Behind the White House’s Potential Rethink on A.I.; The New York Times, May 5, 2026

 Andrew Ross Sorkin, Bernhard Warner, Sarah Kessler, Michael J. de la Merced, Niko Gallogly,Brian O’Keefe, Lauren Hirsch and Vivienne Walt, The New York Times ; Behind the White House’s Potential Rethink on A.I.

Artificial intelligence has become a national security concern. That has federal officials rethinking how lightly it should regulate the technology.

"Andrew here. Should there be the equivalent of the F.D.A. for artificial intelligence models? Should there be a government approval process before new models are released?

Those are some of the big questions as the White House weighs an executive order that could increase oversight of new A.I. tools. Will it need congressional approval? How much will the industry push back? More below.

The debate over new A.I. guardrails

For most of his second term, President Trump has embraced a laissez-faire approach to artificial intelligence. Let Silicon Valley do its thing, his administration reasoned, and it would maintain its lead over China and other rivals.

But a report by The Times about the White House potentially taking a heavier hand in overseeing A.I., including reviewing new models before they’re released, underscores how even the Trump administration has to reckon with how powerful these tools are becoming."

Intellectual Property and Brainpower Versus AI in Academic Publish; Academe Magazine, AAUP, Spring 2026

 Kelly Hand , Academe Magazine, AAUP; Intellectual Property and Brainpower Versus AI in Academic Publish

"The concept of transformation is central to US copyright law—which privileges “transformative” uses of copyrighted material in evaluating “fair use”—and emerging case law on AI. It’s worth thinking about what kind of transformation we value as human readers and writers and as beneficiaries of published academic research—particularly as we reckon with piracy in the training of LLMs and the unchecked growth of the AI industry. Considerations about how academic publications enable AI’s transformative processes extend beyond concerns about emotional authenticity important in creative writing to those about intellectual integrity and factual accuracy. 

Authors, editors, and publishers will need to make consequential IP decisions—including those about settlements in lawsuits over AI piracy, invitations to enter into licensing agreements with AI companies seeking to avoid future lawsuits, and editorial policies and guidelines to prevent the misuse of AI in academic research and writing. Some individuals and organizations, including scholarly publications and presses, will encounter opportunities to “cash in.” However, their relatively modest financial gains facilitate the disproportionate enrichment of AI companies that use copyrighted material for training LLMs. Even if that use is transformative in the strict legal sense, it fails to effect the kind of transformation that depends on the uniquely human capacities for thinking, feeling, and complex analysis. Academic journals and university presses must also protect IP—by upholding ethical standards and principles of copyright law—and commit to publishing human-authored works."

F.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe; The New York Times, May 5, 2026

 Christina Jewett , The New York Times; F.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe

"Officials at the Food and Drug Administration have blocked publication of several studies supporting the safety of widely used vaccines against Covid-19 and shingles in recent months, a spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed.

The studies, which cost millions of dollars in public funds, were conducted by scientists at the agency, who worked with data firms to analyze millions of patient records. They found serious side effects to be very rare.

In October, the scientists were directed to withdraw two Covid-19 vaccine studies that had been accepted for publication in medical journals. In February, top F.D.A. officials did not sign off on submitting abstracts about studies of Shingrix, a shingles vaccine, to a major drug safety conference.

The withdrawal of the studies is the latest step by the administration to try to limit access to vaccines. It has sharply cut research funding for vaccine development, released unvetted information casting doubt on vaccines, and blocked other information supporting their safety, most recently a paper on Covid vaccine effectiveness by career scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Complaint: ELSEVIER INC., CENGAGE LEARNING, INC., HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, INC., MACMILLAN PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC D/B/A MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS, MCGRAW HILL LLC, SCOTT TUROW, and S.C.R.I.B.E., INC., individually and on behalf of others similarly situated, Plaintiffs, v. META PLATFORMS, INC. and MARK ZUCKERBERG, Defendants.; May 5, 2026

 Complaint: ELSEVIER INC., CENGAGE LEARNING, INC., HACHETTE BOOK GROUP, INC., MACMILLAN PUBLISHING GROUP, LLC D/B/A MACMILLAN PUBLISHERS, MCGRAW HILL LLC, SCOTT TUROW, and S.C.R.I.B.E., INC., individually and on behalf of others similarly situated,

Plaintiffs,

v.

