AOC’s Met Gala appearance violated House gift rules, ethics panel says

BY MAEGAN VAZQUEZ

“The House Committee on Ethics determined in a report released Friday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) failed to comply with the House’s gifting rule as part of her appearance at the 2021 Met Gala.”

The House Ethics Committee found that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez violated House gift rules related to her 2021 Met Gala appearance. The committee concluded that Ocasio-Cortez “impermissibly accepted gifts related to her appearance at the 2021 Met Gala.” The committee didn’t sanction her but required her to donate $250 for the meal provided to her partner and pay an additional $2,733.28 “for the fair market” value to Brother Vellies, the brand behind her Met Gala look.

The ethics investigation looked at whether AOC properly paid for costs associated with attending the high-profile fashion event where she wore a “tax the rich” dress. The committee released its findings on July 25, 2025, after reviewing her compliance with House gift rules and financial disclosure requirements

Ex-Veterans Affairs acquisition leader broke several ethics rules at 2023 conference, watchdog finds

By Sean Michael NewHouse

“The former chancellor of the Veterans Affairs Department’s Acquisition Academy knowingly accepted approximately $2,700 worth of impermissible gifts and wrongly directed staffers to solicit and accept sponsorships for conference social events.”  

BY Barron H. Lerner

“The alternative—a sanitized version of history told with cherry-picked sources—isn’t really history at all.”  

History is often deemed complicated due to the aspects of human nature it exposes. At times, many such as Lerner initially find that writing history from an ethical standpoint makes social justice uncomfortable. However, the rise of the Trump Administration’s efforts to eliminate history that depicts Americans unfavorably from National Park Service exhibits and other resources,  has led to the belief that “If there is one thing that characterizes good history, it is transparency.”

While all history may not be good history, history works toward “ameliorating the modern versions of past wrongdoings.” It acknowledges diversity and equity. Erasing what one may think is controversial takes away from that goal and doesn’t allow people to confront their pasts

Attorneys for former special counsel Jack Smith hit back at ‘unfounded’ watchdog probe (ABC News)

BY Alexander Mallin

“Attorneys representing former special counsel Jack Smith hit back Tuesday at reports of a recently announced watchdog investigation into his prosecutions of President Donald Trump, describing the reasoning for the probe as baseless and partisan.“

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith’s attorneys are hitting back at a government watchdog investigation into his Trump prosecutions, calling the probe “imaginary and unfounded.” The Office of Special Counsel is investigating Smith after Republican Senator Tom Cotton complained that Smith violated the Hatch Act by timing his cases to hurt Trump’s 2024 campaign.

Smith’s lawyers argue he “was fiercely committed to making prosecutorial decisions based solely on the evidence” and didn’t let politics influence his work. They also noted it’s unusual for this watchdog office to investigate federal prosecutors at all.

Smith had been prosecuting Trump for keeping classified documents and trying to overturn the 2020 election, but both cases were dropped after Trump won reelection. The investigation is part of broader scrutiny of Smith’s work under the Justice Department’s “Weaponization Working Group.”

Sarcone hit with ethics complaint after retaliating against Times Union

BY AUSTIN C. JEFFERSON

“Good government groups filed an ethics complaint against Acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III after he retaliated against the Times Union by removing their reporters from press lists following their reporting on his residency issues.”

Acting U.S. Attorney John Sarcone III is facing ethics complaints after the Times Union reported he was “using a false address” in Albany to meet residency requirements, and he responded by removing Times Union reporters from press lists. On August 11, three good government groups filed an ethics complaint alleging Sarcone violated professional conduct rules, including engaging in dishonest conduct and making prejudicial statements.

This is at least the second ethics complaint against the Trump-appointed prosecutor, who was made a “special attorney” without Senate confirmation after losing his 2024 district attorney race. The case reflects broader tensions between government officials and press freedom across New York.

Judge rules Trump illegally deployed National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles

BY ALCIA VICTORIA LOZANO, RYAN J REILLY, AND MEGAN LEBOWITZ

“A federal judge in California ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration violated a 19th-century law when it mobilized thousands of troops to Los Angeles.”

In June, a federal judge ruled that President Donald J. Trump violated the 19th-century Posse Comitatus Act by deploying 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles. “The evidence at trial established that Defendants systematically used armed soldiers and military vehicles to set up protective perimeters and traffic blockades, engage in crowd control, and otherwise demonstrate a military presence in and around Los Angeles,” U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer wrote in his ruling.

The deployment occurred after thousands of protesters took to the streets to protest Trump’s immigration policies. While the Department of Justice argued the troops were necessary to protect federal property, the judge found “there was no rebellion, nor was civilian law enforcement unable to respond to the protests and enforce the law.” The court ordered the Trump administration to stop using military troops for law enforcement activities by September 12, though the remaining 300 National Guard troops may stay if they operate with legal constrains.

