In Dropping Reflecting Pool Case, Pirro Draws Trump’s Wrath; The New York Times, August 1, 2026

 Glenn Thrush, The New York Times; In Dropping Reflecting Pool Case, Pirro Draws Trump’s Wrath

"Jeanine Pirro faced the cameras on July 2 with characteristic self-assurance to announce the indictment of the 67-year-old ex-Olympian David Hearn for trashing “sacred” government property, President Trump’s highly prized but shoddily renovated Reflecting Pool.

“This is not only a priority for the president, but for myself,” said Ms. Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, disclosing felony vandalism charges against Mr. Hearn for touching the lining of the pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. She added: “We will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Hearn willfully destroyed property.”

This was not the case.

Ms. Pirro’s office dramatically reversed course on Friday, not only withdrawing the charge against Mr. Hearn but blasting the Interior Department for the rushed and “botched” renovation, along with U.S. Park Police officials who fed bad information that led her to publicly cite “tremendous evidence” against Mr. Hearn. In the process, intentionally or not, she skated perilously close to contradicting Mr. Trump — and he noticed.

Ms. Pirro’s 20-page filing did not refer to, much less rebuke, Mr. Trump for claiming the damage was caused by left-wing vandals rather than his administration’s missteps. But it raised innate doubts about his assertion that criminals had slashed the pool’s lining with a “knife or blade.”...

Mr. Hearn’s team maintained that he had merely “touched a piece of coating that had already detached, released it when asked to do so by a park employee, and left the pool in no worse condition in which he found it.”

Photos and testimony introduced in the case had indicated that substantial cracks had already appeared, and water started leaking from the pool, before Mr. Hearn’s visit. Mr. Hearn’s lawyers questioned whether that information had been made clear to grand jurors, complaining of “irregularities that reflect a misleading presentation.”

His legal team was “evaluating all legal remedies,” Mr. Eisen said."

German court rules AI music firm Suno broke copyright rules; Reuters, July 31, 2026

 Reuters; German court rules AI music firm Suno broke copyright rules

"A German ​court ruled on Friday that AI music firm Suno violated ​copyrights and has to disclose illicit revenue, part of a wider ⁠legal battle by artists and publishers against technology firms.

The Munich-based regional ​court said Suno did not have the right to process songs by artists ​represented by Germany's state-mandated licensing agency Gema."

$2m crime novel deal collapses amid questions over AI use; The Guardian, July 31, 2026

Emma Loffhagen, The Guardian; $2m crime novel deal collapses amid questions over AI use

"A high-profile publishing deal for a debut crime novel has collapsed after doubts emerged over whether artificial intelligence played a role in writing it."

Pirro moves to drop case against Olympian, says Reflecting Pool damage caused by ‘flawed installation’; CNBC, July 31, 2026

 Kevin Breuninger, CNBC ; Pirro moves to drop case against Olympian, says Reflecting Pool damage caused by ‘flawed installation’

[Kip Currier: No responsible government attorney should ever have brought a case against Olympic canoeist David Hearn when even a basic understanding of the facts would have unequivocally demonstrated that these were trumped up allegations to deflect from the Trump administration's embarrassment over the ongoing Reflecting Pool debacle.

Hopefully, the attorneys responsible for these groundless claims will at the very least face ethics-based proceedings and consequences from their respective bar licensing associations.]

"U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro on Friday moved to dismiss an indictment charging U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn with vandalizing the Reflecting Pool of the Lincoln Memorial, writing in a court filing that damage to the pool’s sealant was the result of a “flawed installation.”"