META PLATFORMS, INC. and MARK ZUCKERBERG,

Defendants.

Five Publishers and Scott Turow Sue Meta and Mark Zuckerberg; The New York Times, May 5, 2026

 Alexandra Alter , The New York Times; Five Publishers and Scott Turow Sue Meta and Mark Zuckerberg

The class-action lawsuit accuses the tech giant and its founder and chief executive of infringing on authors’ copyrights.

"Five major publishers — Hachette, Macmillan, McGraw Hill, Elsevier and Cengage — and the best-selling novelist Scott Turow have filed a class-action copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta and its founder and chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg.

The complaint, which was filed on Tuesday morning in United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, accuses Meta and Zuckerberg of illegally using millions of copyrighted works to train their artificial intelligence program Llama, and of removing copyright notices and other copyright management information from those works.

The lawsuit asserts that Meta’s engineers relied on pirated books and journal articles to train the program by downloading unlicensed copies through websites like Anna’s Archive, an open source search engine for piracy sites including LibGen and Sci-Hub. The suit also claims that “Zuckerberg himself personally authorized and actively encouraged the infringement.”"

Major publishers sued Meta for pirating millions of books to train its AI; Quartz, May 5, 2026

Cris Tolomia, Quartz; Major publishers sued Meta for pirating millions of books to train its AI

"Five major publishers and best-selling novelist Scott Turow filed a class-action copyright infringement lawsuit against Meta$META -1.49% and its CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, alleging the company pirated millions of books and journal articles to train its Llama artificial intelligence models."

House Democrat seeks answers from USPTO head on Board of Peace trademarks; Reuters, May 5, 2026

  Blake Brittain , Reuters; House Democrat seeks answers from USPTO head on Board of Peace trademarks

"The top Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee sent the head of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office a letter on Tuesday demanding more answers about ​his office's alleged role in concealing information about President Donald Trump's Board of Peace.

U.S. Representative ‌Jamie Raskin of Maryland sent 8 questions to director John Squires about the agency's unusual move to seek trademarks for the board's name and logo, pressing for details about the board's structure and funding."

Episcopalians send thousands of origami cranes to Olympia for detained immigrants; Episcopal News Service (ENS), April 30, 2026

Shireen Korkzan , Episcopal News Service (ENS); Episcopalians send thousands of origami cranes to Olympia for detained immigrants

"Episcopalians from the United States and France folded and donated more than 5,000 origami cranes to the Diocese of Olympia ahead of the church’s Asiamerica Ministries’ annual retreat for Episcopal clergy and lay leaders of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander – AANHPI – heritage.

The cranes were strung together and brought to a shrine in front of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s detention center in Tacoma, Washington, where the 70 retreat participants gathered to pray for peace and solidarity with detained migrants.

“Each crane sent to us was a prayer, and at the vigil we were all praying together with everyone who folded paper cranes,” the Rev. Jo Ann Lagman, The Episcopal Church’s missioner for Asiamerica Ministries and a Filipina American, told Episcopal News Service. “To me, it was quite healing.”

Lagman noted that some Quakers who are part of an ecumenical Bible study group with Episcopalians in Pensacola, Florida, also made and shipped origami cranes ahead of the April 15-17 pilgrimage and retreat.

The idea to make origami cranes came from Tsuru for Solidarity, a nonviolent, direct-action campaign project of Japanese American social justice advocates. They are working to end immigration detention sites and support immigrant communities by advocating for fair immigration policies and other means.

In Japanese culture, the crane, or “tsuru” in Japanese, symbolizes transformation, healing and nonviolence. Origami “tsurus” are called “orizurus,” and they are frequently used to honor Japanese American victims and survivors of concentration camps during World War II."

