Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Announces It Will Cease Operations; The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 7, 2026

 Mark Walker, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Announces It Will Cease Operations

[Kip Currier: As someone who loves and depends on the vital access to information that newspapers singularly provide, my heart sunk when I saw this breaking news New York Times story about the Block family's decision to shutter The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, as of May 3, 2026. It's a shocking and yet not surprising development, given the appalling manner in which the Block family has managed this storied newspaper for more than a decade:

• Read about the Block family's firing of celebrated cartoonist Rob Rogers in 2018 for his depictions of Donald Trump.
• Read about the Block family's tirades against newspaper staff in 2019.
• Read about an appellate court ruling against the Block family on labor union grounds in a November 2025 decision.

The most unfortunate victims of the Block family's actions are the newspaper staff, the residents of the Greater Pittsburgh area, and all those who are interested in news involving this region.]

[Excerpt]

"The family-owned company that operates The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said on Wednesday that the newspaper would cease publication on Sunday, May 3, signaling the end of a newspaper whose origins date to 1786.

The company, Block Communications Inc., said it had lost more than $350 million over the past 20 years while publishing the newspaper. In a statement, it said the financial pressures facing local journalism had made “continued cash losses at this scale no longer sustainable.”

The company cited recent court decisions that would require The Post-Gazette to operate under the terms of a 2014 labor contract, which it described as imposing “outdated and inflexible operational practices.” 

The Post-Gazette’s closure will not affect The Toledo Blade in Ohio, which is also owned by Block Communications. The company is based in Toledo.

The Post-Gazette’s closure will not affect The Toledo Blade in Ohio, which is also owned by Block Communications. The company is based in Toledo.

In a statement, the Block family said it regretted how the loss of the newspaper would affect the communities it has served. The family said it was “proud of the service The Post-Gazette has provided to Pittsburgh for nearly a century.”"

Nancy Drew Cracks the Case of Copyright After 95 years, the earliest adventures in the mystery book series are now free for public use.; Wall Street Journal, January 7, 2026

 Brenda Cronin, Wall Street Journal; Nancy Drew Cracks the Case of Copyright After 95 years, the earliest adventures in the mystery book series are now free for public use. 

"Nancy Drew has survived some scary situations. But the slender, attractive sleuth has just entered the most hair-raising of all: the public domain.

On New Year’s Day, 95 years of copyright protection under U.S. law expired on the first four books in Carolyn Keene’s mystery series about the fictional detective."

DOI cracks down on stickers covering Trump's face on national park passes; SF Gate, January 5, 2026

Sam Hill, SF Gate; DOI cracks down on stickers covering Trump's face on national park passes

[Kip Currier: It's still hard to believe this news story is real -- the Department of the Interior is voiding people's U.S. National Parks passes if Donald Trump's face (yes -- his face is on the entrance passes!) is covered up by anything -- and not from The Onion.]

[Excerpt]

"Covering up Donald Trump’s face on an America the Beautiful pass may come with an extra cost at national park entrance gates this year.

The Department of the Interior recently updated its “Void if Altered” rules for 2026, explicitly flagging stickers and other coverings as alterations that could invalidate the pass. The move appears to respond to visitors preparing to cover the image of Trump, which was set to begin appearing on passes Jan. 1 despite legal challenges.

An internal email from department business specialists Allison Christofis and Jeff Beauchamp to regional National Park Service staff shared updated guidelines for passes this year, highlighting changes to the department’s altered pass policy. The email was provided to SFGATE by a Park Service employee who requested anonymity to protect their job, which was granted in accordance with Hearst’s ethics policy."

Defendant Tattoo Artist Prevails in Miles Davis Tattoo Suit; Lexology, January 5, 2026

 Michael Best & Friedrich LLP , Lexology; Defendant Tattoo Artist Prevails in Miles Davis Tattoo Suit

"In the case, Sedlik v. Von Drachenberg, 9th Cir., No. 24‑3367 (Jan. 2, 2026), the Ninth Circuit affirmed a jury verdict in favor of celebrity tattoo artist Katherine “Kat Von D” Von Drachenberg in a closely watched copyright dispute brought by photographer Jeffrey Sedlik over a tattoo based on Sedlik’s well-known portrait of Miles Davis. A link to the images of the photo and the tattoo can be seen here (Kat Von D defends use of Miles Davis photo for friend's tattoo | Courthouse News Service). The panel left intact the jury’s finding of no infringement on the ground that the tattoo and photograph were not “substantially similar,” and emphasized that it would not substitute its view for the jury’s on this fact-intensive question."

