If leaders stay silent, the US won’t survive Trump’s next 100 days; The Guardian, April 30, 2025

 Robert Reich , The Guardian; If leaders stay silent, the US won’t survive Trump’s next 100 days

"Meanwhile, the regime continues to attack all the independent institutions in this country that have traditionally served as buffers against tyranny – universities, non-profits, lawyers and law firms, the media, science and researchers, libraries and museums, the civil service and independent agencies – threatening them with extermination or loss of funding if they do not submit to its oversight and demands...

We have witnessed what can happen in just the first 100 days. I’m not at all sure we can wait until the 2026 midterm elections and hope that Democrats take back at least one chamber of Congress. At the rate this regime is wreaking havoc, too much damage will have been done by then.

The nation is tottering on the edge of dictatorship.

We are no longer Democrats or Republicans. We are either patriots fighting the regime or we are complicit in its tyranny. There is no middle ground.

Soon, I fear, the regime will openly defy the supreme court. Americans must be mobilized into such a huge wave of anger and disgust that members of the House are compelled to impeach Trump (for the third time) and enough senators are moved to finally convict him.

Then this shameful chapter of American history will end."

US Naval Academy canceled author’s lecture that would have criticized book bans; CNN, April 19, 2025

 Natasha Bertrand , CNN; US Naval Academy canceled author’s lecture that would have criticized book bans

"The US Naval Academy canceled a lecture that author Ryan Holiday was scheduled to give to students there last week after he refused to remove slides from his planned presentation that criticized the academy’s decision to remove nearly 400 books from its main library.

Holiday, a writer and philosopher who has lectured at the US Naval Academy more than half a dozen times since 2019, told CNN on Saturday that he was invited by the academy in November to give a lecture about wisdom to midshipmen on April 14. He had previously spoken to students there, including during the first Trump administration, as part of a series on stoicism and the pursuit of virtue and excellence.

But an hour before he was scheduled to give his talk last week, as he was getting ready in his hotel room in Annapolis, Holiday says he received a call from the school asking him if he could refrain from mentioning the academy’s decision earlier this month to remove 381 books from the shelves of its Nimitz Library.

“I said I couldn’t do that,” Holiday recalled. “I couldn’t have spoken in front of these midshipmen about courage and about doing the right thing, and then remove, I think, a very reasonable objection to a very egregious concept."...

“I actually agree that the Academy should be apolitical,” Holiday told CNN. “That’s what makes this political meddling in their access to books so troubling. And then to suppress criticism of that obvious mistake, is to model even poorer moral leadership to the midshipman.”"

Trump 100 days: delusions of monarchy coupled with fundamental ineptitude; The Guardian, April 29, 2025

 David Smith  , The Guardian; Trump 100 days: delusions of monarchy coupled with fundamental ineptitude

"The portraits of Andrew Jackson, Ronald Reagan and other past presidents gaze down from a past that the 47th seems determined to erase. Trump is seeking to remake the US in his image at frightening speed. The shock and awe of his second term has challenged many Americans’ understanding of who they are.

In three months Trump has shoved the world’s oldest continuous democracy towards authoritarianism at a pace that tyrants overseas would envy. He has used executive power to take aim at Congress, the law, the media, culture and public health. Still aggrieved by his 2020 election defeat and 2024 criminal conviction, his regime of retribution has targeted perceived enemies and proved that no grudge is too small.

Historically such strongmen have offered the populace a grand bargain: if they will surrender some liberties, he will make the trains run on time. But Trump’s delusions of monarchy have been coupled with a fundamental ineptitude.

His trade war injected chaos into the economy, undermining a campaign promise to lower prices and raising the spectre of recession; his ally Elon Musk wreaked havoc on the federal government, threatening health and welfare benefits for millions; his foreign policy turned the world upside down, making friends of adversaries and turning allies into foes...

In 2021 Sabato, the University of Virginia political scientist, told the Guardianthat history would remember Trump as by far the worst president ever on the basis of his first term. “I was wrong,” he acknowledged last week. “This is the worst presidency in American history.

