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View More Newsfrom the here-comes-some-bullshit dept As we’ve been noting, billionaire Larry Ellison’s effort to dominate what’s left of corporate media is facing some headwinds after 12 states filed an antitrust lawsuit against his planned $111 billion merger between Paramount and Warner Brothers. As we’ve also noted, this is a giant turd of a deal, the debt from which will indisputably result in mass layoffs, higher prices, and shittier overall product. We know this because it’s what happens every time U.S. media giants merge; particularly when Warner Brothers is involved. It’s not something for economists or pundits to even debate. Large scale…
“We’re coming for the books,” said Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, apparently aiming to sound as much like an arch cartoon supervillain as possible. Last week, Patrick held a press conference alongside conservative activist Bonnie Wallace to take issue with what he called “dirty, filthy, and vulgar books”—and Wallace called “demonic content”—in school libraries. Also in today’s newsletter: Meta settles for $16.68 billion, Dolly Parton’s Playboy interview, anti-phone phone marketing, getting answers on government hacking, and more. ‘Demonic’ Sex Education Content? The content in question in Texas is…a sex education book aimed at high-school audiences. Let’s Talk About It: The…
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What follows is an excerpt from The Status of Scholarly Standards in Sociology, by Ashley T. Rubin, Professor of Sociology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Professor Rubin’s report was published earlier this month under the auspices of the Vanderbilt–WashU Commission on the State of Scholarship in the Humanities and Humanistic Social Sciences. Its Report on the State of Scholarship in the Humanities and the Humanistic Social Sciences was published in April and excerpted in Quillette.Research Blind Spots and Intellectual Narrowing Sociology shows a heavy emphasis on some topics and not on others. Some topics’ popularity have declined over time…
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The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) issued a joint statement on Wednesday warning that a bill under…
Friday’s expiry follows bitcoin’s surge from $62,000 to $80,000, leaving market makers with increased exposure to manage around several key strike prices. Read the…
The FSA, Finance Ministry, BOJ and financial institutions plan to study the infrastructure and produce a development plan by early 2027. Read the full…
In brief Nvidia’s quarterly revenue rose 106% year over year to $96.2 billion. Data Center revenue increased 117% to $89 billion. The company disclosed…
In a recent meeting, the Wall Street Journal reports, President Trump passed a stack of newspaper articles to acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. On top of…
Internet shutdowns are devastating for human rights. When people are disconnected from the internet and digital services, it impacts all aspects of their life—from…
Happy Tuesday, and welcome to another edition of Rent Free. This week, we have stories on: A new report finds that Portland, Maine’s inclusionary…
New Delhi, May 12, 2026—Maldivian authorities must immediately release journalists Mohamed Shahzan and Leevan Ali Nasir and end judicial harassment of their news outlet,…
Chairman Mike Selig of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said his agency is in talks with all major U.S. professional sports leagues…
Bitcoin (BTC) saw classic volatility ahead of Tuesday’s Wall Street open as a key US inflation gauge hit its highest levels in three years.Key…
In brief Bhutan moved 100 BTC ($8.1 million) out of holding wallets on Tuesday, per Arkham Intelligence data. The sovereign fund has sold $230…
Hello and welcome to another edition of Free Agent! Bring your spaghetti in and take a seat, we’ve got a full newsletter today. This…