Russia Burns Books and Sacks Libraries in Ukraine; Wall Street Journal, August 18, 2026

 Emily Hamilton, Wall Street Journal; Russia Burns Books and Sacks Libraries in Ukraine 

"Bibliocide—attacks on the written word—is a common tactic of totalitarians and terrorists. The Nazis burned books in Germany in the 1930s, as did the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia in the 1970s. Bosnian Serbs destroyed Sarajevo’s National and University Library in 1992, and in 2015 ISIS devastated Mosul Central Library.

The Ukrainian Culture Ministry says Russia has damaged or destroyed 906 libraries since 2022. Numerous cases of book burning and library sacking have been documented."

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick proposes penalties for schools that keep “vulgar” books on library shelves; The Texas Tribune, August 19, 2026

 ALEJANDRO SERRANO , The Texas Tribune; Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick proposes penalties for schools that keep “vulgar” books on library shelves

"Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday vowed to pass legislation punishing public schools that do not remove graphic books from their shelves by knocking them down a notch in the state’s annual school performance ratings, which the state uses to seize control of underperforming districts. 

Flanked by easels displaying printed covers of books he found obscene, the lieutenant governor said school boards and administrators have not been following a 2025 law aimed at weeding out lewd books from the shelves in Texas’ more than 9,000 campuses attended by some 5.5 million schoolchildren. 

“It’s the law and we expect you to follow the law. So we’re coming for the books,” Patrick said during a news conference at the Texas Capitol. “We ask that you do it on your own and remove these books.”

The law from last year, Senate Bill 13, granted school boards the authority to approve and remove books based on complaints they receive, such as those from parents and activist groups. Before, those powers largely belonged to school librarians. But Patrick said an overwhelming majority of school boards have not taken any action, as the law nears one year in effect."

The War on Spoilers Goes Nuclear; Puck, August 18, 2026

 ERIQ GARDNER, Puck; The War on Spoilers Goes Nuclear

"When Warner Bros. recently submitted takedown notices against independent pop-culture site Cosmic Book News over an alleged ‘Green Lantern’ leak, it highlighted the legal lengths studios will go to quash unsanctioned pre-premiere discussion of their hottest properties. It’s still unclear if the law is exactly on the I.P. owners’ side, but the legal process certainly is."

A new force is increasing inequality in America; The Washington Post, August 20, 2026

 Shira Ovide, The Washington Post; A new force is increasing inequality in America

Evidence is mounting that artificial intelligence is helping the richest people and cities pull further ahead.

"Sam Altman, the chief executive who unleashed ChatGPT on the world, has called artificial intelligence an “equalizing force” that will “collectively lift us all up.”

But evidence is piling up that the AI boom may instead be widening the gap between America’s economic aristocracy and everyone else.

Data shows that the people making the most use of AI are concentrated in richer urban areas, while disadvantaged regions have lagged behind. Affluent Americans are on a spending spree thanks to investment portfolios fattened by an AI-addicted stock market. And some economic experts are warning that AI could widen the income gap between American workers and business owners that has caused anxiety for a decade."

The slow sucking sound of AI; Financial Times, August 19, 2026

 SOUMAYA KEYNES, Financial Times; The slow sucking sound of AI

"When AI has solved cancer and climate change, no one will be sniping about whether too much money and electricity were poured into the industry."

Zuckerberg lied about concern for child safety, Meta whistleblower testifies at landmark trial; The Guardian, August 19, 2026

 Dara Kerr, The Guardian ; Zuckerberg lied about concern for child safety, Meta whistleblower testifies at landmark trial

"Meta has taken a “don’t ask, don’t tell” strategy when it comes to the safety of children on its social media platforms, according to a whistleblower who testified during a landmark trial against the company on Tuesday. He is slated to continue his testimony on Wednesday.

Arturo Béjar, a former Meta safety engineer, told the jury that the company was aware of the harm its products caused children, which included its recommendations pushing content from sexual predators and violent and graphic images. He said he repeatedly raised the issue to various Facebook and Instagram executives but that they did little to resolve it...

Béjar was the first witness called to the stand in the federal trial that started with opening statements on Tuesday. The case was brought against Meta by 29 US state attorneys general, who allege the social media company deliberately designed addictive products that lured in young people and led to them being harmed. The legal officials also claim Meta regularly collects data on children under the age of 13 without parental permission in violation of federal and state laws."

Voters Aren’t Waiting for November to Try Ousting Officials Over Data Centers; The New York Times, August 19, 2026

 David McCabe, The New York Times ; Voters Aren’t Waiting for November to Try Ousting Officials Over Data Centers

As a backlash grows over data centers, more local officials are facing recall elections for their support of the computing sites.

