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How To Protect Your Mobile Phone From Sophisticated Spyware (Maria)

The author writes, “In December, hundreds of iPhone and Android users received a threat notification, warning them their device had been targeted by spyware. Days later, Apple and Google patched security holes. Spyware is dangerous because the adversary is able to see and hear everything you do on your smartphone, including via encrypted messaging apps. … As the risk increases, what can you do to protect your phone?”

Fighting Fascism in America During a Genocide in Palestine (Siobhán)

From +972 Magazine: “We must insist on drawing connections across time and place — from the Holocaust to Gaza, or ICE detention to Israeli prisons — to disrupt the normalization of authoritarianism at every turn.”

Bankruptcies Soared to a 15-Year High in 2025 as Companies Struggled To Cope With Trump’s Trade Wars (Sean)

The author writes, “Corporate bankruptcies soared to a 15-year high in 2025 as companies struggled to cope with President Donald Trump’s trade wars, among other factors, according to a new report. No fewer than 717 companies filed for Chapter 7 or Chapter 11 bankruptcy between January and November, according to S&P data reviewed by The Washington Post. This marks a 14 percent increase from the same period in 2024 and the highest rate since 2010, when the country was recovering from the Great Recession.”

ICE Raids in Chicago Spotlight the Link Between Immigrant Rights and Environmental Justice (Laura)

From Inside Climate News: “As the Trump administration targeted Latino communities, green groups felt the ripple effects.”

The Game Theory of How Algorithms Can Drive Up Prices (Sean)

From Quanta Magazine: “Across broad swaths of the economy, sellers increasingly rely on computer programs called learning algorithms, which repeatedly adjust prices in response to new data about the state of the market. These are often much simpler than the ‘deep learning’ algorithms that power modern artificial intelligence, but they can still be prone to unexpected behavior. So how can regulators ensure that algorithms set fair prices? Their traditional approach won’t work, as it relies on finding explicit collusion.” 

Some Dolphins Appear To Have Orca Friends. Scientists Think They Have Figured Out What’s Going On (Dana)

The author writes, “A pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins off the coast of British Columbia have been observed cooperating with orcas, a traditional enemy that’s better known for taking out great white sharks than friendly interaction. Scientists say they have documented the dolphins and a local population of killer whales known as Northern Resident orcas teaming up to hunt the orcas’ staple food: salmon. Though other groups of orcas feast on dolphins, Northern Residents do not. Still, it is the first time this type of cooperative behavior has been documented between the two marine mammals, researchers reported.”