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Starry Fright: Moon Added To List of Threatened Cultural Sites (Maria)
The author writes, “The moon has been placed on a list of threatened heritage sites, owing to fears of potential looting and destruction caused by planned commercial trips. The watchlist of the World Monuments Fund (WMF) usually includes vulnerable cultural sites on Earth. … Bénédicte de Montlaur, the president and chief executive of WMF, said the moon was included among the 25 sites because of ‘mounting risks amidst accelerating lunar activities,’ which were, in the WMF’s opinion, ‘undertaken without adequate preservation protocols.’ SpaceX launched two lunar landers on Wednesday to conduct research for future missions.”
A Year of Empty Threats and a ‘Smokescreen’ Policy: How the State Department Let Israel Get Away With Horrors in Gaza (Dana)
From ProPublica: “In early November, a small group of senior U.S. human rights diplomats met with a top official in President Joe Biden’s State Department to make one final, emphatic plea: We must keep our word. Weeks before, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and the administration delivered their most explicit ultimatum yet to Israel, demanding the Israel Defense Forces allow hundreds more truckloads of food and medicine into Gaza every day — or else. American law and Biden’s own policies prohibit arms sales to countries that restrict humanitarian aid. Israel had 30 days to comply. In the month that followed, the IDF was accused of roundly defying the US, its most important ally. The Israeli military tightened its grip, continued to restrict desperately needed aid trucks, and displaced 100,000 Palestinians from North Gaza, humanitarian groups found, exacerbating what was already a dire crisis ‘to its worst point since the war began.’”
Who Will Rebuild Los Angeles? Immigrants. (Laura)
The author writes, “The full scale of the devastation will be hard to tally for some time. What is clear, however, is the immense challenge that reconstruction will pose. This wildfire is already among the most destructive in the region’s history. Rebuilding will be a monumental task fraught with uncertainty. Building in Los Angeles is notoriously difficult because of complicated permitting and regulations. The city will have to untangle a bunch of its bureaucratic knots — and quickly. One thing, however, is certain: the rebuilding of Los Angeles will rely heavily on immigrants.”
Millions Have Had Student Loans Canceled Under Biden — Despite the Collapse of His Forgiveness Plan (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Despite failing to deliver his promise for broad student loan forgiveness, President Joe Biden has now overseen the cancellation of student loans for more than 5 million Americans — more than any other president in US history. In a last-minute action on Monday, the Education Department canceled loans for 150,000 borrowers through programs that existed before Biden took office. His administration expanded those programs and used them to their fullest extent, pressing on with cancellation even after the Supreme Court rejected Biden’s plan for a new forgiveness policy.”
Apple Urged To Withdraw ‘Out of Control’ AI News Alerts (Gerry)
From the BBC: “Apple is facing fresh calls to withdraw its controversial artificial intelligence (AI) feature that has generated inaccurate news alerts on its latest iPhones. The product is meant to summarize breaking news notifications but has in some instances invented entirely false claims.”
The Supreme Court Seems Eager To Curb First Amendment Protections for Porn (DonkeyHotey)
From Vox: “On Wednesday, the Supreme Court heard the first major First Amendment case involving pornography — or, for that matter, sexual speech of any kind — in more than two decades. It’s also the first such case since Republicans gained a 6-3 supermajority on the Supreme Court. And it’s a case that potentially allows the justices to both limit adults’ access to pornography and walk back longstanding free speech protections for sexual content.”
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon Labels Bitcoin ‘A Ponzi Scheme,’ Draws Industry Ire (Sean)
The author writes, “In a recent appearance on CBS News’ Sunday Morning, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon once again attacked Bitcoin, describing it as a ‘Ponzi scheme’ and dismissing it as ‘useless as a pet rock.’ His critique centered on Bitcoin’s perceived lack of intrinsic value and its frequent association with illicit activities such as money laundering and ransomware.”
