“Tesla has stopped using the term ‘Autopilot’ to sell its cars in California, thereby avoiding a 30-day sales and manufacturing ban in the state. If you’ll recall, a California administrative law judge ruled in December that the automaker misled consumers by using the terms ‘Autopilot’ and ‘Full Self-Driving.’ The judge recommended the suspension, but the California DMV gave Tesla 60 days to remove any untrue and misleading language in its marketing materials. In its announcement, the DMV said Tesla has taken corrective action and has stopped using Autopilot for marketing. Prior to that, the automaker has already clarified that driver supervision is still needed with Full Self-Driving.” (02/18/26)
“Historian Gadi Taub discusses media leaks, military censorship, and the Sde Teiman controversy in Israel — and his defamation suit against Ronen Bergman.” (02/18/26)
“ICE claims agents can enter private homes using their own paperwork — without asking a judge first. The Fourth Amendment was written for moments like this.” ()2/18/26)
Source: Washington Monthly
by Alex Bronzini-Vender
“Depending on whom you ask, Donald Trump has either heroically or horrifyingly declared open season on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in higher education. During his first year back in office, the Department of Education launched at least 57 investigations into campus DEI initiatives it deemed illegal—and many more universities have preemptively complied by dismantling their own versions of such practices and policies. As such, it may come as a surprise that Trump and his underlings don’t want to get rid of DEI altogether. On some campuses, they’ve worked to preserve or even expand DEI programs. What they object to isn’t DEI itself, but who it’s for — which, until now, has been the ‘wrong’ kind of student.” (02/18/26)
“Russian President Vladimir Putin met Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez on Wednesday in the Kremlin, where he said that new restrictions imposed on the communist-run island were ‘unacceptable,’ Russian state news agencies reported. A senior Russian diplomat said last week that Moscow would provide aid to Havana, including material assistance, to help navigate a U.S. attempt to starve the island of oil. ‘Now is a special period, new sanctions. You know how we feel about this,’ Putin told Rodriguez, according to the TASS news agency. ‘We do not accept anything like this.'” (02/18/26)
“Traditionally, weapons expos are about putting producers in contact with buyers, and they feature large scale sites where companies set up booths to showcase hardware capabilities and include simulations and even live-fire demonstrations. In these spec-ops safe-spaces, government procurement officials and top brass could brush elbows with warlords and mercenaries to take turns shouldering JAVELINs and downing batch bourbons. But with the introduction of more Silicon Valley tech firms into the MIC, many industry gatherings feature asset managers and investors from venture capital and private equity firms who care less about the specs than the ROI. Gone are the ‘booth babes’ of yesteryear, replaced by baby-faced billionaires in Patagonia quarter zips. Spurred on by the advent of ZIRP (zero-interest rate policy), allowing investors to borrow money essentially for free, and the decline of consumer-focused tech products, investors have turned their focus to military markets.” (02/18/26)
