PM blames Alexander Lukashenko for not stopping ‘hybrid attacks’, which closed Vilnius airport four times last week

Archived version: archive.is/20251027154157/theg…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

Lithuania says it will shoot down smuggling balloons from Russia’s ally Belarus

^{Jon Henley (The Guardian)}

Mike Brock’s piece on Sequoia Capital last week laid out a pretty damning case study: a well-respected COO complains about a partner’s Islamophobic posts, senior leadership invokes “institutional neutrality” and declines to act, she resigns, he stays because he made them billions on SpaceX. Brock correctly calls this out as a choice, not neutrality—a calculation about whose value to the firm matters more.

The thing that struck me about Brock’s piece is that it highlights how there’s a broader pattern here: institutional cowardice from organizations that spout high-minded ideals as a shield to explain their refusal to make a clear decision, while ignoring that doing so is a very real choice with very real consequences.

That’s worth highlighting, because we keep seeing it play out in nearly identical ways. Whether it’s a venture capital firm or a social media platform, the playbook is the same: invoke “neutrality” or “free speech” as a shield, refuse to take a clear stance on bigoted behavior, and then act shocked when the people being targeted decide they don’t want to stick around.

This is the Nazi bar problem, and it keeps happening because people in positions of power either don’t understand it or don’t want to.

We head off into an excursion about paid blogging platforms ...

Sequoia took the cowardly way out. It made a choice, but it wouldn’t own it, just like Substack refuses to own its pro-Nazi position. It pretends it doesn’t by saying “we’re staying neutral.” But their version of “staying neutral” and “supporting free speech” is really “bigotry and hatred are welcome” and then, what follows naturally is “the targets of bigotry and hatred must leave.”

And it’s the exact same choice Substack made. When [CEO Chris] Best refused to answer Nilay’s questions, he was saying: we value the revenue from writers who publish bigoted content more than we value the writers and readers who don’t want to be associated with that content.

Just as Balbale felt the need to leave Sequoia, a ton of Substack’s top writers left that platform. Joe Posnanski, Casey Newton, Marisa Kabas, Ryan Broderick, Molly White, Ken White, Audrey Watters, Mark DeLong, and many others have left Substack, with many of them pointing out that Substack’s stance on Nazis makes them feel unwelcome (for what it’s worth, many are also noting they make more money on other platforms).

Hmm. More money, fewer Nazis seems a decent tradeoff.

How “Neutrality” And “Free Speech” Become Excuses For Driving Out The People You Claim To Value

Mike Brock’s piece on Sequoia Capital last week laid out a pretty damning case study: a well-respected COO complains about a partner’s Islamophobic posts, senior leadership invokes R…

^Techdirt

Rinse, repeat.

Tesla rehashing old threats to get shareholders to approve Musk’s $1 trillion pay day

Tesla’s board is urging shareholders to approve Elon Musk’s $1 trillion pay package or risk him leaving the company.

^{Andrew J. Hawkins (The Verge)}

Several international airlines continue to suspend flights to Israel, even after the declaration of a ceasefire, according to reports from Israel’s Channel 12.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20251027-foreign-airlines-continue-to-suspend-flights-to-israel-despite-ceasefire/

Staff shortages have increased four times over October 2024 as a federal government shutdown nears its one-month anniversary

FAA staffing shortages slam 50 airports over the weekend as air traffic controllers are set to miss first full paycheck

^{John Bowden (The Independent)}

UN peacekeeping force shoot down Israel drone in rare retaliation, as French foreign ministry slams Israeli operations in Lebanon

Archived version: archive.is/newest/thecanary.co…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

UN peacekeepers shoot down Israeli drone on Lebanese border - Canary

^{Joe Glenton (The Canary)}

[features eyewitness reports from various cities by participants]

from World-Outlook
Oct. 20, 2025

More than 7 million people turned out for the No Kings protests in about 2,700 cities and towns in all 50 U.S. states on October 18, 2025. These numbers are based on reports from the organizers and media across the country.

The main sponsors included the liberal group Indivisible, the American Civil Liberties Union, and hundreds of other national and local organizations.

Some of the largest actions took place in Chicago (250,000), Washington, D.C. (200,000), New York City (where estimates ranged between 100,000 and more than 300,000), and Boston (125,000). Thousands marched in many cities in the South, including Dallas and Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina.