“The ignorance was actually our ally in the first Trump term. He didn’t know what he was doing and now, unfortunately, while he still doesn’t know what he’s doing, he knows more than he did. Trump believes he is infallible. He’s going to burn out with the public long before the end of this term.”"

The Tech Industry Tried Reducing AI’s Pervasive Bias. Now Trump Wants to End Its ‘Woke AI’ Efforts; Associated Press via Inc., April 28, 2025

 Associated Press via Inc.; The Tech Industry Tried Reducing AI’s Pervasive Bias. Now Trump Wants to End Its ‘Woke AI’ Efforts 

"In the White House and the Republican-led Congress, “woke AI” has replaced harmful algorithmic discrimination as a problem that needs fixing. Past efforts to “advance equity” in AI development and curb the production of “harmful and biased outputs” are a target of investigation, according to subpoenas sent to Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and 10 other tech companies last month by the House Judiciary Committee.

And the standard-setting branch of the U.S. Commerce Department has deleted mentions of AI fairness, safety and “responsible AI” in its appeal for collaboration with outside researchers. It is instead instructing scientists to focus on “reducing ideological bias” in a way that will “enable human flourishing and economic competitiveness,” according to a copy of the document obtained by The Associated Press.

In some ways, tech workers are used to a whiplash of Washington-driven priorities affecting their work.

But the latest shift has raised concerns among experts in the field, including Harvard University sociologist Ellis Monk, who several years ago was approached by Google to help make its AI products more inclusive."

‘I RUN THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD’; The Atlantic, June 2025

Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer, The Atlantic; ‘I RUN THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD’

"We asked the president if his second term felt different from his first. He said it did. “The first time, I had two things to do—run the country and survive; I had all these crooked guys,” he said. “And the second time, I run the country and the world.”"

Exclusive: Most Americans see Trump as "dangerous dictator," poll says; Axios, April 29, 2025

  

• Russell Contreras, Axios; Exclusive: Most Americans see Trump as "dangerous dictator," poll says

"

Share who say they agree that President Trump is a "dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy" 

Survey of 5,025 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 28 to March 20, 2025

A bar chart showing the share of U.S. adults who say they agree that "President Trump is a dangerous dictator whose power should be limited before he destroys American democracy." Overall, 52% of Americans agree. By party, 87% of Democrats and 17% of Republicans agree. Along racial and ethnic lines, 67% of Black people agree, compared to 45% of white people.

All Americans

52%

Party

Democrats

87

Independents

56

Republicans

17

Race/ethnicity

Black

67

Latino

63

Asian American or
Pacific Islander

58

White

45

Data: PRRI; Chart: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

A majority of Americans say President Trump is a "dangerous dictator" who poses a threat to democracy and believe he's overstepped his authority by actions such as the mass firing of federal employees, a new survey says."

How to Avoid Ethical Red Flags in Your AI Projects; IEEE Spectrum, April 27, 2025

 FRANCESCA ROSSI , IEEE Spectrum; 

How to Avoid Ethical Red Flags in Your AI Projects 

IBM ethics expert Francesca Rossi shares her advice

"For AI solutions raising ethical red flags, we have an internal review process that may lead to modifications. Our assessment extends beyond the technology’s properties (fairness, explainability, privacy) to how it’s deployed. Deployment can either respect human dignity and agency or undermine it. We conduct risk assessments for each technology use case, recognizing that understanding risk requires knowledge of the context in which the technology will operate. This approach aligns with the European AI Act’s framework—it’s not that generative AI or machine learning is inherently risky, but certain scenarios may be high or low risk. High-risk use cases demand additional scrutiny.

In this rapidly evolving landscape, responsible AI engineering requires ongoing vigilance, adaptability, and a commitment to ethical principles that place human well-being at the center of technological innovation."

