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Lawmakers Call for Ceasefire in Fight Against Barred Owls (Maria)
The author writes, “A Fish and Wildlife Service plan to kill scads of barred owls to protect the threatened northern spotted owl drew a bipartisan rebuke Monday, as 19 House members urged Interior Secretary Doug Burgum not to pull the trigger. In a letter led by Republican Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas and Democratic Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove of California, the lawmakers informed Burgum that ‘the spirit of fiscal responsibility and ethical conservation’ both argued against pursuing the mass shooting of barred owls.”
‘A Disruptive Effect’: How Slashing Staff at the Social Security Administration Is Sparking Fears the System Could Collapse (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “While the president has said repeatedly he will not touch Social Security benefits, the changes being wrought by the Trump-approved DOGE team could harm the entitlement program that tens of millions of Americans depend on for monthly payments, current and former employees and advocates say. What’s more, both Trump and Musk — who last week called Social Security a ‘Ponzi scheme’ — have spread dubious and misleading information about alleged fraud in the system, raising red flags about their true intentions among advocates.”
What to Know About Social Security Office Closures Driven by Musk’s DOGE (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Earlier this week, a person familiar with the agency’s plans but not authorized to speak about them publicly said that the Social Security Administration was preparing to lay off at least 7,000 people from its workforce of 60,000. According to the Center on Budget Policy and Priorities, administering the program amounts to less than 1% of the revenue that funds it. Advocates and Democratic lawmakers have warned that layoffs and agency cuts will reduce the agency’s ability to serve recipients in a timely manner. In a letter last month to acting Social Security Administrator Michelle King, Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York wrote that the White Plains hearing office in her state has 2,000 pending cases, saying ‘beneficiaries will be required to travel between 24 and 135 miles” to get to another office if it closes.’”
Republicans Aim to Generate Support for Selling Off America’s Public Lands (Dana)
From Mother Jones: “If Trump’s first term triggered a slow thaw for public land protections, his return all but promises a flood. Six weeks into his second term, Trump has already unleashed a far-reaching broadside against federal public land management. And this time around, a growing number of Republicans are trying to push their vision for pawning off the public domain into the conservative mainstream.”
Media Matters Sues Elon Musk’s X Over ‘Libel Tourism’ Legal Assault (Sean)
From NPR: “Musk has also sued corporations for pulling back in advertising, a legal effort Musk expanded last month to include CVS, Lego, Nestlé, Tyson Foods, and Abbott Laboratories. Since Musk has assumed a prominent post in the White House advising President Trump, some advertisers are feeling new pressure, according to Business Insider, which reported that advertising insiders view spending money on ads on X a type of ‘insurance policy’ to avoid being sued, or become the subject of regulatory scrutiny in the Trump administration. For Media Matters, defending against multiple lawsuits from Musk at once has sapped the group’s resources and chilled its research and reporting on Musk and his companies, according to the suit.”
The Case for Using Your Brain — Even If AI Can Think for You (Laryn)
The author writes, “Recognizing AI as separate from ourselves could theoretically inspire us to question its responses. But if interacting with AI as if it’s an oracle — like many do — risks blindly accepting its outputs. As soon as ChatGPT was released, students began submitting AI-written essays filled with hallucinated references. AI-powered hiring tools regularly review AI-generated job applications, and some doctors use ChatGPT in their practice, despite its not always reliable ability to cite its sources. This tension between preserving our cognitive integrity and embracing technological assistance permeates the workplace, where today, the brain alone is rarely enough.”
