David Elwell

We're launching the State of Independent Technology Research 2026: Resisting Corporate Capture, capturing the story of researchers from different disciplines, approaches, continents & cultures fighting for research independent from industry interests to drive decisions about AI & other tech. (1/4)

The destruction of protected wildlife sanctuaries in Texas for border wall construction continues long after the slogan was forgotten. Here's what will be lost: 'Green Jay (Cyanocorax luxuosus) on a Collared Peccary (Pecari tajacu)' (📷: Steve Hillebrand, USFWS)

I know this isn’t the point, but this AI shit is so garbage. If you want to threaten nuclear war to scare people into voting for you, at least make real art. This garbage pales in comparison to the Daisy ad in part because that ad was against those who sought war www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...

Solar has overtaken nuclear. A decade ago it supplied 1% of the world's power. In 2025 it met three quarters of global demand growth. Almost nobody saw it coming. I spoke to Jocelyn Timperley at BBC Future about why. www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

Trump claims the billion+ dollars he's spending on White House renovations is "peanuts"

Of all the things that never happened, this never happened the most

"Under Brazilian federal law, all legislators have immunity...To run for President, Bolsonaro decided not to run for his Senate seat. Now, after losing the Presidential election, he no longer has legislative immunity when his Senate term expires in January 2027." Very Special Episode of no amnesty

Meta suspended @nokingscoalition.bsky.social’s account for over an hour during one of the largest protests in U.S. history. Democratic AGs are demanding answers.

Trump’s bid to steal a DC public park and turn it into an elitist golf course has been blocked. When many institutions kowtow to the dictator, federal district courts are holding the line.

While on a train traveling between airport terminals, saw this ICE agent traveling as well, and snapped a photo of his arm patch. If you need evidence that the federal government now has a military presence in America, this is it. #NeverForget #ICE #ncpol

Breaking news: A federal judge barred the Trump administration from cutting, damaging or impairing any more trees at East Potomac Park without first obtaining a court order, challenging President Trump’s plan to remake the public golf course.

NEW: The DOJ argued a legal doctrine that courts should avoid last-minute changes to election rules isn't relevant to its bid to disenfranchise 20k Californians it alleges are noncitizens. Why? Because doing so weeks away from the midterms should be "simple." https://demdock.com/47MUk4P

National borders have *never* been containers for politics and political processes. I don't have time to write a full thread, so here are some resources.

We are actively monitoring for any potential removal flights carrying Afghan nationals, per @bloomberglaw.bsky.social news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/...

They filed this on the literal LAST day before the statute of limitations expired. Literally, the very last day. Give me a break. This is garbage.

Monstrous beyond all reckoning. The US is using remote sensing *designed for humanitarian purposes* for the opposite purpose, potentially drowning civilians en masse. Trump hates Somalis. His troops appear to be exploiting the weather to help slaughter them. www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

“The world cannot stand by as Israel continues its assault on Palestinians, waiting for yet more neighborhoods to be emptied and erased before intervening,” said the Israeli rights group B'Tselem.

Tech giants are draining drinking water to cool AI servers, sparking backlash in drought-hit regions of Chile, Uruguay, and Brazil https://restofworld.org/2026/ai-datacenters-water-resistance-global/?utm_campaign=row-social&utm_source=bluesky

ICE thugs are sending immigrants to countries that they have never been to, because there are orders by judges protecting them from being returned to their home country due to persecution. But these third party countries are sending them back to their home country, anyway. #ICELawlessness

Thank you, Ed Miliband. And let's not forget that the Emiratis sit at the core of this tragedy, and Trump's buddy Erik Prince is also mysteriously fluttering around it.

Shorter 174 judges to 8th Circuit chief judge: Say, have you noticed that DOJ keeps making frivolous complaints about judges? www.democracydefendersfund.org/news/174-bip...

This week’s installment of my Stop the Presses newsletter recalls the Republicans’ history of cheating in elections. They’ve often gotten away with it. Let’s make sure cheaters don’t prosper this time.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen says Democrats must pursue a "Medicare for All" type solution if they retake the Senate: "The reality is people are facing huge increases in premiums and copays... This is the kind of debate we need to have."

