politicsThursday, July 16, 2026
Today's political news is dominated by two Trump-related ethics stories: a CNN investigation finds he promoted companies on Truth Social days after buying their stock, and federal regulators are probing whether his teleprompter operator profited from inside knowledge of his speeches. Meanwhile, a ProPublica report reveals FCC officials accepted pricey gifts from Paramount while the company had deals pending.
Two separate investigations raise questions about the president's financial dealings and those of his staff.
CNN found Trump promoted over 20 companies on Truth Social within days of buying their stock, including Nvidia. The timing raises ethical questions about a president using his platform for personal financial gain.
Federal regulators are investigating whether Trump's teleprompter operator used advance access to speeches to bet nearly $100,000 on prediction markets. It's a novel insider trading theory tied to the president's own words.
ABC News identifies the operator as Gabriel Perez, who made over $100,000 betting on more than a dozen speeches. He's in settlement talks with the CFTC and has been placed on unpaid leave.
A ProPublica report and a broadband debate highlight how money and influence shape policy.
ProPublica reports FCC Chair Brendan Carr and other officials accepted at least $63,000 in tickets from Paramount while the company had major deals before the commission. Ethics experts say it compromised impartiality.
Michelle Yin argues the broadband debate is focused on the wrong thing: leftover BEAD savings should go to digital inclusion programs, not just infrastructure. It's a policy fight over where $21 billion goes.
The manosphere and Christian Nationalist roots of Hegseth’s “Low-T” fixationwww.motherjones.com
Could China and Russia really destroy Starlink? Only with a boomerang.arstechnica.com
Elon Musk loses trillionaire status as SpaceX stock deflates—and Wisconsin officials want him investigated for election 'bribery' | Fortunefortune.com
Large U.S. study of 55,000 Americans reveals who really influences public actionwww.earth.com
Sleep doctor reveals the brutal health downside of daylight saving timewww.foxnews.com
Trump promoted companies on Truth Social days after buying their stockswww.cnn.comBrussels’ AI Catch-22: Siri, Define ‘Choice’truthonthemarket.com
The article analyzes Apple's decision to withhold its new Siri AI features from the European Union market, framing it as a regulatory Catch-22. Apple faced an impossible choice: either open its iPhone ecosystem in ways that could compromise its privacy-and-security model, ship a
PEN America’s “Silent Moratorium” Prompts Very Loud Criticismdefector.com
PEN America president Dinaw Mengestu resigned after the organization published "A Silent Moratorium," a report reaffirming opposition to cultural boycotts of Israel. The report describes isolation faced by Israeli and Jewish authors in literary circles. Mengestu viewed the report
Labour’s Gagging Acts | James Martin Charlton | The Critic Magazinethecritic.co.uk
The article criticizes the UK Labour government's approach to regulating social media and online speech, drawing historical parallels to Pitt the Younger's repressive measures. It discusses Lisa Nandy's Media Green Paper, which proposes promoting "trusted news sources" on social
COMPUTER COPS: Inside the big business of selling AI to the policewww.theverge.com
This investigative piece examines the growing influence of AI technology in American policing, centered around the IACP Technology Conference in Fort Worth, Texas. The author, denied entry as press, gathered insights from attendees about how AI vendors are aggressively marketing
‘People need to see it’: How politics hung up a $42B Biden internet buildoutwww.politico.com
The article examines how the Biden-Harris administration's $42 billion broadband infrastructure program, part of the 2021 infrastructure law, has been plagued by political delays and bureaucratic snags. Despite being touted as a historic rural internet buildout comparable to Roos
It’s never been easier to be a conspiracy theoristwww.technologyreview.com
This article examines the historical continuity of conspiracy theories, arguing that while modern technology and political polarization have amplified their reach and speed, the underlying paranoid narratives are remarkably similar to those that have circulated for centuries. Dra
British Steel taken into public ownership to protect 'vital' UK supplywww.bbc.com
British Steel has been taken into public ownership by the UK government to protect jobs and safeguard domestic steel supply. The Scunthorpe steelworks, employing roughly 2,700 people, had been owned by China's Jingye Group but faced years of uncertainty. The government had alread
Christopher Nolan's most political movie is also his worst, and it's not the one you thinkwww.polygon.com
The article argues that Christopher Nolan's most political movie is The Dark Knight Rises, not his upcoming film The Odyssey (which has been controversially labeled "woke" due to its diverse casting). The author contends that The Dark Knight Rises is Nolan's worst film precisely
space exploration roundup
medical research roundup
geopolitics roundup
inspiration roundup
ethics roundup
economics roundup