Millions Turn Out for October 18 ‘No Kings’ Protests Across U.S. - World-Outlook

^{world-outlook.com (World-Outlook)}

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/38146161

[features eyewitness reports from various cities by participants]

from World-Outlook
Oct. 20, 2025

More than 7 million people turned out for the No Kings protests in about 2,700 cities and towns in all 50 U.S. states on October 18, 2025. These numbers are based on reports from the organizers and media across the country.

The main sponsors included the liberal group Indivisible, the American Civil Liberties Union, and hundreds of other national and local organizations.

Some of the largest actions took place in Chicago (250,000), Washington, D.C. (200,000), New York City (where estimates ranged between 100,000 and more than 300,000), and Boston (125,000). Thousands marched in many cities in the South, including Dallas and Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina.

Peter Link

2025-10-27 18:31:11

Millions Turn Out for October 18 ‘No Kings’ Protests Across U.S.

[features eyewitness reports from various cities by participants]

from World-Outlook
Oct. 20, 2025

More than 7 million people turned out for the No Kings protests in about 2,700 cities and towns in all 50 U.S. states on October 18, 2025. These numbers are based on reports from the organizers and media across the country.

The main sponsors included the liberal group Indivisible, the American Civil Liberties Union, and hundreds of other national and local organizations.

Some of the largest actions took place in Chicago (250,000), Washington, D.C. (200,000), New York City (where estimates ranged between 100,000 and more than 300,000), and Boston (125,000). Thousands marched in many cities in the South, including Dallas and Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; Birmingham, Alabama; and Raleigh and Durham, North Carolina.

Millions Turn Out for October 18 ‘No Kings’ Protests Across U.S. - World-Outlook

^{world-outlook.com (World-Outlook)}

The King of the United Kingdom Charles III and dignitaries gathered on Monday for the inauguration of a wavy and almost floating memorial monument filled with letters. The monument is the first in the United Kingdom to honor the LGBTQ people who serve the country's military.

Archived version: archive.is/newest/swedenherald…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

King Charles Unveils UK's First LGBTQ Military Monument

^{TT (Sweden Herald)}

A Turkish doctor speaks out at the Gaza Tribunal on making harrowing choices over which child lives and which dies, amid Israel's genocide

Archived version: archive.is/newest/thecanary.co…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

Turkish doctor Gaza: harrowing choices on who lives and who dies

^{Alaa Shamali (The Canary)}

The Government and The Sweden Democrats are changing their minds about the redemption of the controversial rifle AR-15 and no longer want it to happen by force, they write in a debate article in Swedish Hunting.

Archived version: archive.is/newest/swedenherald…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

Sweden Reverses Decision on Mandatory AR-15 Rifle Buyback

^{TT (Sweden Herald)}

"Only a right-wing elitist would think that owning a bunch of farmland makes you a farmer," said one critic. "No, farming makes you a farmer, Scott. You’re an investor and landowner."

Treasury Chief Bessent Says He's a 'Soybean Farmer' Who Has 'Felt the Pain' of Trump Tariffs

^{brett-wilkins (Common Dreams)}

https://thehill.com/homenews/5574835-federal-snap-benefits-wont-be-paid-in-november-what-happens-next/

Mendocino and Rembrandt-R rise once more.

https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/cpus/amd-rebrands-ryzen-7035-7020-series-mobile-processors-zen-2-and-zen-3-chips-receive-new-identities

Late last month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which is overseen by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., drew a line in the sand over direct-to-consumer advertising by pharmaceutical companies: In a post on X, the agency declared that drug ads “can push people to take drugs they don’t actually need. Americans often end up harmed instead of helped.”

That’s why, the post continued, President Donald Trump and Kennedy “are taking action.”
Globe Cross Section

The most immediate evidence of those efforts came the previous week, in the form of a presidential memorandum on what the administration views as “misleading” direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug ads. The same day, HHS and the Food and Drug Administration released a joint press release outlining that drug makers would now be required to substitute the abbreviated disclosures they’ve used since 1997 with full safety warnings, including conditions or situations that make taking the drug unsafe.

Despite the change in stance, however, it’s unclear if or when Americans will see fewer ads — or even ones that reflect the memo’s objectives. Legal challenges will almost certainly stymie the Trump administration’s most aggressive actions, and the history of pharmaceutical advertising in the United States is one of uneasy tension between consumer interest and corporate free speech.

