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While I focus on Technology, Innovation, and Publishing, because I have a platform, I also flag items that I think are important. I also try to include some resources & opportunities. Please let me know what you think.

Important Items

Trump administration launches plan to dismantle Education Department

The Education Department’s office of elementary and secondary education, as well as its postsecondary education office, will move to the Labor Department.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/11/18/trump-administration-sets-out-massive-education-department-restructuring-plan-00656464

Nursing is not a ‘professional degree’ amidst student loan changes

Students pursuing nursing, architecture, accounting, occupational therapy, physical therapy, special education, public health, social work and more may face student loan caps because they are not considered professional degrees – this means they may not be able to afford to pursue those studies. “At a time when healthcare in our country faces a historic nurse shortage and rising demands, limiting nurses’ access to funding for graduate education threatens the very foundation of patient care. In many communities across the country, particularly in rural and underserved areas, advanced practice registered nurses ensure access to essential, high-quality care that would otherwise be unavailable.”

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2025/11/21/what-considered-professional-degree-explained/87396245007/

A Victory for IMLS as Court Blocks Trump’s Attempt to Dismantle Agency

Some good news! In a summary judgment in Rhode Island v. Trump, the judge ruled that the Trump administration’s attempt to shut down the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), along with other federal agencies, was illegal and unconstitutional. The ruling permanently enjoins the administration “from taking any future actions to implement, give effect to, comply with, or carry out the directives contained in the Reduction EO with respect to IMLS.”

https://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/story/Victory-IMLS-Court-Blocks-Trumps-Attempt-Dismantle-Agency

Technology

The Company Quietly Funneling Paywalled Articles to AI Developers

ICYMI Common Crawl opened a backdoor for AI cos to train models w paywalled articles from major news websites and appear to be lying to publishers—as well as masking the contents of its archives. “You shouldn’t have put your content on the internet if you didn’t want it to be on the internet,” Common Crawl’s executive director says.

https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/2025/11/common-crawl-ai-training-data/684567/

Dow Jones starts paying publishers for content used for AI summaries

Dow Jones, parent to Wall Street Journal, started to pay its 7,500 publishers for their content when used within its Factiva content marketplace for generative AI summaries.

https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-media-trends-f0b45990-c3ba-11f0-9376-31637aed006c.html

Fox News hires Palantir to build AI newsroom tools

About a year ago, Fox News hired Palantir to essentially “build a digital twin” of its business, mirroring the workflows, data, tools & systems the company uses to produce and publish its digital journalism

https://www.axios.com/2025/11/18/fox-news-palantir-ai-newsroom-tools

AI insights from a media roundtable

HT @BoSacks From ‘content is king’ to community and connection as the moat, News as a services business with diversified revenue, Operating model: tech‑first, partnership‑heavy and pressed for speed

https://www.editorandpublisher.com/stories/ai-insights-from-a-media-roundtable,258470

AI Transformation and ROI: Bottom-up trap, top-down fantasy

Interesting food for thought from @neilperkin: Companies often fall foul of a ‘bottom-up trap’ where local experiments stay siloed and struggle to scale beyond pockets of enthusiasm, efforts lack alignment with enterprise priorities limiting impact and investment, early adopters risk burnout without visible leadership support and so momentum fizzles as pilots fail to embed into workflows or decision-making. Equally the ‘top-down fantasy’ happens when senior leaders announce grand visions without a grounding in practical use cases, strategies assume compliance and overlook frontline realities and adoption barriers, cultural resistance grows when employees feel imposed upon rather than involved, and transformation plans stall when rhetoric outpaces capability building.

https://onlydeadfish.co.uk/2025/11/20/ai-transformation-and-roi-bottom-up-trap-top-down-fantasy/

Meta Aims To Protect Creator-Made Reels From Unauthorized Duplication

Content-protection tech continuously scans Facebook & Instagram for Reels matching at least part of creator’s original Facebook post. Notices include views & account’s follower count.

https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/410755/meta-aims-to-protect-creator-made-reels-from-unaut.html

Fei-Fei Li’s World Labs speeds up the world model race w Marble

World Labs launching its 1st commercial world model product. Marble lets users turn text prompts, photos, videos, 3D layouts, or panoramas into editable, downloadable 3D environments. World models are AI systems that generate an internal representation of an environment, and can be used to predict future outcomes and plan actions.

https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/12/fei-fei-lis-world-labs-speeds-up-the-world-model-race-with-marble-its-first-commercial-product/

IBM unveils 2 quantum processors — including a blueprint for fault-tolerant quantum computing by 2029

Scientists at IBM created two new quantum processing units (QPUs) they say will take them a step closer to achieving quantum advantage by next year — and a fully fault-tolerant quantum computer by 2029. Quantum Nighthawk can process quantum calculations 30% more complex than anything the company’s previous QPU (R2 Heron) could handle. Fault tolerant means the quantum computers can self-detect and correct all errors in real time.

https://www.livescience.com/technology/computing/ibm-unveils-two-new-quantum-processors-including-one-that-offers-a-blueprint-for-fault-tolerant-quantum-computing-by-2029

The Asian Billionaires Riding The Data Center Boom

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jonathanburgos/2025/11/05/the-asian-billionaires-riding-the-data-center-boom/

TikTok Shop Is Now the Size of eBay

HT @benedictevans TikTok’s ecommerce arm has kept growing steadily, despite tariffs and never-ending debates over whether the platform should be banned.

