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A diminished DOGE reels from the departure of Musk

A diminished DOGE reels from the departure of Musk

The Washington Post reports: Cabinet officials and senior staffers across the Trump administration are reclaiming power from Elon Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service, a trend that began long before the billionaire’s relationship with President Donald Trump exploded in public acrimony days after Musk formally left his White House post. As Musk departed, some of his top lieutenants were streaming out of government. Among those heading for the exits even before Musk and Trump began feuding, according to a White House official…

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Netanyahu arming ‘equivalent of ISIS’ gangs in Gaza, says Avigdor Lieberman

Netanyahu arming ‘equivalent of ISIS’ gangs in Gaza, says Avigdor Lieberman

Middle East Eye reports: Israeli opposition leader Avigdor Lieberman has accused Israeli forces, under the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of arming “crime families” in Gaza. The accusations add weight to the claim that Israel has used Palestinian gangs to disrupt the distribution of aid in the besieged enclave. “Israel has provided assault rifles and light weapons to crime families in Gaza, on Netanyahu’s orders,” Lieberman, the head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party and a former finance minister and…

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Socioeconomic background tied to distinct brain and behavioral patterns

Socioeconomic background tied to distinct brain and behavioral patterns

PsyPost reports: A new study published in Nature Neuroscience suggests that different aspects of socioeconomic status are associated with distinct patterns of brain structure, connectivity, and behavior—and these associations can vary depending on whether they occur in early or later stages of life. Drawing on data from more than 4,200 young adults in China, the research provides a detailed look at how family income, neighborhood adversity, and regional economic conditions relate to memory, personality traits, mental health, and brain imaging…

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In the absence of evidence, the charges against Abrego Garcia look like ‘an abuse of power’

In the absence of evidence, the charges against Abrego Garcia look like ‘an abuse of power’

ABC News reports: Abrego Garcia’s attorney, in an online press briefing, called the charges against his client “an abuse of power.” “They’ll stop at nothing at all — even some of the most preposterous charges imaginable — just to avoid admitting that they made a mistake, which is what everyone knows happened in this case,” said attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg. “Mr. Garcia is going to be vigorously defending the charges against him,” the attorney said. The decision to pursue the indictment…

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Gov. Newsom blasts Trump’s deployment of National Guard to LA as ‘purposefully inflammatory’

Gov. Newsom blasts Trump’s deployment of National Guard to LA as ‘purposefully inflammatory’

Politico reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Saturday denounced President Donald Trump’s plan to deploy thousands of National Guard troops to quell pro-immigrant demonstrators in the Los Angeles area, calling the action “purposefully inflammatory.” The Democrat’s remarks came after Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, told Fox News that the administration planned to send National Guard troops to the area. The White House said Trump signed a presidential memorandum deploying 2,000 troops “to address the lawlessness that has been allowed to…

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What to know about ‘No Kings’ counterprotests to Trump’s June 14 parade

What to know about ‘No Kings’ counterprotests to Trump’s June 14 parade

Axios reports: Protestors are taking to the streets and community hubs nationwide on June 14 in what organizers expect will be the largest single-day anti-President Trump rally since the start of the administration. Why it matters: The widespread movement will run counter to Trump’s multimillion dollar military parade in D.C. “No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance,” organizers wrote. “From city blocks to small towns, from courthouse steps to community parks, we’re taking action to reject authoritarianism.” More than 100 pro-democracy advocacy groups are partnering to organize…

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Trump called Musk ‘a big-time drug addict’ and urged others to be cautious

Trump called Musk ‘a big-time drug addict’ and urged others to be cautious

The Washington Post reports: President Donald Trump was dejected, processing his very public split with the world’s richest man. Rattled in the wake of Elon Musk’s public attacks and apparent call for his impeachment, Trump worked the phones, debriefing close confidants and casual acquaintances alike. His former ally was “a big-time drug addict,” Trump said at one point as he tried to make sense of Musk’s behavior, according to a person with knowledge of the call, who like others interviewed…

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Proud Boys’ $100 million lawsuit puts Trump in a lose-lose position

