Snippet of my Bluesky bio
Hi! This is another edition of Link Roundup here at Forney’s Findings. If you follow me on Bluesky or Instagram (or happen to be in a Discord server with me), you’ll know I love me some links. Pullquotes will cite the author of the article above, not necessarily the quote's speaker. Here are a handful—all read in their entirety by me before adding—that I wanted to share:
Education:
Arizona State professors discovered their lectures were being spliced up for AI courses devoid of context or their consent (404 Media)
May be asked for an email instead of a paywall
“I mean, it happens to all of us in certain ways all the time, but have your institution do it—to have the university you work for use your image and your lectures and your materials without your permission, to chop them up in a way that might not reflect the kind of teacher you really are... Let alone serve that to an actual student in the real world.”
Are college graduates finally getting a break in the job market? Not really (Wall Street Journal gift link)
Technology:
People using AI to represent themselves in court are clogging the system (404 Media)
[Podcast] Software brain: a phenomenon where people treat each other as if they can be optimized and categorized neatly (The Verge)
Google Maps is adding generative AI to create realistic scenes. Surely this won’t be used for misinformation or xenophobia (TechCrunch)
After a lot of public bullying, Duolingo’s CEO is walking back AI-centric performance reviews (Entrepreneur)
Hundreds of AI-generated videos appear online endorsing Trump on social media (New York Times)
May encounter paywall
A California judge had trouble finding jurors for Sam Altman and Elon Musk’s trial that don’t hate Musk or AI (Wired)
May encounter paywall
The law hasn’t caught up, but that isn’t stopping housing providers from using AI leasing agents (Forney’s Findings)
Written by me!
A criminologist got ChatGPT to admit to a crime it didn’t commit, demonstrating how police can get false confessions (The Intercept)
For reason, tech companies want to improve AI chatbots’ people skills (The Atlantic gift link)
Grasping: Meta is testing a mostly cosmetic premium tier of WhatsApp (TechCrunch)
Investors want their returns from AI. We’re all about to feel that squeeze (The Verge gift link)
AI companies have broken ground on data centers around the world, dedicating billions of dollars with promises of better models, lower costs, and AI for everyone. Even stemming the flow of losses will be difficult — let alone making the kind of money investors are hoping for. “When you sink trillions of dollars into data centers, you’re going to expect a return,” said Will Sommer, a senior director analyst at Gartner, who specializes in economic forecasting and quantitative modeling.
People and Relationships:
Check on the sports gays in your life. Sue Bird and Megan Rapinoe have separated (ESPN)
Following the murder of Cerina Wanzer Fairfax by her husband, Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott asks Black men to address their peers about their role in domestic violence (The Grio)
More information on the shooting but definitely check content warnings: gun violence, murder, suicide, and domestic violence (NBC News)
Are you apologizing correctly? (HuffPost)
Science, Critters, Healthcare and Environment:
How the Trump administration gutted the EPA’s research division (New York Times gift link)
“If you simply withhold funding and stall programs, you can functionally end the research without ever saying, ‘We’ve ended the research,’” he said.
