02/01/24
Good morning! It’s Thursday, February 1st.
Decorating with candy day.
In… February? Didn’t we just do that? In December? This feels like… we don’t need to be decorating with candy too much. Eating it? Yes, of course. Decorating with it? That’s a waste!
And now, the news.
DeSantis v Disney
-via AP News
A federal judge dismissed Disney’s free speech lawsuit against Ron DeSantis. Which is a bummer since it creates a little bit of a setback in Disney’s goal of regaining control over the 40 square miles that Disney World sits on, which used to be known as Reedy Creek, but is currently known as The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, which I can only assume Ron DeSantis named because it is lame.
As a reminder, that dude once thought that if he can’t shut down Disney World, he’d just create his own theme park that would, somehow, compete with Disney.
But hey, he also thought he’d be president one day too so…
Anyway, this is, unfortunately, a win for him. And look, I realize that, as a news podcast, I should be a little less partisan here, but you know what? Dude is fighting one of the biggest companies in the world because that private company opposed his cruel-for-the-sake-of-being-cruel Don’t Say Gay bill.
Disney will challenge the ruling. Obviously.
Chinese Hackers Prepared to Wreak Havoc
Okay and then two stories, back-to-back, that are gonna sound a little scary but we’re not gonna time travel. We’re gonna just know about these stories and then not worry – take it as it comes.
On Wednesday, FBI director Chris Wray warned that Chinese hackers are preparing to “wreak havoc and cause real-world harm” to the US. According to his testimony on Wednesday to the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, Wray said the government-backed hackers were working “to find and prepare to destroy or degrade the civilian critical infrastructure that keeps us safe and prosperous.”
On Tuesday, CNN exclusively reported that, back in November, China’s President Xi promised Biden that China would not interfere in the presidential election.
And in case you’re like – well I feel better now! When asked about that, Wray said, “China’s promised a lot of things over the years, so I’ll guess I’ll believe it when I see it.”
Listen, I saw Leave the World Behind. Don’t… I mean watch. It’s so good. But don’t… you know… what it with this in your head.
Hey, hey…. We’re all gonna be okay.
Border Deal in Trouble
After months of negotiations to try and close in on a bipartisan border deal, Trump, not the president, just a candidate, is working to tank the deal because it’s better for him is there’s chaos at the border.
So… now we’re in a position where our border safety comes down to a twice impeached, multiple times indicted, unwell, former president, constant-loser, dude who wants chaos, doesn’t care what it does to our country, because in his eyes – that’s good for him.
Classic Trump – bad for America. Good for him.
And also classic Mitch McConnell – he’s not sure if there’s going to be a border deal. He’s ready to move on to talking about Israel and Ukraine funding. When asked if this has something to do with Trump, Mitch said he couldn’t answer that.
And lest we forget how important a deal for border security is… some self-described patriots, though that’s certainly not what I would call them… are planning a group of events called “Take Our Border Back” where they’ll be gathering down at Eagles Pass, Texas; Yuma, Arizona; and San Ysidro, California. They’re saying 700,000 are expected, but images and livestreams show much lower numbers.
However, while the group, who refers to themselves as “God’s Army,” (yikes), says they’re a nonviolent group – the white nationalist and gun forum sites they’re advertising on, are calling for a civil war.
Now look, remember we’re not gonna stress… but I think it’s important to look at the big picture here because if you and I know about it, the Senate and Trump know too. And the fact that they’re willing to not care, is reason enough to hit the election booth this year and make sure the people that are not trying to quell the civil war hopefuls are not the ones in power for the next four years.
Seems like, perhaps, the bare minimum.
Senate Hearing on Social Meeds Needs
-via NY Times
And finally, on Wednesday, Mark Zuckerberg joined other tech leaders for a Senate hearing on online child safety.
The big moment was Zuck addressing the families of the victims of online child abuse, saying, “I’m sorry for everything you have all been through No one should go through the things that your families have suffered.”
He added that Meta was working so that no one else would have to go through what they’ve gone through, but then, somehow, just like… didn’t mention the role his company played.
Executives from Snap and Twitter both agreed to support the Kids Online Safety Act, which would require online services like social media networks, video game sites and messaging apps to take “reasonable measures” to prevent things like online bullying, harassment, sexual exploitation, anorexia, self-harm and predatory marketing to minors who use their platforms. Discord, Facebook, and TikTok didn’t pledge support, arguing it may conflict with free speech issues.
And that’s where things stands on social media. All bad. I’m still there.