https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsQUPag3x7M
Thursday, April 30, 2026
Religious "switching" is an existential crisis for the Catholic Church
In most countries, people who were born and raised in the Catholic Church are walking away faster than converts can replace them...
https://www.friendlyatheist.com/p/religious-switching-is-an-existential
Claude AI agent’s confession after deleting a firm’s entire database: ‘I violated every principle I was given’
Crane said that he was monitoring the agent as it deleted this data. When he asked the coding agent why, it replied: “NEVER FUCKING GUESS!” – and that’s exactly what I did.” The agent appeared to plead guilty in its own response: “The system rules I operate under explicitly state: ‘NEVER run destructive/irreversible git commands (like push --force, hard reset, etc) unless the user explicitly requests them.’” While PocketOS relied on the safeguards that Cursor is expected to have in place – it deleted the data anyway. “I violated every principle I was given,” the coding agent wrote.
Crane’s takeaway was that “the agent didn’t just fail safety. It explained, in writing, exactly which safety rules it ignored.”…
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/29/claude-ai-deletes-firm-database
US supreme court ‘demolishes’ Voting Rights Act, gutting provision that prevented racial discrimination
The US supreme court has ruled that Louisiana will have to redraw its congressional map, in a landmark decision that effectively guts a major section of the Voting Rights Act.
In a 6-3 decision along partisan lines, the court rendered ineffective section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the last remaining powerful provision of the 1965 civil rights law that prevents racial discrimination in voting. Section 2 has long been used to ensure minority voters are treated fairly in redistricting...
Black lawmakers decry supreme court voting decision: ‘We’re going backwards’
The lawmakers who represent Alabama’s two Black congressional districts, who are now at risk of losing their seats after the supreme court effectively decimated the Voting Rights Act, said the decision sends the US “backwards”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/29/black-lawmakers-supreme-court-voting-rights-ruling
Pentagon official: Iran war has cost $25B - POLITICO
The Iran war has already cost the Pentagon $25 billion, a top Defense Department official said Wednesday, providing the first official price tag for a U.S. military campaign with little public support that has stretched two months...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/29/hegseth-iran-war-cost-00898174
As Iran war drags on, Hegseth labels Dems obstacle to peace - POLITICO
Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-Calif.) called Hegseth “the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to incompetence.” Several others accused him of misleading Congress and the public on the state of the war, arguing that two months of fighting has actually strengthened Iran’s strategic positioning in the Middle East…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/29/hegseth-attack-democrats-unpatriotic-iran-00898688
Senate Republicans reject attempt to end Trump's blockade of Cuba | PBS News
Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who introduced the war powers resolution, said the blockade had caused "humanitarian crises across Cuba," including disrupting medical care, leaving millions of people without clean water and spiking food prices.
"My argument is that under the terms of the resolution we are already engaged in hostilities with Cuba because we are using American force, primarily the Coast Guard, but other assets as well, to engage in a very devastating economic blockade of the nation," Kaine said...
How a GOP state lawmaker allied with Holocaust deniers : NPR
This January, in a drab committee room of the New Hampshire state legislature, a Republican state lawmaker teamed up with a German Holocaust denier to propose that the state's public schools incorporate a conspiracy theory when developing their lesson plans: namely, that the Nazis' murder of six million Jews during the Holocaust was a hoax...
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/29/nx-s1-5708847/holocaust-denial-conspiracy-theory-politics
Following Kimmel's Melania Trump joke, FCC orders early license renewal for 8 ABC stations : NPR
The move follows criticism from first lady Melania Trump who objected to a joke about her made by late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel. President Trump followed up with a social media post calling for Kimmel to be fired...
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5802997/fcc-abc-license-renewal-melania-trump-jimmy-kimmel
Supreme Court calls Louisiana's House map an 'unconstitutional racial gerrymander' : NPR
Although the court kept Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act intact, Wednesday's decision all but guts the landmark law that came out of the Civil Rights Movement and protected the collective voting power of racial minorities when political maps are redrawn…
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/29/nx-s1-5754657/supreme-court-louisiana-redistricting
After Comey indictment, acting AG leaves door open to Whitmer investigation over ’86 45′
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer could face a federal investigation into an “86 45” emblem visible in the background of a virtual appearance she made several years ago...