Proud Boys’ $100 million lawsuit puts Trump in a lose-lose position

HuffPost reports: Five members of the Proud Boys pardoned by President Donald Trump for orchestrating the Capitol insurrection have turned around and sued the federal government, forcing Trump’s administration into an awkward position. The lawsuit from members of the neofascist group — all of whom were convicted and given lengthy sentences for the key roles they played in the riot on Jan. 6, 2021 — claims they were the victims of “egregious and systemic abuse of the legal system and…

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Neo-Nazi group ‘actively seeking to grow in U.S.’ with planned paramilitary training event

Neo-Nazi group ‘actively seeking to grow in U.S.’ with planned paramilitary training event

The Guardian reports: An international neo-Nazi terrorist organization is boldly continuing to build in the US and planning a new paramilitary training event without fear of local authorities or the FBI, which once dismantled it in a nationwide effort. The Base, founded in 2018 by a former Pentagon contractor living in Russia and now suspected of Kremlin-sponsored espionage, once boasted close to 50 stateside members before the bureau made more than a dozen arrests in a years-long counter-terrorism operation. But…

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AI isn’t smart. It cannot think, feel, or understand anything

AI isn’t smart. It cannot think, feel, or understand anything

Tyler Austin Harper writes: To call AI a con isn’t to say that the technology is not remarkable, that it has no use, or that it will not transform the world (perhaps for the better) in the right hands. It is to say that AI is not what its developers are selling it as: a new class of thinking—and, soon, feeling—machines. [Sam] Altman brags about ChatGPT-4.5’s improved “emotional intelligence,” which he says makes users feel like they’re “talking to a…

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Direct attack on academic freedom: Tenured professor gets fired for expressing her political beliefs

Direct attack on academic freedom: Tenured professor gets fired for expressing her political beliefs

Sarah Viren writes: In January 2024, Maura Finkelstein finished teaching her first classes of the semester, unaware they would be her last as a professor. This was on a Wednesday at Muhlenberg College, a campus stippled with red doors meant to represent both hospitality and the college’s Lutheran roots. As Finkelstein prepared to go home, she noticed a text from someone claiming to be the college’s provost, Laura Furge. “I had just done the online phishing training,” she told me…

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University of Michigan uses undercover investigators to surveil student Gaza protesters

University of Michigan uses undercover investigators to surveil student Gaza protesters

The Guardian reports: The University of Michigan is using private, undercover investigators to surveil pro-Palestinian campus groups, including trailing them on and off campus, furtively recording them and eavesdropping on their conversations, the Guardian has learned. The surveillance appears to largely be an intimidation tactic, five students who have been followed, recorded or eavesdropped on said. The undercover investigators have cursed at students, threatened them and in one case drove a car at a student who had to jump out…

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Sergio Gor: The DJ who fueled the Trump-Musk NASA feud

Sergio Gor: The DJ who fueled the Trump-Musk NASA feud

Axios reports: Shortly after President Trump unexpectedly withdrew Elon Musk’s pick to lead NASA last weekend, one name quickly surfaced as a major force behind the surprise decision: top White House aide Sergio Gor. Why it matters: Trump acknowledged Thursday that canceling Jared Isaacman‘s NASA nomination had “upset” Musk, who’s close to Isaacman. It was a factor, among many, that led to Thursday’s shocking falling out between the president and his one-time “First Buddy,” the world’s richest person. Musk spent the afternoon flaming Trump on X. It…

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DOGE coder using AI in VA: ‘I would never recommend someone run my code and do what it says’

DOGE coder using AI in VA: ‘I would never recommend someone run my code and do what it says’

By Brandon Roberts, Vernal Coleman and Eric Umansky This story was originally published by ProPublica As the Trump administration prepared to cancel contracts at the Department of Veteran Affairs this year, officials turned to a software engineer with no health care or government experience to guide them. The engineer, working for the Department of Government Efficiency, quickly built an artificial intelligence tool to identify which services from private companies were not essential. He labeled those contracts “MUNCHABLE.” The code, using…

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