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SteveThompson

@[email protected]

Former Johns Hopkins, Dartmouth College, UC Davis faculty. Internet addiction research pioneer (1996). Terrorism and media scholar.

Editor: Machine Law, Ethics, and Morality in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (2021); Androids, Cyborgs, and Robots in Contemporary Culture and Society (2018); Global Issues and Ethical Considerations in Human Enhancement Technologies (2014).

Veteran newsman. Independent. Believer.

#MediaBias #Propaganda #TechEthics

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@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random
@stopthatgirl7@famichiki.jp avatar stopthatgirl7 , to random

RE: https://mastodon.social/@SteveThompson/116055507844187472

A tax increase of 2% on New Yorkers making over a million dollars a year. That headline is misleading as hell.

SteveThompson ,
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar

@stopthatgirl7

Yeah, the actual headline that lured me in was: Mamdani calls for 2% tax hike on wealthy New Yorkers. Most news sites seem to now post headlines different from what takes you to the article. Easy to get by if not paying attention or posting a lot.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

A Million Lying Pieces


@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

US lawmakers accuse Bondi of hiding names of Epstein associates - Jerusalem Post

https://www.jpost.com/international/article-886397

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Bombshell Report Reveals Minnesota Officials Were Right About FBI | The New Republic

https://newrepublic.com/post/206355/minnesota-officials-fbi-investigation-renee-nicole-good

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Jack White Slams Trump’s Racist Post About Obamas

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/jack-white-trump-racist-video-obamas-1235512560/

“Trump is a racist, a rapist, a felon, a grifter (currently ordering the US govt. to pay him 10 billion dollars simply because no one will stop him.) and a full on dementia sufferer, and yet he has the power to send in gestapo ICE soldiers to kill our citizens, and so much more dangerously, has the nuclear codes and the ability to end humanity at any moment based on an egotistical whim,”

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Can't make this up.

MAGA senator demands probe of Supreme Court justice for clapping at Grammy's - Raw Story

https://www.rawstory.com/ketanji-brown-jackson-2675103783/

This comes as Marsha Blackburn is mounting a bid for governor of Tennessee, which is already facing controversy as a Republican activist has filed a complaint accusing her of violating campaign finance law.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Republican President Trump war on journalists' sources "chilling," press groups say

https://www.axios.com/2026/02/06/trump-media-leaks-journalist-sources

Press freedom groups denounced Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem's declaration this week that a journalist was "down another source" after her department "caught another prolific leaker," whom she'll refer for criminal prosecution.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

May I recommend a nice subpoena to go with those regrets,, sir?

Gates says he “regrets” associating with Epstein

https://www.salon.com/2026/02/04/i-was-foolish-to-spend-time-with-him-gates-says-he-regrets-associating-with-epstein/

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Harvard apparently did not escape Trump’s crosshairs

Trump popped over to Truth Social Monday to say that now he wants $1 billion from Harvard and will open criminal investigations as well.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/2/3/2367005/-Harvard-apparently-did-not-escape-Trump-s-crosshairs

It is a curious world where Velchik, a DOJ attorney who loves Hitler so darn much he had to read his book and write as if he were Hitler himself, is somehow the administration’s champion for combating antisemitism.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

'Unbelievable sadness': Melinda French Gates responds to latest Bill Gates allegations in Epstein files - ABC News

https://abcnews.go.com/US/unbelievable-sadness-melinda-french-gates-responds-latest-bill/story?id=129828894

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

AI-altered photos and videos of Minneapolis shootings blur reality

Social media users are trying to use AI to get clearer images and videos of the Minneapolis shootings but are instead misleading millions.

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/ai-altered-photos-videos-minneapolis-shootings-blur-reality-rcna256552

From Facebook and TikTok to Instagram and X, AI-manipulated images and videos depicting Alex Pretti’s final moments have proliferated across the internet since his fatal shooting.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Grammy Crowd Goes Wild At Bad Bunny’s ICE-Torching Victory Speech

https://www.mediaite.com/media/entertainment/grammy-crowd-goes-wild-at-bad-bunnys-ice-torching-victory-speech/

“So, please, we need to be different,” he concluded. “If we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them, we love our people, we love our family, and that’s the way to do it — with love. Don’t forget that please. Thank you. Thank you, God, and thank you to the Academy."