Greater Greater Washington published this fascinating free tool to show DC data; everything from air quality to distance to transit
Tens of thousands of bees swarm a baggage cart at the Baltimore airport (Baltimore Banner)
May encounter paywall
Trump eliminated every member of the National Science Board (The Washington Post)
May encounter paywall
The Trump administration and Maryland sue DC Water over its handling of the Potomac River sewage spill (Notus)
No one can say for certain how much electricity Texas data centers will need (Houston Chronicle)
May encounter paywall
Arts, Culture, Food and Entertainment:
Coachella is overrun with fake AI influencer content (The Verge)
May encounter paywall
A cold spell could have lasting impacts on East Coast vineyards (NBC4 Washington)
An unsolvable crossword sent ripples across the NYT Sunday Crossword community (Vulture)
May encounter paywall
Feminists tried to warn people about the manosphere years ago (The Guardian)
Actress Zazie Beets discusses fashion, acting, and beauty standards in this feature (Fashion Magazine)
Netflix’s Beef brings the drama and class dynamics to the country club in its second season (Wall Street Journal gift link)
Ticketmaster is found to be an illegal monopoly (The Verge)
May encounter paywall
Take a look at new images of Nicolas Cage and Spider-Noir’s villains (IGN)
Summer House reunion audio leaker has been found after an extensive investigation (The Hollywood Reporter)
Singer d4vd has been charged with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez (Associated Press)
An exhibit at the Brooklyn Public Library asks visitors to think beyond prisons (Prism Reports)
Slop & bop: Deezer says 44% of songs uploaded to the platform are AI-generated (TechCrunch)
Lupe Fiasco joins Peabody Institute to teach rap (The Baltimore Banner)
May encounter paywall
Drake teased his upcoming album by melting a block of ice (Variety)
The Baltimore Beat has a new signature beer promoting its local journalism (Baltimore Beat)
Government:
Former FBI director James Comey indicted for Instagram post depicting seashells (CNBC)
Democratic organizations may have been colluding to fundraise and hide their donors from voters (The Lever)
With Congress considering prediction market regulation, Kalshi and Polymarket start lobbying (CNBC)
The family media company announced last year it would open its own prediction market, Truth Predict. And Donald Trump Jr., the president’s oldest son, is an investor in and unpaid advisor to Polymarket, as well as a paid advisor to Kalshi.
“I think we need to build a grassroots constituency around ending these corrupt prediction markets,” Murphy said. “But Donald Trump, his family is completely integrated and making money off of Kalshi and Polymarket.” Murphy said that given the Trump family’s interests, he doubts the president would allow Republicans to support legislation that could curb prediction market profits.
The first professional casualties of the Trump administration appear to be women in his cabinet (19th News)
Virginia democrats claim more seats in nationwide redistricting battle (USA Today)
The Supreme Court rules that Louisiana will need to redraw its congressional maps, severely weakening the Voting Rights Act (The Guardian)
We must understand the racist political rhetoric, the erasure and attacks on Black history, the reinstalling of Confederate names and monuments, all go hand-in-hand as the Court and Congress legitimize the taking of political rights and the end of multiracial democracy itself.
— Ida Bae Wells (@nhannahjones.bsky.social) 2026-04-29T15:06:09.828Z
Governor Greg Abbott has threatened to withhold funding for Austin police if they refuse to aid ICE. Similar threats have been made in Houston and Dallas (Austin Current)
In response to these threats, APD revised its policy language (Austin Current)
Maine governor Janet Mills drops Senate bid (Associated Press)
MAGA is beginning to eat its own as they scramble to regain electoral losses (Intelligencer)
May encounter paywall
Trump’s Labor Secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer steps down after an investigation revealed lavish spending, sexual harassment of staffers and misconduct by her husband (New York Times)
Eight months in, the National Guard don’t seem to be leaving DC anytime soon (Associated Press)
Camp Mystic, where several children drowned in a flash flood, may be unable to reopen unless it changes its emergency protocols (Houston Public Media)
House approves bill to prevent deportation of 350,000 Haitians for three more years (The Guardian)
This Texas GOP candidate bet on his own results on Kalshi and got banned (Texas Tribune)
Kristi Noem is still living in a house reserved for military officers after getting fired (Wall Street Journal gift link)
Transgender military members are being paid to not work. Leadership cites costs, but that doesn’t add up (New York Times gift link)
The cost of providing medical care, including psychotherapy, hormone therapy and surgery, was $52 million over 10 years, according to the court filing. The Defense Department spent more on lobster tails in September than it spends in a typical year on transgender-specific medical care.
