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Tech Triumphs: AI Music Tops Billboard and Spotify Charts (Maria)

The author writes, “Three songs generated by artificial intelligence topped music charts this week, reaching the highest spots on Spotify and Billboard charts. … These three songs are part of a flood of AI-generated music that has come to saturate streaming platforms. A study published by the streaming app Deezer estimates that 50,000 AI-generated songs are uploaded to the platform every day — 34% of all the music submitted.”

DHS Kept Chicago Police Records for Months in Violation of Domestic Espionage Rules (Sean)

The author writes, “On November 21, 2023, field intelligence officers within the Department of Homeland Security quietly deleted a trove of Chicago Police Department records. It was not a routine purge. For seven months, the data — records that had been requested on roughly 900 Chicagoland residents — sat on a federal server in violation of a deletion order issued by an intelligence oversight body. A later inquiry found that nearly 800 files had been kept, which a subsequent report said breached rules designed to prevent domestic intelligence operations from targeting legal US residents. The records originated in a private exchange between DHS analysts and Chicago police, a test of how local intelligence might feed federal government watchlists. The idea was to see whether street-level data could surface undocumented gang members in airport queues and at border crossings. The experiment collapsed amid what government reports describe as a chain of mismanagement and oversight failures.”

‘Extreme’ Gerrymander: Utah Judge Rejects Gop Lawmakers’ Congressional Map, Picks Districts Favoring Democrats (Reader Steve)

From The Salt Lake City Tribune: “Third District Judge Dianna Gibson rejected new congressional boundaries proposed by Republican legislators late Monday night, instead choosing a map that will create a heavily Democratic-leaning district in Salt Lake County and shake up Utah’s political landscape. ‘In short, [the Legislature’s map] does not comply with Utah law,’ Gibson wrote in her ruling.”

Why I Am Resigning (Gerry)

The author writes, “In 1985, President Ronald Reagan appointed me as a federal judge. I was 38 years old. At the time, I looked forward to serving for the rest of my life. However, I resigned [last] Friday, relinquishing that lifetime appointment and giving up the opportunity for public service that I have loved. My reason is simple: I no longer can bear to be restrained by what judges can say publicly or do outside the courtroom. President Donald Trump is using the law for partisan purposes, targeting his adversaries while sparing his friends and donors from investigation, prosecution, and possible punishment. This is contrary to everything that I have stood for in my more than 50 years in the Department of Justice and on the bench. The White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out. Silence, for me, is now intolerable.”

‘It Feels Like I’m in a Nightmare’: Inside the First Deportation Flight to Iran (Dana)

From The New York Times: “For decades, Iranians fleeing persecution have found protection in the United States. But this fall, the Trump administration deported a planeload of people to Iran after making a deal with Tehran.”

Rising Heat Kills One Person a Minute Worldwide, Major Report Reveals (Laura)

The author writes, “Rising global heat is now killing one person a minute around the world, a major report on the health impact of the climate crisis has revealed. It says the world’s addiction to fossil fuels also causes toxic air pollution, wildfires and the spread of diseases such as dengue fever, and millions each year are dying owing to the failure to tackle global heating. The report, the most comprehensive to date, says the damage to health will get worse with leaders such as Donald Trump ripping up climate policies and oil companies continuing to exploit new reserves.”

It’s Almost Impossible for Tristan Gooley to Get Lost. That’s One Reason He Has Millions of Followers (Angelle)

From Smithsonian Magazine: “The British adventurer has crossed the Atlantic solo in a plane and a boat. Now he reads tree leaves, puddles and moss to get his bearings.”