Five Years On, Trump Keeps Pushing Jan. 6 Conspiracies; The New York Times, January 6, 2026

Luke Broadwater and Dylan Freedman , The New York Times; Five Years On, Trump Keeps Pushing Jan. 6 Conspiracies

"Over the past year, President Trump has engaged in a steady campaign to rewrite the history of Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, when his supporters, believing lies of a rigged election, smashed windows and doors and assaulted law enforcement officers.

His revisionist history is taking on new significance ahead of this year’s midterm elections — and could carry more weight if Republicans lose control of Congress, which the president has said he believes may happen.

On Tuesday, the five-year anniversary of the Jan. 6 attack, Mr. Trump was again seeding doubt about the integrity of American elections. “Our elections are crooked as hell,” Mr. Trump told congressional Republicans.

Offering a glimpse into his concerns about an election loss in the midterms, Mr. Trump said Republicans needed to retain control of the House because he expected to face a third impeachment trial if Democrats won. He said he would not call for this year’s election to be canceled because critics would accuse him of being a dictator."

Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioters Rally and Demand More from Trump; The New York Times, January 6, 2026

Karoun Demirjian , The New York Times; Pardoned Jan. 6 Rioters Rally and Demand More from Trump

[Kip Currier: Contrast these remorseless January 6 pardoned insurrectionists with Pamela Hemphill, who turned down a pardon offer from Trump and on 1/6/26 apologized to the Capitol Hill police for her part in furthering Trump and MAGA's conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.]

[Excerpt]

"Five years after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, several dozen rioters, including many who were jailed and later pardoned, gathered in Washington to retrace their steps and vow to keep fighting for payback, even against the Trump administration.

The “J6ers,” as they refer to themselves, have been emboldened by President Trump, who pardoned or commuted the sentences of nearly 1,600 people who planned or participated in storming the Capitol to protest the results of the 2020 election. During Tuesday's anniversary march, they praised Mr. Trump for setting them free, but were critical of his administration for not doing more for them.

“Retribution is what we seek,” said Enrique Tarrio, a far-right activist and leader of the Proud Boys, one of the organizers of the Jan. 6, 2021, demonstration and Tuesday’s anniversary event. “Without accountability, there is no justice.”

“I am loyal to Donald Trump, but my loyalty doesn’t extend to his administration,” said Barry Ramey, who was convicted of assaulting a police officer during the Capitol riot, an act he says he regrets. He listed Attorney General Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, the F.B.I. director, among Trump administration officials who “could be doing a better job.”"

January 6th Participant Who Refused Pardon: "I am guilty, and I own that guilt."; C-SPAN, January 6, 2026

C-SPAN ; January 6th Participant Who Refused Pardon: "I am guilty, and I own that guilt."

"January 6th participant Pamela Hemphill, who refused President Trump's pardon: "Once I got away from the MAGA cult and started educating myself about January the 6th, I knew what I did was wrong...I am guilty, and I own that guilt...I had fallen for the president’s lies."

White House Posts False Jan. 6 Narrative on Riot’s 5th Anniversary; The New York Times, January 6, 2026

Luke Broadwater and Alan Feuer, The New York Times; White House Posts False Jan. 6 Narrative on Riot’s 5th Anniversary

"On the fifth anniversary of the pro-Trump mob attack on the Capitol, the Trump administration created a new page on the official White House website that represented the president’s most brazen bid yet to rewrite the history of the Jan. 6 riot with false claims aimed at absolving him of responsibility.

The site blames Capitol Police officers, who defended lawmakers that day, for starting the assault; Democrats, who were the rioters’ main targets, for failing to prevent it; and former Vice President Mike Pence, who rejected falsehoods about the 2020 election, for allowing the results to be certified.

Mr. Trump has long sought to whitewash the violence and vandalism committed on Jan. 6, 2021, and reject responsibility for having instigated it. But the webpage, promoted on government social media accounts, put the official imprimatur of the White House on an astonishingly misleading account of the Capitol attack."