Canadian fiddler sues Google after AI Overview wrongly claimed he was a sex offender; The Guardian, May 4, 2026

Sian Cain , The Guardian; Canadian fiddler sues Google after AI Overview wrongly claimed he was a sex offender

"An acclaimed Canadian fiddle player has launched a $1.5m civil lawsuit against Google, alleging that the online giant defamed him by falsely identifying him as a sex offender in an AI-generated summary of his life and career.

Ashley MacIsaac, a three-time Juno award-winning musician, filed the claim in the Ontario superior court of justice, asserting that Google was liable for the “foreseeable republication” of its AI-generated Overview feature, which previously published defamatory claims that he had been convicted of multiple criminal offences, including the sexual assault of a woman, internet luring involving a child with the intention of sexual assaulting the child, and assault causing bodily harm.

Google’s AI Overview also wrongly stated that MacIsaac had been listed on the national sex offender registry for life, the lawsuit says."

CCAC’s push to sell off library books leaves empty shelves; Pittsburgh's Public Source, May 5, 2026

Jamese Platt, Pittsburgh's Public Source ; CCAC’s push to sell off library books leaves empty shelves

This year the Community College of Allegheny County culled around 30,000 books from its collection, and library staff claim they had little say. Experts say academic book weeding should be a careful, gradual process.

"The Community College of Allegheny County has culled 35,000 books from its library collection. Some library staff members said they never received a clear explanation for the large and fast-paced “book weeding” — a common process in libraries, but one usually done gradually, according to some library management professionals.

On March 10, CCAC’s website announced an upcoming book sale taking place for one week across the college’s main and branch campuses. Books, DVDs and CDs were available for $1, with proceeds supporting a textbook fund for CCAC students.

“New media, such as electronic media including databases, e-texts and streaming media are in higher demand now as sources of information in community college libraries,” wrote Stephen Wells, CCAC’s provost and chief academic officer, in response to questions from Pittsburgh’s Public Source. “We are shifting resources to provide the resources our students need...

Bryanna Biehl, a CCAC student studying microbiology, worked as a volunteer during the book sale. She said she feels conflicted about the current state of the library. While she found the book sale enjoyable and was glad to increase her book collection, empty shelves on the Boyce Campus in Monroeville upset her. 

“Seeing it after the sale, it’s kind of heartbreaking,” Biehl said. “I frequent the library a lot. I would like a physical space to read … That’s what you expect when you go to the library, but seeing all those empty shelves that used to be full of books, it sucks as a student, as a reader, really.”

According to Jenkins, what remains of the CCAC libraries is a skeleton of its former self. “We don’t really have a real collection,” he said. “The damage that has been done, you can’t heal that.”

Barack Obama on Speaking Out Against Trump and That Racist AI Ape Video: ‘I’d Never Talk About Somebody’s Family in That Way’; Variety, May 4, 2026

 Arushi Jacob, Variety; Barack Obama on Speaking Out Against Trump and That Racist AI Ape Video: ‘I’d Never Talk About Somebody’s Family in That Way’

"In a recent interview with the New Yorker, Barack Obama explained his reaction after an AI video was posted to Donald Trump‘s Truth Social account in February that depicted the former president and first lady, Michelle Obama, as apes."

Judge Slams Trump Administration for ‘Serious Breakdown’ in Legal Ethics; The New York Times, May 4, 2026

Mattathias Schwartz , The New York Times; Judge Slams Trump Administration for ‘Serious Breakdown’ in Legal Ethics

"A federal judge slammed the Department of Homeland Security on Monday for making “erroneous and dangerous” statements after the department publicly attacked her for siding with a man it deemed “a violent criminal illegal alien.”

Trump administration officials had not told Judge Melissa R. DuBose that the man she was about to release on bond, Bryan Rafael Gomez, was wanted for murder in the Dominican Republic. The judge, who was appointed by President Joseph R. Biden Jr., ordered the release of Mr. Gomez on April 28 after he filed a petition challenging the legality of his detention.