Moms for Liberty cofounder fails to nab nomination for seat on state's Commission on Ethics; Florida Today, April 29, 2025

 Finch Walker, Florida Today; Moms for Liberty cofounder fails to nab nomination for seat on state's Commission on Ethics

"For the second year in a row, the Florida Senate opted not to consider Moms for Liberty Co-founder Tina Descovich for the state's Commission on Ethics.

Tina Descovich, a former member of Brevard's school board, was appointed to the commission by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2024, then again in February 2025 after the Senate chose not to confirm her. In 2024, she was allowed to remain in her post. Because this marks the second time the Senate declined to consider her as a nominee, she can't be reappointed, and she'll be required to leave her post."

How Libraries Are Faring Under the Trump Administration Amid Detrimental Funding Cuts; Time, April 26, 2025

 Rebecca Schneid, Time; How Libraries Are Faring Under the Trump Administration Amid Detrimental Funding Cuts

"Cindy Hohl, president of the ALA, says that many of the 125,000 libraries in the nation utilize IMLS funding to support things like summer reading programs and translation services. Without the services of the IMLS, she says libraries are already facing “huge challenges”—and she has heard of short-term panic and “tough decisions” being made from librarians who are members of the ALA.

“The greatest impact to reduction in funding and services will be [felt by] the small and rural communities across this country,” Hohl says. “How can any legislators say that small and rural communities don't need access to the Internet, they don't need access to public computers, they don't need access to books and reading?”

IMLS was first created and funded by Congress in 1996 and charged with supporting the nation’s libraries and museums. The IMLS awarded $266 million in grants and research funding to cultural institutions last year. Hohl says the problem with the federal government kicking this funding of library services from the IMLS down to the states and local governments is that “we don’t have a comparable model” of the kinds of free services available to communities the way they are in libraries."

Scott Pelley hits out at his own network as ‘60 Minutes’ producer quits because of corporate oversight; Independent, April 28, 2025

Justin Baragona, Independent; Scott Pelley hits out at his own network as ‘60 Minutes’ producer quits because of corporate oversight

"Scott Pelley ended Sunday night’s broadcast of 60 Minutes by issuing an on-air rebuke of his corporate bosses following the stunning departure of the show’s executive producer Bill Owens, who quit last week because he felt he no longer had editorial independence.

“It was hard on him and hard on us,” the longtime correspondent said of Owens’ resignation. “But he did it for us and you.”

Pelley’s startling admonishment of CBS News’ parent company Paramount comes as the vaunted news magazine faces continued pressure from President Donald Trump, who is suing CBS for $20 billionover his claims that 60 Minutes engaged in “unlawful and illegal behavior” with its interview of former vice president Kamala Harris."

Emerging From a Collective Silence, Universities Organize to Fight Trump; The New York Times, April 27, 2025

 Stephanie Saul and Alan Blinder, The New York Times; Emerging From a Collective Silence, Universities Organize to Fight Trump

"The Trump administration’s swift initial rollout of orders seeking more control over universities left schools thunderstruck. Fearing retribution from a president known to retaliate against his enemies, most leaders in higher education responded in February with silence.

But after weeks of witnessing the administration freeze billions in federal funding, demand changes to policies and begin investigations, a broad coalition of university leaders publicly opposing those moves is taking root. The most visible evidence yet was a statement last week signed by more than 400 campus leaders opposing what they saw as the administration’s assault on academia.

Although organizations of colleges and administrators regularly conduct meetings on a wide range of issues, the statement by the American Association of Colleges and Universities was an unusual show of unity considering the wide cross-section of interests it included: Ivy League institutions and community colleges, public flagship schools and Jesuit universities, regional schools and historically Black colleges.

“We speak with one voice against the unprecedented government overreach and political interference now endangering American higher education,” the statement said."

Penn State adds artificial intelligence major, with a focus on ethics; WPSU, April 28, 2025

Abigail Chachoute, WPSU; Penn State adds artificial intelligence major, with a focus on ethics

"Starting this fall, Penn State students will be able to major in artificial intelligence, focusing on the development, application and ethical considerations of AI.