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

If You Don't Grow Me By Now


@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Turn The Peat Around


@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

I Only Have Dirt For You


@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Peas, Mr. Postman


@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Trump's second term: Jan. 6 on a grand scale - Salon.com

https://www.salon.com/2026/01/31/trumps-second-term-jan-6-on-a-grand-scale/

What we saw at the US Capitol five years ago was merely a trial run for the chaos and violence of 2026.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

South Carolina Is America’s New Measles Norm - The Atlantic

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/2026/01/measles-elimination-south-carolina/685773/

The state’s measles outbreak could soon be bigger than West Texas’s. Are the two connected?

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

No, you're trying to hide "Border Patrol agents and ICE agents" behind masks, so facial recognition software can't identify them from media as neo-Nazis, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, and other right-wing miitia members.

Border Patrol com. Gregory Bovino decries ICE ‘Gestapo’ comparisons, critics target ‘Nazi-coat'

“They’re trying to portray Border Patrol agents and ICE agents as Gestapo, Nazi, and many other words,” Bovino told CNN.

https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-884782

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Bovino Proved Too Openly Fascistic for Trump

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/bovino-trump-homan-minneapolis-pretti-fascistic/

Greg Bovino, Border Patrol “commander-at-large” who terrorized people across America in his Nazi-like trench coat, is being put out to pasture by Trump. The cause was Bovino’s stupidity, not his cruelty. After his Border Patrol agents disarmed and killed Alex Pretti in broad daylight, Bovino shamelessly slandered the 37-year-old nurse only to have his lies immediately and irrefutably exposed by numerous videos of the killing.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Sounds like it definitely was one of them.

MAGA suspects Ilhan Omar 'orchestrated' town hall attack: 'Completely staged!' - Raw Story

https://www.rawstory.com/ilhan-omar-2675052611/

Hope she's ok.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Love Philip Glass. Gave Mishima much-deserved airplay on my one radio show back in the day.

Philip Glass Withdraws Symphony Debut From Kennedy Center

https://variety.com/2026/music/news/philip-glass-withdraws-symphony-debut-kennedy-center-1236642342/

Philip Glass - String Quartet No. 3 "Mishima" , VI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4XMeY1RkWQ

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Massive union overseeing Border Patrol demands ouster of Kristi Noem and Stephen Miller

https://www.rawstory.com/trump-immigration-2675036080/

The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 820,000 federal employees, called on Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to either resign or be fired following the death of ICU nurse Alex Pretti.

“Our demand is clear."

Pretti was also an AFGE union member.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said "Senate Democrats will not provide the votes" to fund immigration enforcement, part of a six-bill package set for action next week.

https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/24/shutdown-senate-democrats-minneapolis-shooting-00745642

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Video Contradicts Trump Administration Account of Minneapolis Killing

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2026/01/video-contradicts-minneapolis-shooting-dhs-trump-alex-pretti/

The video published by Drop Site makes clear that Pretti was not holding a weapon in the lead-up to the shooting, or when federal agents forcefully took him to the ground.

The video, along with others recorded from different angles, refute the more than 150-word account of the shooting that DHS published on social media on Saturday afternoon.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Murdered American Heroes Memorial

Ongoing tribute to our beautiful fellow American citizens gunned down by Republican Trump Administration ICE thugs across the United States in 2026

Minneapolis, MN

Renee Nicole Good, 37, Mother
Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, ICU Nurse

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Woman In AI-Altered Image Posted By White House Says FBI Agent Told Her the Photo Wouldn’t Be Posted On Social Media

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/woman-in-ai-altered-image-posted-by-white-house-says-fbi-agent-told-her-the-photo-wouldnt-be-posted-on-social-media/

“At the time when I questioned the FBI agent about why he was recording, he had a smirk on his face,” said Armstrong. She told Burnett that the agent filming her told her specifically the footage wouldn’t go on Twitter/X– the exact social media platform where it was later posted by both Noem and the White House.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Takeaways From The Times’s Inside Look at the F.B.I.

