An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: In the immediate weeks before Muse's launch, Meta engineers found several security vulnerabilities in the company's viral AI agent product, at least one of which could have allowed malicious users to break outside of Muse's intended environment and access Meta's own sensitive databases and services, 404 Media has learned. The issues were so severe that they reached Mark Zuckerberg and staff worked overtime to fix them. These specific vulnerabilities were discovered before the launch of the product but required a multi-team "mad dash" to fix "a sudden spike in reported KVM escapes," according to an internal post by Meta executives to its core infrastructure team seen by 404 Media. In order for Muse to work, a user gives the AI agent access to various important services and accounts that they own. On Meta's end, each individual Muse instance runs on a kernel-based virtual machine, which connects to, but is supposed to be isolated from, Meta's own critical infrastructure. A "KVM escape," then, is when, through a security vulnerability, a Muse instance is able to escape from that virtual machine and interact with the system that runs it, or with other users' virtual machines.
According to a Meta source, as well as internal security documentation and internal posts viewed by 404 Media, at least one of the vulnerabilities could have allowed an outside attacker -- that is, a normal Muse user -- to access data in sensitive internal Meta databases. At least one of the vulnerabilities was related to an exploit found in Linux kernel-based virtual machine code in July. 4 Several of the vulnerabilities were in the underlying Linux virtualization software that Meta uses for Muse. The security issue was considered serious enough that it was raised to Mark Zuckerberg, and several different security teams worked nights and weekends in the leadup to launch to fix the issues. [...] The Meta source said they felt security teams were asked to push hot fixes to these bugs as quickly as possible and in a way that wouldn't delay Muse's launch, leading to what they described as "half-baked protections being rushed out to enable the launch. Many senior engineers believe it's inevitable we're going to have a massive data breach as a result of Hatch." Muse is called "Hatch" internally and in Meta's codebase.
President Trump sent $500 checks to some Affordable Care Act enrollees, while 20 million Medicare recipients will soon get $90 checks. Will they make a difference?
Bridgeville’s signature fall festival celebrates apples, scrapple and the agricultural traditions of western Sussex County as hometown producer RAPA marks its centennial.
By George D. Rotsch, Delaware LIVE
BRIDGEVILLE — Apples, scrapple and a century of local food history will come together this week as Bridgeville welcomes thousands of visitors for the 34th annual Apple-Scrapple Festival.
The festival officially opens Friday, Oct. 9, and continues Saturday, Oct. 10, filling downtown Bridgeville with food, carnival rides, music, hundreds of crafters and vendors, contests and some traditions that are difficult to find anywhere else — including a ladies’ skillet toss and an invitational scrapple sling.
This year also brings a milestone particularly appropriate for a festival with “scrapple” in its name: Bridgeville-based RAPA Scrapple is celebrating its 100th anniversary.
Ralph and Paul Adams started the company in Bridgeville in 1926, combining their first names to create RAPA. The company continues to operate from its Bridgeville production facility and says it is the leading-selling scrapple producer in the United States.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, RAPA will hold a special Scrapple Centennial Serving at its gate entrance on Cannon Street. The ticketed event is scheduled to include scrapple smash burgers, scrapple tacos, a scrapple breakfast bake and even scrapple cinnamon buns.
What exactly is scrapple?
For people who didn’t grow up in Delaware, Maryland or southeastern Pennsylvania, the festival’s second namesake may require some explanation.
Scrapple is traditionally made by cooking pork trimmings and other edible parts of the hog, grinding the meat and combining it with broth, cornmeal or buckwheat and seasonings. The mixture is formed into a loaf, chilled, sliced and fried — ideally, devotees will argue, until crisp on the outside while remaining soft inside.
The food’s roots go back much farther than Bridgeville.
Scrapple developed from German pork dishes brought to Pennsylvania by German-speaking settlers commonly known as the Pennsylvania Dutch. The German predecessor, called panhas or by similar names, dates to at least the 16th century. In America, ingredients such as cornmeal were incorporated into the recipe, creating the food that became known as scrapple by the early 1800s.
Like many traditional farm foods, scrapple was born from practicality. Families who butchered a hog wanted to use every edible part rather than waste food. Meat remaining after cuts such as ham, bacon and sausage were prepared could be combined with inexpensive grain to produce another food capable of feeding a family.
The tradition eventually became deeply associated with the Mid-Atlantic, particularly Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland.
Bridgeville makes a festival of it
The Apple-Scrapple Festival itself dates to 1992, when Bridgeville residents began looking for a way to promote their town and western Sussex County’s agricultural industry.
They found their theme almost literally in their backyard.
Apples were grown nearby at T.S. Smith and Sons, a Delaware Century Farm, while RAPA had been producing scrapple in Bridgeville since 1926.
Apples plus scrapple became Apple-Scrapple.
The first festival attracted about 2,500 visitors. Festival organizers say attendance has since grown to more than 20,000, turning the event into a major fundraiser for community organizations and one of western Sussex County’s largest annual celebrations. The festival remains organized largely by volunteers.
The food court reflects both the festival’s agricultural roots and the philosophy that a fall festival should not send anyone home hungry. Offerings include scrapple sandwiches, apple dumplings, pies, barbecue, cheesesteaks, funnel cakes and other festival foods. Organizers say apple dumplings served with ice cream remain among the most popular items.
Then there are the competitions.
Children can compete in the Kids Apple Toss Friday evening. On Saturday, competitors take over the Union Methodist Church lot for the Ladies Skillet Toss before the action returns to the bandstand for the Invitational Scrapple Sling.
Visitors who prefer eating rather than throwing their food can browse craft and vendor areas, visit the Bridgeville Historical Society Museum, attend the St. Mary’s luncheon and quilt display, see the car show or spend the day at the carnival.
Friday is a more limited festival night centered around the carnival, food court, entertainment, Little Miss Apple Scrapple Pageant and street dance. The full complement of crafters and vendors arrives Saturday.
And for anyone still debating the proper way to eat scrapple, there may never be agreement.
Some slice it thick. Others insist it should be thin. Some want it extremely crisp, while others prefer a softer center.
Then comes the most dangerous question of all: syrup, ketchup or apple butter?
In Bridgeville this weekend, there should be plenty of opportunities to conduct your own research.
TO GO
What: 34th annual Bridgeville Apple-Scrapple Festival
Admission: Festival activities are generally open to the public. Some individual events or activities may require tickets or fees.
Parking: On Saturday, traffic will be directed to festival parking areas. Free shuttle bus service is available Saturday. Organizers suggest using 7350 Federalsburg Road, Bridgeville, as a GPS reference point for the Red Lot and following traffic-control personnel once approaching town.
Accessibility: Bus service and handicap-accessible accommodations are available.
Restrictions: Pets and unauthorized motor vehicles are not permitted in the festival area.
Information: applescrapple.com
COMPLETE 2026 APPLE-SCRAPPLE SCHEDULE
Friday, Oct. 9
4 p.m. — Bandstand, carnival and food court open
5 p.m. — The Life Center Worship Team, bandstand
5-6 p.m. — Kids Apple Toss registration, bandstand
6 p.m. — Opening ceremony, bandstand
6:15 p.m. — Little Miss Apple Scrapple Pageant, bandstand
7 p.m. — Kids Apple Toss, bandstand
8:30-10 p.m. — Friday Night Street Dance, bandstand
10 p.m. — Bandstand, carnival and food court close
Saturday, Oct. 10
9 a.m. — Festival opens
9-9:30 a.m. — Lifeway Worship, bandstand
10-11:30 a.m. — Star Spangled Sweethearts, bandstand
10 a.m.-3 p.m. — Bridgeville Historical Society Museum open, Williams Street
10 a.m.-3 p.m. — Library Lane open, Williams Street
11 a.m. — RAPA Scrapple Centennial Serving, RAPA gate entrance on Cannon Street
11 a.m.-3 p.m. — St. Mary’s Luncheon and Quilt Display, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, Williams Street
Noon-1:30 p.m. — New Direction, bandstand
12:40-12:55 p.m. — Ladies Skillet Toss registration, Union Methodist Church lot
1 p.m. — Ladies Skillet Toss, Union Methodist Church lot
2 p.m. — Health and Safety Fair closes, firehouse
2 p.m. — Car Show closes, Railroad Avenue
2 p.m. — Kids Zone closes, Union Methodist Church lot
2-3 p.m. — Invitational Scrapple Sling, bandstand
3-4 p.m. — Mariano Mallia, bandstand
4 p.m. — Schoolhouse Craft Show closes, Woodbridge Middle School
4:30 p.m. — Senior Center Vendor Show and Trade Show closes, Delaware, Walnut and Laws streets
4:30 p.m. — Invited Guests, Political and Sponsorship Rows close, Williams and South Cannon streets
5-7:30 p.m. — High Noon, bandstand
8-9:30 p.m. — DJ MIX, bandstand
9:30 p.m. — Bandstand, carnival and food court close
Schedule is subject to change. Festival schedule and event information are from the Bridgeville Apple-Scrapple Festival.
Student activists vandalized a Cornell University administration building overnight in response to the university’s handling of gang rape allegations in a high-profile case that has dominated national news.
Students smashed a glass door at the entrance of Day Hall and painted messages on the walls at approximately 3am on Monday, the Cornell Daily Sun reported.
White House did not let Politico on Air Force One, CNN reports; a federal judge had put a temporary block on Trump’s overall ban on Politico, CNN and MS Now
As the supreme court hears oral arguments this morning, it’s worth noting that if the justices side with Boulder or decide that the case is not in their jurisdiction, then it would continue in state court.
But if the fossil fuel industry convinces the justices, the decision could apply not only to the Boulder case, but also to the many other climate cases brought by state and local governments around the US that we mentioned earlier.
Government offensive launched under air cover by Saudi military coalition aims to retake all Houthi-held territory
Forces of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen have recaptured several key areas around Bab afl-Mandab Strait from Iran-backed Houthi rebels, Yemeni officials said on Monday.
The officials said forces allied with the internationally recognized government have retaken the crucial town of Dhubab just north of the strait. They also captured the towns of Bab and Hadeid, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to reporters. Witnesses said they saw government tanks and forces entering the towns.
Hilton faces heavy backlash from within his own party for ‘Just Try It’ ad amid his longshot bid for California governor
Steve Hilton, the Republican candidate for California governor, is receiving heavy criticism from members of his own party over a controversial, sexual innuendo-filled campaign ad that has been described as “creepy”.
The video entitled “Just Try It, California” was released last week and depicts two young women with brightly colored hair, sitting on a bed in front of a pride flag in low lighting. One nervously says “I can’t believe I’m doing this”, while another strokes her hair and coaxes “don’t be nervous, it’s not that bad” before guiding her to fill out a ballot for Hilton and aggressively commanding “lick it”.
A Russian plague lab worker died of "pneumonia of unknown origin," officials say, in response to initial reports that she was exposed to the deadly bacteria during a lab accident.
After more than two hours of argument, it was unclear whether the justices would green-light Boulder, Colorado’s novel lawsuit against ExxonMobil and Suncor Energy.
First-of-its-kind event inspired by Delaware-filmed mockumentary “The Conspiracists” will feature Bigfoot calls, tin foil hats, games, vendors and a movie screening
WILMINGTON — Bigfoot believers, UFO skeptics, comic fans and anyone willing to ask “what if?” will have a place to gather in Wilmington later this month.
ConCon, a conspiracy-themed convention inspired by the Delaware-filmed comedy mockumentary “The Conspiracists,” will be held Sunday, Oct. 18, at the Siegel Jewish Community Center.
Organizers describe the event as a lighthearted celebration of the fascination surrounding conspiracy theories rather than an effort to prove or disprove them.
“ConCon isn’t about whether conspiracy theories are true. It’s about why they’ve captured our imagination for generations,” said Christopher Bruce of Wilmington-based King Creative. “Through comedy, games, pop culture, interactive exhibits, unique vendors, and a movie that brings it all together, ConCon transforms curiosity into a shared adventure that everyone can enjoy.”
The convention runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by a screening of “The Conspiracists” and a cast and creator question-and-answer session from 5 to 7 p.m. Ticketing information lists the overall event through 7:30 p.m. Ticket Tailor
Among the scheduled attractions are a tin foil hat-building station, Bigfoot Calling Championship, kids foil fashion show and “Real or Fake?” interactive game show.
A vendor hall will feature comics, collectibles, independent artists and other attractions. Attendees also will have opportunities to meet artists, puppeteers and creators connected to the movie.
From movie screen to real convention
ConCon essentially brings to life the fictional convention at the center of “The Conspiracists.”
The comedy follows siblings trying to create an all-inclusive conspiracy convention as their plans begin falling apart and an even larger conspiracy may be developing around them.
The movie was filmed almost entirely in Delaware and prominently features local locations, including the Hotel du Pont, The Grand and the Siegel JCC itself. The Conspiracists
Directed by Michael Perrie Jr. and produced by Uncultured Swine and King Creative, the film had its world premiere Jan. 8 at The Grand in Wilmington. BroadwayWorld
The production also relied heavily on Delaware cast members, crew members, businesses and locations, an approach filmmakers have said was intended to make Delaware part of the story rather than simply a stand-in for somewhere else. Town Square Delaware LIVE
Three ticket options
Organizers are offering three levels of admission.
The $10 Civilian Pass includes access to the vendor hall and daytime programming, including contests, the tin foil hat station, photo opportunities and scavenger hunt.
The $15 Conspiracist Pass adds reserved seating for the evening movie screening, access to the cast Q&A and additional raffle entries.
The $25 Classified Access ticket includes the daytime and movie activities, early entry, VIP movie seating, a post-panel group photo with the cast and a giveaway that organizers say will be revealed at the event.
The official ticket listing confirms that ConCon will be held Sunday, Oct. 18 — correcting a reference to Saturday contained later in the event announcement. Ticket Tailor
To Go Box
What: ConCon 2026
When: Sunday, Oct. 18
Expo: 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Movie screening and cast Q&A: 5-7 p.m.
Where: Siegel Jewish Community Center, 101 Garden of Eden Road, Wilmington
The English and Welsh Greens are facing international ostracism after adopting a policy declaring Zionism as a form of racism, which has drawn dismay from the group representing European Greens.
The co-leader of the German Greens separately said the policy was “intolerable and unacceptable”, running contrary to its belief in the right of Israel to exist.
President Donald Trump and other federal officials are claiming that deals the administration has struck with pharmaceutical companies are “rescuing state budgets” or helping to “save Medicaid” by saving the program tens of billions of dollars on prescription drugs over a decade.
But experts say there are many unanswered questions about the scope of those deals that could limit the potential savings, including how many drugs they actually cover.
It’s also an exaggeration to suggest this program will single-handedly save state budgets, even under the rosiest of scenarios. According to the White House’s projections, the savings to states would initially come to less than 2% of what they spend on Medicaid annually, and diminish over time.
Trump makes an announcement about prescription drug pricing for Medicaid on Sept. 18. Official White House photo by Joyce N. Boghosian.
Trump has talkedregularly about his efforts to lower prescription drug costs, arguing it’s unfair that the U.S. pays much higher prices for brand-name drugs than other wealthy countries.
Over the past 13 months, his administrationhasannouncedagreementswith more than two dozen drug manufacturers — from large corporations like Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson to midsize biotech firms — to bring certain prices in line with those in other countries. The administration calls this approach “most favored nation” or MFN pricing.
Among other things, companies have agreed to sell certain drugs to state Medicaid programs at MFN prices. Trump and other administration officials touted the potential savings that could generate at a Sept. 18 White House event.
“The Council of Economic Advisers estimates that the most favored nations deals that we’re extending to states today will save Medicaid over $64 billion, and that’s over a relatively short period of time,” Trump said. “And others project the savings are going to be actually much more than that. I think they’re going to be much higher than that. Could be $100 billion.”
Those savings, Trump continued, “will help us save Medicaid and protect it for future generations.”
“We are rescuing state budgets with this program,” Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, added. Medicaid prescription-drug spending, he said, “is crowding out schools and roads and long-term care and rural care.”
“It’s going to save the state budget,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said, adding that states previously “had to choose between medicine and nutrition, lifestyle, prevention.”
The $64 billion number comes from a report released in May by the White House Council of Economic Advisers, which projected that MFN pricing could save Medicaid about that much over 10 years, split between the federal government and the states.
But experts told us it’s unclear how realistic that estimate is. The details of Trump’s agreements with drugmakers are largely confidential and key questions remain unanswered, including which drugs will be offered to Medicaid at MFN prices, the degree to which states will participate and how long those arrangements will last.
“It is unclear what assumptions were made to develop the administration’s estimates, and there are a number of factors that make it difficult to assess the overall impact the new model will have on Medicaid drug costs,” Robin Rudowitz, a senior vice president and director of the Program on Medicaid and the Uninsured at the nonprofit health policy research organization KFF, told us in an email.
Because Medicaid already gets substantial discounts on prescription drugs, the amount of savings will depend heavily on which drugs are included and whether the prices actually give states a better deal, said Edwin Park, a research professor at Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families.
He said the administration initially made it seem like participating companies would offer all their drugs to Medicaid at MFN pricing, which the CEA report describes as the second-lowest prices among a small set of countries — the G-7 nations, plus Switzerland and Denmark. But a number of companies have since indicated that the agreements cover only some products.
“There’s just sort of a cone of silence around all these agreements,” Park said. “So, you know, I think a healthy dose of skepticism is warranted in this case.”
A White House official said the CEA analysis “is based on manufacturer and state participation” and the administration expects the actual savings to be in line with its estimates.
A spokesperson for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services told us the Medicaid program, called GENEROUS, includes “hundreds” of drugs used to treat cancer, asthma, Parkinson’s and various other “costly and chronic diseases.”
“CMS estimated total [MFN] rebates flowing through GENEROUS could reach $5.2 billion annually, depending on which drugs, of those included in GENEROUS, states choose to access through the model each year,” the spokesperson said. “This figure represents a significant portion of annual net drug spend in Medicaid.”
We’ve previously written about other aspects of Trump’s drug-pricing deals, including his exaggerated claims about the savings available through the government’s direct-to-consumer TrumpRx platform and the administration’s questionable projections that his MFN policies will save hundreds of billions of dollars overall.
Here’s a closer look at the Medicaid drug-pricing initiative, what we know about it and the administration’s claims about potential savings.
Lack of Details Make It Hard to Assess Savings
Medicaid, which provides health coverage to more than 65 million people with low incomes or disabilities, already pays some of the lowest prices in the U.S. for prescription drugs. By law, manufacturers have to agree to certain rebates for their drugs to be covered by Medicaid. On top of that, most states negotiate “supplemental rebates” that further reduce the cost of branded drugs.
Those discounts reduce Medicaid’s drug costs by more than half. In fiscal year 2024, Medicaid’s gross spending on prescription drugs topped $106 billion, but net spending was only $48 billion after rebates, according to the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, a governmental body that advises Congress on Medicaid policy.
Nearly all of those costs are split between states and the federal government. Medicaid beneficiaries pay, at most, a nominal copay for their prescriptions, so they’re not directly impacted by Medicaid drug prices going up or down.
While prescription drugs account for a small share of overall Medicaid spending — around 6% in 2024 — rising drug costs can be a concern for state budgets. Pharmaceutical companies’ deals with the Trump administration include participation in GENEROUS, through which they’ll offer state Medicaid programs access to certain drugs at MFN prices. The five-year pilot program launched in January, and participation for states and drug manufacturers is voluntary.
The Council of Economic Advisers report estimated that the GENEROUS model would initially reduce Medicaid’s drug costs by $18 billion per year, though because it assumes the changes would also increase prescription drug utilization, it put the net savings at $14.4 billion.
The report said those savings would likely diminish over time as existing products lose patent exclusivity, though it says Medicaid would continue to benefit from other provisions of the president’s MFN deals that cover new product launches. (We’ve previously written about the shaky assumptions behind the administration’s claims of massive savings from those provisions.) Experts have also pointed out that companies could raise prices in other countries, so that they wouldn’t have to discount their drugs as much in the U.S.
Taking those diminishing effects into account, the report put the total savings over 10 years at $64.3 billion.
Outside researchers have come up with somewhat lower estimates. An analysis published in the journal JAMA in July estimated the potential one-year savings at $8.6 billion.
“The CEA estimates are basically sort of a back-of-the-envelope calculation,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Thomas Hwang, director of the Cancer Innovation and Regulation Initiative at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
The CEA calculated its savings by assuming that current Medicaid prices are 2.5 times higher on average than MFN prices would be, but doesn’t go into detail about how it arrived at that figure. Hwang said it’s also unclear if CEA accounts for other supplemental rebates, which states would have to forego to access MFN prices.
Hwang’s study, which is based on drug- and state-specific data, looked at a somewhat smaller cohort of drugs than CEA’s, but he said that would only account for part of the difference between estimates.
The bigger issue, he said, is that it’s not yet clear which drugs will actually be included in GENEROUS.
The CEA report said its estimate is based on “implementation of Medicaid MFN across all single source branded drugs and biologics.” Hwang and colleagues made the same assumption in their study. He said that’s how federal officials initially described the program, including in a request for applications directed at states.
But “what we’ve seen in the past month or so is a lot of backsliding on that commitment,” Hwang said. Multiple companies havesaid in Securities and Exchange Commission filings or other public statements that MFN pricing for Medicaid applies only to “certain” or “select” products.
Because Medicaid requires additional rebates if a drug’s price rises faster than inflation, older drugs tend to be discounted more steeply, so the savings from MFN pricing could depend heavily on which specific drugs are included, he said.
“One of the concerns with this is, obviously, companies have every financial inventive to cherry-pick which drugs they offer MFN pricing for, in ways that will reduce their MFN liability,” Hwang said.
Jeromie Ballreich, an associate research professor at Johns Hopkins University who studies pharmaceutical policy, similarly said savings will vary widely from drug to drug.
In a forthcoming study, he and several co-authors looked at how GENEROUS could affect prices for 86 branded drugs accounting for more than half of Medicaid gross drug spending in 2024. For more than a third of those products, they found, there wouldn’t be any savings. For the others, savings ranged from 1.3% to 87.5%.
“Some drugs are going to provide a lot of savings,” he said. But “there’s going to be other branded drugs out there that will provide essentially no savings because of the way the inflation rebates affect Medicaid pricing. There are branded drugs in the Medicaid program that are [already] essentially free for Medicaid.”
The paper estimated the GENEROUS model could save Medicaid $3.1 billion over a year, but Ballreich said that’s going to be “highly dependent” on which drugs are actually included and how international reference prices are calculated.
“So there are still a number of question marks,” he said.
“The GENEROUS model includes hundreds of single source and innovator multiple source covered outpatient drugs from the portfolios of participating manufacturers,” the CMS spokesperson told us.
“The included drugs span most major drug classes, including those acutely important to Medicaid beneficiaries like oncology, diabetes care, and asthma. Some of these drugs are used to treat numerous costly and chronic diseases, including hemophilia, Parkinson’s disease, macular degeneration, glaucoma, liver disease, skin conditions, and various forms of cancer.”
State Uptake Remains to Be Seen
Another open question is the degree to which states choose to participate. Under the GENEROUS model, states can pick and choose which specific drugs they want. Whether the MFN price offers them a better deal will depend on what kind of rebates they’ve already negotiated with the manufacturer.
States will also have to agree to a standard set of coverage criteria for each MFN-priced drug, which could change guidelines for when certain drugs need prior authorization. Those changes could offset some of the savings if the criteria result in more people being prescribed those drugs.
“The key question for states is, how does [the MFN rebate] compare to their existing rebates, and then how expansive are the coverage terms,” said Park, the Georgetown professor.
Trump announced on Sept. 18 that all 50 states had joined the GENEROUS model, though the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services clarified later the same day that while every state had applied, 40 had actually signed agreements to participate. The health news site STAT reported on Sept. 24 that some states were still on the fence about doing so.
At least some of the remaining states did sign agreements with CMS before the Sept. 30 deadline, spokespeople for their health departments told us. However, those departments also told us they’re still evaluating whether to accept any MFN offers from manufacturers. Several of them said that signing participation agreements was the only way to access pricing information and determine whether there would be a benefit.
“Applying and signing a participation agreement does not commit the state to actually participate in the GENEROUS model in terms of entering into rebate agreements with manufacturers,” Anthony Cava, a spokesperson for the California Department of Health Care Services, told us in an email.
“Rather, signing a participation agreement will enable DHCS to obtain drug pricing information, evaluate whether the MFN prices offered under the model would meaningfully benefit Medi-Cal [California’s Medicaid program], and decide whether entering into supplemental rebate agreements with manufacturers would be advantageous.”
One state, South Dakota, announced last month that it “has currently identified three drugs that would benefit from these lower prices, saving the state approximately $750,000 a year.” South Dakota’s Medicaid program spent $167.2 million on prescription drugs in fiscal year 2024, with the costs split between the state and federal governments.
Multiple state health departments have told us or other news outlets that they can’t share specifics due to confidentiality agreements. CMS told us that its projections of potential savings will depend “on which drugs, of those included in GENEROUS, states choose to access through the model each year.”
There’s also uncertainty about how long these agreements will be in place. Some companies haveindicated their deals with the administration run for three years. Pfizer’s ends on the last day of Trump’s term, according to a redacted copy released to the liberal watchdog group Public Citizen through a Freedom of Information Act request.
“Participating manufacturers voluntarily chose to sign participation agreements to take part in GENEROUS and we do not currently plan to renegotiate the GENEROUS model during its five-year performance period,” the CMS spokesperson told us.
The White House official said the CEA projections assume the MFN arrangements will continue under future administrations.
“Those who assume it won’t last a decade would be making an assumption that a future administration would not want MFN pricing and the hundreds of billions in savings associated with it,” the official said.
Ballreich said trying to make projections about the pharmaceutical market 10 years out is inherently difficult because of the number of variables. He said the administration’s estimate of $64 billion over 10 years is “probably a little high,” though not outside the realm of possibility.
But again, he said, it’s “hard to model out without knowing the details.”
Ballreich also noted that by agreeing to offer some discounts to Medicaid, drug companies appear to have negotiated exemptions from the administration’s implementation of mandatory MFN pricing in Medicare.
“For pharmaceutical companies, Medicare is where they make their money,” he said. “Medicaid is often kind of this afterthought.”
The MFN pricing initiative in Medicare has two components. One of those programs, called GLOBE, covers drugs administered in doctors’ offices. CMS recently released a final rule estimating it will save $440 million over seven years — a 96% decrease from the initial estimate of $11.9 billion in savings. According to the rule, the program will apply to just four manufacturers, as other companies have exemptions because they are participating in the Medicaid pilot. (The other one, GUARD, applies to prescription drugs and is still in the works.)
“The narrative that I’m understanding from industry, or at least how industry has been interpreting the approach by the administration, is that ‘We will participate in GENEROUS,’” Ballreich said. “‘In return, we’re going to be a lot more selective on what drugs are going to be in GLOBE and GUARD.’”
Questionable Claims of ‘Rescuing’ State Budgets
Whether or not the White House’s projections are realized, experts told us MFN pricing could create real savings for states and the federal government. But claims of “rescuing” state budgets are overblown.
We asked CMS what exactly Oz meant by that and didn’t get a direct answer. But even taking the White House estimates at face value, the savings represent a fraction of what states spend on Medicaid — not to mention all services — every year.
While prescription drugs are a small part of total Medicaid spending, a recent policy brief from KFF noted that rising drug prices and the “emergence of new, high-cost drugs can put pressure on state budgets.” More than a third of states cited rising pharmacy costs as one of the factors driving higher Medicaid spending overall in KFF’s most recent survey of state Medicaid directors.
Because states and the federal government split the cost of Medicaid, not all of the projected $64 billion in savings would go to states. The CEA report projects that states collectively would save $6.2 billion per year at first and $27.6 billion over a decade, or about $2.8 billion per year on average.
By comparison, in fiscal year 2024, states spent around $325 billion of their own money on Medicaid, according to KFF. The projected savings in the first year would amount to about 2% of that, falling to less than 1% in later years as MFN discounts diminish over time. The savings make up an even smaller share of total state expenditures, which came to around $2 trillion in fiscal year 2024, not counting costs reimbursed by the federal government, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers.
Of course, that’s not to say states wouldn’t welcome those savings.
Park said states are justifiably concerned about rising medication costs, especially as new, expensive blockbuster drugs come out.
“That being said, prescription drugs is only a very small share of Medicaid spending, well under 10%,” he said. “The big drivers are things one would expect, like hospital costs.”
Park also noted that the domestic policy law Trump signed last year, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, includes cuts to Medicaid funding that could outweigh the potential savings from lower prescription drug prices.
Some of those changes, such as work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks, will reduce both state and federal Medicaid spending by limiting enrollment. But other provisions cut federal funding to states without reducing the size of the Medicaid program, meaning states will have to make cuts or use general funds to make up the difference.
On balance, a recent study from the nonpartisan research organization RAND estimated those changes could cost state general funds more than $80 billion through 2034, though the effects vary by state.
“You can see how there’s going to be some savings if these agreements go into effect,” Park said. “But it’s not a way for states to offset the historically large Medicaid cuts that were included in the budget reconciliation law, and that includes the significant cost shifts to states.”
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Norway is preparing legislation that would temporarily ban camera-equipped smart glasses in a range of public places, including parks, beaches, museums, shopping centers, schools, daycare centers, healthcare facilities, gyms and public events. Private use would still be allowed. The Guardian reports: Torgeir Micaelsen, Norway's minister of digital affairs, said he was worried that new, powerful technology is being introduced where people risk being photographed, filmed or audio-recorded without knowing it."
"We do not want a society where people worry about being recorded without their knowledge, photographed or filmed in places and situations where they are accustomed to not being monitored," he said.
Norway's Labour party, which heads a minority government, needs the support of other parties to pass the proposed ban. It said it planned to submit a bill "as soon as possible," while tasking an expert group with drawing up permanent regulations on the issue.
Party has common enemy in defectors, while Nigel Farage’s woes have given some insiders reason to hope
During a quick-fire Q&A at the Conservative party conference this weekend, Kemi Badenoch was asked who she would pick between Robert Jenrick or Suella Braverman.
“Why do you keep offering me these? It’s like asking if I’d rather be shot or drowned,” the Tory leader responded with her trademark directness.
President Donald Trump pointed to quick results in the first round of voting in Brazil’s presidential election to denounce the pace of ballot counting in Democratic U.S. areas as “corrupt.”
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro — the son of Brazil’s former president who was sentenced to prison following an attempted coup after losing the 2022 election — was leading Oct. 4 in the first round of voting ahead of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, 47% to 45%. They will proceed to a runoff Oct. 25.
Trump posted Oct. 4 on Truth Social, “125 Million People voted today in the first round of Brazil’s Presidential Election. The results came out shortly after the vote closed, on the SAME DAY! In Detroit, Philadelphia, California, and numerous other U.S. Cities and States, the results, with much smaller numbers, will often take weeks to Rig, I mean, calculate. Voting in America is CORRUPT!!!”
In a different late night post that is no longer available, Trump made the same statement about India, which did not hold a presidential election over the weekend.
By the time of Trump’s Brazil post, it was clear the candidates were headed to a runoff and nearly all votes were cast.
The pace of vote counting is not a sign of election rigging. Brazil and the U.S. have different voting systems and election laws.
An electronic voting machine displays a test screen as local electoral court workers test and seal voting machines ahead of Brazil’s October general election in Brasilia, Brazil, Sept. 23, 2026. (AP)
Brazil has no mail-in voting. Voting is in person, at electronic voting machines, and it is mandatory for citizens between ages 18 and 70, said Pablo Ortellado, University of São Paulo professor of public policy. Voting takes place on a single day that is a national holiday.
Elections are run by a specialized branch of the judiciary, the Electoral Justice system. At the top is the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), a national court that sets the rules and coordinates 27 regional electoral courts that handle elections on the ground.
“It is a single, nationally standardized system: the same machines, the same procedures and the same counting process across the whole country,” Ortellado said. “That is a big part of why results come out within hours.”
Brazilian officials have worked to increase transparency. In 2021, the Superior Electoral Court created the Electoral Transparency Commission, which includes experts, civil society entities and public institutions in inspecting and auditing the electoral process.
The country has used electronic voting machines since 1996. Voters cast ballots on dedicated machines protected by multiple layers of testing and auditing.
“Curiously, Brazil’s electronic voting system, which is indeed very fast and quite secure, draws heavy criticism precisely from the Brazilian right that is sympathetic to Trump,” Ortellado said. “Critics argue, among other things, that because there is no printed record of each vote deposited in a ballot box for physical verification, the system cannot be properly audited.”
Since the late 1990s, the nation’s election results have been available quickly.
As soon as the polls close at 5 p.m., results are gathered, said Paulo Valle, a political scientist and researcher at the University of Central Florida and FGV in Brazil. “By the end of the evening we have 99.9% of the ballots counted.”
Brazil has a completely paperless system, said Eduardo Repilloza Fernández, coordinator general for Transparencia Electoral, an organization that encourages elections held according to internationally recognized integrity standards.
“There’s no signatures to check, no physical paper-ballot tabulation systems. Voters do not get an individual receipt of their vote,” Fernández said.
How the U.S. administers elections
A sheriff’s deputy and his dog inspect ballots at the L.A. County Ballot Processing Center during the California primary election on June 2, 2026, in City of Industry, California. (AP)
In the U.S., each state sets its own election laws, and cities and counties administer elections.
State laws cover the deadline for receipt of mail ballots, when election officials can open mail ballots and prepare them for tabulation and the dates by which they must certify official results. All of those laws play a role in how long it takes to complete the official count.
Some contests have wide enough margins between top candidates that media outlets can project a winner based on partial results. But the final official results are often certified weeks later. If the vote is close, even an election with little mail balloting can take time to call. Some elections with lots of mail balloting can be called quickly if a candidate is far ahead.
No state completes an official count on election night.
Trump singled out California, which often takes longer than the rest of the country because nearly everyone votes by mail and it counts ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received not later than seven days after Election Day.
Expansive voting by mail is convenient for voters — even Trump frequently votes by mail. But it takes longer for local election officials to process and verify mail ballots.
We asked the White House for Trump’s evidence that the pace of counting ballots in California or the cities of Detroit, Philadelphia or elsewhere is a sign that people are rigging the election. We did not get an immediate response.
Falsehoods followed Brazil’s 2022 election
A forensic investigator Jan. 10, 2023, stands outside the Brazilian Supreme Court that was damaged by supporters of Jair Bolsonaro angered over election results. (AP)
President Jair Bolsonaro, father of Flávio Bolsonaro, narrowly lost in 2022 and claimed the election was fraudulent, sparking protests by his supporters.
More than 1,000 people stormed Brazil’s government buildings including Congress, Supreme Court and presidential offices on Jan. 8, 2023, smashing windows and setting fires. In March 2026, Bolsonaro received permission to serve his sentence for the coup attempt at home because of poor health.
The Atlanta-based Carter Center, which sent observers to Brazil for the election, said it was not aware of any evidence of fraud in the 2022 election, and none of the international or Brazilian observers reported any evidence of significant fraud. The center similarly sent experts to watch the 2026 election.
Cesar Zucco, a Columbia University professor of Brazilian studies, told PolitiFact that voter registration, voting and counting “are electronic and safe” and that “the only people that ever questioned the mechanics of the elections were Bolsonaro and his allies in the recent past.”
Our ruling
Trump said Brazil’s same-day election results are proof that places like Detroit, Philadelphia and California “take weeks to rig” their elections.
His frequent critique after other countries’ speedier election results still lacks evidence.
Brazil and the U.S. have different voting systems and laws. Brazil has a nationally standardized system that uses the same machines, the same procedures and the same counting process across the whole country, and doesn’t have voting by mail, which is expansive in some U.S. states, including California. Voting by mail takes longer for local election officials to process mail ballots and verify they were cast by the voters whose names are on the envelopes.
The pace of vote counting is not proof of election rigging.
Experts say strength of evangelical church and stubbornness of Lula, 80, also helped propel Jair Bolsonaro’s son to first-round election win
On Sunday night, as the scale of the far-right triumph in Brazil sank in, an adapted football chant rang out in one of Rio’s most leftwing areas.
“Let’s turn this around, Lu-laaaaa! Let’s turn this around, Lu-laaaaa! Let’s turn this around, Lu-laaaaa!” crestfallen progressives bellowed while drowning their sorrows after witnessing an excruciating election setback for their leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Former prince to challenge whether Thames Valley force and central criminal court of England and Wales acted lawfully over searches relating to his arrest
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is taking action against Thames Valley police and the central criminal court to challenge the legality of search warrants that led to his arrest this year, a judicial spokesperson has said.
A private high court hearing is scheduled to take place before Mr Justice Hilliard on Thursday to determine whether documents related to the former Duke of York’s call for a judicial review can be made public, with Thames Valley police and the central criminal court of England and Wales in opposition.
PepsiCo initiated class II recall of 28oz bottles last month over ‘undeclared’ yellow dyes, FDA notice says
About 122,000 cases of the popular sports drink Gatorade have been voluntarily recalled across 37 US states due to their having “undeclared” food dye, according to an official federal notice.
The varieties of the drink involved in the notice include 28oz bottles of Gatorade Lemon Lime, Lime Zero, Orange and Gatorade Orange Zero, the notice said. Gatorade’s manufacturer – the soda giant PepsiCo – initiated its recall on 25 September, said the advisory, which was posted on the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s website.
Authorities say crash in Winter Haven involved three vehicles, including bus filled with dozens of schoolchildren
A high school student and one other person were killed in a crash that caused a school bus to flip over on to its roof in central Florida early on Monday, according to authorities.
About 26 students traveling on the public school bus involved in the crash were taken to the hospital, the Polk county sheriff’s office said in a statement posted to Facebook. The bus had 39 occupants: 37 high school students, the bus driver and the driver’s daughter, officials said.
The first James Bond film, Dr. No from 1962, with artwork by Mitchell Hooks, which has previously commanded five-figure sums at auction. (Ewbank's Auctions via SWNS)
A dozen B-1s stationed at Gloucestershire base redeployed over concerns about possible threat from Iran
Downing Street has insisted RAF Fairford is secure a day after the US air force suddenly withdrew a dozen B-1 bombers that had been stationed at the Gloucestershire base over security concerns about a possible threat from Iran.
The prime minister’s spokesperson, speaking during a scheduled briefing, said “yes” when asked if the military site was safe – contrasting with the concern the US military revealed during the hasty redeployment the day before.
Blake Stephenson tells fringe meeting at Tory conference that the town is ‘a very dangerous place’ with ‘ghettoes’
A shadow Conservative Home Office minister has claimed there are “no-go zones” in Luton where “white people won’t go”.
Blake Stephenson, the MP for Mid Bedfordshire who was appointed to the Tory frontbench role two weeks ago, claimed the town was “a very dangerous place” where some communities “live in ghettoes”.
Police and security agencies in multiple countries scramble to piece together background and intentions of Hamam al-Hammami
Investigators believe the co-pilot who tried to take control of a plane from Dubai to Tel Aviv last week originally planned his attack for July but postponed the hijacking, possibly because a friend was among the crew, regional and Israeli officials have said.
The evidence of prior planning suggests that Hamam al-Hammami, 29, may have specifically sought employment with an airline that flew to Israel in order to carry out the attack on last Wednesday’s flydubai flight FZ1073, experts believe.
A new open-source command-line tool called RemoveMacAI lets macOS 27 users disable Apple Intelligence and reclaim around 12GB or more of storage. MacRumors reports: In macOS 27, Apple removed the toggle to disable Apple Intelligence wholesale, and simply disabling individual features doesn't remove the models from your Mac's drive. As explained by the developer, RemoveMacAI gets around this by using a configuration profile to switch off Apple's own asset management service and remove the models.
It then configures the system so attempts to download the removed models are redirected to a closed local port, preventing them from immediately coming back. And it does all this without disabling System Integrity Protection (SIP) or manually deleting files from protected system locations, unlike some older tools have. The tool can free up roughly 12GB of space depending on which models are present on your Mac. That said, some users are reporting cases of Apple Intelligence models having taken up a lot more space, which they've now reclaimed.
A plant in Southaven, Mississippi, that powers Elon Musk's SpaceXAI data centers in the area has sparked backlash from residents concerned about noise and air pollution.
Noise from a Mississippi plant powering Elon Musk's xAI data centers in the area is causing migraines, ringing ears and sleepless nights, residents say.
Eight of the nine justices heard nearly two hours of oral arguments in a case involving an effort by the city and county of Boulder, Colorado, to hold energy companies accountable for the effects of global climate change.
Tit-for-tat expulsions expected after relations deteriorate as a result of UK ban on goods from illegal settlements
The UK has threatened to expel one Israeli diplomat for every British diplomat forced to leave Israel as a result of Israel’s decision to close the UK consulate in East Jerusalem later this week.
This could mean as many as 27 Israeli diplomats being expelled from the UK, a step that would arguably mark the lowest point in British-Israeli diplomatic relations since the formation of the state of Israel.
How court will lean is unclear amid Suncor Energy and ExxonMobil’s attempt to stop lawsuits at state level
The US supreme court began its new nine-month term hearing arguments on Monday in a major case in which big oil companies attempted to strike a fatal blow against lawsuits that seek to hold them accountable for the climate crisis.
After the hearing, while it was not yet clear which way the justices were leaning, the high stakes were underlined.
Police say two suspects broke into Penny Hill Service and Repair Center, stole customers’ keys and drove away in two vehicles; a second suspect remains at large
WILMINGTON, Del. — Delaware State Police have arrested a 25-year-old Claymont man and are searching for a second suspect after two vehicles belonging to customers were stolen during a burglary at a Wilmington-area auto repair shop.
Troopers were called about midnight Sept. 26 to Penny Hill Service and Repair Center, 517 Philadelphia Pike, for a burglary in progress.
When officers arrived, they found broken glass in a garage door and searched the business, but the suspects had already fled.
Investigators said a man and woman forced their way into the repair shop and stole keys belonging to customers who had left their vehicles there for service. The pair then allegedly used the keys to steal two of those vehicles.
The Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit took over the investigation.
Four days later, on Sept. 30, Wilmington police received information that one of the stolen vehicles was near East Eighth and North Buttonwood streets.
Officers located the vehicle and took Tzair Bryant, 25, of Claymont, into custody. Police said Bryant was carrying the keys to the stolen vehicle.
Wilmington police contacted Delaware State Police detectives, who responded and identified Bryant as the male suspect in the Penny Hill burglary, according to state police.
Bryant was taken to Delaware State Police Troop 1 and charged with third-degree burglary, possession of burglar tools, two counts of motor vehicle theft, second-degree conspiracy and criminal mischief under $1,000.
All of the charges except criminal mischief are felonies.
Bryant was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court and committed to the Delaware Department of Correction in lieu of $3,100 secured bail.
State police said they are continuing to investigate and are seeking the second suspect, described as a woman.
TO GO BOX
What: Delaware State Police investigation into a burglary and theft of two customers’ vehicles from Penny Hill Service and Repair Center
Where: 517 Philadelphia Pike, Wilmington
When: About midnight Sept. 26
Arrested: Tzair Bryant, 25, of Claymont
Charges: Third-degree burglary; possession of burglary tools; two counts of motor vehicle theft; second-degree conspiracy; criminal mischief under $1,000
Status: One suspect arrested; police are seeking a second suspect
Information: Anyone with information about the burglary or the second suspect should contact Delaware State Police.
Detectives continue to investigate this incident and ask anyone with information relevant to the case to contact Detective M. Kerrigan by calling (302) 365-8487. Information may also be provided by sending a private Facebook message to the Delaware State Police or contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.
If you or someone you know is a victim or witness of a crime or has lost a loved one to a sudden death and needs assistance, the Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit / Delaware Victim Center is available to offer you support and resources 24 hours a day through a toll-free hotline at 1-800-VICTIM-1 (1-800-842-8461). You may also email the Victim Services Unit at DSP_VictimServicesMail@delaware.gov.
A Florida woman was arrested on a felony charge after Anthropic's human review team flagged and reported a Claude conversation in which she allegedly threatened to "shoot up" the Lee County Sheriff's Office and later mentioned acquiring a new gun. Tom's Hardware reports: Anthropic monitors chats for key phrases and content that could be deemed threatening, the arrest report says, and depending on severity, they can be elevated for human review. In this case, the team decided to report its findings to law enforcement. The Bonita Springs woman was detained at home without incident, and an LCSO intelligence detective took over the case from there. The arrest report is not yet in the court file, but our own check shows court records listing the Sept. 30 felony charge under Florida Statute 836.10: written or electronic threat of a mass shooting or act of terrorism.
No comment from Anthropic on the case is currently on record. Anthropic's public privacy policy, effective Sept. 10, says that disclosure to law enforcement may occur where it has a good-faith belief "that disclosure is reasonably necessary to ... prevent serious harm to any person or to property." Its government requests report for the latter half of 2025 uses a narrower standard for emergency disclosures, the "danger of death or serious physical injury to a person," and lists zero emergency requests from law enforcement in that period, though it doesn't count referrals Anthropic makes on its own.
A researcher at a climate change think tank says the Conservative policy would be a ‘disaster for first time buyers’
Yesterday, as a gimmick, the Tories were handing out “Bottler Burnham” bottles of water (“0% strength”) to make a point about Burnham supposedly cancelling plans for an early election under pressure from the Tories. It is a version of a stunt they pulled in 2008 when they gave journalists bottles of a “Bottler Brown” beer. (Gordon Brown did pull plans for an early election at the last minute; this time the jibe is unfair, because there were no Burnham plans for an early election.)
The new bottles feature the image of Burnham produced by the Manchester artist Stan Chow.
The SNP’s effective ban on new nuclear energy in Scotland flies in the face of common-sense.
No part of Great Britain should be missing out on plans for new nuclear renewal.
Detroit, MI — Former President Barack Obama is set to campaign in Detroit later this month for Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed as Democrats intensify their midterm push in Michigan.
Obama is scheduled to appear with El-Sayed on Oct. 24, the first day of in-person early voting in Michigan. The rally will also feature other Democratic candidates, including gubernatorial nominee Jocelyn Benson, as the party works to consolidate support after a competitive primary.
El-Sayed, a physician and former Detroit health director, defeated Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary after running with support from progressive figures including Sens. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. His campaign now turns to a general election that could help determine control of the Senate.
Obama’s appearance is notable because El-Sayed underperformed in Detroit during the primary, making turnout in the heavily Democratic city an important focus for the fall campaign. The former president has become increasingly active in the 2026 midterms, recording advertisements and appearing with candidates in several states.
The Michigan stop comes as both parties pour resources into competitive races nationwide, with the Senate balance among the biggest stakes heading into November.
Washington, DC — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a Michigan mother’s challenge to a school district’s ban on “Let’s Go Brandon” sweatshirts, leaving in place a lower-court ruling that schools may prohibit the slogan as veiled profanity.
The dispute began in 2022 after two boys were told to remove sweatshirts bearing the phrase, which became a conservative political slogan during Joe Biden’s presidency and is widely understood as a substitute for an obscene insult directed at Biden.
Their mother argued that the students’ First Amendment rights were violated because the shirts contained no actual profanity or sexual language. Her attorneys warned that allowing schools to classify coded political messages as vulgar could give administrators broad discretion to suppress political expression they dislike.
The school district countered that messages with lewd or vulgar implications can be restricted in classrooms even when they contain political content. It also pointed to evidence that students had been permitted to wear “Make America Great Again” apparel and other messages supporting Donald Trump.
A lower court sided with the district, concluding that the slogan’s widely understood meaning allowed officials to treat it as vulgar expression.
By refusing to review the case, the Supreme Court left that ruling intact without issuing an opinion on the broader First Amendment question.
Medical transport plane flying from Bermuda to Boston crashed off coast of Massachusetts early Saturday
Six people are presumed dead after the US Coast Guard on Sunday suspended its search for survivors of a medical transport plane crash off the coast of Massachusetts early the previous day.
The aircraft, which was flying from Bermuda to Boston, lost contact with ground authorities at about 2am on Saturday, and the Coast Guard located a debris field near the island of Nantucket later that day.
Russian led Capitals to their first-ever Stanley Cup win
Ovechkin turned 41 in September
Alex Ovechkin said on Monday that his 22nd season in the NHL will be his last, beginning the farewell tour for the longtime Washington Capitals captain who holds the league’s career goalscoring record.
Ovechkin told his teammates of his decision before the Capitals posted a message from the Russian star on social media.
Camera-enabled Meta spectacles are already restricted in UK and US because of fears about covert recording
Norway is planning a temporary ban on smart glasses in some public places, amid rising global concern at the spread of the AI-enabled recording devices.
The Oslo government is planning a bill to prevent the use of the camera-enabled spectacles in parks, beaches, museums, shopping centres, schools, daycare centres, healthcare facilities, gyms and public events, although private use would still be allowed.
Progressive voters and supporters of incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva left reeling after far-right surge
Flávio Bolsonaro is in pole position to win Brazil’s presidential election, after a far-right tsunami propelled him to a shock first-round victory over the incumbent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, leaving progressive voters reeling.
The 45-year-old rightwing candidate received 56.1m votes to Lula’s 53.8m – 47.03% to 45.16% – meaning the 80-year-old leftwinger has a mountain to climb if he is to bounce back in the second round on 25 October. Never, since the return of democracy to Brazil in 1985, has the first-round runner-up managed to turn the game around and win the second ballot.
The FlyDubai co-pilot accused of trying to crash a packed plane planned the attack for months, and should never even have been cleared to fly to Israel, sources tell CBS News.
Israel was ready to implement a long-practiced protocol after the captain of a FlyDubai plane was attacked in the cockpit, Israeli sources told CBS News.
Technological advances in warfare have heightened concerns about the vulnerability of air bases and other hard-to-protect military facilities in populated areas.
‘I don’t control message or what we’re doing,’ scandal- hit state attorney general reportedly says at private event
Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general chosen by Donald Trump to run as the Republican candidate for a Senate seat, admitted in private that his campaign was being controlled by outside forces in Washington DC.
Paxton, who is locked in a competitive race with the progressive Democrat James Talarico, told people at a fundraising event in September that he had never felt such little control over his campaign because of outside influence.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman says society should accept some negative consequences from AI in exchange for the technology's broader benefits and widespread public access. "I think there's a lot of daylight," Altman told Decoded co-author and Politico senior tech reporter Brendan Bordelon. Asked about where he differs between Anthropic and its CEO Dario Amodei, Altman said, "we believe that the world should accept some bad things happening for the benefits of this technology and people having the agency." From the report: Altman agreed with Amodei's call last month to slow the development of the most advanced AI models. His company has followed Anthropic in endorsing new state laws that impose stricter safety requirements than what the maker of ChatGPT had previously supported -- a subtle shift from its prior state strategy. And OpenAI lobbyists recently endorsed a bipartisan House proposal that would require top AI companies to embed outside safety evaluators.
Despite the convergence, Altman tried to distinguish his firm's regulatory stance from Anthropic's, referencing a criticism about regulatory capture that tech advisers close to President Donald Trump have applied to Anthropic. "I disagree, but I understand the perspective of people who are like, 'This technology is going to get so powerful, and it's so dangerous, that a single lab in San Francisco should have it and make sure nothing bad happens, and kind of figure out how to dole out the benefits,'" said Altman. He called it "a completely unacceptable trade-off" that runs counter to the "lighter-touch regulatory stance" backed by OpenAI.
"I wouldn't take a trade of saying, 'We'll make sure there's no major hacks, there's no misuse of this technology, there's zero scams, there's zero all the other bad things that will happen,'" said Altman. "Because I think people will do tremendously -- orders of magnitude more -- good stuff than bad stuff." The OpenAI CEO later added that he does not accept "the really catastrophic risks," including the potential for "a serious loss of control to AI."
Hundreds of schools in France remain closed amid planned demonstrations across the country
The conservative People’s Party is very pleased with the announcement.
“At last,” they say on their X, with a slick election video – set to the EU’s anthem “Ode to Joy” – to go along with it.
Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez has called a snap election for 29 November, just days after rightwing parties blocked his minority government’s emergency measures on housing amid widespread protests (9:10).
The election will take place on Sunday, 29 November, the earliest possible date procedurally.
In a fierce address, Sánchez framed the election as choice between “regressing” under a “far-right coalition” or “keeping moving forward” with his progressive administration (9:04, 9:09, 9:17).
He said the election will be about who will guide Spain through a period of disruption amid high political tensions, global instability, climate emergency, and uncertainty posed by the rise of AI (9:13).
The Supreme Court heard arguments Monday over a bid by Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy to block a lawsuit filed by the city and county of Boulder over the effects of climate change.
Party in England and Wales ditches commitment to phase out nuclear in major shift in its energy policy
Green party members have voted to end the party’s opposition to nuclear power, dropping a commitment to phase out the technology in a major shift in its energy policy.
The motion, adopted at conference, removes a “blanket opposition to nuclear fission” and instead commits the Green party of England and Wales to assessing nuclear projects alongside other low-carbon technologies.
France is bracing for a national day of protests and high-school blockades as a youth protest movement gathers pace amid a growing debate over the scale of the police response.
In one incident, a 15-year-old protesting against what demonstrators said were France’s dilapidated and understaffed schools had his hand blown off outside a high school in the northern town of Lens, said François-Xavier Lauch, the prefect of Pas-de-Calais.
Attorneys for Christa Pike, who survived a botched execution in Tennessee last week, have renewed their push for the state to commute her death sentence.
The US withdrew its bombers from RAF Fairford after an investigation into an alleged planned terrorist attack on the base. At least 10 B-1 bombers used by the US military in the Iran conflict flew out of Fairford on Sunday, suggesting US officials were taking the threat seriously. Last week, five men in three vans near the military base were arrested, followed by a sixth British-Iranian national. All were released on bail, drawing criticism from the Pentagon.
Lucy Hough speaks to Dan Sabbagh, the Guardian’s defence and security editor – watch on YouTube
Maybe the key to life is being able to bench press 300lb at 75. But do we need more muscle-bound, angry guys around?
I loathe going to the doctor.
Not a controversial opinion, compared with some of the other ones in this section of the Guardian. I’m not exactly arguing for universal basic income or for Manchester City to be relegated to the Saudi Pro League here. No one looks forward to a doctor visit, with its recriminations for bad habits or various intrusive blood tests. People don’t have cocktail parties to celebrate their yearly check-up, and yet, it seems like every day, there’s a new reason to go get prodded by a stranger in a lab coat.
Quarantine measures in place in several hospitals in eastern Russia amid uncertainty over death of Darya Shipilova
The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, has said the US is closely monitoring the case of a Russian laboratory worker who died last week after a reported accident at a plague research institute in Siberia.
“We’re watching and monitoring it closely,” Rubio said on Monday before leaving for a trip to Europe. “I don’t think it’s cause for alarm, but it is cause for focus and a cause just to keep an eye on it.”
Fall foliage does not end when New England reaches its early peak. Several destinations farther south or at lower elevations change colors only through late October and early November.
Sánchez’s gamble: This ‘all-in’ election will have international impactExpert commentjon.wallace
Announcing the election, Sánchez set himself in opposition to President Trump and Javier Milei as well as Spain’s populist right. Much will depend on the prime minister’s ability to rally a fragmented left.
The decision by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call a snap election is a risky move, but he will have felt he had little choice. His decision fires the starting gun on a year of vital and polarized elections across Europe.
The announcement is not entirely unexpected. Spain was required to hold an election by August 2027 anyway. And Sánchez’s multiparty coalition has looked fragile since it formed in July 2023: it has not passed a full budget since.
In January, the government approved a decree that regularized the status of 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers – a move unusual among EU countries generally committed to tightening migration restrictions. In July, the Spanish enclave of Ceuta was overwhelmed by a surge of tens of thousands of migrants, leading to criticism of government policy from within Spain and abroad, including US President Donald Trump.
This month, a new issue has arisen, as protests grow over housing affordability. The protests prompted the government to introduce emergency legislation, only to see the bill rejected by Spain’s Parliament late last week. This gave Sánchez his opening to call a general election, arguing that ‘to do more, we need to renew and broaden the support of the people’.
What are Sánchez’s chances?
Sánchez is a proven survivor and faced similar difficulties in 2023. But calling an election now is a gamble. The summer’s crises have given his political opponents plenty to work with, and trouble assails the prime minister and his party, the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), from every side.