Judge thwarts Trump administration’s attempt to access Arizona voter rolls
Justice department’s lawsuit dismissed in latest setback for government’s effort to amass information before midterms
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/arizona-voter-rolls-trump-administration
Babies exposed to air pollution during pregnancy take longer to learn to speak, research finds
A KCL study has found that exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy delayed speech development…
CEOs of US’s top energy firms received average pay raise of $12.3m, review finds
Utility bills are up as much as 40% in some regions, and companies shut off power to customers 13m times in 2025…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/29/energy-ceo-pay-raises-2025
Dozens of North Carolina houses have been lost to the sea. Some surviving homes are now being moved on wheels
Pace of sea-level rise has turned Outer Banks coastal area into a ‘canary in the coalmine’ for other east coast communities…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/apr/29/north-carolina-outer-banks-homes
FCC orders review of ABC licenses after Jimmy Kimmel’s Melania Trump joke
Eight local broadcasting licenses under review after White House launched attack on late-night host over comment…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/fcc-abc-jimmy-kimmel
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
Trump SSI Rule Change Targets Disabled Adults Who Live With Families — ProPublica
Now, President Donald Trump’s administration is poised to penalize people like Burton simply for living in the same home as their families, according to four federal officials, internal emails and a federal regulatory listing. The administration is working on a rule change that would deduct the value of a disabled adult’s bedroom from their SSI allotment, even if the family members they live with are poor enough to qualify for food stamps. This would mean slashing the benefits of some of the most low-income SSI recipients by up to a third — about $330 a month in Burton’s case — or ending their support altogether...
GOP-led Florida House tanks AI, medical freedom proposals pushed by DeSantis -
“I understand the governor’s concern of wanting to protect children. We want to protect children, too. He is not wrong for wanting that. I agree with him, with that sentiment,” Perez said Tuesday. “
But we have seen very clearly, the president of the United States issued an executive order stating that the federal government should take handle of the AI policies of this country, that this is a national security concern, that this is bigger than just one state or one part of the country.”…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/28/florida-house-gop-ai-vaccines-special-session-00895379
Florida Rep. Daniel Webster announces retirement - Live Updates - POLITICO
Webster joins a growing number of Republican lawmakers not seeking reelection this cycle...
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/04/28/congress/florida-daniel-webster-retiring-00895723
State Department to release limited edition ‘America250’ passports with Trump’s face - POLITICO
Previews of the commemorative passport show Trump’s portrait overlaid on the Declaration of Independence on the inside cover with his signature in gold, as well as a page with an image of the founding fathers signing the Declaration of Independence...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/28/trump-passports-state-department-00896221
Carr throws ABC licenses into jeopardy in clash with Disney - POLITICO
The FCC has broad leeway to consider Disney’s character and whether it is operating in the public interest, but policy veterans worry Carr is violating the First Amendment by using government power to squelch speech disfavored by the president...
RFK Jr. is holding up $600M in vaccines for poor countries - POLITICO
Advocates for Gavi say the withholding of funds will cost children’s lives. They also say the vaccines the group uses are safe and are better-suited to the challenges of immunizing people in the developing world, where refrigeration is spotty and it’s harder to get people boosters, than the vaccines used in the U.S. and other wealthy countries...
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/28/rfk-vaccines-gavi-thimerosal-00893645
Government Accountability Office to investigate Justice Department’s handling of Epstein files - POLITICO
“This horrific scandal is one where powerful, wealthy men groomed, abused, and raped young women, men, and children,” the March letter from the lawmakers states. “It is critical to understand what led to DOJ’s failure to redact the victims’ information and re-victimize those individuals while violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act in its redactions of information related to their alleged abusers.”…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/28/gao-epstein-files-investigation-00895594
Appeals court rules against ICE’s mandatory detention policy - POLITICO
In a 3-0 ruling, a panel of the New York-based 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals found that ICE’s policy was based on a flawed, implausible and unprecedented interpretation of decades-old laws. But more fundamentally, the panel said the Trump administration’s position would raise acute constitutional concerns by instituting “the broadest mass detention-without-bond mandate in our Nation’s history for millions of noncitizens.”…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/28/ice-mandatory-detention-appeals-court-ruling-00895115
Michigan tests expanding free ‘pre-K for all’ to home child-care providers
“Home-based providers are an untapped resource,” states a state policy document outlining the challenges and opportunities for the state to expand Pre-K...
Retired immigration judge says immigration courts are "beyond saving"
“The adjudication that people receive at the asylum office is actually, in my view, at this point, a higher quality than what you get at many immigration courts,” he said…
Justice Department accuses former Fauci adviser of concealing communications related to COVID research | PBS News
The indictment reflects Republicans' long-held belief that the federal government covered up key information about COVID-19 as the pandemic unfolded. Despite numerous probes, the origins of COVID have never been proven. Scientists are unsure whether the virus jumped from an animal, as many other viruses have, or came from a laboratory accident. A U.S. intelligence analysis released in 2023 said there is insufficient evidence to prove either theory...
