**Today's News and Jokes**

The world of tech and politics has been buzzing with several interesting stories. But first, a hacker managed to gain control of 1,100 mobile phones on TikTok, using them to power AI-generated ads. He then shared the details of his operation with 404 Media.

This brings us to a startup called Doublespeed, which is backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). The company has been creating AI spam pages on TikTok to promote products. To evade detection, they use a bank of phones to emulate the behavior of real users.

[**Image:** A screenshot of Doublespeed's AI-generated ads on TikTok]

But what about Meta? According to internal documents, China is so central to their scam problem that they believe national holidays affect the level of fraud globally. During the "Golden Week" holiday in October, the rate of scams on Meta's platforms declines worldwide.

In other news, the Coast Guard has quietly implemented a policy downgrading nooses and swastikas from hate symbols to "potentially divisive." This move comes despite the acting commandant's directive that those symbols would be prohibited.

**Politics**

The Epstein Files are set to be released on Friday, which might explain why House Republicans have cancelled Congressional session for the day. Traders, however, are predicting a 79% chance of no conflict this year.

[**Image:** A graph showing the predicted likelihood of conflict]

But what about peace? Kalshi has filed forms to accept bets on who enters the NCAA Transfer Portal. Documents suggest that they might offer contracts as soon as Wednesday evening.

And in a surprising move, Amazon warehouse workers at one of the company's largest delivery stations walked off the job and announced their unionization campaign.

**Global Issues**

Mongolia is facing a crisis due to its cashmere industry. As brands market "sustainable" fiber, herders are struggling with debt, dying pastures, and a collapsing steppe.

[**Image:** A photo of Mongolian herders]

**Entertainment**

The Blazers have introduced a new defensive tradition called "The Box," where the best defensive player each night puts their name in THE BOX. Tiago Splitter explains how this works in the video below:

[**Video:** Tiago Splitter explaining "The Box"]

**Miscellaneous**

A journalist shared a hilarious anecdote about ordering food in the city and "the goblin tableau." They also mentioned seeing Who Framed Roger Rabbit on 35mm for the first time since its original release.