The opposition on the right will use the January decree and images of the Ceuta crisis to rally their vote and criticize the government’s competence. The left will point out the housing crisis has deteriorated under Sánchez. Then there are the corruption scandals that plague the prime minister. Some of his closest political allies are embroiled in the Koldo case – an investigation into corruption in health procurement contracts during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a separate case, the prime minister’s own wife has been charged with embezzlement and corruption.
To survive, Sánchez will use the same playbook that worked for him in 2023, where he characterized the contest as a choice between ‘Sanchismo’ (his brand of social democrat politics) or a ‘backward-looking’ far right.
His hope will be that opposition to the PP right wing opposition party – and far right Vox party in particular – will mobilize left wing voters in a highly polarized contest. Vox leader Santiago Abascal regularly speaks of a ‘migrant invasion’ and used Sanchez’s January decree to call for ‘Repatriations, deportations and remigration’.
Notably, Sánchez’s speech on the steps of La Moncloa (the Spanish prime minister’s residence) put international talking points at the centre of his pitch, contrasting his positions with the those of the right, and particularly US President Donald Trump and Argentinian President Javier Milei:
‘We have strived to build a better world for our fellow citizens and for the rest of humanity,’ he said, ‘supporting Ukraine, the European Union, and the United Nations in their darkest moments. Denouncing genocidal regimes when others remained silent.
‘Fighting tyrants, techno-oligarchs, and speculators who want to destroy the future of our sons and daughters to enlarge their pockets. Doubling our aid to international cooperation while others boasted of cutting it with their chainsaw or on that military altar of 5 per cent of GDP.’
Spain’s voting system
50 days of intense campaigning and negotiation between parties will now follow. These negotiations matter because of Spain’s electoral system.
Spain uses the D’Hondt method in provincial constituencies, which punishes parties polling in low single figures. Small parties can survive by running together on a joint list, but past attempts have had mixed results.
Sumar is the largest of these groupings. Despite having no leader, it has launched ‘Frente Amplio’ (the Broad Front) to try to pull support together. Much will depend on the firebrand MP Gabriel Rufián. He is seen as a potential unifier of the fragmented parties to the left of PSOE. But he is not a Sumar figure, and internal politics and personalities have a habit of wrecking electoral pacts in Spain. Podemos, PSOE’s coalition partner, joined Sumar’s list in 2023 but broke away within months.
For Sánchez, what happens to his left matters more than ever. His pitch therefore needs to be binary.
For Sánchez, what happens to his left matters more than ever. His pitch therefore needs to be binary. Expect him to use Trump, Milei and Flávio Bolsonaro (ahead in Brazil’s presidential race after the first round) as bogeymen to focus minds even before the ballots are printed.
On the right, the Partido Popular (PP) will likely approach a ‘Ming Vase strategy’ of trying to just get through the next 50 days without any major mishaps. It is not clear that this can work. Questions about what a coalition with Vox would look like will follow their leader Alberto Feijóo. His inability to respond adequately to such questions in 2023 likely cost him victory.
Spain’s vote will now be the first in a series of crucial European elections. France chooses a new president in spring 2027. Italy, Poland, Finland and Greece are due to vote before the year is out. Many of these contests will look like Spain’s, with some seeing fragile coalitions on the left facing a confident and surging right.
The results will matter well beyond domestic politics. For instance, as the US continues to demand the continent do more for its own defence, disruptive elections will make it harder to make progress on a more coherent joint European approach to security. This campaign will be closely followed across the continent – and from across the Atlantic – as politicians seek to perfect their pitch in ever more polarized times.
Deal would have created a supermarket with a market share of 23.6%, still well behind Tesco’s 27.8%
Sainsbury’s held merger talks with rival Morrisons this year to discuss a multibillion-pound deal that would have been the biggest shake-up for UK supermarkets in decades, according to reports.
The two companies held exploratory negotiations, according to the Financial Times and Sky. It is believed they are no longer in live discussions.
Operation supported by 100 fighter jets said to have secured ‘air protection’ of Bab al-Mandab strait and destroyed hundreds of targets
Leaders of a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen claimed a broad air campaign involving 100 jet aircraft was under way on Monday against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels along the Red Sea coastline and farther north in the capital, Sana’a.
The Saudi coalition spokesperson, Maj Gen Turki al-Maliki, said the 100 fighter jets participating in Operation Dawn of Yemen were providing support to forces of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
Pakistani authorities insist marchers calling for former PM to be released from jail will not reach the capital
Imran Khan’s supporters have begun a march to Islamabad to demand his release from jail after efforts by the government to halt the protest failed.
The march began in the former prime minister’s stronghold province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in north-west Pakistan on Sunday, according to leaders of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
Family of Virginia Giuffre criticizes Colorado’s Jeff Crank for voting to block a vote to release the Epstein files
Two relatives of Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent Jeffrey Epstein victims who died last year, appeared in a political attack ad targeting the Colorado Republican congressman Jeff Crank, accusing him of refusing to meet with them.
Sky Roberts, Giuffre’s brother, and his wife, Amanda Roberts, expressed disappointment that Crank had voted to block a vote to release the federal investigative files relating to Epstein.
Washington, DC — U.S. public schools recorded nearly 12,000 book bans during the 2025-2026 school year, the highest annual total documented since PEN America began tracking removals in 2021.
The free-expression organization counted 11,982 bans involving 7,370 individual titles across 114 school districts. Since 2021, PEN America has documented roughly 34,000 instances of books being removed or restricted from student access.
Texas accounted for more than 8,100 bans, overtaking Florida after three years in which Florida led the country. PEN America attributes much of the Texas increase to SB 13, a state law restricting broad categories of school-library materials. Researchers also found that some districts are increasingly using artificial intelligence tools to identify large numbers of books for review or removal.
Patricia McCormick’s Sold, a novel about a Nepalese teenager trafficked into sexual slavery, was the year’s most frequently banned title. Stephen King was the most frequently banned author for a second consecutive year.
Supporters of book restrictions generally argue that parents and school boards should have greater control over sexually explicit or age-inappropriate material. Free-expression advocates counter that increasingly broad restrictions remove legitimate literature dealing with subjects including racism, LGBTQ issues and sexual violence.
The figures come as parents, educators and activists continue battling over what students should be allowed to read in public schools.
Montgomery, AL — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore’s appeal seeking to restore an $8.2 million defamation verdict tied to a 2017 Senate campaign advertisement.
The decision leaves intact an 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that overturned a federal jury’s finding in Moore’s favor. The original case involved an advertisement funded by the Democratic-aligned Senate Majority PAC during Moore’s unsuccessful 2017 Senate campaign.
Moore argued that the ad combined excerpts from separate news reports in a way that falsely suggested he had been accused of soliciting sex from young girls at a shopping mall. A federal jury agreed with him in 2022 and awarded $8.2 million in damages.
The appeals court later vacated that verdict, concluding Moore had failed to prove the PAC acted with “actual malice,” the heightened legal standard public figures generally must meet in defamation cases. The Supreme Court’s refusal to take the case means that ruling remains in effect.
Moore’s 2017 campaign was dominated by sexual misconduct allegations. Leigh Corfman said Moore sexually touched her in 1979 when she was 14 and he was 32. Moore has denied that allegation and other accusations made against him.
Youngest press secretary in White House history left earlier this year after the birth of her second child
Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down as White House press secretary in August, is joining her former boss’s favorite network, Fox News, as an on-air contributor, the channel announced on Monday.
Considering that two of her predecessors from Donald Trump’s first administration, Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kayleigh McEnany, had also joined Fox after leaving office, Leavitt was seen as a logical fit for Fox, on which she will begin providing commentary on 1 November.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Quartz: Huawei and Qualcomm on Monday announced a multi-year, broad patent license agreement covering 5G, artificial intelligence, compute, and networking technologies, along with Qualcomm's purchase of certain Huawei U.S. patents in those same fields. The deal is the first patent licensing agreement between the two companies to cover 5G technologies, according to Reuters. Huawei said the agreement is expected to bring the cumulative value of its patent licensing deals above $6.9 billion upon closing.
The agreement includes cross licenses to both companies' patent portfolios and is structured around fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory, or FRAND, principles, the company said. The transaction will close following receipt of the necessary regulatory approvals. [...] The company noted that its intellectual property licensing unit has been profitable since 2021. Huawei made its first licensing payment to Qualcomm in 2001 and received its first licensing income, from Motorola, in 2011, according to Reuters. American export controls that took effect in 2019 have curtailed Huawei's access to cutting-edge chips and essential software, according to Reuters. The constraints pushed Huawei to increase its research and development spending in recent years.
In Spain, tens of thousands of people in 50 cities have taken to the streets amid mounting fury over the country’s housing crisis, their feelings made plain on a banner at the burgeoning protest camp in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol plaza: “You can speculate on watches, jewels, crypto-bros and Ferraris. But not on our fucking homes.”
In France, as high school pupils clash with police in often violent protests over long hours, missing teachers, crumbling classrooms and an opaque university admissions system, the angry slogans include: “More hours in class than for sleep”, “Fund study, not repression” and “I’d like to be worrying about my maths exam, not my future”.
Critics of former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper falsely claim that he was miles away from the Tar Heel State when Hurricane Helene made landfall two years ago.
Cooper is the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, who’s not seeking reelection. Cooper faces Republican Michael Whatley, Libertarian Shannon Bray and Green Party candidate Michael Dublin for the seat.
Cooper served as governor from 2017 through the end of 2024 and led the state’s initial response to Hurricane Helene, which caused an estimated $60 billion in damage in North Carolina in September 2024. Now, with Cooper now running for U.S. Senate, critics are resurrecting a claim that PolitiFact debunked in 2024.
“This Saturday marks two years since Hurricane Helene devastated North Carolina and nearby Southern states. Where was Roy Cooper when Helene slammed into North Carolina? In New York speaking at a New York Times ‘Climate Forward’ event,” President Donald Trump’s campaign account said in a Sept. 21 X post. Trump’s X account repeated the claim in a Sept. 26 post.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee, a GOP political action committee, posted a similar claim on Sept. 23: “Where was Roy Cooper two years ago when Hurricane Helene hit North Carolina? At a climate conference in New York City touting Green New Deal policies.”
In a Sept. 28 Republican National Committee email to supporters, the RNC said that “during the storm itself, Cooper was at a climate change gala in New York City.”
Those claims are wrong.
On Sept. 25 — a day before Helene had even made landfall in Florida — Cooper attended a New York Times conference about climate change and was back by 3 p.m. that day, the governor’s office told media outlets at the time and Cooper’s campaign confirmed to PolitiFact.
On Sept. 27, Cooper was in Raleigh when the most damaging wind and rain hit western North Carolina. We found no evidence that he left the state.
Timeline of events
PolitiFact North Carolina first investigated the claim about Cooper’s September 2024 trip to New York following a social media post by Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the Republican gubernatorial nominee that year. Here’s a review of Cooper’s actions leading up to Helene hitting North Carolina, based on a report by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service.
Sept. 24, 2024: Helene became a Tropical Storm in the Gulf of Mexico. Cooper formally asked top members of the state’s executive branch for approval of emergency powers. He also placed the State Emergency Operations Center on Enhanced Watch, meaning the state should prepare to assist local governments that might need help following the storm.
Sept. 25, 2024: Helene became a Category 1 hurricane off the coast of Florida. Rain fell in Asheville — but it wasn’t from Helene’s outer bands, WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell told PolitiFact. Asheville’s rain that day was the result of a stalled front pulling in moisture from Helene in the Gulf. Cooper declared a state of emergency, allowing state emergency responders to begin deploying equipment, personnel, and resources across the state. He also flew to New York City and was one of many speakers — including zoologist Jane Goodall, NBC weathercaster Al Roker and Guyana President Mohamed Irfaan Ali — who spoke at the public event hosted by The New York Times.
Sept. 26, 2o24: Cooper held an 11 a.m. briefing at the Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh. He urged North Carolinians to prepare for life-threatening flooding as well as high winds, tornadoes and heavy rain throughout the state. He also announced that 175 soldiers and airmen from the NC National Guard had been activated. Tropical-storm-force winds reached Tampa Bay around 3 p.m. and intense rainfall in Florida and the Appalachian Valley caused river levels to rise. Helene strengthened to a Category 4 hurricane as it careened toward Florida. By 6 p.m., the eye of the hurricane was located 150 southwest of Tampa.
Sept. 27, 2024: Helene officially made landfall at 3:10 a.m. near Perry, Florida and moved northward through the morning into North Carolina. Cooper held an 11 a.m. briefing in Raleigh, where state Emergency Management Director William Ray announced that the National Guard had deployed more than 350 guardsmen and that the state Emergency Operations Center deployed 30 swift-water rescue teams. Cooper also asked the Biden administration to expedite a federal major disaster declaration — which the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared on Sept. 28 and was announced on Sept. 29.
Whatley recently recited the correct date of Cooper’s 2024 trip to New York — albeit while criticizing Cooper for going. At a Sept. 25 campaign event in Pittsboro, Whatley said: “We’re here on the 25th, that Roy Cooper on this day two years ago was up in New York at a climate change gala ball. He was not preparing this state.”
PolitiFact reached out to the White House, the Republican National Committee, and Never Surrender Inc., a political action committee linked to the Team Trump X account. None of them immediately responded to requests for comment.
Our ruling
Trump’s X account said: “Where was Roy Cooper when Helene slammed into North Carolina? In New York speaking at a New York Times ‘Climate Forward’ event.”
Cooper attended the New York Times conference about climate change on Sept. 25, 2024, and returned to North Carolina the same day — before Helene made landfall in Florida. The most damaging wind and rain didn’t hit western North Carolina until Sept. 27, 2024. We rate Trump’s claim False.
In a report released on Monday, PEN America said that there had been 34,000 instances of book bans since the organization started tallying the increasing “book censorship crisis” across US schools in 2021.
Departure comes amid large drop in oil receipts, rampant inflation and shrinking economy
Iran’s oil minister has resigned days after allegations that an intermediary trust selling Iranian oil abroad owed millions of dollars’ worth of export receipts to the state.
Mohsen Paknejad’s departure comes as Iran grapples with a dire economic situation, including inflation running at 85%. An overall drop in oil receipts has led to a massive shortfall in foreign exchange earnings and one of the biggest drops in the value of the rial since the Iranian revolution in 1979.
Decision by Paramount Skydance executive David Ellison was relief to employees who feared overhaul – and possibility of Bari Weiss taking over
Mark Thompson, who since 2023 has served as chair and chief executive of CNN after a storied career in British and American media, will retain his role even after Paramount Skydance takes control of the company, he announced in a memo to network staffers on Monday morning.
While Thompson wrote that the “specifics of how CNN will plug into and operate in the new company have yet to be finalized”, he offered some pledges about his role at the combined company, which will be led by David Ellison, the Paramount Skydance chief executive, after the company merges with CNN parent company Warner Bros Discovery. The deal is expected to formally close on Tuesday.
Public figures back commissioner’s call for government commitment to funding legal support for those affected
The singer and television personality Mel B has said she is “heartbroken” by the Windrush scandal victims’ fight for justice, as the Windrush commissioner urged ministers to commit to providing funding for legal support for those affected by the end of October.
In April, the Guardian revealed that the Home Office had refused to pay compensation in more than half the claims made by victims of the scandal, in which mainly Black Britons who came legally to postwar Britain were wrongly stripped of citizenship and settlement rights.
Spain’s socialist prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has once again staked his political future on a snap general election called after rightwing parties torpedoed emergency legislation to tackle the housing crisis.
Sánchez, who has been in office since 2018, used a televised address to communicate his decision, which had been widely expected. The next general election had been due before the end of next summer.
Washington, DC — President Donald Trump is again claiming that American elections are “corrupt,” this time pointing to Brazil’s rapid presidential vote count as supposed evidence that slower U.S. results are suspicious.
Trump praised Brazil for reporting results shortly after polls closed and contrasted that with places such as Detroit, Philadelphia and California, which can take longer to finish counting ballots. He offered no evidence that those delays indicate fraud. He also initially wrote that the election occurred in India before correcting the post to Brazil.
The comparison leaves out a basic difference between the two systems. Brazil uses a centralized national electronic voting system, while U.S. elections are administered separately by states and local jurisdictions with different rules for mail ballots, verification and processing.
Some states legally count properly postmarked ballots that arrive after Election Day, a practice the Supreme Court upheld this year. Longer counting times therefore do not demonstrate corruption; they often reflect state law and the volume of absentee ballots.
Trump has repeatedly alleged widespread election fraud despite failing to produce evidence supporting those claims. Reuters reported this year that investigations promoted by his administration have likewise failed to uncover proof of widespread manipulation.
Brazil’s first round ended with Flávio Bolsonaro at about 47% and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva near 45%, sending them to an Oct. 25 runoff.
An international symbol for the city, the sign is also hallmark of the region’s environmental richness
Atop Mount Lee, in the heart of Los Angeles, the wind is quiet. Two red-tailed hawks sail above, barely flapping as they coast the thermal air like surfers on a wave. Standing beside the giant letters of the Hollywood sign, the city seems peaceful. On a clear day, blocks and blocks of homes unfold beneath and the skies reveal sights all the way to Catalina Island – 10 miles out, across the Pacific.
The frappe has accumulated several distinct meanings across different food traditions, and each has a legitimate history. National Frappe Day this Oct. 7 celebrates a ... Read moreThe post The frappe is one of America’s favorite drinks and nobody can…
I grew up in a multifaceted home. My father was born in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and came to America to attend college. He is a practicing Ethiopian Orthodox Christian, as opposed to my mother, who is a Roman Catholic and was born in a small town in Michigan. My heritage is uncertain, but I certainly have Ethiopian, Irish, German and even Polish blood — an intense and certainly unusual contrast.
My diverse cultural background often led me to feel as if I were “different” on both sides of my family. I found it difficult to assimilate into both of my parents’ cultures, because I had never felt as if I fully belonged in either.
As a child, I was hyperaware of how different my brother and I looked from the rest of my mother’s side of the family. My mother’s family has light hair, light eyes and freckles. My complexion and eyes are dark, as are my brother’s.
It was through these stark differences that I became aware of the ways I would come to feel different than the rest of my family. Even apart from my relatives, I was one of the only young women of color at my mother’s Roman Catholic church, and certainly the only one whose father was born in Africa.
On my father’s side, I was one of the only Ethiopian children who could not speak fluent Amharic. As I grew older, my Amharic worsened, and it became more difficult for me to communicate with members of my father’s family who did not speak English. This deepened the divide that I once felt between myself and my African culture. I could get by with a basic “hello’’ and “how are you,” but I could not tell my family about my life.
I cannot tell them about my friends, my loved ones, my school and my goals, and they cannot tell me about their own lives. I have yet to travel to Ethiopia, unlike the rest of my cousins on my father’s side. Most of them are fluent in Amharic, and it is easy for them to come and go from Addis Ababa. They have met uncles, aunts, cousins, nieces and nephews that, to me, are still strangers.
I saw my multi-faceted heritage as a burden for most of my childhood. In my mind, I had a collection of cultural communities that I could dip a toe into, so to speak, but none that were completely and entirely my own.
I felt wrong identifying fully with any one community, whether it be with my mother’s Roman Catholic Irish and German family, or with my father’s Orthodox Ethiopian family. I loved both of my families with my whole heart, but neither felt like my own identity for a long time.
Today, I see things much differently than I did throughout my childhood. As I grew older and spent more time away from home and away from both of my families, I saw the connections that I shared with other individuals who were also from multifaceted backgrounds and those who shared some similar cultures. Many of these connections were small things — things that most people would consider insignificant.
For example, I met Ethiopians around my age during high school and college, and was happy to realize that each of us could instantly recognize the other as a member of the East African Habesha tribe. Our families had some of the same traditions, and our fathers spoke in the same manner — something for us to laugh and talk about. Similarly, I met individuals from Irish and German heritage whose mothers and grandparents were like those of my own, and also demonstrated similar traditional behaviors.
The similarities between my family and others’ families were silly and small, but I cherished them because all of these connections made me feel tied to every single part of my heritage. I slowly began to realize how special my cultural background was and how connected I was to such a large number of people. Rather than my diversity singling me out, it brings me into the fold of so many different cultures. It brings me love, community and pride.
I am blessed — not only because of my diverse bloodline, but because of all of the opportunities I have been given throughout my life to celebrate the places I come from, the people that have come from the same places, and the beauty in being a diverse Black woman.
My roots spread far, and to be a Black woman with so many roots across the world is a blessing. It has furthered my journey in discovering my personal identity and cherishing my life as a Black woman. I am proud to have so many people to share my culture with.
I encourage every young Black woman to take steps to explore their heritage and celebrate where they come from, no matter how small these steps may be. My personal steps have been small. I am attempting to relearn Amharic online to better communicate with some members of my father’s family, and I hope to travel to Ethiopia in the next year.
I am also learning more about my mother and her Irish and German heritage through my grandfather, who tells stories of his own parents and my grandmother’s parents. But no matter how small the steps may be, the individual journey to truly understand and celebrate our cultures is one that brings true love and pride for one’s identity.
Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert represented Illinois for two decades in Congress and was later jailed on charges related to his concealment of hush money payments made to cover up sexual abuse.
Stanley Chow’s cartoon was put on water bottles at party conference with the slogan ‘Bottler Burnham’
An artist is considering legal action after the Conservative party used his cartoon to mock Andy Burnham.
Stanley Chow, a Manchester-based illustrator who works for the New Yorker magazine, created a cartoon of the prime minister for campaign material in the Makerfield byelection earlier in June.
A method that controls nerve signals with light, developed by an American and two Germans, has provided greater understanding of Alzheimer’s and is used in efforts to restore sight.
Boss of OpenAI calls for a regulatory light touch because of the ‘good stuff’ the technology can deliver
Sam Altman says he believes the world should accept “bad things” happening with AI in exchange for the benefits of the technology.
The chief executive of OpenAI cited hacks, scams and “other bad things that will happen” in an interview that sparked an instant backlash from critics of the big AI companies. His comments came after one of his company’s safety experts resigned, saying at the weekend that its “culture is broken”.
Washington, DC — The Trump administration is proposing to eliminate federal restrictions that sharply limit suspensions and prohibit expulsions in Head Start, potentially leaving hundreds of thousands of low-income preschool children subject to widely varying state discipline rules.
Head Start currently requires programs to use interventions such as mental-health consultation, parent engagement and individualized support before excluding a child. Expulsion is prohibited, while temporary suspension is allowed only in exceptional circumstances. The program serves nearly 700,000 children nationwide.
Under the proposed rule, those federal protections would disappear and states or local programs would set their own discipline policies. The administration describes the change as part of an effort to reduce federal bureaucracy and give communities greater control.
The practical effect could be significant. A Children’s Equity Project analysis found only 14 states have policies resembling Head Start’s current safeguards, and just seven clearly extend those protections across the full birth-to-five age range. Black children, children with disabilities and boys already experience disproportionately high rates of exclusionary preschool discipline.
Critics warn that removing federal standards could make it easier for overstretched programs to remove children with behavioral or developmental needs rather than provide additional support.
Public comments on the proposed rule remain open through October 6.
Karen Bass is fighting for her political life as progressives battle to lead the US’s second-largest city
Karen Bass has never lost an election. But this fall, she faces the fight of her political life.
Bass has roughly a month to convince voters that she should be elected to a second term as the mayor of Los Angeles. Given Angelenos’ broad dissatisfaction with the direction of the city, approval ratings on par with Donald Trump’s and a wave of anti-establishment sentiment sweeping American politics, she has a formidable challenge in city council member Nithya Raman.
Britain's former Prince Andrew is challenging the validity of search warrants issued for his homes prior to his arrest over his dealings with Jeffrey Epstein.
A defeat for Sánchez and his socialist party could bring down a long-serving European leader whose star power has risen among the global left for standing up to President Donald Trump.
A woman's murder allegedly committed by a U.S. Marine in Okinawa is a "heinous crime," Japan's premier said on Monday, as the new accusation of violence involving American forces sparked public outrage.
Brent crude hovers around $100 a barrel despite news of increased Mideast oil flows, as Iran's Houthi allies battle over control of Red Sea shipping lanes.
After Guardian investigation uncovered drone strike that killed 12 civilians and injured many more, seven-year-old Abdiqadir Salah underwent vital operation in Mogadishu
On the rickshaw ride to the hospital, Marian Haji Abdi Guled felt a mixture of joy and apprehension: the day they had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Almost a year earlier, her then seven-year-old son, Abdiqadir Salah, had been seriously injured, alongside his two siblings, in what a Guardian investigation found was a US drone strike on the village of Jamaame in Somalia that killed at least 12 civilians, including eight children.
The post-World Cup youth movement has paid off with historic plays that, for the moment, feel natural, sustainable and needed
From the outside, a moment like the one Cavan Sullivan produced Saturday seemed to be pulled directly from dreamland. Turns out, it pretty much was.
“I was amazed. I was excited,” the 17-year-old said of learning he’d start for the US men’s national team against Mexico, in what would become a 3-0 win. “I texted my family right after, and after lunch, I took a nap. Before I go to sleep, I visualize and try to manifest good things for the night. Some things come to fruition, some don’t.”
The vice-president’s recent remarks seek to maintain a posture of strength while they inadvertently expose political realities
JD Vance has parachuted into the midterm election campaign on a rescue mission in a new guise: a risk management consultant. Speaking in the flat language of the expert hired to identify threats, weaknesses and losses affecting a business’s reputation, he has presented his executive summary for limiting vulnerabilities and a scenario for averting disaster.
“There’s a lot of good that’s been done, but there’s a lot of work left to do,” he informed his clients on 15 September about the words to use. “Give us another chance, or give us another couple of years, to continue to work on the amazing things that we’ve been doing for the past two years.” He turned the focus to harm reduction rather than total agreement and then shifted the equation to a negative binary choice. “Even if you don’t agree with us on every issue, the other party is consumed by craziness.”
UK protests come as nearly 150 people trying to reach UK in second vessel were rescued
Two people have died and two more injured attempting to cross the Channel in a small boat, French authorities have said, while anti-migrant protesters on England’s south coast scuffled with police as they opposed the rescue of nearly 150 more people on a second vessel.
Even though the number of small boat crossings has fallen in recent months, the incidents come amid growing unrest in some quarters partly been fuelled by far-right agitators.
Classicist and museum trustee visited the line after people complained of waiting for hours, with some turned away
Mary Beard has intervened in the row about excessively long queues for the Bayeux tapestry by visiting the line and submitting a list of improvements to the British Museum.
Beard, 71, is a trustee of the museum and inspected the queue herself after visitors to the tapestry complained that they had to wait for hours for their turn to view it, and some were turned away with no guarantee they would get another timeslot.
Nepal’s floods put the global loss and damage system to the testExpert commentjon.wallace
Nepal’s recovery from August’s catastrophic glacial flood will test the efficiency of the UN’s Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. It will also resurface questions about the responsibilities of the greatest carbon emitters.
On 26 August 2026, a glacial disaster high in the Himalayas sent a wall of meltwater and debris tearing through Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Rasuwa region at speeds of nearly 188 km per hour. The flood has claimed over 1400 lives, with thousands still missing.
Nepal is experiencing the consequences of a warming cryosphere, with accelerated glacier melt that could undermine the long-term security of a water source on which millions of people depend.
The country only contributes around 0.1 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet its people are on the front lines of climate change impacts, as glacial retreat reshapes the Himalayan landscape. Early estimates of the cost of reconstruction are $4 to 5 billion, around a tenth of Nepal’s GDP.
Nepal’s government has appealed to the UN’s Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) for help. But that can only provide a fraction of the funds required. As a result, Nepal has raised the responsibility of the world’s largest carbon emitters and will bring the issue to the forefront of November’s COP31 climate summit in Turkey.
In this respect, Nepal’s recovery will stress-test bigger questions: How far is it possible to establish whether climate change was a contributing factor to a disaster? Can international climate finance mechanisms deliver urgent help to countries facing imminent, irreparable losses? And what more should the world’s greatest emitters be doing to help countries like Nepal?
The Fund faces a credibility test
Since the FRLD was established at COP27 in 2022, demand for financial support has far exceeded available funding. As of March 2026, 27 countries pledged $822.06 million, of which only around half was received. The Fund made $342 million available in its first round, dwarfed by requests of close to $2.8 billion for losses and damages worldwide.
The Fund faces disbursement delays from unreliable capital flows and institutional bottlenecks, due to unfulfilled voluntary commitments and approval processes within the World Bank. Nepal’s access is also constrained by complex, multi-tiered federal approval processes and lengthy procurement procedures.
At present, there is no rapid-access pathway for countries to apply for FRLD funding outside scheduled application windows. Questions also remain about how the Fund will assess the role of climate change in causing particular disasters, and how such assessments might influence funding decisions.
Nepal has emerged as an early test of how the Fund will respond. Kathmandu has requested $20 million – a modest sum compared to the scale of economic damage. Yet the request is significant for what it reveals about the Fund’s ability to respond in practice: Can the Fund move resources quickly and predictably enough to provide support when it is most needed?
Scientific attribution
Nepal’s catastrophe puts attribution front and centre: how can it be established whether climate change was a contributing factor to a disaster, rather than the sole cause? If it is found to be a contributing factor, when is that sufficient to establish harm? And is it possible to apportion responsibility for global warming to greenhouse gas emissions by certain countries?
Nepal is challenging established understandings of climate responsibility and raising difficult questions about who should bear the costs of climate-related losses.
Nepal is relying on a recent flood study in its claim to the Fund, attributing several cascading climate factors to the onset of this catastrophe. This should make Nepal’s case for loss and damage straightforward. The harm is tangible, the science exists, and the FRLD was built for this scenario. But a fund capped at $20 million per project is facing a disaster impact estimated in billions. That may push Nepal to look past the Fund’s limits to the countries whose emissions may have contributed to these harms.
In July 2025, the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion on Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change offered a real, if partial, legal scaffolding to claims that states suffering climate-related harm may seek address, a development relevant to Nepal’s application to the FRLD. On establishing harm, the Court accepted that climate science can be relied upon to link specific disasters to climate change. A ‘sufficiently direct and certain’ standard was set to accommodate the complexity of determining causality in climate events.
Responding to losses and damages
Speaking at the UN General Assembly last Friday, Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah argued that the FRLD and other mechanisms remain ‘grossly inadequate’ for countries like his, which contributed little to warming of the Himalayan climate. This followed calls by his foreign minister for major emitters to work together to help vulnerable and small economies like Nepal.
By seeking support from major emitters across developed and developing countries, Nepal is challenging established understandings of climate responsibility and raising difficult questions about who should bear the costs of climate-related losses.
Though politically significant, translating that into an international financing obligation will be difficult. While China and India’s present-day emissions are substantial, India’s per capita emissions and both their historical contributions are low relative to other advanced economies.
Both are considered developing countries under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and argue for differentiated responsibilities to developed countries like the United States under Article 2 (2) of the Paris Agreement. Meanwhile, the US withdrawal from UNFCCC creates financial, governance and diplomatic challenges ahead of COP31.
However, both China and India have significant interests in Nepalese recovery. Both invest heavily in infrastructure development in the ecologically fragile region, while India relies on Nepal’s hydropower. And both countries’ proximity to Nepal creates shared priorities in Himalayan resilience.
Furthermore, their responsibilities to address climate change can evolve as domestic capabilities and emission profiles grow, also helping to strengthen south-south cooperation. Addressing Nepal’s losses and damages therefore provides a strategic and humanitarian imperative, requiring a collective response to rebuild Nepal.
COP31: The next test
Questions of attribution and compensation are best left outside of negotiation rooms to appropriate legal forums. Instead, Nepal’s experience points to three priorities at this year’s COP31 summit. First, clearer standards are needed for attributing harm where multiple factors have contributed to a disaster. Second, more consistent approaches are required for establishing the value of economic and non-economic losses in cases like Nepal’s. Third, access to FRLD finance should be faster and more predictable.
The political context will make progress difficult. COP31 comes amid geopolitical fragmentation, fiscal pressures and growing strain on multilateral cooperation. At the same time, some progress may be in sight. Loss and damage is formally on the agenda, including guidance to the FRLD, while the Fund prepares for its first funding decisions. Some scope for regional cooperation may remain, as illustrated by Prime Minister Shah’s proposal at the UN for a Himalayan Climate Resilience Mechanism between Nepal, India and China to share glacial-lake data and strengthen joint early-warning systems.
Overall, Nepal’s application will provide a practical test of whether COP31 can move beyond broad commitments on loss and damage towards clearer rules for climate attribution, assessment and access to finance. The immediate opportunity may be incremental rather than transformational. Negotiators will need to establish processes that can be strengthened over time, while ensuring that disputes over responsibility do not prevent vulnerable countries receiving the support they need. However, more cases like Nepal’s will follow. And the need for a just solution to help countries recover from such disasters will only grow.
Banks and building societies raise prices as turmoil in bond markets increases expectations of base rate rise
The average cost of a five-year fixed-rate mortgage has hit the 6% barrier for the first time in three years, as jitters in the money markets make the loans more expensive for lenders to offer.
Figures from financial information provider Moneyfacts show the average is now 6.00%, its highest point since September 2023, while the average two-year fixed rate is not far behind at 5.98%, its highest since December of the same year.
The UK is reviewing whether to impose tariffs on Chinese car imports to align itself with the EU and strengthen its case to be included in new legislation designed to protect the European manufacturing sectors including autos and chemicals.
It is understood the EU has raised the question of tariffs with the UK as part of the discussions on the upcoming “Made in Europe” legislation, known as the Industrial Accelerator Act.
From the transportation news site MotorBiscuit:
In late September 2026, 23-year-old Liz Lindseay Isaacs testified before a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee about her harrowing experience after a Flock camera misidentified her Dodge Durango, linking her to a fatal hit-and-run miles away from where she actually was... "The cell door was shut, and it was not opened for approximately 86 hours". She spent a total of 13 days locked up — including the terrifying stint in solitary confinement — before prosecutors finally realized the AI had completely botched the vehicle identification and dropped the charges.
A Flock spokesperson contacted for a CNN report argued the incident "appears to have been the result of human errors in judgment unrelated to Flock." The woman is now suing the Florida patrol over wrongful arrest, saying she partially blames the two police officers who she says claimed there was incriminating damage on her vehicle when there wasn't. But her lawyer says he blames Flock. "Because if it wasn't for Flock we wouldn't be here in the first place, and this whole nightmare... would not have kicked off."
And while police claim Flock solves more crimes, the lawyer adds that "you would also solve a lot more crimes if the police were allowed to kick down your door and come in and search your house whenever they want to, or search your car whenever they want to or violate your rights in other ways. There has to be safeguards in police that comport through the 4th Amendment, like the warrant requirements. It's as simple as that. This technology is growing so fast that we are unable to control it. And we must get ahead of it." And the woman incarcerated for 13 days agreed. "I wouldn't have went to jail if it wasn't for Flock."
Florida was also the site of another Flock-related news story. ("Florida Deputy Allegedly Used Flock Cameras to Stalk 17-Year-Old Girl, Visiting Her at Work 9 Times".) The officer "was charged with official misconduct and accessing computer electronic devices without authority — both are third-degree felonies. In Florida, if he's found guilty on both charges, he could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison."
"Americans have no idea who's looking at that information, or why it has to be collected in the first place," U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Sunday, adding "They deserve to know."
SCHUMER: "This company said the data on its cameras was encrypted and secure. Then hackers took one down and found the key sitting right there," Schumer said. "Most Americans just want to get to work and get home to their families without a private company keeping a file on where they go. The next step here is simple: turn the lens around and zoom in on Flock." Schumer also demanded answers from Flock about how much data from its cameras sits on its servers and whether any federal agency has accessed that data, directly or through local law enforcement.
Schumer's office sent an official letter to Flock's CEO giving them 12 days to respond to its questions about Flock's data retention and security policies. "Americans should not have to sacrifice their right to privacy simply by driving down a public street," Schumer wrote.
And in other news...
Garrett Langley, the CEO of Flock Safety — a company that deploys over 120,000 automated license plate reader cameras across the United States — recently requested that his Atlanta home be blurred out on Google Maps Street View. In swift retaliation, online activists pinpointed the property and officially marked his front lawn as a "Public Toilet" on the mapping app.
Britain's former prince lodged a judicial review over the legality of search warrants in his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office in a case related to his Jeffrey Epstein ties. He has denied wrongdoing.
The euro has slumped to the lowest level against the dollar in 17 months amid growing concern France’s debt position could threaten the stability of the wider single currency bloc.
The single currency fell as much as 0.8% against the dollar in early trading on Monday to below $1.12, its lowest level since May 2025. It has slumped by about 1.2% this month, accelerating a drop of about eight cents against the greenback from a peak of $1.20 in January.
Washington, DC — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is ordering another major reduction in the Pentagon’s senior leadership ranks, directing the military to cut roughly 20% of its general and admiral positions by early 2027.
The new target doubles the 10% reduction Hegseth announced last year and could eliminate or downgrade scores of positions across the services. The Pentagon argues that fewer senior officers will reduce bureaucracy, accelerate decision-making and return greater authority to commanders closer to operational units.
Critics, however, question whether rapidly stripping experienced leadership from the armed forces during active global conflicts is prudent military reform or simply another sweeping restructuring undertaken with limited congressional input. Senate Armed Services Committee ranking Democrat Jack Reed has warned that indiscriminate cuts could weaken readiness and remove expertise the military may need during crises.
The reductions follow Hegseth’s earlier removal or forced retirement of more than two dozen senior officers, including several of the military’s highest-ranking women. His broader Pentagon overhaul has also targeted diversity programs, military-academy faculty policies and organizational structures he considers bloated or distracted from warfighting.
Hegseth maintains the changes are about accountability and combat effectiveness. The central question is whether cutting leadership this aggressively actually produces a leaner military — or creates unnecessary disruption at a particularly unstable moment.
Norma Bowe, 68, was flung to the ground at Delaney Hall, the infamous New Jersey detention center. She sees her lawsuit against ICE as one step towards justice
Norma Bowe pressed a stethoscope against the 10-year-old’s chest, listening to her lungs.
It was Memorial Day outside Delaney Hall, an immigration detention center in Newark, New Jersey. The child, worried about her father locked inside, was hyperventilating.
Ex-lawyer for woman Tennessee attempted to execute says defense filings said she was at risk for ‘exactly what happened’
A former lawyer for Christa Pike says he was not surprised that Tennessee botched its attempt to execute her because attorneys had warned that problems accessing her veins could make the procedure dangerous and potentially cruel.
James Crowson, who represented Pike during part of her post-conviction appeals, said he had followed the case from afar before the failed execution at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville on 30 September.
Flávio Bolsonaro is favorite to win 25 October runoff against 80-year-old incumbent leftwing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Plus the ‘pawsome’ new recruit to Mexico’s national guard
Good morning. Brazil’s presidential race will go to a second round after the far-right candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, beat the incumbent leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, but failed to secure the outright majority he needed to avoid a runoff.
The 45-year-old son of the disgraced former president Jair Bolsonaro will go into the second round as strong favourite, likely to pick up votes from the election’s other rightwing candidates, including Ronaldo Caiado, who secured 2.1%, and Renan Santos, who won 2.2%. The second round will take place on 25 October.
How have Bolsonarista politicians taken a grip on Brazil? Brazil’s far right put in an even stronger than expected showing, with a succession of Bolsonarista politicians winning congressional or gubernatorial races. They included Jair Bolsonaro’s second son, Carlos Bolsonaro, and his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, who both won seats in the senate. Bolsonaro’s youngest son, Jair Renan Bolsonaro, was elected to the lower house of congress.
What has been the latest response from Cornell University? In a video message, the Cornell University president, Michael Kotlikoff, said the school would take “a serious look at the role of fraternities and sororities in campus life”, adding: “At their best, these organisations can provide students with friendship, belonging, mentorship and a powerful sense of community. But being part of a group can never diminish individual responsibility.”
Lidl’s sales in Great Britain jumped 10% to more than £13bn this year, as shoppers sought out cheaper fresh meat, fruit and vegetables and snapped up its Deluxe range.
Pre-tax profit at the German-owned supermarket’s arm in Great Britain grew by 30% to £245.5m in the year ended in February, up from £156.8m in the previous year.
The only requirement to open a private school in Arkansas is displaying a flag and flagpole, so the reporting team visited the local flag shop in Little Rock. Brian Chilson/Arkansas Times
It began as a casual question — and a flicker of curiosity — uttered during a meeting of ProPublica journalists who this year are reporting on publicly funded private schools. We were discussing how, in many states, basically anyone can open a private school wherever they want. No experience, no training, no curriculum required.
One of our editors jumped in and asked: What if ProPublica tried to establish a private school?
We were intrigued. We are longtime education reporters, not educators. Would that matter? Where, if anywhere, do states draw the line on who is fit to run a school — and in some cases, collect public money to fund their ventures?
We decided that testing the thesis that anyone can open a school would be valuable to our ongoing reporting, particularly at a time when we have found that private schools are growing rapidly across the country — in barns, farms, co-working spaces, people’s homes and parks. These new schools are fueled by taxpayer-funded vouchers and other programs, and our reporting has revealed states have little interest in monitoring them.
We had some inspiration to draw from: In 2015, comedian John Oliver founded a tax-exempt church to show how easy it was for televangelists to avoid paying taxes while soliciting millions of dollars.
Some of us live in Chicago and are well aware of the lore of the Mirage Tavern, a real bar that undercover reporters operated in the 1970s to expose corruption in the city. While that investigation had a substantial impact, and led to a new city oversight agency, it also drew criticism for its deceptive practices.
We drew lessons from that reporting and set some ground rules at the start of our experiment. To be clear, we had no intention of operating schools. We won’t enroll any students.
Most importantly, it would be critical for us to be transparent about who we were in our applications, using our newsroom phone numbers and email addresses. In one state, we even disclosed that we were “journalists exploring opening a microschool.” We also decided we would stop the experiment if it would require doing something illegal or using public resources for our own benefit.
Have you had trouble finding a school or using a voucher-style program? Do you have concerns about schools — public or private — in your area? Help us understand how families across the country are navigating their school options.
Here’s how we went about the experiment in Arkansas, West Virginia and North Carolina:
First, we partnered with newsrooms in the three states — the Arkansas Times, Mountain State Spotlight in West Virginia and The Assembly in North Carolina — and pursued creating the schools together. No one knows their states better than reporters who live there, so we wanted to work with the experts. Plus, the school applications required local addresses and we reasoned that newsroom addresses, which state officials could easily look up, would be extra transparent.
Then, we came up with names for the schools. We aimed to call them Curiosity Academies to reflect our curiosity as journalists. We succeeded with the ProPublica-Arkansas Times Curiosity Academy and ProPublica-Mountain State Spotlight Curiosity Academy. A word-count limit required us to scrap curiosity for our school in North Carolina. We simply called it the ProPublica-Assembly Academy.
Next, we filed paperwork with each state. That turned out to be easier than working through the legal and ethical questions with our editors, our legal team and our standards editor to design our experiment in the first place.
In Arkansas, we didn’t need permission from the state Education Department, which does not regulate private schools. All it took was filling out a form on the Arkansas secretary of state website, $45 and an American flag to be recognized as a private school business (yes, Arkansas requires all schools to have an American flag — but only public schools also are required to have the Arkansas flag). The secretary of state’s office even emailed us a certificate.
The official certificate acknowledging our schoolSecretary of State/State of Arkansas
But when it came to applying for our private school to become eligible for public funds, a process that does add some guardrails, we didn’t think we could do it. In Arkansas, private schools participating in the voucher-like program have to be accredited or working toward it, which often requires creating curriculum and school handbooks. That seemed like a step too far since we weren’t actually opening schools.
However, we discovered that Arkansas allows a subset of schools called microschools to use public money with fewer requirements. So, we decided to apply for public funds as a microschool. That process also took only about 10 minutes. We didn’t need to provide our credentials or a background check, prove our fiscal stability or assure that the newsroom was a safe place for students. (If approved, we would not take the next step and register to receive public money.)
A state employee who reviewed our application, which we submitted in early September, said we missed the deadline for this school year but could apply for next school year. He also suggested another way we could tap into public money.
Kaelin Clay, the Arkansas Department of Education spokesperson, said the agency reviews applications to the voucher-like program to determine if the schools meet state requirements. She said microschool families have the “freedom to choose” where and how their children learn.
In West Virginia, we spent little time handwriting the required information on notebook paper and submitting it to the state Education Department. We eventually established our school as a microschool after a state employee shared that, unlike the regulations for private schools, we would not need an inspection.
We did need proof of at least a high school diploma, and we shared one of our real college transcripts from the late 1990s with the local school district, which then notified the state of our new school. (We couldn’t find the high school transcript; does anyone keep them?)
In an official statement, a spokesperson for West Virginia’s Department of Education said it “does not approve or deny the operation of microschools for any reason, including the qualifications of the owner/operator.” State law includes no mechanism for oversight of microschools.
ProPublica reporter Jennifer Smith Richards handwrites an application to found a private middle school in West Virginia.Laura Bilson for ProPublica
In North Carolina, our project’s own rules and ethics — not the state’s determination of the quality of education we would (or wouldn’t) provide — prevented us from completing the process there. Instead of using the address of The Assembly’s newsroom on our application, our editors let us use the address of a brewery for our school. We needed a property with fire and sanitation inspections. The co-working space that houses the newsroom had a fire inspection but wasn’t required to have one for sanitation. But the brewery, which has a partnership with the newsroom that led to the creation of a light and lemony ale called Tell the Truth, did have one. They let us use their inspection reports for the project.
But when a state official told us that, in fact, we needed to get school-specific fire and sanitation inspections, we abandoned our quest. This crossed our line of straining public resources, as we didn’t want inspectors, whose salaries are paid by tax dollars, to devote their time to our experiment.
The rest, as they say, is history. A bunch of journalists are now school owners, administrators and heads of schools. And though we plan to close down the academies we opened to ensure no potential students mistake us for a proper school, we did want some mementos of our brief school experience. So we snagged ProPublicaAcademy.com and designed some fun pencils to show our school spirit.
And that’s not all. Now that we’ve told you about our journey opening private schools, do you think you have what it takes to open one, too? Find out by taking our quiz. Let us know how you did by replying to this email or tagging @ProPublica on your favorite social platform.
Why Should Delaware Care? For decades, a du Pont family trust has bankrolled Delaware’s only pediatric hospital. In addition, Delaware attorneys general have battled in court with managers of that family trust challenging whether they properly invested in Delawareans, as requested by the late duPont.
Delaware is set to receive nearly $1 billion over the next 11 years from a trust tied to one of the state’s most prominent and wealthy businessmen.
Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings announced on Friday that her office secured a $950 million settlement with the Nemours Foundation and the Alfred I. duPont Charitable Trust following decades of litigation that spanned seven attorneys general.
At the center of the settlement are claims the foundation had improperly spent a charitable trust left behind by one of Delaware’s most prominent businessmen – Alfred I. du Pont. In his will, du Pont requested the remainder of his wealth go to supporting children and elderly couples “who are residents of Delaware.”
And while the trust has for decades helped to bankroll Delaware’s sole pediatric hospital, Wilmington’s Nemours Children’s Health, generations of Delaware attorneys general also have challenged trustees of du Pont’s will, saying they spent large chunks of the funds on ventures outside of Delaware.
In 1991, the nonprofit health system acquired a children’s hospital in Jacksonville, Fla., which was where du Pont had kept a second home.
The settlement sets aside “at least $237.5 million” for Delaware’s Nemours campus, and state officials said those funds won’t be used for operating budgets. It also ties up a nearly 50-year legal fight over the management of du Pont’s trust, and its impact in Delaware.
At a press conference on Friday, Jennings said the settlement was not about her office or any other AG who may have sought to bring funds into the state. Instead, she said it has “always been about the future health of every child in the state of Delaware.”
“The funds secured under this settlement could change the future, and will change the future for Delaware’s kids,” she said.
In a statement, the Nemours Foundation said it would continue to invest in Delaware’s children, and hopes the 11-year investment will support a “broader network of organizations dedicated to children’s health and well-being.”
A spokesperson for the Alfred I. duPont Charitable Trust said the funds set aside for Nemours would go to supporting children, as well as “new, Delaware-based initiatives recommended by Nemours to the directors of the fund.”
Gov. Matt Meyer also said in an emailed statement he was appreciative of the work of Jennings and the Delaware Department of Justice for bringing the funds to the state.
What does the settlement say?
The $950 million award would be dedicated primarily to funding initiatives to improve the health of children in Delaware. Neither Jennings nor spokespeople for Nemours and the trust outlined any immediate spending priorities for the settlement funds on Friday other than that they would go toward supporting children.
However, Jennings and the DOJ outlined how the funds will be governed over the next decade.
They will be managed by a five-member committee, three of whom would be selected by the du Pont trust, another would be selected by the governor, and a fifth independent member would be selected by the other four.
During a press conference on Friday, Owen Lefkon, who leads the Fraud and Consumer Protection Division at the DOJ, said it would not be a public body since it’s a private trust.
Additionally, he said the committee would be responsible for establishing their own grantmaking criteria for how funds would be awarded to different organizations across the state.
Jennings added that the funds would have to be spent on the health of children within the state, and the uses can be broad.
“They can be capital grants for buildings. They can be grants for specific programs. They can be new programs, existing programs. But the experts are going to decide that,” Jennings said.
A copy of the settlement agreement said the funds would be able to support capital expenses, education, as well as research programs that support Delaware residents.
As for the $237.5 million set aside for Nemours, those funds cannot supplant existing operating costs for the hospital in Wilmington, the settlement said. There are some exceptions that say funds can support “strategic” programs or investments that are unlikely to be profitable for the hospital.
History of the settlement
Delaware first challenged the du Pont trust in 1979, decades after his death in 1935.
He lived in Delaware for most of his life, before moving to Florida in his twilight years with his wife. When duPont died, he specified in his will that he wished to support the health of Delaware’s youth and elderly with the remainder of his wealth.
Shortly thereafter, the Nemours Foundation was established with funds from his trust and domiciled in Florida.
Along with operating the children’s hospital in Wilmington, the Nemours Foundation also doles out money to its Florida hospitals, as well as its New Jersey and Pennsylvania health clinics.
Once du Pont’s wife died in 1970, the Nemours Foundation began to receive larger payments from the trust. What followed were decades of legal challenges by Delaware leaders, who had sought a greater share of his will.
Delaware attorneys general homed in on specific language in du Pont’s will that requested support for children and the elderly support “residents of Delaware.”
The first lawsuit in 1979 was settled a year later, requiring the Nemours Foundation to spend no less than 50% of the funds it received annually from the trust on its Delaware operations. The $950 million settlement vacates that agreement.
Former Attorney General Matt Denn filed suit against Nemours and the trustees in 2017, challenging spending by the foundation and the trust. The complaint claimed Nemours used large swaths of trust funding to support its Florida hospital that violated the 50% stipulation settled in previous decades.
Denn and his Department of Justice litigated the case until 2019, until Jennings was elected 2019 and she took over. In an interview on Friday, Denn said he never thought the issue would be settled in his lifetime, and that he was grateful to Jennings and her team for securing the funds.
The case had previously hit a bump, when a trial court ruled the Delaware Attorney General did not have the standing to pursue the trust. Jennings said with the appeals court win, her team had positioned itself well for a trial.
“In the wake of an impending trial date and outstanding lawyering on our side, we were able to get where we needed to be,” she said.
Our ‘genius’ president is revealing his ignorance of economics, fueling concerns about the threat he poses to the world
Donald Trump recently made a bold claim about his abilities, writing on Truth Social: “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!”
But in the days before and after that post, Trump made one mind-boggling statement after another, including one that raised the possibility of cutting off all trade with dozens of the US’s trading partners. The president’s statements had many experts questioning not just his intelligence, but also whether he – and the outlandish policies he was proposing – were a clear and present danger to both the US economy and the world economy. Public respect for Trump’s economic sense has fallen so low that just 7% of Americans think he should take the lead in regulating AI, according to a recent WSJ poll.
Why Should Delaware Care? The Matt Rife comedy “Unaccompanied Minor” is the first film to take advantage of Delaware’s new film and entertainment production tax credit. The politicians behind its passing hope to stimulate economic development, provide jobs for Delawareans and build a thriving production industry in the First State.
From musicians like SZA and Journey, to NFL athletes Saquon Berkley and Jason Kelce, the Pine Box Studios, a rehearsal and production space in Wilmington, has been no stranger to famous faces in the five years since its opening.
But Pine Box Studios has never been the site of a feature film production — until now.
Top Rope Studios, an independent film production company helmed by producer and Delawarean Christopher Lemole (“The Peanut Butter Falcon”), is currently renting the space for one month to shoot “Unaccompanied Minor,” a road trip comedy directed by David Dobkin (“Wedding Crashers”) and starring comedian Matt Rife.
Now, Top Rope Studios has set up shop at The Pine Box Studios. Georgia-based Shoot Aviation has assembled an airplane interior set inside the space made from a decommissioned American Airlines aircraft.
“This is my first time in a laydown seat in first class,” joked The Pine Box Studios General Manager Brian Market as he gave Spotlight Delaware a tour of the plane. “We’ve seen some pretty decent-sized sets for the commercials that we’ve had here, but nothing like this.”
The interior of the airplane film set of “Unaccompanied Minor.” | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CANNON TAYLOR
The Pine Box Studios in Wilmington is currently being used for the filming of “Unaccompanied Minor.” | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CANNON TAYLOR
The interior of the airplane film set of “Unaccompanied Minor.” | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CANNON TAYLOR
Market said Top Rope Studios first called about booking a space in July, mere days after the General Assembly passed House Bill 364, establishing Delaware’s first film and entertainment production tax credit.
“That’s why this legislation was so important,” Market said. “Everyone told us, ‘You’re not going to get the film and TV stuff until a tax credit is on the books because they’re going to go to another state.’”
The 30% transferable tax credit is available to productions of feature films, TV series, commercials, music videos, video games and esports that spend more than $100,000 in Delaware in a 12-month period.
The state has budgeted up to $10 million annually for the program, meaning the program has the potential to attract about $33 million in production spending to Delaware annually, according to Joe Zilcosky, regional business manager with the Delaware Division of Small Business.
Applications officially opened on Sept. 16 but are retroactive to July 1, when the General Assembly passed the bill. Gov. Matt Meyer held a ceremonial bill signing for HB 364 at The Pine Box Studios on Sept. 30.
During the ceremony, Lemole explained that he moved back from Los Angeles to the Wilmington area six years ago and is honored to make a film in his home state.
Lemole sees Delaware as an ideal filming location for several reasons, including its proximity to cast and crew across the East Coast and its scenic cityscapes, rolling hills, beaches and farmlands.
Zilcosky was unable to share at this point how much Top Rope Studios plans to spend in Delaware, but he said its tax credit would amount to only a fraction of the state’s $10 million budget.
Joe Zilcosky with the Delaware Division of Small Business, left, and Theatre N Executive Director Andrew Larason, right, socialize at The Pine Box Studios. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CANNON TAYLOR
He added that the state will begin an outreach campaign in January to attract more production companies to Delaware. Zilcosky said the plan is to get the word out through social media, advertising, conferences and The Writer’s Guild of America, as well as by initiating “one-on-one contact” with production companies.
“We’ve already spoken with some studios in Hollywood,” he said.
The goal of attracting production companies to Delaware is to expand job opportunities for locals — not only those directly involved in the entertainment industry, but also those involved in hospitality, restaurants, transportation and more, Market said.
During his remarks, Meyer recalled the filming of “Dead Poets Society” in 1988 and 1989, which saw Middletown’s St. Andrew’s Academy and the surrounding New Castle County as a stand-in for Vermont’s fictional Welton Academy. He said a high school peer who worked on the film moved to California to pursue a career in the film industry.
“Our hope is, in the next generation, they will stay here,” he said about Delaware’s up-and-comers in the film industry.
Lemole said that, while the new tax credit will bring out-of-state dollars in the short-term, there is much more potential for Delaware’s economic development by fostering its film industry.
Gov. Matt Meyer ceremonially signs House Bill 364 at The Pine Box Studios. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CANNON TAYLOR
“Further down the line, the goal is to attract crew moving into the state from out of state, and then start film training programs in high schools, trade schools and universities,” he said. “Lastly, setting up in-state vendors, production and post facilities, as well as more sound stages, will bring an influx of economic activity into Delaware.”
