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Mike Lissner

@michaeljaylissner.com
1K followers 197 following 2.2K posts

Executive director and co-founder of @free.law. Occasional long distance athlete. Woodworker. Adroitful dodger of questions. Signal: mlissner.06

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Reposted by Mike Lissner
William Bendix @williambendix.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
"Ask the abliterated model how to make a bomb; a detailed response is forthcoming. Ask the tool how to develop a new pathogen to distribute in the food supply chain? No problem. Ask how to convince someone to join an extremist organization? Of course, it can do that."
lawfaremedia.org
The AI Threat We’re Not Talking About
AI employees are raising concerns about an extinction-level event. But there’s a more immediate threat.
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Mike Lissner @michaeljaylissner.com · 22h
Welp, this is our last open API endpoint, I think, so hopefully the last time this happens. Yay?
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Mike Lissner @michaeljaylissner.com · 29/09/2026
Firefox has an adblocker on iOS now: blog.mozilla.org/en/firefox/a...
blog.mozilla.org
Reduce clutter and distractions with Ad Blocker for Firefox on iOS | The Mozilla Blog
There’s only so much room on your screen. Pop-ups, overlays, and ads can take over fast, getting between you and what you came to do. That’s where
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Reposted by Mike Lissner
Scott MacFarlane @macfarlanenews.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
THERE IT IS: Group of January 6 riot defendants have filed each filed federal civil lawsuits in DC seeking taxpayer-funded compensatory and punitive damages for alleged violations of their righrs They claim they were "targeted..and punished" for "protected expressive" activity
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Free Law Project ⚖ @free.law · 26/09/2026
Today we completed our first end-to-end pipeline: - Scan case law book - Partition book into decision PDFs - Auto-redact headnotes etc - Review redactions - Extract using OCR ensemble - Label metadata - Convert to XML Easy-peasy.
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Steve Vladeck @stevevladeck.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
"How to piss off a judge you appointed (and who issued a relatively modest ruling) in three easy steps."
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Patrick De Haan @gasbuddyguy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
diesel prices are now over $3/gal HIGHER than a year ago in: California +$3.28/gal Michigan +$3.22/gal Ohio +$3.13/gal Indiana +$3.13/gal Wisconsin +$3.12/gal Illinois +3.09/gal KY, WV, MO and SD are getting closer.
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Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
My Spanish is not good, nor was his English, so couldn’t really understand what was happening beyond the basics. I gave him all the cash I had on me, saying (I hope) “for a lawyer and your family.” And told him how sorry I was.
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Peter Sagal @petersagal.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
In an Uber. Driver having loud phone conversation with someone in Spanish. A little annoying, but it happens. He hangs up. Says, “Mi hermano. La Migra.” And starts weeping.
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Justin Baragona @justinbaragona.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Welp. According to Semafor, David Ellison has discussed bringing Elon Musk on as an investor in Paramount's merger with Warner Bros., which could mean Musk could have a stake in CBS News and CNN. www.semafor.com/article/09/2...
semafor.com
Exclusive: Paramount weighs tapping Musk for equity investment
A cash injection from SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk could reduce investor Larry Ellison’s financial burden and bolster the deal’s investor base.
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Mike Lissner @michaeljaylissner.com · 23/09/2026
Even hitmakers sometimes miss. The same person who came up with enshitification also came up with “reverse centaur.”
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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 22/09/2026
Six Nobel laureate economists, including our chief economist @josephestiglitz.bsky.social and senior fellow @pkrugman.bsky.social, are backing California’s billionaire tax. They argue a vote in the state with more billionaires than any other could help kick-start wealth taxes nationwide.
ft.com
Nobel economists throw support behind California billionaire tax
Progressive laureates say November ballot measure could ‘start reining in the power’ of ultra-wealthy
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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 22/09/2026
IT IS TIME. buff.ly/pykYN6f
buff.ly
It’s Decorative Gourd Season, Motherfuckers
For the seventeenth year: Welcome to autumn, fuckheads.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
12/ Here’s a crazy part: Kao told the FBI that the company’s government work was of no real value. Its research under his stewardship resulted in products Navatek knew the military would never buy, former employees said. One example: This 3D-printed boat Collins is posing with 👇
Sen. Susan Collins, wearing a blue suit and red shirt, stands in front of a 3D-printed boat while holding a broken champagne bottle during a publicity event. The boat has the University of Maine logo and is emblazoned with the text "3Dirigo." Behind Collins are a group of applauding people, including a woman holding a Guinness World Records plaque.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
11/ Even Navatek’s executives were surprised at how far their money went in D.C. “It was eye-opening for me, frankly. ‘Oh my God, all of it is for sale. It’s all for sale,’” former executive Eric Schiff said.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
7/ But then, Kao got caught. The FBI had seen through his shell company ruse, and in 2022 a grand jury indicted him for making illegal campaign contributions. No one working for Collins was charged.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
6/ Weeks later, Kao tells his team Collins committed to getting the company $32M in naval contracts.
A check for $150,000 to 1820 PAC, a pro-Collins super PAC, from the Society of Young Women Scientist and Engineers.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
5/ Kao wants assurance Collins would know he was behind it, and according to Kao, Reed confirms that she would. Seven days after the super PAC cashes the check, one of Reed’s subordinates emails a Navatek lobbyist: “Senator Collins would like to call Martin to thank him.”
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
4/ To skirt campaign finance laws and conceal the source of the funds, Navatek’s CEO, Martin Kao, sends an initial $150K to the pro-Collins super PAC (1820 PAC) using a shell company. Reed knows Kao is behind the donation. “Very smart,” he says in an email viewed by ProPublica.
Emails Between Martin Kao and Scott Reed, Discussing Contributions to the Susan Collins Super PAC, 1820 PAC

