Michael Williams

ICE deletes post on X that said it’s their job to stop illegal ideas from crossing the border; spokesperson says it ‘should not have been shared’ www.cnn.com/politics/liv...

AI-Generated Slop Is Already In Your Public Library Librarians say that taxpayers are already paying for low quality AI-generated ebooks in public libraries.

New from 404 Media: Low quality books that appear to be AI generated are making their way into public libraries, forcing librarians to sort through a functionally infinite number of books to determine what is written by humans and what is generated by AI.

www.404media.co/ai-generated...

Key Oath Keepers leader revealed as former Las Vegas police detective Details about Utah-based Robert Kinch, who backed ‘race war’, suggest rightwing militia has retained links with police

The man in control of the Utah-based rightwing militia Oath Keepers USA, a recent spinoff of the national organization first established by Stewart Rhodes in 2009, is a former Las Vegas metropolitan police department homicide detective who left the force in acrimony after advocating “race war”.

Violent Hackers Are Using U-Haul To Dox Targets Members of an underground criminal community are targeting U-Haul because of the wealth of non-public information it can hold on targets.

violent criminals are using u-haul employee logins to stalk and dox victims. u-haul has done nothing about this and hasn't responded to any communications about the problem

www.404media.co/violent-hack...

Ballad Health: BRMC CEO resigns after scrubbing in on procedure, performing initial incision under doctor’s supervision BRISTOL, Tenn. (WJHL)- Ballad Health CEO Alan Levine made his first public remarks after the Chief Executive Officer at Bristol Regional Medical Center, Greg Neal, recently resigned. Levine said an…

I was reading an article about Ballad Health, which sounds like a terrible local hospital monopoly, and it mentioned offhand this incident in which the CEO scrubbed in on a cardiac surgery, and then the surgeon LET HIM DO THE INITIAL INCISION. 🤯

www.wjhl.com/news/local/b...

essential work here on one of the most pervasive and persistent cruelties of incarceration — by @keribla.bsky.social and @shannonheffernan.bsky.social

paywall-free at the marshall project site: www.themarshallproject.org/2024/12/12/s...

More Than a Crash a Day as NYPD Keeps Pedal to the Metal on Car Chases Police car chases and crashes spiked after Eric Adams promoted two allies to leadership roles in the NYPD.

Incredible reporting by @thecity.bsky.social shows that NYPD is causing more car crashes -- and failing to report when those crashes turn deadly.

www.thecity.nyc/2024/12/16/n...

Tracking Putin’s Most Feared Secret Agency—From Inside a Russian Prison and Beyond The spy unit that arrested a Wall Street Journal reporter is leading the biggest campaign of internal repression since Stalin. era.

EVAN GERSHKOVICH IS BACK WHERE HE BELONGS — on the byline of a WSJ article.

So great to see Evan publishing stories again.

www.wsj.com/world/russia...

This New Jersey congressman faked his Spotify Wrapped results to look like more of a Springsteen fan U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey admitted that he manipulated his Spotify Wrapped results to be Bruce Springsteen-forward. Was it an attempt at pandering for the governor candidate?

For everyone just tuning in: The most Jersey political scandal of all time has dropped — www.inquirer.com/news/nation-...

Photos of Birmingham DHL fire suggest device could have downed plane Images consistent with fire from magnesium-based device, suspected to be part of Russian sabotage plot

“Photographs of the fire caused by a suspected Russian incendiary device at a DHL facility in Birmingham in July have backed up intelligence assessments that the blast was strong enough to have brought down a cargo plane.” www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024...

He was suicidal and needed help. Online predators pushed him to take his life on camera. The death of a Minnesota man offers a case study into how a sadistic online group has used the messaging app Discord to find and torment vulnerable people

Our latest investigation started with a video I found online. It was a Discord chat. Someone appears to self-immolate on cam as others watched. Some in voice chat laugh, another says "shoutout fmlk"

Using OSINT evidence, we tracked down and interviewed "Fmlk"

www.washingtonpost.com/investigatio...

Trans women in Florida prisons now have to get breast exams to figure out whether their breasts are big enough that prison officials think they should get to keep their bras.

Wild reporting from @journo-beth.bsky.social : www.themarshallproject.org/2024/12/10/n...

AI slop is already invading Oregon’s local journalism The Ashland Daily Tidings — established as a newspaper in 1876 — ceased operations in 2023, but if you were a local reader, you may not have known because of an elaborate scam using artificial intelli...

Last month, I fell down an absolutely bizarre rabbit hole trying to figure out who was ripping off articles from Oregon journalists.

What I found was identity theft, plagiarism and an absolutely terrifying future for local journalism led by AI scammers.

My latest:

The Times They Are A-Changin’ Staffers at the Los Angeles Times described to Status a demoralized publication depleted of its spirit in which employees are "confused," "offended," and "frustrated."

Scoop: After the LA Times published a piece about Elon Musk that carried a headline owner Patrick Soon-Shiong didn't like, a new rule was implemented: Prior to publishing opinion stories, headlines must be emailed to Soon-Shiong, where he can then choose to weigh in. www.status.news/p/los-angele...

Lawmaker accuses acting Secret Service director of 9/11 publicity stunt and ‘auditioning’ to keep his post in tense exchange | CNN Politics A yelling match erupted during a congressional hearing Thursday on the attempted assassinations against President-elect Donald Trump, as one congressman accused acting Secret Service Director Ronald R...