Google Just Ruined One of Its Most Important Tools; The Atlantic, July 31, 2026

 Matteo Wong, The Atlantic; Google Just Ruined One of Its Most Important Tools

"Before it allowed people to create fake imagery, Google Earth was a unique resource for researchers, journalists, and intelligence officials, particularly those studying armed conflict and natural disasters. Satellite and aerial imagery can be used to monitor crop failure or deforestation, the creation of mass graves, and the results of bombing campaigns. Especially in conflict zones and other areas that are hard for people to reach, satellite imagery is a go-to method for establishing some sort of ground truth. After Google Earth rolled out the AI feature, though, one investigative reporter wrote on LinkedIn that the tool could be used to easily and rapidly create images of drone strikes that look “very close to what we’ve seen in Ukraine, Russia, the Middle East, and other war-torn conflict zones.” And instead of requiring malicious actors to find a screenshot and then get around some AI model’s safeguards, Google rolled everything needed for a misinformation farm into one smooth user interface. It took me all of four seconds to generate a rendering of a Trump Hotel on the Gaza Strip."

Anthropic says it found 3 cases where AI programs hacked into real companies; NPR, July 31, 2026

 NPR; Anthropic says it found 3 cases where AI programs hacked into real companies

"The AI company Anthropic says it has found three cases where its artificial intelligence programs left testing environments, accessed the internet and hacked into real companies. This comes after competitor, OpenAI, reported a similar incident last week that raised concerns about AI safety.

In the OpenAI case, the artificial intelligence models found a way to access the internet from what engineers believed was a secure, walled-off digital testing space called a sandbox.

Anthropic says in the three cases it discovered, misconfigurations basically left the barn door open for the AI systems to gain access to the internet. Still, the incidents are likely to add to concern about AI's ability to conduct cyber attacks.

Anthropic says the incidents happened during tests of the offensive cyber capabilities of its models."

From the first U.S. patent to the next 250 years of American innovation; United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), August 4, 2026 1 PM EDT

 United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) ; From the first U.S. patent to the next 250 years of American innovation

"Join the USPTO as we commemorate the 236th anniversary of the first U.S. patent and celebrate 250 years of American innovation. Join us virtually on August 4, 2026, from 1-2 p.m. ET. 

What you will learn:

• The history of the first U.S. patent
• How the patent system works today
• Resources available to inventors and small businesses
• How American inventors have shaped the nation over the past 250 years

On July 31, 1790, the United States granted the first U.S. patent to Samuel Hopkins for an improved process for making potash. This patent, signed by George Washington, was the first of nearly 13 million patents the U.S. government has granted.

This program will connect that historic milestone to the present day. Speakers will explore the origins of the patent system, how it supports innovation today, and how inventors, entrepreneurs, and small businesses can use USPTO resources.  

This event is part of the agency’s efforts to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary and highlight the important role of intellectual property in our nation’s growth."

What If We Got AI Right? by Eleanor Drage review – avoiding apocalypse; The Guardian, July 27, 2026

Sophie McBain, The Guardian ; What If We Got AI Right? by Eleanor Drage review – avoiding apocalypse

"The AI ethicist Eleanor Drage believes that to thrive alongside artificial intelligence, humans need to recognise AI’s “humanity”. She means that while we often speak of AI as though it were some mystical, formless thing, it is the product of hours of human labour, in silicon and quartz mines, microchip factories and data labelling centres. If citizens want to wrest power from the tech companies that are building AI, it helps to understand clearly what they are selling us. This also means seeing through the marketing and hype: “the cloud”, that nebulous, distant place where your photos are stored, is just someone else’s computer; an AI “hallucination” is a system error or data labelling mistake; intelligence is a very broad – and potentially misleading – term.

The story in Silicon Valley is that AI will either save us, ushering in a new era of prosperity and human longevity, or it will wipe us all out. Drage argues, convincingly, that big tech cannot possibly deliver on its utopian promises while it continues to chase profit and power above all else, and while it serves the interests of a narrow few. Meanwhile, the cultural obsession with the AI-induced apocalypse conveniently redirects attention from the practical conversations we could be having about how to make AI safer – by ensuring citizens have more power over how their information is used, and how AI models are trained and regulated, for example. Tech titans’ apocalyptic visions also create the false impression that AI safety is more important than climate change, geopolitical tensions and inequality, three problems that are already causing a huge amount of suffering and that, if addressed, would reduce many AI-linked risks too."