“Hi Scott: Had a chance to discuss 1820 with my CFO and attorney last night. They are suggesting setting up a separate new LLC to make the donations. Name of new LLC: Society of Young Women Scientists and Engineers.

In my personal real estate investments, we often use LLCs that can be set up to "facilitate" transactions. They are super vague and very difficult to get any background info on. Totally legal and typically used in real estate transactions to conceal the identity of buyer/seller. Wanted to get your thoughts/concerns.”
— email from Martin Kao to Scott Reed, Nov. 22, 2019

“Very smart and glad your counsel understands. Thanks for doing this.”
— email from Scott Reed to Martin Kao, Nov. 22, 2019

“Great! We will proceed on getting this set up ASAP. Have a nice weekend.”
— email from Martin Kao to Scott Reed, Nov. 22, 2019
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
3/ This is risky. Government contractors are banned from making political contributions. For the company to offer donations to Collins in exchange for an official action, or for Collins to accept, would constitute criminal bribery.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 22/09/2026
Sen. Susan Collins helped steer millions in federal defense contracts to Navatek, whose CEO illegally funneled thousands of dollars to her campaign. The FBI sought to launch a probe and was eyeing Collins and other lawmakers. Then Trump gutted the unit in charge. THREAD 🧵
Martin Kao, CEO of defense contractor Navatek, poses next to Sen. Susan Collins for a photo. Collins is holding a model of a boat in her hands. Behind them is a large sign with the Navatek logo.
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Mike Lissner @michaeljaylissner.com · 22/09/2026
This is, quite simply, and probably literally, a ton of work.
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Mike Lissner @michaeljaylissner.com · 21/09/2026
I'm looking for lawyers that practice at the Delaware Chancery court. DM me?
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Bill Kuchman @billkuchman.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Say the line …
The say the line simpsons meme with Bart saying national security
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Scott Nover @scottnover.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
BREAKING: TV pool will not be providing coverage of presidential events until further notice b/c of CNN's ban, pool chair and FOX News Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton said. It's effectively a boycott by the fellow members — ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX: www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...
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Josh Gerstein @joshgerstein.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
UPDATE: The suit is live storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
storage.courtlistener.com
#1 in CABLE NEWS NETWORK, INC. v. TRUMP (D.D.C., 1:26-cv-03287) – CourtListener.com
COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF against Steven Cheung, DONALD J. TRUMP, SUSAN WILES ( Filing fee $ 405 receipt number ADCDC-12686613) filed by Betsy Klein, POLITICO LLC, MS NOW Cable, ...
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Nate Raymond @nateraymond.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
We tallied 75 cases in which federal district court judges ruled against the Trump administration's actions on the grounds that it was violating the plaintiffs' First Amendment rights.
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Gizmodo @gizmodo.com · 18/09/2026
FBI Warns ICE Agents Not to Trust Any Woman Willing to Date Them
gizmodo.com
FBI Warns ICE Agents Not to Trust Any Woman Willing to Date Them
ICE officers on dating apps should be wary of tradwives, an FBI memo suggested, as well as any woman whose profile would "appeal" to them.
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Jason Leopold @jasonleopold.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
HUGE EXCLUSIVE from @bloomberg.com Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School Pentagon investigators discovered that flawed intel, outdated imagery & overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab 🎁 www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...
bloomberg.com
Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School
Pentagon investigators have discovered that flawed intelligence, outdated imagery and an overreliance on AI contributed to a missile strike that killed 123 children in Minab.
