Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 20h

There are now a shocking *60,000* people in a Facebook group dedicated to an unproven autism treatment being pushed by the Trump administration.

That's just one of many disturbing details in this must-read from @davidgilbert.bsky.social

Chaos, Confusion, and Conspiracies: Inside a Facebook Group for RFK Jr.’s Autism ‘Cure’

A Facebook group set up to share information about leucovorin has been spammed by affiliate links and supplement companies trying to shame parents of autistic kids.

www.wired.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 23h

"But beyond any measures of popularity, Neural Viz counts as a historic accomplishment: It is among the first pieces of AI filmmaking that truly does not suck."

The Future of AI Isn't Just Slop

Behold Neural Viz, the first great cinematic universe of the AI era. It's from a guy named Josh.

www.wired.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 23h

This week for @wired.com Big Interview pod, I talk to Patreon CEO Jack Conte, who wants to carve a different path in this era of IP theft and AI slop.

"We're sending rockets into space; we got self-driving cars. We should figure out how to get creative people paid for their work."

Patreon CEO Jack Conte Wants You to Get Off of Your Phone

The man who cofounded Patreon is tired of influencers making content to get clicks. He’d rather creators earn lifelong fans—and he has a plan for that.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Katie Drummond

Brian Barrett @brbarrett.bsky.social · 1d

This really gets at the scale of OpenAI's ambitions, a world in which it's not just a chatbot living inside a browser but an entire platform unto itself. from @willknight.bsky.social @laurengoode.bsky.social and @thiccreese.bsky.social

OpenAI Wants ChatGPT to Be Your Future Operation System

At OpenAI’s Developer Day, CEO Sam Altman showed off apps that run entirely inside the chat window—a new effort to turn ChatGPT into a platform.

www.wired.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 4d

Have listened to the new T***** S**** album and concluded that the world needs a new Robyn album more now than it ever has before.

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Reposted by Katie Drummond

WIRED @wired.com · 5d

Documents show ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation. www.wired.com/story/ice-so...

ICE Wants to Build Out a 24/7 Social Media Surveillance Team

Documents show ICE plans to hire dozens of contractors to scan X, Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms to target people for deportation.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Katie Drummond

Vittoria Elliott @telliotter.bsky.social · 5d

If you're a government employee and you want to talk, you can reach me at Vittoria89.82 on Signal. We can speak anonymously.

Vittoria Elliott @telliotter.bsky.social · 5d

NEW! Dept of Education workers say their OOO replies were forcibly changed to blame Democrats for shutdown. When employees changed their responses back to the more neutral language, it changed yet again to the partisan response.

@wired.com @leahfeiger.bsky.social

www.wired.com/story/govern...

Government Workers Say Their Out-of-Office Replies Were Forcibly Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown

Some employees at the Department of Education changed their responses back to the more neutral language, only to have it changed yet again to the partisan response, multiple sources tell WIRED.

www.wired.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 5d

NEW: Government workers tell @wired.com that their out-of-office replies are being forcibly changed to blame Democrats for the government shutdown.

Scoop from @leahfeiger.bsky.social @telliotter.bsky.social

Government Workers Say Their Out-of-Office Replies Were Forcibly Changed to Blame Democrats for Shutdown

Some employees at the Department of Education changed their responses back to the more neutral language, only to have it changed yet again to the partisan response, multiple sources tell WIRED.

www.wired.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 5d

The Chinese government has unveiled a program to woo foreign talent -- right as the US admin is cracking down on H-1B visas.

China Rolls Out Its First Talent Visa as the US Retreats on H-1Bs

The Chinese government unveiled a program to woo foreign talent just as the US cracked down on H-1Bs with a $100,000 fee. The move immediately provoked xenophobic backlash.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Katie Drummond

Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 7d

Finally read this, and the reporting is as good as everyone says it is. It’s also terrifying, confounding, and deeply weird. The most powerful people in American politics right now — including the guy who has all our personal data — aren’t just evil, they’re absolutely bonkers.

The Real Stakes, and Real Story, of Peter Thiel’s Antichrist Obsession

Thirty years ago, a peace-loving Austrian theologian spoke to Peter Thiel about the apocalyptic theories of Nazi jurist Carl Schmitt. They’ve been a road map for the billionaire ever since.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Katie Drummond

Jake Lahut @jakelahut.writes.news · 6d

One of the wild things about this story (which I had the pleasure of reading early in print on the subway last night) was when @noahshachtman.bsky.social asked a Blue Origin spox what makes their rockets any different or better than Elon's, and they said they “don’t have a solid answer" on that

Reyhan Harmanci @harmancipants.bsky.social · 6d

It matters who owns space www.wired.com/story/elon-m...

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Reposted by Katie Drummond

WIRED @wired.com · 6d

SCOOP: At 9:35am on Wednesday, the first morning of the US government shutdown, employees at the Small Business Administration (SBA) received a template from human resources for their suggested “out of office” email. They were advised to blame the Democrats.