NASA says historic materials will be preserved as Goddard research library shuts down; WTOP, January 5, 2026

Mike Murillo, WTOP ; NASA says historic materials will be preserved as Goddard research library shuts down

[Kip Currier: Multiple concerns with even this statement by NASA head Jared Isaacman, responding to concerns about the preservation and accessibility of historic NASA archival records, data, and documents.

Who will be making the determinations as to what is and isn't preserved? Are there trained staff involved in this process, i.e. persons with expertise in archival practices, collection development, document/data retrieval, etc.?

Keeping these records and data doesn't have to be an either/or choice. Isaacman said "preserving history is important, but NASA’s focus remains on future missions, including sending astronauts farther into space and returning to the moon to stay." We can do both: "preserve history" and advance work on "future missions".

Who knows today what seemingly inconsequential data in a notebook, or sound on an audiocassette recording, or document from the early days of space exploration may be key to solving an engineering design challenge or shedding light on a scientific conundrum at some later time that we can't foresee now. Watch Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)! 😏]

[Excerpt]

"The library at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, home to thousands of books and documents chronicling America’s space history, is closing in the coming months, raising concerns that rare records could be lost.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said on X that every item will be reviewed before the closure as part of a facilities consolidation plan approved in 2022 under the Joe Biden administration.

“The physical library space at Goddard is closing as part of a long-planned facilities consolidation,” Isaacman said. He added that the goal is to digitize materials, transfer them to other libraries, or preserve them for historical purposes.

Isaacman pushed back on reports suggesting NASA might discard documents, calling that characterization misleading. Critics have warned that historic and technical records could disappear.

“At no point is NASA ‘tossing out’ important scientific or historical materials, and that framing has led to several other misleading headlines,” Isaacman wrote.

He said preserving history is important, but NASA’s focus remains on future missions, including sending astronauts farther into space and returning to the moon to stay. Researchers will continue to have access to the resources they need, he said."

Donald Trump poses a threat to civilization; The Guardian, January 6, 2025

 Robert Reich, The Guardian; Donald Trump poses a threat to civilization

"Trump’s domestic and foreign policies – ranging from his attempted coup against the United States five years ago, to his incursion into Venezuela last weekend, to his current threats against Cuba, Colombia, and Greenland – undermine domestic and international law. But that’s not all.

They threaten what we mean by civilization.

The moral purpose of civilized society is to prevent the stronger from attacking and exploiting the weaker. Otherwise, we’d be permanently immersed in a brutish war in which only the fittest and most powerful could survive.

This principle lies at the center of America’s founding documents – the Declaration of Independence, the constitution and the Bill of Rights. It’s also the core of the postwar international order championed by the United States, including the UN charter – emphasizing multilateralism, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law...

A direct line connects Trump’s attempted coup five years ago to his capture of Nicolás Maduro last weekend. Both were lawless. Both were premised on the hubris of omnipotence.

That same line connects to Trump’s current threats against Cuba, Colombia, and Greenland.

You see much the same in Putin’s war on Ukraine. In Xi’s threats against Taiwan. In global depredation and monopolization by big tech and big oil. In Russian, Chinese, and American oligarchs who have fused public power with their personal wealth.

But unfettered might does not make right. It makes for instability, upheaval, and war.

History shows that laws and norms designed to constrain the powerful also protect them. Without such constraints, their insatiable demands for more power and wealth eventually bring them down – along with their corporations, nations, or empires. And threaten world war.

Trump’s blatant lawlessness will haunt America and the world – and civilization – for years to come."

Ethics watchdog outlines allegations against Georgia Republican’s chief of staff; Politico, January 5, 2026

HAILEY FUCHS, Politico; Ethics watchdog outlines allegations against Georgia Republican’s chief of staff

"A nonpartisan Congressional watchdog is alleging that Brandon Phillips, who has served as Rep. Mike Collins’ chief of staff, hired a romantic interest as an office intern and illicitly used his office’s Congressional resources.

The report from the Office of Congressional Conduct, released Monday, also claims the intern “did not perform duties commensurate with her compensation.”

“Based on the foregoing information, the Board finds that there is substantial reason to believe that Mr. Phillips discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges by participating in the retention of an employee with whom Mr. Phillips had a personal relationship,” the report states...

The House Ethics Committee does not comment on ongoing investigations but said it is currently reviewing the allegations against both Collins and Phillips."