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Mike Lissner @michaeljaylissner.com · 18/09/2026
What's fun about this article is that you can single-shot it into Claude and get a quick bit of security boost: "Make a PR to do this blog post..."
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Nicolas Hénin @nicolashenin.net · 17/09/2026
Nice campaign by the Norwegian Consumer Council about the declining lifespan of products. Enjoy!
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Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
BREAKING: Human rights and anti-war organizations are launching a campaign to demand the top Biden officials who promoted or lied about the Gaza genocide be boxed out from future Democratic administrations and other liberal spaces. Rashida Tlaib & Chris Rabb signed on. More expected to join.
zeteo.com
EXCLUSIVE: Biden’s Genocide Accomplices Targeted by New Accountability Campaign
#DroptheGenocide20 demands Biden admin aides who enabled the Gaza genocide not be given roles in liberal spaces – like the role it turns out JD Vance pursued in 2016, when he ‘hated’ Trump.
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Nate Raymond @nateraymond.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
New: The U.S. federal judiciary is working to develop fresh guidance for judges on the use of generative AI in court operations, with an aim to make new recommendations within the next year, a judge tasked with assessing the ​emerging technology said on Thursday. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
reuters.com
US judiciary developing new guidance on courts' use of AI
The US federal judiciary is working to develop fresh guidance for judges on the use of generative AI in court operations, with an aim to make new recommendations within the next year, a judge tasked w...
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Mike Lissner @michaeljaylissner.com · 18/09/2026
This is a really great article by @qsteenhuis.bsky.social about the impacts of AI in relation to other things we do all the time and with open eyes about who feels the impacts: suffolklitlab.org/how-should-p...
suffolklitlab.org
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Mike Lissner @michaeljaylissner.com · 18/09/2026
So this is news, but the larger news is news to me and we need to get it out still!
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Adam Johnson @adamj.eu · 16/09/2026
✍️ New post on serving the change password well-known URL in Django Add this one redirect and two tests (you won't believe #2) to make your site more user-friendly for users with compromised passwords. adamj.eu/tech/2026/09... #Django #Security
adamj.eu
Django: serve the change password well-known URL - Adam Johnson
When a password manager detects that a user’s password has been leaked or reused, it can prompt them to change it, but the password change URL varies by site. The web’s answer to such discovery proble...
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The Oaklandside @oaklandside.org · 15/09/2026
Sources say muriatic acid and chlorine were spewed into the pool during a swim last Thursday. Oakland leaders have yet to explain what happened.
oaklandside.org
Temescal Pool swimmers go to hospital with chemical injuries
Sources say muriatic acid and chlorine were spewed into the pool during a swim last Thursday. Oakland leaders have yet to explain what happened.
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Monteiro @monteiro.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Hello. They are going to try to fuck with your vote, and we are NOT going to let them. Last week I pinged my friend Dana Chisnell, who knows how elections work, and said "Hey, let’s make it hard for them to fuck with us.” Today, we are very proud to announce the HOW TO VOTE zine. howtovote.tips
howtovote.tips
How to Vote / Cómo Votar
A free field guide to what stops people from voting, and what to do about it. English and Spanish, ready to print.
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Nate Raymond @nateraymond.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
New: @apnews.com today sued the U.S. federal judiciary to challenge the constitutionality of a rule that has restricted reporters' ability to easily access lawsuits by people detained as part of President ​Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. www.reuters.com/legal/govern...