"Some local officials have already lost their jobs in the face of data center concerns in regularly scheduled elections. Last year, two members of the Georgia Public Service Commission lost their seats amid concern about data centers’ driving up electricity prices. A Virginia state delegate, Geary Higgins, also lost his job last year after his opponent branded him “Data Center Geary.”

“People are standing up and saying, ‘Sorry, we don’t want these data centers in our communities for a number of reasons,’” Senator Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, said in an interview. “‘If you can’t have the guts to stand up to some large corporation, you should not continue serving in office.’”

Voters have little patience for politicians supporting data centers, said Amy Kremer, the chairwoman of Humans First, a conservative-leaning group promoting greater A.I. regulation. They will “step up and recall them and hold them accountable."

Can Robots Save an Aging Japan?; The New York Times, August 6, 2026

 

Hannah Beech and Kiuko Notoya

Visuals by Chang W. Lee, 

The New York Times; Can Robots Save an Aging Japan?

"Across Yamagata, local officials have tried out various robot — and robot-aspiring — solutions to the precipitous demographic decline. The 48-year-old mayor of Nishikawa, Daishi Kanno, secured $40,000 in funding for Pochi and other “smart agriculture” innovations. Like other prefectural leaders, he has chosen technology over another potential fix to the nation’s labor shortage: welcoming more foreign workers."

Data center developers are pushing Pa. government officials to sign secrecy agreements. At least some are saying yes.; SpotlightPA, August 19, 2026

 

Kate Huangpu , SpotlightPA; Data center developers are pushing Pa. government officials to sign secrecy agreements. At least some are saying yes.

"Public records requests filed by Spotlight PA found at least eight NDAs signed by township, county, and Shapiro administration officials for data center projects. Why they signed and whether the NDA shaped an eventual deal isn’t always clear. Only two lawmakers who signed such agreements responded to the newsroom’s requests for comment.

Data center developers across the United States have increasingly turned to this tactic. They have secured NDAs with elected officials and economic development advisors, limiting what information about planned data centers can be shared with communities."

Expert Asked ChatGPT ‘Show How 3M Is 0% At Fault’ Making For Entertaining Deposition; Above The Law, August 18, 2026

  Joe Patrice  , Above The Law; Expert Asked ChatGPT ‘Show How 3M Is 0% At Fault’ Making For Entertaining Deposition

"“Create an exceptional expert witness report… and show how 3M is 0% at fault for the explosion at watson grinding.” That’s one of several prompts Josh Autenrieth of Knighthawk Engineering plugged into ChatGPT while collecting upwards of $90,000 from 3M for his expert testimony. 

Jason Koebler at 404 Media has the full, astounding story of how plaintiffs’ counsel Will Moye discovered a “Citation Overlay” in discovery and turned it into what must have been the most satisfying deposition of his life."

Young adults in the U.S. are increasingly wary of AI, concerned it will take jobs; Pew Research Center, August 18, 2026

 COLLEEN MCCLAIN AND EUGENIE PARK , Pew Research Center; Young adults in the U.S. are increasingly wary of AI, concerned it will take jobs

"Americans have become increasingly worried about artificial intelligence over the years, and young adults’ concern has continued to climb. Worry over job loss, too, is on the rise.

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Americans have grown more concerned about AI over time

% of U.S. adults who say the increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) in daily life makes them feel … 

More concerned than excited

Equally concerned and excited

More excited than concerned

Note: Those who did not answer are not shown. 

Source: Survey of U.S. adults conducted June 22-28, 2026.

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

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Today, 52% of Americans say they are more concerned than excited about the increased use of AI in daily life – up from 37% in 2021. Another 9% are more excited than concerned and 37% say they’re equally excited and concerned, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted June 22-28, 2026.

Concern about AI is up among younger and older Americans alike since we first asked this question in 2021. But while the rise was mainly in the first two years for Americans ages 30 and older, concern continues to climb for adults under 30 – whose skepticism of AI has made headlines in recent months."

She told no one about her agony except ChatGPT. What her death reveals about AI risks; NPR, August 18, 2026

 Rhitu Chatterjee, NPR; She told no one about her agony except ChatGPT. What her death reveals about AI risks 

"What Reiley didn't know then was that her daughter had been sharing all her inner struggles with an artificial intelligence chatbot: a ChatGPT therapist named Harry. She learned this months later when her daughter's best friend visited Ithaca and asked to see her laptop, and "found this trove, this months-long trove of communication with this chat bot," says Reiley, who has shared the nearly 1,800-page long interaction with NPR.

Rapid adoption, unknown risks

Rottenberg was among a growing number of Americans turning to general use chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude for mental health support, even though they are not marketed or regulated as a healthcare technology. One recent survey by the Bipartisan Policy Center found that 3 in 10 adults use digital tools for mental health, including chatbots. Another 2026 study in JAMA Pediatrics found that as many as 1 in 5 teens and young adults do the same."