Two days later, the Department of Homeland Security posted a news release attacking her on the basis of the information that it had withheld.

In a hearing on Monday, Judge DuBose said the government’s decision to withhold information about the case amounted to “a serious breakdown in the ethical codes,” and that she would consider imposing sanctions on the Homeland Security Department for misconduct."

White House Considers Vetting A.I. Models Before They Are Released; The New York Times, May 4, 2026

 Tripp Mickle, Julian E. Barnes, Sheera Frenkel and Dustin Volz, The New York Times; White House Considers Vetting A.I. Models Before They Are Released

"President Trump, who promoted a hands-off approach to artificial intelligence and gave Silicon Valley free rein to roll out the technology, is considering the introduction of government oversight over new A.I. models, according to U.S. officials and people briefed on the deliberations.

The administration is discussing an executive order to create an A.I. working group that would bring together tech executives and government officials to examine potential oversight procedures, according to U.S. officials, who declined to be identified in order to discuss deliberations over sensitive policies. Among the potential plans is a formal government review process for new A.I. models.

In meetings last week, White House officials told executives from Anthropic, Google and OpenAI about some of those plans, people briefed on the conversations said. 

The working group is likely to consider a number of oversight approaches, officials said. But a review process could be similar to one being developed in Britain, which has assigned several government bodies to ensure that A.I. models meet certain safety standards, people in the tech industry and the administration said."

Yoko Ono trademark challenge leaves sour taste for John Lemon beer maker; The Guardian, May 2, 2026

 Kim Willsher, The Guardian ; Yoko Ono trademark challenge leaves sour taste for John Lemon beer maker

"However, last month Picard received a letter from Ono’s lawyers ordering him to immediately stop using the name or he would face a fine for each day he refused.

“At first, I thought it was a fake, some kind of scam,” Picard told the Guardian. “It was only when I went online to check the lawyers really did exist [that I] found that there had been other cases, I wasn’t the only one to have used that pun, and that people had been penalised.

“The lawyers’ letter warned if I didn’t stop selling the beer, I could be ordered to pay €100,000 immediately, and another €1,500 every day until I stopped. That was really scary.”

He added: “We had no idea the trademark John Lemon had been registered, and anyway, we didn’t even think to check.”

Picard said he was surprised Ono would bother with such small beer.

“We’re only a tiny outfit, with me running it and two employees. I explained to the lawyers that we don’t sell in supermarkets. We deliver our bottles ourselves to bars and crêperies in our local area and asked if they would give me time to sell the bottles that had were already labelled.”

After an exchange of letters, the brewery has been allowed to sell its remaining stock of 5,000 bottles of John Lemon beer before 1 July."

‘Living library’: inside the marine biobanks racing to protect ocean species from extinction; The Guardian, May 4, 2026

Stephanie Convery and Petra Stock, The Guardian; ‘Living library’: inside the marine biobanks racing to protect ocean species from extinction

"These fridges are part of what the university calls its “living library”: a biobank, or long-term storage for at-risk marine life forms. Biobanks act as insurance policies against species extinction, and as research hubs for scientists studying species genetics, growth and resilience in the age of environmental crisis."

A.I. Is a National Security Risk. We Aren’t Doing Nearly Enough.; The New York Times, May 4, 2026

Dean Ball and Ben Buchanan , The New York Times; A.I. Is a National Security Risk. We Aren’t Doing Nearly Enough.

"We come from different parties and have guided artificial intelligence policy under very different presidents. But we agree: A.I. has become so powerful that, along with its tremendous promise, the technology poses immediate risks to national security. The United States is competing with authoritarian powers for control of A.I.’s future. Yet the country lacks a strong plan to protect the nation from A.I.’s profound dangers.

There are clear steps the government can take that both parties can agree on. But Washington lacks urgency. Unless we change course, A.I. systems will overwhelm the capacity of a distracted and sclerotic U.S. government to manage their development. We believe the United States can avoid this policy failure by quickly embracing a strategic blueprint for A.I. that leaders across the political spectrum can support.