For House Majority Leader Kerri Evelyn Harris, who sponsored HB 364, the impact of the film tax credit is not merely economic. Harris represents District 32, including southeast Dover and surrounding areas in Kent County.
“I represent a district that has extreme haves and have-nots,” she said. “I have kids who don’t see a future for their tomorrow. If I can put them on a bus and bring them up here and say, ‘Just stay out of trouble a little bit longer, and this could be a space for you,’ that’s success.”
Why Should Delaware Care? Government works best when its citizens are knowledgeable and engaged. Delaware’s government has scores of commissions, working groups, agencies and legislative committees. All must hold meetings that are open to the public. Below we highlight a few of those meetings that are happening this week.
Below are some of the most important or interesting public meetings happening around the state this week.
Hospital leaders to discuss charity care
Wilmington talks affordable housing subsidies
Kent County leaders to discuss aquatic center
Hospital leaders to discuss charity care
Delaware’s hospital leaders will gather Monday morning to discuss their free and discounted care programs, also called charity care, and how those programs could change under recently passed state laws.
The Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board, the state’s hospital oversight board, is set to hold the discussion Monday morning, which will be part of a broader working session meeting.
Nonprofit hospitals are mandated by the Internal Revenue Service to provide a “community benefit” to earn their tax-exempt status. Historically, that benefit has been offering free or discounted care, sometimes called “charity care.”
Under Senate Bill 13, which Gov. Matt Meyer signed into law in July, all of the state’s nonprofit hospitals would be required to provide free care to patients living below 300% of the Federal Poverty Line, with large discounts for patients in higher percentage brackets.
Below 300% of the FPL ($46,950 a year) – Full discount
300-350% of the FPL ($46,950 to $54,775 a year) – 75% discount
350-400% of the FPL ($54,775 to $62,600 a year) – 50% discount
Separately, the legislation allows people living at 500% of the Federal Poverty Line — $78,250 a year — to seek out a 50% discount if the billed expenses are greater than 10% of their income.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Marie Pinkney (D-Bear), came months after a Spotlight Delaware investigation called into question the charity care practices at the state’s largest healthcare system, ChristianaCare.
It also followed a separate effort last year in which the state paid off medical debts for thousands of Delawareans, despite hospital charity care policies that could have made that treatment free.
📍 The Diamond State Hospital Cost Review Board will meet at 10 a.m. Monday inside the Chapel Building, located at Herman M. Holloway Sr. Health and Social Services Campus at 1901 N. DuPont Highway in New Castle. For more information, including on virtual attendance, click here.
Wilmington talks affordable housing subsidies
Wilmington City Council’s Finance & Economic Development Committee will meet Monday, where members will receive an update on Mayor John Carney’s $8.4 million subsidy for developers to build affordable housing.
The initiative passed in May as part of the city’s 2027 fiscal year budget, aimed at increasing affordable housing across the city.
In early August, Carney opened applications for developers seeking a share of the fund.
📍 Wilmington City Council’s Finance & Economic Development Committee will meet at 5 p.m. Monday inside Wilmington City Council’s 1st Floor Committee Room at the Louis L. Redding City/County Building, located at 800 N. French St. in Wilmington. For more information, including on virtual attendance, click here.
Kent County leaders to discuss aquatic center
During a workshop meeting on Tuesday, Kent County Levy Court commissioners are set to discuss the possibility of creating a Kent County Aquatic Center.
Dover Mayor Robin Christiansen drew criticism last year for suggesting the city use a portion of its opioid settlement fund allotment to fund a competition swimming pool in Delaware’s capital city.
Dover residents Courtney Ford and Julie Gorman first presented their vision for the First State Aquatic Center at a Dover Parks and Recreation Department meeting last fall. The pair said the center would be a state-of-the-art swimming pool that would both bring in tourists for swimming competitions and fill a gap in pools in central Dover.
Ford told Spotlight Delaware the project, estimated to cost between $20 and $44 million, would imitate DE Turf’s model of bringing regional competitions to Kent County.
It is unclear if this week’s discussion will cover that same proposal, or a separate venture.
📍 The Kent County Levy Court will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday inside the Kent County Administrative Building, located at 55 Bay Road in Dover. For more information, including on virtual attendance, click here.
Brianna Hill, Maggie Reynolds and Nick Stonesifer contributed to this report.
Objections rise from issues like sexual content and profanity or racial slurs and stereotypes. PEN America counted nearly 12,000 bans in the 2025-2026 school year.
Three scientists to share 12m Swedish kronor prize for their work on ‘light-gated ion channels and optogenetics’
The Nobel prize in physiology or medicine 2026 has been awarded to three scientists for their work on investigating the mysteries of the brain.
Karl Deisseroth of both Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Stanford University, Peter Hegemann of the Humboldt University of Berlin, and Georg Nagel of the University of Würzburg have been awarded the prize “for their discoveries concerning light-gated ion channels and optogenetics.”.
The U.S. Army announced last year that it had enough of a specific model of armored vehicle and that any more deliveries would be “excess.” But even so, Congress found a way to keep funding alive for the vehicle — and executives at the company that produces the vehicle found a way to flood key members of Congress with campaign donations.
In the weeks after this year’s appropriations bill passed, employees of AM General or its parent company donated tens of thousands to key appropriations committee members in both chambers, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif.
Collins is separately facing scrutiny over a report from ProPublica that the FBI investigated an alleged pay-to-play scheme involving a major donor, an ex-defense contractor. Collins’ office denied that there was any kind of pay-to-play arrangement and said she fully cooperated with the FBI. There is no indication that AM General’s donations were part of such a scheme, but the giving nonetheless demonstrates how Collins’s campaign account has grown with help from employees at defense contractors doing business with the government.
Before the Army put the future of the vehicle in jeopardy, Collins was not a frequent beneficiary of contributions from the company’s workers. She last received campaign funds from AM General or its parent company’s employees more than a decade ago. But after the Army’s “excess” announcement last year, employees and the company’s PAC donated over $58,000 to committees associated with Collins.
One observer of money in politics said that appropriators receiving money from government contractors is a long-standing problem.
“Government contractors today routinely try to leverage a broken campaign finance system to their advantage.”
“Members of the appropriations committees in Congress are extremely powerful. These lawmakers can steer huge sums of money to private companies. Government contractors today routinely try to leverage a broken campaign finance system to their advantage,” said Michael Beckel, money in politics reform director at Issue One.
The revival of the Army’s order was supported by lawmakers in both parties, including the top Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn. Collins’s office said that in the Senate, decisions on the program were made not by her but by defense subcommittee chair Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and vice chair Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del. McConnell did not receive donations from employees at AM General or its parent company this election cycle. Coons received $2,500 from its employee PAC.
“Sen. Collins was not involved in this decision. The final decision was made by the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House and Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittees,” said a Collins spokesperson, Phoebe Keller.
AM General’s CEO, John Chadbourne, said in an email that the company does not comment on campaign donations, “all of which fully comply with FEC rules and regulations.”
He added, “AM General’s focus is on the Warfighter and providing the best light tactical vehicle capabilities to the Joint Forces.”
Congress Steps In
AM General is most famous for producing the Humvee, the iconic military vehicle that trawled the streets of Baghdad during the Iraq War. In 2023, the Army selected the company to produce 20,000 units of a more heavily armored successor known as the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle. The company was ramping up its production line in Indiana when then-Army Secretary Dan Driscoll announced in May 2025 that he would cancel its order, saying the additional deliveries would result in an “excess.”
Driscoll’s announcement was part of a larger effort to “eliminate waste and obsolete programs.”
“Yesterday’s weapons will not win tomorrow’s wars,” he said.
The military does not always have the last say on its contracts, however.
Congress has for decades swooped in to save pricey programs with political appeal. Soon after the Army moved to kill the vehicle contract, Congress mobilized to save it.
AM General had backing from members of Congress in Indiana, thanks to the jobs on its production line there. It also found backing from legislators in states far from its home.
The House moved first: In June 2025, the House Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on defense proposed spending hundreds of millions on the vehicle for the Army. By the time the final version of the defense spending bill passed this February, the Army had been provided with $345 million for procurement of a vehicle it said it did not need.
A joint statement from the House and Senate, which Collins’ office said was produced by the defense subcommittees, sounded a skeptical note about the Army’s decision to cancel further orders of the vehicle. The statement said that the Army had provided “inadequate supporting analysis.” One concern was that without the efficiencies from a larger order that included the Army, the cost-per-unit price of vehicles that the Marines still wanted would rise.
McCollum, the House Democrat with an influential role in the process, said in a statement that she was one of numerous members of Congress to question the Army’s decision.
“Appropriators felt the Army failed to do adequate due diligence to justify their rash budget decision to cut the JLTV program and explain the full impacts on the Army, and especially the Marine Corps, which had not been consulted,” she said.
By the time the final version of the defense spending bill passed this February, the Army had been provided with $345 million for procurement of a vehicle it said it did not need.
Collins’s campaign committees had received some money after the Army announced that it wanted to cancel the project.
In the weeks after Congress passed the appropriations bill on February 3, Collins and one of her counterparts in the House, Rep. Ken Calvert, both received a burst of donations from AM General employees and the company’s political action committee.
After the appropriations bill went through, donors associated with AM General gave a total of $50,000 to Collins’s fundraising committees.
The donors included Chadbourne, the company’s CEO, and two of KPS Capital’s managing partners. (Private equity firm KPS Capital Partners acquired AM General in 2020.) All gave money to a committee raising money on Collins’s behalf at the end of February or start of March.
Calvert, the California representative with the defense appropriations post, has also benefited from similar donations. Both AM General employees and KPS Capital employees have given $14,285 in direct contributions to Calvert for Congress this election cycle.
The AM General employee PAC has given a combined $20,000 to Ken Calvert for Congress and Eureka Political Action Committee, Calvert’s leadership PAC.
Most of the donations to Calvert associated with AM General came in the weeks immediately after Congress passed the appropriations bill. His office did not respond to a request for comment.
Those contributions put Collins and Calvert in the same league as the Hoosier politicians who were natural supporters of AM General. A fundraising committee associated with Republican Sen. Todd Young received $36,000 from AM General or KPS Capital employees. The AM General employee PAC donated another $10,000 to his main campaign committee. A Marine Corps veteran, Young has been a vocal proponent of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle.
His Republican colleague Sen. Jim Banks’s leadership PAC received $14,375 total from AM General’s employee PAC and Chadbourne, the executive. Meanwhile, Rep. Frank Mrvan, a Democrat representing northwest Indiana, received $33,050 from AM General or KPS Capital employees, and another $10,000 from the AM General employee PAC, according to FEC filings.
A Ban That Isn’t
On her campaign website, Collins notes that she serves as chair of the “powerful” appropriations committee.
“This committee decides how federal dollars are spent each year, from national defense and infrastructure to medical research, education, and public safety. Susan’s position gives Maine an outsized voice at the table when critical decisions are made which allows her to deliver serious results for Maine,” her website states.
Collins’s office said that in the case of the AM General vehicle, she had nothing to do with the funding decision. A spokesperson said the decision-making in the Senate was up to McConnell, the defense subcommittee chair, and its vice chair Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del.
McConnell announced his pending retirement in February 2025. His campaign committee and leadership committee have not received donations from either KPS Capital or AM General employees this election cycle, FEC records show. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Coons’s campaign committee received a $2,500 donation from the AM General employee PAC on March 5, according to FEC records. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McCollum’s leadership PAC received $5,000 from the company’s employee PAC last October, according to FEC records.
Government contractors have been banned from donating directly to candidates for decades. In practice, however, that ban does nothing to prevent company PACs or individual employees from giving to campaigns — even if they serve as company executives.
The contributions associated with AM General represent a sliver of the $15.8 million Collins had raised this election cycle through July, according to data compiled by the watchdog group OpenSecrets. Yet every dollar could help her in what is expected to be a tough fight with Troy Jackson, the Democratic Senate candidate with a slight lead on her in recent polls, in November.
The contributions also illustrated a trend among the top contributors to her campaign. Many of them are from people affiliated with government contractors, according to OpenSecrets. Two defense contractors, General Dynamics and RTX, are also on the list of her top organizational contributors.
AM General’s owner, KPS Capital Partners, is the sixth-largest organizational donor to Collins’s campaign committee and leadership PAC, according to the group’s data.
Although AM General has cultivated connections in Congress, members appear to be growing increasingly skeptical of the JLTV vehicle program. In June, House appropriators signaled that they wanted to find a new contractor for the vehicle, citing production delays. AM General was 2,000 vehicles behind on orders from the Marines, the defense subcommittee said.
Chadbourne, the company’s CEO, issued a statement in June defending its performance and blaming a previous contractor for delays.
“Healthy competition, transparency, and accountability strengthen America’s defense industrial base,” he said. “AM General remains fully committed to continue earning the trust placed in us by the Army, the Marine Corps, Congress, and the American taxpayer through performance, quality, and disciplined execution.”
Parti Québécois promises to hold independence referendum in Canada’s French-speaking region by 2028
Voters in Quebec are going to the polls in provincial elections which will probably result in victory for a party that has promised to hold a referendum on independence from Canada within the next two years.
If polls are correct, the Parti Québécois (PQ) will form the government of the province of roughly nine million, the first time that the separatist movement will have gained power in the French-speaking region for more than a decade.
Why Should Delaware Care? Delaware is home to over 1 million people from diverse backgrounds, including more than 3,400 Korean Americans. A growing interest in Korean culture was evident at this year’s Delaware Korean Festival in Wilmington.
Visitors to the Delaware Art Museum last Thursday were met with the aroma of garlic, scallions and other spicy dishes featured at the Delaware Korean Festival, an event that has grown throughout the past decade from a small, child-focused cultural showcase into an annual community-wide celebration.
The concept began with a group of local mothers who wanted to instill pride in their Korean heritage among future generations. Jin Twilley of Wilmington had her 5-year-old and 7-year-old children in mind when she launched the festival in 2015. She soon realized the event also presented an opportunity to teach other Delawareans about Korean culture.
“Everybody’s loving it,” Twilley said during this year’s festival. “Now we are less about spreading [awareness], but now we are enjoying it together. That’s the difference over the years.”
One of her now-teenagers, who grew up attending the festival, helped run trivia and games this year. Twilley said she is excited to see how the festival has offered the younger generation ways to get involved and learn about their heritage.
The festival began with traditional folk music called gayageum sanjo, played on a Korean string instrument called a gayageum. Musician Eunyoung Lee also played “Amazing Grace” and improvised melodies. The event featured talchum, a Korean mask dance, and ended with a taekwondo demonstration by Tiger Kicks Martial Arts Delaware.
“The energy here is so wholesome and welcoming,” said Stefanie Colon, a festivalgoer from Wilmington. “It just feels very alive, and I’m just so in love with the culture. It’s beautiful.”
Colon watched three people play modeumbuk, a Korean drum ensemble, which she described as mesmerizing.
This year’s festival also featured food fit for a variety of palettes, including traditional plates such as kimchi, bulgogi (beef), tofu, jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) and japchae, which is a dish full of savory noodles with assorted vegetables.
The event also included raffles for rare items, like certain snacks only available in Korea, trivia, chopstick challenges and Korean-inspired arts and crafts.
Svetlana Kogan and Joey Loey enjoyed the spicy pork and beef dishes served outside the museum. The friends met up that evening to enjoy the annual festival. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ
Chilapa Brown was one of the festival’s attendees who was participating in one of the crafts. Down the table on goers learned how to spell their name in Korean. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ
Young Maia came with her parents to the festival. She was creating a tiger paper fan- the animal symbolizes strength, courage and good luck in Korean culture. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ
Moedumbuk is an upbeat style of traditional Korean percussion. The group performed that Thursday evening at the Korean Festival. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ
The Delaware Korean School has been established in Newark since the 80s. The non-profit bilingual school was fundraising at the festival that day to continue their efforts in educating other about Korean culture and language. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ
Delaware Korean Association President Sanghoon Kim said he was excited to see all the food and culture highlighted at the festival.
He recognized that Korean culture has become more mainstream in recent years, largely thanks to K-Pop, the globally popular music genre that blends pop, hip-hop, R&B and electric dance music. That broader renewed interest has trickled down to local Korean community events as well.
Kim said the festival stands out as one of the only events of its kind in the area.
“We need something like this in Delaware,” he said.
Delaware’s Korean community at a glance
After launching the festival nearly a decade ago, Twilley collaborated with the Delaware Korean Association to bring more members of the community together.
The First State now boasts more than 1 million residents, which includes a growing Korean community supported by local churches and volunteers.
Iz Balleto, the Delaware Art Museum’s cultural programs manager, estimates that a majority of Delaware’s roughly 3,400-plus Korean residents live in the Wilmington and Old New Castle areas.
“I think it’s great for us to always know about their traditions, their cultures and also how they have been growing here,” he said. “But I’m always grateful because they’ve always been true supporters of the Delaware Art Museum.”
Twilley said the Delaware Korean School now has roughly equal numbers of American students and Korean American students, compared with a predominantly Korean or mixed Korean American enrollment prior to the festival’s launch in 2015.
The Delaware Korean Festival included a taekwondo demonstration. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ
The public could purchase a spicy pork platter or a beef platter accompanied by kimchi and japchae, stir-fried noodles with vegetables. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ
Seoyeong Jang and her mother Chung Ea Lim went to the festival for the first time since the Covid pandemic. They are part of Delaware’s larger Korean community who have seen the population grow over the years, particularly in church. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ
University of Delaware students performed a K-pop dance routine the evening of the Delaware Korean Festival. The university has a student-run K-pop Dance Club, signaling the popularity of this genre of music as of recently. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY CRISTAL SANCHEZ
The growing community is also evident through the Delaware Korean Association, a Wilmington-based nonprofit that shares community resources and promotes Korean culture and language. Kim, the association president who attended the recent festival, said he has been getting requests from people to learn to speak or sing the Korean language.
Kim described Korean culture as open-minded and welcoming to everyone. He said he wants to be able to dance together and have fun together.
Festival attendee Sean Park used to work the lunch line during previous festivals, but this year was able to simply enjoy the festivities with his family.
The Wilmington resident and art museum member said volunteering at and attending the festival has helped him connect with the Delaware Korean community while also helping to preserve Korean culture for generations to come.
“I think we’re a bit underrepresented in Delaware statistically, not in the Philly metro area,” he said. “We need events like this just to preserve that culture and just have some options for Koreans in Delaware and to showcase our culture, too.”
Musician who had hit albums with Racine and Rats later became a judge on six seasons of Canadian Idol
Sass Jordan, the singer-songwriter who became a significant success in Canada’s rock scene in the 1990s before starring as a judge on Canadian Idol, has died aged 65.
No cause of death has been given. A statement on social media said she died on 2 October “surrounded by her loving family … She remains in our hearts, an inimitable force of nature. An irreplaceable being of light and joy!”
The head of the Jewish Greens has said she may leave the party after it voted to adopt a policy that equates Zionism with racism and calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state.
Vivien Lichtenstein said that while opinion among Jewish members of the party was split on the motion passed at its annual conference in Brighton on Sunday, she said she believed it was unhelpful and it was “possible” she might quit.
Amnesty International is calling for an end to the agency, whose record of violating human rights dates back decades
ICE must be abolished.
That’s the conclusion we at Amnesty International have reached after documenting the chilling pattern of human rights violations across the US during immigration enforcement operations.
The Flying Monkey disposal well in Enid, Oklahoma. Last year, the city asked the state to revoke the Flying Monkey’s permit to operate. September Dawn Bottoms for ProPublica
An Oklahoma oil and gas company plugged a well that disposes of oil production’s toxic byproduct after an investigation by The Frontier and ProPublica revealed that regulators had approved the well in violation of state rules meant to protect public groundwater supplies.
The disposal well, named the Flying Monkey, injected oil field wastewater underground and sat roughly a quarter-mile from two municipal groundwater supply sites that served the small city of Enid in northwest Oklahoma. Wastewater injection operations are banned within a half-mile of public water wells unless regulators hold a hearing to ensure that this activity will not pollute groundwater. Regulators at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission did not hold a hearing before approving the well in 2018.
The city of Enid filed a complaint last year asking the state to revoke the Flying Monkey’s permit to operate.
On Sept. 14, with the complaint still active in the agency’s administrative law court, employees of the Flying Monkey’s current owner — BCE-Mach III Midstream Holdings LLC — dropped a cast iron plug into the bottom of the well, followed by more than 200 sacks of cement, to permanently seal it off, according to a report the company filed to the corporation commission. A representative of the state was on site to witness the plugging.
Eric Huddleston, an attorney representing BCE-Mach III Midstream Holdings, which acquired the Flying Monkey in 2020, said the company decided to permanently shut the well after determining it was “underutilized and operationally unnecessary.” A spokesperson for the corporation commission did not respond to requests for comment, including about the agency’s role in the well’s closure.
Enid city officials said they did not know the well had been plugged until our reporter informed them.
“This decision is, for lack of a better word, thrilling because this is such a vital issue,” said Frank Baker, an Enid city commissioner. “Our water sources have been put in danger, and for this one well to have been plugged, this is the best possible outcome.”
In Enid’s 2025 complaint to the state, its lawyers noted that the Flying Monkey’s original operator, Hinkle Oil & Gas, had incorrectly checked a box on its permit application stating that the injection well was not within a half-mile of a public water supply well. “This was demonstrably false,” Enid’s lawyers wrote. Hinkle previously declined to answer questions about the Flying Monkey. Earlier this year, BCE-Mach III Midstream Holdings refiled a permit application for the Flying Monkey, where it acknowledged the proximity of the city’s water supply wells.
A building containing one of Enid’s groundwater supply wells sits about a quarter-mile from the now-plugged Flying Monkey disposal well.September Dawn Bottoms for ProPublica
The Flying Monkey had a checkered operational history. In the last five years, the state has shut down the wastewater disposal well repeatedly after it failed tests of its structural integrity. These failures can indicate a problem that might allow wastewater to escape, potentially threatening drinking water sources. The well had failed five of these tests since 2021.
In early July, nine days after the newsrooms’ investigation published, the Flying Monkey’s owner reported another leak in the well’s tubing. The state gave BCE-Mach III Midstream Holdings 90 days to fix the leak or to permanently plug the well.
Our investigation identified two other wells in Enid that violated the state distance rule between wastewater injection wells and the city’s groundwater supply sites. Both of those wells, which are owned by other companies, remain active.
The proximity of wells to drinking water isn’t only an issue in Enid. Across Oklahoma, the news outlets identified at least 114 injection wells that were located within a half-mile of a public water supply well. More than 300,000 Oklahomans live in communities that rely on these water wells, according to our analysis.
Baker, the Enid official, told The Frontier and ProPublica that he hopes the corporation commission will begin to plug other injection wells that threaten public water supplies.
“I hope and pray this is an example that we’ll start to see replicated across the state in the near future,” he said.
In addition to its request to plug the well, the city of Enid has asked the corporation commission to impose stronger regulations on oilfield wastewater disposal near its water supply, including a wider distance buffer between the injection sites and the city’s water wells. This request comes amid a recent uptick in wastewater injection in the Enid area, according to a legal filing made by the city. The commission previously declined to comment on Enid’s complaint because it is an active case. The case will continue to be heard in the agency’s administrative law court later this year.
Surging settler violence and government-backed settlement expansion are transforming the territory under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Amid accusations of rape at Cornell University, a growing body of research is challenging assumptions about how victims remember details of their assaults.
The U.S. began bombing Yemen’s Houthis in 2025 despite concern over weapons stocks and unclear goals. The Iran-backed group is still bedeviling the region.
Temperatures in US state forecast to hit high 30s celsius this week, while regions in Indonesia grapple with wildfires
The National Weather Service in the US has issued extreme heat warnings for parts of southern California, including Los Angeles, until Thursday, as temperatures are expected to hit the high 30s celsius. Burbank, a suburb north of Los Angeles, recorded 39C on Saturday, a few degrees shy of the October record for the region set in 1987. A persistent area of high pressure will remain in place this week, leading to further hazardous hot weather and increased fire risk.
Parts of Indonesia are in the midst of an extreme wildfire season, which has peaked over the past month. Western Kalimantan (Borneo) and southern Sumatra have been particularly badly affected. The lack of rainfall has dried the usually water-logged tropical soils, meaning that fires have been able to spread quickly, above and below the surface. Indonesia’s soils are also extremely rich in peat, meaning that the smoke produced from the fires contain higher levels of toxic gases such as sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide. Cities in surrounding areas and as far as Malaysia and Singapore have experienced reduced air quality in recent weeks as a result. Drought and wildfires are more common in this part of the world during El Niño events owing to suppressed thunderstorm activity.
The U.S. military said it attacked a boat suspected of smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea, killing four people, as the Trump administration continues its yearlong campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America.
- In 2022 Altair Engineering open sourced "OpenRadioss", an industry-leading finite element solver under the GNU AGPL License, reports Phoronix.
- Siemens acquired Altair Engineering last year
- Siemens closes access to OpenRadioss.
"Siemens didn't just end the project but they shutdown the GitHub repository that hosted the open-source code and removed other resources that had built around it," writes Phoronix, before announcing a new open-source community fork:
Radioss has been an industry-leading solver for analyzing crashes, blasts, and other purposes. Altair creating OpenRadioss was a huge milestone for the technical computing industry. It also had other effects like for myself in finally being able to benchmark with this (Open)Radioss code for CPU performance testing compared to the expensive licensing on Radioss itself...
Siemens argues the OpenRadioss closure is for consolidating efforts:
"After four years of successful community-driven research, Siemens is entering a new chapter for the Radioss solver. To accelerate innovation and provide the robust support our global users require for production-grade simulation, we are consolidating our efforts."
It was Brian Clemens. founder/VP Rocky Linux and the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation who launched the community fork of OpenRadioss — to be called OpenCourant. Its web site announces they'll be "carrying forward the OpenRadioss code base under the GNU AGPL, in the open, where it belongs."
Phoronix writes in a follow-up:
OpenCourant is based on the last publicly known open-source OpenRadioss snapshot before Siemens shut it down and removed access to the Git repository... OpenCourant continues with the OpenRadioss GNI AGPLv3 licensing and will be run as part of the Rocky Enterprise Software Foundation. They have run into a small issue though with part of OpenRadioss consisting of binary dependencies and not having the very latest versions prior to Siemens' removal of the repository. Details on that via this discussion thread for anyone that happens to have recent OpenRadioss binaries.
In other open source news, Kagi is ending their development work on the Orion Browser for Linux and Windows, reports the site Linuxiac — but Kagi "plans to open-source both versions so other developers or organizations can keep them going."
Kansas City beat the surprisingly feisty Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. They already look like a very real contender after a lost season in 2025
The rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders goes back to the formation of the American Football League in 1960, when the Chiefs were the Dallas Texans, and the Raiders resided in Oakland. At no time in that rivalry had both teams faced each other with a record of 3-0 or better until Sunday’s game at Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium. An unbeaten record wasn’t entirely surprising for the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes, but the Raiders? The team won only three games in the whole of last season, but this new Raiders team under Klint Kubiak presents all kinds of challenges for opponents.
At first, it appeared that the Raiders might go on to their first 4-0 start to a season since 2002, when they made it all the way to the Super Bowl, where they were vivisected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their former head coach, Jon Gruden. Kubiak’s team held a 13-10 halftime lead on Sunday, and Kubiak told CBS’s Tracy Wolfson at the half that his team was going to win the game.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were among the officials who met on Friday to discuss a path forward.
Longer battery life, better screen, upgraded Siri and new variable aperture camera in refreshed design from last year’s model
Apple’s smaller Pro iPhone gets the best kind of spec bump for 2026: longer battery life, faster chips and a fancy new variable aperture for the main camera.
The iPhone 18 Pro is one of a pair of slab phones launched alongside Apple’s first folding phone, the iPhone Duo, and is the cheapest of the new phones, with a regular iPhone 18 yet to be announced.
Screen: 6.3in Super Retina XDR (120Hz OLED) (460ppi)
RMIT confirms co-pilot was a student as Australian authorities examine his time in country between 2015 and 2017
An Australian university has confirmed a flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack an Israel-bound flight studied at its Melbourne campus, but left before completing his qualification.
Disaster was narrowly averted on 30 September when passengers and crew intervened to stop the alleged attempt of the co-pilot, identified by media outlets as Hammam al-Hammami, to take control of a flight to Tel Aviv with 182 people onboard.
In today’s newsletter: As Americans get ready to vote on whether the Republican party remains in control of Congress, our Washington editor talks about the disconnect between Trump and his supporters
Good morning. Later today, Donald Trump will be in the state of Nebraska to rev up supporters as he kicks off a campaign blitz of rallies ahead of the midterm elections on 3 November.
If his early speeches are anything to go by, cornhuskers can anticipate poll denial, accusations of veganism and an expletive ratio that my nine-year-old would love. And Nebraskans may love it, too: aside from one “blue dot” district in Omaha, Republicans argue their support is steady in the state that has easily backed Trump three times.
UK politics | The Greens in England and Wales have formally adopted a policy that equates Zionism with racism and calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state.
Schools | Lawyers and campaigners have condemned the “horrifying” scale of child-on-child sexual abuse in schools after a Guardian investigation revealed thousands of sexual offences against under-13s are reported to police each year.
Brazil | Brazil’s presidential race will go to a second round after the far-right candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, beat the incumbent leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, but failed to secure the outright majority he needed to avoid a runoff.
Environment | A study of Europe’s summer paints a grim picture for the future, with doctors and climate scientists calling on governments to stop burning fossil fuels, shade buildings, green cities, and install air conditioning in hospitals, schools and care homes.
US military | The US Air Force has pulled its bombers from RAF Fairford following an investigation into an alleged planned terror attack at the base.
Tuesday | ABC News is suing the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) over its licence review, and on Thursday its hearing will take place. The broadcaster claims the review, ordered by Donald Trump in April over comedian Jimmy Kimmel’s comments about the US president, is a “retaliatory campaign” in violation of its first amendment rights.
Wednesday | Kemi Badenoch is to speak at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham. This day also marks the third anniversary of the 7 October attacks by Hamas. In London, the Met are asking organisers of a pro-Palestinian student march to move the event.
Thursday | Holborn and St Pancras will hold its byelection. The seat belongs to former prime minister and Labour party leader Keir Starmer, who held it from 2015 until his resignation in September.
The FBI arrested Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, at Los Angeles International Airport before she left for China, the agency said
US authorities arrested a California woman on Sunday, accusing her of spying on the son of Taiwan’s president at the behest of Chinese officials, the FBI said.
The FBI arrested Wanying Zhang, also known as Heather, at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday before her planned departure to China, the agency said in a statement. Authorities charged Zhang, 34, of Irvine, California, with acting as an unregistered foreign agent.
While the case of a whale found 11km upstream in a New South Wales river this weekend was unusual, it was not unprecedented, experts say.
The juvenile humpback, which swam into the Clarence River on the state’s mid-north coast and later died, was towed out to sea on Sunday, according to NSW authorities.
Abuse material monitor says number of AI images assessed this year is already 40% higher than last year’s total
AI-generated child sexual abuse material is proliferating online, with the amount of illegal material investigated this year already exceeding the total for 2025.
Analysts at the Internet Watch Foundation have found more photorealistic child sexual abuse material in the first half of 2026 than for the whole of the prior year. The UK-based IWF, which monitors abuse material globally, said it had assessed 6,310 AI images that met the legal definition of child sexual abuse, 40% higher than last year’s total of more than 4,500.
PC Magazine reports:
In September, the infamous ShinyHunters hacking group claimed it had infiltrated the FBI job recruitment portal, stealing confidential data belonging to 5,000 employees and even changing the FBI logo to its own. The group has been implicated in the hacking of numerous large and high-profile organizations over the years, from the European Commission to Grand Theft Auto-maker Rockstar Games and the software firm behind Canvas. Now, Reuters reports that a suspected leader of the group, Saif al-Din Khader, is being detained in the country of Jordan in the Near East.... He is reportedly still a teenager.
"Two sources said that he is helping the FBI and global law enforcement locate the other hackers in the group," reports Reuters:
Their theft of what they claim are mountains of data on every single FBI employee has drawn comparisons to the allegedly Chinese-linked intrusion at the US Office of Personnel Management in 2015, which compromised sensitive details on millions of Americans who had been vetted for security clearances. A Reuters analysis of a sample of the data shared by ShinyHunters revealed that the data contained extensive personally identifiable information of FBI employees, sensitive job role information, and psychiatric and medical information. Khader's cooperation with investigators could be critical to helping contain — or at least understand — the damage. One source said he was walking investigators through his electronic devices and digital correspondence to help the FBI locate his cohorts...
There have been hints for days that ShinyHunters was experiencing disruption following the announcement of its break-in at the FBI. Beginning on Tuesday, Reuters was unable to reach ShinyHunters through the online account it previously used to communicate with journalists. Then, on Wednesday, the group's dark web site, where it had previously posted threats to the FBI, disappeared. FBI Director Kash Patel had been hinting at more arrests following the announcement that another alleged ShinyHunters member, Pepijn van der Stap, had been detained in the Netherlands...
Khader's identity, and his alleged connection to ShinyHunters, have long been known to security researchers. Last year, the independent journalist Brian Krebs reported that Khader was a key member of Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, an umbrella group of hackers that included ShinyHunters... Law enforcement agencies around the world, including in the United States, have struggled to arrest and prosecute members of related groups such as Lapsus$ or Scattered Spider, Reuters has previously reported. Sources told Reuters that the difficulty stems from the hackers' young ages, which can make prosecutions complex, or because the groups they belong to are so chaotic and informal, or because victims of their extortion attempts often decline to help investigators
Study of remains taken from royal cemetery at Umm el-Qa’ab appears to confirm early Egyptologist’s theory
Court officials and craftspeople serving early Egyptian kings may have been sacrificed when their ruler died, according to research that found fractures in several ancient skulls.
The royal cemetery of Umm el-Qa’ab near Abydos features the tombs and enclosures of the First Dynasty rulers of Egypt, and dates as far back as 3,000BC.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of President Trump and the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and Brazil's veteran President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will face off in a runoff on Oct. 25.
It's become a booming industry: teaching artificial intelligence how to get better at doing all kinds of jobs. As AI advances, many fear what this tech means for the future of work.
The NFL is looking into the circumstances of an official swearing at Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride during the team’s loss to the New York Giants on Sunday, league spokesperson Brian McCarthy told the Associated Press.
Line judge Jeff Seeman was caught on camera cursing at McBride, who appeared to laugh when he realized a camera had caught the incident. The interaction drew the ire of NFL Players Association executive director JC Tretter, a retired offensive lineman who played eight seasons in the league.
"Russian health authorities have taken precautionary measures in response to the death of a woman who worked at an anti-plague research facility," reports Axios, "but have not confirmed that she contracted plague."
On Sept. 25, 28-year-old Daria Shipilova, who worked at an anti-plague research institute in Russia's Irkutsk region, broke a test tube containing the pneumonic plague pathogen, local reports said. Shipilova was admitted to a hospital on Sept. 29 with symptoms of severe pneumonia and died overnight between Oct. 1 and Oct. 2. After her death, authorities imposed quarantines at several medical facilities in the region and placed nearly 200 people who had come into contact with Shipilova under medical observation.
Irkutsk Gov. Igor Kobzev said those being monitored showed no signs of illness and had tested negative... Russia's public health agency said Shipilova had "pneumonia of unknown etiology" and that further testing found no microorganisms linked to her work. The agency said the epidemiological situation in the region remains stable.
Plague is a potentially life-threatening bacterial disease but can be cured with antibiotics when treated promptly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
CNN reports that according to Russian state media agency TASS, it remains unclear exactly what was released:
The head of the neighboring republic of Buryatia, Alexei Tsydenov, said earlier that the employee — a 28-year old woman — died "possibly from the plague." He also noted that "there are no plague outbreaks" in Buryatia. The governor of Irkutsk, Igor Kobzev, urged calm on Friday, saying that an extraordinary meeting of the regional anti-epidemic commission was held with Russia's chief state doctor. The meeting was in connection with a "suspected case of a particularly dangerous infection affecting a resident of the region," Kobzev said on Telegram.... The infection in the Irkutsk region is "most likely not the plague, but even if confirmed, there will be no spread of this disease," a previous head of Rospotrebnadzor, Gennady Onishchenko, said on Friday. Onishchenko told the state news agency TASS that the onset of cold weather would likely prevent transmission.
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader schwit1 for sharing the news.
Byron Donalds, who could become the first Black Republican elected governor in U.S. history, is looking to win over more Black voters than Trump and DeSantis
Senator Flávio Bolsonaro and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva finished first and second in the opening round of Brazil’s presidential election. They'll meet in a runoff on Oct. 25.
What happened when AI-created bots competed in the classic Blizzard videogame StarCraft? "Struggling to stay apace with its competitors, OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra apparently changed strategy mid-tournament and opted to cheat," Kotaku reports:
StarSkirmish is an ongoing clash of AI developed bots in StarCraft: Brood War... Limited to playing as Protoss, each LLM is given an hour to develop a bot in C++, then have them build, harvest and fight on one of three maps... Yesterday, viewers watched as Claude and GPT went against each other and the human created bot Pluto... Struggling to get an edge through the day, [OpenAI's GPT-6 Astra] decided to do what LLMs do best: Lie, cheat and steal. The GPT-6 Astra bot downloaded and tagged in Stardust, a Protoss bot created by Bruce Mackenzie Nielsen back in 2020, considered one of the best of the bests. "I am rolling back GPT-6 Astra's code so its [sic] not contaminated and allowing it to continue," posted StarSkirmish creator Kai McPheeters.
That was Friday. But by Sunday, McPheeters was posting an update on social media. "Can GPT-6 Astra avoid going 0 — 1000?" Two hours later he replied to his own post. "The answer was no."
While AI companies "have repeatedly been accused of stealing the work of humans... I haven't seen an example quite so brazen," writes PC Magazine:
While Astra's bot-based heist is innocuous in isolation, this is hardly the first time an OpenAI LLM has been caught attempting to cheat at a task. Indeed, the company's history of creating deceitful models stretches back almost a decade, to when an early AI model used glitches and exploits to improve its Sonic the Hedgehog completion times.
The announcement came hours after Iranian-backed Houthis reportedly cut a vital supply route to besieged city of Taiz
Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has announced the start of a new military operation to retake all territory held by the Houthis, even as the militant group made fresh gains on the ground, reportedly encircling a government-held city.
Rashad al-Alimi, the head of Yemen’s presidential council, said in a statement on Sunday: “I announce today the start of military operations to retake the remaining territories of the republic and extend the authority of the state and its institutions across the entire national territory.”
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is standing against Flávio Bolsonaro in the first round of the presidential race
Brazil’s president is directly elected: each voter’s ballot counts equally and there is no electoral college. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the valid votes cast in the first round, a second runoff election will be held three weeks later between the two candidates who polled highest.
Far-right challenger and son of disgraced ex-president Jair Bolsonaro put in a stronger than expected showing, with Lula calling the result ‘unexpected’
Brazil’s presidential race will go to a second round after the far-right candidate, Flávio Bolsonaro, beat the incumbent leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, but failed to secure the outright majority he needed to avoid a runoff.
With 99.9% of votes counted, the 45-year-old son of the disgraced former president, Jair Bolsonaro, had won 47%, meaning he will now face a 25 October showdown with his 80-year-old rival. Lula received 45.1%. Bolsonaro received 56.1m votes to Lula’s 53.8m.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, retiring soon, says without checks on power, U.S. democracy is at risk. He discusses his fears for the future of U.S. democracy and his relationship with President Trump.
A team of art historians and software engineers has joined forces with the Franciscan friars to try to complete the restoration of the Basilica of Saint Francis, which was damaged by earthquakes.
Two 1997 earthquakes badly damaged the Basilica of Saint Francis. Friars are partnering with a tech company to restore the church using artificial intelligence and ultra-high-definition photography.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis says he worries about the "outsized influence" of the executive branch. He's also concerned about the types of advisers President Trump has surrounded himself with.
All U.S. bombers deployed to RAF Fairford have been returned to their home stations in the United States, a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed to CBS News.
After Macklemore was barred from opening for Ed Sheeran at Gillette Stadium for pro-Palestinian comments, musician Zach Bryan wore a "Free Palestine" shirt during his Friday and Saturday shows.
Beni Rae Harmony, 24, has been ‘a trusted voice for the Maga movement’ as a correspondent, White House says
The White House has defended a newly hired press aide who posed for a holiday photograph in 2021 wearing a “Fuck Joe Biden” T-shirt and holding a rifle.
Beni Rae Harmony, the new assistant White House press secretary, announced on Friday that she was going to work for Donald Trump just days after covering him as a correspondent for Real America’s Voice, a partisan rightwing outlet originally created as a video podcast platform for the US president’s former adviser Steve Bannon.
Union says staff left with no choice but industrial action after breakdown in pay talks with Texas oil firm Apache
A looming strike by oil workers in the North Sea could “severely disrupt” UK fuel supplies, the Unite union has said, adding that staff were left with no choice after a breakdown in pay talks with the Texas oil company Apache.
The union said Apache workers had “emphatically” backed strike action after being given what it said was an unacceptable pay offer that amounted to a real-terms pay cut for many employees, at a time when the company was “raking in eye-watering profits”.
Many cases involve criminals using other people’s identities to sell fake event tickets to friends and family
The total amount stolen by criminals who hack into people’s emails and social media accounts and then pretend to be them has risen by more than 400% in a year, official UK data shows.
In many cases, the scammers are hijacking people’s accounts in order to use their identity to sell fake event tickets – such as to sold-out gigs – to unsuspecting friends and family.
Only 150 of 2,189 titles published in UK for young children last year focused on minority ethnic, disabled or neurodivergent characters
The number of children’s books featuring Black main characters fell by almost 8% last year, according to research into diversity in UK publishing.
Just 47 – or 2.1% – of the 2,189 books published for under-10s in 2025 featured a Black main character, a 7.8% fall from the previous year, according to Inclusive Books for Children. Black children make up about 8.5% of that age bracket in England and Wales.
Python's security developer-in-residence Seth Larson reports from this year's official core developer Python Language Summit:
"No one said 'don't do this' last year". After testing the waters at PyCon US 2025, [software engineer] David Hewitt returned to the Python Language Summit asking what Python core developers want from Rust, along with proposed timelines, phases, and success criteria for how the Rust for CPython project might proceed and become a permanent fixture within the CPython project. David is acting as an "ambassador" for the Rust for CPython project team, which is currently led by core developers Kirill Podoprigora and Emma Smith as authors of the Rust for CPython PEP draft. Emma also spoke at PyCon US 2026 about the Rust for CPython project. The team itself is around 60 developers in a Discord channel, among them a "few [Python] core developers" and a "delegation from the Rust project".
The team has experience with previous projects integrating Rust into existing codebases, such as Android and the Linux kernel, and is "excited by the work and keen to support [the project] if we proceed". Showing how adopting Rust may specifically help CPython, David noted how the number of issues labeled with " type-crash" has been steadily rising over time... David explained that Jeff Vander Stoep described Rust in Android as "move fast and fix things", and that "fewer revisions for patches of the same size" was the experience Android has had since adopting Rust....
One of the biggest concerns from a year ago was Rust's lack of platform support compared to CPython, which at the time of writing officially supports 20 different architectures and platforms at either Tier 1, 2, or 3. David shared that Rust's support of different platforms has "widened since last year" and was becoming "less and less of a concern". The proposal would be to ask Python distributors to attempt using the optional Rust support in Python 3.16 (October 2027) and report platform-specific issues upstream in time to be resolved around the Python 3.17 timeline (October 2028)...
[T]he first Rust code to ship in Python would be in Python 3.16 [October 2027], where it would be completely optional, with the existing C code kept as a fallback. The earliest that Rust would become required to build CPython is Python 3.18 in 2029, at least three years away... The Rust for CPython team has selected the zlib module as the first module to be given an optional Rust implementation because they "wanted to achieve a significant improvement" with a "small scope". The proposed Rust implementation will use zlib-rs, which is "heavily tested and used by the Firefox, uv, and Cargo" projects and "faster than zlib and zlib-ng on many platforms".... This small change would have an impact: the zlib compression algorithm is "widely used by Python packaging", meaning that (almost) "every pip install in Python 3.16 will be sped up" if the proposal is accepted.
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader RoccamOccam for sharing the article.
Aircraft leave Gloucestershire base to return to US following arrest of dual British-Iranian national in central London
The US Air Force has pulled its bombers from RAF Fairford following an investigation into an alleged planned terror attack at the base.
The bombers were redeployed back to their home bases in the US, according to a Pentagon official who was not authorised to discuss sensitive military movements and spoke on Sunday on condition of anonymity.
Kyren Williams ran for two touchdowns in the final four minutes as Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams rallied from a 10-point deficit to beat the Philadelphia Eagles. The Rams had struggled offensively all afternoon and a win seemed out of reach until late in the fourth quarter, when Eagles coach Nick Sirianni decided against kicking a chip-shot field goal that would have made it a three-score game and instead went for it on fourth down. The Eagles failed to convert, giving the Rams new life. Stafford led touchdown drives of 98 and 79 yards, with Williams scoring the go-ahead touchdown from seven yards out. Both teams are 2-2 on the season.
Shadow chancellor will also promise to scrap affordable homes regulations as part of strategy to refocus on growth
The Conservatives will announce a bonfire of regulations including abolishing affordable homes and community funding rules as well as scrapping Natural England and the Environment Agency.
The shadow chancellor, Andrew Griffith, will say the party intends to “streamline regulations” that protect nature and oblige developers to include affordable homes and community services such as GP surgeries, to speed up infrastructure and housebuilding.
Staunchly pro-Russia politician has dominated campaign and inflamed divisions despite not appearing on ballot
Bosnian Serb nationalist politician Milorad Dodik has declared victory for his party in an election in Bosnia shaped by economic pressures, the prospect of the Balkan nation joining the European Union and ethnic tensions that have divided the country since its brutal 1992-95 war.
Dodik is a staunchly pro-Russia politician who, despite not appearing on the ballot, has dominated the campaign and inflamed divisions with separatist rhetoric that has sparked fears of renewed instability in Bosnia.
Last month, the U.S. House passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. They call it "a bipartisan effort to require AM radio in new vehicles," adding that the bill now "awaits action in the Senate, where a companion measure has already garnered support, according to public records."
Broadcasters said AM radio remains a critical source of information, offering news and weather alerts, particularly when cell networks and internet service are disrupted or unreliable... "AM radio — all radio — has always been about connection, and in Chicago, especially, the connection is incredibly strong," Mary Sandberg Boyle, vice president and general manager of WGN-AM 720, said. "You don't need a subscription. You don't need a data plan or an app. You turn on the radio, and it's there..." Boyle said the accessibility of radio becomes especially important during severe weather and breaking news situations. "That's when local radio is really more important because we have the ability to stay live, pivot our content and what we're covering, and we can access a large amount of audience members very quickly and keep everybody safe," she said. Boyle also serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Broadcasters, which has argued that preserving AM radio access is an access issue rather than a matter of nostalgia.
The legislation emerged after several automakers removed AM radio from certain electric vehicle models, citing interference from electric power systems. Companies including Tesla, Rivian, Volvo and others have either eliminated or limited AM radio in some EVs. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents most major automakers, has opposed the requirement. In congressional testimony last year, President and CEO John Bozzella argued that "analog AM radio does not contribute to motor vehicle safety" and requiring it as standard equipment "is not necessary to ensure public safety."
Under the bill, the U.S. Department of Transportation would be required to develop regulations ensuring AM radio remains available in new vehicles sold in the U.S. The measure would also bar automakers from charging consumers separately for AM radio access... While public discussion around the legislation has largely focused on emergency alerts and news access, some scholars say preserving AM radio also has implications for media diversity... "I think the media landscape is really overwhelmingly homogenized right now, and AM radio is important in many markets," [said Zachary McDowell, associate professor of communications at the University of Illinois Chicago]. "It's a space that still allows for all sorts of different voices that is still open and accessible."
The article also includes this quote from Rodney Gibbs, executive director of Heartland Signal, which operates a local talk radio station. "Despite the kind of shiny objects that digital media is, AM radio still has a viable and durable audience. It's a daily, unscripted, authentic conversation between the host and the listeners. You don't get that from broadcast television. You don't get that from digital media."
Two people were killed and another 35 were hospitalized with injuries after a shooting broke out at a neighborhood block party in Georgia, authorities said.
Minnesota's law banning AI "nudification" images has been put on hold after a federal appeals court sided with Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company.
James Cameron's Avatar is no longer the highest-grossing movie in box office history. That honor now goes to the Disney/Marvel Studios film Avengers: Endgame. Variety explains:
"Avatar" spent a decade as the biggest release ever until "Avengers: Endgame" overtook the record in 2019 during its initial run on the big screen. "Endgame" dropped to No. 2 on all-time charts in 2021 when "Avatar" returned to theaters in advance of 2021's "Avatar: The Way of Water." Five years later, and Earth's Mightiest Heroes have triumphed over the Na'vi again.
Disney is popping Champagne no matter which big-screen behemoth claims the No. 1 spot. "Avatar" was released by 20th Century Fox, which Disney now owns after the companies merged in 2019... [Last week's] re-release of "Endgame" has generated more than $126 million worldwide.
Together the 38 Marvel Studios movies "have generated more than $35 billion worldwide," notes an announcement on Disney's web site, "making the Marvel Cinematic Universe the most successful film franchise in history."
Their announcement adds that Disney "is responsible for seven of the 10 highest-grossing films of all time." That list also includes James Cameron's Titantic and his first two Avatar movies, but also this summer's Spider-Man: Brand New Dayand the earlier film Spider-Man: No Way Home, plus Marvel's 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War. Also among the top-10-of-all-time are Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) at #7 and last year's Zootopia 2.
Meanwhile Coyote vs. Acme was released for rent or purchase on streaming platforms Tuesday, and became the No. 1 most-watched movie in the Apple TV store for America and Canada, according to CBR. (Citing a report from FlixPatrol ) "On Rotten Tomatoes, Coyote vs. Acme has a near-perfect 96% Certified Fresh Tomatometer score based on critics' reviews, and a similar 94% Verified Hot Popcornmeter score based on audience reviews... Frank Scheck from The Hollywood Reporter called it "one of the best live-action/animation films ever."
Preorders have just opened for its DVD and 4K disks, and Coyote vs. Acme is also coming to Blu-ray writes IGN, "along with some hilarious outtakes that he described as 'not PG-rated.'"
Celebrating the film's $100 million box office take last week, the movie's distributors posted a very Coyote-like koan on social media. "It's only over when you stop trying."
Justice Samuel Alito discussed his opinion in the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the leaked draft and its aftermath, same-sex marriage rights and why he's not retiring yet.
(The Center Square) – A coalition of bipartisan lawmakers introduced legislation into both the House and Senate with hopes of bringing the movie and film production industry back home, an occurrence that would protect and create U.S. jobs as well…
“Welcome to the NFL’s home away from home,” was the rallying cry from former running back and current in-stadium hype man Ronde Barber before the league’s 19th year holidaying in the UK began. And welcome Washington’s injury bug which must have stowed away on the flight to London. The mighty Commanders defense that overwhelmed the Colts at times could not overcome having another quarterback knocked out of commission. Indianapolis capitalised on the misfortune with crafty running back Jonathan Taylor carrying them to a 30-13 victory.
The Commanders were already missing starting quarterback Jayden Daniels with an elbow injury and their pesky interloper wasn’t satisfied that Washington had endured enough torment. The game-defining moment came early as a knee injury forced backup passer Marcus Mariota out of the contest after a strong start. Rookie third-stringer Athan Kaliakmanis replaced him and though he delivered the play of the game with an incredible showcase of vision and accuracy on a 47-yard touchdown throw, it was too much, too soon for the 23-year-old.
A fast-growing wildfire in the Angeles national forest north-east of Santa Clarita, California, has triggered evacuation orders and warnings in the area. Firefighters battled the blaze, which had spread to 1,000 acres by Saturday evening, from the ground and air, while authorities ordered residents in surroundings areas to leave as the fire spread quickly across the rugged terrain. The cause of the fire was not immediately reported
"Physicists smashed gold nuclei together at nearly the speed of light and found an unexpected pattern in the particles..." writes Live Science.
"If confirmed, that pattern could help reveal how the hot soup of quarks and gluons that filled the universe in the first few microseconds after the Big Bang cooled and condensed into the protons and neutrons that make up ordinary matter today."
In every collision, particles are flung out sideways; how hard they are flung, on average, varies slightly from one collision to the next. Physicists expected the size of these variations to change smoothly as they adjusted the collision energy. Instead, the variations dipped, shrinking and then growing again. This dip could be a sign of a long-sought "critical point," a special set of conditions at which nuclear matter changes the way it transforms from one form to another.
The signal, detected by the STAR experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York, is strong enough that it is very unlikely to be a statistical accident. However, the researchers cautioned that the dip is a tantalizing hint, not proof of the long-sought transition. They published their findings Sept. 22 in the journal Physical Review Letters...
The team analyzed roughly 1 billion collisions, measuring how hard charged particles were flung sideways out of the fireball, according to the article.
The dip "does point to a set of conditions where the behavior of nuclear matter changes, and it gives theorists a new, precise measurement to test their calculations against," study co-author Rutik Manikandhan, told Live Science.
Home secretary warns people traffickers will exploit asylum seekers because they decide who comes to the UK
Nearly all women who try to reach the UK in small boats from northern France have been raped on their journey, Shabana Mahmood has claimed.
In an interview with The Rest Is Politics podcast, the home secretary said far-right, balaclava-wearing activists would “kill” or “kick me out of my own country” if they took power.
On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Zach Lahn, Iowa GOP nominee for governor, join Margaret Brennan.
The following is the transcript of the interview with Zach Lahn, Iowa GOP nominee for governor, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Oct. 4, 2026.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that President Trump was "well aware of the risks to energy flows" before launching the war in Iran earlier this year, but argued "the world cannot sustain a nuclear-armed Iran."
Clayton, who leads the US’s 18 intelligence agencies, previously served as the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan and led the Securities and Exchange Commission during Trump’s first term.
Motion calling for single Palestinian state, which is opposed by most Green MPs and expected to be challenged, passes by 1,022 votes to 813
The Greens have formally adopted a policy that equates Zionism with racism and calls for Israel to be replaced by a single Palestinian state, a move opposed by the bulk of the party’s MPs and which is expected to face legal challenge.
Zack Polanski, who heads the Greens in England and Wales and missed the vote at the party’s conference in Brighton to campaign in the Holborn and St Pancras byelection, has faced criticism for a perceived lack of leadership on a hugely divisive issue.
In a district shaken by deaths of 11 workers, Democrat Marie Gluesenkamp Perez faces a stiff challenge to keep her seat
On a misty morning in May in south-west Washington state, Laura Oltmann, a 41-year-old dietitian, had barely clocked in when an unfamiliar overhead announcement echoed through the hospital.
“We get overhead pages for different types of emergencies. But this one, we don’t get very often,” recalled Oltmann.
Car thefts in San Francisco are down almost 59% for the first eight months of 2026 compared with the same months in 2022, according to analysis of police department statistics by NPR's Planet Money — and car break-ins are down more than 82%.
"San Francisco's law enforcement leaders tell us that greater use of surveillance technology — including a controversial, AI-powered license plate camera system made by Flock Safety — has been crucial to this drop in car crime."
How much credit does Flock actually deserve...? [In July of 2022, San Francisco District Attorney] Jenkins began taking a more aggressive approach to prosecuting people accused of crimes. Meanwhile, the SFPD beefed up its tactics to fight car thefts and break-ins. In 2023, for example, the police increased patrols in tourist areas known for car break-ins and used "bait cars" to catch and build cases against organized car burglars. But, Jenkins says, "one of the most important factors" behind the drop in crime came when the city introduced new crime-fighting technology. In March 2024, San Francisco voters approved Proposition E, which, among other provisions, made it easier for SFPD to use drones and high-tech surveillance cameras. That same month, the SFPD began installing Flock cameras in strategic locations... In a statement to Planet Money, a spokesperson for the SFPD said, "ALPR has been instrumental in driving down crime in San Francisco. These tools enable our officers to identify crime vehicles with precision, and ALPR is assisting in reducing crimes that were previously very challenging to solve, like auto burglaries."
