Weather Report #36: On fake AI freelance, the moral stains of the US, a surveillance nightmare in India and more...

Hello, dear reader! Welcome to your Weather Report, a weekly column where I recommend some articles, a book, a movie, and some music for readers to consume.

Here's what you're getting this week:

1. Read these three articles I wrote recently.
2. Essays, articles, and columns about: the tale of a fake AI freelance writer, the many moral stains on the U.S., and a nightmare surveillance scenario in India.
3. One of the best explorations of nationalism ever put to paper.
4. Start the holidays off right by watching this movie.
5. The album I've been waiting to listen to for over a decade.

If you're interested in seeing the recommendations – and supporting Heavy Weather's quest to keep tabs on collapse – you can become a paid subscriber by clicking the button below. Paid subscribers get access to the MEDIA LIST, a comprehensive list of every book, movie, and video game I've ever recommended. If you're already a paid subscriber, thank you very much! This newsletter would literally not be possible without your support.

What I Did These Past Three Weeks:

I've written multiple stories since the last Weather Report, but here is my favourite one: a deep dive through public records that reveals ICE has access to more Puerto Rico Department of Transportation data than was previously publicly known. It's not really clear to me how they have access to this data yet — whether it was obtained by ICE as part of a previous data request or whether they have passive access to it through a data sharing agreement — but it is even more evidence that the Puerto Rican government is trying to be sneaky about collaborating with ICE.

ICE Arrests Aided by Puerto Rico Vehicle Registration Data

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has access to a database containing Puerto Rican vehicle registration data, including license plates and owner information, according to federal court records reviewed by The Latino Newsletter.

The Latino NewsletterCarlos Berríos Polanco

You can read the other two stories here:

United States to Order a Year’s Worth of Food for Troops in Puerto Rico

As President Donald Trump weighs possible military action against Venezuela and the United States amasses the largest presence in the Caribbean in over 35 years, the Department of Defense (DoD) is planning to issue a multimillion-dollar contract for a year’s worth of food for troops in Puerto Rico, according to a procurement record reviewed by The Latino Newsletter.

The Latino NewsletterCarlos Berríos Polanco

Changes to Puerto Rico Law Threaten Transparency and Democracy

A new bill already passed in Puerto Rico’s Senate and House threatens to drastically change government transparency for the worse, lengthening wait times, declaring information confidential, and revealing requestors’ identities. Advocates say the changes are a threat to transparency and democracy in the archipelago.

The Latino NewsletterCarlos Berríos Polanco

That's it for this week's free stuff. If you want to see the media recommendations and the link roundup, you can become a paid subscriber today.