Vasant Honavar, a professor in the College of Information Sciences and Technology, said with the wider applications of AI across industries, it is important for students to understand the societal implications of the technology...

Another goal in the college is to make AI education available to students across majors. Last fall, Honavar taught the first introductory AI course to more than 30 students. The class did not have any prerequisite requirements as a general elective and was open to students across class standings.

Honavar said this class focused on giving students a broad view of how to apply AI as a tool in their lives and in different contexts.

“This is really about becoming an informed citizen, about AI in a world that they are going to be in,” Honavar said. “It is being transformed by it and everybody has to know something about it, all the way from someone that may be sitting in a position in a company making some decision about ethical use of AI within that organization to someone that is on the staff of a legislature or advising them about some regulation around AI.”"

Crumbl is sued for $24M over music copyright violations; Restaurant Business, April 28, 2025

 Jonathan Maze, Restaurant Business; Crumbl is sued for $24M over music copyright violations

"The music group is asking a court to award it as much as $150,000 for each work used without permission, or nearly $24 million...

Crumbl, which operates more than 1,000 locations and is looking for a buyer, has used social media aggressively since its emergence in 2017. Those videos have played a key role in the chain’s growth and ongoing popularity. The company has 9.8 million followers on TikTok and 6.1 million on Instagram...

Warner in its complaint also referred to Crumbl’s own history of pushing back against copyright infringement. It cited the company’s since-settled lawsuit against the cookie chain Dirty Dough, and Crumbl over the years has aggressively gone after upstart companies that it said mimicked its business."

A Road Map of Trump’s Lawless Presidency, According to 35 Legal Scholars; The New York Times, April 28, 2025

New York Times Opinion , The New York Times; A Road Map of Trump’s Lawless Presidency, According to 35 Legal Scholars

"Times Opinion recently reached out to dozens of legal scholars and asked them to identify the most significant unconstitutional or unlawful actions by Mr. Trump and his administration in the first 100 days of his second presidency and to assess the damage. We also asked them to separate actions that might draw legal challenges but are, in fact, within the powers of the president. And we asked them to connect the dots on where they thought Mr. Trump was heading.

We heard back from 35 scholars — a group full of diverse viewpoints and experiences, including liberals like U.C. Berkeley’s Erwin Chemerinsky and Harvard’s Jody Freeman; the conservatives Adrian Vermeule at Harvard and Michael McConnell, a former federal appeals court judge who directs Stanford’s Constitutional Law Center and is a member of the Federalist Society; and the libertarians Ilya Somin at George Mason University and Evan Bernick at Northern Illinois University. Many are among the nation’s most cited scholars by their colleagues in law review articles...

Due process dates back to Magna Carta; it is the essence of liberty. Without it, America is not a democracy as freedom itself is at the arbitrary whims of a malevolent ruler.
— Kim Wehle, professor, University of Baltimore School of Law...

Universities, law firms, public schools, et cetera, are being attacked because of their political views: their opposition to the president, their adoption of D.E.I. policies, their liberalism more generally. These moves flout the cardinal rule of the First Amendment, which is that the government can’t punish people because of their political speech. — Nicholas Stephanopoulos, professor, Harvard Law School

As Cardinals Prepare to Elect a Pope, One Motto Is ‘Unity.’ That’s Divisive.; The New York Times, April 27, 2025

  Jason Horowitz , The New York Times; As Cardinals Prepare to Elect a Pope, One Motto Is ‘Unity.’ That’s Divisive.

“It sounds really good,” said Cardinal Michael Czerny of Canada, who was one of Francis’ closest advisers, but “it means reversal.” For those who opposed Francis, many of them appointed by his predecessor, Benedict XVI, unity means a “new introversion” with the promise of “unity solving all our problems,” he said...

The two cardinals sit on opposing ends of the ideological divide. Those like Cardinal Czerny put priority on another word: diversity.

“They are the two key words, diversity and unity, and there is a lot in play on the balance between them,” said the Rev. Antonio Spadaro, under secretary for the Vatican’s office for Culture and Education, who was close to Francis."