Jenkins described how Flock cameras and drones can work together to catch suspected criminals. In one case the SFPD publicized, the department says Flock cameras spotted a moving vehicle linked to an auto burglary the previous day and alerted officers. Officers deployed a drone, which flew in from above and then began recording suspects in real time as they smashed windows and stole luggage out of a parked SUV. The police then moved in and arrested them. They can do all this, Jenkins says, "without putting innocent people in danger with dangerous police chases." Meanwhile, the surveillance system creates an evidence trail that [Jenkins'] office can use to prosecute suspected criminals... Jenkins also believes high-tech surveillance helps deter crime, although that's harder to prove...
The most ambitious study of Flock's system so far is a recent one by University of South Carolina crime researchers Ian Adams and Scott Mourtgos. They analyzed data from 216 law enforcement agencies that introduced Flock cameras, comparing crime trends with places that had not adopted Flock. They found that deploying Flock cameras was associated with an 11% drop in car thefts in the first year. This is only one study, and it has yet to be peer-reviewed. It's also not a randomized controlled trial, the gold standard for finding the actual causal effect of something. Other factors, beyond Flock, could still help explain the decline.
That study attempted to control for variables, the article points out — like how San Francisco's decline coincided with a broader drop in crime across American cities as America emerged from the pandemic...
But the article also notes another worry shared by "countless citizens" and political leaders. Are these systems handing too much power to law enforcement to "invade our privacy, trace our whereabouts, and stomp on our civil liberties."
On Friday the Times revealed that Katie Lam, the communities secretary, told a meeting in private earlier this year that the state pension system needs a fundamental overhaul.
Speaking in June, when she was a frontbencher but not yet in the shadow cabinet, Lam was asked at a meeting with activists if she thought the pensions triple lock was sustainable. She replied:
Ultimately I think what we will need in the end is an entirely new pension system.
I mean, a baby that is born today has a 20% chance of living to be 100 and I don’t think we can fund one in five people half of their lives, you know, for the first 20 and the last 30 years. But obviously if you are 90 you probably can’t go out and get a job right, so I think you have to be realistic about how you would taper that and bring that in across the population.
The fact is, the triple lock and pensions are things that people have contributed to.
Conservatives believe that if you have contributed, then you deserve to get your state pension.
In a CBS News interview, Biden-era Middle East adviser Brett McGurk recounted the administration's response to the Oct. 7 attack, its handling of the Israel-Hamas war, the role of Iran and the long-sought push to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Attack shortly after Friedrich Merz arrived on unannounced visit intended to underline Germany’s backing
Russia has struck another major bridge in Kyiv as the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, arrived in the capital in a show of support for Ukraine.
A Russian drone hit Kyiv’s key Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River, marking the fourth consecutive day that Russia has targeted bridges used by tens of thousands of residents commuting between the city’s two banks. Video footage showed cars driving across the bridge as the drone plunged into the roadway and exploded in a burst of fire. Two people were injured in the strike, said Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko.
The following is the transcript of the interview with Energy Secretary Chris Wright that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Oct. 4, 2026.
The following is the transcript of the interview with Sen. Mark Kelly, Democrat of Arizona, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Oct. 4, 2026.
The following is the full transcript of the interview with Brett McGurk, who served as a top Middle East adviser to former Preident Joe Biden, a portion of which aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Oct. 4, 2026.
"Sunday Morning" talked with passengers who heroically helped avert disaster this past Wednesday by subduing the co-pilot attempting to crash their Boeing 737 Max into the Arabian Desert.
"Free your BIOS today!" urges the web page for GNU Boot, calling it "a 100% free software project aimed at replacing the nonfree boot software (like BIOS or UEFI) of computers with free boot software.
GNU Boot is only a distribution: it reuses existing software projects like Coreboot, GRUB, SeaBIOS, etc. So it's not very different from 100% free GNU/Linux distributions like Trisquel or Guix.
Last month the Free Software Foundation announced they'd fiscally sponsor the project:
"The BIOS is a delicate but essential part of software freedom for computing today," said Zoë Kooyman, executive director of the FSF. "GNU Boot aims to make sure that we can continue using our computers in freedom. With the way it builds on the work of others to replace UEFI, we know it can remain firm in the free software philosophy and stay vital to digital autonomy and user freedom." Free boot firmware, such as GNU Boot, is responsible for loading the computer's operating system.
The work done by GNU Boot contributors has similarities to work done by GNU/Linux distributions: they package software like Coreboot or GNU GRUB, contribute to the upstream repositories of these projects, and assist them with documentation, among other tasks... When asked about their project joining the FSF's fiscal sponsorship program, co-maintainer Adrien Bourmault stated: "Making this decision with the FSF allows us to focus more on what we do best: writing and debugging code that keeps our machines fully free." Projects whose scope and purpose align with the FSF's mission and further mission-related activities can become fiscally sponsored by joining the FSF's Working Together for Free Software Fund.
At least 25 injured at block party shooting in Georgia and three wounded in Baltimore park shooting, officials say
Two people were killed and at least 25 others injured when a shooting erupted at a homecoming block party in Vienna, Georgia, early on Sunday, according to authorities.
In another high-profile mass shooting in the US over the weekend, a 12-year-old girl was shot and killed and three other people were wounded after gunfire evidently broke out over a parking spot in a Baltimore park on Saturday, officials said.
Calls for release of six Matsadaash staff after one is charged, while whereabouts of other five remain unknown
An Egyptian journalist has been charged with joining a terrorist group, days after an entire newsroom was detained in what rights groups have said is a crackdown on press freedoms.
Last week, authorities arrested six journalists from the independent fact-checking and investigative platform Matsadaash – literally meaning “don’t believe” – accusing them in a statement of being unlicensed and publishing false news on behalf of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
More than 400 schools in France will be closed or partly closed on Monday as authorities brace for another week of student protests.
Lessons will be totally or partly suspended in 400 to 500 schools because security conditions “have not been fulfilled”, the education minister, Édouard Geffray, said on Sunday.
Reform UK leader was interviewed for half an hour last month over money from crypto billionaire
Nigel Farage has been interviewed by the standards commissioner for an investigation into whether he should have declared a £5m gift from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne.
The Reform UK leader spent about half an hour being questioned over the money, the Sunday Times reported. Farage maintains the gift was for his personal security.
Lawyers and campaigners have condemned the “horrifying” scale of child-on-child sexual abuse in schools after a Guardian investigation revealed thousands of sexual offences against under-13s, including multiple rapes, are reported to police every year.
Close to five sexual crimes against children aged 12 and younger were recorded on average by police every day in primary and secondary schools in England and Wales, according to Guardian analysis of police data for 2021-25.
Mourners in Springfield, Ohio, blamed Pierre Damas Bel’s death on President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign. Trump’s supporters said ICE needs to do more.
Private companies are taking cremated remains and stunt payloads to the moon. Former NASA attorney Steve Mirmina warns that there’s nothing stopping them.
At least 5,000 people, mainly teenagers, have been arrested while dozens of people, including students and teachers, have been injured
Germany is Ukraine’s largest donor and has sent Kyiv more than €43.3 billion ($48.8 billion) since the war began, along with equipment and weapons.
Zelenskyy thanked Merz for visiting the Ukrainian capital describing him as “A leader of a country that consistently demonstrates leadership in protecting the lives of Ukrainians from Russian strikes.
We are grateful for all the support, and today we are preparing decisions to give us in Ukraine, and all of Europe, greater capabilities to defend ourselves. There will be important agreements between Ukraine and Germany. Russia must be stopped together.”
Zelenskyy in the past hour has been tweeting about the strikes and the German chancellor’s visit, thanking Merz for his support.
On the Kyiv strike this morning he confirmed it had been a drone on the Northern Bridge (Pivnichnyi Bridge).
He noted too a drone attack on a pharmaceutical warehouse in Sumy which killed one person and a strike on a communications facility in Dnipro.
A U.S. banking group just sued the government agency that issues America's federal bank charters, reports CoinDesk, "accusing it of exceeding its legal powers in granting national trust-bank status to crypto firms."
The agency's move "creates a gaping hole in financial regulation," according to the lawsuit by The Independent Community Bankers of America, one of America's largest banking advocacy organizations. It argues the move will "perversely allow entities engaged in highly risky cryptocurrency and digital assets activities to enter the banking system under lightly regulated national charters" which actually preempt many state regulations, including consumer protection laws.
But the move would also "place community banks at a severe competitive disadvantage," the lawsuit argues, "by allowing the national trust banks to offer many of the same services as community banks without complying with the same costly banking laws and regulations that apply to the community banks." This competitive advantage could "siphon deposits out of community banks and into deposit alternatives like cryptocurrency," which they describe as "highly volatile, prone to market crashes, cybercrime, and fraud" and lacking protections like deposit insurance.
They also warn that America's Office of the Comptroller of the Currency "has not managed an uninsured bank receivership in nearly one hundred years. But failures of risky uninsured national
trust banks could spread instability throughout the nation's financial system, including by spreading contagion risks to other traditional banks like community banks."
CoinDesk reports:
[The Independent Community Bankers of America] also played a significant role in pushing back against the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act that failed to advance in the U.S. Senate last month — in part due to the bankers' objections that its stablecoin provisions didn't protect them against direct competition with the deposit accounts that are core to their businesses.
Now, the group is targeting the trust charters crypto firms are pursuing as an entry point into the U.S. banking and payments system.
"Congress did not create the national trust charter as a side door into the banking system for crypto firms seeking the credibility of a federal bank charter," ICBA President and CEO Rebeca Romero Rainey said in a statement..
The latest book by the bestselling author of "The Big Short" and "Moneyball" profiles federal workers targeted by President Trump and his mega-donor Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Alan Alda, now 90, best-known for his role as "Hawkeye" Pierce on the classic TV series "M*A*S*H," talks about living with Parkinson's disease, which he refuses to let define him.
Sixteen years after "The Social Network," his Oscar-winning film about Mark Zuckerberg, Aaron Sorkin turns from Facebook's origins to its consequences with "The Social Reckoning," about a Facebook whistleblower.
A standard business practice offsets future costs by funding a reserve for returns – but many small businesses don’t do it
In my 30-plus years of being an accountant I have learned many business lessons from people who were much smarter than me. Jerry Crawford was one of those people. Jerry taught me about product returns.
Jerry – who sadly passed away a decade ago – sold carpets wholesale from a nondescript little building in south Jersey. He employed about 50 people and counted many local and national carpet retailers as his customers. When I reviewed Jerry’s books, I noticed a large reserve for “returns”.
Considered Republican frontrunner for presidential election, Vance is cozying up to the movement – as it splits
JD Vance, widely considered to be the Republican frontrunner for the presidential election in 2028, is aligning himself with the Make America Healthy Again (Maha) movement as some say it is shedding its grassroots supporters in favor of political and corporate interests.
The US vice-president has positioned himself as the inheritor of Make America Great Again (Maga), and attaching himself to Maha, which many in the Trump administration believe helped to win the 2024 election, signals a greater overlap between the two movements as the administration’s popularity plummets amid the war in Iran and rising prices.
Hany Farid, a leading expert on deepfakes and digital manipulation, estimates that half of the content widely viewed on the Internet is fake. What does this mean for our ability to detect images generated or hallucinated by artificial intelligence?
The hosts of the next major United Nations climate conference, Turkey and Australia, are facing criticism for being partners in a coal supply chain while remaining near silent on the need for a global deal to rapidly get off fossil fuels.
With the Cop31 summit in the Turkish Mediterranean city of Antalya just a month away, the two countries running the fortnight-long talks have been accused by activists of a “vacuum of action” on plans for a transition away from coal, gas and oil – a key goal of many nations at the talks.
Six passengers and crew onboard still unaccounted for after medical plane vanishes off coast of Massachusetts
Researches found debris from a medical transport plane that was carrying six people when it vanished over the Atlantic early on Saturday during a flight from Bermuda to Boston, the US Coast Guard said.
A statement from the coast guard issued on Saturday evening said crews searching off the coast of the Massachusetts island Nantucket “located a debris field confirmed to be from the aircraft”, described as an air ambulance.
The idea of universal health coverage in the US is embraced by party’s left but often considered a liability by centrists
Last week, 1,500 unionized nurses gathered in a large conference room at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco to cheer for a cause they’ve championed for years: Medicare for All.
Considered a radical and even fringe idea for decades, interest in sweeping healthcare reform has surged as progressive Democrats have won a series of primary victories before November’s crucial midterm elections. Most prominent among its advocates is Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic US Senate nominee from Michigan, who took the lectern before the nurses.
Cape Henlopen senior Jameson Tingle recovers a fumble for the Vikings in their win over Hodgson. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder.
The Cape Henlopen Vikings (4-0) defeated the Hodgson Silver Eagles (1-4), 35-28, on October 3 to remain undefeated to start the season. The Vikings are 4-0 for the first time in over a decade.
MIDDLETOWN, DE — Normally when Cape Henlopen senior Jameson Tingle is mentioned in correlation to a football game it’s because of his talents on the offensive side of the ball. On a rainy Saturday afternoon, Tingle’s impact on defense was what earned Cape Henlopen its fourth win of the season and first 4-0 start in 12 years.
The Silver Eagles trailed the Vikings by seven when their final drive of the game started on their own three-yard line with a little over eight minutes remaining in the game. Hodgson quarterback, senior Kevin Browning, connected with fellow senior Dorian Wilson on a 31-yard pass and subsequent runs from Browning brought Hodgson into Cape Henlopen territory. The Silver Eagles drove the ball to the Viking 18-yard line, needing inches to extend the drive on fourth and less than a yard.
Browning rushed the ball into the middle of the Cape Henlopen defense and was met by Viking junior Geoffrey Davis rushing in from his spot in the secondary to make the tackle. Davis’ tackle hit the arm of Browning and jarred the ball loose. Tingle quickly jumped on the ball securing possession for the Viking offense with 1:25 left to play.
“Coach just called a blitz on my part so I was already in the mix,” Tingle said postgame. “I seen my teammate knock the ball out and after I see that it’s just look around and try to find the ball and then I found it and I dove. I could’ve been scared, I could’ve did this, but I didn’t really care. I see ball, get ball, and luckily I was able to get it.”
Tingle’s defensive play completed a strong second half for the University of Delaware commit as he led the Vikings to a comeback victory.
The Silver Eagles started the game with a recovery on an onside kick and turned the possession into eight points on the game’s first drive. Senior running back, Keytwan Sabur, scored the touchdown on a 23-yard run and scored Hodgson’s second touchdown on its next drive via a four yard run. The Vikings answered the pair of touchdowns with a couple short yardage touchdown runs from Tingle, tying the game, 14-14, forty seconds into the second quarter.
Hodgson senior Keytwan Sabur runs the ball for the Silver Eagles. Sabur scored Hodgson’s first two touchdowns. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder.
Hodgson fired right back with its senior signal caller on a 14-play drive that ended with a one-yard Browning touchdown and a completed two-point conversion pass from Browning to sophomore Julian Coleman. Tingle and senior Aidan Lehmuth connected on a 26-yard catch and score, but the two-point try was no good, leaving Hodgson in the lead, 22-20. Browning completed the first half scoring with his second rushing touchdown, putting the Silver Eagles ahead, 28-20.
That’s when the quarterback Cape Henlopen senior Stephen Sivels nicknamed “Thanos” took over.
“I call him Thanos [because] he do it all [on] both sides of the field,” Sivels said about Tingle. “He got a fumble recovery, passing touchdowns, punching it in, all that so I call him Thanos.”
Tingle completed eight of ten pass attempts in the second half for 168 passing yards and a touchdown. Tingle’s passing touchdown was a 46-yard catch and run to Sivels that tied the score after a run from Tingle on the two-point conversion. Sivels’ touchdown grab was one of five catches he hauled in throughout the game. Sivels ended the game with over 100 receiving yards.
“Jameson, he’s a great quarterback. He can swing it from the opposite side and hit me right on the spot, so yeah, I really love playing with Jameson because he’s a really good quarterback,” Sivels said.
Tingle makes a leaping throw to a receiver down field. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder.
Tingle scored the go-ahead touchdown on a three-yard rush with a little over eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. It was the first time Cape Henlopen led during the afternoon. Tingle finished the game with 295 passing yards, 109 rushing yards and five total touchdowns.
“Just my teammates man. It’s just what we’ve been through, summers since we’ve been young, I’ve been playing with these guys for a long time, so they’re able to give me the courage, be able to keep me level-headed and yeah they just give me the courage to do everything,” Tingle said about how he’s able to stay composed in adverse game situations. “All kudos to them.”
Cape Henlopen’s next game is a homecoming matchup against Appoquinimink on October 9. The game will be played in Lewes, Delaware, and start at 7:00 p.m.
The Silver Eagles next game will be against St. Georges on Friday, October 9, at 3:45 p.m. St. Georges has won the matchup two years in a row.
Leftwing incumbent Lula trying to fight off close rival Flávio Bolsonaro, far-right son of jailed ex-president
The polls have closed in the first round of Brazil’s highly polarised and high-stakes presidential election that could change not only the direction of Latin America’s largest country but that of the entire region.
The election pits the leftwing president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term, against the far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro, an ally of Donald Trump and the son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after his failed 2022 re-election attempt.
Suspect allegedly killed woman at hotel in Okinawa as prime minister calls crime ‘exceptionally brutal and vicious’
A US marine stationed on Japan’s southern island of Okinawa is accused of murdering a Japanese woman and has been arrested on suspicion of murder, police said on Sunday.
The suspect allegedly “killed [a] 39-year-old woman at a hotel in Naha and stole her wallet” as well as her backpack, local police told news media outlets.
(The Center Square) – The U.S. Food and Drug administration has proposed a rule that aims to close a long-neglected regulatory food safety loophole, but consumer advocates warn the effort amounts to a “regulatory mirage.”
In 1964 Ken Kesey and his "Merry Pranksters" rode a bus named "Furthur," fueled by music, alcohol and LSD. This icon of the counterculture movement, which has fallen into a rusted state, is now on display in San Francisco, on a journey to restore it to its former glory.
President Trump announced the formation of a "Super Intelligence Force" after meeting with leaders of the country's largest artificial intelligence companies last week.
Studies show people who hold grudges have greater levels of cardiovascular trouble, and higher levels of depression and anxiety. Experts say those taking steps towards forgiveness can have better outcomes.
Women hold just a fraction of new AI jobs but are overrepresented in roles with high risk of AI disruption
There’s a common fear among people who work in Silicon Valley: snag one of the fast-growing, high-paying jobs in artificial intelligence, or get trapped in the “permanent underclass”, a phrase describing the fate of those who won’t have upward mobility in the age of AI.
The phrase usually describes a future in which AI automates human jobs. But for women in tech, it’s starting to look like the present.
A statewide initiative pairs climate-focused coursework with community service – and is spreading to other states
As a student at a high school not far from Denver’s main airport, Anthony Muñoz wondered whether the jet fuel from airplanes flying above his campus was harming living things.
An avid gardener, Muñoz partnered with a local university to create a garden on the campus of his charter school, Vista Academy, filling it with native plants that could detect ground-level ozone pollution. He also worked with climate scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a federal office in nearby Boulder, who directed Muñoz on what data to collect, what the condition of leaves reveals about air quality and why milkweed matters for monarch butterfly migration.
The Supreme Court kicks off its term Monday with cases involving climate change, President Trump's immigration policies and the Second Amendment among the most high-profile disputes.
The FlyDubai alleged attempted hijacking was likely a lone wolf attack, an early investigation by Israel shows, according to people familiar with the matter.
Brewers manager Pat Murphy credited the team’s legendary late broadcaster Bob Uecker for an unlikely boost in the ninth inning to help preserve a 3-2 victory over visiting San Diego in the opener of their playoff series on Saturday.
With one out in the ninth and the Brewers clinging to a one-run lead, San Diego had a runner on first when Ty France hit a drive to left field off closer Trevor Megill. But the ball struck a roof cable, stayed in play and was caught by Jackson Chourio for the second out. Megill then retired Jackson Merrill on a fly ball to right field to give Milwaukee the victory.
A recent arrest suggests that underground invaders of city’s sewer system are lured by the promise of lost valuables
There’s been one thing in particular that has been intriguing New Yorkers this summer: the existence, and whereabouts, of so-called “mole people” – a mysterious group of individuals who spend at least some of their time wading about in the city’s sewers.
New Yorkers learned a bit more about the phenomenon this week, when two men were caught red – or perhaps another color – handed, after allegedly emerging from a tunnel in Manhattan. Their arrests have shed some light on a slew of instances where people have been witnessed lifting manhole covers and clambering underground.
These 15 Halloween party recipes cover spooky sweets, hot dips, smoky wings, snack boards, and mummy dogs, giving you a mix of playful bites and filling savory food.The post 15 Halloween party recipes that bring the fright and the flavor…
As he prepares to face his home nation, the Canada manager reflects on his adopted country’s soccer, its prime minister, and its place in the world
Peak leaf hasn’t yet arrived in Montreal but the bursts of gold and butterscotch up on the hill that gave this place its name still mushroom out by the hour.
Sitting in a glass-panelled hotel mezzanine at the foot of Mount Royal, Canada men’s coach Jesse Marsch has his mind on another harvest. When this extended autumnal international window ends, he will decamp to Italy, where the olive crops at his Tuscan villa are ready for reaping.
Long-time Slashdot reader Andreas(R) announces Northstar, a "minimalist" web browser written entirely from scratch in C — now available in version 1.0.11:
One window, one page, one process — about 160,000 lines of original C, small enough for one person to read and audit end-to-end. It carries no upstream browser engine: no Gecko, no WebKit, no Blink. It is free software under the GNU General Public License, version 3 or later, and it runs on Linux, macOS and Windows...
Compliance is not inherited from an upstream engine; it is measured, section by section, against the specification text... Private by construction. No telemetry, no update pings, and no AI assistant or AI-style web APIs. Safe browsing checks a top-level navigation's host against a local SHA-256 blocklist before it is fetched — the check never leaves your machine. Cookies, storage and the cache are partitioned by origin.
It's logo reminds me of the old Netscape logo. (And I love the "Best viewed in..." GIF at the upper-right of its web site.)
These 17 vintage recipes cover casseroles, Southern classics, old-fashioned sides, skillet dinners, and retro desserts for nights when familiar flavors sound better than anything new.The post 17 vintage picks worth making when you want dinner to feel like a memory…
Washington, DC — President Donald Trump’s political operation is deploying tens of millions of dollars into competitive congressional races as Republicans try to maintain control of Congress in the final month before the midterms.
Trump’s main super PAC, MAGA Inc., and affiliated groups No Going Back PAC and Safety & Affordability PAC have reserved well over $100 million in advertising across Senate and House contests. Trump previously said his political network could ultimately spend between $400 million and $500 million helping Republican candidates.
No Going Back has concentrated heavily on Senate races, including Michigan, Ohio, Alaska, North Carolina, New Hampshire and Georgia. Safety & Affordability has focused primarily on House districts, while MAGA Inc. itself has invested heavily in Texas to support Republican Senate nominee Ken Paxton.
The spending comes as Republicans face an increasingly competitive political environment. The Hill and Decision Desk HQ’s latest polling averages show Trump with a 37.7% approval rating, while several Senate and House races remain closely contested.
The money gives Republicans significant late-campaign resources, although super PACs generally pay higher advertising rates than candidates themselves, meaning the delayed spending buys less airtime than earlier reservations would have.
Rallies have been mainstay of president’s brand but even some in his own party fear voters are sick of the sight of him
“Get your asses in that car.” That was Donald Trump’s order, he later recalled, to his motorcade after foul weather grounded Air Force One in Texas on Thursday. The 85-mile dash to Oklahoma at nearly 100mph was proof that nothing can keep Trump from a Trump rally.
Which might not be the good news for Republicans it once was. As the US president embarked on a 32-day campaign blitz aimed at helping them defend narrow congressional majorities in next month’s midterms, some fear that he is driving them towards an electoral wipeout.
Efforts to consolidate the Black vote here were frustrated, handing the Democratic nomination to a white party insider
A major plot line of the hyper-partisan, mid-decade redistricting arms races – launched at the urging of Donald Trump – has been the elimination of traditionally Black congressional seats in the south. In the midst of that battle, a subplot emerged: a challenge to one of those Black seats from inside the Democratic caucus itself as the veteran congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whose own district was splintered, chose to seek re-election in Florida’s 20th congressional district, which had been represented for decades by a Black legislator.
Her candidacy and primary win raise prickly questions about the value of lived experience as a prerequisite for effective representation of minority communities, about how Black Democratic candidates should deal with friendly fire from non-Black opponents, and about internal economic vulnerabilities of so-called Black seats which are in districts where candidates generally raise less money than others.
Rainy evenings call for a heavy pot on the stove. These 13 Dutch oven recipes bring beef, chicken, shrimp, curry, soup, pasta, bread, and slow-simmered sauces to nights spent indoors.The post 13 dutch oven recipes made for damp, drizzly nights…
Immigration court judge finds ‘unsafe journeys’ policy was applied unlawfully to two families
A decision by the Home Office to block mothers and children in Gaza from joining their families in the UK has been quashed by a court.
Families abroad who have had their applications approved to reunite with loved ones in the UK usually have to undergo biometric checks, including fingerprinting and facial images at a visa application centre. But the VAC in Gaza has been closed since October 2023 and it is difficult to get out of the territory.
Trump supporters may be surprised to learn the state takeover of means of production is not driven by the left
Americans will never accept the Democratic party’s slide to the left, or so desperate Republicans are hoping.
With the midterm elections fast upon us, Zohran Mamdani’s promise of a few city-run bodegas in New York City will scare the bejeezus out of middle America. Disgust over the democratic socialists’ unicorn-and-puppy promises of a world without capitalism will keep the Republicans in power.
The US president has taken credit for far-right victories across Latin America, but those wins have had more to do with fears of gang crime than his meddling
Donald Trump has enjoyed very few foreign policy victories since returning to power. From failed wars to failed peace processes, his second term in office has been marked by one costly blunder on the world stage after another. In Latin America, though, the US president has a different story to tell.
His administration’s national security strategy outlined how the US wanted to “restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere”. It was a brazen document, laying out how his government would interfere in the political life of countries it considered part of its sphere of influence, rewarding governments and movements that are “broadly aligned with our principles and strategy”.
Former Tory minister defends UK decision to enter war in podcast with US rightwinger and Putin sympathiser
The former Tory minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has found himself defending Britain’s decision to fight against Adolf Hitler after inviting the US rightwinger and Vladimir Putin sympathiser Tucker Carlson into his home for an interview.
During the encounter, Carlson repeatedly suggested the west was to blame for inviting aggression from Russia and said of the prospect that Britain could have lost to Hitler: “Who cares?”
Devin Jacob Ballard was arrested in the killing and robbing of Anna Yagi, police told Japan’s public broadcaster. He denied the allegations, a spokesman said.
Alito, 76, delivers comment in rare interview with CBS News scheduled to air on Monday
Samuel Alito, the conservative US supreme court justice, has said “I think I have to” contemplate retiring every year at his age.
Alito, 76, delivered that comment in a rare interview with CBS News scheduled to air on Monday, a little more than six months after a widely publicized hospital visit invited speculation about his potential retirement.
Bobby Pulido has a strategy: show up at the 15th birthday parties that are a rite of passage in the Texas borderlands – and flip a key House district for Democrats
It took all of two minutes for Bobby Pulido’s electoral stealth weapon to come into play. The Tejano music star turned Democratic congressional candidate had barely begun canvassing in the high school football stadium in Edinburg, Texas, when a 15-year-old girl came rushing up to him.
“Señor Pulido! Señor Pulido!” she cried. A few months ago, she told him, he had made a surprise appearance at her quinceañera, the coming-of-age girls’ 15th birthday party that is a rite of passage in these US borderlands.
Most counties don’t have their own health agencies, and some specific population groups have low vaccination rates
Pennsylvania is bracing for a wave of measles cases, with some public health officials concerned that it’s “only a matter of time” until the disease spreads beyond the outbreak’s epicenter.
An elderly couple charged with murdering their son-in-law, New York Times gaming engineer Jonathan McKinsey, battled with him over gender identity, according to court records.
Network at receiving end of White House press ban recently chose red state to host fan event as part of broader outreach
In 2024, Donald Trump and JD Vance carried Tarrant county, Texas, by 42,125 votes. So why, on the afternoon of 26 September, was the arena at the University of Texas-Arlington filled with nearly 5,000 super fans cheering for liberal media darlings Rachel Maddow and Lawrence O’Donnell like they were rock stars?
After two years of hosting the network’s annual fan event in dark blue New York City, MS Now (formerly MSNBC) got wind that something was happening in Texas. The state, which hasn’t elected a Democrat to the US Senate in 37 years, might do so next month, when 37-year-old James Talarico, Texas state representative, goes up against the Republican nominee, Ken Paxton, a well-known but controversial figure who ousted incumbent John Cornyn in the party’s primary with Donald Trump’s backing.
Boulder, Colorado, is hoping its novel lawsuit will be the environmental equivalent of the landmark litigation that produced billions in damages and settlements against Big Tobacco and opioid makers.
Costa Ltd reports operating profit of £20m in year to 31 December 2025 after losses of £13.5m in 2024
Costa’s main coffee shop arm has returned to an operating profit after revamping its high street outlets and broadening its menu with iced drinks, matcha and fresher pastries.
The chain, which has 2,700 outlets in the UK and Ireland out of 4,000 globally, and employs about 20,000 people, also opened a net 50 new outlets in the UK last year – its first net increase in several years.
Ivy League school’s president promises action after woman alleged she was drugged and raped by fraternity members
Cornell University will examine the role of fraternities and sororities on campus after an outcry over the school’s handling of a student’s rape allegations, the Ivy League school’s president has said.
A civil lawsuit filed last month by the woman, who alleges she was drugged and raped in 2024 by several members of the Chi Phi fraternity, has prompted outrage and soul-searching at Cornell over its campus culture at the school in Ithaca, New York.
Thousands of Glasgow council workers face being sacked and reappointed under less favourable terms in one of the UK’s biggest ever “fire-and-rehire” exercises, after union negotiations broke down once again this week.
About 23,000 workers – all of the council’s non-teaching staff – first heard they were affected last week when talks between the SNP-led council and the GMB, Unison and Unite unions fell apart. Those negotiations concerned a new pay and grading system designed to resolve historical pay equality issues. Unison refused to ballot its members on an offer that would mean pay cuts for 11% of council employees, prompting the council to begin issuing fire-and-rehire letters.
A salvage crew has been working to stabilize the SS Richard Montgomery, which sank a few months after D-Day in 1944 with 1,500 tons of explosives in its holds.
A deep-seated duopoly allows the tech giants to exploit the public and developers. But the regulator has powers to stop this abuse – it should use them
Chi Onwurah is the Labour MP for Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West and chair of the parliamentary science, innovation and technology committee
Debates around big tech and digital regulation can sometimes feel distant from the everyday concerns of voters. But the power that a small number of global tech companies hold over our lives goes far beyond what most people realise.
As chair of the parliamentary science, innovation and technology committee, I have spent years raising concerns about this: from the data they harvest and the digital “twins” they build of us, to the algorithms that decide what our children see.
Industry says a phased end to racing, to avoid sudden jump in caring responsibilities, is unworkable
Wales’s greyhound racing ban – a UK first – has run into difficulties regarding how and when to wind down the practice, potentially risking the animals’ welfare, a charity has warned.
The law, which received royal assent in April, includes a three-year window for the ban to come into effect and is overseen by a Welsh government working group, which includes racing industry representatives and animal health and welfare organisations.
Charity calls for faster progress on humane slaughter laws for farmed fish in England and Wales
Up to 77m fish are slaughtered each year in the UK but there are no routine or mandatory inspections of fish slaughterhouses in England and Wales, it can be revealed.
Concerns within government about the way fish are slaughtered date back decades but all of the official bodies responsible for animal welfare and food standards in England and Wales said they do not undertake regular inspections.
David Robinson joins other insiders in urging industry to take more care over rapidly developing technology
A safety leader at OpenAI has quit the company, warning that its culture was broken and that AI firms were not “being nearly careful enough” about developing the technology.
David Robinson, who led the writing of safety reports that accompanied the ChatGPT developer’s product releases, explained his resignation in an essay headlined: “I quit OpenAI because its culture is broken.”
Politico EU reports:
The European Commission has rolled out an alternative to Microsoft Teams — but officials using it aren't impressed, with one describing the tool as "absolute shit."
The Commission introduced Element Pro over the summer as a "sovereign back-up to Teams," according to an internal staff memo seen by POLITICO. The platform is intended to provide a fallback for Commission communications if U.S.-based Teams becomes unavailable.... But three officials have questioned why the Commission needs the new system — and whether it works well enough to serve as a genuine backup. "I don't understand the added value here," one official wrote on an internal staff message board, seen by POLITICO. Another described the tool as "absolute shit." A third official said that, judging matters on how well Element Pro works compared to Teams, the U.S. would "instantly win the war" if it ever decided to switch off its technology...
The Commission hosts the Element system on its own infrastructure rather than relying on Microsoft's cloud. That gives the institution greater control over its communications data and systems... Element is a U.K. company whose software is used by governments and public-sector organizations in Europe... Element CEO Matthew Hodgson told POLITICO in a call using Element software that the Commission is still trialing it. "Obviously there are going to be some teething issues," he said, adding there will always be "cognitive dissonance" when switching to a new app, if only because the "buttons" are in a different place. He noted that the United Nations and NATO also use Element Pro.
The article adds that earlier this year, France announced millions of civil servants will switch to home-grown alternatives to American video-conferencing tools including Microsoft Teams and Zoom by 2027, while Austria's military also replaced Microsoft Office with the German-made LibreOffice last year.
FOI request shows wildfire risk scheme scrapped, as survey highlights many fire services lack proper protective gear
The government quietly scrapped plans to prepare the countryside in England for wildfires, it has been revealed. This was despite new data showing fire crews do not have the proper protective gear to tackle them.
This summer has been a potent reminder of the scale of the threat posed by the climate crisis, with the UK experiencing record-breaking wildfires after punishingly hot and dry weather turned large parts of the countryside into a tinderbox.
‘AbortOmat’ in Warsaw offers novel way to challenge country’s restrictions and allow women swift, anonymous access
They call it the “world’s first parcel locker for abortion pills”. Polish campaigners have launched a new means of distribution as part of their ongoing effort to skirt the country’s near-total ban on abortion.
Painted pink and framed by zebra-striped curtains, the 22-compartment “AbortOmat” in Warsaw allows women to access the pills swiftly and anonymously using a six-digit code. The service was envisaged for those who cannot or do not want to wait days for mail delivery due to a missed miscarriage or health complications, or who worry about receiving the pills at home.
Britain under pressure to put tariffs on cheap Chinese vehicle imports ahead of protectionist trade measures
Britain’s car industry is grappling with a “difficult trade-off” between China and Europe, as manufacturers struggle to balance the benefits of both markets ahead of looming trade measures that could restrict UK exports to the EU.
Sullivan became the youngest-ever goalscorer in USMNT history, while Mexico self-implodes with mistakes and a red card. Read Alexander Abnos’ play-by-play.
The players are in the tunnel. The lights are flashing. The little kids are getting high fives. It must nearly be kickoff time.
A really interesting note from Pardeep Cattry at CBS Sports: This will be the first time Gio Reyna has started six consecutive matches for club or country since 2020.
The first time the United States and Mexico played at this building, Jimmy Conrad and Landon Donovan provided the goals in one of several 2-0 wins for the US. On Saturday, the US squad included eight players who hadn’t yet been born when that happened.
This young US team went one better than their forebears, though, silencing a sizable pro-Mexico contingent in a composed 3-0 triumph that fully announced the arrival of an exciting new generation of players. Cavan Sullivan, just a few days after turning 17, became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the program with an eye-catching long-range chip. Julian Hall, 18, scored his third goal in as many games. Malik Tillman capped the scoring in the 85th minute, humbling a 10-man Mexico after they’d opened the match with far more strength.
Cornell's president said his school's administration "must do better" amid the criticism of its investigation into allegations made by a former student that she was gang-raped at a fraternity in 2024.
Neighbours say crowds drawn by TikTok to Fabel Friet are clogging the picturesque canal street and attracting litter, gulls and rats
People living in one of Amsterdam’s most exclusive neighbourhoods have taken the city to court for licensing a chip shop that has gone viral on TikTok.
On busy days, the queue for Fabel Friet on Runstraat stretches across a bridge on the Keizersgracht – one of Amsterdam’s most famous canals – a court was told last week. The narrow street itself is crowded by tourists waiting for their orders seven days a week. And loitering with intent – on parked cars, on the street itself, and on steps and porches – gulls wait to swoop.
The plane was undertaking a medical evacuation from Bermuda with six people onboard when it lost contact
The US Coast Guard said late on Saturday it had found debris from a medical transport aircraft off the shore of Massachusetts’s Nantucket Island and was searching for the six people who were onboard.
The jet lost contact with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during a flight from Bermuda to Boston on Saturday morning. In a statement to the Guardian, an FAA spokesperson said that the agency issued a search-and-rescue alert notice for a Gulfstream G-100 at about 1.20am local time Saturday.
"Scientists have discovered a virus that is a tiny bit human, carrying a gene it stole from our ancestors about 100,000 years ago," writes the New York Times. "And this virus may be using our own gene to infect us."
Phys.org explains that it's "both an important gene for brain function and a jumping gene capable of moving and inserting itself into genomes."
BC200 is found only in humans and related primates and was discovered in the late 1980s as an abundant noncoding RNA in human neurons. Although BC200's physiological function is poorly understood, evidence suggests it may be involved in regulating the translation of neuronal messenger RNAs into proteins... The researchers also suspect that BC200 jumped in skin cells because these are the only cells known to be infected by molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV). The gene is also abnormally expressed in some tumors and overexpressed in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease, suggesting its jumping ability could play roles in these diseases.
[Cedric Feschotte, a senior author of the study] said he and his colleagues would like to explore whether the molluscum contagiosum virus uses BC200 to manipulate human host cells. They are also interested in better understanding the gene's role in disease, including breast and other types of tumors in which it is abnormally expressed, and whether it jumps in cancer cells and causes mutations.
Thanks to Slashdot reader joshuark for sharing the news.
Treasurer says ‘very substantial and intensifying pressure’ on federal budget as he points finger at private sector for driving up inflation amid Middle East conflict
Jim Chalmers has warned of “very substantial and intensifying” economic pressures on the horizon but insists he’s not planning for a recession, as he prepares to find new ways to cut the budget ahead of its mid-year update.
The treasurer on Sunday called on critics of government spending to name the services that should be cut, as he points the finger at the private sector for driving up inflation in Australia amid the protracted conflict in the Middle East.
(The Center Square) – NASA has not provided a single total cost estimate for its Moon-to-Mars effort, a federal auditor told The Center Square, because the agency does not maintain one.
Australian security agencies have launched an investigation after it emerged that the flydubai co-pilot who allegedly tried to hijack an Israel-bound flight spent about two years in the country as a student.
Disaster was narrowly averted on Wednesday when passengers and crew intervened to stop the co-pilot’s attempt to take control of the flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, which had 182 people onboard and plunged 16,625 feet (5,067 metres) in just over 30 seconds.
While most magnets have two poles (north and south, or positive and negative), recent advances in quantum mechanics have revealed an "octupolar order," writes Phys.org, where a pattern of particles in a crystalline structure "behaves as if it has eight magnetic poles rather than the familiar two."
Now, a team led by quantum physicists at the University of Toronto has established a new method for observing quantum magnetic states using light to probe the atomic vibrations produced as electrons spin. The work is a critical first step toward harnessing multipolar magnetism for practical technologies, including next-generation data storage and computing devices.
"We identified new signatures of a hidden type of magnetic state which cannot be detected using ordinary probes," says Arun Paramekanti, a professor in the Department of Physics and the Center for Quantum Information & Quantum Control in the Faculty of Arts & Science at the University of Toronto, and senior author of a study published in Physical Review Letters that describes the findings.
"Our research opens up the possibility for using higher-order magnets in several applications including controllable read-write memory elements found in everyday computers...."
By directing a special type of rotating light at magnetic materials, the team observed a clear optical fingerprint of the otherwise hidden magnetic order.... The findings offer a new tool for uncovering and manipulating previously inaccessible forms of magnetism, opening new avenues for quantum technology development.
404 Media reports:
"We will not add facial recognition to our devices," Flock CEO Garrett Langley said in a recent video. But other, third-party companies are telling cops that they are willing to add facial recognition to data gathered by Flock cameras in order to "close that gap." A company called VIDIZMO is advertising the capability to export footage from FlockOS to its own platforms that do facial recognition, behavior prediction, and racial and gender analysis on live camera feeds. VIDIZMO is a several decades-old video analysis and database company that has started offering facial recognition technology to cops within the last six months. In a May email to Johnson City, Tennessee, deputy police chief Michael Adams, a salesperson from VIDIZMO wrote that the company's product could do facial recognition on both Flock and Axon [body-worn camera] data in "one searchable platform...."
VIDIZMO's CEO, Nadeem Khan, told 404 Media on a video call that the company has not yet started running facial recognition tech on footage from Flock cameras, and that it has not actually built the specific tool that would export data from Flock's system to its own platform (though the company advertises this capability online, and the company already sells other facial recognition products). But Khan said VIDIZMO "would love to do the integration," and that he believes facial recognition "is the way the world is going, the way the world will have to be," and that he thinks Flock should offer the capability itself in a way that "balances privacy, security, and the freedom that we enjoy in this country."
The article notes that VIDIZMO says on its website, "You can identify individuals from seven races: White, Black, Indian, East Asian, Southeast Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latino Hispanic." VIDIZMO adds that stores or cities can also then do "demographic analysis" for marketing purposes by determining the races or ages of people showing up....
Spaceflight Now reports:
"A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched from Florida Thursday night on a classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office, America's spy satellite agency... The NRO has previously flown payloads on 22 Falcon 9 rockets but this is the first time it has used the heavy-lift Falcon Heavy, which consists of three Falcon 9 boosters and an upper stage, topped by a payload fairing.
The powerful rocket, which lifts off under the power of 27 Merlin 1D engines, was introduced to great fanfare in 2018 and made its 14th flight Thursday night... NROL-97 was SpaceX's third Falcon launch of the day. In addition to the Crew 13 mission, the company launched 130 payloads on the Transporter 13 rideshare mission from its West Coast pad at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. It was the first time the company has landed four boosters in a single day.
CNN reports:
As Starship flights ramp up, SpaceX has made clear that the company will phase out the use of two of its most iconic creations: the Dragon spacecraft, which ferries astronauts and cargo to and from the International Space Station, and the Falcon 9 rocket, which for a decade has dominated the global launch market.
These vehicles not only revolutionized the space industry in their own way, they're also still very much essential to ongoing work in Earth orbit, without clear backup options in place. The prospect of this loss is already spurring panic among some satellite operators, said Caleb Henry, director of research at analytics firm Quilty Space... Henry said he expects that most of the remaining space on board Falcon 9 rockets has already been sold and — beyond early 2029 — such flights may be reserved solely for the US government. Even NASA, which currently counts the Dragon capsule as the only US-made spacecraft capable of getting its astronauts to and from the ISS, has also acknowledged the looming retirement of SpaceX's workhorse vehicles....
Despite the success of Falcon and Dragon, a peek at SpaceX's business book may hint at financial reasons for retiring the vehicles. In its first quarterly earnings report, SpaceX revealed its space segment — which includes Falcon, Dragon and Starship — lost $542 million. By comparison, its Starlink internet and connectivity business made nearly $1.7 billion. Starship is expected to continue to cost SpaceX untold millions as it moves out of the prototyping phase. But one reason SpaceX is willing to bet big on Starship is that it's simply "much better" for achieving the company's own long-term goals, said SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell at a recent conference. So it makes sense to shift resources toward the megarocket's future....
This rocket supply crunch has been looming since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine — which immediately removed Russia's Soyuz and Proton rockets from the commercial market, Henry noted. On top of that, Amazon — which is deploying a space-based internet constellation to rival SpaceX's Starlink — stepped in to buy more than 100 launches from various rocket makers.... Though some satellite manufacturers are hopeful that space onboard future Starship launches will be offered to satellite operators, it's not clear when or if that will happen.... It is possible that a launch supply crunch could be averted, noted Micah Walter-Range, a space analyst and contributor to the VettaFi Space Index. But satellite operators may be wary because newer rockets that have for years promised to step up to compete with the Falcon 9 have not yet begun flying with any regularity.
"The space industry hates uncertainty, particularly when it comes to planning of launches," Walter-Range said.
The article notes that Rocket Lab, Firefly Aerospace, United Launch Alliance, and the Jeff Bezos-founded Blue Origin "have not yet reached the scale or launch cadence that the industry is demanding."
The alleged attacker, Hamam al-Hammami, had been banned from flying with Oman Air because of concerns about his radical views, a person familiar with the matter said.
Latino Democratic leaders are renewing calls for the Democratic Governors Association to invest more heavily in Texas after a new poll showed Gina Hinojosa narrowly leading Republican Gov. Greg Abbott.
U.S. President Donald Trump "doxxed" a U.S. senator today, writes the Washington Sun, by posting his cell phone number "as part of a plea for his Truth Social followers to badger his Republican ally into making daylight saving time permanent."
When The Washington Sun called the number minutes after Trump's post, a recording said the mailbox was full and could not receive messages...
[Senator Tom] Cotton has long detested the idea of making daylight saving time permanent. In a Senate floor speech last year, Cotton said doing so would "make winter a dark and dismal time for millions of Americans," particularly harming kids. The Senate was only able to unanimously pass the bill in 2022 because Cotton was reportedly unaware the vote was taking place, though the measure stalled out from there. The Arkansas Republican didn't back down in a post on Saturday. "Arkansans don't want their kids going to school in the pitch dark, and I'll always put Arkansas first," he posted on X.
Trump continued his tear against Cotton soon after. "If Tom Cotton were putting Arkansas first, he would give them an extra hour of daylight and, more importantly, they wouldn't have to run all over their houses, farms, work places, and everywhere else, twice a year, having to change their Clocks, and often forgetting to do so," he posted on Truth.
US president urges Americans to call Tom Cotton to support bill to make daylight saving time permanent
Donald Trump on Saturday put pressure on the US senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas to support a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, urging Americans to call what appeared to be the personal cellphone number of his fellow Republican and the chair of the Senate intelligence committee.
The Sunshine Protection Act passed the House in July, but it faces roadblocks in the Senate, where some Republicans are strongly opposed to it. Proponents, including the president and his administration, argue that the change would provide more daylight during the times that Americans are most active. Detractors say permanent daylight saving time would lead to darker and potentially more hazardous winter mornings when children will be waiting for school buses and parents will be driving to work in darkness.
Forty-year-old victim declared dead at the scene in East Acton in a ‘senseless act of violence’
A murder investigation has been launched after a 40-year-old man was shot dead in a “senseless act of violence” during a memorial service in west London, police have said.
Police were called on Friday at 7.47pm after multiple shots were heard in East Acton.
NEW YORK, Oct. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of securities of Blaize Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: BZAI) between July 18, 2025 and April 28, 2026, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"),…
Mariann Budde gained national attention for calling on US president to consider immigrants and LGBTQ+ people
Rev Mariann Edgar Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington DC who gained national attention when she called on Donald Trump to “have mercy” on the country’s immigrants and LGBTQ+ community after his second inauguration, is resigning.
Budde shared in her resignation letter that she will be leaving her post on 3 June 2028 after the consecration and ordination of the new diocesan bishop.
Kemi Badenoch says those earning more than £100,000 should not be discouraged from working more
The Conservatives have unveiled a proposed £700m childcare giveaway for high earners ahead of their annual conference, saying they would end the “cliff edge” where free entitlement ends at salaries above £100,000.
The plan, set out the day before the event begins in Birmingham, follows the earlier proposal by Kemi Badenoch’s party to abolish most stamp duty, another change to taxation that would disproportionately benefit wealthier people.
Phoronix reports:
Steam on Linux use in March hit an all-time high of around 5.33% marketshare. Since then it pulled back to around 4% while for September 2026 the Steam Survey results... indicate a rather steep decline of 0.85%, down to 3.05%. Meanwhile macOS is at 1.92% and Microsoft Windows at 95%... Steam's Survey reports a 7.42% increase in Chinese use, up to 31.39% overall of the Steam population. Usually those large month-over-month swings where Steam China use shoots up dramatically is a boost to Windows and a detriment to Linux. Some attribute the large increases in Simplified Chinese use to being a reporting/sampling issue.
When diving into the Steam Linux data exclusively, CachyOS has spiked by another 2.65% to now account for 18.12% of the sampled Linux gaming population. That even outperforms SteamOS Holo coming in at 17.37%. Among Linux gamers on Steam, AMD CPUs still account for the high 60 percentage space thanks to the Steam Deck and Steam Machine using AMD APUs and their open-source/Linux support being popular with enthusiasts.
"The winner of the Nikon Small World in Motion competition is under investigation," writes the photography news site PetaPixel , "after scientists accused Dr Ning Xu of using AI in his video."
The Nikon competition is about showcasing the beauty, complexity, and artistry of the microscopic world. The entries are abstract, often baffling to laypeople. But when Dr Xu was announced as the winner last month, members of the scientific community began to cry foul. "There are many serious problems with this video," Edward Phelps, associate professor at Florida University, says on LinkedIn. Phelps points out that "purple structures pop in and out of existence" and "green cilia also appear from nowhere and do not match the known size."
Dr Xu's video is supposed to show the movement of cilia, which are hair-like structures that line part of the lungs... However, since Dr Xu won the prize, Nikon Small World updated its LinkedIn post celebrating his triumph with a note that reads: "Regarding questions raised about this year's Small World In Motion winning video, Nikon is carefully re-reviewing the information provided during the initial vetting, along with additional supporting materials from the entrant." Nikon adds that Dr Xu is "respectfully complying and has provided detailed technical documentation outlining the microscopy equipment, imaging methods, and processing techniques used to create the source video."
Worse still, Ian Donovan, an MD/PhD Student at UT Southwestern Medical Center, says he ran the video through Google Gemini, and the result came back with an invisible Google SynthID watermark that indicates at least some of the video is AI-generated. Dr Xu, an optical engineering researcher at the National University of Singapore, reportedly responded to the LinkedIn post. According to Nature, Dr Xu accepted that he had used an AI model to assist with post-processing but denied breaking the rules of the competition, which clearly state that "AI-generated videos are not permitted."
"It was applied afterwards to the reconstructed grayscale data to distinguish and color structures with similar morphology," he wrote. However, Dr Xu's messages on the LinkedIn post can't be found as of today (October 1), and his LinkedIn profile now appears to have been deleted entirely.
Meanwhile, some college students "see a double standard when colleges penalize them for outsourcing academic work to AI but allow similar use by institutional leaders," writes Entrepreneur magazine:
According to a recent report from The New York Times, Dartmouth College students are calling out a top professor for allegedly using AI to help with writing... The school's provost, Santiago Schnell, faced allegations of AI use last week from the college's student-run newspaper, which detected AI in some of his published writing. The college said it was launching an investigation into the written work. Schnell said in a statement to the student-run newspaper, The Dartmouth, that he used AI "for language refinement, copyediting, improving clarity and organization and making writing processes more efficient." The newspaper ran his statement through an AI detector, which said that Schnell had used AI to write it, too.
After Macklemore was barred from opening for Ed Sheeran at Gillette Stadium for pro-Palestinian comments, musician Zach Bryan wore a "Free Palestine" shirt during his Friday show.
(The Center Square) – Mercurial and bullying to anyone in his path, President Donald Trump and a number of key people in his administration have had their turns in conflict with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, parts of which are exposed…
Frank Strada leaving position as state launches independent investigation into what went wrong
Tennessee’s top prison official is stepping down in the aftermath of the failed execution of death row prisoner Christa Pike, the state’s governor Bill Lee announced Saturday.
Frank Strada, the department of correction commissioner, will leave his position later in October as the state launches an independent investigation into what went wrong during Wednesday’s botched execution of Pike, according to Lee.
Raleigh, NC — The feud between retiring Republican Sen. Thom Tillis and President Donald Trump escalated again this weekend after a senior White House official attacked Tillis over profanity-filled private texts he sent to the president earlier this year.
Politico previously obtained two messages that Tillis plans to include in his forthcoming book, How to Lose Friends and Antagonize Presidents. In one May text, Tillis told Trump he would not tolerate his “bullshit” and said the administration was failing. A June message said that if Trump had directly threatened him with a primary challenge, Tillis would have told the president to “fuck yourself” and immediately announced his retirement.
Responding to the disclosures, an unidentified senior White House official told Politico that sending the messages rather than confronting Trump personally was a “pussy move” and questioned Tillis’s character.
The exchange reflects how badly the relationship between Trump and Tillis has deteriorated. The North Carolina senator has increasingly criticized Trump and other administration figures while preparing to leave Congress.
Tillis has also argued that too many Republicans are unwilling to challenge Trump publicly, while the president has repeatedly attacked lawmakers who resist his agenda. The newly disclosed messages provide a particularly blunt glimpse of that internal Republican conflict.
The Guardian reports that California governor Gavin Newsom signed laws on Wednesday "aimed at protecting California workers from the threats of artificial intelligence , including potential job losses and workplace surveillance."
The laws ban employers from using the technology to predict a worker's emotional state by using their biometric data, require employers to send written notices to workers if AI is responsible for mass layoffs and ban employers from relying on AI to decide to fire someone... The governor signed a law this month requiring operators of AI chatbots to perform risk assessments before rolling them out and an executive order requiring the state to consult with experts to further improve oversight over the industry.
The law includes "expanded tracking of AI's economic effects" leading to recommendations on how to best "adapt job-training and public-benefit programs," according to the governor's office. "California has also launched an AI Unemployment Tracker and solicited statewide public input on AI's economic impacts through Engaged California."
But two weeks ago Politico reported that the governor also signed executive orders to "explore proposals like requiring that AI companies develop a 'kill switch' for their most advanced models."
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who called for a slowdown in AI development amid existential risk concerns, said... that while a kill switch "could be a good idea," it was no "panacea...." [California lawmakers] were generally supportive of Newsom's plan and showed signs of coalescing around the kill switch idea, which was stripped out of legislation proposed two years ago. Rep. Ted Lieu, who introduced bipartisan kill switch legislation in the House, boosted Newsom's call for Congress to mirror California's approach.
But not everyone supports this approach, including the Free Software Foundation's campaigns manager, Greg Farough:
FSF: Having control over the technology we use is a fundamental part of software freedom. Without it, you simply don't have the basic freedoms you deserve when doing any type of computing, large or small. Don't let "artificial intelligence" be an exception: all users everywhere deserve complete control over their own computing. While it's understandable to be pleased by this news from California, Newsom's executive order also invites questions about the "kill switch" itself that could matter a great deal for freedom. Assuming such a kill switch was developed, who would really control it?
We hope our readers understand the problems inherent in giving one single or a small number of kill switches to anyone. Newsom wisely wants an independent organization to verify their functionality, but even this still sets too dangerous of a precedent. We cannot allow such centralization of power over our computing to become commonplace, especially by the corporations that provide these models in the first place. We also cannot trust even the most well-intentioned "independent organization" to take care of its verification.
Giving users the freedom that they deserve over large languages models would be an enormous departure from how most are developed and used today. But, if any group is capable of coming up with such a plan, it's the experts mentioned in Newsom's order. Like he states at the beginning of his executive order, the vast majority of them are already right there in California. We urge the Government Operations Agency to consider the precedent they are setting, and ask them to write their recommendation to the governor in ways that puts the freedom and dignity of the individual user first and foremost.
The Guardian adds that Newsom also signed an executive order this week "to require state agencies to continue to refer to the technology as 'artificial intelligence' instead of the term 'super intelligence' as Donald Trump recently ordered US diplomats to use."
Roger Fortson was shot by deputy when he opened door with gun in hand after a false domestic disturbance call
A Florida jury recently found former sheriff’s deputy Eddie Duran not guilty of manslaughter with a firearm in the fatal shooting of Roger Fortson, a Black US air force airman who was killed inside his apartment after authorities responded to an unfounded report of a domestic disturbance.