More than 800 new laws will go into effect in Texas on Sept. 1. Here are some of the significant ones.

BY TEXAS TIRBUNE

“Gov. Greg Abbott signed 1,155 bills that came out of the regular legislative session, including over 200 laws that went into effect immediately such as the school cellphone ban, the abortion ban clarification, property tax cut and increased oversight over the energy grid.”

Texas will implement over 800 new laws on September 1st, representing one of the most sweeping legislative overhauls in the state’s recent history. Governor Greg Abbott signed 1,155 bills during the regular session, with education receiving the most dramatic changes including a $1 billion school voucher program giving parents over $10,000 annually in public tax dollars for private school tuition and $8.5 billion in new public school funding. Other major measures include mandatory Ten Commandments displays in public school classrooms, expanded bans on diversity and inclusion policies in K-12 schools, and new restrictions preventing individuals from China, North Korea, Russia and Iran from owning Texas property.

The legislative package also addresses infrastructure needs with a potential $1 billion annual water fund pending voter approval in November, expands medical marijuana access to include chronic pain patients, and requires enhanced law enforcement training following the Uvalde shooting. Several laws face immediate legal challenges, including the Ten Commandments requirement which a federal judge has temporarily blocked in major districts like Austin and Houston. Critics argue many measures target marginalized communities and undermine local control, while supporters frame them as protecting parental rights and state security in line with conservative priorities.

Unions are as popular as ever. Our labor laws haven’t caught up yet.

BY SHARON BLOCK

“Employers don’t want their workers to unionize and are generally willing to fire union supporters to stop a union drive.”

Labor unions enjoy unprecedented public support this Labor Day, with bipartisan backing in Congress including from Republicans like Missouri Senator Josh Hawley, yet America’s foundational labor law remains dangerously outdated. “The basic problem is straightforward: Employers don’t want their workers to unionize and are generally willing to fire union supporters to stop a union drive,” creating a system where attempting to form a union means risking your job. Current unionization rates have actually fallen below pre-New Deal levels despite widespread public approval, contributing significantly to economic and political inequality across American society.

Meaningful reform requires fundamental changes beyond minor adjustments, starting with flipping the default assumption from non-union to union representation where workers would vote on which union to join rather than whether to have one at all. “In many developed economies, unions organize and bargain across an entire industry, not individual businesses,” eliminating competitive disadvantages that make employers view unionization as an existential threat. However, President Trump has already weakened federal unions by denying collective bargaining rights to nearly 1 million federal employees and firing National Labor Relations Board members before their terms ended, demonstrating how current laws remain vulnerable to political manipulation that undermines worker protections.

‘Anonymity Online Is Going to Die’: What Age-Verification Laws Could Look Like in the U.S.

BY CT JONES

“The Online Safety Act, which went into effect there on July 25, requires any website that might have adult content to conduct age-verification checks.”

Age-verification laws are spreading across America despite serious privacy concerns. At least 19 states now require ID verification for websites containing adult content, following the U.K.’s Online Safety Act template. Users must provide government IDs, credit cards, or facial recognition data to access platforms like Discord, Reddit, and adult sites. “One of our longest and strongest norms about the internet is not to reveal your most sensitive information to strangers,” warns Electronic Frontier Foundation fellow Molly Buckley. These laws create massive databases tracking citizens’ browsing habits while eliminating online anonymity.

The ethical problems go beyond child protection. Vague definitions of “harmful content” could restrict educational materials about LGBTQ issues, reproductive health, or political topics. “There’s a ton of First Amendment issues here,” notes policy expert Shoshana Weissmann. Smaller platforms like Bluesky are already blocking entire states rather than comply, while big tech companies easily absorb compliance costs. Critics warn these laws create government surveillance tools that could target marginalized communities, with Buckley stating: “Anonymity online is going to die if we allow age verification to become the future.”

What is AI slop? A technologist explains this new and largely unwelcome form of online content

BY ADAM NEMEROFF

“Even when it’s apparent that content is AI-generated, it can still be used to spread misinformation by fooling some people who briefly glance at it.”

AI slop” describes low-quality content created with AI tools to exploit social media attention economics. Examples include fake hurricane photos showing children with puppies that were used to attack Biden’s disaster response and viral fantastical images designed purely for engagement. Nine of YouTube’s top 100 fastest-growing channels now feature AI-generated “zombie football and cat soap operas.” “It’s fast, easy and inexpensive to make this content,” allowing creators to profit while displacing quality material.

The trend harms both information quality and creative industries. Science fiction magazine Clarkesworld stopped accepting submissions due to AI writing floods, while Wikipedia battles low-quality AI content straining its moderation system. Beyond displacing legitimate creators, AI slop spreads misinformation even when obviously fake. “Piles of dreck degrading our media environment” now force users to stay vigilant against algorithmic manipulation designed purely for profit.

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