It’s not hype to say that A.I. is likely to be one of the most significant technologies in the history of our species. At the start of Joe Biden’s presidency, A.I. systems could barely put together coherent paragraphs. Today they score above expert humans on a wide variety of tests. We expect that A.I. systems will continue to get a lot better and help researchers to design still more-powerful A.I. systems, accelerating their progress."

A Note to Readers; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, May 4, 2026

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; A Note to Readers

[Kip Currier: As a long-time subscriber to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the note below arrived in my Inbox today: a new era for journalism in the Pittsburgh region and Western Pennsylvania.]

"The Venetoulis Institute for Local Journalism, which started The Baltimore Banner four years ago, takes ownership Monday of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to ensure that Western Pennsylvania maintains access to high-quality local journalism. We’re grateful to the Block family for its civic leadership over nearly a century and take seriously our obligation to serve the community with fairness and integrity.

As newcomers to Pittsburgh, we have been careful to fill the organization with top-notch journalists and business leaders from the old Post-Gazette. We'll rely on them to help us get to know this great city and region. We’ll also begin this spring hosting community listening sessions throughout the area to make sure we hear directly from you about what you need and want in your news organization.

Venetoulis was founded in response to the nationwide erosion of local news, with so many newspapers shutting down or being purchased by hedge funds with a single-minded focus on financial returns. We are driven, first and foremost, by a civic mission to bring trusted local reporting to communities that need it most. We’re also determined to create a successful model for local journalism that can be refined in Maryland and replicated here in Pittsburgh — and perhaps elsewhere in the coming years. Progress at The Banner suggests we are on the right path, with strong business growth, an expanding newsroom, and a Pulitzer Prize last year in local reporting.

Over time, you will notice some changes in the PG as we take vital steps to build an even more relevant, compelling, and sustainable news organization that, on its best days, will serve as something of a town square for this community. For example, as a nonprofit organization, Venetoulis does not endorse candidates or, as an institution, take positions on matters of policy. That means we will be ending the Opinion section, though we are committed to vigorously reporting on key issues so that you can be an informed citizen, and we will continue to have columnists. At the same time, being a nonprofit allows us to raise donations from the community, which has proven to be an important ingredient in Maryland for building a resilient news business. We’ll still be coming out twice weekly in print as well as delivering the daily e-edition. We’re committed, as ever, to local news, sports, and investigative work. And we’ll focus on upgrading the experience on the website and app to better appeal to the growing base of digital readers.

We are so excited to begin this journey — and we ask for your advice and honest feedback as we strive to make the new Post-Gazette best serve you and your neighbors. You can reach us at feedback@post-gazette.com."

Poll: The midterms' new big players are pushing agendas that voters don’t fully support; Politico, May 3, 2026

 ERIN DOHERTY,  JASPER GOODMAN, JESSICA PIPER,  DANIEL BARNES and BRENDAN BORDELON, Politico ; Poll: The midterms' new big players are pushing agendas that voters don’t fully support

"Deep-pocketed political groups tied to artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency are rapidly reshaping the midterm money landscape — but many Americans are uneasy with the industries behind the spending.

New results from The POLITICO Poll find broad public skepticism about crypto and AI, creating a possible conflict for candidates benefitting from an influx of contributions from the two industries. These groups are pouring millions of dollars into competitive 2026 races to elevate politicians who they believe will support their agendas in Washington.

Meanwhile, Americans have been slow to embrace either technology.

A 45 percent plurality of Americans say investing in cryptocurrency is not worth the risk, even if it can yield high returns, and a 44 percent plurality say AI is developing too quickly, according to the April survey conducted by independent firm Public First.

Nearly half of Americans say they trust a traditional bank with their money more than a cryptocurrency platform, while just 17 percent say the opposite. And two-thirds support lawmakers either imposing strict regulations or setting broad principles for the AI industry."

