Florida biologist fired over Charlie Kirk post wins $485,000 settlement; The Guardian, May 22, 2026

Associated via The Guardian; Florida biologist fired over Charlie Kirk post wins $485,000 settlement

Biologist was fired by a state agency for criticizing Charlie Kirk on social media after his shooting death

"Florida officials have agreed to pay nearly half a million dollars to a biologist who was fired by a state agency for criticizing conservative political activist Charlie Kirk on social media after his shooting death.

The state’s fish and wildlife conservation commission (FWC) fired biologist Brittney Brown in September after she reposted a meme on her personal Instagram account that claimed Kirk wouldn’t care about children being shot in their classrooms. She filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement, saying she struggled to find other work because the state agency is the regulatory body for her research specialization in bird conservation.

Brown on Thursday signed a $485,000 settlement agreement with agency directors that covers backpay, damages and attorney costs. She agreed as part of the deal to not seek future employment at the agency...

Kirk’s supporters combed social media after the killing for posts they viewed as celebrating his death. Influencers like Laura Loomer pledged to ruin the careers of people who made light of the killing, and the conservative social media account Libs of TikTok shared the identities and workplaces of many who posted with its audience of millions...

In a rare instance in Tennessee, a retired police officer was jailed for 37 days over a Facebook post joking about Kirk’s assassination. Tennessee officials agreed on Wednesday to pay $835,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the man, Larry Bushart. While behind bars, Bushart lost his postretirement job and missed the birth of his granddaughter before authorities eventually dropped a felony charge against him, he said in the lawsuit."

Trump posts AI video depicting him throwing Colbert in a dumpster and dancing; The Hill, May 22, 2026

RYAN MANCINI , The Hill; Trump posts AI video depicting him throwing Colbert in a dumpster and dancing

"President Trump late Friday shared an AI-generated video depicting him throwing former late night host Stephen Colbert into a dumpster and subsequently dancing — the latest instance of the president using artificial intelligence to mock his enemies.

The video, posted to Truth Social, shows Colbert onstage for the taping of the last episode of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” before Trump walks up behind him, grabs him by his shoulders and tosses him into a dumpster. Trump closes the lid to the dumpster and starts dancing to the Village People’s “YMCA.”"

It’s a Copyright Lawsuit, Charlie Brown; The New York Times, May 21, 2026

 Aimee Ortiz, The New York Times; It’s a Copyright Lawsuit, Charlie Brown

"The owner of music used in “Peanuts” animated specials, including the memorable holiday classic “O Tannenbaum” and the unmistakable “Linus and Lucy” tunes, sued three companies and the U.S. Department of the Interior on Wednesday. It accused them of using its captivating bops in social media posts and a video game without permission.

Lee Mendelson Film Productions filed the copyright infringement suits in federal courts in New York and Washington, D.C. The songs are part of the programs that brought Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of the gang from Charles Schulz’s comic strips off the page and into families’ living rooms...

According to the lawsuit, the Interior Department used “O Tannenbaum” from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in a digital holiday card posted in December to social media without permission."

Class Of 2026 Faces A Hard Truth: AI Isn’t The Threat—Ignoring It Is; Forbes, May 20, 2026

 Tim Bajarin,, Forbes; Class Of 2026 Faces A Hard Truth: AI Isn’t The Threat—Ignoring It Is

"We moaned about the Internet when it first started, ridiculed the first smartphones and considered social media a passing fad. Yet all these technologies not only survived but thrived in a relatively short period after launch. The only commonality between them was that those who were quick to embrace the changes and learn to leverage their new capabilities came out on top – sometimes with dramatic results.

AI is no different in this respect. Only this time, the stakes are higher."

Canada Targets AI Copyright Rules While Weighing Social Media Age Restrictions — Web Summit; Deadline, May 12, 2026

 Stewart Clarke , Deadline; Canada Targets AI Copyright Rules While Weighing Social Media Age Restrictions — Web Summit

"The Canadian government is preparing new rules on how copyright holders should be compensated when their work is used by AI systems, as it also weighs age restrictions on social media and tighter regulation of AI chatbots.

Evan Solomon, Canada’s Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, was speaking at Web Summit Vancouver."

Why some schools are cutting back on the technology they spent billions on; The Washington Post, May 7, 2026

Lauren Lumpkin, The Washington Post ; Why some schools are cutting back on the technology they spent billions on

"The scrutiny comes amid a reckoning with the ubiquitous — and potentially dangerous — role of technology in children’s lives."

New Mexico proposes $3.7bn fine for Meta and sweeping changes to its social platforms; The Guardian, May 6, 2026

Katie McQue, The Guardian; New Mexico proposes $3.7bn fine for Meta and sweeping changes to its social platforms

"Meta has returned to court in the US this week for the second phase of a lawsuit brought by Raúl Torrez, New Mexico’s attorney general, following a March verdict that found the company liable for child safety failures and imposed a $375m fine. On Monday, the state petitioned for a legal sanction against the company, a monetary penalty 10 times the original amount, and a sweeping, drastic overhaul of Meta’s child safety protocols.