https://www.wired.com/story/tiktok-shop-sales-global-ecommerce/

Robots eating other robots: The benefits of machine metabolism

There may be a moment where having a third arm would really save your life, but you can’t grow one. A robot, given enough time, won’t have that problem.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2025/07/robots-eating-other-robots-the-benefits-of-machine-metabolism/

The World’s First AI Dating Café Is Opening In NYC This December

EVA AI Café is a pop-up heading to New York City designed for people to enjoy a romantic date…with their AI companions.

https://secretnyc.co/worlds-first-ai-dating-cafe-opening-nyc-december/

Publishing & Media

Authors dumped from New Zealand’s top book prize after AI used in cover designs

Ockham Book Awards dropped two titles from contention after new guidelines introduced on artificial intelligence use

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/18/authors-dumped-from-new-zealands-top-book-prize-after-ai-used-in-cover-designs

How would-be authors were fooled by AI staff & virtual offices in suspected global publishing scam

Book publishing websites in Australia, UK & New Zealand appear to have fake testimonials and AI staff pages to lure aspiring writers into handing over money

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/nov/17/authors-writers-caught-in-global-ai-publishing-scam

Publishing’s Survival Depends on Data, Says Elsevier Chairman

HT @BoSacks

https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99063-publishing-s-survival-depends-on-data-says-elsevier-chairman-y-s-chi.html

Forbes launches dynamic AI paywall as it ramps up post-search commercial diversification plans

Forbes launches dynamic AI paywall to unlock new paying subscribers who were difficult to reach:It learns from reader behavior + adjusts in real time to show right offer to right person at right moment, instead of everyone getting same “subscribe now” msg

https://digiday.com/media/forbes-launches-dynamic-ai-paywall-as-it-ramps-up-post-search-commercial-diversification-plans/

What’s New in Publishing for November 2025

HT @BoSacks

https://nearviewmedia.com/wnip-2025-november/

A book vending machine provides an outlet for D.C.-area authors after funding cuts

HT @inkbitspixels

https://www.npr.org/2025/10/16/g-s1-93546/litbox-dc-literature

Cool Idea: Sheraton Boston Hotel’s Goodnight Moon Suite

https://www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?issue=5112#m69633

Resources & Opportunities

Bursting the Blue-Red Bubbles

Swipe left on divisiveness. Join Women’s Media Group for a luncheon at Red Rooster Harlem as Karine Jean-Pierre opens the book on America’s fractured system. RSVP now! 12/4 at noon.

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6406290

WMG Member Social with WMG Co-Presidents

12/16 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET. WMG members only. FREE (Zoom)

Join WMG Co-Presidents Jodi Brockington and Jane Wesman for a virtual Member Social, a community-building celebration for all WMG members. We strongly encourage members based outside of New York to join us. This isn’t just another Zoom meeting; it’s a chance to pause, connect, and invest in your professional community. We’ll begin with a warm welcome from WMG’s leadership, then move into facilitated breakout sessions where you’ll introduce yourself, highlight a current goal or challenge, and meet peers whose skills or interests might align with yours. Afterwards, we’ll bring everyone back together for a wrap-up where we’ll share resources, upcoming WMG programs, and ways to stay engaged—whether you’re seeking a mentor, offering support to someone else, or exploring a new idea. The result? A stronger connection to WMG’s thriving network and fresh momentum for your next act in media.

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6429132

The Art of Being Irreplaceable: Creativity in the Age of AI

1/22, 12:00-1:00 p.m. ET. Free for WMG members; $15 for non-members (Zoom)

Are you afraid that AI is going to take your job? Yes—we all are! Yet one truth remains: artificial intelligence can mimic style, but it can’t replicate soul. Join Women’s Media Group for a thought-provoking session with award-winning author Jane K. Cleland, whose new book, Beat the Bots: A Writer’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Age of AI, offers a roadmap for writers determined to stay both relevant and inspired. Guided by acclaimed publishing expert Jane Friedman, Cleland will share practical exercises to nurture imagination, spark original thinking, and resist creative conformity. Expect practical creativity boosters, encouragement to take risks, and a renewed sense of purpose in your storytelling journey. It’s not about resisting technology—it’s about harnessing what only humans can do.

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6429044

WMG Comedy Night: Smart Laughs, Big Energy

1/27 6pm (VIP Reception) | 7:15 pm General Admission

Get ready for a night of fearless, full-throttle comedy with Women’s Media Group, celebrating women who rule the mic and the moment. Featuring Sarah Cooper, Ophira Eisenberg, and Phoebe Robinson — plus more comedians to be announced — this live show brings together some of the funniest and most fearless voices in entertainment. Bring friends, bring your sense of humor, and get ready to laugh, connect, and unwind with WMG. Reserve your spot today — general admission seats will go fast!

https://womensmediagroup.org/event-6425404

Emerging Voices & Visions

Join 5 Penguin Young Readers editors for the Fall 2025 Emerging Voices & Visions event about revision. This is a free online webinar designed to demystify one of the most essential steps in publishing: reimagining, reshaping, and refining your work. This event is part of Penguin Young Readers’ ongoing Emerging Voices & Visions initiative, created to support unpublished and early-career writers and artists, including those from historically underrepresented communities. #teamPRH

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/emerging-voices-visions-fall-2025-revision-tickets-1963618807713

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