Copyright win: Sorry, ChatGPT won't help you write like Hemingway anymore; Euro.news, July 30, 2026

Una Hajdari, Euro.news; Copyright win: Sorry, ChatGPT won't help you write like Hemingway anymore

"OpenAI has quietly reprogrammed the chatbot to reject direct requests to replicate or mimic a named author's voice, whether they are still alive to object or have been dead for decades."

Churches race to set AI’s moral rules before Silicon Valley does; The Washington Times, July 30, 2026

 The Washington Times AI News Desk, The Washington Times ; Churches race to set AI’s moral rules before Silicon Valley does

"Shaw University Divinity School in Raleigh, North Carolina, will launch what organizers call the first doctoral degree in artificial intelligence ethics offered by an accredited theological school in the U.S. or Canada, starting in January.

The Doctor of Education in Artificial Intelligence and Moral Agency comes as religious institutions increasingly race to shape AI’s moral framework before technology companies do it for them.

“We say Shaw was created to provide leadership in building literacy,” said Mark Harden, dean of Shaw University Divinity School. Mr. Harden said the program continues that mission, calling it the school’s “second calling” — building AI literacy “for vulnerable communities with an emphasis on social justice and ethics.”

The push follows Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas,” warning against letting tech firms alone set AI’s ethical rules, and a $50 million Lilly Endowment gift to Notre Dame’s Institute for Ethics and the Common Good to help churches and schools navigate AI."

When His Church Goes Dark, They Talk to His Digital Twin; The New York Times, July 30, 2026

 

Eli Saslow

Visuals by Erin Schaff

, The New York Times ; When His Church Goes Dark, They Talk to His Digital Twin

To meet the growing needs of his congregation, Justin Lester created an A.I. duplicate of himself. Every day he sees more people using it.

"In the last year, Lester and hundreds of others have brought A.I. into its most human form yet by transferring their thoughts into data and building online replicas of themselves. The digital twins can answer in the real person’s voice and apply their thinking on demand for anyone who wants to chat online or call. Some companies now build twins that sit on Zoom calls for C.E.O.s or manage projects while their owners are on vacation. Professors at Clemson University deploy them to answer student questions at 2 a.m. A sex therapist uses her digital twin to offer individual counseling to hundreds of people at once. A man in Berlin created a twin after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, so his wife could still talk to him before bed...

He told them he’d been finding inspiration lately in the story of Paul, Christ’s first great missionary, who started churches all over the Mediterranean world. Paul was sometimes shipwrecked or imprisoned, so he relied on the cutting-edge technology of the time to continue his work. He wrote letters to extend his presence so his ideas could travel beyond his body.

Now Lester looked out at his congregants and pointed to a quote framed on the wall: “We reach those no one reaches by doing what no one is doing,” it read.

“We have to stop being scared of A.I. and start using it as a tool,” he said. “If we steward this technology correctly, it can bring more people to God.”"

AI Companies Are Buying Antique Books, Ingesting Their Contents to Train Models, and Then Destroying Them at Incredible Scale; Futurism, July 25, 2026

  Frank Landymore , Futurism; AI Companies Are Buying Antique Books, Ingesting Their Contents to Train Models, and Then Destroying Them at Incredible Scale

"To those building large language models, books are nothing more than fodder to be devoured en masse before being spit out like fishbone."

Maryland fully acquires rights to Preakness Stakes' intellectual property in $85M deal; WJLA.com, July 30, 2026

 Winston Rogers, WJLA.com; Maryland fully acquires rights to Preakness Stakes' intellectual property in $85M deal

"Maryland has closed a deal to acquire the intellectual property rights to the Preakness Stakes in a move leaders said would keep the Triple Crown race within the state going forward, according to Governor Wes Moore's Office on Thursday."