The U.S. is one of just two wealthy countries where DTC ads for prescription drugs are legal. Estimates vary on how much money major drug companies spend on advertising. An upper bound estimate by The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, a coalition that promotes lower drug prices in the U.S., put the figure at nearly $14 billion, which includes the cost of promoting drugs to physicians.

Free speech. Unless, like, you're against genocide or something.

Lawyers are going to make bank off the years of protracted challenges, and nothing will change for consumers subsidizing heavy advertising spends.

What Will the Trump-Era Crackdown on Drug Ads Accomplish?

The federal government announced a new approach to regulating pharmaceutical ads. Consumers may not see a difference.

^{Joshua Cohen (Undark Magazine)}

As COP30 nears, the US’s pressure to keep fossil fuels relevant may empower petrostates, potentially giving them more leverage at the UN talks.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-27/trump-bullies-countries-to-keep-burning-oil-gas-as-cop30-nears?accessToken=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzb3VyY2UiOiJTdWJzY3JpYmVyR2lmdGVkQXJ0aWNsZSIsImlhdCI6MTc2MTU3MjI0OCwiZXhwIjoxNzYyMTc3MDQ4LCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJUNFNCU0VHUFdDS1EwMCIsImJjb25uZWN0SWQiOiIwQzg4NkY0NTI0NzY0RUE0OEY2QTk4RTk1NDc5RTI2NSJ9.BV69Jp2jie0N4RLkgwg-xpmcz5gGZbT0FTc8nnr8U20

Signatories demand that the paper examine its bias, update its style guide on Israel-Palestine, and call for a US arms embargo

Archived version: archive.is/newest/middleeastey…

Disclaimer: The article linked is from a single source with a single perspective. Make sure to cross-check information against multiple sources to get a comprehensive view on the situation.

Over 150 New York Times contributors to boycott paper over Gaza coverage

More than 150 New York Times contributors have signed a pledge not to write for the US newspaper's opinion section, citing its “biased coverage” of the Israel-Palestine conflict and war on Gaza.

^{MEE staff (Middle East Eye)}

Signal was just one of many services brought down by the AWS outage.

‘There isn’t really another choice:’ Signal chief explains why the encrypted messenger relies on AWS

Signal head Meredith Whittaker has responded to concerns about the encrypted messaging app’s use of Amazon Web Services, saying “there isn’t really another choice.”

^{Emma Roth (The Verge)}

But will they beat AMD's and Nvidia's offerings?

https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/qualcomm-unveils-ai200-and-ai250-ai-inference-accelerators-hexagon-takes-on-amd-and-nvidia-in-the-booming-data-center-realm

Google AI Studio product lead teased that everyone will be able to vibe code video games by the end of the year.

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/google/google-says-everyone-will-be-able-to-vibe-code-video-games/

https://alternativeto.net/news/2025/10/you-can-now-develop-native-android-applications-with-apple-s-swift-programming-language/

Something remarkable is unfolding in developing countries. From Nepal to Costa Rica, more people are buying electric cars than fossil-fuel vehicles, as battery prices plummet and cheap home-grown EVs come to market. And in China, more electric cars will be sold in the last quarter of this year than the total number of all cars sold in the US. Colin McKerracher, head of transport at BNEF, joins Akshat Rathi on Zero to unpack these trends, and what they mean for global oil demand.

U.S. immigration authorities detained British commentator Sami Hamdi, revoked his visa and said he would be deported rather than allowed to complete his speaking tour in the United States, a Homeland Security official said on Sunday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has Hamdi in custody, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin posted on social media site X. "Under President Trump, those who support terrorism and undermine American national security will not be allowed to work or visit this country," she wrote.

Hamdi spoke at a gala for the Council on American Islamic Relations in Sacramento, California on Saturday and was scheduled to speak on Sunday at one of the group's events in Florida, the organization said in a statement.

CAIR said he was detained at San Francisco International Airport.

Conservative figures had been urging the Trump administration to expel Hamdi from the United States.
Hamdi has appeared as an analyst and commentator on British TV networks.

CAIR on Sunday called for his release and accused the Trump administration of detaining him over his criticism of the Israeli government.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-detains-british-commentator-hamdi-middle-national-speaking-tour-2025-10-27/

Air traffic controllers will miss their biweekly paycheck, which would have gone out on Oct. 28, as the government shutdown continues.

