Meta Can’t Stop States’ $1.4T Lawsuit From Going to Trial

Listen To This Story

Meta Can’t Stop States’ $1.4T Lawsuit From Going to Trial (Maria)

The author writes, “Meta and TikTok tried to defeat thousands of social media addiction lawsuits in one fell swoop, but an appeals court rejected the attempt in a ruling this week. … In a 3-0 ruling, a judges’ panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit rejected Meta and TikTok claims that they have legal immunity to the lawsuits under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.”

ICE Plans To Give Officers Gloves That Can Deliver Painful Electric Shocks (Sean)

The author writes, “Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers may soon be outfitted with gloves that can deliver painful electric shocks intended to gain compliance from combative individuals. ICE plans to spend up to $20 million to purchase thousands of ‘conductive distraction and de-escalation devices’ for officers and agents by March, according to a notice published Monday by the Department of Homeland Security. The devices are known as the G.L.O.V.E., which stands for Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, and are manufactured by Compliant Technologies LLC of Lexington, Kentucky. They have been used in recent years by some jails and police departments.”

From Rivers to Mangroves, Microplastics Are Contaminating the Amazon (Laura)

From Mongabay: “Recent studies show that microplastics are already present in a variety of Amazonian environments: Major rivers such as the Amazon, urban streams, floodplain areas and mangroves in the Amazon’s Mouth. In a single lake in eastern Manaus, researchers found microplastics in the intestines of half the jaraquis — the most consumed fish in Amazonas state. The contamination is related to irregular waste disposal and lack of sewage collection and treatment, which allow household residues to flow directly into water bodies.”

A Typo by California Police Led to Violent Arrest of Innocent Man Who Later Died, Officials Say (Reader Steve)

From the Los Angeles Times: “San Francisco officers smashed a driver’s window, dragged him to the pavement and pepper-sprayed his face after mistyping a license plate and wrongly flagging his car as stolen. A city watchdog found the officers used unnecessary force and violated multiple policies, while prosecutors pursued reckless driving and resisting arrest charges against the motorist until his apparent suicide in Kentucky. The case left the man without his impounded car and, advocates say, underscores how a police error can cascade into lasting harm as litigation and accountability questions loom over SFPD.”

‘Time’ Magazine Now Running Ads Meant Specifically to Influence AI Agents (Dana)

From Futurism: “If you feel like the internet is turning into a place for bots — not to mention by bots — you’re not alone. Social media platforms have been flooded with low-effort AI slop, while even once renowned publications are doubling down on the tech by outsourcing writing and editing responsibilities to the tech. In June, Cloudflare found that website traffic from AI agents and bots had overtaken human-generated traffic for the first time — even earlier than predicted. In the latest sign of the bot takeover, Time magazine has begun serving ads specifically aimed at AI agents. As Digiday reports, it’s an effort to adapt to a new reality governed by the tech. Their promise to would-be clients: by optimizing ads for the bots, brands could be made more visible to AI chatbots and show up in more responses.”

World’s Most-Used Weedkiller Disrupts Honeybee Brains (Mili)

The author writes, “Glyphosate was long thought to be safe for honeybees because they lack the enzyme the chemical targets in weeds. However, researchers found that exposed bees foraged 13 percent less after only three days and showed changes in brain chemicals linked to behavior. Across a whole hive, that decline could reduce honey production, weaken pollination, and threaten long-term survival.”

The Mall Rink Where They Fell in Love and Skated for Nearly 60 Years Is Closing (Russ)

From The Washington Post: “The air still smelled like pretzels and caramel corn. Teenagers in heavy eyeliner still spilled out of Hot Topic, and young girls practiced figure skating jumps on the ice. But construction crews had started dismantling half the mall, and soon the rink would be gone, too. For now, Jerry Leonard skated away from the boom box he had set up and toward the woman who had been his partner in everything for 60 years. He took her hand. The opening chords of Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” played. Tally Leonard looked up, and Jerry felt what he always had. Heaven on earth. They began to skate. He was 75. She turned 81 this week — a cougar, their friends joked. Tally and Jerry had skated together on this rink for the first time in 1967, and it had been the center of their lives ever since. They were there four days a week nearly every week. Even now, middle-agers who hadn’t visited in two decades knew to show up for their 1 pm dance.”