Former Harvard President Lawrence H. Summers will immediately leave his role as an instructor at Harvard while the University investigates his ties to child sex trafficker Jeffrey E. Epstein.
Thursday, November 20, 2025
Larry Summers To Join Harvard Institute Of Politics
(joke)
Malware 11
There have inevitably been numerous meetings in Microsoft (and other companies) where someone has pointed out that their spicy chatbot rollout has numerous catastrophic privacy and security issues and is therefore completely unsuitable and dangerous, and was overruled by someone else saying, "Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."
Microsoft’s warning on Tuesday that an experimental AI agent integrated into Windows can infect devices and pilfer sensitive user data has set off a familiar response from security-minded critics: Why is Big Tech so intent on pushing new features before their dangerous behaviors can be fully understood and contained?
As reported Tuesday, Microsoft introduced Copilot Actions, a new set of “experimental agentic features” that, when enabled, perform “everyday tasks like organizing files, scheduling meetings, or sending emails,” and provide “an active digital collaborator that can carry out complex tasks for you to enhance efficiency and productivity.”
Hallucinations and prompt injections apply The fanfare, however, came with a significant caveat. Microsoft recommended users enable Copilot Actions only “if you understand the security implications outlined.”
I Don’t See How Donnie Two Scoops...
I don’t like to be a doomer, but there is no way anything gets released in the "Epstein Files" that incriminates him
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
Bending Towards Justice
It isn't perfect, but 2010 me would definitely enjoy hearing about Larry's later in life humiliation.
The Crimson keeps whacking him.
Harvard has started a new review of ties that its former president, Lawrence H. Summers, and others at the institution had with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, according to the university.I don't really understand people like this, but Larry loves being in the public eye and doing media hits and well...
The Crimson keeps whacking him.
The Finest People
A man pardoned by President Donald Trump for storming the Capitol was arrested on child molestation charges, according to Florida officials, who said he tried to use an anticipated Jan. 6 payout to silence the victim.
Andrew Paul Johnson, 44, was arrested in Tennessee in August and extradited to Florida on charges of lewd/lascivious molestation, lewd/lascivious exhibition and transmission of material harmful to a minor.
Welp
Just made up an indictment.
Seems like bad lawyer behavior to me!!!NEWS: During a hearing in federal court in VA, prosecutors confirmed that the operative indictment in the case against James Comey was never shown to or voted on by the entire grand jury before it was presented in open court. Defense counsel argued that’s a complete bar to further prosecution
— Anna Bower (@annabower.bsky.social) November 19, 2025 at 4:36 PM
What Game Is Thune Playing
Like Mike Johnson, I was a bit surprised that Thune just let the Epstein bill through. What's his plan here?
I don't think this is it, of course, but if you were a Republican wouldn't you hope Trump disappeared somehow? Most elected Republicans, anyway.
Immunity Card
It didn't work this time, but it probably does a lot of the time.
More than a dozen men have been arrested after trying to solicit a minor for sex in Bloomington, Minnesota, police say.
According to Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges, officers started the three-day sting on Nov. 5. They used several methods to find people who were attempting to solicit a 17-year-old girl for sex.
...
"When he was arrested, he said, 'I'm ICE, boys,'" Hodges said during a press conference Tuesday. "Well, unfortunately for him, we locked him up."
I am sure it is one reason many are joining.
Almost Have To Respect The Game
What are the odds of there being another pardon?
I know there are no rules anymore, but some of us remember how Clinton pardongate lasted months.
Months into the Bush administration, and journalists/pundits/talking heads just could not stop talking about Clinton. It was an addiction. It was all they knew how to do. It was their entire careers.
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Well Now That Laura Loomer Has Said It
Maybe our great journalists will take it seriously, because somehow that's how things work.
Over To You, Mr. Balls And Strikes
My skimming of the Law Blog Types has them saying that this ruling is designed to get around any existing objections Roberts will have, that does mean he can't come up with new ones!
A federal court Tuesday blocked Texas from using its newly drawn congressional map in next year’s midterms, ruling that the map is likely an unconstitutional racial gerrymander.