Trump is getting desperate for republicans to help pass the SAVE act as his popularity continues to dip (Democracy Docket)
The Houston Police Department has fired an officer over her viral racist rant disparaging Black people (Houston Public Media)
An American soldier was arrested for betting (and making $400K) on the capture of Nicolas Maduro, which he was directly involved in (CNBC)
Shots were fired at the White House correspondents’ dinner (Capital News Service)
Books:
Where have all of the book reviews gone? (New York Times)
AI scammers are impersonating famous authors to catch aspiring authors (USA Today)
Did Mel Robbins actually come up with her viral “Let Them” theory? (The Atlantic gift link)
The editor at the prominent publisher could also see the bright side of this saga: He said that at least it means “people still care about books.” In the age of AI-written novels, he said, “it’s kind of exciting that there are readers out there interested enough in policing the intellectual integrity of books that they bothered.”
Fervid discussion about books tends to be good for other books. If people want to argue over who truly created the “Let Them Theory,” maybe we should—well, you know.
Video Games:
Some gamers sue Nintendo to get their share of the company’s tariff refunds after paying higher prices (Gizmodo)
Pokemon Go champion was disqualified for celebrating (Aftermath)
May encounter paywall
Xbox chief says Game Pass has gotten too expensive (The Verge gift link)
Capcom tried to patch the incest out of Alex’s Street Fighter 6 story mode. Better luck next time (Kotaku)
Former IGN reporter, Rebekah Valentine heads to Kotaku as site expands (GamesIndustry.biz)
Hackers reveal that Rockstar is making more than $1 million per day from Grand Theft Auto: Online (Kotaku)
Economics:
Remember Snapchat? CEO Evan Spiegel is laying off 1,000 employees (The Hollywood Reporter)
YouTube signs an exclusive deal with SiriusXM to expand audio advertising (Variety)
Maryland is preparing to become the first state to ban dynamic pricing (WJLA)
Spirit Airlines is in its final days (CNBC)
Tax Day is a reminder of how unequal America’s tax system actually is (The Guardian)
Co-byline by mayor Zohran Mamdani
To the surprise of very few, SNAP’s work requirements don’t boost employment, but they do make it harder for people to access their benefits (NC Newsline)
While SNAP enrollment is declining nationally, more people will likely lose food assistance as states continue to implement the work requirements and recertify participants, said Lauren Bauer, a fellow in economic studies at Brookings Institution and the associate director of The Hamilton Project.
“Everything that we know about work requirements is that they do not increase employment among the groups that are subject to them,” she told Stateline. “All they do is make it more likely that they are disenrolled from the program. And so, should these work requirements continue to be rolled out and implemented, we would expect to see declining enrollment and no changes in employment.”
Nike will cut 1,400 jobs in its second round of 2026 layoffs (CNBC)
Luxury brands that invested in the Middle East are having some trouble as the war in Iran continues (New York Times)
May encounter paywall
Miles Teller has a surprisingly rare success story for celebrities in the alcoholic beverage industry (The Hollywood Reporter)
A primer on which payment apps will work abroad (USA Today)
Meta will cut 10% of its workforce, citing AI overinvestments coming due (CNBC)
WMATA’s board approves plan to fully automate the Red Line, workers have concerns about job losses (WTOP)
Additional automation could also extend to eliminating the need for train operators, who currently control doors, make announcements and monitor track conditions. The union representing rail operators has expressed concern.
“Before you take the operator off the train, you should be able to look every rider in the eye and guarantee their safety. And today, nobody in this room can do that,” Jampsea Campbell, a union member and Metro station manager, told the board.
YouTube Premium announces first price hike in years (The Hollywood Reporter)
Georgetown University in talks to offer free Metro rides to students (Georgetown Voice)
News Media:
AP Stylebook decrees that “healthcare” will be one word. Copyeditors are hyped (ACES)
The Onion has acquired and rebranded Alex Jones’ former conspiracy factory, Infowars (The Onion)
TMZ brings its resources to D.C. to cover Congress (NBC4 Washington)
Kash Patel’s used FBI resources to investigate a reporter who wrote about his girlfriend, prompting concerns about press freedom (New York Times)
Related: Patel seems to contradict his own lawsuit against The Atlantic (Raw Story)
More on the suit (CNN)
The article that started it all (The Atlantic gift link)
Yay journalism? Elon Musk boosts a New Yorker article criticizing Sam Altman on X as they begin their trial (Wired)
May encounter paywall
Refusing to accept an AI-laden future for journalism (The Handbasket)
If you want to work with machines, get a job that requires it. There are a whole lot more of those than there are writing jobs, so free up space for people who actually want to do the work. You’re not doing the world a favor by gifting it your human/AI hybrid. Journalism will not miss you if you leave. No one is making you be a journalist; it’s not one of those jobs parents force you to choose, like a doctor or a lawyer. Journalism, while romanticized in popular culture, is generally unglamorous and poorly paid, with progressively worse job opportunities (no thanks to AI.)