In the second part of the landmark case, known as the remedies phase, the state is asking for Meta to be declared a public nuisance and for the judge to order the company to pay $3.7bn in an abatement plan. The money would fund programs for law enforcement, mental health services and educators. The state is also requesting that the judge force a series of design changes to Meta’s platforms aimed at improving child safety, including universal age verification, de-encryption of children’s messages, a guardian account linked to every child’s account, and a child safety monitor tasked with holding Meta to account for five years.

The New Mexico department of justice argues that these changes would make Meta’s social networks safer for underage users in the state. Meta, however, says the proposed reforms are unfeasible and could ultimately force it to shutdown its platforms in the state altogether.

The second phase of the trial is expected to last three weeks. Before opening statements on 4 May, Judge ⁠Bryan Biedscheid, said he needed to remain cognizant of free speech protections when evaluating the state’s arguments for Meta to impose the design measures, which he said could amount to “overreach”."

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."

Analyzing Indictment of James Comey for "86 47" Post; reason, The Volokh Conspiracy, April 28, 2026

EUGENE VOLOKH, reason, The Volokh Conspiracy; Analyzing Indictment of James Comey for "86 47" Post

 "I think this prosecution is unjustified, and will get thrown out. Let me quickly analyze why."

‘Weak Case’: Fox’s Jonathan Turley Deeply Skeptical of Trump DOJ’s New Indictment of James Comey; Mediaite, April 28, 2026

Isaac Schorr, Mediaite; ‘Weak Case’: Fox’s Jonathan Turley Deeply Skeptical of Trump DOJ’s New Indictment of James Comey 

"Is showing a picture of shells that say ’86 47′ is that-, I mean, that could be could be taken as a threat, but does it amount to one to you?” followed up John Roberts.

“In my view, it would very likely be viewed as protected speech if it was the basis of a criminal indictment. That alone would have a hard time standing up in court,” answered Turley. “I’ve seen that reporting, and we’ll have to see how they would stick that landing in an indictment, but just showing a picture like that would be a very difficult foundation, a very unstable foundation for a prosecution, because right out of the gate will come a First Amendment challenge that the court, I think, would consider first and foremost.”"

Trump Administration Secures New Indictment Against Comey; The New York Times, April 28, 2026

Devlin Barrett and Tyler Pager , The New York Times; Trump Administration Secures New Indictment Against Comey

The new case stems from a social media post showing seashells on a North Carolina beach that the Trump administration characterized as a threat against the president.

"The Justice Department has secured a new indictment of James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, over a social media post, after an indictment effort spurred by President Trump last year ended in failure.

An indictment filed in North Carolina charges Mr. Comey with making a threat against the president, and transmitting a threat across state lines, according to court records.

The new case represents another twist in the department’s tortured efforts to satisfy the demands of Mr. Trump to pursue criminal charges against Mr. Comey, a longtime target of the president’s wrath. The first indictment against Mr. Comey was thrown out by a judge, and other prosecutorial efforts against Trump targets have faltered in the face of grand juries or judges."

AI's a suck up. Research shows how it flatters and suggests we're not to blame; NPR, April 23, 2026

Ari Daniel, NPR; AI's a suck up. Research shows how it flatters and suggests we're not to blame

"In a recent study published in the journal Science, Cheng and her colleagues report that AI models offer affirmations more often than people do, even for morally dubious or troubling scenarios. And they found that this sycophancy was something that people trusted and preferred in an AI — even as it made them less inclined to apologize or take responsibility for their behavior.

The findings, experts say, highlight how this common AI feature may keep people returning to the technology, despite the harm it causes them.

It's not unlike social media in that both "drive engagement by creating addictive, personalized feedback loops that learn exactly what makes you tick," says Ishtiaque Ahmed, a computer scientist at the University of Toronto who wasn't involved in the research."

Technology Leadership Includes a Duty to Care for our Most Vulnerable Populations; Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics, April 20, 2026

Ann Skeet , Santa Clara University Markkula Center for Applied Ethics; Technology Leadership Includes a Duty to Care for our Most Vulnerable Populations

"Notably, what Meta did not say after the verdict was that it was sorry for the harms children experienced."

A Stunning New Verdict Rewrites the Rules of Corporate Morality; The New York Times, April 17, 2026

M. GESSEN, The New York Times; A Stunning New Verdict Rewrites the Rules of Corporate Morality 

"At the conference I met Rebecca Hamilton, a cheerful war-crimes lawyer who is now a law professor at American University in Washington. Corporate complicity is her area of study. In a 2022 law review article titled “Platform-Enabled Crimes,” she wrote that Facebook (now Meta) could have acted to help prevent the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar in 2017 but that it had chosen not to. The decision not to act, Hamilton wrote, had been driven by both the profit motive and a lack of interest in local context. Now Hamilton is working on a book on corporate enablers of atrocity crime. “Securing profit isn’t some abstraction achieved in pristine boardrooms in capital cities,” she wrote in an email to me on Monday after the Lafarge verdict, which had made her, too, very happy. “It is a process that plays out in real locations, with real people, including those living through conflict.”"