AI copyright battles enter pivotal year as US courts weigh fair use; Reuters, January 5, 2026

Blake Brittain , Reuters; AI copyright battles enter pivotal year as US courts weigh fair use

"The sprawling legal fight over tech companies' vast copying of copyrighted material to train their artificial intelligence systems could be entering a decisive phase in 2026.

After a string of fresh lawsuits and a landmark settlement in 2025, the new year promises to bring a wave of rulings that could define how U.S. copyright law applies to generative AI. At stake is whether companies like OpenAI, Google and Meta can rely on the legal doctrine of fair use to shield themselves from liability – or if they must reimburse copyright holders, which could cost billions."

Shaler alum 'Miss Ing' reaches folks far beyond library's walls; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 2, 2026

SHAYLAH BROWN, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Shaler alum 'Miss Ing' reaches folks far beyond library's walls

[Kip Currier: This is a story to share with others and be inspired by the "ripple effect" positive impacts that one person can have.

It's also a reminder of why libraries -- and the dedicated librarians and library staffpersons who humanize and empower these fundamental institutions -- are so vital to our communities and societies. AI cannot substitute for the meaningful connections that a public service-centered human being like Ingrid Kaltchthaler can make with individuals.]

[Excerpt]

"She considers days at the library both ministry and service, and balances that full-time job as a pastor at several churches with services throughout the week."

NASA’s Rocky History Of Library Closures; NASA Watch, January 3, 2026

Keith Cowing, NASA Watch; NASA’s Rocky History Of Library Closures

"Keith’s note: NASA has been closing its libraries for a long time. Budgetary and building issues are usually the prime reason. Usually, stuff gets moved around and put in storage for years until the storage costs mount and then a portion ends up in someone’s library – somewhere – and the rest gets shipped to some generic GSA warehouse – or thrown away. Now it is GSFC’s turn to go through this painful process – not only with their collection but also the NASA HQ library that was moved there when the HQ library was converted to a visitor center. They have assured NASA HQ that nothing valuable will be lost. NASA’s record in this regard is somewhat rocky. More below.

To be certain, a lot of the material is already online at places like The  NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) or the Internet Archive or university libraries. But a lot of the material is NASA-generated and niche-oriented such that only a few copies – sometimes one copy – exists. A lot of it goes back to NACA days.

I took this picture (above) at NASA Ames while their library was being removed. I am told that NASA HQ has been assured that nothing of value will be thrown out and that important things that have not been electronically stored will be. But the budget pressures are strong.

Some of you may recall the time when Dennis Wingo and I did a diving catch of all the 1960s Lunar Orbiter program image tapes that were in a remote warehouse and JPL wanted to get rid of them. We started the Lunar Orbiter Image Recovery Project (LOIRP). We drove the tapes up to NASA Ames in two large rental trucks and assembled a team of retirees and college kids to bring the data back (link to New York Times) from the past at resolutions simply impossible to achieve back in the day. And of course you recall the whole ‘lost Apollo 11 landing tapes’ thing.

So, as these libraries close, I hope everyone at GSFC please keeps their eyes open to assure that NASA is preserving this history and not throwing it out. And if they are not then let me know. Below are some earlier examples of controversial NASA library closures.

• Memo: The Army Is Closing A Library That NASA MSFC Paid For, (2019)
• GSFC Memo: NASA’s New Strategy: Close Its Reference Libraries (2011) related post
• NASA ARC Solicitation: Packing Dismantling, and Reconstruction of Main Technical Library, (2005) related post
• NASA ARC Internal Memo: Library Reshaping, (2005) related post
• NASA Ames Library “Downsizing” (2005) related post"

 Alyssa Aquino , Law.com; ‘Pirated’?: NY Defenders Face Copyright Suit for Allegedly ‘Copying’ Expert Report

"A researcher in their complaint alleged that the Federal Defenders of New York copied an expert report commissioned by other attorneys directly into court filings for their own case. “When you’re using something in litigation, you usually have a fair use defense, but that’s usually because you’re using it for something different than its original purpose,” said Stacey Lantagne, a law professor at Suffolk University. “But here, [the report] seems to have been created solely for litigation.”"