Planning a World Cup Watch Party at a Bar? The ‘FIFA Police’ Are Lurking; The New York Times, May 2, 2026

 Vjosa Isai, The New York Times; Planning a World Cup Watch Party at a Bar? The ‘FIFA Police’ Are Lurking

Some businesses advertising watch parties in Canada’s two host cities are wary of running afoul of FIFA’s trademark, which protects advertising “World Cup” events.

"Sports teams and athletic organizations, such as FIFA, the International Olympic Committee and others, are aggressive about protecting their intellectual property because their names, logos and brands are considered commercial assets."

Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is not ‘progress’ for everyone in Medora; North Dakota Monitor, April 30, 2026

JACK ZALESKI, North Dakota Monitor; Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is not ‘progress’ for everyone in Medora

[Kip Currier: This is a thought-provoking article about the Theodore Rosevelt Presidential Library that will open its doors in Medora, North Dakota on America's July 4th 250th anniversary. In the 1990's, on a driving trip from Pennsylvania to California by way of the Interstate 94 northerly route I had never traveled, I visited this area set amid the ruggedly beautiful Theodore Roosevelt National Park. After a day of sightseeing in the park, I also attended the charming outdoors-staged Medora Musical show, mentioned in the piece. I vividly recall seeing a pronghorn antelope calmly walking among the sagebrush not far from the open amphitheater at sunset's twilight as the actors sang and danced on the stage. Medora was a sleepy high plains town then that now appears both excited and nervous about the changes a presidential library are likely to bring for the community and surrounding area.

The author of this article makes an important point about the inherent tensions between "progress" and historical preservation, the ways of life that are changed when communities grow and adapt in ways that benefit some and harm or upset others. I recall visiting Moab, Utah, the doorway to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks in 1988 when it was a faded mining town, whose uranium employing-mine had closed in 1984, displacing 25% of the population. Locals in 1988 told me the town had been talking with some firms about how to raise the profile of the town and make it a premiere tourism destination. Some years later, I again visited Moab and was stunned to see how it had changed into a "mountain bike red rock-riding" community with a vibe and look like Aspen or Vail. Yes, progress had occurred. But what had also been lost when the off-the-beaten-path Moab of the 1980's that I had experienced became the well-trodded now-chic Moab of the 1990's? Who had been displaced? What history and voices had been paved over or silenced?

I can't help but think, too, that the debate about "progress" and "ways of life that are being lost or changed" in Medora, North Dakota has resonance for the debates and changes going on right now about AI's "promise and peril" impacts on our communities and world. Yes, there's a sense of excitement about AI by some. But there's also a palpable atmosphere of concern, uncertainty, and even anger among others about these new technologies. And the data captures this polarized AI mood in the U.S., as borne out by Pew Research Center findings.

• Who will benefit from AI?
• Who won't?
• What will be gained from AI and what will be lost?
• Whose voices are we not listening to -- or perhaps even acknowledging -- and need to hear? 
• In what ways will AI "progress" impact both the economic and geographic environments, as in the Medora, North Dakota region?
• What AI structures and safeguards do we need to put into place to provide more balance of stakeholder interests?
• How will AI impact our minds, souls, and physical well-being, in positive and negative ways?

In the vein of this opinion piece about the T.R. Presidential Library, AI is not going to bring "progress" for everyone. So what are we going to do -- or not do -- about that as individuals and societies?

The largest chapter in my Ethics, Information, and Technology book (2025), published by Bloomsbury, is the AI chapter. The book examines a number of thorny AI case studies (e.g. AI used for mental health treatment purposes as well as AI-leveraged data employed by gambling companies), tackles "hot AI ethics topics" like AI and copyright law and the roles of AI and robotics for military purposes, and presents many questions for further consideration and discussion. It also identifies a range of stakeholder perspectives and approaches to these new "disruptive technologies".]

[Excerpt]

"The cheerleading for the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library at Medora, N.D., has overwhelmed the muted, but passionate concerns and objections among long-time Badlands residents. Few want to be seen as being against the library and the progress it promises for North Dakota’s premier tourist destination, but their definition of “progress” is not the same as the project’s well-funded advocates. A recent column in a local weekly newspaper reveals the depth of their sense of loss...