A yelling match erupted during a congressional hearing Thursday on the attempted assassinations against President-elect Donald Trump, as one congressman accused acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe of attending a 9/11 memorial event as part of a publicity stunt.

Elon Musk publicized the names of government employees he wants to cut. It’s terrifying federal workers | CNN Business When President-elect Donald Trump said Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would recommend major cuts to the federal government in his administration, many public employees knew that their jobs could be on ...

"Several current federal employees told CNN they’re afraid their lives will be forever changed – including physically threatened – as Musk makes behind-the-scenes bureaucrats into personal targets."

via @hadasgold.bsky.social and Rene Marsh

Tom Homan Confirms Trump Will Slash Funds to States Not Willing to ‘Cooperate’ on Mass Deportation Plan Homan confirmed that states that refused to “cooperate” with Trump's plans for the mass deportation would have their federal funding slashed in retribution.

Mediate reports that incoming Border Czar Tom Homan confirmed that states that refused to “cooperate” with President-elect Donald Trump’s plans for the mass deportation of those in the U.S. illegally would have their federal funding slashed in retribution.

www.mediaite.com/tv/tom-homan...

🧵🧵 While everyone was understandably focused on national politics, something happened in Texas this week that has received far less attention than it deserves, given its potential consequences. And I'd guess even very plugged-in folks dont realize the full scope.

Let me explain (at length):

Border Militias Prepare to Assist With Donald Trump’s Mass Deportation Plans Militias that patrol the US border with Mexico are thrilled that Donald Trump has been elected—and plan to be a “valuable resource” to the incoming administration, whether or not they’re asked.

Tim Foley of Arizona Border Recon, a paramilitary group, claimed he's "in talks with a few different people" from the incoming admin and he expects to be a valuable resource to them. "We have a better lay of the land than the federal agents do" he said.

www.wired.com/story/border...

Pokémon Go Players Have Unwittingly Trained AI to Navigate the World Niantic says it is using data generated by Pokémon Go players to create a “Large Geospatial Model” that can navigate the real world and power robots.

Pokemon Go players have been unwittingly mapping the entire world to train a geospatial AI model whose most obvious use cases are for robotic navigation and possibly the military
www.404media.co/pokemon-go-p...

Far-right militia targets US military over baseless hurricane ‘weather weapon’ claims Veterans on Patrol believes government caused Helene with weather manipulation tech, Telegram chats reveal

New from me: Veterans on Patrol are talking about attacking US military facilities because they think the gov't is using weather control devices, toxic chemtrails, and "bioweapon" vaccines on Americans. They also think Trump is in on everything. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024...

this is like something a character in Animal Farm would say, and every 6th grader in the classroom would understand why it's wrong www.nytimes.com/2024/11/15/o...

Left-wing election fraud narratives linking Elon Musk’s Starlink to Kamala Harris’s defeat Elise Thomas discussed with WIRED the surge in election fraud claims, including a conspiracy tying Trump’s victory to Elon Musk’s Starlink internet satellite system.

Election fraud conspiracy theories have resurfaced, with "BlueAnon" linking Elon Musk's Starlink to VP Kamala Harris's defeat. ISD's @elisethomas.bsky.social tells WIRED how influencers fuel these left-wing claims for clout, spreading narratives through "collective storytelling."

Aiming to 'radicalize Main Street,' Christian nationalists set sights on tiny Jackson County, Tennessee Christian nationalists have set their sights on a remote Tennessee county, hoping to attract like-minded people from across the country as part of their efforts to “radicalize Main Street.”

EXCLUSIVE: Aiming to 'radicalize Main Street,' Christian nationalists set sights on tiny Jackson County, Tennessee www.newschannel5.com/news/newscha...

Here is Oklahoma’s state school superintendent, praying for Donald Trump to continue his work to defeat the radical left in America, in a video he wants to require every public school student to watch

All under the banner of removing ideology from schools

Segregation Academies Across the South Are Getting Millions in Taxpayer Dollars North Carolina offers an especially telling window into what is happening across this once legally segregated region where legislatures are now rapidly expanding and adopting controversial voucher-sty...

NEW: Private schools across the South that were established for white children during desegregation are now benefiting from tens of millions in taxpayer dollars flowing from rapidly expanding voucher-style programs, a @propublica analysis found.

www.propublica.org/article/segr...

Anti-LGBTQ YouTubers trolled a progressive Plano church. It was firebombed weeks later Weeks before the Community Unitarian Universalist Church of Plano was attacked by a firebomb early Sunday, members of the church welcomed four strangers — one...

Weeks before a progressive Plano church was firebombed, a group of anti-LGBTQ YouTubers showed up to troll them.

Members of the church welcomed them with open arms — even after the YouTubers revealed their true intentions.

Eccentric group moves into East Texas town. Residents worry about talk of ‘ascension’ A few months ago, Marietta's Ole Town Cafe fell into the hands of a new group. They call themselves Profundity Yours, and consist of around a dozen people led...

In rural East Texas, the arrival of some newcomers has tested locals' down-home willingness to welcome strangers as neighbors.

The worry? A cult takeover.

I went to Marietta to see what all the fuss is about