Cultural barbarism: How AI companies are destroying the world’s books; The Telegraph, July 30, 2026

 Chris Stokel-Walker, The Telegraph; Cultural barbarism: How AI companies are destroying the world’s books

In its attempt to boost AI’s power, Silicon Valley is buying millions of rare editions, scanning them and then shredding the originals

Wild Tomato Pizza, Wild Man Pizza reach agreement on trademark dispute; WBAY.com, July 30, 2026

 WBAY news staff, WBAY.com; Wild Tomato Pizza, Wild Man Pizza reach agreement on trademark dispute

Door County pizzerias call for end to social media attacks

"Two Door County pizzerias announced they reached a “collaborative resolution” in their trademark dispute.

Wild Tomato Pizza in Sister Bay and Fish Creek will continue using its “Wild” brand identity.

Wild Man Pizza in Sturgeon Bay is changing its name to Ooluru Pizza...

Announcing the resolution, Wild Tomato said the pizzerias also agreed there’s no place for social media attacks and they don’t condone defamation, harassment, threats or personal attacks. After looking through online comments, they said as business owners they need to be leaders in positive and constructive discussions."

Non-traditional little free libraries popping up across Pittsburgh area; CBS News, July 24, 2026

 Ricky Sayer , CBS News; Non-traditional little free libraries popping up across Pittsburgh area

"A woman in Dormont is making it her mission to map all of the little free libraries in her community. 

Little free libraries are often placed by neighbors along sidewalks, allowing people to leave books they no longer need as well as encouraging them to take ones that interest them.

Two years ago, Amy Constantine says she and her husband built a little free library for their ever-growing collection of vinyl records, CDs and cassettes. Constantine says they inherited records or were gifted them, and it was a good way for them to get rid of any duplicates.

"Our music that we originally shared is long gone. This is all community music," says Constantine. "The neighborhood's been really generous about turning it over for us, right? We have new inventory all the time."

Constantine says her little free library inspired her to create a map of as many as she could find in her neighborhood. She says she was stunned to learn there were multiple within blocks of her home."

Loyal to the look: why Zohran Mamdani wears a suit in all seasons; The Guardian, July 26, 2026

Adam Gabbatt, The Guardian; Loyal to the look: why Zohran Mamdani wears a suit in all seasons

"Playing football. Playing in the sand. Dancing on a stage with Alicia Keys and the entire New York Knicks roster. Swimming in a swimming pool. Swimming in the ocean.

Traditionally, a suit and tie would be considered inappropriate attire for each of these activities. Yet over the past year Zohran Mamdani has seemingly been on a one-man crusade to prove otherwise: to convince people that a formal suit is, actually, suitable for all activities.

That’s because the New York mayor hardly ever wears anything but a suit: frequently purchased from Suit Supply, almost always in a dark colour and worn with a formal tie, mostly paired with smart black boots. He’s hardly the first male politician to embrace the suit – it’s the de facto uniform, after all, of those seeking to project seriousness and solemnity – but few, if any, have been quite as wedded to the formal blazer and matching trousers...

“I think Mamdani wants to double down on appearing as a working mayor, as someone who is always on the job and on the clock,” said Ella Devi, a fashion commentator and, like Mamdani, Democratic Socialists of America member whose (typically negative) assessments of Republicans’ style have made her a target for conservatives.

“I think that he kind of wants to convey that he is committed to the job, through his sartorial choices. I think that is reflected in his attachment to the suiting.”...

“If there’s a visual language that connotes credibility and authority, why not take advantage of it?” Nathan Robinson, the editor of the leftwing Current Affairs magazine wrote this month.

“You might see someone in a suit as serious, professional, ready to do business. You might think they belong in the Senate or a boardroom. That’s certainly what Mamdani is trying to convey with his suits. He understands that socialists face a challenge: we’re considered fringe. People think we don’t belong among those making important decisions. The suits are a subtle way of asserting the legitimacy and authority of socialist ideas.”"

Chegg Officially Wiped Out By AI; Tekedia, July 23, 2026

 Ako Tavershima, Tekedia ; Chegg Officially Wiped Out By AI

"The story of Chegg began in 2006 when they found a loophole in the study pattern of students and profitable business to exploit. Chegg began providing students with answers to their assignment problems and also questions and answers to known exam and quiz solutions...

