The Roundup with Alex Two: Volume 1, Issue 4

Maia Arson Crimew: the hacker that got so bored that she leaked the TSA no-fly list from 2019

I have been obsessed with this story since a friend of mine told me about it a few days ago: a freelance hacker posts on her bright pink, early 2000’s themed blog an image with the FBI’s no-fly list on her laptop screen and a Pokemon stuffed animal in her hand in front of the screen. Given it’s on an independent blog and the photo is too blurry to determine any clear words, it would be totally reasonable to doubt the legitimacy of whether she actually managed to leak the no-fly list. But the leak is real, though the list itself is outdated and not easily available to the public–you can only see the sensitive information if you can hack the database yourself! Maia Crimew “said she was exploring the servers as a way to combat boredom while sitting alone and didn’t intend to discover something with US national security implications,” but despite her initial motives, the contents of the files still have political implications. 

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Why is the March for Life still so fervent after the overturn of Roe?

The March for Life in Washington DC is back again this year, even after the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the subsequent triggering of abortion bans in various states. Clearly, though, there’s still support for a greater pro-life agenda. I mean, they even have a parade of bagpipe players. This time, the march walks to the Capitol building, implying a demand for anti-abortion laws to be passed on a national scale. 

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An analysis of right-leaning media’s obsession with M&M’s

Mars Wrigley is replacing M&M’s mascots–temporarily–with a real, live human being (former SNL cast member Maya Rudolf) because Tucker Carlson was upset by the brown M&M’s “sexy shoes.” Seriously. The company released a statement saying they were responding to the “polarizing” effect of the mascots’ shoes, though admittedly that polarization was a bit one-sided, as it was only discussed by right wing-media platforms using the candy brand as an indicator of “woke” debauchery. Most people, at least those who aren’t usually tuned in to Fox News, might not have even noticed this change, as pointed out by the article. Yet, the company still opts to bring the “issue” into what might be an actual limelight. This situation, while appearing quite mundane, indicates a non-negligible role reactionary conservative media plays, even, somehow, affecting the M&M’s mascots.

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DeSantis seeks to prevent the trial run of AP African American Studies in Florida high schools

Florida governor Ron DeSantis, after having already banned the teaching of “Critical Race Theory” in Florida public schools, aims to prevent the teaching of AP African American Studies on account of the course trying to “shoehorn in queer theory” for “political purposes.” Taking Black and queer perspectives out of mandatory grade and middle school teaching is already extreme, but the banning of entirely optional high school on the basis of indoctrination into a political agenda seems an absurd idea that ought to be impossible to defend. However, it seems unlikely that the class will get much circulation in Florida High Schools given the governor’s attitude.

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