The joy of sects
France experiences a third weekend of large protests. Some of Germany’s Gen Z protests turn violent after dark. / Le Monde, DW
Amid all the different groups protesting, there’s “a sense of ‘my crisis is more important than your crisis.’” / BBC News
What is the difference between a “blue wave” and “blue tsunami”—and other questions for elections week in the United States. / Wake Up to Politics
Political analysts address whether polls are overestimating Democrats’ chances. / The New York Times [$]
A Democratic Congresswoman in Michigan endorsing the Republican candidate for Senate smacks of Islamophobia. / CBS News
Elmira Bayrasli: This is hardly the first time that Americans have questioned whether a religious minority belongs in the halls of power. / Interruptrr
A defense contractor at the Pentagon connected their personal coding agent to secure systems and no one noticed for two months. / WIRED
What would need to happen for us to leave today’s internet behind? Ten ideas, from “democracy” to overthrowing telecom and TCP. / Tech Policy Press
“Precarious life allows algorithmic wages and algorithmic prices to meet.” A profile of one low-wage worker. / Dissent
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If you wondered what investor Marc Andreessen meant when he said there is a sex cult aiming to dictate AI policy in the US, here is a very long, detailed article about that. / Very Sane AI Newsletter
Unrelated: An Italian tailor who makes vestments for the Vatican also sells sex-inspired perfumes like “Cruising” and “Quickie and Coffee.” / Dazed
In this week’s questionable style reporting, the “scene kids” are said to return, but now it’s also about “SoCal deathcore revival.” / Huck
Which band from the 2010s is most likely to be “a group that a money-hungry executive would dream up if they had the chance?” The numbers say Imagine Dragons. / Stat Significant
Kimi Antonelli becomes the youngest Formula One world champion. “Mercedes developed the boy from Bologna until he could plug into the car like a living, breathing, custom part.” / ESPN, The Wall Street Journal [$]
A photo tour of a desert house shaped like an avocado. / Wallpaper*
A man explains what it’s been like to purchase and restore a ghost town almost singlehandedly. “I moved here in my early thirties. I’ll be 40 next year. The weight of that sometimes hits.” / Outside