A top DoJ official trained Pam Bondi on ethics rules in the department. Then he was fired; The Guardian, January 3, 2026

Sam Levine, The Guardian; A top DoJ official trained Pam Bondi on ethics rules in the department. Then he was fired

"Joseph Tirrell was reaching the end of a vacation on 11 July, and watching TV at home. He checked his email on his phone and saw a message from his employer, the Department of Justice. He thought it was strange that he was receiving email from the government on his personal account. Inside was a message that he was being fired from his job as the top ethics official at the department.

The notice, signed by Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, did not give a reason for his firing. It also misspelled his first name, addressing it to “Jospeh W Tirrell”. Tirrell called his bosses at the department, who at first seemed as surprised as he did, before eventually confirming that he had in fact been terminated.

At the start of the year, Tirrell knew that he might attract scrutiny from the incoming administration because he had signed off on special counsel Jack Smith receiving pro-bono legal services from a private law firm as he prepared to leave the government, something Tirrell said was clearly allowed under the department’s ethics rules. As the department’s top ethics official, he was responsible for overseeing ethics compliance across the agency and training the department’s top officers in their obligations. But as months passed and Tirrell remained in his job, he thought he was safe.

Tirrell is one of scores of career federal employees this year who have been dismissed without reason. He is now suing the department over his firing."

Researchers dismayed as NASA's largest research library closes in Maryland; NBCWashington, January 2, 2026

Dominique Moody, NBCWashington ; Researchers dismayed as NASA's largest research library closes in Maryland

[Kip Currier: The Trump 2.0 closure of NASA's research library at at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland represents multiple policy failures:

The library's shuttering demonstrates a fundamental lack of understanding of the strategic access to information and data, archival preservation, and competitive intelligence capabilities that libraries and their staffs provide to researchers and scientists.

The closure also is an affront to the bedrock principle that cultural heritage institutions like libraries, archives, and museums offer historical continuity to societies by curating and stewarding information and memory over the course of centuries. Discarding accumulated knowledge like NASA's for short-term reasons squanders the collective heritage and treasure of this nation.]

[Excerpt]

"For the past 32 years, David Williams has curated former space mission data and spaceflight journals for NASA's Space Science Data Archive.

The large research library NASA has at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, was an incredibly important resource in that work. The library is a hub for thousands of books and scientific journals, many of them containing information that can't be found anywhere else.

"I was there all the time," Williams said. "It was just one of the main sources of information for me in order to make this database complete and to make this data useful for researchers."

That source is no longer available.

According to the Goddard Engineers, Scientists and Technicians' Association (GESTA)— a union representing hundreds of NASA employees — all in-person library services at the Goddard Space Flight Center were paused on Dec. 9 while staff completed a 60-day review of the collection.

The in-person services paused included checking out books from the library.

Around that same time, NASA management told GESTA that the library was set to close Friday, Jan. 2.

"I have a hard time imagining a research center of the high quality that Goddard is, or any center at NASA, how they will operate without a library, without a central collection," Williams said."

America’s toughest privacy protections have finally kicked in; The Washington Post, January 2, 2026

Shira Ovide, The Washington Post; America’s toughest privacy protections have finally kicked in

How to delete your data in one easy step — if, that is, you live in California.

"California just gave its 40 million residents a permanent delete button for a largely covert part of the personal data economy.

On New Year’s Day, a government website opened to let Californians demand more than 500 intermediaries called data brokers wipe their personal information from the data on sale and regularly repeat those deletions in the future.

This deletion power is available only to California residents, and data brokers don’t have to comply until later this year. It’s still worth signing up for deletions now if you’re in California — and paying attention if you’re not.

So much of your personal information is amassed by so many companies that no individual can control the scope and the potential harm. Empowering yourself against rampant data surveillance requires savvy laws, regulation and enforcement that only governments can undertake.

Here is how Californians can use their new privacy protection powers, as well as some privacy measures the rest of us can take."

University of Rochester's incoming head librarian looks to adapt to AI; WXXI, January 2, 2026

Noelle E. C. Evans, WXXI; University of Rochester's incoming head librarian looks to adapt to AI

"A new head librarian at the University of Rochester is preparing to take on a growing challenge — adapting to generative artificial intelligence.

Tim McGeary takes on the position of university librarian and dean of libraries on March 1. He is currently associate librarian for digital strategies and technology at Duke University, where he’s witnessed AI challenges firsthand...

