used in military operations around the world and are currently being used by the U.S. Army and other branches for long-range reconnaissance. Typically, police departments deploy drone models similar to those commercially available from companies like DJI, which until recently was the subject of a proposed Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ban, or devices provided by police technology companies like Skydio, in partnership with Axon and Flock Safety. 

Additionally troubling is the capacity to add additional equipment to these drones: so-called “payloads” that could include other types of surveillance equipment and even weapons. 

The Baton Rouge community must put policies in place that restrict and provide oversight of any possible uses of this drone, as well as any potential additions law enforcement might make. 

EFF has filed a public records request to learn more about the conditions of this acquisition and gaps in oversight policies. We’ve been tracking the expansion of police drone surveillance for years, and this acquisition represents a dangerous new frontier. We’ll continue investigating and supporting communities fighting back against the militarization of local police and mass surveillance. To learn more about the surveillance technologies being used in your city, please check out the Atlas of Surveillance.

Reposted from the EFF’s Deeplinks blog.

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Following December's release of COSMIC Epoch 1 along with the Pop!_OS 24.04 release by System76, today they shared more of their feature plans for the next two major COSMIC desktop updates...

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Valve have put up an official explainer on why we haven't gotten released dates or pricing for the new Steam Hardware like the Steam Machine and Steam Frame.

Read the full article on GamingOnLinux.

Melissa McCoul, the now-former Texas A&M University lecturer who was fired for teaching that transgender people exist, filed a federal lawsuit against the university on Tuesday. McCoul alleges that university administrators violated her free speech and due process rights just to appease transphobic politicians after a student recorded her classroom disagreement with the lecturer.

McCoul’s lawsuit accuses the chief of staff of Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott (R) of pressuring the university’s now-resigned President Mark A. Welsh III to fire her. It also accuses A&M’s supervisors of telling university Provost Alan Sams not to give her a required disciplinary hearing before her termination.

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University punishes trans educator for “discrimination” after student calls her “demonic”

“There’s no satisfaction in doing this, only sadness,” she said, according to The Texas Tribune. “I had hoped to keep doing that work for many years to come. Despite how I was treated, I still love the institution, my former colleagues, and the students of A&M. I hope that this lawsuit will cause the University to think twice about treating others similarly.”

McCaul says she was fired even though she didn’t violate any law or university policy. “Instead, [McCaul was] terminated for exercising her academic freedom guaranteed under the First Amendment,” her lawsuit states. McCaul seeks reinstatement to her position, punitive damages, back pay, and other restitution.

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McCoul is a member of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the American Federation of Teachers, which are also covering her legal fees.

“Dr. McCoul’s firing was the canary in the coal mine for Texas A&M University,” said Brian Evans, president of the AAUP Texas Conference. “They had a chance to stand up to the politicians seeking to meddle in Texas universities, and instead they caved.”

Why was Texas A&M lecturer Melissa McCoul fired?

Texas A&M University fired McCaul, removed the dean and department head of the school’s College of Arts and Sciences, and accepted Welsh’s resignation after a Christian conservative student secretly recorded a class conversation in which the student told McCoul that it’s “not legal” to teach about “gender ideology” because “according to our president, there’s only two genders.” McCoul was teaching a course on children’s literature that included mention of trans individuals.

McCaul told the student that if they were uncomfortable, they had the right to leave and to discuss their complaint with the department head. The student then recorded their subsequent conversation with Welsh, in which the student demanded that McCaul be fired. Welsh refused and explained that the university’s courses include LGBTQ+ content to train future educators and counselors who may work with individuals different from themselves.

In response, anti-LGBTQ+ Texas Rep. Brian Harrison reposted the student’s videos on the social media platform X and wrote, “I’m referring [Texas A&M University] to the Trump Administration for investigation… and asking Gov. @GregAbbott_TX to fire the A&M officials involved and to instruct his Regents at all public universities to immediately end all DEI [diversity, equity, and inclusion] and LGBTQ indoctrination.”

Last November, the university system’s board of regents unanimously approved a new policy requiring the presidents of each of its 12 statewide campuses to sign off on any course that could be seen as advocating for “race and gender ideology or topics related to sexual orientation or gender identity.”

Last month, the university blocked a philosophy professor from teaching Plato’s Symposium because it acknowledges gay, lesbian, and bisexual orientations. This month, the university ended its Women’s & Gender Studies program and six courses because they were deemed incompatible with the university’s new anti-LGBTQ+ policies.

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The American Medical Association, which has long supported gender-affirming care for transgender youth, has now endorsed some restrictions.

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Google’s parent Alphabet is doubling down on generative AI in 2026. On Wednesday's earnings call, the search and advertising giant boosted its full-year capital expenditures target to between $175 and $185 billion, roughly twice what it spent last year.…

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