An Okaloosa county jury acquitted Duran, 38, on Thursday after about two hours of deliberations. He had faced up to 30 years in prison if convicted.
Aidan Hamilton and Robert Strang died after apparently ingesting kratom product last month
Federal authorities investigating the recent deaths of two University of Mississippi students have charged a store clerk and his son with selling an illegal kratom product, prosecutors announced on Friday.
A drug taskforce in Mississippi had previously urged people to avoid kratom, an herbal substance that acts as a stimulant at low doses and a sedative at high doses, after authorities found packages of kratom derivatives while investigating the deaths on 21 September.
The Delaware Coalition for Human Trafficking Survivors held its inaugural Human Trafficking Awareness, Prevention and Action Summit on Thursday, Oct. 1, and Friday, Oct. 2, at Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, 1301 Coastal Highway.
Two-day Dewey Beach gathering brought community leaders together Thursday before more than six hours of training Friday focused on recognizing victims and improving Delaware’s response.
By George Rotsch, Delaware LIVE News.
DEWEY BEACH, Del. — Delaware leaders spent two days this week examining how the state identifies and responds to human trafficking, beginning with a closed-door executive roundtable Thursday and continuing Friday with an all-day summit for health care workers, social workers, law enforcement, advocates and other professionals.
The Delaware Coalition for Human Trafficking Survivors held its inaugural Human Trafficking Awareness, Prevention and Action Summit on Thursday, Oct. 1, and Friday, Oct. 2, at Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, 1301 Coastal Highway.
Thursday’s program was an invitation-only executive roundtable that brought leaders and decision-makers together to discuss Delaware’s response to trafficking. Friday’s public and professional summit ran from 8:00 to 4 p.m. It included keynote presentations, professional education, survivor perspectives and discussions involving medical providers, mental health professionals, law enforcement and direct-service workers.
Marcia Ferranto, president of the Delaware Coalition for Human Trafficking Survivors, said the organization wanted the event to do more than raise awareness.
“Human trafficking affects Delaware communities, but too often it remains unseen or misunderstood,” Ferranto said. “We need residents, business leaders, educators, health care professionals, faith communities and policymakers to understand the warning signs and recognize that each of them can play a role in prevention.”
The two-day format reflected that goal.
Thursday concentrated on the people in positions to influence policies, organizations and systems. Friday focused more directly on the professionals and community members who may encounter trafficking victims but not immediately recognize what they are seeing.
The invitation-only roundtable brought together senior leaders from health care, law enforcement, government, social services, victim advocacy, education, behavioral health and community organizations. It also included political and public-sector leaders representing multiple levels of government, including federal homeland security officials, representatives of the governor’s office and county leaders.
Organizers said it was the first time Delaware had convened such a broad group of high-level decision-makers specifically to focus on human trafficking as a shared statewide challenge. The potential benefit is significant: stronger relationships among agencies, clearer referral pathways, more consistent training, better coordination when victims are identified and a greater chance that warning signs seen by one institution are connected with information held by another.
The coalition billed the gathering as Delaware’s inaugural statewide Human Trafficking Awareness, Prevention and Action Summit. National experts and Delaware professionals participated as speakers, moderators and presenters.
A full day of training
Friday’s program began at 7:45 a.m. and continued until 4 p.m.
Nemours Children’s Health offered six continuing education hours for nurses and six continuing education credits for social workers participating in the program. The stated audience included nurses, social workers and others interested in human trafficking education.
Presenters included retired special victims detective Kevin McNeil; survivor, author and speaker Marti MacGibbon; Jennifer Cooper, BSN, RN, SANE-P; Andrea Repine, MSN, APRN, CPNP; attorney Shea Rhodes; Jose Alfaro; Jeanne Allert; Dana Kaplan, MD; and Heather LaRocca, LCSW.
The educational program was designed to help participants recognize behavioral, physical and situational indicators of trafficking, understand gaps in identifying victims and develop cross-disciplinary teams to support survivors.
Training included discussion of warning signs such as a victim lacking control of personal possessions or identification, inconsistencies in a person’s account, signs of branding or other physical indicators and behaviors that could suggest someone is being controlled.
The program also addressed the underrepresentation of male and LGBTQ+ trafficking victims in national data and how those gaps can affect the ability of professionals to identify victims.
Victims may already be in the system
A central message emerging from the summit was that trafficking victims frequently encounter institutions that could help them without ever announcing that they are being trafficked.
A nurse may treat an injury.
A teacher may notice chronic absences.
Police may encounter someone during a domestic dispute.
A social worker may see unstable housing.
A nonprofit organization may encounter someone unable to meet basic needs.
Those individual encounters may appear unrelated unless the people involved understand the larger patterns associated with exploitation.
Ferranto said that makes education across professions particularly important.
“Trafficking does not happen only somewhere else; it is affecting people here in Delaware,” Ferranto said. “When the public understands what exploitation looks like and knows how to respond, we become better able to protect vulnerable people, support survivors and make Delaware a much more difficult place for traffickers to operate.”
The summit’s professional education program specifically emphasized multidisciplinary, trauma-informed and survivor-centered responses rather than expecting a single agency or profession to identify and solve the problem alone.
Trafficking does not always begin with kidnapping
Presenters also challenged one of the most common public perceptions of trafficking — that victims are usually abducted by strangers and physically imprisoned.
That can happen, but speakers said trafficking frequently develops differently.
Victims can be manipulated through relationships, housing, employment, financial dependency, drugs, threats or promises of security.
The process may occur gradually through grooming rather than through a single dramatic event.
Someone who appears free to leave physically may believe leaving would result in violence, homelessness, withdrawal, financial ruin or harm to someone else.
That psychological control can make trafficking difficult for family members, employers, medical professionals and even victims themselves to recognize.
Why health care workers matter
Medical professionals were an important part of Friday’s program because health care may provide one of the few opportunities for someone outside a trafficking situation to interact privately with a victim.
The summit included training aimed at nurses and other medical providers on recognizing trafficking indicators and responding in ways that do not further traumatize patients.
Jennifer Cooper served as course director for the continuing education program, with Andrea Repine and Suzanne Rouleau among the planners.
The program emphasized that professionals need to know not only what to notice, but also what to do next.
Its learning objectives included establishing cross-disciplinary teams capable of supporting trafficking survivors.
That means a nurse identifying a possible victim needs to know who to call. Police need to understand available survivor services. Social workers need relationships with medical and behavioral health providers. Community organizations need to know where safe housing and other assistance can be found.
From executive discussion to front-line training
Holding the executive roundtable Thursday and the professional summit Friday created two levels of discussion.
One focused on leadership and institutional response. The other focused on people likely to encounter potential victims in their daily work.
For Ferranto and the coalition, connecting those levels is a major part of the effort. Delaware already has law enforcement agencies investigating trafficking, hospitals caring for vulnerable patients and nonprofit groups assisting survivors.
The challenge is ensuring those organizations understand what others are doing and know how to connect victims with the appropriate help.
The summit’s emphasis on building cross-disciplinary teams suggests organizers see coordination as an essential next step rather than treating trafficking solely as a criminal justice, medical or social-services issue.
The test comes after the summit
The event ended Friday afternoon, but the larger question is what happens next.
Participants returned to hospitals, police departments, schools, nonprofits, government agencies, and community organizations with a common set of questions:
Are staff members trained to recognize trafficking?
Do they know what to do when they suspect it?
Is there a clear referral process?
Do organizations know what services other groups provide?
Are victims being identified early enough?
And when someone is ready to leave an exploitative situation, does Delaware have the housing, treatment, and support necessary to help?
Those are questions the Delaware Coalition for Human Trafficking Survivors hopes the two-day gathering will continue to push beyond a conference room in Dewey Beach.
The coalition, formerly known as Meet Me at the Well, works in education, advocacy, survivor support and outreach and connects trafficking survivors with services including housing, employment and treatment.
Friday’s summit represented its most visible statewide effort yet to bring the different parts of Delaware’s response together.
The next measure of success will be whether those relationships produce lasting changes in how Delaware recognizes trafficking and helps the people caught in it.
To Go Box
What: Delaware Human Trafficking Awareness, Prevention and Action Summit
Where: Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, 1301 Coastal Highway, Dewey Beach
Organizer: Delaware Coalition for Human Trafficking Survivors
Participants: Survivors, health care professionals, nurses, social workers, law enforcement, mental health professionals, direct-service providers, community leaders and advocates
Professional education: Six continuing education hours were available for nurses and six continuing education credits for social workers.
The Human Trafficking Awareness, Prevention and Action Summit, organized by the Delaware Coalition for Human Trafficking Survivors, began Thursday with an invitation-only executive roundtable and continued Friday with an all-day public and professional program at Hyatt Place Dewey Beach for over 150 people.
Two-day Dewey Beach summit brought together government leaders, law enforcement, health professionals, survivors and advocates while challenging common assumptions about how trafficking begins and who can become a victim.
By George D. Rotsch, Delaware LIVE news.
DEWEY BEACH, Del. — A two-day human trafficking summit in Dewey Beach brought together government leaders, law enforcement, health care professionals, survivors, advocates and community organizations this week to examine how Delaware identifies and responds to trafficking — and to challenge some of the public’s most common assumptions about what the crime actually looks like.
The Human Trafficking Awareness, Prevention and Action Summit, organized by the Delaware Coalition for Human Trafficking Survivors, began Thursday with an invitation-only executive roundtable and continued Friday with an all-day public and professional program at Hyatt Place Dewey Beach for over 150 people.
One of the clearest messages to emerge from the summit was that trafficking often does not begin with kidnapping, physical restraint or a stranger forcing someone into a car.
Jennifer Cooper, a Forensic Nurse Coordinator from Nemours Children’s Health and one of the summit organizers with the coalition, and fellow nurse Andrea Repine, Pediatric Nurse Practioner from Nemours led a “Human Trafficking 101” session focused on separating myths from reality.
“Most people think, when they think trafficking, that there’s a pimp involved,” Cooper said. “Human Trafficking involves a third party trading sex for value and can involve a boyfriend/girlfriend, family member, or employer and others” She also pointed out “When it comes to minors, you don’t need that third party.”
Trafficking also does not necessarily involve an exchange of cash.
“It doesn’t have to be an exchange of money,” Cooper said. “It could be that they want food.”
That can mean a vulnerable young person exchanging sex for a place to sleep, food, transportation or something else of value.
Not always kidnapping either!
Cooper and Repine told participants that trafficking often develops gradually through grooming, manipulation, dependency, fraud or coercion.
A victim may never be kidnapped.
There may be no locked room.
And the person doing the exploiting may be a boyfriend, girlfriend, employer, acquaintance or someone who initially appeared to be helping.
Cooper described the session as an effort to explain “what trafficking is” by “breaking down the myths versus the reality.”
The distinction becomes particularly important when children are involved.
That means exploitation of a minor does not require a traditional pimp or third-party trafficker.
A person can be trapped without being locked up
Opening keynote speaker Kevin McNeil, a nationally recognized victim advocate, brought both law enforcement experience and personal experience to the discussion.
McNeil is a retired police officer and a survivor of trafficking and sexual abuse. His presentation, “Stuck in Traffic,” focused on how someone can feel trapped in a trafficking situation even when no physical barrier prevents that person from leaving.
The analogy began with something familiar: the frustration of sitting in traffic with nowhere to go.
For a trafficking victim, however, the barriers can involve fear, financial dependency, threats, homelessness, addiction or emotional attachment to the person doing the exploiting.
That type of psychological control can make trafficking considerably harder to recognize than the popular image of someone being physically held by a stranger.
Substance abuse can deepen the problem
Marty McGibbon brought another survivor’s perspective to the conference.
A therapist, author, comedian and trafficking survivor, McGibbon addressed the intersection between substance abuse and trafficking. She returned later in the program to discuss mental well-being, self-care and trauma-informed approaches for people working with survivors. Pasted text(20260818-140439)
Her presentations reinforced another theme of the summit: Trafficking often overlaps with other problems rather than occurring by itself.
A victim may also be dealing with addiction, homelessness, previous abuse, financial instability or an unhealthy relationship.
Those vulnerabilities can become tools for someone seeking control.
Cooper previously described the intersection between substance abuse and trafficking as “a huge problem, particularly here in Delaware and the surrounding area.”
Vulnerability matters
Presenters stressed that traffickers often exploit vulnerability rather than targeting one particular type of person.
A teenager without a stable place to live may be vulnerable to someone offering housing.
Someone struggling with addiction may become dependent on the person supplying drugs.
A worker may rely on an employer for transportation, housing or access to personal documents.
A person seeking affection or security may become emotionally dependent on someone who later begins exploiting the relationship.
Those situations do not automatically mean trafficking is occurring.
But understanding how dependency can turn into control can help families, teachers, medical professionals and others recognize when something may be wrong.
Why Delawareans should care
The summit’s message was not that every troubled teenager, unhealthy relationship or difficult workplace situation involves trafficking.
For people whose image of human trafficking still involves strangers, kidnapping and locked rooms, summit speakers offered a more practical starting point:
It was that trafficking can look remarkably ordinary from the outside.
It can look like a teenager suddenly depending on an older boyfriend or girlfriend for a place to stay.
It can look like someone working for an employer who controls transportation, identification or money.
It can look like a young person exchanging sex for food, shelter or something else of value.
And it can involve someone who technically can walk out the door but believes there is nowhere safe to go.
For parents, teachers, neighbors and other Delawareans, the goal is not to become investigators. It is to better understand what exploitation can look like so they recognize when something does not seem right.
Almost 700 victims connected to 330 human trafficking cases in Delaware since 2007, with 29 cases of trafficking in 2025. Advocates caution that these figures represent only reported and identified cases. The actual number of victims is believed to be significantly higher because many victims never come to the attention of authorities or service providers.delaware
Look for vulnerability, dependency and whether someone is using those vulnerabilities to control another person.
To Go Box
What: Delaware Coalition for Human Trafficking Survivors
What it does: Provides education, advocacy, training and survivor support related to human trafficking.
Summit: The Human Trafficking Awareness, Prevention and Action Summit was held Friday, Oct. 2, at Hyatt Place Dewey Beach following an invitation-only executive roundtable Thursday, Oct. 1.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Rendering Doom in a database is obviously a bad idea," Lukas Vogel writes in a lengthy blog post explaining how exactly he managed to render Doom using an SQL database. OK, that's not entirely accurate. The SQLDoom project uses a small Python client to handle input and output, drive the game's timing, and display each frame to the screen. Behind that, a series of CedarDB tables tracks the game geometry and state, while about 1,300 lines of SQL queries spread across 89 common table expressions implement the game logic and generate 35 bitmap framebuffers per second.
In this, SQLDoom is a major improvement over Vogel's previous DoomQL project, which last year set out to build "a multiplayer Doom-like shooter entirely in SQL." Unfortunately, that effort ended up with raycasting-based, grayscale ASCII graphics that were more akin to the simplistic 90-degree-angled maps of Wolfenstein 3D. The newer SQLDoom, on the other hand, generates full-color 640x480 frames that look like they could have come from the original Doom executable. [...] If you want to run a Doomtabase on your own local machine, you can do so simply with the GitHub code, a copy of CedarDB, and a Doom WAD file. Or you can jump into a free online hosted demo match to test it out without all the setup [...].
No one can ever know what goes on between two people in a relationship. But yesterday, when Shivon Zilis, former partner of Elon Musk and mother of their four children, took to Musk’s own platform, X, and revealed Elon had abruptly ended their relationship, she posted several paragraphs in response which have prompted me to write.
Zilis’ response to the dumping was, on the surface, measured and loving. She talked about being a safe space for Elon, what he taught her and the good wishes she had for him. Then, as though to communicate how it really is, she included text messages that showed only 48 hours earlier, he referred to her as his significant other. He said, “Love you too.”
I’m not a psychologist, a relationship expert, nor would I dare to say I know what the dynamic between these two was. But I am a human being, a woman, and this kind of response feels frighteningly familiar to me.
When we love, we at times love hard. We give our body, our cells, our entire lives to support and champion another human being. Sure, we bask in the love they give us, even if we’re not sure it’s always true. Sometimes we can never know what is true, swept away in our chosen utopia. When we have given our blood, our truth, our family to another person, sometimes, we see what we want. Sometimes we don’t know that in fact, we’re taking crumbs.
In no universe can anyone be this deep-down measured when blindsided in the way Shivon Zilis was, or so many of us have been. Love may exist enough to create a runway for some carefully typed sentiments, but the path to comprehending where we suddenly fit into the love story we have co-created with another person, when that love story is literally hit with a ten-tonne grenade, is, let’s not shit ourselves — now a godforsaken blackened abyss.
Her words of love and support, when held a little deeper, actually feel like a woman shocked, scorned… disposed of.
I, too, have sometimes tried to behave rationally through the most maddening situations of marriage, separation and well, existence. I’m guilty of gaslighting myself into whatever creation suits me in the moment. But time slowly chips away at these grand performances, and soon you realize, your creativity is a feeble match for the heart. Eventually, the Heart and its wingman, Truth, walk out onstage to say, “Here we are. Deal with us, motherfucker.”
I would be a fool to try to get inside the mind of Elon Musk. But when people fail to have the capacity to give and show up, sometimes the easiest thing is to pull the plug.
Why? Because the alternative is too much. Too time-consuming. Too painful. To face who we are takes balls, and it’s not for the faint of heart.
Sometimes I think to face the truth of any matter requires cancelling absolutely everything you have for weeks or months, crawling into flannel, crying for hours, journaling up the wazoo, struggling to stay alive and afloat. Not every human is up for this. Certainly not the richest man in the world.
Much easier would it be to say — thank you, next.
Photo by Nick Russill
They say on your deathbed you don’t care about how much money you made. They say you think of love, family and the mystery of time.
I don’t know what lies ahead for Shivon, but for anyone who has been abruptly discarded after giving their life, their loyalty and deepest self to a relationship, to a family, to a man… may you find a place where you can rage, cry, and lose your fucking mind until you find the soul inside yourself that can save you.
Because only you can save you, and that’s what I’m slowly learning as I stumble through the wonderment and chaos of life and love.
TSA says rule change is meant to keep officers ‘alert’, but union says it ignores safety and ‘common decency’
US airport security officers who verify boarding passes and IDs ahead of security checkpoints will no longer be allowed to sit down while working.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was moving forward with this change in policy to keep officers “alert”, the agency confirmed recently.
Ryan Anderson says he reached out to Blanchard’s father to offer support after apparent overdose death of Ken Urker
The ex-husband of Gypsy Rose Blanchard has said he was “shocked” by the recent death in Louisiana of her former partner Ken Urker – and that he would be there for Blanchard and her daughter “if she needs me”.
Ryan Anderson made those remarks during an appearance on The Sarah Fraser Show podcast on Friday, providing a noteworthy reaction to the latest chapter involving Blanchard, who achieved an unusual level of celebrity in the US after spending time imprisoned for a role in the murder of her abusive mother in Missouri.
Investigation revealed thousands of voyeuristic videos taken on Munich beer festival’s Teufelsrad, or Devil’s Wheel
Women have been given free cycling shorts to prevent upskirting on a famous amusement ride at the Oktoberfest in Munich, after an investigation revealed tens of thousands of voyeuristic videos circulating online.
The Teufelsrad,or Devil’s Wheel, which rapidly spins around while people try to sit on it for as long as they can, is one of the beer festival’s oldest rides. But many of the videos discovered by German journalists focus on women whose traditional dirndl dresses have ridden up, often showing their underwear.
Exclusive: Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith told party members last year he had discussed making further savings if they win next election
The Conservatives are planning to make sweeping cuts beyond the £47bn announced last year if they win the next election, according to leaked comments by the shadow chancellor.
Speaking last year when he was shadow business secretary, Andrew Griffith told Conservative members he and fellow shadow cabinet ministers had discussed making further cuts in “every part of government”.
Flock's cameras offer "indiscriminate mass surveillance," a U.S. federal judge wrote in a ruling Thursday, as does any system with "continuously updated" location histories for all the vehicles filmed by automated license plate-reading cameras.
The judge's ruling included italics for emphasis when describing "the question of why is it the government's business where everyone goes all the time?"
Judge Hill: We might reasonably expect our friends and family to tell us something like: "Hey, I saw you out driving by the store last week." But we do not expect people we know — let alone strangers, and especially not law enforcement — to randomly approach us to say: "Hey, I have been following your car for the last 30 days, and here is a detailed log of every place your vehicle has been with supporting photographic evidence. I am also going to share this information with law enforcement throughout the country so they know your whereabouts, too...."
Cell phones also move in public places where people can see you in plain view. But it becomes constitutionally problematic when law enforcement can indiscriminately and passively catalog your whereabouts over an extended period of time and then use that information for any purpose whenever convenient... [I]t is also consequential that we are
not just dealing with stationary cameras. The cameras on [police officer] Alaniz's vehicle itself feed information into these systems... It is also no longer difficult to imagine law enforcement using a fleet of drones hovering over an entire city so they don't miss the movement
of a single vehicle.
Officer Alaniz had used Flock's travel history for a car when deciding to pull over its driver, which eventually led to a vehicle search and charges of possessing drugs with intent to distribute. But the judge wrote that because this violated reasonable expectation of privacy, "all evidence obtained after Alaniz initiated the ALPR search must be suppressed as fruit of the poisonous tree." The judge granted a motion to "suppress all evidence obtained as a result of these unconstitutional searches
and seizures."
The Washington Post got this comment from a Flock spokesperson about the judge's ruling: "we expect it will be appealed and ultimately overturned." (Flock's spokesperson added that the ruling "does not set controlling precedent and does not affect law enforcement agencies' continued use of these important public safety technologies.")
But meanwhile, on Friday U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders introduced the Ban Flock Act. The proposed bill bans federal agencies in America from using automated license plate reader systems "without explicit statutory authorization". The bill also lets certain federal agencies (including the Homeland Security Department) withhold grant money from State and local governments that use automatic license plate readers.
TechCrunch reports:
Despite its title, the bill doesn't call out Flock in the text and covers any and all ALPR systems. The bill allows exceptions only for toll collection and for uses that Congress approves in future legislation, which would have to limit data retention to no longer than 48 hours.... Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) are co-sponsors.
Greek PM hopes handover of Tsar Samuel to Bulgaria will persuade Britain that time has come for ‘truth, reason, justice and morality’
In a ceremony replete with the sort of fanfare usually reserved for great events, Greece and Bulgaria have formally exchanged “a treasury” of relics and bones, sealing a cultural deal negotiated over decades.
The handover involved priceless religious objects removed from Greece at the height of the first world war, as well as remains thought to belong to Tsar Samuel, Bulgaria’s revered medieval warrior ruler.
Demonstrators take to the streets of Madrid and other Spanish cities after new legislation fails to pass
Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of Madrid and other Spanish cities as they step up demands for action to tackle a mounting housing crisis after government measures were struck down by the opposition.
Demonstrators on Saturday waved posters calling for a general strike after the measures drawn up to address mass anger over the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid, and other housing issues, were rejected in parliament on Friday.
Eaton county prosecuting attorney’s office had said court ruling forced removal of Nassar’s name – but he wasn’t on list because he was imprisoned out of state
Michigan has removed more than 20,000 entries from its sex offender registry, but convicted serial abuser Larry Nassar is not one of them – the former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics doctor was not in that system, as a local prosecutor’s office claimed, because he was serving an out-of-state federal prison sentence, according to state police.
On 9 September, the Michigan supreme court ruled that the state’s Sex Offender Registration Act (Sora) cannot be applied retroactively to cases involving offenses committed before the law’s relevant date. Michigan’s state police, as a result, removed more than 20,000 people whose offenses occurred before 1 July 2011 from the agency’s online sex offender database.
Information and support for anyone affected by rape or sexual abuse issues is available from the following organizations. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support on 0808 500 2222. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
The state, which is home to many AI companies, is one of the first to roll out workplace regulations targeting the technology
California’s laws aimed at protecting workers from the impacts of artificial intelligence could pave the way for broader workplace safeguards across the US as calls for regulating the technology mount. As the federal government goes hands-off on AI, California is taking the reins to address workers’ biggest fears.
On Thursday, California governor Gavin Newsomsigned a suite of new laws that ban bosses from relying entirely on AI to decide whether to fire workers, using it to predict employees’ emotional states or collecting neural data, meaning the information from electrical signals of someone’s brain or nerves. They also require companies to notify workers if layoffs were caused by AI and prohibit AI surveillance in workplace bathrooms.
Rhonda Jewell was sentenced to 17 years for forgetting 10-month-old Ariya in car’s back seat, leading to child’s death
A state appeals court in Florida reversed the felony murder conviction of a woman who accidentally left a baby in her car, resulting in the child’s death.
In July 2023, while babysitting four children from two different families, 46-year-old Rhonda Jewell forgot 10-month-old Ariya Paige was in the back of her car, and went inside to care for the other kids. Strapped into her carseat in the Florida summer heat, Ariya died of hyperthermia before Jewell realized her mistake. Jewell was convicted the following year of third-degree felony murder, predicated on the underlying felony of leaving a child unattended in a vehicle. She was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
President says payments, to be sent in early October, are meant to offset cost of monthly insurance premiums
Donald Trump has said the US government will send a one-time $90 payment to more than 20 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, the health insurance program for elderly people, to help offset the cost of their monthly medical insurance premiums.
The president said on social media late on Friday that the payments would come from the Medicare Improvement Fund, which he said was given $2bn by Congress to improve the Medicare fee-for-service program.
Blue Hen quarterback Braden Streeter throws a pass against Merrimack in the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens first game of the season. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder.
The Liberty Flames (4-1, 1-0 CUSA) defeated the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (2-3, 0-1 CUSA), 30-6, on October 2.
NEWARK, DE — UD needed a spark. The Blue Hens trailed, 20-0, a little more than halfway through the third quarter and as the offense jogged on the field, a switch was made at quarterback. Braden Streeter took over for the first time starter EJ Archfield Jr.
Streeter threw three passes on his first drive. The first was a completion that lost a yard, the second fell incomplete and the third ended up in the hands of Flames’ linebacker Deuce Spurlock. Spurlock returned the interception to Delaware’s nine-yard line. The Flames ended the drive with only a field goal, but any chance of a comeback was dashed by the turnover.
Liberty defeated the Blue Hens, 30-14, Friday night.
“I do think that we just played against a good football team who beat us pretty good. I don’t know that it had to be the kind of game that it was,” head coach Ryan Carty said postgame. “If we’re being honest and if it was an honest assessment it was so it is what it was, they beat our butts, but I think if we played a little cleaner, that would have been a pretty darn good ball game.”
Streeter got other opportunities behind center in the game’s final 22 minutes and led Delaware to its first score of the game. Freshman Tyler Bell led the Blue Hens’ final scoring drive at the end of the fourth quarter. The touchdowns were scored by Donovan Lewis and Matthew McKinley-Daniels.
Delaware played three quarterbacks throughout Friday nights’ action choosing to give Archfield Jr. the starting assignment in his first ever collegiate game. Archfield finished the game with ten completed passes for 137 yards and a fumble. The fumble occurred on a run which would’ve given the Blue Hens a first down and positioned them in the red zone on their second drive of the first half.
It’s the first time this season UD’s lost a fumble.
“It’s a tough situation to go in there against one of the better teams in our conference, you know, in his first time seeing any action in the game and, you know, not just first time starting, it was the first time since high school getting in a game,” Carty said. “I think he did an admirable job.”
The offense never found a rhythm after that, crossing mid-field once between the turnover and Streeter’s touchdown drive. UD’s offense finished the game with 359 total yards and two conversions on 13 third down plays.
Despite the score, Delaware’s defense put together a respectable performance against Conference USA’s (CUSA) top scoring offense.
The Blue Hens defense held the Flames to field goals on their first two drives and forced a punt on Liberty’s third drive, despite being on the field for over half the first quarter. The Flames continued to wear down the Blue Hen defense in the second quarter and scored their first touchdown on a 56-yard run by junior Kam Davis. Liberty’s second touchdown was scored by senior running back Peyton Jones. Jones’ three-yard touchdown run completed a 12 play, 98-yard drive by the Flames offense that sent the Blue Hens into halftime trailing by 20.
The Delaware defense performed better in the second half and allowed only ten points. The defense held Liberty’s running game to 83 yards in the second half following the first half in which the Flames rushed for 199. The Blue Hen defense finished the game giving up 440 yards of total offense.
“We obviously didn’t play to our standard,” senior defensive tackle Dominick Brogna said postgame. “We got to go watch film, we got to lock in on the small details, the communications, the adjustments, the rotations, everything and we need to get it changed.”
The Blue Hens have 11 days to correct their mistakes and prepare for a road matchup against their second CUSA opponent, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders. It’s unclear which of Delaware’s quarterback options will get the starting assignment, but it is unlikely to be Nick Minicucci whom coach Carty says is “week-to-week”.
“I was kind of out of answers on the back end, and at that point, I wanted to see what everybody can do, and kind of give a chance to everybody and see, you know, if we could evaluate that and then continue to leave it up for competition,” Carty said. “Where we go from here is gonna be us as coaches, you know, in that room and hopefully somebody pulls away with it when they get the opportunity too and proves that they’re the guy if Nick is out for a long time.”
Delaware’s game against the Blue Raiders is Tuesday, October 13. The game will be played in Tennessee and be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network. The game starts at 7:00 p.m.
This live blog is now closed, you can find more of our UK political coverage here
Ali says Britain is a multiracial, multicultural democracy that needs to protect “everyone’s equal right to belong.”
At a time when Britain is facing unprecedented levels of racist violence and intimidation, the country needs leadership.
So I’m calling on Andy Burnham to recognise this as a national emergency.
Because this is not just a policing problem. It’s a test of whether a diverse democracy can protect the equal right of everyone to belong.
People making the journey to the green party because they see we offer a real alternative.
He says people are looking for a different kind of politics that recognises how multicultural the UK is.
Britain is becoming more diverse, not less. Can we build a country confident enough to live with difference? To protect everyone’s equal right to belong and to make diversity work with us all.
Approval ratings for Tory leader and her party have crept up as she has asserted her style and authority but big challenges lie ahead
A year ago, Tory MPs were braced for the prospect of yet another leadership battle to topple Kemi Badenoch as the party sunk to historic lows of 14-16% in the polls.
At the time, the word “November” was uttered in hushed tones – this being the decisive month when rebels would be able to mount a challenge, Badenoch having served 12 months in office.
Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, were charged with preparing attacks on city’s Jewish community, including Heaton Park synagogue
Two Iranian men identified a Manchester synagogue previously subjected to a fatal terrorist attack as a target for an alleged homemade bomb plot, a court has heard.
Rahman Salehi, 34, from Salford, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, from Liverpool were charged with preparing to commit an act of terrorism or assisting another to commit an act of terrorism on Friday.
The Ukrainian capital’s left and right banks are connected by eight bridges — and Russia has been targeting both its North and South bridges in recent days.
Keep the oven busy on a gray afternoon with these 15 sheet pan recipes. Roast chicken, salmon, vegetables, and meatloaf, or make pizza, nachos, eggs, and quesadillas on one tray.The post 15 sheet pan recipes warming the kitchen on cool,…
The US defense secretary who hates ‘beardos, weirdos and wimps’ has announced an Office of Religious Affairs at the Pentagon
Apart from money and McDonald’s, there’s nothing Donald Trump seems to love more than a “big, beautiful” wall. The government is currently spending billions of taxpayer dollars to fulfill the president’s fantasy of lining the US-Mexico border with 30ft steel bollard walls and high-tech surveillance.
What the Trump administration is apparently not so keen on is the wall of separation between church and state. While the president may hawk bibles as a side hustle, he is not exactly devout; he serves only mammon. The top levels of his government, however, are stuffed full of religious fanatics who appear hellbent on remaking the country as a Christian theocracy.
Black voters reveal a generational divide, with younger voters drawn to the Democratic Socialists of America, and older voters focused on what can realistically be achieved
One of the most heated debates in the Democratic party is how left it should go – especially after a year that has seen several democratic socialists win their primary races. Moderate Democrats worry that left-wing candidates will struggle to win general elections, while progressive voters want fresh solutions to healthcare and the rising cost of living. But largely left out of this debate is one of the most critical bases of the party: Black voters.
A Pew Research Center study found that among Democrats, only 21% of Black voters are likely to positively view candidates who align with democratic socialists, compared to 40% of white, 30% of Asian, and 20% of Hispanic voters.
President’s popularity has plummeted in solidly Republican state – will his presence at midterm rallies help or hinder?
Kelly Savage-Radich grew up in a Republican-supporting Ohio family and voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. But today the mother of three, who lives in a Montgomery county suburb of Dayton, is facing the prospect of having to sell one of her family’s vehicles due to the high cost of gas. Her grocery bill has gone up about $100 a week.
She lays the blame squarely at the Trump administration’s door.
Fuel costs are biting for crop growers, trucking firms and a host of other industries as Iran war stokes record prices
Joe Hamilton farms corn and soybeans on 2,500 acres in Indiana’s Delaware county. Next week, when his soybean harvest kicks off, four tractors, two combine harvesters and five semi-trucks will roar to life.
And with that, a record bill for about 9,000 gallons of diesel awaits him.
These 17 comfort food sides round out heavier fall suppers with buttery potatoes, golden stuffing, vegetable fritters, warm cornbread, creamy spinach, and fresh biscuits.The post 17 comfort food sides for the heavier suppers fall brings back appeared first on Food…
Attorney general says ‘terrorist attack’ was attempted by suspect who is said to have been barred from flying by Oman because of extremist views
The co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 used an axe to attempt to carry out a “terrorist attack” during the Israel-bound flight, the United Arab Emirates prosecutor general has said.
Disaster was narrowly averted on Wednesday when passengers and crew intervened to stop the co-pilot’s attempt to take control of the plane, which had 182 people onboard and plunged 16,625ft in just over 30 seconds. The descent was so extreme that part of the rudder was ripped off.
When homework and school projects take over the evening, these 13 easy slow cooker picks keep dinner moving. Choose beef, chicken, pork, meatballs, soup, or a family-style casserole.The post 13 easy slow cooker picks worth starting before your kid’s first…
Nashville, TN — Tennessee Correction Commissioner Frank Strada is facing mounting scrutiny after Christa Pike survived a failed lethal injection, marking the fifth execution described as botched or seriously problematic under his leadership in Tennessee and Arizona.
Pike, 50, remained unconscious and on a ventilator Friday after receiving two doses of pentobarbital. Her attorneys say improperly placed IV lines allowed the drug to enter surrounding tissue rather than her bloodstream, leaving her arms swollen, burned and blistered. Gov. Bill Lee has suspended executions for the remainder of 2026 and ordered an independent review.
Strada previously oversaw execution operations in Arizona, where three executions in 2022 were classified as botched by the Death Penalty Information Center after teams repeatedly struggled to establish IV access. Tennessee then hired him as correction commissioner in 2023.
Since then, Tennessee has experienced two failed execution attempts. Tony Carruthers’ May execution was abandoned after officials spent more than an hour trying to establish required IV access. Pike survived Wednesday’s attempt after lethal drugs were administered.
Critics also note that Tennessee eliminated a previous training requirement involving practice IV insertion under Strada. A 2022 state-commissioned review had already documented serious failures in Tennessee’s execution procedures.
An estimated 2.3 million cancer cases worldwide in 2024, about one in eight, were attributable to infections, according to a study published in The Lancet Oncology. "This recent Lancet data is a profound reminder that a significant portion of our global cancer burden is fundamentally preventable," said David Greenberg, MD, of Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center, in a news release. "We have historically siloed infectious diseases and oncology, but they are deeply intertwined. By shifting our focus toward aggressive infection control, we can literally vaccinate and treat our way out of millions of future cancer diagnoses." From a report: The study found that an estimated 2.3 million new cancer cases were attributable to infections globally in 2024, equivalent to 12% of all cancer cases. Of these, the largest number (760,000 cases, or 4%) were caused by H. pylori, followed by HPV (750,000 cases, or 4%), HBV (360,000 cases, or 2%), EBV (260,000 cases, or 1%) and HCV (160,000 cases). More than three quarters of infection-attributable cancers occurred in low- and middle-income countries. Eastern Asian had the largest burden, with 990,000 cases (42% of the global total). Rates were also higher than the global average in sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia.
Public outcry to punish the alleged perpetrators in the Cornell case misses the point – the only solution is political, legal and cultural equality of women
Sometimes a story is so so appalling, it captures the public’s attention, including the attention of people who don’t focus on the issue otherwise. Such is the case with the alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University.
For feminists who focus on violence against women or anyone who has ever cared about campus rape, the claims made in Jane Doe’s civil lawsuit against the alleged perpetrators may be unusual in its severity – but we know the statistics that show that somewhere between 20% and 25% of women college students will be the victim of a sexual assault (no statistics tell us what percentage of men students will be rapists).
The Guardian found that 7-Eleven and Circle K stores frequently charge customers more at the register or pump for snacks, gas and other items than the prices they promise on the shelf or on outdoor fuel signs.
When Donald Trump returned to power, 20 long months ago, some state leaders wrung their hands, worrying what explicit resistance might cost their citizens – and their careers – during the second term of a vengeful president. JB Pritzker was not among them.
Two days after Trump’s re-election, the Democratic governor of Illinois warned the president would need to “come through me” to reach the people of his state. He waited all of 30 days after the inauguration before drawing a comparison with Nazi Germany.
Authorities crack down on trade they says risks spiralling out of control – but operators say they are being targeted unfairly
On the edge of Piazza Navona, one of the grandest squares in central Rome, Barry and Linda, visitors from Texas in the US, stepped out of a golf cart. They planned to cross the square on foot, perhaps stopping to admire Lorenzo Bernini’s 17th-century Fountain of the Four Rivers, before being picked up by their driver at the opposite end.
The couple had already done a walking tour on day one of their trip, and had been so exasperated by a stifling three-hour shuffle along a corridor towards the Sistine Chapel on day two that by the third day they wanted to give their tired feet a rest.
Frank Strada will leave role next month after uproar over execution attempt, which sent Pike to hospital in critical condition
Tennessee’s prison chief is resigning after the failed execution of Christa Pike, which lawyers say was the fifth “botched” execution under his leadership across two states since 2022.
Frank Strada, the commissioner of the Tennessee department of correction, has faced mounting questions about the state’s highly secretive death penalty protocols since Wednesday evening when Pike became the first death row prisoner in the US to to be injected with lethal drugs and survive.
Western Libya’s GNU say working with Saddam Haftar ‘impossible’ as US-backed merger plan breaks down
Allegations that the son of the Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar oversaw a “terror cell” that launched drone attacks on fuel storage facilities and power stations in western Libya have upended plans for the Tripoli-based government of national unity (GNU) to continue cooperating with Haftar on a plan to unify the country.
Saddam Haftar, the deputy commander of the so-called Libyan National Army (LNA), has increasingly been seen by the US as an important figure in its plans to unify Libyan security, judicial and political institutions.
John Steinbeck’s hometown of Salinas is the least affordable city in the US for the middle class, a recent Brookings Institution analysis found
Nestled between two mountain ranges at the crook of central California’s coastline sits a valley known as the “salad bowl of the world”.
Farm workers stoop over neatly lined rows of crops off Highway 101 to harvest more than half of the nation’s supply of lettuce and nearly a third of its strawberries. The soil here is so rich that author John Steinbeck made the Salinas valley the promised land in his literary depictions of people chasing the American dream: immigrants, farm workers, westward-moving hopefuls, hungering for a better life.
In late 2024, FBI investigators had enough evidence to launch a sweeping bribery probe that could ensnare top lawmakers, including Sen. Susan Collins. The agency was examining interactions between Collins and a top donor: Martin Kao, CEO of defense contractor Navatek.
According to Kao, in 2019, the head of the pro-Collins super PAC met with him and other Navatek execs and asked for a $500,000 donation. Government contractors are banned from making political contributions. For the company to offer donations to Collins in exchange for an official action, or for Collins to accept, would constitute criminal bribery.
To skirt campaign finance laws and conceal the source of the funds, Kao sent an initial $150,000 to the super PAC using a shell company, saying he had cleared it with his lawyer. The head of the super PAC knew Kao was behind the donation. “Very smart,” he replied in an email viewed by ProPublica.
Weeks later, Kao told his team Collins committed to getting the company $32 million in naval contracts.
But the FBI saw through Kao’s shell company ruse. In 2022, a grand jury indicted him for making illegal campaign contributions. Facing years in prison, Kao revealed the full scheme to the FBI, hoping to reduce his sentence. What he told them has never before become public.
Kao and his close associates donated nearly $900,000 to dozens of politicians, allowing Navatek to establish operations in half a dozen states with more than $40 million a year in government funds. Collins, Kao said, was Navatek’s most important patron.
Then President Donald Trump returned to office — and the FBI and Department of Justice teams that handled public corruption cases were eviscerated. The investigation died, and the government stopped talking to an informant who had offered a road map to corruption in Congress.
ProPublica revealed the existence of the case for the first time.
Collins’ deputy chief of staff said that her office “vigorously” denies allegations of bribery and pay-for-play made by Kao and that her office “fully cooperated” with the FBI. After our story was published, the senator mustered a defense that was full of incorrect and misleading claims, calling ProPublica’s reporting a “smear job” that took “the words of a twice-convicted felon over my office, campaign staff and me.”
ProPublica reviewed a trove of evidence gathered by the FBI and thousands of pages of legal records, and interviewed dozens of people familiar with Navatek, its Washington operations and the FBI inquiry to conduct our own investigation.
The White House referred us to the FBI. A spokesperson said the FBI “ultimately found nothing implicating Senator Collins” or her campaign. The FBI spokesperson did not address questions about the new phase of the investigation prompted by Kao’s account.
Navatek founder Steven Loui said Kao’s methods were “unethical and illegal” and that the company fully complied with law enforcement.
Watch our video to learn more on how we independently corroborated much of Kao’s account.
Revelation comes amid mounting concern over online prediction market’s effects on integrity of financial system
UK authorities are being urged to intervene after it emerged that the online prediction market Polymarket has been taking thousands of dollars worth of bets over whether HSBC and Lloyds will fail.
Polymarket – the US-owned company which holds bets on anything from football matches, to the existence of aliens, to when a bomb drops on a city – has allowed users to take $77,507 (£58,530) worth of positions on whether the world’s biggest banks will go under by the end of this year.
Companies race to switch households to ‘voice over internet protocol’ services by the end of January
BT has been accused of “bullying” customers by temporarily cutting off their broadband to pressure them to upgrade to a digital landline, as providers race to switch households over before the January deadline.
Telecoms companies have so far migrated 16-17m lines from the old copper network to digital voice over internet protocol (VoiP), which uses a broadband connection instead, in the biggest technological upgrade since the early 00s, when analogue TV was switched off.
Shortly after his controversial speech to the United Nations general assembly in September, Donald Trump gathered a dozen like-minded Latin American leaders and boasted that rightwing candidates had won all seven presidential elections held in the region since he began his second term.
“Everybody I’ve endorsed has won,” the US president said in New York to most of the leaders of the Shield of the Americas, an anti-drug cartel coalition of 15 countries governed by the right or far right.
Longtime Slashdot reader Geoffrey.landis shares a report from NPR: Google just put a refrigerator-sized satellite into space, part of a research project the company hopes can pave the way for orbiting AI data centers powered by the sun. The prototype satellite has four specialty chips in it called Tensor Processing Units, or TPUs, that Google designed for machine learning and has already deployed in data centers on Earth. The chips will run a version of the company's Gemma AI model for 15 minutes at a time due to heat management constraints, using the open weight model to answer simple queries.
In a blog post, Google said the mission will gauge how the TPUs handle "the physical stress of spaceflight and the radiation and thermal extremes of space." The satellite launched October 1 is a prototype that Travis Beals, senior director and lead of Project Suncatcher, called "a very minimal test" to make sure the chips can run in space. A SpaceX rocket carried it into orbit, and Planet will get it up and running. Beal said Google will then fire up and test the TPUs. The goal is for the mission to be operational for a year.
Who is really in charge – the people or the markets? In the first episode of Radical Thinking, a new series from the Guardian, senior economics commentator Aditya Chakrabortty speaks to the former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. What was it like during the eurozone crisis when Varoufakis went head to head with those who wanted to stop his reforms?
Watch Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty here.
Citizen environmentalists create online platform that flags spills in real time and highlights repeatedly polluted spots
The easy thing for the people who live on the banks of the River Dart in Devon might have been to grumble and groan about the sewage spills that blight their beloved waterway.
Instead, citizen environmentalists in the area have created a unique online platform that flags up spills in real time, highlights spots that are repeatedly polluted, and sets out where improvement work is planned – and where it isn’t.
Hammersmith and Fulham says it faces ‘biggest financial challenge in living memory’ as government cuts bite
A flagship Labour authority has warned it may have to impose a 150% council tax rise on residents to maintain current services following central government cuts under a new funding settlement.
Hammersmith and Fulham council’s cabinet has concluded in a report due to be published on Monday that such a rise would cost Band D households an additional £29.11 a week in 2027/28.
Sadler’s Wells East, London An interrogater tries to get to the bottom of a surreal scandal while green screen actors meddle with the story in Jess and Morgs’ inventive production
What audiences remember most from a political interview, a voiceover tells the prime minister (Kennedy Muntanga) as he prepares to face his TV interrogator (Rebecca Bassett-Graham, coiffed à la Emily Maitlis), is less the words themselves than the tone of voice and the tenor of the body. Muntanga is on point, then: his arms sweep, his fingers beetle and his hands spread out, as if he were wordlessly fielding fly-by questions and offering open statements. It’s the moves and the staging that count.
This setup lands right in the zone for creative duo Jess and Morgs (Jessica Wright and Morgann Runacre-Temple), whose turf is a congenial mix of choreography, film and theatre. In Deepfake, along with writer Jeff James, they explore the various unravellings of an encounter in which the interviewer tries to find the truth behind a surreal – but maybe real? – story in which the PM was seen variously spattered with yellow paint, with his flies undone, and partaking in a ritual involving a deer’s head.
OpenAI says its review in response to the Medicare and Hugging Face agent attacks is costing the company more than US$500,000 per day, as it deploys AI to examine data that would take a human 66m years to read.
The company has warned the review is ongoing, and more organisations may be informed they’ve been targeted in the near future.
Pyongyang fires towards sea a day after Kim Jong-un sister denounces South Korea for claiming North’s mines wounded South’s soldiers in DMZ
North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the sea on Saturday, South Korea and Japan said, a day after it rejected Seoul’s accusation of its mines wounding soldiers.
The missile was launched from the Wonsan area at about 6.30am towards the East Sea – also known as the Sea of Japan – and flew more than 700km (434 miles), the South Korean military said. Seoul and Washington were analysing the test for details, it added.
Exclusive: Findings will bolster those in No 10 who want to negotiate on re-entry but some senior figures remain wary
Andy Burnham’s personal preference to rejoin the European Union after the next election is supported by almost half of all voters, a new megapoll has found, although cabinet ministers concerned about reopening Brexit divides are privately urging him to proceed with caution.
The poll by the Messina Group (TMG) found that renegotiating the UK’s relationship with the EU could boost Labour’s vote share by as much as seven points, if the prime minister offered a fresh referendum in which he campaigned to re-enter the bloc.
When the new ‘department of government efficiency’ sent young techies to disrupt federal agencies, not everyone complied. Here’s what happened when one worker fought to protect immigrant data
In the early hours of Saturday 22 February 2025 the following email landed in the inboxes of the entire US federal workforce:
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: The state of New Mexico asked a judge on Thursday to order Meta Platforms to pay between $35 billion and $40 billion in penalties after a jury found the company had misled consumers about the privacy of their data on Facebook in a case that came out of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Attorneys for New Mexico made the request at a hearing in a lawsuit brought following revelations that the British political consulting firm, which worked on Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, harvested personal data from as many as 87 million Facebook users through a third-party app without their consent. The jury returned its verdict on September 25. Judge Francis Mathew, who oversaw the trial in Santa Fe, will decide how much Meta must pay in financial penalties. [...] State law allows the judge to decide how much to fine Meta per violation, up to $5,000. At the hearing on Thursday, Randi McGinn, a lawyer for New Mexico, said applying the full $5,000 penalty to the number of violations would create too large of a penalty under the US Constitution's protections on due process. But the judge should order a significant payment that will impact the company, McGinn said.
"This court should speak to Meta in the only language it understands, which is money, and the value of its stock price," McGinn said. She said $35 billion to $40 billion, which represents about 20% of the possible penalties that could be awarded under state law from the verdict, would impact the stock price while complying with Meta's right to due process under the Constitution. At the hearing on Thursday, Matt Nicholson, a lawyer for Meta, called the state's request an "astronomical penalty that would obviously violate a host of constitutional provisions." In court filings, Meta urged Mathew to cap the penalties at $3.45 billion. The jury may have said it found Meta's statements misleading, but the evidence shows that Meta does not sell user data and New Mexico did not prove that any consumer had actually been misled, the company said in court filings. The judge said he expected to issue a ruling later this month.
Ithaca, NY — Cornell University is facing renewed scrutiny over campus sexual violence after a university survey found that 35% of undergraduate women who responded reported experiencing nonconsensual sexual contact during their time at the school.
That figure rose sharply from 23% in 2023 and 20% in 2021. Among undergraduate men, 8% reported nonconsensual sexual contact in 2025, compared with 9% two years earlier. Nearly half of all respondents also reported experiencing sexual or gender-based harassment.
The findings come as Cornell faces intense criticism over its handling of a separate 2024 alleged gang rape involving members of the Chi Phi fraternity. That case has prompted a civil lawsuit, a reopened criminal investigation and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s decision to appoint Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor.
Cornell officials caution that the 2025 survey had a significantly lower response rate than previous editions. Only 926 of 6,000 invited students participated, a 15% response rate, compared with 36% in 2023. That means the results should not automatically be treated as representing every Cornell student.
Still, Cornell’s own task force has described sexual assault as a persistent campus problem and recommended expanded prevention, education, reporting and accountability efforts.
With 40 dead and a disaster declared across all 50 city districts, experts warn extreme flooding will only worsen across south-east Asia
Bangkok is used to absorbing the sudden afternoon downpours that inundate the city during the rainy season. Even streets in many central high-rise districts can briefly turn into rivers, with rats and cockroaches racing out of sewers and taking temporary refuge on trees and buildings as the subterranean world is flushed out.
But every city has a breaking point, and this year rain fell so fast and so hard that whole neighbourhoods of the Thai capital have been transformed, not into rivers, but stagnant lakes. In parts of the city, roughly 300mm of rain – the equivalent of half a year of average rainfall in London – fell in about two days.
And as we bring you the latest on how the jobs report stands to impact voter sentiment ahead of the November midterms, my colleagues have done all the hard work in mapping out the battle for Congress and the key states, candidates and districts that will ultimately decide the balance of power on Capitol Hill.
Many indicators of voter sentiment suggest the Democrats are favored to take back control of the House of Representatives, and potentially the Senate. Winning either would be a significant victory for the party and give it the power to block Trump’s legislative agenda and more aggressively investigate his administration.
Jon Avery, who parks cars at the Roswell Cancer Center in Buffalo, New York, says his goal when interacting with patients is to "have a meaningful encounter that's not hollow."
Announcement from US officials comes after CDC declared end to outbreak that infected nearly 13,000 people
The Food and Drug Administration said on Friday its inspectors had detected cyclospora at the Mexican farm blamed for the largest foodborne illness outbreak of the parasite in US history.
FDA inspectors said Friday they found cyclospora in two places: a wastewater tank and a drainage ditch used for lettuce cultivation. They said it was unclear how the lettuce became infected.
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck Victoria in the early hours of Saturday morning, shaking Melbourne and waking people across the whole region.
Geoscience Australia said it detected an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.8 at 2.01am near Leongatha, 130km south-east of Melbourne, with the tremors felt across the city’s eastern suburbs.
The race for control of the Senate is changing in the final weeks before the midterms, with the GOP defending several traditionally red-leaning states.
Federal authorities investigating the deaths of two University of Mississippi students have charged a store clerk and his son with selling an illegal kratom product.
Washington, DC — President Donald Trump personally directed budget officials to find federal money for television advertisements promoting his presidency, according to new reporting that adds detail to an already controversial taxpayer-funded media campaign.
The New York Times reported that Trump asked Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought to locate money inside the federal government after expressing enthusiasm for promotional ads featuring himself. The administration ultimately shifted $20 million available to Customs and Border Protection into a Department of Homeland Security account designated for “commemorative events.”
The following day, CBP awarded Maryland marketing company LMD a $20 million contract for a national media campaign.
At least four advertisements have since aired on major networks. One closely resembles a Trump 2024 campaign commercial, while others feature flattering imagery and praise for his administration. Each carries the disclosure “Paid for by the U.S. government.”
The campaign has drawn criticism from Democrats and Republicans who question whether taxpayer-funded advertising centered on Trump violates longstanding restrictions against government propaganda, particularly weeks before congressional elections. Reuters reports lawmakers have requested independent investigations into the spending.
The White House maintains the advertisements are legal public-service announcements and do not explicitly ask voters to support Trump or Republican candidates.
Kenan ‘Ken’ Urker, 34, who died of apparent drug overdose, was partner of woman convicted of murder of mother
The on-and-off partner of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who spent time in prison for her role in the murder of her abusive mother, was found dead inside his Louisiana home on his 34th birthday on Thursday in what authorities described as an apparent drug overdose.
The sheriff’s office in Lafourche parish, Louisiana, confirmed Kenan “Ken” Urker – the father of Blanchard’s daughter – was discovered on Thursday after relatives asked police to conduct a welfare check at his residence.
Plan to install barriers through popular national park sparked outrage from advocates and politicians alike
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from expanding the border wall and other security infrastructure across the Big Bend region of west Texas, where contentious plans to build roads and vehicle barriers through a popular national park have led to furious backlash and public protests.
US district judge Kathleen Cardone’s ruling after a Friday hearing in El Paso deals a major blow to the Trump administration’s efforts to expand the border wall through west Texas at breakneck pace, while riding roughshod over the objections of local business owners, landowners, public land advocates and politicians from both parties.
In a possible blow to the Trump administration's efforts to charge noncitizens with voting, a judge has dismissed a case against a Jamaican national accused of illegally voting, finding the law she was charged under is unconstitutional.
Body camera video shows Altoona police arresting Luigi Mangione, questioning him about a fake ID and recovering evidence later linked to the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
Researchers from Carnegie Mellon, MIT, NYU, and Stanford have built an AI called Ataraxos that finally cracked Stratego, beating four-time world champion Pim Niemeijer 15 games to one with four draws. Its key advantage was a second neural network that estimates the identities of hidden enemy pieces, letting the system search plausible game states rather than brute-force a massive hidden-information space. Ars Technica reports: Just like [DeepMind's DeepNash, introduced in 2022], Ataraxos learned by playing against itself -- 163 million games in total. In these self-play sessions, moves that led to wins were reinforced and played more often in future matches, while moves that led to losses were played less, which was the same simple training idea. The difference was in how much Ataraxos adjusted after each game, because hidden information tends to send self-play learning algorithms around in circles. The team addressed this by making big, bold changes in strategy early in training and small, careful ones later.
The even bigger innovation was something DeepNash never had: thinking ahead before each move. AIs like AlphaGo refine their general strategy with a search just before acting. DeepMind couldn't make that work in Stratego because the search space was too large, leaving it an open question whether it was worth trying. "This is one of the things that we did figure out how to do," Farina said. The solution was a second neural network, a belief model, trained to guess the opponent's hidden pieces based on how they had been moving. This way, instead of iterating through every possible arrangement, Ataraxos samples plausible ones, plays out candidate moves in each, and picks based on how they turned out. And it shows in its playstyle.
[...] DeepNash was trained for two to three months on 1,024 of Google's specialized chips, a run the Ataraxos team estimates would cost $3 million to $4.5 million at 2025 prices. Ataraxos, in contrast, needed 16 GPUs for a week, plus an additional four GPUs for four days to train the belief model. Farina and lead author Samuel Sokota achieved this efficiency by writing a simulator that runs millions of moves per second on graphics cards. "At the scale that we are in academia, we don't really have access to an entire field of GPUs," Farina said. The algorithm also learned far faster -- it played about 34 times fewer games than DeepNash, and still ended up much stronger. The findings have been published in the journal Nature.