Recent court decisions may be a promising sign for journalists trying that are critical of the president (Columbia Journalism Review)
Bari Weiss’s Free Press has a new pop culture podcast that no one asked for (Aftermath)
NPR receives $113 million from two donors after federal funding cuts (The Washington Post)
May encounter paywall
How the loss of Self Magazine limits coverage of chronic illness (Mother Jones)
Reporting in that vein, Delchamps Wolf said, “clearly comes from an authentic space and refuses to present chronic illness as pitiful.”
“It’s so important that journalists address issues like medical racism and other systemic barriers that worsen people’s experiences of chronic illness,” Delchamps Wolf said. “In addition to talking about medical concerns, we have to acknowledge chronic illness as a politically, culturally, and socially marginalized category to bring about substantive change.”
He argued that subscription-supported journalism cannot replace large, well-resourced newsrooms. It can’t fund foreign bureaus or investigative teams. It’s not the cure to journalism’s wide-ranging problems.
Independent journalism can’t solve the industry’s problems or fund the big-ticket desks and investigations, but as Saul and Kabas noted, it’s probably not supposed to, either. It is, rather, a piece of the ecosystem — one that might have seemed fringe, but is increasingly hard to ignore.
Sports:
Inside the absurd surveillance state that is Jim Dolan’s Madison Square Garden (Wired)
Learn about the NBA’s new proposed “3-2-1” draft lottery to dissuade tanking (The Athletic gift link)
New York Liberty GM praises Natasha Cloud, despite her being unsigned going into the WNBA preseason (New York Post)
Women’s basketball legend, Cheryl Miller joins NBC’s WNBA coverage (The Athletic)
May encounter paywall
After a disappointing rookie season, Hailey Van Lith’s early play has the Chicago front office rethinking her role (High Post Hoops)
As the NBA playoffs roll on, the Timberwolves have lost two starters to injury: Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVencenzo (ESPN)
Somehow, Charlotte Hornets LaMelo Ball avoids any actual consequences for tripping and injuring Bam Adebayo in the NBA Playoff Play-in Tournament (ESPN)
Karma: The Hornets would go on to lose in the next round
Connecticut Sun fans grapple with losing their team, the only team owned by an Indigenous tribe, to another white billionaire (Out of Your League)
Meet the photographer behind some of the Boston Celtics’ most powerful images (Celtics Blog)
Like it or not, Michigan might’ve figured out how to win in this transfer portal-heavy NCAA landscape (Wall Street Journal gift link)
You don’t have to like it, but this is how it works in 2026. The pretend era of amateurism has given way to a freeway of mobility and cash. College sports leaders are trying to squeeze the genie back into the bottle—witness the president’s new executive order commanding transfer and eligibility limits, among other items—but it’s hard to see the landscape changing soon.
After a public falling out with the Chicago Sky front office, Angel Reese is welcomed by her new Atlanta Dream teammates (The Grio)
Minnesota Lynx star Napheesa Collier resigns with the team on a one-year supermax deal (ESPN)
More Lynx news: number two overall pick, Olivia Miles is ready to come in and contribute (The IX Sports)
Ranking the best players in the women’s NCAA transfer portal (The Athletic)
May encounter paywall
The nation’s leading scorer, Audi Crooks is heading to Oklahoma State (USA Today)