I didn’t eat or sleep’: a Meta moderator on his breakdown after seeing beheadings and child abuse; The Guardian, April 27, 2025

Rachel Hall and Claire Wilmot, The Guardian; I didn’t eat or sleep’: a Meta moderator on his breakdown after seeing beheadings and child abuse

"When Solomon* strode into the gleaming Octagon tower in Accra, Ghana, for his first day as a Meta content moderator, he was bracing himself for difficult but fulfilling work, purging social media of harmful content.

But after just two weeks of training, the scale and depravity of what he was exposed to was far darker than he ever imagined."

Meta faces Ghana lawsuits over impact of extreme content on moderators; The Guardian, April 27, 2025

 Rachel Hall and Claire Wilmot, The Guardian; Meta faces Ghana lawsuits over impact of extreme content on moderators

"Meta is facing a second set of lawsuits in Africa over the psychological distress experienced by content moderators employed to take down disturbing social media content including depictions of murders, extreme violence and child sexual abuse.

Lawyers are gearing up for court action against a company contracted by Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, after meeting moderators at a facility in Ghana that is understood to employ about 150 people.

Moderators working for Majorel in Accra claim they have suffered from depression, anxiety, insomnia and substance abuse as a direct consequence of the work they do checking extreme content.

The allegedly gruelling conditions endured by workers in Ghana are revealed in a joint investigation by the Guardian and the Bureau of Investigative Journalism."

Tyrants like Trump always fall – and we can already predict how he will be dethroned; The Guardian, April 27, 2025

  Simon Tisdall , The Guardian; Tyrants like Trump always fall – and we can already predict how he will be dethroned

"Tyrants come to a sticky end, or so history suggests. Richard III and Coriolanus made bloody exits. More recently, Saddam Hussein went to the gallows, Slobodan Milosevic went to jail, Bashar al-Assad went into exile. Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi was run to ground in a sewer. Tyranny, from the Greek túrannos (“absolute ruler”), is typically fuelled by hubris and leads ineluctably to nemesis. Tyrants are for toppling. Their downfall is a saving grace...

This fight has moral and ethical aspects, too – and, given this is the US, prayer is a powerful weapon in the hands of those who would slay evil-doers. Of the seven deadly sins – vainglory or pride, greed or covetousness, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, sloth – Trump is comprehensively, mortally guilty. In Isaiah (13,11), the Lord gives fair warning: “I will put an end to the pride of the arrogant and humiliate the insolence of tyrants.” God knows, maybe he’ll listen. Miracles do happen.

Of all the tools in the tyrant-toppling toolbox, none are so potentially decisive as those supplied by Trump’s own stupidity. Most people understand how worthless a surrender monkey “peace deal” is that rewards Putin and betrays Ukraine. Does Trump seriously believe his support for mass murder in Gaza, threats to attack Iran and reckless bombing of Yemenwill end the Middle East conflict and win him a Nobel peace prize?

By almost every measure, Trump’s chaotic global tariff war is hurting American consumers, damaging businesses and reducing US influence. It’s a boon to China and an attack on longtime allies and trading partners such as Britain. Trump’s big tech boosters know this to be so, as do many Republicans. But they dare not speak truth to power.

And then there’s his greed – the blatant, shameless money-grubbing that has already brought accusations of insider trading, oligarchic kleptocracy, and myriad conflicts of interest unpoliced by the 17 government oversight watchdogs Trump capriciously fired. His relatives and businesses are again pursuing foreign sweetheart deals. Corruption on this scale cannot pass unchallenged indefinitely. Avarice alone may be Trump’s undoing.

All this points to one conclusion: as a tyrant, let alone as president, Trump is actually pretty useless – and as his failures, frustrations and fantasies multiply, he will grow ever more dangerously unstable. Trump’s biggest enemy is Trump. Those who would save the US and themselves – at home and abroad – must employ all democratic means to contain, deter, defang and depose him. But right now, the best, brightest hope is that, drowning in hubris, Trump will destroy himself."