On The Verge's Decoder podcast, former DOJ antitrust chief Jonathan Kanter discussed AI companies' requests for antitrust exemptions to jointly coordinate on safety, amid growing alarm from researchers at Anthropic and Google DeepMind who have quit citing unheeded safety risks. Kanter, who led major antitrust actions against Google, Apple, and Ticketmaster under Biden, weighed in on whether such exemptions represent legitimate safety collaboration or a bid for regulatory capture and cartel-like behavior.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-19
California lawmakers passed AB 1661, directing $5 million in penalty funds from oil wells near Inglewood toward direct cash payments for up to 1,000 households affected by respiratory or reproductive health issues linked to nearby drilling. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Isaac G. Bryan, would offer eligible households as much as $5,000 each and awaits Governor Gavin Newsom's signature, expected by October. The funding draws from a state repair and reinvestment account meant for communities closest to the oil field, which sits near predominantly Black neighborhoods like Ladera Heights and Baldwin Hills.
wired.com
· 2026-09-19
Two child sex abuse survivors have filed a proposed class action against Jeffrey Epstein's estate, alleging the Justice Department failed to notify dozens of victims whose images were found among Epstein's massive cache of child sexual abuse material. The FBI reportedly reviewed tens of thousands of videos after Epstein's arrest and confirmed a large volume of images depicted likely minors, some unrelated to Epstein's known trafficking ring. The lawsuit targets the estate's co-executors, seeking court-ordered notification and remedies for survivors who may never have met Epstein but whose abuse images he possessed.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-09-16
Activists in Philadelphia, led by Shawmar Pitts of Philly Thrive, are pushing for a moratorium on new AI data centers after city officials identified potential construction sites in Northeast Philadelphia and Grays Ferry, a neighborhood near a shuttered oil refinery. Pitts and his neighbors, many of whom suffered health problems linked to decades of industrial pollution, worry that data centers could bring similar environmental and energy burdens despite promises of jobs and growth.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-15
Omaha Steaks is cutting its catalog by 60%, simplifying its pricing structure, and shrinking its overall lineup while pledging to emphasize domestically raised beef. The move comes as the broader beef market faces turmoil, with grocery prices at record highs and cattle supplies at their lowest in 75 years.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-10
The piece marks the 250th anniversary of both the United States' founding and Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations, arguing the two milestones are historically linked. It contends that American capitalism and the business community have long shaped the nation's legal and justice systems, not just its economy.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-10
404 Media reports that Customs and Border Protection operates a little-known unit, the Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team, which reportedly analyzes Americans' financial transaction records and other data to identify people for traffic stops and further scrutiny. CBP declined to detail its methods, citing operational security, while civil liberties attorneys argue the program extends surveillance far beyond CBP's traditional border mission.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-09-08
Two recent reports—the World Inequality Lab's Global Justice Report and a UN High-Level Expert Group's Beyond GDP recommendations—have reignited debate over whether nations should deprioritize economic growth in favor of other measures of well-being. A commentary argues both reports miss the real issue: whether governments are leaving future generations richer or poorer, not simply how fast economies grow or how well-being is measured.
nature.com
· 2026-09-08
Anti-surveillance group Secure Justice reports that 214 local governments have cancelled or declined to renew contracts with license-plate-reading company Flock since 2021, with cancellations quadrupling from July to August 2025 alone. Because Flock's value depends on a networked web of cameras shared across jurisdictions, losing contracts in one town can trigger cancellations in neighboring ones, compounding the losses even as Flock insists new signups still outpace cancellations.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-01
Anti-surveillance group Secure Justice reports that 214 cities and counties have dropped Flock Safety's license-plate camera contracts since 2021, with 90 cancellations in August alone—a fourfold jump from July. Communities from Lansing, Michigan to Pflugerville, Texas cited cost, data-sharing practices, network reach, and cases of police misuse as reasons for ending their deals. Flock says new city partnerships still outnumber cancellations roughly 10 to 1 this year.
techspot.com
· 2026-08-30
Secure Justice, an Oakland-based anti-surveillance group, reports that 214 cities and counties have dropped Flock Safety license-plate camera contracts since 2021, with 90 cancellations in August 2026 alone—four times July's total. Communities citing surveillance overreach, data-sharing concerns, cost, and police misuse are ending deals at roughly three per day over the past month. Flock disputes the significance, saying new partnerships have outpaced cancellations 10 to 1 in 2026.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-08-28
Deloitte has agreed to pay $21.5 million to resolve a Justice Department investigation alleging the firm considered race and gender in hiring and promotion decisions, in violation of federal law. The settlement caps roughly a year of quiet DOJ scrutiny into diversity, equity and inclusion policies at major corporations under the Trump administration.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-08-28
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