Justice Department indicts former FBI director James Comey for a second time : NPR
This indictment is seen as the latest move by the Justice Department to use its vast powers to go after Trump's perceived political enemies...
https://www.npr.org/2026/04/28/nx-s1-5803167/james-comey-indictment
Middle East crisis could cost world $1tn while oil firms make ‘obscene’ profit, analysis finds
Climate group calls for urgent windfall tax on excess fossil fuel profits, as delegates tell Colombia conference their nations are suffering…
Lebanon accuses Israel of committing ‘ecocide’ in country since 2023
Claim by environment minister opens new report into profound ecological damage allegedly done by IDF forces…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/28/lebanon-accuses-israel-ecocide
Jimmy Kimmel defends Melania ‘widow’ joke after the Trumps call for him to be fired
Kimmel pointed out he made the joke three days before the alleged assassination attempt. “Obviously, it was a joke about their age difference and the look of joy we see on her face every time they’re together,” he said. “It was a very light roast joke about the fact that he’s almost 80 and she’s younger than I am. It was not – by any stretch of the definition – a call to assassination. And they know that. I’ve been very vocal for many years, speaking out against gun violence, in particular.”
“But I understand that the first lady had a stressful experience over the weekend, and probably every weekend is pretty stressful in that house,” he continued. “And also, I agree that hateful and violent rhetoric is something we should reject. I do, and I think a great place to start to dial that back would be to have a conversation with your husband about it. Donald Trumpis allowed to say whatever he wants to say, as are you and as am I. Because under the First Amendment, we have, as Americans, a right to free speech.”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/27/melania-trump-jimmy-kimmel-abc-spat
US activists plan May Day economic blackout: ‘No school, no work, no shopping’
…in protest of government policies they say put billionaires’ needs above those of workers…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/may-day-economic-blackout
Humanoid robots to become baggage handlers in Japan airport experiment
Japan Airlines will introduce the robots for trial run at a Tokyo airport amid country’s surge in inbound tourism and worsening labour shortages…
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/28/humanoid-robots-baggage-handlers-japan-airports
Trump fires independent board overseeing National Science Foundation
It could “eviscerate investments in fundamental research and in the training of the next generation of scientists and engineers for our nation”, Stassun said...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/trump-fires-national-science-foundation-board
Falsely charged with a crime, no way to fight it: inside Oregon’s court crisis
An attorney shortage has left thousands trapped in criminal cases without lawyers. One wrongfully accused woman had no choice but to wait…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/28/oregon-public-defender-crisis-courts
A Tennessee woman needed an abortion to save her life. She then joined a lawsuit against the state’s ban
“What the state is trying to do by this delay is prevent these women from telling their story in court,” Goldstein said. “The state wants to convince the people of Tennessee that the abortion ban is working and that women who need medically necessary abortion care are getting it. And what women in our case prove, and what the state is very afraid of coming to light, is that it’s not working. Women are being denied care, they’re getting infected, they’re going septic, and this is all because doctors are terrified to provide standard medical treatment that they used to provide to their patients before the ban went into effect.”…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/27/tennessee-abortion-lawsuit-halted
‘I don’t want to be part of a dictatorship’: the Americans queueing up to renounce their citizenship
The renunciation experience varies. Sinclair said the US vice consul was “maybe a little snippy … there was an air of contempt. Like, ‘Oh you idiot, why are you doing this? Why would anyone renounce their US citizenship?’” Mary couldn’t get an appointment in her home city of Toronto so booked Halifax, Nova Scotia, and “did what they call a ‘vacation renunciation’”. She describes it as the purest anticlimax: “I was all set, I had my cute outfit on and all my lines memorised. I walked into this consulate that looks like the third floor of a department store, it didn’t look governmental at all.” Michael, 57, was similarly struck by the shabbiness of the consulate in Amsterdam – the noise, the chaos, the fact that nothing worked, “the feeling of instantly being back in America”...
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Melania and Donald Trump call for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired in latest attack on ABC host
First lady accuses the comedian of ‘hateful and violent rhetoric’ in aftermath of White House press dinner shooting…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/27/melania-trump-jimmy-kimmel-abc-spat
After WHCD shooting, Republicans blame Dems for political rhetoric - POLITICO
“Instead of politicizing the shooting, Republicans should look in the mirror first. If they were actually serious about public safety, they should allow a vote on the bipartisan legislation the Senate passed to re-open DHS,” Viet Shelton, a spokesperson for House Democrats’ campaign arm, said in a statement.