The Secret Service is guarding a fortified rape palace at taxpayer expense. It’s not just the décor that evokes Saddam Hussein and family.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has no remaining grant officers and has redirected millions in taxpayer dollars without telling Congress. https://www.washingtonsun.com/health/inside-trump-administration-health-care-research-office

It should be illegal for the President, VP, and lawmakers in Congress to own, buy, and sell individual stocks.

Just filed: new @knightcolumbia.org @mfia-clinic.bsky.social lawsuit challenging Trump's "policy and practice" of punishing members of the White House press corps whose reporting he views as “fake news." knightcolumbia.org/content/trum...

The U.S. is the only major economy where planet-warming pollution has increased dramatically in the last year.

EXTRAORDINARY HEAT IN CHINA 37 DEGREES OVER 1000m asl Thousands of records have fallen every day of this month and October records keep falling even at month end like today: 33.3C Shuangjiang 32.9C Menglian November will break DOZENS OF THOUSANDS of records allover Asia.

NEW: US lawmakers say the Trump administration is breaking the law by withholding a secret court opinion about the surveillance of Americans, even as it presses Congress to renew America’s most sweeping surveillance program.

Regeneron extends US agreement for additional supply of Ebola treatment reut.rs/4i7BZWc

Why isn't this being reported as Anthropic agents seek intrusion into global financial markets?

"Both top-shelf reporting and top officials in the Trump administration, including Trump himself, have said that Musk made this decision on his own. That would be treason. The traditional way to figure out the truth of such a matter is with a trial." prospect.org/2026/10/26/d...

From Zelenskyy. Patriot interceptors that could save innocent lives are sitting in European countries for weeks, which they paid for, unable to be transferred to Ukraine because Hegseth refuses to sign off.

The new HJC Report on Epstein describes the uncertainties around Paolo Zampoli's role in introducing Melania to Trump. democrats-judiciary.house.gov/sites/evo-su...

Audi’s CEO drew heavy criticism for appearing alongside US President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in the battleground state of Georgia, with the head ‌of Germany's top union saying it violated the automaker's company guidelines reut.rs/4zdZlj0

Reup: The non-answers Todd Blanche gave to Dana Bash and Margaret Brennan yesterday make total sense when you see how much he is pursuing the plot Jeffrey Clark planned on pursuing if HE had been made AG. Clark's plan anticipated political violence. emptywheel.net/2026/10/26/t...

Well this is eleventy-million kinds of Fucked Up. @latimes.com (who once contracted with me as a freelance reviewer and whom I struggled to get paid by) asserts that *merely reading its website* constitutes a permanent waiver of your right to sue it under *any circumstances*.

In the rush to build data centers, companies are starting to use their own off grid gas generators. This results in much higher emissions – 60% to 80% – compared with using their local electricity grid and risks locking in longer-term fossil dependence. www.theclimatebrink....

NEW: Maricopa County will restore 25 voters’ registrations after they were falsely flagged as noncitizens, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes (D) announced. Mayes sued Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap (R) Thursday, demanding that he add the voters back to the registration rolls.

Around 175 House Dems just called on Trump's DOJ and DHS to end "weaponization of law enforcement" against Rep Ilhan Omar. The letter is signed by numerous ranking committee Dems, showing depth of support for Omar in leadership and signaling how Dem House will act. newrepublic.com/article/2171...

Trump administration's firing of prosecutor Maurene Comey was unlawful, judge rules reut.rs/4zUoGy7

Elon Musk has spent more money on American elections in the last two years than George Soros has in his entire life.

Exclusive: The U.S. Military Academy at West Point continues to require top officials to review its civilian professors’ requests to speak at external events, despite a federal judge’s ruling that such a mandate is unconstitutional.

🚨BREAKING: Judiciary Democrats’ report details mounting evidence linking Trump to Epstein’s criminal activities and DOJ’s cover-up; specific accounts involving 11 women provide more evidence of potential sex crimes. democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center...

NYPD arresting an ICE goon for trying to steal someone off the streets of NYC. RESPECT!!!

Lula won in part by banning online gambling