DOGE aims to pool federal data, putting personal information at risk: The goal — a centralized system with unprecedented access to data about Social Security, taxes, medical diagnoses and other private information — would create a multitude of vulnerabilities, experts say.
U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Musk’s Starlink, cables show: Some countries have turned to the satellite internet firm in conjunction with trade talks, State Department staffers wrote. The U.S. has a strategic interest in countering Chinese internet providers, but Musk’s role complicates the picture.
Powered by potatoes: Endurance athletes are chasing speed with spuds: More ultramarathoners and cyclists are turning to potatoes as a mild, carbohydrate-packed fuel option.
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art delays LGBTQ Pride exhibit: “Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art” was originally scheduled to coincide with the WorldPride celebration in Washington. The museum postponed it until next year, citing a funding shortfall. - "“This exhibition was on a very ambitious schedule to meet WorldPride and we did not have enough time to secure all the private sector funds we had hoped to due to shifts in the fundraising environment,” Mitchell wrote." [ed. note: I do not believe you]
His D.C. tenants lived in squalor for years. Now he owes $6.8 million.: D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General sued Adolphe Edwards in 2022. Nearly 100 tenants are owed rent refunds, the office said.
GOP senators buck Trump’s pick for D.C. U.S. attorney, imperiling bid: Sen. Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), facing reelection in 2026, objected to Ed Martin’s support for Jan. 6 Capitol rioters who assaulted police. Other Republicans kept mum.
Former D.C. officer again charged with sex trafficking of teen girls: Linwood Barnhill Jr., once imprisoned for prostituting underaged girls, has committed “remarkably similar crimes” since his release in 2020, a prosecutor said.
Makers of clothes, beer and more on what tariffs really mean for you: A brewer, decorator, fabric manufacturer and biotech executive on the administration’s strategy.
How the Democrats can crush the 2026 midterms: Can the Democrats repeat their success of 2018 in 2026?
America just surrendered to foreign lies: By shutting down this agency, we are allowing disinformation by our enemies to spread unchecked. - "When the Trump administration shut down Voice of America in March, it silenced one of the few sources of accurate information in countries without a free press. What’s worse is that American defenses against foreign disinformation are being eliminated as well. Not only is the United States no longer serving up the truth, it’s allowing our enemies to propagate false information around the world with no pushback.
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"Until it was shut down, the Global Engagement Center had unique capabilities to counter these efforts. It was able to convene interagency meetings and work with military and intelligence experts to uncover — and then publicize — the propaganda machines behind these stories. No other office in the U.S. government had the combination of expertise, information and authority to defend against information warfare."
Ignore restaurant lobbyists. Respect the will of Washingtonians.: Plus letters on other D.C. issues such as pedestrian safety, RFK stadium and more.
The MAHA-Friendly App That’s Driving Food Companies Crazy: Yuka and other apps are influencing shoppers’ purchasing habits; ‘There are a lot of opinions out there’ - "Yuka gives Tru drinks a score of 43 or 48 out of 100—'poor'—in part because they contain stevia and erythritol, sweeteners that Yuka says carry risks. [CEO of Tru, Jack] McNamara said he doesn’t fully agree with Yuka’s methodology, which deducts points for drinks that aren’t water, but he takes the app’s input seriously." [ed. note: there's nothing wrong with stevia]
Pakistan claims to have downed Indian warplanes, vows response to strikes: India’s military said the strikes were in retaliation for a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. Analysts warned that the risk of escalation is rising.
People Are Losing Loved Ones to AI-Fueled Spiritual Fantasies Self-styled prophets are claiming they have "awakened" chatbots and accessed the secrets of the universe through ChatGPT - "'We know from work on journaling that narrative expressive writing can have profound effects on people’s well-being and health, that making sense of the world is a fundamental human drive, and that creating stories about our lives that help our lives make sense is really key to living happy healthy lives,' Westgate says. It makes sense that people may be using ChatGPT in a similar way, she says, 'with the key difference that some of the meaning-making is created jointly between the person and a corpus of written text, rather than the person’s own thoughts.'"
