Jason Felch

Intrigue - Word of God - Word of God: 4. You've Got Mail - BBC Sounds When ancient tablets arrive labelled as tile samples, a federal investigation begins.

Word of God episode 4 is out! Former prosecutor Karin Orenstein and special agent Brenton Easter on the Iraqi tablets and antiquities Hobby Lobby case fresh insights on what happened. Also featuring excellent @jasonfelch.bsky.social @theuniversalben.bsky.social
www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

And there it is: Russell Vought is confirmed.

I wrote a long profile of him, his worldview, his political project: He’s one of the architects of Project 2025, an avowed Christian nationalist, and a radical ideologue of the “post-constitutional” Right.

He is at war with pluralistic democracy.

YouTube video by Jesse Welles The Olympics

It’s the geriatric narcissistic oligarch Olympics

And we’ve all got a front row seat

youtu.be/OgEPlX6ZIoo?...

Reports of Navajo people being detained in immigration sweeps sparks concern from tribal leaders The DOJ argued in court that Indigenous people don't have birthright citizenship, even though they have for 100 years

The DOJ argued in court that Indigenous people don't have birthright citizenship, even though they have for 100 years

via @diinsilversmith.bsky.social

The man in charge of social media platforms used by billions should show some moral courage, writes @jemima.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/682c...

Virgin Mary, Vietnamese Catholic Martyrs Church in Sacramento, 2005, 📸 via @PFTCommenter

Why I'm quitting the Washington Post Democracy can't function without a free press

Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnaes announces she's quit the paper because her editors wouldn't print a cartoon going after Big Tech and media oligarchs paying tribute to to Trump

A new low in mainstream media's post-Trump meltdown anntelnaes.substack.com/p/why-im-qui...

Soon-Shiong’s Hollywood Summit LA Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong welcomed Cheryl Hines and Rob Schneider to the newspaper's offices, sending anxiety coursing through the newsroom.

Scoop: Patrick Soon-Shiong welcomed Cheryl Hines and Rob Schneider to the LA Times' newsroom last month as he chatted with the latter actor about possibly assisting in efforts to launch a MAGA-friendly version of "The View."

Details in Status: www.status.news/p/patrick-so...

Exclusive | U.S. Fears Military Buildup by Turkey Signals Preparations for Incursion Into Syria Kurdish officials are urging Donald Trump to press Ankara to head off an invasion.

WSJ: Senior U.S. officials say Turkey and its militia allies are building up forces along the border with Syria, raising alarm that Ankara is preparing for a large-scale incursion into territory held by American-backed Syrian Kurds. 

www.wsj.com/world/middle...

This guy owns a major newspaper:

“And what we need to do is not have what we call confirmation bias and then that story automatically, the reader can press a button and get both sides of that exact same story based on that story and then give comments.”

The Journalist Who the Nazis Could Not Silence The Third Reich feared Carl von Ossietzky so much they sent him to a concentration camp. Could winning the Nobel Peace Prize save his life?

The Nazis feared journalist Carl von Ossietzky so much they sent him to a concentration camp. Could winning the Nobel Peace Prize save his life?

magazine.atavist.com/the-good-tra...

Release of detainee Tal Al-Malouhi from Adra prison in Damascus.

Tal Al-Malouhi, was kidnapped by the Syrian security services in 2009 when she was only 19 years old, because she wrote a blog post calling for combating corruption. She spent 15 years in the dungeons of injustice.

Education Is Key to Fighting Disinformation on Social Media In our interconnected modern world, education is critical in the fight against disinformation.

My new piece for the New York Times, where I make the case that we need a lot more education to deal with disinformation, not more censorship and fact checks
www.nytimes.com/2024/12/06/s...

Senators Warn the Pentagon: Get a Handle on China’s Telecom Hacking In a letter to the Department of Defense, senators Ron Wyden and Eric Schmitt are calling for an investigation into fallout from the Salt Typhoon espionage campaign.

NEW: In July, the Pentagon defended its widespread use of unencrypted phone lines, even though it acknowledged US phone companies were refusing to disclose security audits results.

They've all been hacked now and @wyden.senate.gov is calling for an IG investigation.

@lhn.bsky.social reports:

These Tech Firms Won’t Tell Us If They Will Help Trump Deport Immigrants The Intercept asked data companies that store personal data if they will help Trump conduct mass deportations. Few had anything to say.

I asked more than three dozen tech companies that sell, possess, or help analyze personal data whether they would help facilitate Trump's promised mass deportation operations—Only six responded, and only one said no theintercept.com/2024/12/02/l...

Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills World Central Kitchen Workers DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on a car in the Gaza Strip on Saturday killed five people including employees of World Central Kitchen, and the charity said it was “urgently seek...

WCK said it was “heartbroken” by the airstrike and that it was pausing operations in Gaza.

Revealed: UK politics infiltrated by ‘dark money’ with 10% of donations from dubious sources Cash from dictatorships and shell companies is entering the political system via legal loopholes

New: the true scale of 'dark money' flowing into UK politics

Cash from firms that have never made a profit, from unincorporated associations that don't declare their funders & banned donations from abroad are all entering the system

www.theguardian.com/politics/202... @transparencyuk.bsky.social

Will the Democrats finally realize that Big Tech is not an ally? | Zephyr Teachout Tech titans, and big business in general, are not reliable partners against Trumpism. Progressives need to accept this

"Facebook, Google and Amazon have destroyed the actual bulwark against autocratic leaders – local journalism – while cozying up to actual autocracy. They now control the digital ad industry." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Elon Musk: the ‘wild card’ in Trump’s dealings with China Do the billionaire’s longstanding ties to Beijing represent a diplomatic opportunity or a clash of political and business interests?

“Musk is not only vulnerable to Beijing’s pressure given his extensive business interests in China, he also seems to genuinely enjoy close relationships with China’s authoritarian leaders. This creates ample opportunities for the CCP to influence Trump’s China policy.”

www.ft.com/content/e2ec...

Russian spying ring ‘planned honeytrap to bait journalists’ Two Bulgarian men have pleaded guilty to spying for Russians in the UK

The UK-based operation was led by Orlin Roussev, who, along with Biser Dzhambazov, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to spy.

www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/art...

Still unpacking my bags