“(The university’s digital repository) was dealing with an unforeseen consequence of its own success: By making (university) research freely available to anyone, it had actually made it less accessible to everyone,” Jamie Washington wrote for the campus online news source, UDaily.

That balance between open access and protecting students, researchers and publishers from potential harms from AI is a space of major disruption, McGeary said.

"If they're doing this to us, we have open systems, what are they possibly doing to those partners we have in the publishing space?" McGeary asked. "We've already seen some of the larger AI companies have to be in court because they have acquired content in ways that are not legal.”

In the past 25 years, he said he’s seen how university libraries have evolved with changing technology; they've had to reinvent how they serve research and scholarship. So in a way, this is another iteration of those challenges, he said."

Documentary ‘The Librarians’ explores book bans and the fight for intellectual freedom; Mountain Times, December 31, 2025

Mountain Times; Documentary ‘The Librarians’ explores book bans and the fight for intellectual freedom

"Saturday, Jan. 3, and Sunday, Jan. 4, at 3 p.m.—WOODSTOCK—A timely documentary examining the rise of book bans and censorship across the United States will screen in Woodstock this weekend as part of the Woodstock Vermont Film Series. “The Librarians” will be shown at Billings Farm & Museum, with a special post-screening Q&A featuring producer Janique Robillard following Saturday’s screening.

“The Librarians” follows a group of librarians who find themselves on the front lines of a national battle over access to books and ideas. As efforts to remove books from schools and public libraries intensify in states such as Texas and Florida, librarians are emerging as unlikely defenders of democracy and the First Amendment. The film centers in part on the so-called “Krause List,” which targeted more than 850 book titles—many focused on race, identity, and LGBTQ stories—and helped fuel a wave of coordinated censorship efforts nationwide.

Through personal accounts and on-the-ground reporting, the documentary captures the mounting pressure librarians face, including harassment, threats, and legislation that criminalizes aspects of their work. As the debate escalates from local school board meetings to organized political movements at the state and national levels, “The Librarians” traces how access to information becomes a battleground over whose stories are allowed to be told.

By examining the broader consequences of restricting access to books, the film underscores how controlling ideas can shape communities—and why defending intellectual freedom remains a critical issue in contemporary civic life.

The screening is part of the Woodstock Vermont Film Series, which presents documentaries and narrative films that spark conversation and deepen connections to the wider world. Screenings take place on select Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. in the Billings Farm & Museum Visitor Center Theater through March 22. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $12 for Billings Farm & Museum members.

The series is curated and directed by filmmaker Jay Craven and produced by Billings Farm & Museum with support from community sponsors. 

For more information, visit: billingsfarm.org/filmseries."

NASA Reportedly Shutting Down Its Largest Library, Throwing Materials Away; Futurism, January 2, 2026

Victor Tangermann , Futurism; NASA Reportedly Shutting Down Its Largest Library, Throwing Materials Away

"This week, news emerged that the Trump administration is even shutting down the center’s library — NASA’s largest — and threatening to destroy an undetermined number of books, documents, and journals in the process.

As the New York Times reports, many of these invaluable artifacts haven’t been digitized or made available elsewhere. While a NASA spokesperson told the newspaper that the agency will review what to keep and what to throw away over the next 60 days, it’s a sobering glimpse at a federal agency in crisis.

After the NYT story ran, the agency’s freshly-minted administrator Jared Isaacman pushed back against its claims.

“The [NYT] story does not fully reflect the context NASA shared,” he wrote on X. “At no point is NASA ‘tossing out’ important scientific or historical materials, and that framing has led to several other misleading headlines.” 

That claim seems to contradict the NYT, which reported that a NASA spokesman named Jacob Richmond had told it that the agency would “review the library holdings over the next 60 days and some material would be stored in a government warehouse while the rest would be tossed away.”"

‘Twitter never left:’ X sues Operation Bluebird for trademark infringement; The Verge, December 16, 2025

 Emma Roth , The Verge; ‘Twitter never left:’ X sues Operation Bluebird for trademark infringement

"X Corp. is suing Operation Bluebird, a recently-announced startup that aims to reclaim the Twitter brand for a new social network. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday, the Elon Musk-owned company alleges Operation Bluebird is “brazenly attempting to steal” Twitter’s trademarks, claiming “Twitter never left and continues to be exclusively owned by X Corp.”