It marks the first time during the shutdown — now in its 27th day — that controllers will go without a full paycheck.

Air traffic controllers are classified as essential employees, meaning they are required to report to work during a shutdown. However, officials say sick calls have noticeably increased in recent days.

Air traffic controllers to miss paycheck as shortages trigger flight delays, cancellations

^{Scripps News Group (News Channel 5 Nashville (WTVF))}

Meanwhile, banks who had done business with Epstein, although not admitting wrongdoing, paid hundreds of millions in settlements to victims. Donald Trump even made releasing the Epstein investigative files part of his campaign platform, and doubled down on his promise to do so early this year.

In the end, Trump’s justice department did not release these files, and his administration has become embroiled in reports about social ties between him and Epstein. Congressional promises to release files have lagged, due to political jockeying and justice department foot-dragging.

But two new lawsuits could shed light on Epstein’s activities amid the stalemate – regardless of their outcome.

These lawsuits, filed by an anonymous plaintiff against Bank of America and the Bank of New York Mellon (BNY), allege that these financial powerhouses illicitly enabled Epstein’s sex trafficking. The suits are helmed by Sigrid S McCawley, of Boies Schiller Flexner, and Brad Edwards of Edwards Henderson, who have long represented Epstein victims.

Lawsuits against banks with Epstein ties may shed new light on financier’s crimes

Experts say claim banks enabled Epstein will be difficult to prove but other outcomes could provide solace to victims

^{Victoria Bekiempis (The Guardian)}

He and thousands of others have received mail here for years. They use the address for job applications, for medication, to receive benefits like food stamp cards and even to vote. And for 20 years, the U.S. Postal Service provided at least 20% of the mail room’s budget.

But last month, the postal service ended its support of $24,000 a year because a nearby post office is “able to fully serve the community,” a spokesperson said in a statement to ProPublica.

Unlike a standard post office, Keys to Change allows people to receive mail without a government ID, a common problem for some who are homeless.

Phoenix Mail Room for Homeless People Loses Funding

The loss of support comes at a time of uncertainty for one of Arizona’s largest homeless services providers as the Trump administration calls for reducing and restructuring homelessness assistance grants.

^ProPublica

Yeah, it's the Streisand Effect.

“Opening locks” might not sound like scintillating social media content, but Trevor McNally has turned lock-busting into online gold. A former US Marine Staff Sergeant, McNally today has more than 7 million followers and has amassed more than 2 billion views just by showing how easy it is to open many common locks by slapping, picking, or shimming them.

This does not always endear him to the companies that make the locks.

On March 3, 2025, a Florida lock company called Proven Industries released a social media promo video just begging for the McNally treatment. The video was called, somewhat improbably, “YOU GUYS KEEP SAYING YOU CAN EASILY BREAK OFF OUR LATCH PIN LOCK.” In it, an enthusiastic man in a ball cap says he will “prove a lot of you haters wrong.” He then goes hard at Proven’s $130 model 651 trailer hitch lock with a sledgehammer, bolt cutters, and a crowbar.

Naturally, the lock hangs tough.

An Instagram user brought the lock to McNally’s attention by commenting, “Let’s introduce it to the @mcnallyofficial poke.” Someone from Proven responded, saying that McNally only likes “the cheap locks lol because they are easy and fast.” Proven locks were said to be made of sterner stuff.

But on April 3, McNally posted a saucy little video to social media platforms. In it, he watches the Proven promo video while swinging his legs and drinking a Juicy Juice. He then hops down from his seat, goes over to a Proven trailer hitch lock, and opens it in a matter of seconds using nothing but a shim cut from a can of Liquid Death. He says nothing during the entire video, which has been viewed nearly 10 million times on YouTube alone.

What happens next won't surprise you!

10M people watched a YouTuber shim a lock; the lock company sued him. Bad idea.

It’s still legal to pick locks, even when you swing your legs.

^{Nate Anderson (Ars Technica)}

The new notice comes after the Trump administration said it would not tap roughly $5 billion in contingency funds to keep benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly referred to as SNAP, flowing into November. That program helps about 1 in 8 Americans buy groceries.

