Inside Anthropic’s existential negotiations with the Pentagon
Inside Anthropic's existential negotiations with the Pentagon Anthropic’s weekslong battle with the Department of Defense has played out over social media posts, admonishing public statements, and direct quotes from unnamed Pentagon officials to the news media. But the future of the $380 billion AI startup comes down to just three words: “any lawful use.” The […]
Georgia says Elon Musk’s America PAC violated election law
Georgia says Elon Musk's America PAC violated election law Of course, it’s the guy who constantly complains about voter fraud who may have committed voter fraud. | Image: The Verge For all his bluster about voter fraud, Elon Musk has been one of the most flagrant flaunters of US election law. Now his America PAC […]
Prop bet
Prop bet Pondering my orb. | Cath Virginia Substack has updated its partnership with betting platform Polymarket, “introducing native tools that make it easier to share, discuss, and debate prediction market data directly on Substack.” Additionally, Polymarket will effectively pay “a cohort of creators,” including Matt Yglesias, to use its data though the newsletter platform’s […]
It’s MAGA v Broligarch in the battle over prediction markets
It's MAGA v Broligarch in the battle over prediction markets The Polymarket website hosts trading on whether Houthi militias would strike Israeli territory arranged on a laptop computer in Forest Hills neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York, US, on Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026. | Bloomberg via Getty Images. Hello and welcome to Regulator, […]
EU investigates Shein’s ‘addictive design’ and illegal sex dolls
EU investigates Shein's 'addictive design' and illegal sex dolls The European Union has opened a formal investigation into Shein after French regulators found listings for “child-like sex dolls” on the retail platform last year. The investigation will assess whether the systems Shein is using to curb illegal product sales are compliant with the EU’s Digital […]
After spooking Hollywood, ByteDance will tweak safeguards on new AI model
After spooking Hollywood, ByteDance will tweak safeguards on new AI model Hollywood groups have spoken out against Seedance 2.0 since generated videos like fight scenes between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt went viral. | Image by Dave Benett / WireImage via Getty TikTok creator ByteDance says that it is working to improve safeguards on its […]
Can Democrats post their way to midterm victories?
Can Democrats post their way to midterm victories? US Vice President Kamala Harris during a Commander in Chief farewell ceremony at Joint Base Myers-Henderson Hall in Arlington, Virginia, US, on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. The Biden administration advanced a plan to limit oil drilling and infrastructure across more of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, a bid […]
El Paso airspace closure was reportedly triggered by the CBP’s use of an anti-drone laser
El Paso airspace closure was reportedly triggered by the CBP's use of an anti-drone laser The hours-long closure of El Paso airspace stemmed from the use of an anti-drone laser deployed by Customs and Border Protection, according to reports from The New York Times and the Associated Press. Sources tell The Times that CBP officials […]
Instagram and X have an impossible deepfake detection deadline
Instagram and X have an impossible deepfake detection deadline Just fix everything by next week, no pressure. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images The best methods we currently have for detecting and labelling deepfakes online are about to get a stress test. India announced mandates on Tuesday that require social media platforms […]
Live Nation’s monopoly trial is reportedly fracturing Trump’s Justice Department
Live Nation's monopoly trial is reportedly fracturing Trump's Justice Department Live Nation executives have reportedly sidestepped the Justice Department’s antitrust division to negotiate directly with more sympathetic senior officials in the hopes of avoiding a monopoly trial. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” Semafor reports that some talks have excluded antitrust chief Gail Slater, who […]