Last week, Operation Bluebird filed a petition asking the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to cancel X Corp.’s ownership of the “Twitter” and “Tweet” trademarks. It alleged X Corp. “legally abandoned its rights” to Twitter’s brand with “no intention to resume use.” At the same time, Operation Bluebird filed a trademark application for Twitter as part of plans to launch a new site, called Twitter.new."

Excerpt: When the Ethics of Animal Research Hit Home; Undark, January 2, 2026

MELANIE D.G. KAPLAN , Undark; Excerpt: When the Ethics of Animal Research Hit Home

"What if subjecting Hammy to a mildly uncomfortable blood draw somehow helped me? Or another dog? What if a procedure caused significant pain but promised to improve my parents’ lives? Or the lives of a dozen friends? A hundred strangers? What if a lethal operation on Hammy might — no guarantees — benefit a million people 10 years from now?

As I contemplated these hypothetical questions, my mama bear heart said “No!” even if inflicting pain on Hammy meant saving the planet. Intellectually, I had to acknowledge that this line of questioning was provocative, and contemplating the answers lit up my brain in a not unwelcome way. Ethicists grapple with these dilemmas all the time.

“Since animal experimentation began, the public has asked whether the practice is justifiable,” Lori Gruen, an animal studies scholar at Wesleyan University, writes in “Ethics and Animals: An Introduction.” She reasons that while some experiments have caused useless suffering and death to animals, others have yielded insights important in the development of drugs and therapies. But, she asks, “Is the fact that some benefits have emerged from animal experiments enough to justify doing them?”"

Trump Is the Jan. 6 President; The New York Times, December 31, 2025

 THE EDITORIAL BOARD, The New York Times; Trump Is the Jan. 6 President

"It was a day that should live in infamy. Instead, it was the day President Trump’s second term began to take shape.

Five years ago, on Jan. 6, 2021, a pro-Trump mob stormed the Capitol, hoping to overturn the result of the 2020 presidential election. After the sun set that day, Congress reconvened to certify Joe Biden’s victory. The rioters lost, and so did Mr. Trump, who had summoned them to Washington and urged them to march to the Capitol. The Trump era seemed to have ended in one of the most disgracefully anti-American acts in the nation’s history.

That day was indeed a turning point, but not the one it first seemed to be. It was a turning point toward a version of Mr. Trump who is even more lawless than the one who governed the country in his first term. It heralded a culture of political unaccountability, in which people who violently attacked Congress and beat police officers escaped without lasting consequence. The politicians and pundits who had egged on the attack with their lies escaped, as well. The aftermath of Jan. 6 made the Republican Party even more feckless, beholden to one man and willing to pervert reality to serve his interests. Once Mr. Trump won election again in 2024, despite his role in encouraging the riot and his many distortions about it, it emboldened him to govern in defiance of the Constitution, without regard for the truth and with malice toward those who stand up to his abuses.

Tragically, America is still living in a political era that began on Jan. 6, 2021. Recognizing as much is necessary to bring this era to an end before it has many more anniversaries."

Disney’s Next Public Domain Fiasco Will Be a Nightmare for Us All; ScreenRant, January 2, 2026

 Megan Peters, ScreenRant; Disney’s Next Public Domain Fiasco Will Be a Nightmare for Us All

"Now, 2026 is here, and it is ready to bring another fresh nightmare to us all as Goofy's best boy joins the public domain. 

Yes, that is right. Pluto is coming to public domain. The original version of Disney's favorite pup is going to the dogs, and that is hardly good news."

Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz is latest star to cancel Kennedy Center event over outrage at Trump takeover; Entertainment Weekly, January 2, 2025

Joey Nofli, Entertainment Weekly; Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz is latest star to cancel Kennedy Center event over outrage at Trump takeover

"Another artist has canceled a Kennedy Center appearance over outrage at President Donald Trump's takeover of the venue, with Wickedcomposer Stephen Schwartz backing out of a planned opera event.

As Trump continues to overhaul the Kennedy Center — a performing arts space and legally protected memorial constructed in honor of President John F. Kennedy — in his own name, Schwartz said Thursday in an email to Newsday that he'll no longer host the Washington National Opera Gala on May 16.

Schwartz told the outlet that the center "no longer represents the apolitical place for free artistic expression it was founded to be," with his statement coming after Trump's team erected text bearing his name next to Kennedy's on the exterior of the Washington, D.C., structure."