“Bottom line, the well has run dry,” the USDA notice says. “At this time, there will be no benefits issued November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats.”

https://apnews.com/article/food-aid-government-shutdown-snap-trump-democrats-8a52a63b26a707ea676962226b090bb1

Marina Dunbar in Forest Hills
Mon 27 Oct 2025 06.00 EDT

For Mitch, the key issues facing NYC right now are “safety, the trains being safe, and affordability”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether Mamdani can deliver on all his promises, he’s open-minded. “I don’t know who’s going to pay for all this stuff he wants done … but I’m going in open-minded, and just hoping somebody is offering some alternatives.”

Brooklyn, 30, also from Astoria, said their top priorities were protecting LGBTQ rights and tackling the city’s affordability crisis. “I think Mamdani is doing a great job of addressing everything I’m concerned about,” they said.

Nicole, 30, echoed that sentiment, praising Mamdani’s authenticity: “I feel like Mamdani is very genuine in his responses in a way that isn’t typically seen in most politicians. He’s a little less lip service-y than usual.”

‘Our work has only just begun’: Mamdani, Sanders and AOC rally the faithful ahead of NYC mayoral election

Thousands pack Forest Hills stadium on Sunday night, voicing their excitement and hope for change

^{Marina Dunbar (The Guardian)}

cross-posted from: lemmy.ml/post/38142040

Marina Dunbar in Forest Hills
Mon 27 Oct 2025 06.00 EDT

For Mitch, the key issues facing NYC right now are “safety, the trains being safe, and affordability”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether Mamdani can deliver on all his promises, he’s open-minded. “I don’t know who’s going to pay for all this stuff he wants done … but I’m going in open-minded, and just hoping somebody is offering some alternatives.”

Brooklyn, 30, also from Astoria, said their top priorities were protecting LGBTQ rights and tackling the city’s affordability crisis. “I think Mamdani is doing a great job of addressing everything I’m concerned about,” they said.

Nicole, 30, echoed that sentiment, praising Mamdani’s authenticity: “I feel like Mamdani is very genuine in his responses in a way that isn’t typically seen in most politicians. He’s a little less lip service-y than usual.”

Peter Link

2025-10-27 16:46:07

‘Our work has only just begun’: Mamdani, Sanders and AOC rally the faithful ahead of NYC mayoral election

Marina Dunbar in Forest Hills
Mon 27 Oct 2025 06.00 EDT

For Mitch, the key issues facing NYC right now are “safety, the trains being safe, and affordability”, adding that while he’s skeptical about whether Mamdani can deliver on all his promises, he’s open-minded. “I don’t know who’s going to pay for all this stuff he wants done … but I’m going in open-minded, and just hoping somebody is offering some alternatives.”

Brooklyn, 30, also from Astoria, said their top priorities were protecting LGBTQ rights and tackling the city’s affordability crisis. “I think Mamdani is doing a great job of addressing everything I’m concerned about,” they said.

Nicole, 30, echoed that sentiment, praising Mamdani’s authenticity: “I feel like Mamdani is very genuine in his responses in a way that isn’t typically seen in most politicians. He’s a little less lip service-y than usual.”

‘Our work has only just begun’: Mamdani, Sanders and AOC rally the faithful ahead of NYC mayoral election

Thousands pack Forest Hills stadium on Sunday night, voicing their excitement and hope for change

^{Marina Dunbar (The Guardian)}

The fact that workers with expense accounts still feel they're getting paid so little that they deserve to commit fraud says something about that stratum of employee.

Businesses are increasingly being deceived by employees using artificial intelligence for an age-old scam: faking expense receipts.

The launch of new image-generation models by top AI groups such as OpenAI and Google in recent months has sparked an influx of AI-generated receipts submitted internally within companies, according to leading expense software platforms.

Software provider AppZen said fake AI receipts accounted for about 14 percent of fraudulent documents submitted in September, compared with none last year. Fintech group Ramp said its new software flagged more than $1 million in fraudulent invoices within 90 days.

About 30 percent of US and UK financial professionals surveyed by expense management platform Medius reported they had seen a rise in falsified receipts following the launch of OpenAI’s GPT-4o last year.

New image-generating AIs are being used for fake expense reports

Software provider AppZen said fake AI receipts accounted for about 14% of fraud attempts.

^{Financial Times (Ars Technica)}

https://apnews.com/article/navy-nimitz-aircraft-carrier-crashes-8afee8488bd39371350fe0a1dd55374d