Many current and former employees say Kash Patel’s first year as F.B.I. director was marred by vendettas, mismanagement and meltdowns.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/22/magazine/trump-fbi-kash-patel-takeaways.html

Current and former employees of the F.B.I. say its director, Kash Patel, has weaponized the bureau and radically changed its mission.Credit...Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
ALT
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Fury after report Republican President Donald Trump's DOJ sought criminal probe into mom murdered by ICE

https://www.rawstory.com/renee-good-2675020998/

Reaction was swift and brutal online after news broke that the Department of Justice sought to investigate Minnesota mother Renee Good for criminal liability even after her death – a move that elicited an “extremely rare” judicial rejection.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Don't trust your lying ears, says Trump's propaganda princess

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2026/1/21/2364658/-Don-t-trust-your-lying-ears-says-Trump-s-propaganda-princess

Karoline Leavitt told Americans not to believe their own ears when they heard Republican President Donald Trump confuse Greenland and Iceland multiple times during his rambling speech in Switzerland.

Leavitt made the ridiculous claim to NewsNation reporter Libbey Dean, who pointed out that Trump "appeared to mix up Greenland and Iceland around three times."

"No he didn’t, Libby," Leavitt replied.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Hundreds of Millions of Audio Devices Need a Patch to Prevent Wireless Hacking and Tracking | WIRED

https://www.wired.com/story/google-fast-pair-bluetooth-audio-accessories-vulnerability-patches/

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Denmark MP: Stephen Miller Has 'Rapist' View of Greenland

https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/danish-politician-accuses-stephen-miller-of-having-mentality-of-a-rapist-towards-greenland-in-shocking-ms-now-interview/

Jarlov said, “I hope he’s kept away from young women, because that’s the mentality of a rapist. You can’t defend yourself, so I’m going to take you. That’s basically what he’s saying.”

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Too late for Renee Good, but good.

Federal judge restricts Republican Trump Administration's ICE tactics against protesters in Minnesota

https://www.axios.com/2026/01/17/federal-judge-limits-ice-minnesota-metro-surge

A federal judge ordered ICE agents to stop retaliating against peaceful protesters and observers in Minnesota.

U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez barred ICE agents from arresting or pepper spraying people for simply observing or criticizing the federal government's actions.

A federal agent during a raid in South Minneapolis on Tuesday. Photo: Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Infant needs CPR after feds unleash flash-bangs on family van with 6 kids inside - Raw Story

https://www.rawstory.com/ice-minneapolis-2674900256/

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Shocking video appears to show ICE agent 'accompanying female detainee into porta-potty' - Raw Story - https://www.rawstory.com/ice-2674873212/?utm_source=superhead

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Minneapolis mayor says there's a 'deep mistrust' of federal investigation into ICE shooting

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/minneapolis-mayor-deep-mistrust-federal-investigation-ice-shooting-rcna253329

Mayor Jacob Frey said he didn't have preconceived notions about the outcome of an investigation but accused federal officials of saying things that are "not true."

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Congress considers consequences for ICE after Renee Good's murder

https://apnews.com/article/immigration-customs-enforcement-democrats-noem-impeachment-funding-03095f6a4041bef063afe22becf1a788

The killing of a Minnesota woman by an ICE officer is reverberating across Capitol Hill. Lawmakers are demanding actions, from full investigation into Renee Good’s shooting death and policy changes over law enforcement raids to defunding of ICE operations and impeachment of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The U.S. Capitol is photographed, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
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@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Trump's Labor Secretary under investigation for 'inappropriate' liaisons with subordinate - Raw Story

https://www.rawstory.com/lori-chavez-deremer-2674868513/

Lori Chavez-DeRemer, President Donald Trump's Secretary of Labor, is under internal investigation over a complaint that she has carried on an "inappropriate" relationship with a subordinate, the New York Post reported on Friday evening.

@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random
@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

ICE agent who killed Renee Good once broke a suspect's car window

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/jonathan-ross-ice-agent-killed-191324552.html

The 37-year-old poet and mother was killed Wednesday morning in Minneapolis, Minnesota, sending shockwaves across the nation as video of the incident circulated online. The officer seen firing the shots was first identified as Ross by The Minnesota Star Tribune, revealing a firearms instructor who appears to have defended white supremacists online.

Jonathan E. Ross
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@SteveThompson@mastodon.social avatar SteveThompson , to random

Scientists Discover Brain Circuit That Acts Like a ‘Brake’ on Motivation | Scientific American

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientists-discover-brain-circuit-that-acts-like-a-brake-on-motivation/

A new study in macaques identifies a brain circuit that acts like a “brake” on motivation