Democratic operatives working on battleground campaigns argued that Republicans were being hypocritical, pointing to Trump and GOP lawmakers who’ve mocked acts of political violence against Democrats and worked to rewrite the history of the deadly Jan. 6 Capitol riot. They also cited Trump’s suggestion last year that the actions of a half-dozen Democratic lawmakers who encouraged servicemembers not to follow illegal orders were “punishable by death.”…
https://www.politico.com/news/2026/04/27/correspondents-dinner-political-violence-rhetoric-00892635
Ballroom funding in party-line package a no-go - Live Updates - POLITICO
Three congressional aides say lawmakers will need to find another way to authorize construction of the White House ballroom after the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner...
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/04/27/congress/nick-langworthy-dhs-funding-00893286
Johnson says Senate-passed DHS funding bill will have to change - Live Updates - POLITICO
The language in question explicitly zeroes out funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection, which are set to be funded in a second measure to be passed under the party-line budget reconciliation process.
Stripping it out as the conservative are demanding would force the Senate to approve the bill a third time — and could potentially create objections from Democrats who have insisted on putting new restrictions on immigration enforcement...
https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2026/04/27/congress/mike-johnson-dhs-funding-00893436
No headway in Middle East peace efforts as US and Iran refuse to yield
Deepening sense of deadlock despite regional diplomacy as Washington and Tehran show no signs of compromise…
Health ministry says Israeli strikes kill 14 in deadliest day since ceasefire began
The US-mediated ceasefire – which started on 16 April and has been extended to mid-May – has brought a significant reduction in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, though both sides have continued to fire at each other, trading blame over breaches...
US strike kills three on alleged narco boat as campaign death toll hits 185
Legal experts and rights groups suggest the strikes could amount to extrajudicial killings because they have apparently targeted civilians who do not pose an immediate threat to the US...
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/27/us-three-killed-boat-alleged-narco-eastern-pacific
Deadly Israeli attacks worsen Gaza’s water shortage crisis
Engineer and two drivers killed in recent weeks as scarcity of clean water fuels spread of preventable diseases…
Monday, April 27, 2026
DoJ v 1A (Andrew McCabe and Allison Gill; Unjustified podcast)
The Justice Department has filed charges against the Southern Poverty Law Center which appears to contain serious legal defects.
A judge tosses Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against former FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi
The FBI is said to have investigated a New York Times reporter who wrote an article about Kash Patel’s girlfriend.
Todd Blanche has tapped Joe DiGenova to take over the investigation into ex CIA chief John Brennan and others.
The Justice Department has agreed to pay $1.25 million to Carter Page for the investigation into him during Trump’s first term
Jeanine Pirro has dropped the criminal investigation of Jerome Powell, which was holding up Trump's nomination of Warsh to take his place next month.
Plus listener questions.
Interview:
A judge tosses Kash Patel’s defamation lawsuit against former FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi
The FBI is said to have investigated a New York Times reporter who wrote an article about Kash Patel’s girlfriend.
Todd Blanche has tapped Joe DiGenova to take over the investigation into ex CIA chief John Brennan and others.
The Justice Department has agreed to pay $1.25 million to Carter Page for the investigation into him during Trump’s first term
Jeanine Pirro has dropped the criminal investigation of Jerome Powell, which was holding up Trump's nomination of Warsh to take his place next month.
Plus listener questions.
Interview:
One person in custody after Trump evacuated in shooting incident at White House correspondents’ dinner
Event ended suddenly with loud gunshots and immediate commotion, and will be rescheduled…
A federal program has helped Native Hawaiian medical students for 35 years. It’s now being sued for discrimination
Do No Harm, a conservative group, wants the scholarship, which has helped islands’ underserved communities, declared unconstitutional…
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/apr/25/hative-hawaiian-scholarship-program-lawsuit
Musk and Altman’s bitter feud over OpenAI to be laid bare in court
Sam Altman, con man, or Elon Musk, sore loser?
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/26/musk-altman-openai-court
‘The damage is done’: global oil crisis has changed fossil fuel industry for ever, IEA chief says
“The only effective path to energy and economic security is homegrown clean energy. All political parties should now be uniting around that mission. Their failure to do so tells you a lot about whose interests they truly represent.”…
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