The parasite was found in a wastewater tank at a processing facility and a drainage ditch, but the agency could not determine how contamination occurred.
The best Tuesday is a taco Tuesday. (Amirite?) Lucky for you, National Taco Day is coming up on Oct. 6, when a variety of restaurants celebrate with their own hard-shell and soft-shell deals and discounts.(In one case, there’s free food…
Kevin Warsh’s predecessor had been investigated over cost overruns related to central bank renovation project
The US justice department is not reopening a criminal investigation into former Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for cost overruns related to the central bank’s building renovation project, a department spokesperson said on Friday.
Attorney general Todd Blanche – in comments to Bloomberg News, which first reported the development – said he has not ruled out continuing to look into the project’s oversight and potentially take action if evidence of wrongdoing came to light.
Jane Doe's attorney, Thomas Giuffra, tells CBS News the investigation into her alleged rape at a Cornell fraternity was a failure and university police "were in over their heads."
The justice and treasury departments said they sent $2m to Hamas through charities and cryptocurrency, while six people were arrested across the US and France
The Trump administration on Friday unveiled sanctions against three individuals allegedly related to the Islamist militant group Hamas and against two charities based in France while also announcing six arrests – actions that the government called an “extraordinary counter-terrorism work” to expose “a sophisticated, multi‑year financing architecture”.
Investigators alleged that the network moved more than $2m to Hamas “through deceptive charitable fronts and cryptocurrency channels”.
Judge unseals bodycam footage from officers who responded to 911 from McDonald’s in Pennsylvania
Police bodycam footage released Friday shows the moment officers located and arrested Luigi Mangione at a Pennsylvania McDonald’s in connection with the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Manhattan.
In one video, officers ask Mangione to lower the face mask he was wearing to hide his identity.
Longtime Slashdot submitter theodp writes: GeekWire reports that the University of Washington has moved its Global Innovation Exchange {GIX) program to Microsoft's campus in a rent-free deal (UW News release). GIX, an institute supporting tech leaders that offers an MS in Technology Innovation, is the first UW program to set up full-time operations at Microsoft, whose headquarters are just across Lake Washington from the university's main campus. Microsoft provided a $42 million in-kind donation to establish the embedded facility; the UW is leasing the new 48,500-square-foot GIX space in Microsoft's Building 92 rent-free. GIX debuted in 2015 as a partnership of the UW and China's Tsinghua University and received $70 million in Microsoft support at the now-abandoned GIX location in Bellevue (the Steve Ballmer Building), although indications are that a long-term arrangement did not come together as intended. In a Thursday LinkedIn post, Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote: "Last night we opened a door unlike any other. At the heart of Microsoft's campus, step into the new home of the UW's Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) and you cross from Microsoft into the University of Washington. No one has ever put a great research university and a leading technology company under the same roof quite like this. As far as I know, no one has even tried. The timing matters. Artificial intelligence is advancing fast. The question is whether the people building it understand the world it's changing. This calls for a new style of education and leadership. We need leaders who understand the technology deeply and see things through other people's eyes. Leaders who learn by collaborating on real projects with people from different countries and disciplines. That's what GIX is built for. Students will learn from faculty across the UW, take classes taught by Microsoft employees, and be mentored by people from across our industry here in the Pacific Northwest." Interestingly, Smith's contention that UW GIX students will benefit from a 'new style' of Microsoft and industry-influenced education sounds a lot like Smith's contention that K-12 school children are better off thanks to a new style of Microsoft and industry-influenced education. In an interview last month, Coding Kids: Big Tech's Battle to Remake Public Schools author Natasha Singer told NPR (podcast, transcript), "For my book, I spoke to Brad Smith, who's the president of Microsoft, and he has been one of the leaders in the tech industry pushing for [K-12] computer science [and now AI literacy] in schools. [...] And Brad Smith said, philanthropy in the private sector is doing this work because public schools have failed to do what they were supposed to do. And his view is that public schools should be teaching modern subjects like computer science, and they were not equipped to do it fast enough and the tech industry stepped in to help. And is it better than if schools were able to do this themselves? He said, no, but it's certainly better than nothing. And he said to me, you know, think about where we would be on computer science if the tech industry hadn't stepped up. [...] Well, I've been having this conversation with him for 10 years, and when we started having it 10 years ago, I said to him, I get that, but when big tech companies put their finger on the scale, it tips education in certain ways that not only favor the tech industry but can obscure equally or more important things." So, is "The University of Washington at Microsoft" a good or bad idea?
Newly released police bodycam footage shows officers in Altoona, Pennsylvania, approaching, searching and arresting Luigi Mangione at a McDonald's on 9 December 2024 in connection with the shooting death of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The Guardian has edited the video from multiple cameras to show the moments of the arrest
A Democrat-backed ad in Iowa’s U.S. Senate race said Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson took money from people named in the Jeffrey Epstein files and then voted to withhold the files from public view.
“Her top donors appear in the Epstein files over 700 times,” the ad from WinSenate super PAC said, referring to thousands of documents related to criminal investigations into Epstein, the convicted sex offender. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.
“In Congress, Hinson voted against releasing the files,” the ad continued. “When given another chance, she skipped the votes. Instead, she was raising money from a billionaire who’s in the Epstein files over 20 times.”
In a separate ad from WinSenate, a woman tells viewers that Hinson “took nearly $90,000 from people in the Epstein files and voted to keep those files secret.”
As a super PAC, the pro-Democrat WinSenate may raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, including from corporations and unions, to campaign independently for candidates for federal office. Hinson faces Democrat state Rep. Josh Turek in the race to replace Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who is not seeking re-election.
Federal Election Commission data show that Hinson received donations from people who were mentioned in the Epstein files. They’re among hundreds named in the files — but that alone doesn’t mean they were involved in wrongdoing or had close ties with Epstein, who interacted with many influential people regardless of political affiliation.
WinSenate’s ads mislead about Hinson’s votes on the Epstein files’ release.
Hinson opposed procedural efforts, but voted in favor of the Epstein Files Transparency Act
On July 14, 2025, Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., introducedan amendment requiring the attorney general to release the Epstein files within 30 days. The House Rules Committee voted against attaching that amendment to a cryptocurrency bill to be voted on the House floor.
The next day, Democrats pushed to defeat a motion to “order the previous question,” a procedural maneuver that would end debate and force a vote on the legislation at hand, which on that day included a defense appropriations bill and the cryptocurrency bill. If the “previous question” motion failed, it would have allowed further consideration of Khanna’s amendment on the Epstein files’ release. But the procedural vote passed 211-210 along party lines, with Hinson and other Republicans in the majority. The ad cited this vote as evidence for its claim.
Hinson called Epstein a “disgusting human being and an absolute pedophile” around that time, but said she disagreed with a separate effort to force a vote on the Epstein files’ release.
We found that Hinson also voted with the majority for other “previous question” motions in July 2025 and September 2025 that stopped a stand-alone bill on the Epstein files from being brought to the House floor. And she didn’t sign a discharge petition led by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., that eventually obtained enough signatures to force a floor vote on the Epstein files’ release.
But the ad did not mention that Hinson later voted in favor of the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act introduced by Massie and Khanna. Facing increased pressure to release the files, President Donald Trump directed lawmakers to pass the measure requiring the Justice Department to publish online all its files on Epstein. It passed the House, 427-1, in November 2025.
The ad also cited an Aug. 27 article from the liberal American Journal News. The article said Hinson missed votes for Epstein-related motions in September 2025, including motions to restrict funds in favor of enabling the release of the Epstein files. Her campaign didn’t tell us why she didn’t vote.
Asked about WinSenate’s ad, Hinson spokesperson Billy Fuerst pointed to Hinson’s vote on the Transparency Act and described the July vote that the group cited as a “procedural motion to advance several bills, including a defense appropriations bill.”
Donations from people mentioned in the Epstein files does not equate to wrongdoing
This midterm election season, both parties have turned to the Epstein files to lob campaign attacks at one another.
WinSenate’s ad did not specify which of Hinson’s donors it was referring to, but news reports and FEC data show that Hinson received donations from current Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Blackwater CEO Stephen Schwarzman and Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, all of whose names appear in the Epstein documents. They are not accused of wrongdoing in connection with Epstein’s crimes.
The Daily Beast reported that Hinson and her affiliated PACs accepted nearly $90,000 over three campaigns from donors whose names appear in the files. PolitiFact was unable to confirm the figure.
And not just Republican donors appear in the Epstein files. Hinson’s opponent Turek, for example, received a donation from venture capitalist and chairman of Kleiner Perkins John Doerr, who was also mentioned in the files. Doerr is not accused of wrongdoing, and the files don’t reflect that he directly corresponded with Epstein.
Our ruling
A WinSenate ad said Hinson voted against releasing the Epstein files.
Hinson opposed a procedural maneuver allowing a vote on the Justice Department’s release of the Epstein files. She opposed two other similar procedural efforts related to the Epstein Files Transparency Act, but later voted for the bill in November 2025. The measure passed.
(The Center Square) - Facing a multi-million-dollar budget shortfall, the Los Angeles County Superior Court is offering eligible full-time employees a one-time $35,000 buyout to voluntarily resign by Christmas Eve.
I like squirrels. Apparently, there’s a SquirrelOS. It’s a small hobby OS learning project from five years ago, developed by Immanuel Daviel A. Garcia.
A simple DOS like OS made in Assembly and C with a ported version of Stephen Brennan’s Shell.
President leads huge rally in Rio before election on Sunday seen as most important for decades
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has claimed he is the only thing standing in the way of far-right “fascists” reclaiming power, as he led a huge rally through the streets of Rio ahead of Sunday’s crunch election.
Speaking on the eve of the demonstration, the 80-year-old leftwinger said he had decided to seek a historic fourth term because he believed only he could prevent the family of his rightwing rival, Flávio Bolsonaro, returning to government.
(The Center Square) – Democrat Roy Cooper wants to “make stuff cost less” and Republican Michael Whatley is pushing to keep his party’s majority in order to enact the agenda of second-term Republican President Donald Trump.
Yeah, the FM flared footpad should work with a Pint/Pint X running the Pint V kit. Since it has a bigger sensor area, it might even help if your current footpad is having trouble registering.
I’d just make sure both sensor zones are working before riding. I never fully trust “plug and play” until I test it first lol.
Apple says it will tighten macOS Full Disk Access controls as increasingly capable AI agents raise the risks of apps gaining broad access to users' files, messages, mail, and browsing history. TechCrunch reports: Days after a journalist claimed that Meta's Muse app on Mac read their private messages -- a claim that Meta disputed -- Apple announced that it's introducing additional controls around a setting called "Full Disk Access" on macOS. The feature was designed to allow backups to function properly, but AI agents have now increased "the risks associated with this level of access," Apple said. [...] In Muse's case, the AI optionally allows users to enable Full Disk Access. This setting, Apple explains, gives an app permission to access files, mail, messages, and even browsing history.
"Some developers are using Full Disk Access in ways that could put users at risk, exposing everything on their systems... without users' full knowledge and understanding," Apple said in a new blog post aimed at developers. The company says that, going forward, it will introduce new controls aimed at ensuring that users who "genuinely wish to grant an app this extraordinary level of access" can do so only with "every explicit user action."
"Addressing this is critical. As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially. We are committed to ensuring users clearly understand these risks before granting such access, so they can make informed decisions about their own data and privacy," Apple wrote.
Yeah if they already confirmed the UBOX is compatible then that’s good. I’d still follow the Stoked Stock BMS datasheet exactly and double check polarity with a multimeter before connecting anything.
On the soldering, you may need to depending on how the battery and BMS leads are set up, but I wouldn’t solder anything yet until you have the battery in front of you and can see exactly what connectors/wires you’re working with.
(The Center Square) – Medicaid’s federal-state cost sharing system may disincentivize states from cracking down on fraudulent and improper payments, a new issue brief released by U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee Republicans finds.
Attorneys say hospital staff are working to clear pentobarbital she was administered from her system
Christa Pike remained hospitalized, unconscious and on a machine helping her breathe after her failed execution in Tennessee, her attorneys said in a court filing Friday.
The attorneys said hospital staff were working to save Pike’s life and clear the pentobarbital she was administered from her system as of late Thursday.
(The Center Square) – Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday celebrated Texas receiving the first reimbursement from the federal government for money Texas taxpayers spent on border security efforts through Operation Lone Star.
Dozens of residents testify to legislature’s redistricting committee in heated hearing, the last of eight
Hundreds of people gathered across from the Mississippi state capitol building on Thursday evening to rally against the aggressive Republican efforts to draw maps that favor their own party.
Shortly after the US supreme court’s decision in Louisiana v Callais, which severely weakened section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, Tate Reeves, the Mississippi governor, moved in lockstep with other Republican governors and lawmakers to call for a special session to redraw maps. However, before that special session could occur, Reeves canceled it and wrote on X that he expected “lawmakers to redraw congressional lines BETWEEN NOW and 2027 elections!”
Hōlei sea arch, formed 550 years ago by erosion from ocean waves, no longer standing, National Park Service confirms
A famed centuries-old sea arch on Hawaii’s remote and rugged coastline has collapsed into the Pacific Ocean, the National Park Service confirmed on Friday, following a stretch of rough storms in the region in recent weeks.
The beloved landmark, Hōlei sea arch, stood at around 90ft high for over half a millennium in Hawaii’s Volcanoes national park, located on the dramatic southern coast of the Big Island. It was naturally formed around 550 years ago due to differential erosion by ocean waves.
Polls show midterm voters are angry that the Iran war — which President Donald Trump told them would be over in a matter of weeks — has led to higher inflation and energy prices, including for gasoline.
Now seven months into the conflict, Trump is defending his decision to attack Iran with Israel on Feb. 28, but he’s recasting his initial timeline for what he once labeled a “littleexcursion.”
“I stated, numerous times, that it would take 4-6 weeks to get rid of THE IRAN NUCLEAR THREAT, and I did it in one night!” Trump wrote in an Oct. 1 Truth Social post. “The rest of the time is just to make sure it stays that way. President DONALD J. TRUMP.”
Later that day, Trump said during an Oklahoma rally that he is ensuring Iran will never have a nuclear weapon and that he said “numerous times that it would take four to six weeks to get rid of the Iran nuclear threat and I did it in one night.”
In a Sept. 28 Time Magazine interview, when reporters asked him why the war continued several months later, Trump said: “Only because I wanted to go further. I took them out. I could have stopped then, but I wanted to go further. I didn’t want them — because I met my timeline.”
Time asked: “Do you think the American people misunderstood that? I feel like most people heard you say four to six weeks.”
Trump said, “No, I think the press fed it to them.”
Trump’s rewrite needs a fact-check; he was the frequent source for the four- to six-week estimate.
When we asked the White House for examples of Trump making that distinction, a spokesperson responded with a statement that didn’t cite any such comments.
Trump said the war would last weeks at least five times
March 1: Trump said in a speech that “combat operations continue at this time in full force, and they will continue until all of our objectives are achieved.” When The New York Times asked him how long the United States and Israel would continue the attacks, Trump said: “We intended four to five weeks.”
March 2: Trump said at a White House ceremony: “We’re already substantially ahead of our time projections. But whatever the time is, it’s OK.” He repeated that the initial projection was “four to five weeks, but we have capability to go far longer than that.”
March 2: Trump told CNN, “I don’t want to see it go on too long. I always thought it would be four weeks. And we’re a little ahead of schedule.”
March 7: While speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump called it “a short excursion.” When asked how long he expected the attacks to continue, Trump didn’t directly answer the question: “I think we’ve accomplished more in one week than anyone thought possible.” On Truth Social he said “we’ve already won.”
March 13: When asked about gas prices, Trump told reporters he needed to end the nuclear threat first, “We had to end the nuclear threat in the Middle East and throughout the world, and we will have done that.” When asked about how long the war will last, he said, “I can’t tell you that. I mean, I have my own idea. But what good does it do? It’ll be as long as it’s necessary.”
Trump told Fox News Radio that day, “I don’t think it’s gonna be long” and said he would know when it is over when “I feel it in my bones.”
March 26: During a Cabinet meeting, Trump mentioned the four-to-six-week estimate twice, adding, “And we’re way ahead of schedule.”
March 31: During an Oval Office event held about a month after the war started, Trump said, “We hit them hard. We got rid of a lot of the radicalized lunatics along the Strait (of Hormuz),” and then added, “I would say that within two weeks maybe, two weeks, maybe three.”
A reporter asked Trump to clarify if the U.S. would be done with the war in two weeks.
“I think two or three weeks,” Trump said. “Yeah.”
After that, Trump said he had one goal: “They will have no nuclear weapon and that goal has been attained.” Then he said the U.S. military is finishing the job. “And I think within maybe two weeks, maybe a couple of days longer to do the job, but we want to knock out every single thing they have.”
April 20: In a Truth Social post, Trump said Democrats “like to say that I promised 6 weeks to defeat Iran, and actually, from the Military standpoint, it was far faster than that, but I’m not going to let them rush the United States into making a Deal that is not as good as it could have been.” He said he was “under no pressure whatsoever” to make a deal, “although, it will all happen, relatively quickly!”
Hegseth: ‘As long as it takes’
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth often made broader statements about how long the war would last. During a March 2 press conference, a reporter asked him if Trump’s four-week timeline “is wrong.” Hegseth said, “Trump has all the latitude in the world to talk about how long it may or may not take. Four weeks, two weeks, six weeks. It could move up, it could move back.”
A few days later, Hegseth said, “Our timeline is ours and ours alone to control as long as it takes to ensure the United States of America achieves these objectives.”
During a March 10 press conference, a reporter asked Hegseth how far the U.S. was into its air campaign against Iran. Hegseth said: “From the beginning, from this podium, we haven’t stated how long it will take.”
Trump “gets to control the throttle,” he said. “So it’s not for me to posit whether it’s the beginning, the middle, or the end” of the conflict.
‘One night’?
Trump said he got rid of the Iran nuclear threat in “one night.”
The U.S. and Israel bombed Iran for hours Feb. 28, killing Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
That attack followed U.S. military strikes in 2025, which likely set back Iran’s nuclear program, but did not eliminate it, military and nuclear experts told PolitiFact in August. The attacks in this year’s war have not further weakened Iran’s nuclear capabilities, they said, and the U.S. has not secured Iran’s highly enriched uranium. It’s also unclear whether any damage has been done to the machinery used to enrich more uranium.
Nevertheless, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly sent a statement that said “President Trump is right” and recapped his 2025 and 2026 attacks on Iran in an effort to prevent Iran from possessing a nuclear weapon.
Our ruling
Trump said, “I stated, numerous times, that it would take 4-6 weeks to get rid of THE IRAN NUCLEAR THREAT, and I did it in one night!”
In multiple comments in the weeks that followed the launch of the war, Trump predicted it would last four to six weeks. He did not distinguish between a timeline for getting rid of the nuclear threat, which isn’t entirely gone, and the overall war. Experts have said attacks have set back Iran’s nuclear program without completely eliminating it.
A man wears a red “Gulf of America” hat as Donald Trump arrives in Houston’s Ellington Airport, on Aug. 27, 2026, ahead of a Republican National Committee fundraiser.Photo: Reginald Mathalone/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Donald Trump received Chinese President Xi Jinping and the visiting Chinese press pool last week as reporters from news outlets he had banished stood outside the White House gates. At one point, Trump joked that China, the world’s leading jailer of journalists, “has the friendliest press corps.” Now, his acolytes in Alabama are taking up Trump’s cause, emulating the Chinese Communist Party’s mastery of information control at the local level by decreeing what supposedly independent public radio reporters are allowed to say.
The Alabama legislature passed a bill in late March requiring all state and local entities to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America,” in line with one of the many executive orders Trump signed on his first day in office. The legislation does not set forth penalties for noncompliance, but its sponsor, state Rep. David Standridge, called it “an opportunity to make a patriotic statement” on the House floor in January. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey, a Trump ally, signed the bill into law.
Birmingham public radio station WBHM told its listeners in a letter from Will Dahlberg, the station’s executive director and general manager, that due to the law, which took effect October 1, the University of Alabama at Birmingham is forcing it to use the legislature’s preferred language in its reporting. The move puts it at odds with NPR, of which it is a member station; The Associated Press, which publishes the style guide used by newsrooms across the country; and other journalistic institutions. The station is licensed to the university, making its employees both state and UAB employees. Still, WBHM’s Journalism Code of Integrity emphasizes the newsroom’s independence and states that the university “should not — and cannot — expect to exert influence on WBHM’s journalists and its independent editorial process.”
Dahlberg wrote that not implementing the new language “may result in disciplinary action or termination of employees and affect WBHM’s relationship and support from UAB.” But nothing in the law requires the university to discipline or fire anyone. In other words, the university took a toothless stunt of a law, gave it teeth, and used them to take a bite out of press freedom.
Dahlberg also announced in the letter that he is stepping down from his position and leaving the station. His resignation was supposed to be effective October 16, but he posted an update that the university told him on Monday morning that he should pack his bags immediately. We cannot say for sure whether the university hastened Dahlberg’s departure due to his message to listeners and the criticism it generated, but the timing is certainly suspicious.
So why did the University of Alabama at Birmingham choose to embarrass itself rather than stand up for journalists and the First Amendment? As ridiculous as Alabama’s Gulf of America law is, its text did not tie the university’s hands. The university would not even have needed to bring a legal challenge to contest the law — it could have just let WBHM ignore it and supported its employees.
The university could have taken the position that the government choosing which words reporters must say is impracticable and burdensome.
The law only refers to “state and local entities” and makes no mention of media. It contains no penalties for noncompliance and limits its mandate to “when practicable,” giving a pass when complying would “impose an operational or financial burden.” Compelled speech is never practicable because it’s unconstitutional, but the operational and financial burdens of compliance are also significant. WBHM picks up national content from NPR and The Associated Press, for example. Are they expected to reject stories that say “Gulf of Mexico,” and fill that time with original reporting they haven’t budgeted or hired for? Or should they somehow intercept and edit those stories, likely in violation of their contractual obligations?
There is also ample Supreme Court precedent for the proposition that the government cannot put words in reporters’ mouths. In a landmark 1943 case on whether the state could force students to salute the flag or recite the Pledge of Allegiance, the court wrote that “if there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion or force citizens to confess by word or act their faith therein.” That means neither Standridge, Ivey, nor Trump is entitled to impose their definitions of patriotism on anyone —least of all the news media.
More recently, some conservatives celebrated 2024’s NRA v. Vullo decision, which found that public officials could not “use the power of the State to punish or suppress disfavored expression.” There is no exception for radio stations that receive public funding. In 1984, the Supreme Court struck down a ban on editorializing by public broadcasters that received federal money, holding that funding a station doesn’t entitle the government to control its journalism — a principle affirmed in March when a federal judge rejected Trump’s executive order to defund NPR and PBS.
The university could have taken the position that, for one, public radio stations are not state entities, and two, the government choosing which words reporters must say is impracticable and burdensome. Last but not least, the university should have taken the stand that the First Amendment still exists to protect us all, despite Trump’s best efforts to cast it aside.
Just as law firms, news outlets, colleges, and others that have settled with Trump to stay in his good graces chose to cave when they could have easily fought back (as others successfully have), the University of Alabama at Birmingham made the cowardly choice to comply in advance.
If anything, its capitulation is worse, because there’s no indication that the state intended to, or could, put up a fight. Is the Alabama legislature really so committed to Standridge’s silly law that it would waste taxpayer money litigating likely unwinnable constitutional battles? Maybe, but the university could have at least waited to see how, or if, the state would respond.
It is worth noting that Ivey is an ex officio member of the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees. That same board published an annual freedom of speech report in August. It consists of a single identical paragraph, copy-pasted each year with the only change being the date and the number of “events” held on its campuses that year, concluding that “the requirements of the [free speech] Policies have been repeatedly satisfied without a single alleged violation, which further speaks to their effectiveness in appropriately achieving the Board’s objectives.”
One is left to wonder if, despite pressuring WBHM to echo Trump talking points, the university will once again copy-paste that conclusion next year.
The iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo are on the calendar, but what about the standard iPhone 18, iPhone 18E and rumored iPhone Air 2? When to expect Apple’s full iPhone lineup.
Senate Leadership Fund is redirecting ad spending from Michael Whatley’s campaign to support other candidates
A major Republican political action committee pulled the plug on financial support for its Senate candidate in North Carolina, Michael Whatley, according to multiple reports, as the party begins to triage resources amid increasingly dire midterm polling.
The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), the campaign arm of the Senate majority leader, John Thune, has withdrawn its ad spending in North Carolina to redirect support to other candidates, Semafor reported on Friday. The New York Times, CNN and other publications have confirmed the report with sources close to the fund.
Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, charged with one count of preparation of terrorist acts, say police
The man accused of murdering Ann Widdecombe has been charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism including against Nigel Farage.
Joshua Kerry, 28, of Rotherham in South Yorkshire, was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service on Friday with one count of preparation of terrorist acts. The charge relates to activity alleged to have taken place between 31 May 2024 and 8 July this year, counter-terrorism police said.
Buckingham Palace say the king will not ‘shy away’ from Britain’s role in slavery when he visits Commonwealth nations later this month
King Charles III will acknowledge the “darkest days” of colonial rule and slavery while touring Caribbean countries on a visit beginning this month, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said on Friday.
The king will first visit the Bahamas and Guyana alone, followed by a trip with Queen Camilla to Antigua and Barbuda, where Charles will give a speech at a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government, the palace said.
NFL announces violation of personal conduct policy
York pleaded no contest after arrest at Ohio trailer park
The NFL suspended San Francisco 49ers owner Jed York for six games Friday after his arrest earlier this year in a prostitution sting in Ohio.
The league announced that York also was fined $500,000 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. York has not attended any games or league meetings so far this season and was credited with three games served. He is eligible to return on 20 October, following the team’s game the previous night against Washington. The NFL’s fall league meetings begin that day in New York.
Bangor, ME — Police are investigating after a driver appeared to steer toward Maine Wire reporter Joe Sokol while he was filming outside a Bangor addiction treatment center, nearly striking him before knocking over his camera equipment.
Sokol was reporting from public property near the Bangor Comprehensive Treatment Center when a driver stopped and accused him of violating patients’ privacy by filming the facility. Sokol responded that he was standing in public and conducting a news report.
Video later showed what appeared to be the same vehicle crossing a grassy area toward Sokol. He moved away as the vehicle passed close by and struck his camera setup. The driver then left the scene. Sokol was not injured.
The Maine Wire later published audio of a phone call with a man it identified as the driver. He denied trying to run Sokol over but acknowledged that the reporter’s coverage had angered him and said there was “no good reason really” for driving across the grass.
Bangor police confirmed they are investigating but have not announced charges or publicly identified a suspect.
The incident raises broader concerns about journalist safety. Whatever one thinks of The Maine Wire’s conservative editorial perspective, reporters should be able to gather news from public property without facing physical intimidation or a vehicle being driven at them.
Photo: Governor Matt Meyer courtesy of the Governor’s Office.
Governor rejects four bills passed by General Assembly, including measures that drew overwhelming bipartisan support
DOVER, Del. — Gov. Matt Meyer vetoed four bills approved by the Delaware General Assembly, including a bipartisan measure that would have given lawmakers new authority to check a governor’s power during an extended state of emergency.
Meyer vetoed House Substitute 1 for House Bill 329, Senate Bill 231, Senate Bill 279 and House Bill 393 on Sept. 30.
The four vetoes put Meyer at odds with substantial majorities in the Democratic-controlled General Assembly. Two of the measures — the emergency-powers bill and a utility consumer-protection bill — passed both chambers without a single opposing vote.
A veto is part of the governor’s constitutional role in Delaware’s legislative process. The General Assembly can override a gubernatorial veto if it secures the votes required under the Delaware Constitution.
Lawmakers seek check on prolonged emergency power
HB 329 was specifically written to establish additional checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches during a prolonged state of emergency.
Under the final version, a governor could declare and maintain an emergency for the first 180 days without legislative approval.
After that point, the governor could continue renewing the emergency, but the General Assembly would gain explicit authority to amend or terminate the order. The administration also would have been required to report to lawmakers every 30 days during a continuing emergency.
The legislation was sponsored by Rep. Rich Collins, R-Millsboro, and Sen. Kyra Hoffner, D-Dover-area, and attracted sponsors from both parties.
It passed the House 39-0 and the Senate 20-0, with absences in both chambers.
Lawmakers also amended the legislation so its restrictions would not apply to Meyer during his current term. The new provisions would have taken effect only after the governor serving when the bill became law left office.
That meant the legislation was largely establishing rules for future governors rather than restricting Meyer’s own emergency authority.
The measure grew out of Delaware’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic, when then-Gov. John Carney repeatedly renewed emergency orders while lawmakers had limited formal authority over whether those orders continued.
Supporters argued that a governor needs broad authority when a crisis begins but that an emergency lasting six months raises a separate question about the role of the legislative branch. Meyer stated that the bill would have unnecessarily constrained the executive branch’s ability to respond to emergencies and could create uncertainty during future crises.
Ramone criticizes veto
Mike Ramone, the Republican nominee for state treasurer, criticized Meyer’s action during two campaign events Thursday night.
Ramone, who served in the General Assembly from 2008 to 2024, including as House minority leader, said the veto reinforced his argument for greater transparency and stronger checks on state government.
“This is yet another reason transparency is critical in state government at all levels,” Ramone said. “Too much power left in one person’s hands, and inside a state government managed by one party, is a problem.”
Ramone pointed to the unanimous legislative support for HB 329.
“Republican and Democratic legislators understood that,” he said. “And yet, a reasonable bill was vetoed, leaving one person to leverage his power to impact life in our state indefinitely.”
Ramone’s comments reflect the argument made by supporters of HB 329 that long-running emergencies should eventually involve both the executive and legislative branches.
The veto leaves Delaware’s existing emergency-power structure in place.
Consumer protection bill also vetoed
Meyer also vetoed HB 393, a bipartisan consumer-protection measure involving third-party electricity suppliers.
The legislation passed the House 40-0 and the Senate 21-0.
The bill would have imposed additional disclosure, reporting and customer-notification requirements on companies selling electricity as alternatives to standard utility service.
Among other provisions, suppliers would have been required to notify customers before contracts renewed and before certain rate changes. Regulators also would have received additional pricing information allowing them to compare third-party rates with standard-offer electricity rates.
Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Bellefonte, the bill’s prime sponsor, criticized the veto and disputed concerns that the measure could reduce competition or strengthen the position of a dominant electricity provider.
Heffernan said the bill was developed with the Meyer administration, the Public Advocate and Public Service Commission and was intended to address constituent complaints about customers being attracted by introductory offers before later paying significantly higher prices.
The governor’s legislative advisory identifies the veto but does not provide a detailed written explanation of his objections.
Two school compensation measures rejected
Meyer also vetoed two bills affecting school employee compensation.
SB 231 would have provided an additional salary supplement to school social workers who passed the Association of Social Work Boards National Clinical Examination and held a licensed clinical social worker license.
The bill passed the Senate and House without an opposing vote.
A fiscal analysis estimated the state cost at approximately $343,000 in fiscal 2027, increasing in subsequent years.
Meyer had previously signed separate legislation expanding salary supplements for several categories of school professionals, including social workers. The governor’s published veto notice does not state whether that overlap, the additional cost or another concern was the basis for rejecting SB 231.
SB 279 addressed salary placement for school-based occupational therapists.
Supporters said employees with comparable professional education can be placed on different salary levels because occupational therapy degree programs award credits differently.
The legislation would have established a more uniform method of recognizing master’s and doctoral-level occupational therapy education within the state salary schedule.
The bill passed the Senate 20-0 and the House 40-1.
Fiscal analysts estimated the state and local cost at roughly $224,000 in fiscal 2027, increasing in later years.
The governor’s published legislative advisory does not provide a detailed explanation for the SB 279 veto.
Four vetoes, different policy disputes
The measures covered different issues, but all four had substantial support in the General Assembly.
HB 329 and HB 393 passed without an opposing vote. SB 231 also passed without opposition among lawmakers voting, while only one House member voted against SB 279.
The vetoes do not negate the General Assembly’s votes. Under Delaware’s constitutional system, legislation approved by lawmakers is presented to the governor, who may sign it or veto it. Lawmakers may then consider whether to attempt an override.
HB 329 is unusual because the legislation itself dealt directly with that division of governmental power.
It would have preserved broad gubernatorial authority during the first six months of an emergency while creating a formal legislative role once the emergency became prolonged.
Meyer’s veto means that change will not take effect unless lawmakers override him or adopt similar legislation in the future.
TO GO BOX
What happened: Gov. Matt Meyer vetoed four bills Sept. 30.
Emergency powers: HS 1 for HB 329 would have given the General Assembly authority to amend or terminate a state of emergency after 180 days and required continuing reports to lawmakers.
Vote: HB 329 passed the House 39-0 and Senate 20-0.
Utility consumers: HB 393 imposed additional requirements on third-party electric suppliers. It passed 40-0 in the House and 21-0 in the Senate.
School social workers: SB 231 would have provided additional compensation for qualifying licensed clinical social workers working in schools.
Occupational therapists: SB 279 would have changed salary placement rules for qualifying school-based occupational therapists.
Political reaction: Republican state treasurer nominee Mike Ramone said the HB 329 veto demonstrated the need for greater transparency and checks on executive authority.
What happens next: The General Assembly may consider whether to attempt veto overrides.
Learn more: Bill texts, votes, fiscal notes and legislative histories are available through the Delaware General Assembly at legis.delaware.gov.
Blue Hen offensive lineman Wahkeem Roman (65) gets ready to block during his first game as a Blue Hen. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder
University of Delaware sixth year offensive lineman, Wahkeem Roman, played his first game as a Blue Hen on September 3 against Merrimack, returning to play after two missed seasons due to injury.
NEWARK, DE — UD’s opening game against Merrimack drew over 17,000 fans into Delaware Stadium. The venue was filled with life, excitement, and hope for a new football season after a successful first at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. It’s an environment that any first time Blue Hen could admire while stepping between the white lines for the first time.
Wahkeem Roman had every reason to soak in his surroundings. He experienced multiple home openers stuck on the sidelines during his first two seasons in the blue and gold. This was his first opportunity to truly experience the environment while donning the pads and standing amongst his fellow lineman in the huddle.
Yet, all his focus was trained on one thing. Playing the game he loves for the first time in over 1,000 days.
“I was just so locked in on the game like at that point, I didn’t even realize like I was coming back from an injury,” Roman said.
Roman joined the University of Delaware football program before the 2024 season. His transfer was unique.
Roman attended Notre Dame College located in South Euclid, Ohio, before the former division two school was shut down in the spring of 2024. The other unique variable to Roman’s transfer, an injury to his right knee that affected his ACL, MCL and PCL.
The school closure left Roman without many other options other than entering the transfer portal and the injury made him unsure if any program would take a chance on him, but Roman said he received offers from programs at both the FBS and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) levels.
The Blue Hens liked what they saw on the limited amount of film Roman had coming into the portal — Roman started four games for Notre Dame College during the 2023 season — said Blue Hen offensive line coach and run game coordinator, Chris Rogers. Rogers and the coaching staff felt like he fit their style of football and would be successful in their system. Off the field, coach Rogers knew that he had the character and fortitude to return from the injury.
“In this business you evaluate people as much or more than you evaluate people as players, and so on film he was a really good player, but also … I really liked the person,” Rogers said. “He said the right things. You could tell he wanted to be developed, you could tell football mattered to him, you could tell this was important, you could tell being successful in college was important, and so like a person who’s got all those traits, obviously, you know, they’re gonna battle they’re way back from an injury and be successful after that.”
Roman blocks against Virginia defensive end Evan Ward during the Blue Hens’ road game against the Cavaliers. Photo Credit: University of Delaware Football.
Roman said the program made him feel like family and accepted him from the moment he arrived. With that comfortability and access to better training resources, he began attacking the rehabilitation process alongside Delaware’s training staff. While his teammates were competing in summer workouts, Roman was in the training room working steadily to improve and strengthen his right leg.
“First we’ll be trying to get my quad to fire, and next week we’ll try to like get my extension all over there and then after all that, maybe I’ll get back walking [on] the treadmill,” Roman said. “It was just week by week, we had a plan and a progress, and it was good.”
Roman essentially had to start the rehab process from square one when he transferred in. The UD training staff discovered that while Roman thought he was ahead in his rehab, it turned out he was actually a little behind in the process.
“I had to catch all the way up and basically start from the beginning, and that was a real slow process, and it was like killer because, … you just want to get back on the field and want to be like a part of the team, you know,” Roman said.
Roman’s recovery cost him the full 2024 season — UD’s last in FCS football — and an injury to the same ACL in the spring of 2025 required him to miss the full 2025 season— UD’s first in FBS football.
“He walked in my office and, you know, I felt like I saw a tear fall down his cheek, and in 15 seconds, I watched that same tear roll back up his cheek and into his eye and it lit a fire under him,” Rogers said.
Roman started the rehab process again, this time with lessons learned from the first time around.
“That’s what I learned the second time around, to really just focus on getting my body back and not rush anything,” Roman said. “My footwork and everything always comes back, it’s just the strengthening that you gotta get back.”
Roman was cleared to play a week into the 2026 spring session. He learned to trust his body to perform at an elite level like it had before, a skill Roman credits to the work of UD’s athletic training staff and former football head athletic trainer, Annie Stock, who helped him rebuild that confidence in himself and his body.
“She would always instill confidence into me like, ‘you’ve done this before, it’s not anything you can’t do, I wouldn’t have you doing it if I didn’t believe in you to do it’ and you just sit back and think like, well, yeah, she doesn’t want me to get hurt again, so obviously I should be good enough to do this,” Roman said.
His first one on one rep in spring practice cemented his confidence in his body’s ability to return to its prior elite level.
“I anchored on a bull rush and I was like ‘oh yeah, this feels good. We’re good to go’,” Roman said.
The Elizabeth, New Jersey, native has played in two games for the Blue Hens this season. His last appearance came in the Blue Hen’s most recent game against Virginia that closed out their non-conference schedule. It was his first chance to play on a Power 4 field against Power 4 competition.
It’s a cool experience for a player whose career embarked on a whirlwind of a journey. A journey that saw him overcome adversity, achieve academic success (Wahkeem earned his bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Delaware in May) and become a leader for the younger players in the offensive line room.
Wahkeem Roman lines up on the left side of the offensive line against Merrimack. This was his first time playing for the Blue Hens since transferring into the program during the spring of 2024. Photo Credit: University of Delaware Football.
“Giving him a hug before the [Merrimack] game was a big moment and I think he deserves that. I tell him all the time I’m thankful I got in the car and drove to go see him and meet him and recruit him,” coach Rogers said. “I’m thankful to be his football coach.”
As Wahkeem completed his first drive as a Blue Hen and walked to the sideline, he said all he remembers is his teammates’ excitement for him. The reality of the moment still hadn’t settled in. There was still an opponent on the field, a game to win and a job to get done.
The Blue Hens defeated Merrimack, 42-7. The team was heading back into the locker room — celebrating — but Roman and his teammate Chandler Telfaire needed to return to the field. They forgot a pair of gloves.
It was at that moment, Wahkeem Roman looked around Delaware stadium and fully took in where his 1,076 day journey led him.
“I was just like wow, I really just came back and played in this stadium. It was a surreal feeling.”
Why Should Delaware Care? For the past few years, Delaware has been discussing how to reform its generations-old statewide school funding to better serve a modern classroom. The key question that has yet to be answered though is how a new formula will ultimately impact each school in the state.
Within the last two years, education leaders have tried to reform Delaware’s archaic public education funding system so schools have the resources to meet all students’ needs.
Last year, those conversations led Delaware’s Public Education Funding Commission — the appointed group tasked with recommending changes to the state’s 85-year-old school funding system — to unanimously recommend that lawmakers approve a hybrid funding framework, which would shift education spending away from a strictly per-student basis to one that directs more dollars toward students with higher needs.
This past summer, two bills that lay the groundwork for that funding system reform were signed into law by Gov. Matt Meyer.
The commission has also worked on its first implementation phase since the two bills were signed into law.
The first phase does not include implementation of a new formula, though.
Instead, the Delaware Department of Education is working on system updates during this phase, along with communication and training materials for those who will have a “key role” in changing the formula, said Brian Ray, the associate secretary of the finance and operations team at the Department of Education, during a public meeting this week.
Ray also said the commission’s working group will also have to consolidate existing funding appropriations such as teacher positions or different block grants into three main categories: base, opportunity, and operational funding.
The commission’s working group also established four subgroups to move forward with phase two and focus on equalization, multilanguage learners, vocational and career technical education, and students from low-income backgrounds.
Ray said each of the subgroups have met at least once, and “they’re starting to identify the variables and the processes we need to to work through to then make recommendations to [the full Public Education Funding Commission] to then review, vote, and move forward with into that next phase.”
Any given school in Delaware is likely depending on a dozen funding streams or more, while leaders are seeking to streamline that to just three streams. | PHOTOS COURTESY OF DDOE
Why was school funding being questioned?
Delaware’s current funding formula was established in 1940, with the state and federal governments providing about 70% of the funding while 30% is generated through district-level property taxes that residents vote on during referendums.
Before the bill, Sussex County had not conducted a countywide property tax reassessment since 1974, while New Castle and Kent County last reassessed property in 1983 and 1987, respectively.
The lack of assessments meant properties were extremely misvalued; some homeowners paid more than what the updated market called for and others paid too little.
Because of communities’ differences in wealth and in their willingness to support public schools, some – particularly in rural Delaware – are at a disadvantage when trying to compete for high-quality educators.
And a failure to pass or even hold referendums only furthers a gap between wealthy districts and those that are more economically modest.
Those concerns are exacerbated in areas in Sussex County that face a combined disadvantage of relatively low property wealth and high student needs.
Advocacy groups like the Delaware NAACP and Delawareans for Educational Opportunity filed a lawsuit in 2018, stating that the state’s education system did not provide an adequate education to all students. After a preliminary ruling allowed the lawsuit to proceed, the state settled the case, promising to reassess property and review statewide school funding reform.
The American Institutes for Research completed its independent assessment of education funding in Delaware as part of the 2020 settlement.
The group recommended in late 2023 that Delaware increase spending on public education by upward of $1 billion.
After both Democratic and Republican members of the State Senate’s Education Committee raised concerns in a March 2024 meeting over how the sum would affect taxpayers, the legislature chose to create the Public Education Funding Commission to examine the recommendation.
What has the PEFC done?
The committee held its first meeting in September 2024, and eight months later it unveiled an example of what the group called a new “hybrid formula,” giving a glimpse of what an overhaul of the funding system could look like.
By the end of the May 2025 meeting, the example produced as many questions as answers.
During the meeting, commission members were shown how the example formula would affect seven individual schools.
Those schools were Brandywine High School, Delcastle Technical High School, Frederick Douglass Elementary School, Lulu M. Ross Elementary School, the Charter School of Wilmington, Stanton Middle School, and Warner Elementary School.
Each of those schools, except for Ross Elementary, would gain about $1.29 million if that version of the hybrid formula example were implemented.
Ross instead would have lost more than $181,000.
Multiple members expressed concerns about Ross losing money because of its high population of students from low-income backgrounds and English-language learners.
“I doubt anyone in this room would accept a model that didn’t increase the allocations to a school like Lulu Ross that serves the population they serve,” said Commission Chair State Sen. Laura Sturgeon (D-Brandywine Hundred), who is a retired Spanish teacher.
The commission voted unanimously to approve a recommendation to move forward with a new hybrid framework in June 2025. Details from the May model were not included in the recommendation.
The approved recommendation only pushed forward the idea of a hybrid framework, and did not provide details as to the specific funding model that will be used to calculate a school’s new state support.
Last October, commission members also unveiled three categories for the funding model: base, opportunity, and operational funding. The three categories allow Delaware to use resource-based funding, or funding based on the number of students, and combine it with flexible dollars that will flow toward students that are multilanguage learners or from low-income backgrounds, among other student groups.
The Public Education Funding Commission also held multiple community listening sessions throughout last winter, and in April voted in favor of five different recommendations that ultimately called for the state to move forward with the hybrid model and to include a hold harmless so that districts would not lose dollars during the first years of implementation, among other recommendations.
In May, Sturgeon introduced two bills that came directly from the PEFC. One bill enabled the Delaware Department of Education to begin implementing the hybrid school funding model. It also includes a provision to mandate that no school receive less money under the model than it would have under the previous funding model.
The other bill established the PEFC as a permanent body to continue studying and evaluating the state’s funding formula in the years to come.
Both bills have since been signed into law by Meyer.
Greensboro, NC — The Greensboro Police Department drew criticism after using its official social media account to joke that anyone arrested would be forced to listen to Taylor Swift’s newest songs repeatedly while being transported to jail.
The department posted Tuesday that people arrested that night “will be required to listen to Taylor Swift’s new songs on repeat,” apparently referencing tracks released with an expanded edition of Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl.
What might have passed as a routine attempt at humor quickly became a discussion about how police departments use official accounts. One commenter questioned whether an agency entrusted with arrests and criminal investigations should be joking about treatment of people in custody.
Greensboro police responded: “Relax. It’s called community outreach.”
That response generated additional criticism, with some users arguing that dismissing questions about professionalism was itself inappropriate for a law-enforcement agency. Others simply viewed the original post as harmless humor.
Police later added another tongue-in-cheek message apologizing for “stirring up the Taylor bots” and encouraging people to keep listening to Swift’s album.
Burlington, NC — A Burlington nursing home has agreed to pay nearly $100,000 to resolve allegations that it employed an unlicensed woman as a nurse and billed Medicaid for services she provided to residents.
North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson announced Thursday that White Oak Manor of Burlington will pay $98,474 to the state, including $49,237 in Medicaid restitution. State officials said Nieasha Jones was hired despite having no nursing license, training or experience.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, Jones worked 54 shifts over three months, interacted with nursing-home residents and provided care while lacking the required qualifications. White Oak Manor subsequently billed Medicaid for resident services that included work performed by Jones.
The investigation began after the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ Division of Health Service Regulation referred the matter to the Attorney General’s Medicaid Investigations Division.
Jackson said health-care providers must ensure employees are qualified before allowing them to treat patients and bill taxpayers for that care.
The settlement resolves civil allegations and does not constitute an admission of liability or a judicial finding of wrongdoing against the facility. State investigators say the case is part of broader efforts to prevent Medicaid fraud and protect residents receiving care in publicly funded facilities.
According to the record, a student who had been at the Chi Phi house the night of the alleged assault told a Title IX investigator she got a call the next day from one of the accused men.
Why the Houthis' Red Sea power play makes Iran even strongerAudiosseth.drupal@c…
On this week’s episode of Independent Thinking, our experts discuss what Houthi control of the Bab al-Mandab strait means for the wider region.
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels’ capture of Yemen’s port city of Mocha means that Iran now effectively controls two crucial waterways in the region – the Bab al-Mandab Strait to the Red Sea and thus the Suez Canal, as well as the Hormuz Strait. Why has this simmering conflict exploded again? What do Iran and the Houthis want? How serious is this potential blockade for world trade and energy supply? And could the Houthis become a regional power, in economic terms even more powerful than Iran?
Bronwen Maddox is joined by director of Chatham House’s Middle East and North Africa Programme, Dr Sanam Vakil; Horn of Africa specialist Ahmed Soliman; and Yemen and Gulf specialist, Farea Al-Muslimi, who joins us from Jordan.
Read the latest related work from Chatham House here:
A driftwood vulture looms. Faces and eyes peer from the walls and from a cauldron. Landscapes of rainbow ice surround you. Have you entered another dimension? Nay, mortal! But you have made the wise decision to visit the Newark Arts…
Los Angeles, CA — The Justice Department says UCLA School of Law illegally discriminated against white and Asian applicants by continuing to consider race in admissions after the Supreme Court restricted race-conscious college admissions in 2023.
The department’s Civil Rights Division said its investigation found that UCLA Law used what officials described as a “two-tiered admissions system” for incoming classes from 2023 through 2025. DOJ said applicants with similar LSAT scores were treated differently depending on race and alleged that essays and recruitment programs were used to encourage applicants to disclose racial backgrounds.
UCLA disputes that characterization. The law school says its admissions process is comprehensive, merit-based and compliant with federal law as well as California’s longstanding prohibition on racial preferences at public universities.
The finding is part of a broader Trump administration campaign targeting university diversity and admissions policies. The Justice Department has previously made similar accusations involving UCLA’s medical school and UC Berkeley Law, while launching investigations into additional universities.
DOJ says it will first seek a voluntary agreement requiring changes to UCLA Law’s admissions practices. If negotiations fail, the department says it could file a lawsuit to enforce Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
Ithaca, NY — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has removed the Tompkins County district attorney from the investigation into an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University, appointing Attorney General Letitia James as special prosecutor after saying she had lost confidence in the local handling of the case.
The case involves a former Cornell student identified as Jane Doe, who alleges she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple members of the Chi Phi fraternity in October 2024. No criminal charges were initially filed, although the woman later brought a civil lawsuit detailing allegations that prompted renewed scrutiny.
District Attorney Matthew Van Houten announced this week that he would reopen the investigation, but Hochul said newly released information raised serious questions about both Cornell police and his office’s earlier decision not to prosecute.
James will now oversee the investigation independently and can present evidence to a grand jury if she determines charges are warranted. She said her office would follow the facts and law and conduct a process New Yorkers can trust.
Cornell has also retained outside attorneys to review how the university handled the allegations. Attorneys representing some of the accused men have denied wrongdoing.
The appointment effectively shifts control of one of New York’s highest-profile campus sexual-assault investigations from local prosecutors to the state attorney general.
Sacramento, CA — California has banned child marriage without exceptions, becoming the 18th state to completely prohibit minors from marrying after years of unsuccessful attempts to close one of the nation’s most permissive legal loopholes.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1267, which establishes 18 as the minimum age for both marriage and domestic partnerships. Previously, California had no statutory minimum marriage age, allowing minors to marry with parental consent and court approval. The legislation passed with bipartisan support and no opposition in the Legislature.
Advocates have argued that minors entering marriages face increased risks of coercion, abuse and financial dependence. California officials estimate roughly 35,000 minors were married in the state between 2000 and 2021.
Newsom signed the bill alongside survivors and advocates, including Courtney Stodden, who was 16 when she married 50-year-old actor Doug Hutchison in 2011. Stodden has since described the relationship as exploitative and advocated nationally for ending child marriage.
The new law contains no parental, judicial or pregnancy exceptions. Newsom called the prohibition “long overdue,” while advocates with Unchained At Last said they intend to continue pushing for similar bans in the remaining states.
Nashville, TN — Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn is calling for Tennessee to restore the electric chair after the state failed to execute Christa Pike despite administering two doses of pentobarbital.
Pike, 50, remained alive after Wednesday’s lethal-injection attempt and was transported to a Nashville hospital in critical condition. Witnesses reported that she continued breathing, spoke about pain in her arm and at one point lifted her head after execution drugs had been administered.
Blackburn, the Republican nominee for governor, called the episode “tragic” and said it prolonged the suffering of the family of Colleen Slemmer, whom Pike murdered in 1995. Blackburn said Tennessee should conduct a full review but argued that the solution is to “bring back the electric chair.”
Gov. Bill Lee instead suspended remaining executions this year and ordered an independent investigation into what went wrong.
The failure is particularly significant because Tennessee already experienced another unsuccessful execution attempt this year. In May, officials abandoned the execution of Tony Carruthers after struggling to establish intravenous access.
Pike’s attorneys say Wednesday’s problems were predictable because they had previously warned about her medical conditions and difficult vein access. They are now seeking commutation of her death sentence.
The incident has renewed debate over whether Tennessee can reliably carry out executions under its current lethal-injection protocol.
A New Castle County Police Department officer who shot a murder suspect during a standoff near Newark three years ago has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
New system captures fingerprints, facial images and ID information while connecting customers with remote agents for assistance
DOVER, Del. — Delawareans who need fingerprints for employment, licensing, background checks and other purposes will see a different process beginning Monday, Oct. 5, as the State Bureau of Identification moves to new SMART-E kiosks at its Dover and Georgetown offices.
The Delaware State Police said SBI will transition fingerprinting services to IDEMIA’s SMART-E Kiosk, replacing the traditional process in which an employee directly operates the fingerprint equipment.
SMART-E stands for Supervised Multi-Acquisition Remote Technology for Enrollment. The system does more than simply take fingerprints: It captures fingerprints, a facial image and identification documents and connects customers with trained remote agents who can supervise the process and provide assistance.
The “multi-acquisition” part of the name reflects the kiosk’s ability to collect several forms of identity information during a single enrollment.
Customers operate the kiosk themselves while a trained agent remotely monitors the process and can communicate through integrated audio and video technology.
What changes for customers
The kiosk guides customers through each step of enrollment, including capturing a full set of 10 fingerprints and a facial image, scanning government-issued identification and processing payment electronically.
IDEMIA says the system has demonstrated a fingerprint rejection rate below 2%, potentially reducing the need to repeat fingerprint submissions because of poor image quality.
Although the system is more automated, customers will not be left entirely on their own. A remote agent can communicate directly with the customer and provide guidance when necessary.
Potential savings in time and money
The new system also changes the economics of running a fingerprinting operation.
Under the traditional model, a trained employee typically works directly with one customer at a fingerprint station. SMART-E uses what IDEMIA describes as a “1-to-many” model, allowing a remote agent to oversee multiple kiosk enrollments rather than requiring a dedicated employee at every station.
IDEMIA says that model can lower labor costs, reduce facility and overhead expenses and make it easier to expand operating hours because remote agents do not have to be physically located at the fingerprinting site.
For customers, the potential time savings come from automating several steps at the same station — identification scanning, fingerprint and facial-image capture and electronic payment — while also checking fingerprint quality during the enrollment process.
The manufacturer describes the system as a way to provide faster and more efficient enrollment and to increase customer throughput. However, Delaware State Police has not released estimates showing how many minutes the new kiosks will save customers or how much money SBI expects to save after implementation.
That distinction matters: The technology is designed to reduce staffing and operating costs and potentially shorten waits, but the actual savings in Delaware will depend on customer volume, staffing and how the kiosks perform once they are in use.
Appointment still required
Customers should register and schedule their fingerprinting appointment through IdentoGO before going to an SBI office.
They also need to obtain the correct service code and any required paperwork from the employer, government agency, licensing organization or other entity requesting the background check.
Customers must bring an accepted form of government-issued identification and should have an electronic payment method available to complete the transaction at the kiosk.
The change is part of SBI’s continuing effort, in partnership with IDEMIA and IdentoGO, to modernize Delaware’s fingerprinting and background-check services.
To Go Box
What: SBI SMART-E fingerprinting kiosks
Begins: Monday, Oct. 5, 2026
Dover: State Bureau of Identification, 600 S. Bay Road, Suite 1, Dover
Georgetown: Thurman Adams Center, 546 S. Bedford St., Georgetown
Before you go: Schedule an appointment, obtain the correct service code and required documents, and bring an accepted government-issued ID and an electronic payment method.
A scene photograph included in the Delaware Department of Justice’s June 28, 2023 report on the Jan. 22, 2023 officer-involved shooting in New Castle County. The DOJ concluded the officers’ use of deadly force was legally justified and declined criminal charges.
State report says three officers reasonably believed deadly force was necessary after confronting armed suspects leaving a New Castle home
NEW CASTLE, Del. — Three New Castle County police officers were legally justified when they opened fire on suspects during a 2023 home invasion response, according to a Delaware Department of Justice investigation.
The Jan. 22, 2023, shooting was not fatal. Two suspects were wounded and survived.
The DOJ’s Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust concluded that Officers Sean Sweeney-Jones, Ryan Archangelo and Alejandro Guillen reasonably believed deadly force was necessary to protect themselves, other officers and nearby residents.
The department determined their actions did not constitute a criminal offense under Delaware law.
Home invasion reported
The incident began about 1:48 a.m. when a resident of 21 West Minuit Drive called 911 and reported that armed people had broken into the home and were attacking his roommates.
When New Castle County police arrived, officers encountered several suspects leaving or attempting to leave the residence.
According to the DOJ report, Alistair DiPasquale was carrying a black HK MP-5 .22-caliber firearm as he emerged from the house.