Hundreds of Fake Pro-Trump Avatars Emerge on Social Media; The New York Times, April 17, 2026

 Tiffany Hsu, The New York Times ; Hundreds of Fake Pro-Trump Avatars Emerge on Social Media

"In the months leading up to the midterm elections, hundreds of accounts have emerged on social media featuring A.I.-generated pro-Trump influencers posting at a rapid pace about the “radical left” and “America First.” They tend to appear as ordinary — if very good-looking — men and women, gazing flirtatiously at the camera while pontificating about the war in Iran, abortion or Bad Bunny.

President Trump has reposted content from at least one of the accounts — a platinum blond avatar making unfounded claims about California’s governor.

The New York Times began tracking MAGA-boosting, A.I.-generated TikTok posts in January and discovered at least 304 accounts sharing the content, some of which have since disappeared. Researchers with the Governance and Responsible A.I. Lab at Purdue University, known as GRAIL, found another dozen accounts across TikTok, Instagram and Facebook. Eric Nelson, a special investigations analyst from Alethea, a digital threat mitigation company, identified another nine accounts on YouTube."

NANCY SINATRA SLAMS TRUMP FOR SHARING FRANK SINATRA ‘MY WAY’ VIDEO: ‘SACRILEGE’; Rolling Stone, April 20, 2026

 EMILY ZEMLER , Rolling Stone; NANCY SINATRA SLAMS TRUMP FOR SHARING FRANK SINATRA ‘MY WAY’ VIDEO: ‘SACRILEGE’

"Nancy Sinatra criticized Donald Trump for posting a video of her father Frank Sinatra performing his 1969 song “My Way” on Truth Social over the weekend. 

On Saturday, the president inexplicably posted a clip of Sinatra singing the iconic tune at Madison Square Garden in 1974. One of Sinatra’s fans brought it to her attention on X, writing, “Omg, @NancySinatra will not be happy about this. Trump goes against everything that Frank stood for. He was a big champion for equality and supported the Civil Rights movement.” 

Sinatra responded, “This is a sacrilege.” After another fan asked if there was anything she could do to prevent Trump posting the song she replied, “Unfortunately no. The only people who can do something are the publishers.”

Pope Leo responds to Trump: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’; OSV News, America, The Jesuit Review, April 13, 2026

Courtney Mares, OSV News, America, The Jesuit Review; Pope Leo responds to Trump: ‘Blessed are the peacemakers’

"Pope Leo XIV said April 13 he has “no fear” of President Donald Trump’s administration and responded to Trump’s criticism by telling journalists that his message to the U.S. president is “the message of the Gospel: Blessed are the peacemakers.”

Speaking aboard the papal plane, a chartered ITA Airways flight, en route from Rome to Algiers, the pope said that he had seen Trump’s recent social media post lashing out at him the night before the papal trip.

“I have no fear neither of the Trump administration nor speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do,” the pope said during the flight in a video recorded by OSV News.

The pope spoke in response to Trump’s comments April 12 calling the pope “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy,” as tensions escalate in the Middle East."

[Video] Library's teen advisory board creates "Community Closet" to help those in need; CBS News, April 10, 2026

[Video] CBS News; Library's teen advisory board creates "Community Closet" to help those in need

"The South Park Township Library has a new program that helps provide necessary items for the community at large to use free of charge. But it's the group behind it that makes it such a special project. Josh Taylor reports on this week's On A Positive Note."

Pittsburgh-area library's teen advisory board creates "Community Closet" to help those in need; CBS News, April 10, 2026

Josh Taylor , CBS News; Pittsburgh-area library's teen advisory board creates "Community Closet" to help those in need

"The South Park Township Library has a new program that helps provide necessary items for the community to use free of charge. But it's the group behind it that makes it such a special project.

The library's Teen Advisory Board created the "Community Closet," a cabinet within the library that provides hygiene items, feminine products and even toilet paper or lens cleaners for anyone in need. 

"The teens saw a need in the community and wanted to support people in a way that felt meaningful," said Madeline Canales, a teen librarian. "It's been incredible to watch them take ownership and lead with compassion."...

The project caught the attention of the Allegheny County Library Association, which then led to an 80-second video that was posted on social media.

"It makes me feel like I'm making a difference and doing something helpful, which is very reaffirming that I'm actually doing something that's good for my community," said Owen Stockey, an eighth grader who is also a member of the board. 

"They really drive this project," said Canales. "They're the ones identifying the needs, helping to make sure that it stays stocked, and they wanted the cabinet to be welcoming and stigma-free.""

Massachusetts lawmakers looking to usher in ‘most restrictive’ social media ban in the country; Independent, April 7, 2026

Jasmine Fernández , Independent ; Massachusetts lawmakers looking to usher in ‘most restrictive’ social media ban in the country

"The Massachusetts House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill that would implement some of the United States’ strictest regulations on social media access for minors and prohibit the use of mobile phones in schools."