Farmers’ loyalty to Trump frays in the absence of any real incentive to vote

Farmers’ loyalty to Trump frays in the absence of any real incentive to vote

The New York Times reports: Economic anxieties are testing the loyalty of rural voters to the Republican Party, expanding the electoral battlefield into some of the most traditionally conservative districts across the nation and raising Democratic hopes. For a decade, farmers and ranchers have been a core part of President Trump’s coalition, voting for him by double-digit margins in all three of his presidential races. But as the impact of his tariffs and the war in Iran fuel discontent in…

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Obama denounces Trump administration’s legal threats against Rep. Ilhan Omar

Obama denounces Trump administration’s legal threats against Rep. Ilhan Omar

Axios reports: Former President Barack Obama issued a forceful denunciation of the Trump administration’s legal pursuit of Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar over suspicions she fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship decades ago, an allegation the Minnesota lawmaker has called “disgusting lies.” Why it matters: Obama — who faced false claims for years from Donald Trump that he wasn’t an American citizen — is selective about when he weighs in on political issues or the president. His decision to speak out reflects his…

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Vance considers the standard way out of politics — more time with his family

Vance considers the standard way out of politics — more time with his family

The New York Post reports: Vice President JD Vance revealed “there’s a chance” he won’t run for president in 2028 — and second lady Usha and the couple’s four young kids could help make the decision for him. Vance — the frontrunner to succeed Trump as Republican nominee — acknowledged during a CBS News town hall in Michigan that he could sit-out the next election. “Of course there’s a chance,” Vance said. “We’ve got four little kids, my wife has…

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‘We are suffocating’: Protests spread to Lisbon and Milan as housing and living cost tensions intensify

‘We are suffocating’: Protests spread to Lisbon and Milan as housing and living cost tensions intensify

The Guardian reports: The angry protests that have convulsed Spain and France in recent weeks have spilled over to Italy and Portugal, with rioters clashing with police and setting property on fire in Milan, and a tent encampment springing up in Lisbon over the weekend. A march in central Milan on Saturday to protest against rising living costs began peacefully but ended with masked rioters throwing stones, paving blocks and other objects at riot police and setting fire to barricades…

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How the climate crisis has fueled the youth protests roiling France

How the climate crisis has fueled the youth protests roiling France

Inside Climate News reports: By the time Cléo made it to Greek class, she had gone completely pale. It was a Wednesday in June during France’s second consecutive heat wave this year, and the 16-year-old was struggling to cope with the rising temperatures. She pushed through, thinking she was just tired. But the following day at her sweltering high school on the eastern edge of Paris, nausea and a desperate thirst gripped her. The school nurse, recognizing the signs of…

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What are self-replicating ‘AI worms’, and why is Anthropic worried about them?

What are self-replicating ‘AI worms’, and why is Anthropic worried about them?

The Guardian reports: Warnings about what artificial intelligence might do in the future – together with alarming reports of what it has gotten up to already – are being issued so quickly that even security experts have difficulty triaging what to worry about. Yet a report this week from Anthropic’s offensive research team grabbed attention by describing a new, practical threat, one devoid of human characteristics or apocalyptic musings. The red team, as such internal testers are called, said it…

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Walking: Moving your body may help free your mind

Walking: Moving your body may help free your mind

Richard Sima writes: What do Albert Einstein, Virginia Woolf, Stephen King, Henry David Thoreau and Friedrich Nietzsche have in common? They all credit walking as essential for helping their creative thinking. Though walking may seem mundane, it has many health benefits, including improving longevity and making your brain younger. Research also shows that walking helps people come up with an essential ingredient for creativity. “It really helps you generate ideas, novel ideas, original ideas,” said Alex Thabane, a researcher at…

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Trump’s election interference is underway

Trump’s election interference is underway

Amanda Carpenter writes: Even though President Trump’s efforts to bend elections to his will have so far largely failed, don’t mistake defeat for retreat. The federal government’s highest power centers are working overtime to tilt the election in the administration’s favor. On Thursday, the Department of Justice sued California, accusing the state of harboring noncitizens on its voter rolls. The suit was filed forty-eight hours after DOJ mailed county election officials a password-protected thumb drive purportedly containing a list of…

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Zelenskyy says Trump is ‘rewarding Putin’ as he waives new Russia sanctions passed by Congress

Zelenskyy says Trump is ‘rewarding Putin’ as he waives new Russia sanctions passed by Congress

NBC News reports: President Donald Trump waived sweeping new sanctions against Russia passed by Congress, arguing in an executive order Friday that the move “is in the national interests of the United States.” Trump had signed the legislation, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., just last month. The bill took aim at Russia’s largest buyers of oil and gas, allowing the president to impose tariffs on goods from those countries, which may include China and India. Passed with…

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Russia has lost 1,562,970 troops in Ukraine since invasion

Russia has lost 1,562,970 troops in Ukraine since invasion

Kyiv Independent reports: Russia has lost 1,562,970 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on Oct. 17. The number includes 1,950 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day. According to the report, Russia has also lost 12,415 tanks, 25,554 armored combat vehicles, 163,883 vehicles and fuel tanks, 51,266 artillery systems, 2,221 multiple-launch rocket systems, 1,710 air defense systems, 449 aircraft, 356…

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Weak links start to show in AI borrowing

Weak links start to show in AI borrowing

The New York Times reports: Trillions of dollars in borrowed money have powered the A.I. boom. But now there is growing uncertainty around just how easily more money can be obtained — and how much of it will be paid back. Those questions burst into the forefront this week when investors rapidly lost confidence in one debt-laden data center company, CoreWeave. Prices of its bonds — the company has accrued $72 billion in liabilities to operate 51 data centers —…

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Is there an AI bubble?

Is there an AI bubble?

  The gargantuan bet on the future of A.I. is driving the U.S. stock market and economic growth. And the building of data centers is sucking up so many construction resources, it’s crowding out the construction of homes. The multitrillion-dollar question is: Will this bet pay off? Or is it a bubble, destined to burst and pull the economy down with it? Paul Kedrosky is a partner at SK Ventures, a fellow at M.I.T., and the author of a newsletter…

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Voters want more action on the climate crisis. Why are Democrats and Republicans staying silent?

Voters want more action on the climate crisis. Why are Democrats and Republicans staying silent?

The Guardian reports: Most Americans feel unease or alarm about the climate crisis and, in both red and blue states, want to know how political leaders are going to fix it. But in midterm election campaigns across the US, candidates have responded to this desire with near silence. People in the US have this year endured a record hot summer as well as soaring costs, equating to roughly $2,000 per household, in extra energy and mortgage payments, due to the…

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Rep. Ilhan Omar’s lawyers say authorities ignored judge’s restrictions on home search

Rep. Ilhan Omar’s lawyers say authorities ignored judge’s restrictions on home search

The Washington Post reports: Lawyers for Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) on Friday accused federal authorities of ignoring key restrictions that a judge placed on the search of the lawmaker’s D.C. residence this week and demanded the immediate return of all property seized from the home. In a letter sent to Justice Department prosecutors, attorneys Amy Jeffress and Joshua Matz condemned the investigation into Omar’s immigration history as a politically motivated attack on one of President Donald Trump’s chief critics, saying…

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