? Jack Dorsey: social media is robbing us of free will

The 21st century’s Grigori Rasputin has issued another apocalyptic warning about social media. Speaking at the 16th annual Oslo Freedom Forum yesterday, Twitter founder Jack Dorsey described the free speech debate as a “distraction”. Rather, the “real debate” should be about “free will”.

“We are being programmed based on what we say we are interested in,” he said. “As we engage and interact with this content, the algorithm continues to build more and more of this bias. It’s effectively a black box — you can’t predict how it’s going to work or what it’s going to show you.”

Dorsey argued that the only way to combat the problem was to “give people choice and let people build their own algorithms”. Even Elon Musk, now the CEO of X, agreed. Anyone here good at coding?

? Tories slip to third among pensioners

Amid Rishi Sunak’s polling woes, there was apparently one ray of greying light: the support of Britain’s pensioners, who would of course be won over his “quadruple lock” on pensions and calls for a return to national service. Okay, maybe Labour has hoovered up elderly voters, but at least the Conservatives can count on being a comfortable second for the age group.

A new poll from Redfield and Wilton would suggest otherwise, however. The findings show that Reform UK has moved into second place behind Labour in both the 55-64 and 65+ age brackets, with the Tories sitting on just 14% and 17% for the groups, respectively. That’s less than half the Labour figure in both cases, while Reform are five points ahead of Sunak’s party among those aged 55-64. You’ve got nothing to lose, Rishi: court the Zoomer vote.


? Bukele warns Democrats about persecuting Trump

Days after buddying up with Donald Trump Jr, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has warned Democrats that their legal pursuit of Trump Sr may backfire. In a new hour-long interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, mixed in with spirited discussion about child sacrifice and God’s role as an economic adviser, Bukele suggested that former president Trump’s court ordeal has gifted him “the greatest campaign ever”.

While Trump’s name wasn’t explicitly used, Carlson asked what advice El Salvador’s President would give to “another former democratically elected leader seeking office who is facing jail time”. As viewers racked their brains as to who he might mean, Bukele suggested of this hypothetical leader that “if there’s no [official] way to stop him from competing in the election, all the things that they do to him will just give him more votes”.

He added: “They’re making a huge mistake.” Democrats accusing their nemesis of being an autocrat will have to contend with him receiving support from the “world’s coolest dictator”...