Federal Workers Are Being Told to Blame Democrats for the Shutdown

Workers at one agency were given unhinged, partisan language to use when setting out-of-office replies.

www.wired.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 8d

Email [email protected]

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 8d

Marissa Mayer's consumer AI startup, Sunshine, is shutting down. It has also somehow existed for seven years, because time is 100 percent fake.

Marissa Mayer Is Dissolving Her Sunshine Startup Lab

After seven rocky years, the company’s assets will be sold to Dazzle, a new AI firm that Mayer founded.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Katie Drummond

Andrew Couts @couts.bsky.social · 11d

NEW: The Heritage Foundation is pushing a terrorism designation based on "transgender ideology" on the claim that "50% of major (non-gang) school shootings since 2015" involve a transgender shooter or trans-related motive. @dell.bsky.social and me on why that's false:

www.wired.com/story/herita...

Heritage Foundation Uses Bogus Stat to Push a Trans Terrorism Classification

By inflating numbers and narrowing definitions, Heritage promotes a false link between transgender identity and violence in its push for the FBI to create a new terrorism category.

www.wired.com

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Jake Lahut @jakelahut.writes.news · 11d

The @telliotter.bsky.social network state story is here.

This is a really important concept driving a lot of the thinking coming out of Silicon Valley and influencing the GOP. The characters themselves are also something to behold. Trust me, you gotta check it out: www.wired.com/story/tech-b...

Tech Billionaires Already Captured the White House. They Still Want to Be Kings

From Montenegro to northern California, the tech elite dream of building cities where they make the rules. Is this, finally, their moment?

www.wired.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 12d

“If I could, I’d make the algorithm 100% MAGA related. But it’s not going to work out that way unfortunately. Everyone’s going to be treated fairly.”

Trump Executive Order Will Hand TikTok Over to US Investors

After five deadline extensions and several rounds of negotiations, President Trump signed an executive order to put TikTok’s US operations in the hands of Oracle and other American investors.

www.wired.com

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Reposted by Katie Drummond

evy kwong @evystadium.bsky.social · 12d

the @wired.com mural is complete! tag us if you see us in bushwick and scan the QR code on the mural to start reading about wtf happened to silicon valley and trump, gamechangers, and what this means for your future: www.wired.com/politics-iss...

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 12d

Right here:

condenaststore.com/featured/wir...

condenaststore.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 12d

Do you want to hang the new @wired.com cover, by the great Phil Galloway, in your office, at home, or in your doomsday bunker?

Good news, you can now purchase it:

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Reposted by Katie Drummond

Tim Onion @bencollins.bsky.social · 12d

The reviews are in!

Jeffrey Epstein Bad Pedophile is "half biopic, half true crime, and 100 percent dumb (complimentary)."

WIRED @wired.com · 13d

When did The Onion decide to make a Jeffrey Epstein mockumentary? Once Trump started acting “dodgy” fielding questions about Epstein.

“There's this big gap where information should be," @bencollins.bsky.social said. They thought "it would be very funny to fill it with complete fucking nonsense."

The Onion Made an Absolutely Unhinged Jeffrey Epstein Mockumentary

"Jeffrey Epstein: Bad Pedophile" is a very silly deep dive on a very serious issue. In the current media landscape, it’s a wonder it even got made.

www.wired.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 12d

"This used to be the best job I’ve ever had, the best environment I’ve ever had, the best culture I’ve ever had—and they fucking ruined it.

I will never ever forget how much they ruined it."

The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers

WIRED spoke with more than 200 federal workers in dozens of agencies to learn what happened as the Department of Government Efficiency tore through their offices.

www.wired.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 12d

"Collins says a movie theater company was set to launch the mockumentary nationally but pulled out in the wake of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk's death."

The Onion Made an Absolutely Unhinged Jeffrey Epstein Mockumentary

"Jeffrey Epstein: Bad Pedophile" is a very silly deep dive on a very serious issue. In the current media landscape, it’s a wonder it even got made.

www.wired.com

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Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 13d

A new senate report is full of *shocking* details about DOGE activities inside the federal government. Including, unfortunately, the disturbing access that DOGE affiliates had to our SSNs:

"One whistleblower noted the possibility that the agency may need to re-issue SSNs to all who possess one."

Armed Guards and Muscle Milk: Senate Investigation Reveals DOGE Takeover Details

A new Senate report claims DOGE put every American's Social Security number at risk—and that officials at federal agencies essentially obstructed an investigation, all but denying DOGE even exists.

www.wired.com

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Jake Lahut @jakelahut.writes.news · 13d

Larry Ellison once quipped that the constitution should be amended so Bill Clinton could run for a third term.

How did he get all the way here, now the most important billionaire of Trump 2.0? It’s not so straightforward, but the short answer is Obama
www.wired.com/story/larry-...

Larry Ellison Is a ‘Shadow President’ in Donald Trump’s America

The Ellison family is cornering the market on attention and data the same way the Vanderbilts did railroads and the Rockefellers did oil.

www.wired.com

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