Lou Katz @lou@entropyservice.com

This laughing thing needs more attention. When Trump says “You can tell a lot by a laugh,” he’s not wrong. Harris’s laugh is charming and genuine. Now let’s talk about his:

It doesn’t exist. Trump doesn’t laugh. Think about it. He smirks, he sneers, and he snickers, but he lacks whatever brain function is responsible for laughter.

Is it a neurological problem? Voters need to know

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/kamala-harris-laugh-criticism-trump-women-color-emotions-rcna164069

Israeli Militants Riot Over Investigation Into Torture of Palestinian Prisoner https://truthout.org/articles/israeli-militants-riot-over-investigation-into-torture-of-palestinian-prisoner/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon

It's very much to Trump's benefit to be dismissed by those who oppose him as a ranting, incoherent windbag. But "this will be the last election that you'll need to vote in" is *exactly* what policy initiatives like Project 2025 set out to achieve.

Your occasional reminder that Josh Hawley represents Missouri in the Senate but doesn't have a bona fide residence there and hasn't for years.

His Missouri "residence" is a lake house owned by his sister.

Hawley actually lives in Virginia -- in violation of the Constitution.

They know they can't win, that's why they plan to cheat.

Kid, annoyed by lousy school #Internet #filtering devices, worked with techy father to make a better one. " Accustomed to pointing out how bad filters are, he offered surprised praise for Safe Kids, commending its focus on #privacy its open source code that offers transparency about its model, and its context-specific blocking". https://calmatters.org/education/2024/07/web-filter/

KOSA, just passed by the Senate 91-3, will allow politicians and federal commissioners to decide what Americans should read and watch online. It’s a blatant attack on our free speech. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/07/kosa-internet-censorship-bill-just-passed-senate-its-our-last-chance-stop-it

New, by me: A federal district court in New York ruled that U.S. border agents must obtain a warrant before searching the electronic devices of Americans and international travelers crossing the U.S. border.

The judge warned that had they ruled in the government's favor, this ruling could have be used to target political opponents, who "would only need to travel once through an international airport for the government to gain unfettered access" to their devices.

More: https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/29/us-border-agents-must-get-warrant-before-cell-phone-searches-federal-court-rules/

Trump is not only weird, he’s also old and creepy.

And a racist, a serial sexual predator, a serial philanderer, a serial fraudster and con man, an insurrectionist who tried to overthrow the government in a coup, and a convicted felon.

He’s a weird old creepy criminal.

Under the tax plan proposed in Project 2025, it's estimated that a family of 4 making $100,000/year would get a $2,600 tax hike. But a family of 4 making $5 million/year would get a $325,000 tax cut.

It's a trickle-down nightmare.

#mastotip
Deleting a post does not work the way you think. The post disappears to you, but if it has already been pushed to the people you are mentioning, they can still see what you wrote, because deletion often does not happen instantly.

3 times this week, someone responded to me, regretted it, and then deleted it. But their reply was already on my phone.

I think this needs to be fixed, because we all make mistakes, and wanting to clean up a mistake should be allowed. But it is not.

1/2

Google claims its “Privacy Sandbox” protects your privacy, but it really protects their profits. That's why Privacy Badger's latest update automatically opts you out. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2024/07/why-privacy-badger-opts-you-out-googles-privacy-sandbox

Trump: "I want to be a dictator on Day One."

Trump (last night): "Vote for me in this election, and you'll never have to vote anymore."

We should appreciate such plain talk.

Here's how to stop X from using your posts to train its AI:

Stop posting on X

The Pro Codes Act would allow for portions of the law to be copyrighted. This is bad and should be opposed.

SDOs like the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) play a critical role in crafting standards, such as GAAP, which are frequently incorporated into statutory and regulatory frameworks.

The Act seeks to allow SDOs to retain copyright over their standards. This would create a major access to justice issue.

#lawfedi #taxfedi #tax @law @eff @CenDemTech

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewleahey/2024/07/26/a-threat-to-justice-the-pro-codes-act-would-copyright-the-law/

Please keep in mind that the Harris euphoria will not -- cannot -- last nonstop through November. There's a natural ebb and flow to everything. Count on the Trump cult getting part of their vile act together after their initially flummoxed response.

Meanwhile, Big Journalism is going to do everything it possibly can to stir up trouble so it can cover the election, as it loves to do, as blood sport. Issues? Ha.

We will save democracy. The hardest work begins now -- please do what you can.

Want to see rogue judges in action? Ohio Supreme Court, in a ruling a member of the minority aptly called "jabberwocky", ruled that a restaurant can claim to serve "boneless" chicken wings even though they have shards of bones in them. A patron was badly injured when one tore open his esophagus.

https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/diners-should-beware-of-bones-in-boneless-chicken-supreme-court-majority-rules/B7DQVT2VBJEO5NSITW7BBQ7ALQ/

Our corporate courts won't lift a finger to protect us.

But because the guy used encrypted messaging, Wray complains "some places we may never be able to see, no matter how good our legal process is.”

For eons, people talked and no one could know what was said. Ephemerality is the norm, not the exception.

https://www.aclu.org/news/privacy-technology/if-government-had-its-way-everything-could-be-wiretapped

@carlmalamud @karlauerbach Plus, of course, the actual terms of service are copyrighted and confidential.