US District Judge Jeffrey Brown, who was appointed to the bench by Trump in 2019, wrote that the challengers were “likely to prove at trial that Texas racially gerrymandered the 2025 Map.”
But as I said, I don't worry my beautiful mind with The Ass Law, none of it is real anymore.
Chuck's Lost The Baileys
When Dems get negative feedback from what they imagine (but isn't necessarily) is "from the left," they tell themselves it's just some weird online thing. But everybody is online now. No one platform is a representative focus group, but if people are mad online then they are mad in real life, too.
Schumer Has Worst Ever Favorability Rating, 32-55%; Only 45-43% with Democrats
Other notables: oh no people not from NYC are mad they didn't get to choose the mayor.
Majority of NYC Voters: Mamdani Will Be Good for NYC; Plurality of Voters from Rest of NYS: He Will Be Bad for NYC;
This is New York state, not nationally, but one reason people might be less than thrilled with Chuck is that he isn't providing any voice on these things.
Strong Majorities Oppose Trump on: Demolishing East Wing of White House, Deploying ICE Agents to City Streets, Increased Tariffs, Prosecuting Enemies, Bombing Boats Claimed to Be Venezuelan Drug Traffickers & Cancelling Fed $ for Gateway Tunnel
Welp
LONDON, Nov 18 - Alphabet (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said no company would be unscathed if the artificial intelligence boom collapses, as soaring valuations and heavy investment in the sector fuel concerns of a bubble.
Pichai said in an interview with the BBC published on Tuesday that the current wave of AI investment was an "extraordinary moment" but acknowledged "elements of irrationality" in the market, echoing warnings of "irrational exuberance" during the dotcom era.
Solidarity
One reason I rarely feel much of an urge to defend our noble journalists is that they rarely defend each other when it matters.
They'll defend each other from criticisms from nasty assholes on the internet, like me, but they won't jeopardize their place in the pecking order.
They'll defend each other from criticisms from nasty assholes on the internet, like me, but they won't jeopardize their place in the pecking order.
All you have to do is repeat the "offensive" question.
Repeat Trips To The Appalachian Trail
I get that 'journalism' is a broad term, but what I never appreciate is how it is a flexible term, expanding and contracting to include/exclude certain people from the club as necessary.
I never really understand when journalists praise each other for being "excellent writers" when most of the best journalism, the necessary journalism, involves "boring" writing.
Writing with "flair" is an indulgence granted to special people, either granted extra room by their editors or because they are fortunate enough to get paid to do long magazine pieces. I roll my eyes whenever journalists get excited by an "excellent lede" in straight new stories because that always just means an editor let the journalist break the rules a bit. Which ones get to break the rules? You know, the special ones.
People of color rarely get to add color.
I'm not saying that there's no value in long profile pieces of presidential candidates, and similar, but even the best ones are more gossipy infotainment than vital journalism.
I definitely don't know what value there is in profile pieces written by people who are sleeping with those candidates (Mark Sanford AND RFk Jr!).
Journalism isn't beating the charges of its most unhinged critics (me) when Olivia Nuzzi is currently being promoted in every major outlet as somehow being the best of them.
I never really understand when journalists praise each other for being "excellent writers" when most of the best journalism, the necessary journalism, involves "boring" writing.
Writing with "flair" is an indulgence granted to special people, either granted extra room by their editors or because they are fortunate enough to get paid to do long magazine pieces. I roll my eyes whenever journalists get excited by an "excellent lede" in straight new stories because that always just means an editor let the journalist break the rules a bit. Which ones get to break the rules? You know, the special ones.
People of color rarely get to add color.
I'm not saying that there's no value in long profile pieces of presidential candidates, and similar, but even the best ones are more gossipy infotainment than vital journalism.
I definitely don't know what value there is in profile pieces written by people who are sleeping with those candidates (Mark Sanford AND RFk Jr!).
Journalism isn't beating the charges of its most unhinged critics (me) when Olivia Nuzzi is currently being promoted in every major outlet as somehow being the best of them.
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