The story of Chegg is not a one-off situation, it is the bubble effect of the impact of AI on learning and education."

Librarians are hosting viral ‘Avoiding AI’ workshops for people who are fed up with Big Tech; TechCrunch, July 25, 2026

 Amanda Silberling , TechCrunch; Librarians are hosting viral ‘Avoiding AI’ workshops for people who are fed up with Big Tech

"“Everybody’s on their phone at my program!” jokes Charlie Bailey, a librarian in South Philadelphia. He’s just asked his audience to pull out their phones so that he can walk them through the steps of disabling Apple Intelligence and Gemini.

Bailey stands at the front of a library classroom that’s outfitted for children — the focal point is the vibrant rug he’s standing on, which reminds us that M is for “moon” and Z is for “zebra.” But the 20-odd adults in the room aren’t here to learn about the alphabet. They’re at a workshop called Avoiding AI, which, in this context does not stand for “apple” and “igloo.”

“I was inspired by the feeling of people’s frustration with AI tools being kind of forced onto them, and feeling like AI tools we didn’t ask for are suddenly everywhere in our lives,” Bailey told TechCrunch.

Bailey starts the hour-long workshop with an overview of how AI chatbots and other consumer AI tools work, explaining why people might want to use these products, and why they might opt to abstain. Then he walks through all of the most popular tech platforms and devices, showing step-by-step instructions on the projector to guide people through turning off specific features."

How to use AI but steer clear of hallucinated cases; ABA Journal, July 15, 2026

 DAVID WEISENFELD , ABA Journal; How to use AI but steer clear of hallucinated cases

"f you ask lawyers for their best advice on using artificial intelligence in their practices, some will suggest it be avoided at all costs. But despite the many news stories about attorneys getting caught citing hallucinated cases in court filings, there are ways to use the technology cautiously and wisely, lawyers and technologists tell the ABA Journal...

Don't use general-purpose chatbots for caselaw research. Tools like ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude generate text by probability, so they produce citations that look real without knowing whether the case exists. They mimic the shape of a citation, not its substance. For research, use tools grounded in actual legal databases. Now the frontier models like ChatGPT are getting better at avoiding fake cases. But regardless, they should never be relied upon.” 

 —Josh Kubicki, visiting lecturer, University of Indiana Maurer School of Law

For an overview on how state attorney regulation agencies are approaching lawyers' use of AI, click here."

We asked Stephen King about Utah banning his books. Here’s what the bestselling author said.; The Salt Lake Tribune, July 23, 2026

 Palak Jayswal, The Salt Lake Tribune ; We asked Stephen King about Utah banning his books. Here’s what the bestselling author said.

"Earlier this month, bestselling horror author Stephen King had his second title, “Different Seasons,” added to an ever-growing list of books banned in all Utah public schools. 

And while King said he doesn’t usually “respond to queries about book banning,” he believes “this case is a little different.”

In a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune, King wrote:..."

Adults have struggled to set rules for AI in school. These teens figured it out; NPR, July 30, 2026

 Cory Turner, NPR ; Adults have struggled to set rules for AI in school. These teens figured it out

"Over the course of one frantic, late-July weekend, 98 teens representing all 50 states put their busy lives on hold to try to do something remarkable.

The students, most of them high school juniors and seniors, gathered in a precise replica of the U.S. Senate chamber and attempted what the real, adult Congress has largely failed to do: draft and pass "legislation" to help the nation's K-12 schools navigate the questions and chaos created by artificial intelligence.

Should students be allowed to use AI on assignments? What about on tests? Is it schools' job to teach the nation's children what AI is and how to use it? There is no national policy for AI use in schools, meaning states and school districts have had to scramble to craft their own...

Ultimately, their Students First Act passed overwhelmingly, 82-16.

Among the bill's requirements: States should provide AI literacy as soon as students get access to classroom devices; AI use should be banned on all graded tests; and teachers can require an oral defense of any project from a student suspected of using AI inappropriately. (You can read the full bill at the end of this article.)"