Body-worn camera footage reviewed by investigators showed Sweeney-Jones approaching the front door and ordering the suspects to show their hands and drop the weapon.
Sweeney-Jones and Archangelo then fired their service weapons.
DiPasquale and Evan Chandler were struck and suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Chandler was treated for gunshot wounds to his arm and both thighs, while DiPasquale was treated for a wound to his upper arm.
Third officer fired during backyard encounter
Two other suspects, identified by investigators as Michael Edgerton and David Salasky III, fled toward the rear of the property.
Guillen encountered Salasky after Salasky climbed over an approximately 6-foot wooden fence.
According to the report, Guillen saw something in Salasky’s hands and ordered him to stop. Guillen told investigators that Salasky turned toward him with his hand extended in a way that caused the officer to believe he was about to be shot.
Guillen fired once but did not strike Salasky.
Investigators later determined Salasky had been carrying a handgun.
DOJ reviewed video, interviews and evidence
The Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust reviewed body-worn camera footage, dispatch records, interviews with witnesses and police officers, photographs from the scene and medical records.
The DOJ said the central legal question was whether the officers reasonably believed deadly force was necessary to protect themselves or others from death or serious physical injury.
Investigators concluded that they did.
The report found that Sweeney-Jones and Archangelo confronted suspects emerging from a reported home invasion, including one carrying what appeared to officers to be a rifle.
Investigators also concluded Guillen reasonably believed he faced an immediate threat during his encounter behind the property.
“The use of force by police was justified as a matter of law in both self-defense and in the defense of others,” the DOJ report concluded.
No criminal charges warranted
The DOJ also found the officers were not reckless or negligent in creating a danger to other people in the residential neighborhood.
No bystanders were injured.
The department determined that the circumstances — an armed home invasion, suspects carrying firearms and the officers’ perception of immediate threats — supported the officers’ decisions to use deadly force.
As a result, no criminal charges were warranted against Sweeney-Jones, Archangelo or Guillen.
The report also noted that its review was limited to determining whether the officers’ actions violated criminal law. It did not determine whether the officers complied with New Castle County Police Department policies or procedures.
TO GO BOX
What: Delaware Department of Justice final use-of-force report
Incident: Jan. 22, 2023
Location: West Minuit Drive, New Castle
Officers: Sean Sweeney-Jones, Ryan Archangelo and Alejandro Guillen
Result: Two suspects suffered non-life-threatening gunshot wounds; no one was killed
Finding: DOJ determined the officers’ use of deadly force was legally justified and did not constitute a criminal offense
Learn more: The full report and body-worn camera footage are available through the Delaware Department of Justice’s police use-of-force investigations page.
State police say Smyrna man targeted retailers more than 25 times after failing to return to DOC supervision
NEW CASTLE COUNTY, Del. — A Smyrna man who failed to return to Delaware Department of Correction facility after leaving on an employment pass has been charged in a monthlong retail theft spree that state police say cost New Castle County businesses more than $48,000 in stolen merchandise.
Delaware State Police arrested Steven Pozzie, 40, following an investigation into more than 25 reported thefts at stores including Home Depot, Walmart, Lowe’s, Target, Kohl’s, Acme and Harbor Freight.
Police said Pozzie also caused more than $4,000 in damage, often using tools to defeat or damage merchandise security devices.
The charges are allegations. Pozzie is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Investigation began at Home Depot
The investigation began in late August after Home Depot employees reported multiple thefts involving the same suspect, according to state police.
Detectives with the State Police Criminal Investigations Unit later connected similar incidents at several other retailers.
Police said Pozzie sometimes worked with accomplices and used multiple vehicles during the thefts.
Investigators ultimately identified Pozzie as a convicted offender who had failed to return to the Community Corrections Treatment Center after receiving an employment pass.
Delaware’s Level IV community corrections programs are designed to provide a structured transition between incarceration and full release. DOC says participants may be permitted to work in the community while remaining under correctional supervision. The Community Corrections Treatment Center also provides residential substance-use treatment as part of DOC’s reentry and rehabilitation system.
Caught after Newark theft
Police said the investigation came to a head Sept. 23 after Pozzie allegedly stole merchandise from a Lowe’s in Newark and fled in a Lexus SUV.
Detectives found the unoccupied vehicle near Vandever Avenue and Northeast Boulevard in Wilmington and searched the surrounding neighborhood.
Pozzie was located in a nearby alley and taken into custody, police said.
Investigators said he repeatedly provided a false identity while speaking with detectives.
Police said a search of Pozzie found drug paraphernalia and about 0.01 grams of suspected crack cocaine. Investigators also searched the Lexus and said they recovered tools believed to have been used during earlier thefts.
Pozzie requested medical treatment for an unrelated, non-life-threatening injury and was taken to a hospital. He was subsequently returned to DOC custody.
Extensive list of charges
Following his discharge from the hospital, Pozzie was formally charged Sept. 28.
The charges include 17 felony counts of possession of shoplifters’ tools, 13 felony counts of organized retail theft involving more than $1,500, five felony counts of second-degree conspiracy and additional shoplifting, theft, criminal mischief, drug and criminal impersonation charges.
He was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court and remained in Department of Correction custody on a $44,200 cash bond.
The case comes as law enforcement agencies continue to focus on organized retail theft involving repeat offenders, accomplices and the resale of stolen merchandise. In a separate New Castle County investigation earlier this year, state police charged a Wilmington man after investigators said he recruited people to steal merchandise that was later resold.
To Go Box
What happened: Delaware State Police say Steven Pozzie, 40, stole more than $48,000 in merchandise during more than 25 thefts at New Castle County retailers.
Businesses involved: Home Depot, Walmart, Lowe’s, Target, Kohl’s, Acme, Harbor Freight and others.
Additional damage: Police estimate businesses sustained more than $4,000 in property damage.
Custody status: Pozzie remained in Department of Correction custody on a $44,200 cash bond following his Sept. 28 arraignment.
Learn more: Delaware State Police posts crime releases and case updates at dsp.delaware.gov.
In the Maine Senate race, ads from a Democratic super PAC misleadingly claim Republican Sen. Susan Collins cast a vote to “cover up the Epstein files” and received “$3 million to her super PAC” from “Jeffrey Epstein’s business partner.”
Collins supported an Epstein-files disclosure bill in November that required the Department of Justice to publicly release records related to the convicted sex offender. She had voted two months earlier against an amendment that called for the release of the files and was attached to a defense spending bill. Collins said she opposed adding the amendment to an unrelated bill.
Furthermore, the ad stretches the facts in claiming that “Epstein’s business partner” gave money to Collins. A political action committee supporting Collins received millions of dollars in contributions from a man who was reportedly a “founding member” of a private New York City club along with Epstein and many other wealthy people.
A spokesperson for the man told us he had no relationship with Epstein.
This is the third time this election cycle that we havewritten about Democratic ads misleadingly citing Republican senators’ votes to block the amendment and not mentioning that the full Senate later supported releasing the Epstein files. The ads also try to connect the Republican senators who blocked the amendment to people linked in some way to Epstein.
The ads against Collins were sponsored by WinSenate, a super PAC that works to elect Democrats to the Senate. Collins is facing Democrat Troy Jackson, a former Maine state Senate president, in a close race for her seat.
WinSenate released the first attack ad on Sept. 24. In it, a woman, identified as a retired teacher, says she is “horrified” and claims: “Susan Collins voted to cover up the Epstein files. She knew 14-year-old girls were raped. Turns out that Jeffrey Epstein’s business partner funneled $3 million to her super PAC. Susan Collins took the money and protected child predators.”
The second ad, which started airing Sept. 29, features the same woman saying Collins “voted with Trump to cover up the Epstein files” — but the ad leaves out the claim about donations from an alleged Epstein business partner.
For the Epstein files claim, the ad cites Senate roll call vote 512 on Sept. 10, 2025. That’s when Collins — and nearly all Republican senators — voted to table an amendment Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer tried to include in the annual bill that sets the budget and policies for the Defense Department. Schumer’s amendment called for the U.S. attorney general to release all unclassified material pertaining to Epstein, including documents about federal investigations of Epstein and his associates, as well as information about Epstein’s 2019 death that was ruled a suicide. At the time of his death, Epstein, a wealthy financier, was in jail and facing federal charges of sex trafficking minors.
According to the New York Times, Collins said of the failed amendment: “It does not belong on the Department of Defense policy bill.” The newspaper also reported that Collins “said she opposed Mr. Schumer’s measure because a similar amendment had been adopted on a spending bill that would fund the Justice Department.”
But the amendment that Collins supported in the July 2025 markup session by the Senate Appropriations Committee did not require the same level of disclosure.It required the attorney general to “retain, preserve, and compile” Epstein-related records or evidence and submit a report to Congress. While that DOJ spending bill had not yet passed in the Senate, “Ms. Collins said it was a more appropriate vehicle for a measure on the Epstein files,” the Times wrote.
In addition, when the Epstein Files Transparency Act — a standalone bill to release the Epstein documents — came up for consideration in the Senate in November, it passed by unanimous consent, which means the bill was not opposed by Collins or any other senator.
“I support the release of the Epstein files,” Collins said in a statement about the bill passing. “This is an important step for the survivors of these heinous crimes.”
As we have explained before, President Donald Trump initially opposed Congress’ attempts to release the files, but relented days before the Senate passed the bill in November.
The ‘Business Partner’ Claim
The first WinSenate ad that aired suggested Collins voted against Schumer’s amendment because of millions of dollars in donations from an Epstein associate.
Although the ad does not mention the alleged Epstein “business partner” by name, it does cite donations to a pro-Collins super PAC on June 27, 2025, and June 26, 2026. Federal Election Commission records show on those dates, Stephen Schwarzman, the co-founder, chairman and CEO of the Blackstone investment management firm, made contributions totaling $3 million to Pine Tree Results PAC, a group supporting Collins in the 2026 midterms. (Maine is known as the Pine Tree State.)
Schwarzman’s first donation, which was $2 million, was made more than two months before the vote on Schumer’s amendment. But the second donation, which was $1 million, was made more than six months after the full Senate supported disclosing the files.
The “business partner” label was based on reporting that Schwarzman and Epstein were among the very first people who paid to join Core Club, a private club in New York City that was founded by Jennie Enterprise in 2005.
“Susan Collins blocked the release of the Epstein files and then her PAC accepted millions from a business associate of Epstein’s, an individual who belonged to the same exclusive business club,” Lauren French, a spokesperson for WinSenate, said in a statement to us. “As [has] been publicly reported, they ‘were founders and members of an exclusive social club for billionaires.'”
The “founders” language does appear in a July 21 MeidasTouch News story with the headline: “More Donations from Epstein Contacts to Susan Collins Uncovered.” The story from the left-leaning outlet went on to mention Schwarzman’s donations to Pine Tree Results PAC and said, “Schwarzman and Epstein were founders and members of an exclusive social club for billionaires in New York called the Core Club.”
But to call them “business partners” is a stretch.
We reached out to the Core Club’s press office for comment, but have not received a response.
The Real Deal, a real estate news publication, reported in February that Epstein “paid $100,000 as a founding member, alongside 150 other investors, according to a spokesperson for Core.” Its story said, “Epstein’s fellow founding members included Aby Rosen of RFR, Steven Roth of Vornado Realty Trust and Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone Group.”
In 2011, the New York Times also referred to Schwarzman as among the “founding members” of the club, “who anted up an initial investment of $100,000 when the club was conceived.”
“Being founders of the same exclusive club inherently makes individuals partners in business,” French said in an earlier statement provided to PolitiFact and Quick Check, an election feature of the Bangor Daily News.
But other than paying money to join and get the club started, it’s not clear that Schwarzman and Epstein ever did business together as “partners,” which implies a close working relationship.
The men had no relationship, a spokesperson for Schwarzman told us.
“It would be categorically false and reckless to claim or imply that Steve had any relationship with this despicable individual,” the spokesperson said in an email.
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Wilmington institution will celebrate a half-century of its signature fundraiser Dec. 5, honoring longtime leader Skip Pennella and raising money for community arts programs
WILMINGTON, Del. — The Grand will mark a major milestone in Wilmington’s arts and social scene this December, celebrating the 50th anniversary of its annual Grand Gala with a performance by the Stray Cats, an elaborate after-party at the Hotel DuPont and a tribute to longtime Grand leader Skip Pennella.
The 50th annual Grand Gala is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 5, with the Stray Cats taking the stage at The Grand Opera House’s Copeland Hall before guests move to the Hotel DuPont for what organizers bill as the “Ultimate After Party.”
The gala has grown into one of Wilmington’s signature annual fundraising and social events. Proceeds support The Grand’s Community Engagement and Outreach programs, which provide arts experiences for more than 20,000 students and residents. The Grand says gala support helps provide music and dance instruction, theater performances and other arts programming.
Rockabilly icons come to Wilmington
The Stray Cats — Brian Setzer, Lee Rocker and Slim Jim Phantom — helped bring rockabilly back into mainstream popular music in the early 1980s, combining a 1950s-inspired look and sound with the energy of contemporary rock.
Formed in 1979 on Long Island, the trio initially struggled to gain traction in the United States before heading to London in 1980, where a growing rockabilly revival helped launch the band’s career.
The group ultimately found major success on both sides of the Atlantic, becoming known for songs including “Rock This Town,” “Stray Cat Strut” and “(She’s) Sexy + 17.”
Following the concert, gala guests will head a few blocks up Market Street to the Hotel DuPont, where the celebration will continue with themed rooms, live music, gourmet food and signature cocktails.
Pennella to receive Grand Medal
The evening will also recognize Francis “Skip” Pennella with the 2026 Grand Medal for Excellence in the Performing Arts.
Pennella recently retired as executive director and transitioned to a senior advisory role. His relationship with The Grand, however, stretches well beyond his tenure as its top executive. He previously spent 11 years as chairman of The Grand’s board, helping lead the organization through a period of change and an expanded emphasis on community service.
“Skip answered the call when The Grand needed him most,” Board Chair Roger Kirtley said. “Through his steady leadership, unwavering commitment and deep care for this organization, he helped guide The Grand through an important period in its history and positioned us well for the future.”
Pennella called serving as executive director “one of the greatest privileges of my career.”
“I am incredibly proud of what our Board, staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners have accomplished together,” Pennella said. “We have a unique opportunity to build upon a proud history while ensuring The Grand continues to serve and inspire our community for generations to come.”
Leadership transition underway
The gala comes as The Grand moves through a leadership transition.
The Board of Directors has appointed Mike Woodin as interim executive director while conducting a national search for Pennella’s permanent successor. Woodin has served in senior leadership at The Grand and has worked on the organization’s finances and strategic planning.
“It is an honor to serve an organization that means so much to our community,” Woodin said. “Every day, our talented staff creates experiences that inspire audiences, educate young people, and strengthen Delaware through the performing arts.”
The Grand’s 50th gala also continues a tradition of bringing prominent performers to Wilmington for the fundraiser. Recent galas have featured Kool & the Gang in 2024 and Bruce Hornsby with the Delaware Symphony Orchestra in 2025.
More than a night out
While the gala has long been part of Wilmington’s social calendar, its primary purpose is fundraising.
The Grand says proceeds help make arts programming available to thousands of Delaware children and community members who might otherwise have limited opportunities to experience live theater, dance and music. The organization has described the gala as a major source of support for its community engagement, Stage of Discovery and arts education programs.
That gives this year’s celebration two milestones: 50 years of gala nights in downtown Wilmington and a changing of the guard for one of Delaware’s best-known performing arts organizations.
TO GO
What: 50th Annual Grand Gala featuring the Stray Cats
When: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2026
Where: Concert and presentation at The Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market St., Wilmington; Ultimate After Party at the Hotel DuPont
Tickets: $250 to $550. A $1,600 package includes two tickets, a hotel stay and additional benefits.
Benefits: The Grand’s Community Engagement and Outreach programs serving students and Wilmington residents
Fort Pierce, FL — Officials in St. Lucie County, Florida, have discovered 14 unauthorized Flock Safety license-plate readers installed along public roads, raising new questions about who placed the surveillance cameras there and who has access to the data they collected.
The cameras surfaced as the county reviewed 52 previously authorized automated license-plate readers ahead of their removal. The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office subsequently claimed ownership of three of the unpermitted devices, leaving 11 without a publicly identified owner. County officials have posted removal notices requiring the cameras to come down in October.
The discovery comes amid growing scrutiny of Flock systems in the region. Former Fort Pierce police officer Josepher Crutchfield was arrested in September after investigators said he searched Flock’s database 382 times for a vehicle registered to his former girlfriend, mostly while off duty and without a legitimate law-enforcement purpose.
The case prompted Fort Pierce police to tighten access to the system, while Florida transportation officials separately ordered automated license-plate readers removed from state highways.
Flock says permitting requirements vary by jurisdiction and that it is willing to assist St. Lucie County. The unexplained cameras nevertheless highlight a basic oversight problem: powerful surveillance equipment was operating on public property without county officials initially knowing who installed it.
War has returned to Tigray. This time it may not stay in Ethiopia Expert commentLToremark
As fighting escalates in Tigray and neighbouring areas, there are fears that Ethiopia’s internal instability could spill over into the wider Horn of Africa region.
Conflict returned to Ethiopia’s northern region of Tigray on 23 September, as the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) forces stormed three national airports in Tigray. In what the TPLF claimed was defensive combat, ground offensives were also expanded along Tigray’s southern and eastern borders with the neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions. The TPLF and its allies captured parts of Afar but lost several key areas in southern Tigray, including Alamata town.
Ethiopia’s federal government forces and the allied Tigray Peace Force (TPF) are now advancing towards Mekelle, the capital of Tigray. Meanwhile, reports of drone strikes in Addis Ababa and on government-controlled airbases alters the nature of the war.
Although Tigray has seen conflict before, this time there is a risk that hostilities could extend into Eritrea and Sudan.
The risk of renewed hostilities in Tigray had been clear for some time, given the steady decline in relations between the federal government and the TPLF. The failure to build on the Pretoria Agreement – the ceasefire deal that brought an end to the war in 2022 – was largely the result of a continued zero-sum approach by both sides, as well as weak implementation and oversight.
The agreement effectively unravelled in May, when the TPLF reinstated a pre-war legislative council, with its chairman Debretsion Gebremichael named regional president. This spelled the end of the Tigray Interim Regional Administration (TIRA) – a key outcome negotiated under Pretoria. The removal of interim president, General Tadesse Werede, formerly head of the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF), followed the ouster of his predecessor Getachew Reda in late 2024.
The TPLF views the recent escalation as a return to full-scale war. To an extent, they have been pushed towards a response. There is continued containment of Tigray; a lack of implementation of the Pretoria Agreement or any dispute resolution mechanism; the absence of incentives for its leadership to return to the federal fold; a weakening of TPLF legitimacy in the region; and recent drone attacks by the government in the region.
But unlike in the 2020–22 war, the federal government has been more cautious and calculated in its actions as well as public messaging. The government frames the TPLF as a rogue administration that is colluding with internal opposition insurgencies and external actors to threaten Ethiopia’s territorial integrity and its own survival.
The key question now is whether the government will seek to contain the conflict within Tigray and other parts of northern Ethiopia, or whether it will consider it necessary to pursue bolder options. One such option could be targeting Eritrea, which it believes to be supporting anti-government movements – something Eritrea has repeatedly denied. In a message assigning culpability to its northern neighbour, Ethiopia closed its embassy in Eritrea and expelled Eritrean diplomats.
Now, much will depend on how the conflict evolves.
Internal division in Tigray and a new opposition alliance
The TPLF’s control over Tigrayan society has weakened significantly. Since the war ended in 2022, it has faced protests over crippling economic conditions, growing competition from rival parties and defections by leading members. In recent months, Tigrayan authorities have turned to forcibly recruiting young men into the defence forces and have cracked down on freedom of speech. For the people of Tigray, an already difficult humanitarian situation now looks set to worsen.
There is deep division within TPLF too. Following the start of the military offensive, there have been reports of senior TPLF officials being arrested or defecting to Addis Ababa.
Days before the fighting resumed, the TPLF and six other regional armed opposition groups – including Amhara’s Fano movement and the Oromia region’s Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) – announced a coalition called the Alliance for Survival. Their common goal is to remove Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his Prosperity Party from power and install a transitional government.
But it is not immediately clear that this uneasy tactical alliance – among groups with unresolved tensions and very different visions for Ethiopia – will result in functional cooperation. Senior leaders of Fano have publicly opposed the alliance; while a recently divided OLA may struggle with justification to its support base. There are also historical grievances between some of these groups. The TPLF have accused Fano and the Eritrean forces of grave human rights violations in Tigray four years ago, while Fano and OLA have been bitter and at times violent enemies.
Opposition to the Ethiopian government also comes from beyond the country’s borders. Tsimdo is a transnational alliance which reportedly links the TPLF, the Eritrean government and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF).
The TPLF is silently allied with its former foe, Eritrea, with supply lines chiefly secured through Tigray’s northern border. But the Eritrean government’s priority is to keep war away from its own territory, and its alleged support for opposition groups increases the risk of further regional escalation – especially with Ethiopia eyeing control over Eritrea’s Red Sea port of Assab.
Meanwhile, the conflicts in Ethiopia and Sudan have also become more intertwined. The Ethiopian government has accused the SAF of backing the TPLF – which they have denied – and is increasingly unsettled by the reported presence of Tigrayan fighters alongside the SAF in eastern Sudan. It fears that the SAF, in collaboration with Eritrea, could reinforce the TPLF from across the Sudanese border – including near strategic sites like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.
Sudan, in turn, has accused Ethiopia of providing support for the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and Sudan People’s Liberation-North (SPLM-N), including training, supplies and use of Ethiopian territory. Ethiopia’s close ally, the UAE, is also accused of supporting the RSF – although it refutes such allegations. Ethiopia’s calculus is seemingly to create a buffer on its border with Sudan. However, direct dialogue and de-escalation with the SAF would go further than retaliatory exchanges and mutual accusations of interference.
Limited options for de-escalation
The mediation landscape is very different from 2022. Members of the international community have called out the TPLF for their escalatory actions and urged a return to African Union (AU)-led talks. The Ethiopian government has so far controlled the narrative around this conflict, briefing foreign governments about the likely escalation ahead of the UN General Assembly.
The Pretoria Agreement did not produce the broader political settlement needed for durable peace and no longer seems tenable for either side. The TPLF has repeatedly discredited the only existing mediation effort under the AU. Hardening regional rivalries and the lack of US or wider Western interest to fully support the AU with the resources and leverage needed to create a viable platform, makes a sustainable resolution to this conflict seem a long way off.
Given these conditions, the conflict is likely to continue for a while. However, the danger of diplomatic inaction is that a protracted war in Tigray is likely to spill over beyond Ethiopia, into Eritrea and further into Sudan. Policymakers must find a way to take collective action to avert such a dangerous regional escalation.
Meet Ron and Sally… They had been living in a 4,000-square-foot home, using only a fraction of the space, when they began seriously considering what the future might look like.
For many older adults, the decision to move into a senior living community is often viewed as something to consider only when a crisis occurs. But for Ron and his wife, Sally, making the move before it became necessary was one of the best decisions they ever made.
The couple, both in their late 80s, live comfortably in an Independent Living apartment in a Harmony senior living community that also offers Assisted Living and Memory Care neighborhoods. While Ron remains active and independent, his wife lives with multiple sclerosis. She is healthy and engaged, but mobility has become increasingly challenging.
Their story is one familiar to many aging couples: one spouse begins facing greater physical challenges than the other, caregiving responsibilities gradually increase, and adult children worry about their parents’ safety while trying to respect their independence.
Aging Together, but Differently
Photo provided by Harmony Senior Care
Rather than waiting until caregiving demands became overwhelming or a health emergency forced a decision, they chose to make a move while they still had options and independence.
“I think we were smart to move before we were in any kind of desperate situation,” Ron reflected. “We live independently, participate in activities, and enjoy an active social life, but we know help is here if we need it.”
That decision not only provided peace of mind for the couple but also allowed them to remain close to their daughter, who lives nearby, without relying on her to become a full-time caregiver. Ron and his wife wanted family visits to remain about spending time together, not managing daily responsibilities.
“My wife and I discussed this. We decided we would not put any kind of demands on our daughter except when we really needed to.”
Their daughter, son-on-law, and grandchildren visit frequently. They share dinners, enjoy family outings, and spend quality time together.
Protecting Family Relationships
Ron’s concern about protecting his daughter from becoming a full-time caregiver comes from his own experience. Years earlier, he faced a similar decision with his own parents.
Ron recalls helping his mother and father transition into senior living after his father was diagnosed with dementia. His mother struggled with the idea of leaving her home and giving up her independence.
“Dad was drifting into dementia, and Mom did not want to give up her independence,” Ron remembered.
Like many adult children, Ron faced the challenge of balancing his parents’ wishes with concerns for their safety and quality of life. Ultimately, the move proved beneficial, but it took time for his mother to fully embrace it.
“It took her about a year and a half to say, ‘Okay, I’m in the place where I should be.”
Ron found himself experiencing many of those same emotions.
“Even with making the choice to live in a senior living community, it took me about a year or so to adjust after spending so many years in our home” he admitted. “But I have no doubt that we’re exactly where we should be.”
The Hidden Burden on Spouses
One of the realities many families face is that spouses rarely age in exactly the same way.
One person may remain healthy and active while the other develops mobility challenges, memory concerns, or chronic health conditions. Over time, the healthier spouse often becomes a full-time caregiver.
“It’s a lot on the spouse who has to care for their partner who is aging differently than they are,” Ron said.
For many couples living at home, that burden grows steadily. The caregiver often becomes responsible for transportation, medications, household management, mobility assistance, appointments, and countless other daily needs.
Senior living offers practical support, but Ron says one of the most valuable benefits is something many people don’t anticipate.
“It’s not always direct help,” he explained. “You’re having dinner with people who have situations just like yours, and you talk about it.”
In other words, caregivers gain something just as valuable as assistance: understanding.”You get a lot of support.”
That support comes from neighbors who have walked the same path and understand the unique challenges that come with caring for a spouse.
Neighbors Who Look Out for One Another
Photo courtesy of Harmony Senior Care
When Ron describes life at Harmony, he talks less about services and more about people.
“We pay attention to the people who live near us in Independent Living,” he said. “We check on them. We run errands, pick up prescriptions, and help when needed.”
The support system extends throughout the community.
That culture of looking out for one another creates a sense of security that is difficult to replicate at home.
“You have a lot of neighbors, and they’re a few feet away,” Ron said. “They pay attention, and they pay attention in a way that’s not snooping. Everyone is looking out for each other.”
Residents notice when someone hasn’t come to dinner. They check in on neighbors. They help one another. It’s a network of support built through friendship and proximity.
“You get a lot more of that kind of help than you do at home.”
A Great Place to Be Before You Need More Care
Ron is also quick to point out that senior living is not only beneficial for couples dealing with different health needs.
Many residents in Independent Living remain largely self-sufficient but may be beginning to experience challenges that make living completely alone more difficult.
For someone living alone, that support system can provide peace of mind while helping preserve independence longer.
“If you’re a single person who is getting toward assisted living but not there yet, this is a great place to be because you’ve got people who are going to pay attention to you.”
A Richer Social Life
One of the biggest surprises for Ron was how dramatically his social life improved after moving.After losing four close friends within just a few months, he found himself increasingly isolated.
Today, life looks very different. “At Harmony, we have more activities than I have time and energy to do,” he laughed. The couple now enjoys a fuller social calendar than they had at home.
At first, Ron assumed the social opportunities would be more important for his wife. Instead, he discovered they were equally important for him.
“I really like the social interaction and the social life.”
For adults in their 80s and beyond, meaningful social connections can become increasingly difficult to maintain. At Harmony, friendship is built into daily life.
The Best Time Is Before You Have To
After watching his own parents navigate aging, serving as a caregiver to his wife, and ultimately making the transition himself, Ron has come to a simple conclusion.
Reluctance is normal.
Most people don’t want to leave a home filled with memories. Most worry about losing independence. Most wonder if they’re making the decision too soon.
But Ron believes waiting for a crisis often means waiting too long.
For couples where one spouse is experiencing health challenges, for caregivers carrying growing responsibilities, and for older adults who want to maintain control over their future, making the move proactively can make all the difference.
Today, Ron and his wife have support when they need it, a vibrant social life, neighbors who genuinely care about them, and a daughter who can focus on being family rather than a full-time caregiver.
“We’re exactly where we should be,” Ron said.
For more information…
To learn more about Independent Living and caregiving support at Harmony, reach out to one of our Delaware locations in Dover, Glasgow, or Hockessin. Each location offers Independent Living, Assisted Living, and Memory Care apartments long with beautiful amenities, on-site physical, occupational, and speech therapy, dining options, and a full calendar of social events.
Minneapolis, MN — The family of Renee Good has filed two lawsuits against the U.S. government and several current and former immigration officials over her fatal shooting by an ICE officer during a federal immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.
Good, 37, was shot Jan. 7 while sitting in her vehicle during protests against Operation Metro Surge. Video reviewed by news organizations showed her briefly reversing and then turning away as ICE officer Jonathan Ross fired three shots into the vehicle. Federal officials said Ross acted in self-defense.
One lawsuit alleges wrongful death under Minnesota law, including claims of assault, battery, negligence and false imprisonment. A second alleges a conspiracy to violate civil rights and names Ross, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other officials.
Good’s death became a flashpoint in the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement campaign. Another U.S. citizen, Alex Pretti, was fatally shot by immigration agents weeks later. AP reports that at least 10 people have died in encounters with immigration officers during Trump’s second term.
Hennepin County prosecutors continue investigating Good’s killing, while DHS maintains that federal agents acted lawfully.
Photo: Brianna Busch is representing Delaware Park Casino at the 2026 G2E Dealer Championship at The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas.
New Castle native Brianna Busch is representing Delaware Park Casino this week against 49 other dealers from across North America
WILMINGTON, Del. — A New Castle native who learned to deal cards at Delaware Park Casino just four years ago is putting those skills to the test this week on one of the gaming industry’s biggest stages.
Brianna Busch is representing Delaware Park Casino at the 2026 G2E Dealer Championship at The Venetian Expo in Las Vegas.
The three-day competition, which began Tuesday and concludes Thursday, brings together 50 dealers representing casinos from across North America. For the first time, the championship includes dealers from Canada and Mexico as well as the United States.
Busch is the first dealer from Delaware Park to compete in the national event.
“It’s very exciting and shocking,” Busch said when she learned she had been selected. “I feel honored that Delaware Park is involved and that I get to represent them.”
From dealer school to Las Vegas
Photo: the Team in Delaware Park Casino sending Brianna off to Las Vegas for the G2E Dealer Competition.
Busch’s path to the competition began with a setback.
She first enrolled in dealer training in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic forced the classes to be canceled. She returned in 2022, completed Delaware Park’s dealer school and joined the casino’s table games staff that June.
Since then, Busch has learned every table game offered at Delaware Park and recently was promoted to supervisor.
Her chance to represent the casino came after an internal competition July 15. Busch advanced to a final group of five employees who demonstrated their dealing skills while working with actual guests on the casino floor.
Rather than treating it as a special performance, Busch said she relied on what she does every day.
“This is what I do, so it didn’t feel like a competition,” Busch said. “I just focused on being who I am and doing my job.”
Blackjack, roulette — and people skills
At G2E, Busch and the other competitors must demonstrate more than an ability to shuffle cards, calculate payouts or spin a roulette wheel.
Each contestant deals blackjack and traditional roulette for 15 minutes and is evaluated on technical skills, hospitality and game control. The tournament uses elimination rounds, culminating Thursday with the championship.
Busch’s favorite game is roulette.
Her preparation for blackjack, however, sometimes follows her home to Delaware.
While driving, Busch said she looks at numbers on Delaware license plates and uses them to practice the mental arithmetic required at a blackjack table, adding and calculating numbers toward 21.
“I like to work under pressure,” Busch said. “It’s controlled chaos, but I know what I’m doing.”
The gaming industry also runs in the family. Busch’s mother began working in the industry in the 1990s, including a stint at Delaware Park, and encouraged her daughter to consider becoming a dealer.
Busch previously attended culinary school and said she sees similarities between a busy restaurant kitchen and a crowded casino table: Both require employees to remain calm, accurate and personable while working quickly under pressure.
Delaware Park sends one of its own
Delaware Park officials said Busch’s advancement from dealer school graduate to supervisor and now national competitor illustrates the career opportunities available within casino operations.
“We, as a department, are very excited to be able to have Brianna represent us in Las Vegas,” said Kevin Gargin, director of table games. “Brianna shows the qualities we strive to make a standard. She takes pride in her work and focuses on making sure guests have a positive, memorable experience.”
Terry Glebocki, president and general manager of Delaware Park Casino, said Busch’s progress has been remarkable.
“In just four years, Brianna has grown tremendously — from a graduate of our dealer’s school to a floor supervisor,” Glebocki said. “She exemplifies the very best of Delaware Park through skill, confidence, an engaging personality and an undeniable rapport with our guests.”
The championship is part of the Global Gaming Expo, presented by the American Gaming Association and organized by RX. The competition debuted in 2025 with 34 U.S. dealers. This year’s expanded field includes 50 competitors from across North America.
For Busch, the trip also marks another milestone: her first visit to Las Vegas.
And despite competing against some of the continent’s top casino dealers, her strategy remains much the same as it was during Delaware Park’s internal competition.
Trust her training, engage the people at the table and do the job she already knows how to do.
TO GO BOX
What: 2026 G2E Dealer Championship
Who: Delaware Park Casino representative Brianna Busch and 49 other dealers from casinos across North America
When: Sept. 29-Oct. 1
Where: The Venetian Expo, Las Vegas
Competition: Dealers compete in blackjack and traditional roulette and are judged on technical skills, hospitality and game control.
How the insurance industry can help society adapt to climate changeExpert commentLToremark
As climate change threatens to make homes uninsurable, the insurance industry is often the bearer of bad news. But its understanding of future risks can be used to help society adapt to a warming world.
There are increasingly frequent headlines about how climate change is affecting insurance coverage and affordability: homeowners in areas prone to wildfires, hurricanes or flooding discovering that their existing policies cannot be renewed, or that cover has become unaffordable or vanished altogether. The word often attached to these stories is a stark one: uninsurability.
Beyond the headlines, banks worry about what declining cover means for the value of properties securing long-term mortgages. In turn, regulators worry about the systemic consequences if large numbers of properties lose value at once. Mayors worry about gaps in coverage impacting long-term investment in their cities. Governments, meanwhile, are becoming more interventionist as people are being priced out of protection, stepping in to keep cover flowing.
They are right to worry. But framing the problem as insurance failure misdiagnoses what is going wrong – and lets everyone else off the hook.
The term uninsurability implies that the issue lies within the insurance industry. But it is almost always a symptom of deeper problems – of which climate change is the most important, but far from the only one.
California is perhaps the most famous example of climate-driven market failure. While wildfire risk has undoubtedly risen, the retreat of insurance was as much a consequence of political choices to suppress premiums as of climate change. When the true cost of risk collides with an artificial cap on what may be charged for it, cover does not just become expensive – it becomes uneconomic to offer at all. Climate change did not break the market on its own; the market failed because society was unwilling to pay the true price of the risk it faced.
The pattern is repeated elsewhere. Yes, rising premiums reflect climate change. But they also reflect dysfunctional planning systems that permit construction in areas prone to climate hazards and decades of chronic underinvestment in risk reduction and resilience. Insurers are, in effect, the messengers: rising prices are among the first clear signals that risks have become intolerable. And shooting the messenger is always a tempting option.
The dangers of blaming insurers
The narrative that insurance is failing carries real reputational and regulatory danger for the insurance industry. As rising premiums and thinning cover drag on property values, societies will look to place blame and insurers risk becoming scapegoats for a collective failure they did not cause. Governments may respond with more intervention, tighter constraints on pricing and more pressure to write cover at a loss.
This narrative also creates danger in society at large. Insurers have built a uniquely sophisticated architecture to understand and price risk. That architecture is now increasingly signalling a stark truth: as climate change intensifies, historical decisions about where and how to build are rapidly becoming too costly – or too challenging – to maintain. When the plight of homeowners in California and elsewhere is only viewed as a failure of insurance, we miss the opportunity to have a vital public conversation not only about making today’s society resilient, but also about what structural changes and trade-offs are required for societies to thrive in a rapidly changing climate.
Prominent industry voices sounding the alarm on insurability can be helpful if the result is greater government action on emissions and adaptation. But it is not enough on its own. As climate impacts intensify, insurance will find itself dragged into uncomfortable political arguments about who bears the cost of loss and damage, which places are worth defending and which will have to be abandoned. This is unavoidable; insurance will shape these outcomes by determining what gets cover, who is compensated and who pays. An industry that has cast itself only as the bearer of bad news risks becoming viewed as part of the problem.
Where insurance can – and should – do more
All this obscures how much agency insurance has. Arguably no other industry is better placed to help societies adapt to climate change. Insurers have the data and models to anticipate how risks are evolving – exactly the intelligence governments and developers need to decide where to build and what to adapt. Risk-based premiums, so often cast as the problem, are among the most powerful adaptation signals we have. And insurers’ risk-advisory teams can help design the defences, retrofits and hardened infrastructure that keep places insurable in the first place.
This is not only about defending markets and preserving insurability – it is a genuine growth opportunity that also addresses a pressing societal need. A recent report from the UK Government Office for Science estimated cumulative global adaptation spending of £3.5 trillion over the next decade, with insurance highlighted among the sectors positioned to benefit. Other estimates of the market potential for adaptation goods and services are even higher. It is likely to be one of the defining market opportunities of the next 20 years.
The imperative is to get off the back foot: stop being the messenger and start being a solution. There are already signals of change. Capitalizing on this momentum means three things. One, being far clearer about what is needed from national and local governments on adaptation – not vague calls for ‘better planning’, but concrete asks tied to the risks insurers can see coming. Two, putting the industry’s modelling and advisory expertise to work on adaptation, visibly and at scale. Three, making peace with increased government intervention. Historically, the industry has eyed public schemes and public–private partnerships with suspicion, concerned that they will crowd out private insurance. But the use of these schemes will grow as concerns about insurability mount. Insurers should instead help shape them so they reduce risk rather than subsidise its accumulation, and support adaptation rather than undermine it through blunted price signals.
What governments should do
Climate adaptation is rapidly gaining momentum but is too often focused on technical solutions to flood and heat, not the economic and social architecture required to make adaptation a reality. Governments need to build the mechanisms for insurance to engage on adaptation early and at scale. At the national level, this could include establishing country platforms to coordinate and finance adaptation strategies. Similar mechanisms could be developed at the city level. Above all, governments must start having the conversations everyone would rather avoid: about where societies should adapt and where they should retreat – and they must involve insurers in these discussions.
The retreat of insurance from the climate front line is real and frightening. But it is also an opportunity. Read as a failure of the insurance industry, it will misdirect blame, encourage clumsy market interventions and delay adaptation. Read as information – and met by an industry willing to move from warning to action – it could instead prompt the urgent work and hard choices that a warming world demands. That choice, for now, is still ours.
Washington, DC — President Donald Trump says he would consider issuing preemptive pardons to members of his administration before leaving office if they faced possible investigations under a future Democratic government.
Asked in a Time interview whether he would pardon officials who might later become targets of Democratic-led investigations, Trump replied, “Yeah, sure I’d do that.” He then pointed repeatedly to former President Joe Biden’s use of preemptive pardons before leaving office in January 2025.
Biden granted clemency to figures including Anthony Fauci, retired Gen. Mark Milley and members and staff of the House committee that investigated the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. He said the pardons were intended to protect public servants from potential politically motivated prosecutions and were not acknowledgments of wrongdoing.
Biden also pardoned several family members before leaving office, a decision that drew criticism from Republicans and some Democrats.
Trump has made expansive use of presidential clemency himself. Shortly after returning to office, he pardoned roughly 1,500 people charged or convicted in connection with Jan. 6 and commuted several additional sentences.
Trump did not identify which current officials might receive pardons or say that any final decisions had been made. His comments nevertheless raise the possibility of another broad use of presidential clemency before his second term ends.
Washington, DC — The Trump administration has expanded its controversial taxpayer-funded advertising campaign with a new television spot celebrating President Donald Trump’s decision to launch the war against Iran, just weeks before the midterm elections.
The one-minute advertisement aired Wednesday on Fox News and carries the disclosure “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” It features Trump’s February announcement of military operations, battlefield imagery, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth praising the president’s willingness to use force against threats to Americans. The ad concludes with Trump urging Iranians to take control of their government.
The spot is part of a broader series of government-funded advertisements centered heavily on Trump’s leadership and political themes. Previous ads have highlighted his tax policies, attacked political enemies, and reused language and footage resembling his campaign material. The White House calls them patriotic public-service announcements rather than political advertising.
That explanation has drawn criticism from both parties. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have questioned whether taxpayer funds should fund campaign-style messaging immediately before an election, while legal experts have raised concerns about potential violations of federal restrictions on government-funded propaganda.
The Iran ad arrives as the conflict enters its seventh month and remains politically contentious at home.
Weekend Spotlight is a round-up of the five best events to check out in Delaware over the coming weekend, curated by Arts + Culture Editor Cannon Taylor. This edition covers Oct. 2-4, 2026. What should be on our radar for future editions? Let us know!
House Shows
Porchfest celebrates local music
Saturday, Oct. 3. Cool Spring and Trolley Square neighborhoods. Wilmington. Noon to 8 p.m. Free.
Who needs a music venue when you can host a musician at your home? The Original Music Association of Delaware is hosting its second annual Wilmington Porchfest, highlighting our local scene with a full day of free concerts in front yards.
Beyond the music, Porchfest is an excellent way to get outside and make some friends. Who knew porches were the ultimate antidote to social isolation?
The party begins in the Cool Spring neighborhood, noon to 4 p.m., and continues in Trolley Square, 4-8 p.m.
St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church opens its doors for the Egyptian Festival Oct. 3-4. | PHOTO COURTESY OF ST. MARY COPTIC ORTHODOX CHURCH
Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4. St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church of Delaware. 1644 Otts Chapel Road, Newark. 11 a.m.to 6 p.m. Free.
The Coptic Orthodox Church dates back to 1st century Egypt. Delaware’s congregation is a bit more recent. The St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church of Delaware was founded by seven immigrant families in 1979 and within a decade had grown its numbers enough to build its own church building.
This weekend, the church is opening its doors to the hungry public for its bi-annual Egyptian Festival, featuring a wide array of Egyptian and Mediterranean cuisine for sale: shawarma, moussaka, kofta and more. You may even see someone dressed as a pharaoh.
Roger Daltrey comes to the Freeman Arts Pavilion on Oct. 3. | PHOTO COURTESY OF FREEMAN ARTS PAVILION
Saturday, Oct. 3, Freeman Arts Pavilion, 31806 Lake View Drive, Selbyville. 7 p.m. General Admission: $92.
Last year, English rock band The Who wrapped up their final North American tour. “The Song Is Over” was the tour’s name and the band’s promise — but vocalist Roger Daltrey just keeps on singing. The iconic voice of ‘60s and ‘70s rock continues to tour as a solo act and, this weekend, will come from across the pond to The First State.
Daltrey’s powerful, raspy cadence will be backed by his acoustic strumming rather than a rock band as he performs solo material, covers and The Who hits in an intimate performance at the Freeman Arts Pavilion.
Delaware City Day honors the town’s bicentennial on Oct. 3. | PHOTO COURTESY OF DELAWARE CITY DAY
Saturday, Oct. 3. Battery Park. Clinton Street, Delaware City. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Free.
Delaware City has celebrated its annual Delaware City Day since 1980 but is aiming to make this one particularly special in honor of its bicentennial. Volunteers are hard at work readying the fireworks, constructing parade floats and practicing their regal waves.
The day also features boat rides, live music, children’s activities and fireworks at dusk, but the true appeal of the event can be found by wandering into local shops and restaurants and experiencing the small town hospitality that makes this port town of less than 2,000 people so special.
Cannibis, music and art festival Weedstock returns to Delaware Oct. 2-4. | PHOTO COURTESY OF WEEDSTOCK
Friday, Oct. 2 through Sunday, Oct. 4. G & R Campground. 4075 Gun and Rod Club Road, Houston. Hours vary. Tickets: $53 per day, $105 weekend pass. 21+.
While Weedstock brands itself as a “Music & Arts Festival,” it’d be hard to walk away without getting high. That’s in no small part because of the industrial-grade “Kush Cannon” the organizers fire off at 4:20 p.m.
The festival began in 2017 to advocate for marijuana destigmatization and legalization. Now that recreational use is legal in Delaware, Weedstock has become more like a three-day party.
Whether that’s your vibe or a nasal nightmare is up to individual discretion. Either way, the characters who come to Weedstock are bound to be amusing to watch.
As he celebrated Boulden Brothers' 80th anniversary Tuesday, surrounded by his family members, Tim Boulden recounted advice he received from his father.
Austin, TX — Texas authorities say they disrupted a planned violent attack on the state Capitol after receiving a credible tip and arresting the alleged main suspect within hours.
The Texas Department of Public Safety identified the suspect as 40-year-old Benny Caldera Jr. of Converse, near San Antonio. DPS said investigators learned Tuesday evening of a planned attack scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 1, and worked with the FBI and local law enforcement to locate Caldera.
DPS SWAT officers arrested him at his home around 3 a.m. Wednesday. He was initially booked into the Bexar County Jail on a felony charge of making a terroristic threat against a public servant. Authorities later said he was transferred to federal custody as the investigation continued.
A memo sent to Texas senators described Caldera as the “main suspect” and referenced suspected co-conspirators, although state authorities have not announced additional arrests. Officials also have not publicly identified a motive.
The Capitol remained open during regular hours Wednesday, with an enhanced DPS presence around the building. Gov. Greg Abbott praised state and federal authorities for acting quickly against the alleged threat.
Why Should Delaware Care? The state chamber of commerce is the most influential business advocacy organization in Delaware and, as its next leader, Rep. Mike Smith will shape its future work and impact. His departure from the General Assembly will be a blow to the future prospects of the state Republican Party, which has struggled for a decade to make advancements in the state.
State Rep. Mike Smith (R-Pike Creek), who was announced Wednesday morning as the next president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, told Spotlight Delaware he would not run for reelection in 2028.
While the 41-year-old Smith has long been seen as a rising future leader in the Delaware Republican Party, the lawmaker said he also will not seek any office come 2028.
Smith is one of the youngest members of the state’s Republican caucus and the last incumbent Republican lawmaker from New Castle County. He represents the Pike Creek and Hockessin area in House District 22, where he has defied a Democratic voter registration advantage since taking office in 2018 by fewer than 200 votes.
Despite running against the odds, Smith has easily won re-election twice, in part by building a personal brand grounded on constituent conversations, small business and entrepreneurial support, and raising a young family.
He called the decision to transition to the private sector after a decade as a state representative, should he win his reelection bid next month, “a commitment” he made to both himself and his family.
Smith said the 10-year number has long been on his mind. It is indicative of his broader political ideology. He has served his constituents well and been able to accomplish an agenda in that time, he said.
“It’s going to be hard to walk away from that,” Smith said. “But I think that’s something that’s important in the political process. These elected positions were not built for people to stay in the same position for years upon years upon years.”
The General Assembly also has changed a lot since he was first elected, Smith said. Changes that have not necessarily been for the better.
“I’m not someone who believes in the party apparatus or the party fiefdoms, and I guess what comes with that,” Smith said. “I also don’t think the General Assembly has that makeup anymore. I think the General Assembly has generally been made up of advocacy organizations and really been kind of pillaged by the rise in outside [political action committee] spending.”
Leading the state chamber
Shortly before he spoke with Spotlight Delaware on Wednesday afternoon, Smith was announced as the next president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, the state’s most influential business advocacy organization.
A press release announcing Smith’s new role said he was chosen after a national search “based on his experience in public policy, higher education, economic development, and community engagement.”
He succeeds Michael Quaranta, a former chief of staff to the late Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Castle who has led the state chamber since 2018. Quaranta has overseen a growth in membership of the chamber while leading it through a period in which complete Democratic control of state government has sometimes led to a particularly adversarial relationship, such as around the minimum wage increase and the passage of paid leave.
Smith said the role represents a natural progression for his career; he currently serves as strategic initiatives director for the University of Delaware’s College of Health Sciences. He hopes to work at the intersection of business innovation and government to build a Delaware economy that can thrive for future generations.
John Gooden, chair of the state chamber’s board of directors, said Smith’s background made him a natural fit for the role.
“He’s got a history, actually a passion, for being able to reach across the aisle, understanding public policy and how it ties into business, how it affects the business community,” Gooden said.
A brewing conflict of interest?
But the appointment also raises questions about a potential conflict of interest, should Smith win his reelection bid this November, as he would sit at the helm of an organization that often lobbies lawmakers in favor of business-friendly legislation.
John Flaherty, a spokesman for the Delaware Coalition for Open Government, an advocacy group focused on increasing government transparency and accountability, said Smith’s new role “is clearly a conflict.”
“You can’t serve two masters,” Flaherty said. “You can’t be a legislator and pretend that the chamber’s lobbyist who is testifying on a bill or bills doesn’t impact you.”
Flaherty said Smith should, at a minimum, ask the House Ethics Committee to issue an advisory opinion on his new role, since the General Assembly is not beholden to any outside public integrity group. Asking for an advisory opinion, Flaherty said, would “dispel any appearance of impropriety this might have.”
Smith, in a text message to Spotlight Delaware, said he would welcome an advisory opinion, saying he is in favor of “as much transparency as possible.”
The General Assembly does have a legislative conflict of interest policy, which requires members to disclose a potential conflict and refrain from voting on a measure that where one has “a personal or private interest.”
That is defined as “an interest which tends to impair a legislator’s independence of judgment in the performance of the legislator’s legislative duties with respect to that measure or bill.” Whether his chamber leadership would impair his independence or simply reflect a well-known support for business measures may be difficult to prove.
Similarly, a one-year prohibition between public service and lobbying the legislature may also not apply to Smith, since it only refers to former legislators. Quaranta is currently a registered lobbyist in the state, but the chamber also employs other lobbyists as well, which could give Smith a degree of legal separation.
And while Smith said questions about a potential conflict of interest are fair, he also rebuffed the idea that one would exist.
The role of the chamber president is much bigger than government lobbying, Smith said. He pointed to other facets of the role including membership, education and fundraising as areas where his attention will be focused.
He also said that being a lawmaker is part-time by design. Most legislators have outside jobs, and hat outside employment — regardless of where — will always create the potential for a conflict of interest, Smith said.
Gooden, the state chamber’s board chair, also dismissed the idea of a conflict. He said the topic was discussed by the chamber’s search committee during their process of evaluating candidates, but he does not anticipate it being a problem.
Smith also noted candidates in other legislative races who have ties to advocacy organizations have already been supported by voters, as well as current lawmakers who are presidents or CEOs of organizations that also do direct lobbying to the legislature.
Boston, MA — A sweeping Massachusetts investigation has found that more than 270 Catholic clerics sexually abused nearly 1,000 children across the dioceses of Fall River, Springfield and Worcester over several decades, while church leaders repeatedly failed to stop the abuse.
The attorney general’s office said the investigation, launched in 2019, reviewed more than 300,000 pages of records and interviewed more than 100 people. Most of the documented abuse occurred before 2002, when reporting by The Boston Globe exposed widespread clergy abuse in the Archdiocese of Boston and triggered investigations worldwide.
Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said church officials in all three dioceses knew for years that children were being abused but often failed to take effective action or confront institutional failures that allowed misconduct to continue.
The investigation did not produce broad new criminal charges. Prosecutors said some conduct was not criminal under Massachusetts law when it occurred, while statutes of limitations barred other cases. Three matters were referred to local district attorneys, with one resulting in charges.
The report calls for stronger child-protection policies, improved responses to survivors and greater institutional transparency. The Worcester Diocese said it would review the findings for additional reforms and pointed to an earlier apology from Bishop Robert McManus.
Campbell said legal barriers do not lessen the seriousness of the abuse or the state’s responsibility to document what happened.
Quantico, VA — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has launched Project Meridian, a 120-day Pentagon initiative tasked with identifying the weapons, technologies and battlefields likely to define future conflicts.
Elon Musk, Anduril founder Palmer Luckey and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich will co-lead the effort under Pentagon technology chief Emil Michael. Hegseth said the project is intended to look beyond traditional military planning and determine what capabilities the United States will need to maintain technological superiority.
The group is expected to examine artificial intelligence, autonomous weapons, robotics and other emerging technologies, then submit recommendations within 120 days. A public report is expected, along with a classified annex covering sensitive findings.
The initiative also places executives with major Pentagon business interests directly inside a process examining future military technology. Musk’s SpaceX and Luckey’s Anduril already hold substantial U.S. defense contracts.
Project Meridian was one of six initiatives Hegseth announced during his “State of the Force” address at Marine Corps Base Quantico. Others include a new four-star Autonomous Warfare Command designed to accelerate deployment of drones and robotic systems.
The first signs that an aging parent is struggling can be easy to miss. Knowing what to watch for can help families find support before a crisis forces the decision.
By George D. Rotsch, Delaware LIVE News
HOCKESSIN Del. – For many adult children, there isn’t a single moment when they realize Mom may need more help.
Instead, it happens slowly.
She asks the same question again. The refrigerator seems a little emptier. A bill gets paid late. She stops going to an activity she once enjoyed. Maybe she hesitates on the stairs or seems less comfortable driving at night.
Individually, those changes may not seem alarming. Together, however, they can signal that an aging parent is beginning to have difficulty managing life independently.
Recognizing those changes early can give families something particularly valuable: time and choices.
That is the focus of the first installment of Delaware LIVE’s series for adult caregivers — helping families recognize when a parent may need additional support and understand where to turn before an emergency makes the decision for them.
Why the person closest to Mom may miss it
One of the challenges is that aging usually happens gradually.
An adult child who sees a parent every day or every week naturally adjusts to small changes. A little more forgetfulness becomes familiar. Someone begins bringing Mom dinner more often. Another family member quietly starts paying a bill, driving her to appointments or handling something on the computer.
Without realizing it, the family may gradually be doing more and more.
Meanwhile, a sibling, grandchild or friend who has not seen Mom for several months may walk through the door and immediately notice something different.
“She seems slower.”
“She repeated that story three times.”
“The house doesn’t look like it used to.”
“That’s just not like Mom.”
Those observations shouldn’t automatically be treated as proof that something is wrong. Someone visiting for a few hours may see only a snapshot.
But they shouldn’t be dismissed either.
A useful question is: “What specifically did you notice?”
Specific observations — rather than general impressions — can help families determine whether a pattern is developing.
Watch for changes in everyday life
Memory loss is one possible warning sign, but it isn’t the only one.
Caregivers should pay attention to whether Mom is still managing the everyday activities she handled six months or a year ago.
Possible signs include:
Repeating questions or stories frequently.
Missing appointments or forgetting medications.
Unopened mail or unpaid bills piling up.
Difficulty preparing meals or forgetting to eat.
Expired food accumulating in the refrigerator.
Wearing the same clothes repeatedly or declining personal hygiene.
Increased clutter or an unusually messy home.
Trouble using appliances that were once familiar.
More falls, near-falls or difficulty getting out of a chair.
Unexplained weight loss or increased fatigue.
Withdrawing from friends, church, hobbies or social activities.
Becoming unusually anxious, irritable or suspicious.
Getting confused while driving or walking familiar routes.
Financial changes can be particularly important.
Late bills, duplicate payments, confusion about accounts or falling for scams may indicate that Mom is having more difficulty with judgment or organization even when casual conversation and memory still seem relatively normal.
The central question may be less about whether Mom occasionally forgets something and more about this:
Can she still function independently the way she did a year ago?
Listen to the people around her
Caregiving works best when one person doesn’t have to make every judgment alone.
Brothers and sisters, grandchildren, longtime friends, neighbors and others who know Mom well may notice changes the primary caregiver has gradually become accustomed to.
Families can periodically ask:
“Have you noticed anything different about Mom during the past six months?”
Then listen for examples.
If several people independently notice similar changes — problems with memory, mobility, organization, judgment or social engagement — it may be worth taking a closer look.
Writing down specific examples and approximate dates can also be useful when talking with Mom’s physician.