reuters.com
AP sues to challenge limits on access to US lawsuits by immigration detainees
The Associated Press sued the U.S. federal judiciary on Tuesday to challenge the constitutionality of a rule that has restricted reporters' ability to easily access lawsuits by people detained as part...
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Chris Whong @chriswhong.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Just gave it a permanent URL on my personal website! chriswhong.com/whongs-law/
chriswhong.com
Whong's Law — Chris Whong
Whong's Law: every government agency, everywhere, is working on a
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Orin Kerr @orinkerr.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Evidentiary hearing to be held in N.D. Cal on how Flock cameras work to help w/ suppression motion. (In the old days, there would be a DOJ team of lawyers strategizing on the govt side of this, to counter the civil liberties groups doing the same, but I don't know if DOJ works that way any more.)
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Mike Lissner @michaeljaylissner.com · 14/09/2026
If you're already working in AI all day and if you've come to trust the AI assistants to do things for you, connectors are wildly cool. I get email notifications from CourtListener so my fave example was a prompt that pulled dozens of emails from my inbox and then analyzed them against the CL API.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 14/09/2026
NEW: Donald Trump Jr.’s Bahamas Wedding Was Secretly Bankrolled by Russian Oligarch Close to Putin Umar Kremlev footed the bill for hundreds of thousands of dollars of wedding expenses at Donald Trump Jr.’s lavish wedding, including renting out a private island and paying for the fireworks show.
propublica.org
Donald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch
The oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large...
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Terence Tao @teorth.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
A group of 25 Fields Medalists, including myself, have made a joint declaration on Math and AI: mathandai.org . We welcome additional signatories. See also this article in the Economist announcing the declaration: www.economist.com/science-and-...
mathandai.org
Declaration — Math and AI
Read the declaration and add your name.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 11/09/2026
Trump: "Please right your right hand. I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States. That loves us so much he can't even breath. That I will go out with my family, my friends, I'll do it any way - I don't care if I'm registered or not, I'm going to try to cheat like hell..."
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Orin Kerr @orinkerr.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Next year, perhaps incoming law students will receive a packet with their assigned post-graduation jobs, any clerkships, etc. all as part of 1L orientation. www.thecrimson.com/article/2026...
thecrimson.com
Harvard Law School Moves Up Recruiting Timeline for First-Year Students | The Harvard Crimson
Harvard Law School moved up the date when private-sector law firms may begin accepting first-year students’ applications for summer jobs by one month this summer, while also rolling out career program...
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Ted Underwood @tedunderwood.com · 10/09/2026
Heads-up everyone in digital humanities and/or cultural AI: this is a hugely valuable resource. It does the systematic cleaning and segmentation — of a million books — that we have always wanted to have, for computational research, and have never quite produced in a way that stuck.
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Patrick De Haan @gasbuddyguy.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
MAXXED OUT at $9.999!! GasBuddy data showing 5 stations in California that have hit the limit and are selling diesel at the dispensers highest possible price: $9.999/gal
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Alex Attinson @alexatt.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Y2K but for gas pumps.
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Luis Villa @lu.is · 09/09/2026
Lots of devil in the details of course but this seems like a very reasonable way to drive demand for clean power, putting the cost on entities that can certainly bear it.
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