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Lost Debate - More Epstein Revelations

Ravi breaks down the week’s most important stories. He examines what’s wrong with the Epstein file release—and what it reveals about elite culture, status addiction, and moral drift. He then turns to an under-covered AI development: a bot-only social network powered by autonomous agents already behaving in unsettling ways. Plus: a striking Cato Institute report on immigration and deficits, a Texas special-election swing, election-system warning signs, and new reporting on foreign money and influence around Trump. The throughline: power without accountability distorts behavior—and the consequences are no longer theoretical.


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Curious City - Why did Chicago widen Ashland Avenue?

If you pay attention to street signs in Chicago, you’ll notice imperfections and many quirks. Paul Durica of the Chicago History Museum said a coworker informed him that North Avenue becomes North Boulevard when you’re east of Clark Street. “And I was like, what?” Durica recalled. “And it does! And it's because here we are, now in the park.” One of Chicago’s major arteries, Ashland Avenue, has a rich history of its own. In our last episode, we looked at why streets like Ashland are occasionally labelled boulevards (like North Boulevard, sometimes the answer is because the street is adjacent to a park). Today, we’re looking closer at the history of Ashland Avenue, including how it became a major thoroughfare and why the city widened it at great expense 100 years ago. (The short answer? To accommodate car traffic.) Contributing are Durica and Northwestern Professor Bill Savage, author of a forthcoming book on the anomalies and politics behind Chicago’s grid system.
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Stuff They Don't Want You To Know - CLASSIC: Plastics, Microplastics and Conspiracy

Look around -- how many objects in your immediate vicinity contain plastic? This malleable, durable material has become ubiquitous -- you can find in the depths of the oceans, at the summits of the highest mountains. And, if you're like most people, plastic will be here long after you're gone. Historically, manufacturers have claimed plastic pollution can be solved by recycling... but what if there's something they don't want you to know?

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

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Headlines From The Times - Government Reopens and California Lawmakers Pressure Insurance Companies

In Washington, the government has, in fact, reopened from after a partial shutdown. Also, President Trump is suggesting the federal government take control of some state elections, which at the moment is illegal. Meanwhile, in New York City, companies are throwing their hat in the ring for a $1.1 billion contract with the city to design subway turnstiles that, in part, prevent fare evasion. And in Los Angeles, several local leaders are calling on the chair of the LA28 Olympics Committee, Casey Wasserman, to resign. In business, California lawmakers are demanding answers from major insurers over strict documentation requirements, and quantum computing company D-Wave plans to move its headquarters to Boca Raton, Florida. Read more at LATimes.com.

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Up First from NPR - Partial Drawdown In Minnesota, NPR Poll: Trump and ICE, Nuclear Treaty Expires

White House Border Czar Tom Homan says 700 federal agents will be leaving Minnesota after months of aggressive immigration enforcement, protests, and the killing of two U.S. citizens by federal agents.
A new NPR/PBS/Marist poll finds most Americans now say ICE has gone too far, as the Trump administration shifts its tone on immigration enforcement.
And the last remaining nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia, the New START Treaty, is set to expire, raising new fears about unconstrained nuclear competition.

Want more analysis of the most important news of the day, plus a little fun? Subscribe to the Up First newsletter.

Today’s episode of Up First was edited by Eric Westervelt, Dana Farrington, Robbie Griffiths, Mohamad ElBardicy, and Alice Woelfle.

It was produced by Ziad Buchh and Nia Dumas

Our Director is Christopher Thomas.

We get engineering support from Neisha Heinis. Our technical director is Carleigh Strange.

Our deputy Executive Producer is Kelley Dickens.

(0:00) Introduction
(01:58) Partial Drawdown in Minnesota
(05:36) NPR Poll: Trump and ICE
(09:18) Nuclear Treaty Expires



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The Daily - Bezos Guts The Washington Post

When Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post more than a decade ago, journalists inside and outside the newsroom were cautiously optimistic. But those hopes were dashed on Wednesday, when the paper carried out widespread layoffs.

Erik Wemple, who covered the developments, discusses what went wrong and what comes next.

Guest: Erik Wemple, who reports on the media business for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

Photo: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.


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Start Here - ICE is Retreating. Now What?

The White House announces 700 of its nearly 3,000 agents will be leaving Minneapolis, while Congress begins debating conditions for DHS funding. Ukrainians are desperately trying to rescue what they describe as children “stolen” by Russia. And a booming “prediction market” volunteers, unprompted, to offer free groceries in the backyard of its potential regulators.

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The Daily Detail - The Daily Detail for 2.5.26

Alabama

  • AG Marshall applauds move by Society of Plastic Surgeons to oppose transgender surgeries for minors
  • The Child Rape Death Penalty Act passes committee in state senate
  • A bill passed by AL House prohibits campaign donations from foreign groups
  • A bill moves forward in state senate that addresses SNAP benefits and junk food
  • A Mexican man is in ICE custody after assault of immigration officer in Alabaster
  • Senate primary candidate Jared Hudson defends ICE actions in Irondale after mayor says his police will not cooperate with them

National

  • Tom Homan is withdrawing 700 ICE agents  from MN after local law enforcement cooperation
  • VP Vance is throwing strong support behind passage of the SAVE Act
  • Congressman from TX offers bill for 25 year moratorium on migrants from Somalia
  • Federal judge sentences Ryan Routh to life in prison for his attempt to kill President Trump
  • Liz Crokin and Owen Shroyer discuss the media coverage of Jeffrey Epstein docs compared to 2016 and the PizzaGate story