Why waiting can make things harder
Avoiding the conversation can feel easier, particularly when Mom values her independence and family members don’t want her to feel that decisions are being made for her.
But waiting until something happens can dramatically reduce the family’s choices.
Small problems can become larger ones: missed medications, poor nutrition, unpaid bills, falls, scams, driving problems or worsening health conditions.
And instead of making decisions gradually, the family may suddenly be making them in a hospital room after a fall or medical emergency.
Addressing concerns early doesn’t necessarily mean moving Mom into assisted living.
In fact, modest support may help her remain at home longer.
That support could include meal delivery, transportation, medication reminders, homemaker services, companion visits, an adult day program or a few hours of in-home care each week.
The better question may not be, “Does Mom need assisted living?”
It may be:
“What support would help Mom remain safe and independent?”
Start with a medical conversation
When noticeable changes begin occurring, Mom’s primary care physician or a geriatric specialist can be an important first stop.
Changes in memory, mood, balance or behavior can have many potential causes, including medications, hearing or vision problems, depression, illness, cognitive impairment or other medical conditions.
A medical evaluation can help families better understand what may be occurring and establish a baseline to compare against future changes.
Going into the appointment with specific examples is more useful than simply saying, “Mom seems different.”
Delaware caregivers don’t have to figure it out alone
Families also have Delaware organizations that can help them understand what assistance may be available.
Delaware Aging and Disability Resource Center: The state’s Aging and Disability Resource Center can help families learn about in-home care, transportation, meal programs, respite care, adult day programs, benefits and long-term care options. Phone: 800-223-9074
Easterseals Delaware Caregiver Resource Center: Easterseals provides caregiver education, support and guidance for families trying to understand aging and caregiving options. Its resources can also help caregivers develop plans and address the stress that often accompanies caring for a parent.
Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter: When memory or cognitive changes are part of the concern, the Alzheimer’s Association offers education, support groups, care consultations and guidance about evaluation and safety. Its 24-hour helpline is 800-272-3900.
Pay attention before the crisis
There is an important middle ground between doing nothing and moving a parent into assisted living.
For some families, the answer may simply be additional help around the house. For others, it may eventually involve home care, an adult day program, assisted living or another level of support.
The advantage of noticing changes early is that Mom can be part of those decisions.
Families have time to ask what she wants, understand the options, review finances and determine what level of assistance makes sense.
Sometimes the first indication is nothing more specific than a feeling shared by adult children everywhere:
Mom just doesn’t seem quite like herself anymore.
That feeling shouldn’t automatically lead to a conclusion.
But it may be a good reason to start paying closer attention.
CAREGIVER CHECK: THREE QUESTIONS TO ASK
Is Mom safe?
Look at falls, driving, medications, cooking and whether she can respond appropriately in an emergency.
Is Mom managing?
Look at bills, meals, housekeeping, appointments and other everyday responsibilities.
Is Mom different than she was a year ago?
Consider memory, judgment, personality, mobility, and social engagement.
If the answer to one of those questions is “I’m not sure,” it may be time to gather more information rather than wait for a crisis.
TO GO BOX
Easterseals Delaware Caregiver Resource Center New Castle: 302-221-2076 Milford: 302-253-1129 Website:Easterseals Caregiver Support
Provides caregiver education, support groups, planning assistance, respite resources and help connecting families with local services. Easterseals DE & MD Eastern Shore
Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline Phone: 800-272-3900 Website:Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Valley Chapter
Help for families concerned about memory loss, cognitive changes, dementia, safety and getting a loved one evaluated.
Delaware Aging and Disability Resource Center Phone: 800-223-9074 Website:DelawareADRC.com
A statewide starting point for information about in-home care, transportation, meals, respite programs, benefits and long-term care options. Delaware Health and Social Services
Editor’s Note: This is part of Delaware LIVE’s series for Adult Caregivers. The series is made possible by support from Easter Seals of Delaware and Eastern Maryland and Harmony Senior Living. To see all stories Delaware LIVE has developed as part of the special series, visit our Health & Wellness Page;
Republican lawmaker will succeed Michael Quaranta in December, bringing experience in business policy, education and economic development to Delaware’s largest business organization
WILMINGTON, Del. — State Rep. Michael F. Smith, a Republican lawmaker whose legislative work has included economic development, taxes, education and state capital spending, has been selected as the next president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce.
Smith will succeed Michael J. Quaranta, who plans to retire in mid-December after eight years leading the organization.
The State Chamber’s board selected Smith following a national search, according to an announcement Wednesday.
“Michael Smith brings strong advocacy experience, a deep understanding of Delaware, and a proven ability to build relationships across sectors,” John Gooden, chairman of the State Chamber’s board of directors, said in announcing the appointment.
The move will put a sitting state legislator at the helm of one of Delaware’s most influential business advocacy organizations at a time when employers and lawmakers are debating taxes, state spending, workforce development, health care, energy costs and Delaware’s overall competitiveness.
From Legislative Hall to business advocacy
Smith was first elected to the Delaware House in 2018 and represents the 22nd District, covering Pike Creek Valley and portions of Hockessin and Newark. The Delaware General Assembly currently lists Smith as a Republican representing the district.
His committee assignments have given him a role in several issues directly affecting Delaware employers. Smith serves on the House Revenue and Finance Committee and the Economic Development, Banking, Insurance and Commerce Committee, as well as the Education and Health and Human Development committees.
He also serves on the Joint Capital Improvement Committee, commonly known as the Bond Committee, which develops Delaware’s annual capital spending bill.
Outside Legislative Hall, Smith has worked at the University of Delaware since 2014 and currently serves as director of strategic initiatives and partnerships in the College of Health Sciences. His work there has involved partnerships connecting higher education, health, workforce development and outside organizations.
“I am grateful for the confidence the Board has placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce,” Smith said. “The State Chamber has a proud history of advocating for Delaware employers and ensuring the business community has a voice on the issues that affect them.”
Smith said he also sees the Chamber as an organization capable of bringing different groups together to address shared challenges.
“I look forward to building on that work on behalf of employers and employees across Delaware,” he said.
A potentially significant voice in Dover
The appointment could give Smith an unusually direct perspective on the intersection of government and business policy.
The State Chamber, founded in 1837 as the Wilmington Board of Trade, advocates for employers on public policy and economic issues and regularly participates in debates in Dover involving taxation, regulation, workforce policy, economic development and the cost of doing business.
Smith’s legislative background means he arrives with firsthand knowledge of the General Assembly and its budget and committee processes.
The Chamber did not address in Wednesday’s announcement how Smith’s new position will affect his service in the Delaware House. Any change in his legislative status would be a separate matter from his appointment to the Chamber.
Quaranta leaves after eight years
Smith will take over an organization that changed significantly during Quaranta’s eight-year tenure.
According to the Chamber, Quaranta expanded member participation in policy committees, updated conferences and other programming and oversaw development of the organization’s 2025-27 strategic plan.
The Chamber also created the Delaware Employers and Employees Education Fund, a 501(c)(4) organization focused on voter education, and rebranded its charitable organization as the Delaware State Chamber Foundation.
It introduced additional policy and advocacy resources, including its “How They Voted” legislative scorecard and “Delaware Competitiveness Bluebook.”
The Chamber said its annual budget nearly doubled during Quaranta’s tenure despite more than two years of disruption associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Mike Quaranta has led the State Chamber through a period of meaningful change and growth,” Gooden said. “He has helped modernize the organization, strengthen its connection with members, and expand the ways the State Chamber serves Delaware’s business community.”
Smith and Quaranta are expected to work together during a transition period before Quaranta’s departure in December.
To Go Box
What: Delaware State Chamber of Commerce leadership transition
Incoming president: Michael F. Smith, state representative for Delaware’s 22nd District and director of strategic initiatives and partnerships at the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences
Outgoing president: Michael J. Quaranta
Transition: Smith and Quaranta will work together before Quaranta retires in mid-December.
Learn more: Visit the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce for information about the organization, its advocacy work and programs.
Washington, DC — A White House agreement promoting “super intelligence” drew unexpected attention Wednesday after official images published by President Donald Trump and the White House misspelled the name of the country beneath the president’s signature.
The “Joint Commitment on Frontier Responsibilities,” produced following Trump’s meeting with leading artificial intelligence executives, identified him as “President of the Unites States.” The erroneous image appeared in posts on both X and Trump’s Truth Social account, quickly generating ridicule online.
The mistake was particularly conspicuous because the agreement focuses on managing increasingly sophisticated technology. Trump has also pushed companies and federal officials to replace the term “artificial intelligence” with “super intelligence,” arguing the new description better reflects the technology’s capabilities.
Beyond the typo, the accord establishes four voluntary safety principles for companies developing advanced AI. They include stronger internal cybersecurity controls, dedicated monitoring teams, independent outside audits and committees responsible for reviewing safety findings.
Executives associated with Anthropic, OpenAI, Google, Meta, xAI and Nvidia signed the agreement. Trump has generally favored industry self-regulation rather than extensive federal restrictions, even as several participating technology leaders have publicly warned about risks from increasingly powerful AI systems.
The White House had not publicly explained how the spelling error made it into the released document.
Washington, DC — The Department of Homeland Security has acknowledged in federal court that its program for identifying alleged noncitizen voters can mistakenly flag American citizens, adding to concerns over the Trump administration’s expanded voter-fraud enforcement effort.
The admission came in litigation challenging DHS’s Unlawful Voter Initiative. According to court filings cited by Reason, officials identified “potential inaccuracies” in the system and acknowledged that, in rare circumstances, U.S. citizens could be incorrectly classified as noncitizens.
The problem is not theoretical. DHS initially told Nevada that 15,903 possible noncitizens appeared on the state’s voter rolls. That number was later reduced to 185 names, and subsequent review found all 185 were U.S. citizens.
The initiative compares voter records against immigration databases and can generate investigative leads entered into TECS, a federal law-enforcement system used by Customs and Border Protection and other agencies. DHS documents describe TECS as a platform used to share law-enforcement and inspection information among federal, state, local, tribal and international partners.
DHS says safeguards exist to prevent agents from mistakenly contacting citizens, but the filings leave unanswered what happens to Americans already entered into TECS because of erroneous matches.
The case adds to broader questions about an administration effort aimed at a form of illegal voting that research and past election audits have repeatedly found to be rare.
Photo: Images provided by the Delaware Historical & Cultural Affaires office. Graphic created with AI on 9/30.
New permanent exhibit expands the Plantation’s story to include enslaved people, Indigenous communities and others who lived on the property
DOVER, Del. — Delaware is preparing to open a new permanent exhibit at the John Dickinson Plantation that broadens the story traditionally associated with one of the state’s most important Founding Fathers.
The exhibit, “One Land Many Voices,” will debut Oct. 10 inside the plantation’s new 14,000-square-foot visitor center, part of a $14.5 million state capital project.
Gov. Matt Meyer has proclaimed Oct. 10 “One Land Many Voices Day,” saying the exhibit reflects an effort to tell the stories of all of the people who shaped the historic property.
“Delaware’s history belongs to all of us, and telling it honestly means telling the stories of everyone who shaped it,” Meyer said. “The only way we can learn from our past is by refusing to hide from it, including the chapters that are difficult to confront.”
A broader interpretation of Dickinson
John Dickinson remains central to the site.
Known as the “Penman of the Revolution,” Dickinson was one of Delaware’s most influential political figures of the founding era. His Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania made him nationally prominent in the years before the Revolution, and he later played important roles in the Continental Congress, the Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention.
The new exhibit intentionally places that political legacy alongside the stories of Indigenous people, tenant farmers, indentured servants, free Black residents and enslaved men, women and children who lived and worked on the property.
Dickinson enslaved people for much of his adult life. According to the state, he ultimately unconditionally freed all 59 people enslaved on the property in 1786.
The result is an exhibit designed to put Dickinson’s life within the larger social and economic world surrounding the plantation.
Secretary of State Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez said the goal is to acknowledge that complexity.
“Delaware’s colonial history is a complex one,” she said. “By honoring all who once lived here, we give voice to those whose work and sacrifice contributed to the legacy of this historic site.”
What the announcement leaves largely unexplored
While the state’s announcement emphasizes slavery and the broader communities connected to the plantation, it gives less attention to several parts of Dickinson’s political and constitutional legacy.
Dickinson’s Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania were among the most influential colonial arguments against British taxation. The National Archives also identifies Dickinson as the principal writer of the first draft of the Articles of Confederation, the nation’s first governing framework.
His record during the Revolution was complicated.
Dickinson opposed declaring independence in 1776 because he believed the colonies were not yet sufficiently unified or prepared for separation from Britain. After independence was approved, however, he served in the Delaware militia and later returned to national public life.
He later served as president of Delaware and Pennsylvania, chaired the 1786 Annapolis Convention that helped lead to the Constitutional Convention and represented Delaware at the 1787 convention. Dickinson left Philadelphia because of illness before the Constitution was formally signed and authorized fellow Delaware delegate George Read to sign his name.
Dickinson also argued at the Constitutional Convention for ending the slave trade. His own relationship with slavery changed over time, creating one of the contradictions that continues to shape interpretations of his life.
Those facts do not diminish the significance of slavery at the plantation or the experiences of the people enslaved there. They do illustrate why Dickinson remains a difficult figure to summarize neatly: He argued for colonial liberty while enslaving people himself, opposed independence before later serving the new nation and eventually freed the people he held in bondage.
The press release does not indicate how much of the permanent exhibit is devoted to Dickinson’s political writings, constitutional ideas and role in establishing the new American government compared with its treatment of slavery and other communities associated with the property.
That does not necessarily mean those subjects are absent from the exhibit. Visitors will be able to judge that balance once One Land Many Voices opens.
Broader approach predates Meyer administration
The broader interpretation of the plantation is not solely an initiative of the current administration.
The project and its emphasis on presenting the lives of people beyond the Dickinson family were developed before Meyer became governor.
That distinction is important because the exhibit arrives during a continuing national debate about how museums, schools and public institutions should interpret the founding era.
Supporters of broader historical interpretation argue that understanding the period requires examining not only prominent political leaders but also slavery, labor and the experiences of people who historically received less attention.
Others have argued that an increased focus on slavery and social history can sometimes come at the expense of explaining the political philosophy, institutions and achievements of the founding generation.
The state describes One Land Many Voices as an effort to provide a more comprehensive account of the property through artifacts, historical documents, photographs, narrative text and visual media.
$14.5 million investment
Beyond the historical interpretation, the visitor center represents a significant state investment in the plantation as an educational and cultural destination.
The new 14,000-square-foot building includes exhibition, educational and meeting space, along with a 1,400-square-foot screened pavilion designed for school groups, community meetings and other programs.
HCA Director Suzanne Savery said the expanded facility provides an opportunity to offer greater context to visitors.
“This expanded Visitor Center represents an important step forward in how we share Delaware’s history, allowing us to provide deeper context and a more meaningful experience for every visitor,” Savery said.
Visitors will continue to be able to tour the historic 18th-century mansion and reproduction structures elsewhere on the 450-acre property.
Admission, exhibits and programming will remain free. Fees will apply for some private uses of the multipurpose room and pavilion.
Opening Oct. 10
The permanent exhibit will be unveiled during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at the John Dickinson Plantation, 250 Kitts Hummock Road near Dover.
TO GO
What: Opening of One Land Many Voices permanent exhibit
Where: John Dickinson Plantation, 250 Kitts Hummock Road, Dover
When: Saturday, Oct. 10; ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m.
Cost: Free
About: The new visitor center is part of a $14.5 million state investment and expands exhibition, educational and meeting space at the historic property.
Trump, midterms and the Middle East: What comes next?
13
October 2026 — 16:00 TO 17:00 BST
Anonymous (not verified)
Online
As the midterms approach, hear from a panel of experts on how domestic politics are shaping US policy in the Middle East.
As the midterms approach, hear from leading policymakers and analysts on how domestic politics are shaping US policy in the Middle East.
The Trump administration enters the midterm election season facing major challenges across the Middle East, from regional conflicts and great-power competition to questions over the future of US engagement. Domestic political pressures are increasingly shaping policy choices. These dynamics will have significant implications for America’s role in the region and its relationships with allies and adversaries.
This event discusses:
How are the midterm elections shaping US policy in the Middle East?
What are President Trump’s main regional priorities?
How could developments in the Middle East affect domestic politics in the United States?
What role do Iran, Israel and the Gulf states play in Washington’s current strategy?
How might US policy evolve after the elections?
What do current trends mean for the future of US engagement in the region?
Photo: A biomass power plant surrounded by piles of low-quality wood used to efficiently generate electricity without CO2.
Caesar Rodney Institute says biomass could provide a local energy source while supporting Delaware forests and forestry businesses, but regulatory and environmental questions remain
DOVER, Del. — As Delaware looks for ways to produce more of its own electricity and reduce dependence on energy imported from outside the state, the Caesar Rodney Institute is urging policymakers to consider a resource already growing across roughly a quarter of Delaware: wood.
The free-market policy organization says sustainably harvested wood and other forms of biomass should be considered alongside solar, offshore wind, nuclear power and battery storage as Delaware develops what Gov. Matt Meyer has described as an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy.
Michelle Parsons, a physician and chair of the Caesar Rodney Institute board, made the case in a recent article arguing that wood energy could create a market for lower-value timber, support Delaware’s declining forest-products industry and provide another source of locally produced energy.
The idea is not entirely new to state policymakers.
Delaware’s own Statewide Forest Strategy calls for developing markets for low-quality wood for biofuels and specifically recommends examining restrictions imposed by Delaware’s incinerator law. The strategy also suggests exploring wood-energy systems at schools or other state-owned buildings.
Delaware looks for more homegrown energy
Meyer has made increasing electricity generation inside Delaware a significant part of his energy policy.
In his State of the State address, Meyer called for Delaware to generate more power “of multiple types,” and he has since described his broader strategy as “all of the above,” including solar, offshore wind, nuclear energy, battery storage and other technologies.
Delaware currently produces substantially less electricity than its residents and businesses consume, with natural gas serving as the state’s primary fuel for electricity generation.
CRI argues wood could provide another locally available resource.
“There is another energy resource Delaware already has in abundance,” Parsons wrote. “Wood.”
Forests cover about a quarter of Delaware
The Delaware Forest Service estimates forests cover roughly 352,000 acres, or about one-fourth of Delaware, with approximately 78% of that forestland privately owned.
State forestry documents describe those forests as renewable resources that can produce wood products while continuing to grow another generation of trees when managed sustainably.
Delaware forestry officials also have identified an opportunity involving lower-value hardwood trees.
The state’s forest strategy notes that Delmarva has significantly fewer sawmills than it did several decades ago, reducing the number of markets available for locally harvested timber. It identifies bioenergy as one potential market for lower-value wood.
A 2012 U.S. Forest Service analysis estimated that approximately 125,000 green tons of woody biomass could be available annually in the greater Delaware area without depleting the resource, including about 50,000 tons from Sussex County, 47,000 from Kent County and 28,000 from New Castle County.
Could schools be an option?
Other states have used wood for institutional heating. Vermont has used wood heating in public schools for decades, with modern systems designed to operate more efficiently and with greater emissions controls than traditional wood-burning systems.
Delaware’s own forest strategy includes a recommendation to explore a “Fuels for Schools” concept and consider converting a school or other state-owned facility to wood-based heating or cooling.
PJM also recognizes biomass, including wood, as a fuel that can be used to generate electricity within the regional grid.
State law presents a complication
One of the more significant questions involves Delaware law.
The state’s Renewable Energy Portfolio Standards Act recognizes sustainably harvested biomass as a renewable energy source.
But Delaware’s incinerator law imposes strict siting restrictions on facilities classified as incinerators, including requirements that generally keep them at least three miles from residences, residential communities, churches, schools, parks and hospitals.
CRI argues those restrictions could unintentionally block modern wood-energy projects, particularly smaller institutional systems that burn clean wood rather than municipal solid waste.
The organization is calling on lawmakers to determine whether clean wood-energy systems fall under those restrictions and, if so, amend or repeal the provisions that prevent them from being developed.
Delaware’s own forest strategy has previously called for examining those legal barriers.
Environmental questions remain
Using wood as an energy source also raises broader questions involving emissions, forest management and carbon impacts.
Modern biomass equipment can use advanced combustion systems and pollution controls that are substantially different from older wood-burning systems.
Still, the environmental impact of biomass depends on several factors, including what type of wood is burned, how forests are managed, how quickly harvested trees are replaced and what fuel source the wood displaces.
Delaware forestry officials have previously supported exploring the concept. The Delaware Forest Service’s 2020 forest strategy said the state has ample low-value wood available for bioenergy projects and said such projects could improve forest health. At the same time, PJM executive Michael Bryson recently cautioned that constructing a new biomass power plant can be costly and may make the most economic sense where wood waste is already generated as part of another business.
Air-quality concerns would also be part of any debate over expanded wood energy. DNREC has previously identified wood and biomass burning as sources of fine-particle pollution in Delaware. In regional haze planning documents, the agency said residential wood combustion represented about 23% of Delaware’s PM2.5 emissions in the 2011 emissions inventory used for that analysis. Modern commercial biomass systems can use substantially different combustion technology and emissions controls than residential wood stoves, but any Delaware proposal would still be subject to air-quality permitting and emissions standards.
Those questions would likely become part of any future Delaware regulatory or legislative debate.
Could markets help preserve forests?
CRI also connects the energy issue to Delaware’s continuing loss of forestland.
State environmental officials estimate Delaware is losing more than 1,000 acres of forest each year, largely because of development.
CRI argues that creating additional markets for sustainably harvested wood could give private landowners another financial reason to retain working forests rather than sell the property for development.
That argument also appears in state forestry policy, which calls for developing stronger markets for lower-quality timber while maintaining sustainable forest management.
No specific Delaware wood-energy facility has been proposed as part of CRI’s initiative.
Instead, the organization is asking lawmakers and state officials to include biomass in the broader discussion over how Delaware generates more electricity and thermal energy within its borders.
“If Delaware really means ‘all of the above,’ wood belongs in the conversation,” Parsons wrote.
Whether wood ultimately becomes a larger part of Delaware’s energy portfolio would depend on economics, emissions standards, sustainable forestry requirements and whether state law allows modern wood-energy projects to move forward.
To Go Box
What: Caesar Rodney Institute is urging Delaware policymakers to include sustainably harvested wood and biomass in the state’s “all-of-the-above” energy discussion.
Why it matters: Delaware’s Statewide Forest Strategy already identifies bioenergy as a potential market for lower-value timber and calls for examining legal restrictions on wood-energy facilities.
Learn more: Delaware residents can review the Delaware Forest Service’s Forest Action Plan and Statewide Forest Strategy through the Delaware Department of Agriculture.
A Familiar Voice, a Helping Hand: Delaware Hospice’s Care Goes Beyond the Bedside
By John Riddle, Contributing Journalist, Delaware LIVE
A favorite story read aloud. A quiet conversation. Someone willing to sit beside a patient and simply be present.
At Delaware Hospice, those gestures are part of a broader effort to support people facing serious illness and the families walking through that experience with them. Medical care is central to the organization’s work, but its services also address the emotional, spiritual and practical needs that can accompany a difficult diagnosis.
Founded in 1982, the nonprofit, community-based healthcare organization serves people throughout Delaware and in southern Chester and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania. According to its website, more than 175,000 patients and families have turned to Delaware Hospice over the years.
Its mission reflects a commitment to caring for people as well as treating illness.
“Our mission is to support every individual, family, and community with compassionate and expert care for serious illness,” the Delaware Hospice website states.
For families, serious illness can bring questions that extend well beyond medical treatment. Daily responsibilities continue, caregivers need support, and children may need help understanding what is happening to someone they love.
Delaware Hospice’s services include grief support, community education, and assistance for children and caregivers. The organization describes its approach as one that recognizes the needs of the whole family, including help coping with loss and navigating everyday challenges.
Financial circumstances are also part of that picture. Delaware Hospice says it provides care and support regardless of the person’s ability to pay. Donor contributions help sustain services when insurance does not cover all costs.
The organization also outlines several measures intended to maintain and improve the quality of its care. These include a dedicated quality and compliance team, patient and family satisfaction surveys, and an in-house Education and Learning department.
Feedback from patients and relatives helps inform that work, while staff education supports continued learning about care practices. Delaware Hospice also identifies a partnership with Healthcentric Advisors as a source of outside oversight.
According to its website, the organization is licensed in Delaware and southern Pennsylvania, approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, and accredited by the Joint Commission.
Its recognition as a We Honor Veterans Level 4 Partner reflects attention to the needs of veterans at the end of life. Delaware Hospice also reports receiving Four Rings in the National Alliance for Care at Home’s Quality Connections Program for four consecutive years across its four locations.
Alongside its professional care team, volunteers contribute time, companionship and practical assistance.
“Your time and talents also fuel vital behind-the-scenes roles in administrative support and community outreach,” the organization’s website states.
For someone interested in volunteering, there are several ways to participate. Direct patient support can include providing companionship, reading aloud or helping with daily activities. These roles offer opportunities to bring personal attention and human connection to patients and their families.
Other volunteers assist with administrative work, community outreach and special events. Those assignments allow people to contribute different skills while supporting the organization’s services.
The range of opportunities means participation can take different forms. A volunteer who enjoys conversation might provide companionship. Someone drawn to organizational tasks might find a role helping behind the scenes.
Together, those contributions support an organization whose work has reached Delaware families for more than four decades.
For residents seeking assistance or considering volunteering, Delaware Hospice’s website provides information about its services and opportunities to get involved. Whether through professional care, caregiver support or a volunteer’s visit, the organization’s approach emphasizes the people experiencing serious illness and the loved ones beside them. Sometimes, that support begins with a helping hand. Sometimes, it begins with someone willing to listen and stay awhile.
Washington, DC — Public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court has fallen to its lowest level in Gallup’s decades-long tracking as the justices prepare to begin a new term filled with politically consequential cases.
Gallup’s September survey found that 54% of Americans have little or no trust in the federal judicial branch, while Supreme Court disapproval stands at 61%, tying the record high reached in July. Fewer than 35% approve of the court’s job performance.
The decline has accelerated since 2022, when the court overturned Roe v. Wade. Democratic confidence has fallen especially sharply, while independents have also become significantly less trusting. A plurality of Americans now describes the court as too conservative.
The court’s 6-3 conservative majority has also played a major role in determining how far President Donald Trump can push executive authority. Justices have recently allowed several administration policies to proceed while rejecting others, producing criticism from both the left and Trump himself.
The new term begins October 5, with cases involving climate litigation and other major federal disputes already scheduled. The court enters those arguments facing an unusually skeptical public after years of declining institutional confidence.
Washington, DC — President Donald Trump launched America.gov on Tuesday, an artificial intelligence-powered portal intended to give Americans a single place to find federal information and eventually complete government transactions.
The site allows users to ask questions in conversational language and receive answers drawn from official government sources. Each response is designed to direct users back to the underlying federal information rather than forcing them to search through thousands of agency pages and forms.
Trump described the project as a way to make government simpler and more responsive, saying America.gov would serve as a single “front door” for interacting with federal agencies. Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia, who leads the National Design Studio and serves as U.S. chief design officer, helped oversee its development.
The administration says conversations are not permanently stored and personal information is not collected through basic searches. Beginning in 2027, the government plans to expand the platform so users can complete applications and renewals, including passport and Medicare-related services.
Trump also signed an executive order directing federal agencies to integrate eligible public-facing services with America.gov and Login.gov. Certain services, including IRS tax filing and Defense Department systems, are excluded from the order.
Tallahassee, FL — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet have approved designating more than 100 organizations as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations under a new state law that gives Florida officials broad authority to impose penalties on designated groups and their supporters.
The list includes antifa, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR-Florida and the Muslim Brotherhood. Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said the organizations met the statutory criteria, and DeSantis said he approved the recommendations without objection from Cabinet members.
The designations stem from HB 1471, which took effect July 1. The law authorizes Florida’s chief of domestic security to make terrorism designations, subject to approval by the governor and Cabinet. It also creates penalties involving material support, organizational membership, state funding and participation in public education.
CAIR and CAIR-Florida have challenged the law in federal court, arguing that it violates First Amendment protections and provides inadequate safeguards before an organization can receive a designation carrying serious legal consequences.
The ACLU said CAIR was denied a meaningful opportunity to address the Cabinet before Tuesday’s vote. Florida officials argue that the law includes notice and an appeals process. The designations are scheduled to take effect Nov. 5 unless a court intervenes.
Washington, DC — President Donald Trump says he will spend the final 32 days before the November midterms campaigning across the country as Republicans fight to retain control of both chambers of Congress.
Trump said Tuesday that candidates across multiple states are asking him to appear with them and named Texas and Ohio among his upcoming stops. His campaign push arrives later than some advisers initially expected, after the White House spent much of the summer focused on foreign policy and the continuing conflict with Iran.
The political environment has become increasingly difficult for Republicans. Democrats are competitive in a growing number of House districts, while several Senate races that once appeared safer for the GOP have tightened. High gasoline prices, inflation and public dissatisfaction with the Iran war are among the issues shaping the campaign.
Trump remains a powerful turnout driver among Republican voters, but his involvement presents different calculations depending on the district. Some GOP candidates are embracing him directly, while others have emphasized local issues or distanced themselves from parts of his agenda.
The stakes extend beyond individual races. Control of Congress will determine which party sets the legislative agenda during Trump’s final two years in office and whether Democrats gain committee and investigative powers if they capture either chamber.
Des Moines, IA — President Donald Trump dismissed unfavorable Iowa polling as “fake” while farmers and other business owners across the state confront sharply higher costs, including several pressures tied directly to his administration’s policies.
Speaking during an Oval Office announcement for a planned $15 billion Iowa steel plant, Trump blamed Democrats for economic difficulties and insisted he remains more popular than during the 2024 election. Republicans, however, are pouring money and campaign resources into Iowa as traditionally safe races have become unexpectedly competitive.
Farmers face problems that predate Trump, including consolidation, high borrowing costs and volatile commodity markets. But his tariffs have increased prices for equipment and agricultural inputs, while the U.S.-Iran conflict has disrupted energy markets and driven diesel prices to record levels. Nationwide diesel recently reached roughly $6.50 per gallon, with agriculture and trucking among the industries feeling the greatest impact.
One Iowa farmer described farmers and trucking companies as “bleeding money,” reflecting broader concerns across the state’s agricultural sector.
The political challenge is particularly notable because Iowa’s rural communities strongly supported Trump in 2024. Republican candidates are now confronting the possibility that economic frustration may reduce turnout among voters who helped return him to the White House.
Six months after activating Newark’s first speed enforcement camera, city officials say the camera has been successful in reducing speed and, now, a second camera may be coming to the city’s roads.
Washington, DC — Former special counsel Jack Smith defended his investigations of President Donald Trump before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, saying the evidence supported both federal prosecutions and that he would make the same charging decisions again.
Smith told senators that his team acted without regard to Trump’s political affiliation or 2024 candidacy. He said investigators had developed evidence they believed proved serious crimes related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election and Trump’s handling of classified documents. Both cases were later dismissed after Trump won the 2024 election, consistent with Justice Department policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Republicans focused heavily on Smith’s collection of phone records and other communications involving GOP lawmakers. Sen. Chuck Grassley called the investigation a partisan abuse of power, while Rep. Jim Jordan has referred Smith to the Justice Department over allegations that he misled Congress about subpoenas.
Smith said obtaining call logs was necessary because investigators had evidence Trump and allies contacted senators during the Jan. 6 attack while seeking to delay certification of the election. Democrats, including Sen. Dick Durbin, defended Smith and accused Republicans of using the hearing to distract from Trump’s conduct.
Smith also said he would not be silenced by threats of prosecution from Trump or administration allies.
Alvarado, TX — The Intercept is suing the city of Alvarado and its police department, accusing officials of withholding public records connected to the violent 2025 confrontation outside the Prairieland immigration detention facility.
The dispute centers on police communications surrounding a July 4, 2025 protest that escalated into an armed confrontation in which an Alvarado police officer suffered non-life-threatening injuries. More than a dozen protesters were subsequently arrested, leading to a closely watched federal prosecution.
Freelance journalist C. Frances requested police emails from the period surrounding the incident under the Texas Public Information Act. After negotiations narrowed the request, Alvarado officials estimated that producing and redacting the records would cost $854.17.
According to The Intercept’s lawsuit, the outlet agreed to pay the full amount, but city officials have neither provided the records nor completed the payment process. Attorney Terry Mutchler, representing The Intercept, characterized the situation as extraordinary obstruction of public access.
The records could provide additional insight into police communications before and after the confrontation. Defendant Benjamin Song was ultimately sentenced to 100 years for attempted murder and other offenses, while he and other defendants are preparing appeals.
Alvarado officials had not responded publicly to The Intercept’s latest allegations.
Des Moines, IA — Iowa farmers are confronting mounting financial pressure as tariffs, higher fuel costs and rising borrowing expenses threaten an agricultural economy already struggling with consolidation, foreign competition and years of elevated production costs.
Axios reports that two of the sharpest new pressures are directly connected to President Donald Trump’s policies. His tariffs have increased costs for fertilizer, pesticides and farm machinery while creating instability with major export partners. Meanwhile, the Iran war has helped drive Iowa diesel prices sharply higher, adding another major expense for farms dependent on heavy equipment.
The political irony is difficult to miss. Trump carried Iowa by more than 13 percentage points in 2024, with rural communities providing crucial support. Mark Mueller, president of the Iowa Corn Growers Association and a Republican voter, told Axios his farm is now “scraping by” and warned that more farmers could face bankruptcy or retirement.
The strain appears particularly severe for younger and smaller operators, who often rely heavily on borrowed money and have less financial cushion against volatile crop prices and rising interest rates.
Republicans are increasingly concerned the economic damage could suppress turnout among voters who normally support the party. Trump announced a proposed $15 billion Iowa steel plant Monday, but production is not expected until 2030, offering little immediate relief to farmers facing losses today.
Lansing, MI — A coalition of Michigan Jewish leaders is increasing pressure on Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to endorse five commitments concerning Jewish safety, identity and participation in political life as the state’s closely watched Senate race enters its final weeks.
Nonnegotiable Michigan said 17 Democratic political leaders have joined its campaign, including University of Michigan Regent Mark Bernstein, state Rep. Noah Arbit and Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus Vice Chair David Kramer. The organization says its effort is separate from debates over Israeli military policy or U.S. foreign aid and is intended to ensure that Jewish Democrats, including Zionists, remain welcome within the party.
Its five requested commitments include protecting Jewish safety, recognizing Jews’ right to define their own identity, supporting Jewish sovereignty in Israel, and ensuring Zionist Jews can participate fully in American politics.
Rabbi Josh Whinston, a progressive Reform rabbi involved with the group, accused El-Sayed of using antisemitic language and “dog whistles.” El-Sayed’s campaign had not publicly accepted the commitments or responded to The Center Square’s requests for comment.
Jewish opinion surrounding El-Sayed is not uniform. Separately, more than 600 Michigan Jews signed a letter supporting his Senate campaign, while other prominent Jewish Democrats have endorsed him despite disagreements over Israel.
El-Sayed, who would become the first Muslim U.S. senator, faces Republican Mike Rogers in November.
Washington, DC — The U.S. Department of Education formally rescinded the Biden administration’s Title IX interpretation protecting students from sex discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, returning schools to regulations adopted during President Donald Trump’s first term.
The department said Monday that the move restores the 2020 Title IX rule and brings federal regulations into line with court decisions that struck down the Biden administration’s 2024 expansion. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the change would reduce confusion for schools while protecting women’s athletic opportunities and privacy.
The Biden-era rule had interpreted Title IX’s prohibition on sex discrimination to include sexual orientation and gender identity. Republican-led states challenged that interpretation, and federal courts ultimately blocked the regulation before Trump returned to office.
Since taking office again, the administration has pursued a narrower definition of sex under federal education law and has pressured schools to restrict transgender athletes from women’s sports programs. The department has also rescinded earlier civil-rights agreements involving gender identity.
LGBTQ and women’s-rights advocates argue the rollback could leave transgender students more vulnerable to discrimination and weaken protections for some survivors of sexual harassment or assault. The administration maintains that existing Title IX protections remain intact for discrimination based on biological sex.
A developer’s plan to build more townhouses on Benny Street is on hold, at least temporarily, after city council members expressed concerns about the project’s design and inconsistencies in the architectural renderings presented.
Washington, DC — The second annual Make America Healthy Again Summit is bringing senior federal health officials together with celebrities and wellness influencers whose records include serious criminal cases and repeatedly challenged health claims.
Russell Brand is scheduled to moderate a discussion with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz. Brand is awaiting trial in Britain after pleading not guilty to three counts of rape, three sexual-assault charges and one indecent-assault charge involving six women. He has denied committing non-consensual sexual acts.
Later in the program, former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson will appear on a “MAHA Athlete” panel. Tyson was convicted of rape in 1992 and served three years in prison.
The summit also gives prominent roles to wellness personalities whose scientific claims have been challenged by independent fact-checkers. Chiropractor Eric Berg is participating in a cancer-prevention discussion. Science Feedback has rated multiple Berg claims unsupported or based on flawed reasoning. Gary Brecka, moderating the Tyson panel, has likewise been fact-checked for inaccurate or misleading claims involving depression, fluoridation and thyroid disease.
The lineup places federal health policymakers alongside celebrity personalities and alternative-health influencers, creating an unusual mixture for a conference presented as helping shape the future of American health.
Washington, DC — President Donald Trump’s administration has made noncitizen voting a major election-integrity issue ahead of the midterms, but available evidence continues to show that illegal voting by noncitizens is extremely rare. The administration has expanded use of the federal SAVE database and pressed states to search voter rolls for potentially ineligible registrations.
The effort has produced some legitimate cases, but not evidence of widespread noncitizen voting. Reuters reported that federal prosecutors recently intensified enforcement, while investigations across multiple states have generally identified small numbers of cases compared with tens of millions of registered voters. Separate reporting found many registration problems resulted from clerical or automated system errors rather than intentional fraud.
The administration has nevertheless repeatedly presented noncitizen voting as a significant threat to election integrity. Election officials and voting experts dispute that characterization, pointing to studies and state reviews showing confirmed cases are uncommon. AP has similarly reported that Trump and allies have amplified the issue despite limited evidence of widespread illegal voting.
Courts have also constrained some administration efforts, while federal law limits systematic voter-roll removals close to Election Day. The Supreme Court recently allowed continued use of the expanded SAVE system while broader legal challenges proceed.
Vatican City — Pope Leo XIV pushed back against President Donald Trump’s dismissal of artificial intelligence safety concerns, saying warnings from experts should be taken seriously rather than waved away as “fake news.” The comments came Monday as governments and technology companies continue debating how aggressively AI should be regulated.
Speaking with reporters while returning from France, Leo said he was not in “panic mode” about catastrophic AI scenarios but argued that ignoring potential risks would be irresponsible. He called for continued dialogue among scientists, political leaders, technology companies and civil society over safeguards for increasingly powerful systems.
Trump told the United Nations General Assembly last week that fears surrounding dangerous AI were a “hoax,” while arguing that excessive regulation could weaken the United States against China in the global technology race. His administration has generally favored faster development and fewer federal restrictions.
The debate extends well beyond politics. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that rapidly advancing AI agents could soon operate with extraordinary autonomy, while Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has argued that many safety problems can be addressed through engineering rather than extensive government regulation.
Leo acknowledged Nvidia’s recent work on technical guardrails but questioned the consistency of developing safeguards while opposing government oversight. He urged policymakers and industry leaders to keep examining potential dangers rather than assuming technological development will remain manageable on its own.
What does Brazil's 2026 election mean for its foreign policy and democracy?
22
October 2026 — 17:00 TO 18:00 BST
Anonymous (not verified)
Online
Brazil’s 2026 election pits competing visions of democracy, economic policy, security and foreign policy against deep voter distrust.
Experts unpack the results of Brazil’s 4 October election and discuss what Brazil’s election mean for democracy, foreign policy, climate change, multilateralism and geopolitics.
Experts unpack the results so far, and discuss what they mean for democracy, foreign policy, climate change, multilateralism and geopolitics. At stake are the future of relations with Washington and Beijing, support for the BRICS and other multilateral organizations, and the response to domestic insecurity.
This event discusses:
Which issues and voter concerns are shaping Brazil’s 2026 election?
How could the result affect trust in elections and democratic institutions?
What do divisions over foreign policy – including climate change and the BRICS – mean for Brazil’s foreign policy?
How could relations with the US and China change after the election?
What would the result mean for economic policy, trade and investor confidence?
Austin, TX — Republican Texas Railroad Commission candidate Bo French is facing renewed scrutiny after an investigation uncovered years of social media posts in which he called for the execution of political opponents and government officials.
CNN’s KFile reported that accounts linked to French repeatedly advocated executions, including in 2020 posts targeting former President Barack Obama and other Obama administration officials over claims surrounding the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. One post said the death penalty for what French called the “Obama conspirators” was necessary, while another referenced execution as the historical punishment for treason.
The investigation also found that French wrote in February 2025 that he wanted “public executions” of government officials identified by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency effort. In another deleted post, he called for the public execution of Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff.
French was already under criticism after posting an image of South Asian students at the University of Texas and describing their presence as a “problem.” Republican Sen. John Cornyn subsequently said he would not vote for French, while other Texas Republicans publicly condemned the post.
French is running for the Railroad Commission, which despite its name regulates Texas’ oil and gas industry. His social media history has now become a significant issue in the statewide campaign.
New York, NY — Questions over police access to privately operated surveillance networks are growing after records showed the New York Police Department searched Flock Safety’s license-plate database 1,710 times between March 2023 and December 2025, despite saying it has no contract with the company.
The records, obtained and analyzed by the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project and LatinoJustice PRLDEF, came from Have I Been Flocked, which compiles audit logs released through public-records requests. Nearly 1,000 NYPD searches reportedly included no meaningful explanation or only vague entries such as “investigation,” “wanted person,” or “inquiry.” At least 131 searches listed the Queens district attorney’s office as the requesting agency.
The NYPD has previously acknowledged that a limited number of authorized personnel can access a national commercial license-plate-reader repository. The newly disclosed logs, however, prompted the two advocacy groups to seek records showing whether officers used Flock through another agency’s contract, along with training materials, policies, audit logs and any payments to the company.
Flock says participating agencies control whether their camera data is shared and that every law-enforcement search is logged for review. The company says it does not sell customer data and has begun adding tighter documentation requirements, including standardized offense categories and planned case-number requirements for searches.
Ithaca, NY — A criminal investigation into an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University has been reopened after a former student filed a civil lawsuit accusing seven Chi Phi fraternity members of sexually assaulting her over several hours. Prosecutors say the new allegations differ substantially from what was initially reported to police.
Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten said his office intends to present the case to a grand jury with the cooperation of the woman, identified in court filings as Jane Doe. He said investigators will examine whether new evidence exists that could change the earlier decision not to pursue criminal charges.
The lawsuit alleges the woman was drugged and repeatedly assaulted at the Chi Phi fraternity house in October 2024. It also claims two fraternity members were expelled while others received lesser university sanctions. No one was arrested or criminally charged following the original investigation.
Van Houten said the woman’s 2024 statement to police described circumstances differently, including her use of alcohol and drugs and the nature of the sexual activity. Her attorney has argued that authorities failed to properly follow up with a traumatized sexual-assault survivor.
Cornell has said the allegations are deeply disturbing and that its Title IX process resulted in sanctions including expulsions and suspensions. The university also said the Chi Phi chapter remains barred from campus.
US midterms polls: Are Democrats winning or is Trump losing?Expert commentthilton.drupal
Polls suggest Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives as American voters are dissatisfied with President Trump and his policies.
Americans go to the polls on 3 November to elect a third of the US Senate and all the House of Representatives.
The Republicans currently have majorities in both chambers of Congress. But their prospects of retaining this control look increasingly dire.
The Republicans’ chances have been dragged down by President Donald Trump’s near-record low public approval rating and voter dissatisfaction with his handling of the Iran war and the economy, among other things. Democrats appear poised to take advantage, with most pundits suggesting they will retake control of at least the House of Representatives.
But the race is not over yet. In the end, the key factor will likely be turnout, which is historically lower in midterms than presidential elections. Whichever party better mobilizes their voters to turn up on election day will ultimately determine the outcome.
Democrats are strong favourites
At this point, this election is the Democratic Party’s to lose.
Republicans currently hold a narrow majority in the 435-seat House of Representatives. To control the House, which gives a party the ability to name chairmen of committees and set the legislative agenda, the Democrats will need to win at least 218 seats. They currently have 212 seats.
Due to polarization and redistricting, most seats are highly unlikely to change party. Election analysts estimate that only around 21 House seats are close contests or ‘toss-ups’. Still, most pundits forecast Democrats winning between 220 and 230 seats overall – a relatively comfortable majority.
Senate more challenging
The Democrats face a more difficult challenge recapturing the Senate. Republicans now hold 53 of the 100 seats. Given that the vice-president can cast a tie-breaking vote in the Senate, the Democrats will need to win four seats (and not lose any they currently hold) to gain control of the Senate.
They are likely to pick up a Senate seat in North Carolina, where the state’s former two-term Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, has a significant lead in the polls. Then things get harder for the Democrats.
They need to win contests in three other states currently represented by Republicans. Current polling suggests their best chances are in Alaska, Maine, Ohio, Texas and Iowa.
Public opinion surveys show all five races to be toss-ups. But the Democrats also need to defend a Michigan seat that is considered a toss-up, where the incumbent Democratic senator is retiring in a state Trump won in 2024.
If the national tide swings heavily in the Democrats’ favour, they could gain control of the Senate. But that is less likely than their chances of winning the House.
Public dissatisfaction
Public opinion has been generally downcast ahead of the election. Two-thirds of those surveyed in May think the country is headed in the wrong direction. A July survey found only about a quarter of the public think the economy is doing well, with concerns over the cost of healthcare, food, housing and gasoline. Most recently, a majority said going to war with Iran was the wrong decision.
More registered voters think the Democrats would do better than the Republicans in dealing with gas prices, the economy, and foreign policy.
Democrats also have a 6 to 14 point advantage in nationwide polls of voter intentions known as the ‘generic ballot.’ This question measures party popularity by asking a selection of registered voters nationwide which party’s candidate they intend to vote for, without naming specific candidates. Historically, the generic ballot is a key indicator; the Democrat lead suggests a majority on election day.
Moreover, in the last five midterm elections, there has been a change in control of at least one chamber of Congress. And only four times in the last 164 years has the president’s party gained seats in a House of Representatives midterm election.
Voter turnout in midterm elections is usually relatively low compared with presidential elections: averaging less than 50 per cent compared to roughly 60 per cent. Voter enthusiasm will therefore be a big factor in maximizing turnout. Polls suggest Democrats are more motivated to vote: 79 per cent of Democrats said they are extremely motivated to vote, compared with 69 per cent of Republicans.
The Trump factor
Looming over all of this is voter opinion about President Trump, the ever-present force in current American politics.
The most recent Reuters/Ipsos poll has Trump’s approval rating at 32 per cent, a new low for him, with a disapproval rate of 66 per cent.
Other recent polls have shown Trump’s approval rating ranging from the mid-30s to low-40s; a recent YouGov poll put it at 37 per cent.But a recent poll by the American Research Group, conducted 16–20 September, showed the president with just a 29 per cent approval rating – the first time it has dropped below 30 per cent.
Historically, presidential approval matters in congressional elections. For context, Trump’s ratings are significantly lower than either President Bill Clinton’s in 1994, when the Democrats lost 54 House seats and 8 Senate seats, or President Barack Obama’s in 2010, when Democrats lost 63 House seats and 7 Senate seats.
Majorities disapprove of how Trump is handling all major issues. And a plurality of registered voters, including a majority of independents who make up about a third of the electorate, say their vote in the congressional election is ‘mostly against Trump’.
The potential impact of Trump’s low approval on the November outcome has led Charlie Cook, a leading political analyst, to observe not a ‘blue wave’ but the effects of a ‘red undertow.’ Either way, Democrats appear well-positioned to take advantage of disapproval with Trump to make congressional gains.
Caveats
But as with any forecast, there are caveats. While Democrats may be more motivated to vote overall, polling shows that 83 per cent of Republicans who strongly support President Trump claim they are absolutely certain to vote in November. Moreover, Republicans have the advantage of much larger finances as they try to mobilize their voters.
The electorate is also more polarized between Republicans and Democrats than at any time in recent history. And congressional gerrymandering means that there is a relatively small margin of error for Democrats.
So, despite the various factors that point to a Democratic victory in November, the election could still tighten.
Not over yet
Ultimately, voters decide elections, not pollsters. And recent election polling has repeatedly underestimated Republican support, as Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris learned to their dismay.
Historically, American voter intentions are unlikely to change this close to election day. But US elections are also notorious for October surprises: the deepening financial crisis in 2008 and developments in the Hillary Clinton email probe in 2016 are just two examples.
It is also possible that 4 November will dawn without a clear victor. The president’s previous challenging of election results and processes, for example with regards to postal votes, could mean potential disputed outcomes and court challenges. This could delay final results for days or weeks, further undermining the reputation of American democracy.
Polls suggest the Democrats are poised to win the US House and possibly the Senate. But, as the American baseball player Yogi Berra once said: ‘It ain’t over till it’s over.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Pollster Frank Luntz warned Monday that President Donald Trump is pursuing a “very dangerous strategy” by making himself a central figure in the 2026 midterms as Republicans try to motivate voters who backed him in presidential elections.
Luntz told CNN that Trump’s challenge is recreating his presidential-year turnout coalition without simultaneously energizing voters who strongly oppose him. “There are more people who oppose Donald Trump who are planning to vote than those who support him,” he said.
That concern is reflected in CNN’s latest national polling. Trump’s approval rating stands at 33%, his lowest level in CNN polling across either term. Forty-four percent of voters said their midterm vote would be intended to oppose Trump, compared with 19% who said it would express support for him. Democrats led Republicans 49% to 41% on the generic congressional ballot.
Luntz emphasized that the political environment differs from 2024, citing voter frustration with affordability, the Iran war and Trump’s confrontational style. He described Hispanic voters, younger voters and male union members as particularly important parts of the Republican coalition.
Still, Luntz said stronger turnout among Trump supporters could improve Republican prospects, underscoring that midterm participation—not presidential-election history—will ultimately determine results.
RAHWAY, New Jersey — Republican Rep. Tom Kean Jr. used his only televised debate against Democrat Rebecca Bennett to distance himself from President Donald Trump on several issues important to New Jersey voters, including immigration enforcement and the Gateway rail tunnel.
Kean said he opposes a proposed ICE detention facility in Roxbury Township, declaring, “My focus is to make sure we don’t have an ICE facility in Roxbury.” The position puts him at odds with the Trump administration, which revived plans for the facility after previously abandoning them. Bennett said she had opposed the project earlier, while noting that Kean had not previously taken a public position.
Kean also defended the $16 billion Gateway Tunnel project connecting New Jersey and New York, which Trump has criticized and tried to block from receiving federal funding. “I will challenge anybody who gets in my way, including this president,” Kean said.
The debate also covered Iran, taxes, Israel and artificial intelligence. Kean defended U.S. military operations against Iran, while Bennett argued the conflict has increased costs and made the country less secure.
The 7th District is among New Jersey’s most competitive House races. Trump carried it by about one point in 2024, while Democrat Mikie Sherrill carried it in the 2025 gubernatorial election.
CARSON CITY, Nevada — Republican Jim Marchant, one of the country’s most prominent election deniers, is again running to become Nevada’s secretary of state, four years after narrowly losing the same office to Democrat Cisco Aguilar.
Marchant has repeatedly promoted unsupported claims of widespread election fraud and has said being labeled an “election denier” is a “badge of honor.” He continues to argue that Nevada elections have been fraudulent since 2008 despite Republican and Democratic candidates winning statewide contests during that period. WIRED identifies Marchant among 197 election-denying candidates seeking congressional or statewide offices nationwide this November.
If elected, Marchant has proposed sweeping changes, including canceling existing voter registrations and requiring residents to re-register, eliminating universal mail voting, moving toward paper ballots and expanding hand counting. He also supported efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election and stood alongside Nevada Republicans as they signed false electoral certificates claiming Donald Trump won the state.
Aguilar, who defeated Marchant by about two percentage points in 2022, has made election security and protection of election workers central to his tenure.
The financial gap between the candidates is substantial. Aguilar reported more than $1 million cash on hand this summer, while Marchant reported just $13.86 after raising $1,000 during the second quarter.
Marchant won the Republican primary in June and will again face Aguilar in November.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The White House’s official app surged to the top of Apple’s news category after launching its 24/7 Trump TV channel, but cybersecurity researchers say the app collects extensive user data while providing limited clarity about where that information ultimately goes.
The White House says the app has surpassed 2 million downloads and offers direct access to administration news, livestreams and presidential messaging. It promoted the recent rankings as evidence Americans were bypassing traditional media for information directly from the presidency.
A Washington Sun investigation found the app communicates with multiple third-party services and includes software capable of monitoring location and user activity. Researchers also identified a dormant keylogger script, though they said it was unlikely to function as traditional surveillance software on mobile devices.
The White House privacy policy acknowledges that app information can be handled by third-party services and says collected data may be used for tailored content, statistical profiles, policy decisions and lawful information-sharing with government agencies.
Questions have also been raised about federal security requirements. Government records show 45Press received a White House technology-services contract currently valued at about $1.72 million.
The White House did not answer the Washington Sun’s specific questions about security certifications or the researchers’ findings, instead pointing to its announcement celebrating the app’s popularity.
DANVILLE, Pennsylvania — Immigration enforcement near hospitals and medical facilities in Pennsylvania is raising concerns that immigrants may delay or avoid healthcare because they fear arrest, according to advocates and medical professionals.
Earlier this month, ICE and local police arrested construction workers near Geisinger Medical Center in Danville after they left work. Officials emphasized that no arrests occurred on hospital property, but witnesses reported seeing unmarked vehicles around the medical complex before the Sept. 2 operation. ICE says it arrested 10 people that day, while advocates and witnesses say the broader operation may have resulted in more than 40 arrests.
The concern extends beyond Pennsylvania. Doctors interviewed by Stateline said increased immigration enforcement has caused some families to skip appointments, delay treatment and avoid hospitals altogether, with some children developing more serious medical problems as a result.
The Trump administration eliminated a longstanding policy in January 2025 that generally restricted immigration enforcement in or near hospitals, schools and houses of worship. ICE says immigration status, not location, determines who is subject to enforcement.
Immigrant advocates argue that even when arrests occur off hospital grounds, visible enforcement nearby can create a chilling effect. Mirna Miranda of CASA said some immigrants now weigh the risk of detention against seeking medical treatment.
The Geisinger operation follows another Pennsylvania case in which ICE arrested 24 construction workers traveling to a worksite at Mount Nittany Medical Center.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump asked Chinese President Xi Jinping whether China would be interested in buying American weapons, according to U.S. Ambassador to China David Perdue, an unusual proposal given Washington’s longstanding security competition with Beijing.
“President Trump continues to say, ‘Hey, we sell arms to other people around the world,’” Perdue said Sunday on Fox News Sunday. “He actually asked President Xi, would he like to buy some, at one point,” according to The Hill.
Perdue did not specify what weapons Trump had in mind, whether Xi expressed interest or whether any formal proposal followed. The White House also has not announced plans to loosen U.S. restrictions on military technology exports to China.
The remarks come amid persistent tensions over Taiwan. The United States is obligated under the Taiwan Relations Act to help Taiwan maintain its defensive capabilities and has approved billions of dollars in weapons sales to Taipei. Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and strongly opposes those sales. Reuters reported ahead of Xi’s Washington visit that Beijing wanted Trump to reduce or halt them.
Trump and Xi concluded a three-day Washington summit Friday that produced limited public agreements beyond trade measures and continued diplomatic engagement. Reuters described the meetings as emphasizing personal diplomacy while leaving major disagreements unresolved.
Trump said afterward that he expects to meet Xi twice more before the end of 2026.
From movie screen to real convention
Investigators said a man and woman forced their way into the repair shop and stole keys belonging to customers who had left their vehicles there for service. The pair then allegedly used the keys to steal two of those vehicles.
One of the biggest surprises for Ron was how dramatically his social life improved after moving.After losing four close friends within just a few months, he found himself increasingly isolated.