That being said, an April 9 column in the Golden Valley News of Beach, N.D., revealed a sense of sadness and loss that has not been sufficiently acknowledged in the hoopla since the library was proposed. Carol Tescher Obrigewitch is no stranger to Medora. She is a member of a ranching and rodeo clan with deep roots in the Badlands. 

The name Tescher is synonymous with the ranching heritage of Little Missouri River country. Her weekly “Merrily Along” is a delightful mix of family, history, and astute and informed observations. So when her column headlined “Progress?” was published, she was writing from the heart about the changes wrought by the library. She’s not happy, and her unhappiness is shared by a lot of long-time Medora citizens who choose not to speak out.

Also, it has not gone unnoticed that of the 18 listed members of the Library Foundation Board of Trustees, only four have roots or residences in North Dakota and only one of the four lives in western North Dakota. 

Here are representative excerpts from Tescher Obrigewitch’s column:

“Medora is definitely not historic anymore. The powers that be have totally removed or rebuilt anything that was historic…

…“In this little town, they have installed roundabouts and made major changes to streets and walkways. They have built hotels, torn down historic places that were there before TR ever thought about coming west…

“…I had to go by the old Custer Trail Ranch, which they tore down. I just closed my eyes. It hurt my heart.

“I believe in preserving history so future generations understand how people once lived.

“…but this ‘progress’ thing has gotten out of hand.”

The columnist’s candor and hurt won’t stop or alter the character of the mega-change under way in Medora. That horse is out of the barn, and (as she says) the “powers that be,” local and otherwise, are too deeply invested to rein it in."

Majority say ethics, honesty in government have declined under Trump: Pew; The Hill, May 2, 2026

SOPHIE BRAMS  , The Hill; Majority say ethics, honesty in government have declined under Trump: Pew

"More than half of Americans say the level of ethics and honesty in the federal government has declined since the start of President Trump’s second term, according to a new study from the Pew Research Center.

The survey, released on Friday, found that 56 percent of U.S. adults believe the overall level of ethics and honesty has fallen since January 2025. Another 24 percent said it has stayed the same while 19 percent said it has risen."

Huntington Beach ordered to pay $1 million in lawyer fees in library censorship lawsuit; The Orange County Register, April 30, 2026

CLAIRE WANG , The Orange County Register; Huntington Beach ordered to pay $1 million in lawyer fees in library censorship lawsuit

"Huntington Beach must foot roughly $1 million in legal bills for restricting minors’ access to certain books at the city’s library, an Orange County judge ordered this week.

In a tentative ruling Monday, April 27, Orange County Judge Lindsey Martinez said the city needs to pay $960,000 to attorneys from four legal organizations, who billed more than 1,300 hours of work on the high-profile lawsuit against the city’s book restriction policy."

Netflix Prevails in ‘Tiger King’ Copyright Case, a Win for ‘Fair Use’ in Documentaries; Variety, April 30, 2026

  Gene Maddaus, Variety; Netflix Prevails in ‘Tiger King’ Copyright Case, a Win for ‘Fair Use’ in Documentaries

"Documentary filmmakers who use unlicensed video clips can breathe a little easier, after an appellate panel reversed itself Thursday in a closely watched copyright case involving Netflix‘s “Tiger King” series.

A three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the filmmakers’ use of a 66-second clip from a character’s funeral was sufficiently transformative to qualify for “fair use” protection."

Clear Waters, Murky Morals: When Humans Swim With Killer Whales; The New York Times, April 29, 2026

Alexa Robles-Gil

Photographs by Meghan Dhaliwal,

The New York Times ; Clear Waters, Murky Morals: When Humans Swim With Killer Whales

"Growing crowds, fueled by social media and a generation that first encountered orcas in captivity or onscreen, are descending on two otherwise quiet coastal towns, bringing money and friction in equal measure. Researchers still cannot say what sustained human contact does to wild orcas. In neither country has that slowed the industry."