Maine is on track to become the first U.S. state to impose a temporary statewide ban on new data center construction. "Lawmakers in Maine greenlit the text of a bill this week to block data centers from being built in the state until November 2027," reports CNBC. "The measure, which is expected to get final passage in the next few days, also creates a council to suggest potential guardrails for data centers to ensure they don't lead to higher energy prices or other complications for Maine residents." From the report: Maine's bill has a few steps to go through before becoming law, notably whether Gov. Janet Mills will exercise her veto power. Mills asked lawmakers to include an exemption for several areas of the state where data center construction could continue. However, an amendment to do so was stuck down in the House, 29 to 115. Complicating Mills' decision is her campaign to become Maine's next senator. Mills is facing off against Graham Platner, an oyster farmer, in a high-profile Democratic primary. Platner is leading Mills in most recent polls by double digits.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The cost of ground beef in the U.S. has soared in recent years and is forecast to jump even further in 2026. What gives?
Super Typhoon Sinlaku is expected to cross the island chain that includes Guam in the western Pacific Ocean with winds of up to 175 mph.
Expansion and political influence have made soccer’s showpiece too big for one region to handle responsibly
In retrospect, the 2018 World Cup in Russia looks like a gentle genuflection, a dainty little bow before its strongman leader. Vladimir Putin and his Russian project of gradual conquest were most definitely centered and validated eight years ago: the tournament showcased his nation and awarded its leader prominence of place.
This summer, we will see something altogether different, as the runup to this edition of the world’s biggest and most popular sporting event has become a monument to Donald Trump.
This is an extract from Soccer with Jonathan Wilson, a weekly look from the Guardian US at the game in Europe and beyond, helmed this week by Leander in Jonathan’s absence. Subscribe for free here. Have a question for Jonathan? Email soccerwithjw@theguardian.com, and he’ll answer the best in a future edition.
Leander Schaerlaeckens is a Guardian US contributor whose book on the United States men’s national soccer team, The Long Game, is out on 12 May. You can preorder it here. He teaches at Marist University.
Continue reading...The prime minister said that countries will need to cooperate to reopen the strait of Hormuz
Keir Starmer has confirmed that he wants to stop children being exposed to addictive scrolling features on their phones as part of measures to protect them from social media.
The PM is under pressure to implement an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s, and the government is consulting on whether to go ahead with a full ban, or whether to just impose more specific restrictions.
It’s not a question of if we do something, it’s what we do.
The addictive scrolling mechanisms are really problematic to my mind, they need to go.
Despite some lower-income households receiving a long-overdue real-terms increase in their benefits, we now estimate – based on market-forecasts for the rise in energy prices consistent with market pricing after the announcement of a ceasefire – that average income growth for the poorest fifth this year is now set to be just 1.2 per cent, down from 2.8 per cent before the conflict.
The picture is brighter for families in the bottom half of the income distribution with three or more children. Even after the inflation shock, the abolition of the two-child limit is estimated to deliver 7.7 per cent income growth for this group this year – compared to 0.0 per cent for poorer families with fewer than three children.
Despite hopes for a sustained peace, the path of this conflict remains uncertain and energy prices remain well above pre-war levels, meaning many households face a decline in their purchasing power this year.
Continue reading...The US president’s conservative, Christian supporters decried the Truth Social post, calling it ‘disgusting’
Less than a year after signing legislation that will pull nearly 12 million Americans off health insurance by gutting Medicaid, Donald Trump posted an AI-generated image of himself to Truth Social on Sunday depicting him as a Jesus Christ-like figure, with divine light emanating from his hands as he heals a stricken man in a hospital bed with a demon from hell floating in the background.
The president has since deleted the post, but not before facing the wrath of some of his most high-profile and loyal Christian supporters, many of whom have stood by the president through multiple other indiscretions and were unable to contain their righteous fury.
Continue reading...House speaker under pressure over Senate proposal hardline Republicans claim is a win for Democrats; Senate to debate Save America act that would require new voters to prove US citizenship
Donald Trump appears to have deleted an AI-generated image of himself that he posted to Truth Social on Sunday, depicting him as a Jesus Christ-like figure, with divine light emanating from his hands as he heals a stricken man in a hospital bed with a demon from hell floating in the background.
The removal of the post on social media come after some of the president’s most high-profile and loyal Christian supporters, many of whom have stood by the president through multiple other indiscretions, are unable to contain their righteous fury.
Continue reading...The image was deleted from President Trump's Truth Social account after it had received backlash from conservatives and Christians.
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Shares in European airlines are dropping in early trading, amid disappointment that the talks between Washington and Tehran broke up without a breakthrough last weekend.
British Airways’ parent company, IAG, are down over 2% this morning, with budget rivals Wizz Air (-6.5%) and easyJet (-3.8%) falling more sharply.
Continue reading...The price of U.S. crude rose to $104.24 a barrel following the blockade announcement and Brent crude oil, the international standard, rose to $102.29.
The Tisza leader said the electorate voted ‘not just for a change of government but for a change of the regime’
in Brussels
The EU will start work with the new Hungarian government “as soon as possible” to make progress on issues including energy and the release of frozen European funds, the head of the European Commission has said.
“We will start working with the government as soon as possible on the topics you mentioned and much more to make a swift and overdue progress to the benefit of the Hungarian people.”
“I think moving to qualified-majority voting in foreign policy is an important way to avoid systematic blockages as we’ve seen in the past. And we should use the momentum now really to move forward on that topic.”
Continue reading...Leader of Catholic church says he will continue to speak out against war after president’s unprecedented criticism
Pope Leo said he did not fear the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against war after Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against him in which he said he did not think the Chicago-born pontiff was “doing a very good job”, while also suggesting he should “stop catering to the radical left”.
In remarks that have been widely criticised, the US president used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticise Leo while he flew from Florida to Washington on Sunday night, then continued in comments on the tarmac to reporters. “I’m not a fan of Pope Leo,” he said.
Continue reading...Michelle Dick accused of dousing musician with unknown substance in March and damaging his car before fleeing
A woman who is accused of stalking former Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham has been arrested in Indiana, according to local police.
Authorities in Fort Wayne, Indiana, said in a statement over the weekend that they took 55-year-old Michelle Dick into custody on Saturday as she was wanted on a warrant out of California “for stalking” Buckingham.
Continue reading...Shortage of pickled mini-cucumbers has caused Pret a Manger to pull its jambon beurre from shelves
With their sharp flavour and crunch, pickled cucumbers are an essential component of any sandwich worth its salt.
But an unexpected shortage of cornichons has caused consternation in sandwich shops across the country as cafes scramble to get their hands on jars of the small green pickles.
Continue reading...I’m on week 3 of owning a pint x and I’m noticing a lot more pushback on asphalt than on sidewalks. I’m not going particularly fast in either situation. I’m on Redwood (max 12mph) while I get more comfortable
Are you an audiophile? Take our People's Picks survey to let us know which headphones or earbuds you like the most.
Lafarge fined more than €1m and its former boss jailed for paying nearly €5.6m to groups including Islamic State
A French court has fined the cement group Lafarge more than €1m (£870,000) and sentenced its former boss to six years in prison for paying protection money to Islamic State and other terror groups to maintain its business in war-torn Syria from 2013 to 2014.
The ruling follows a 2022 case in the United States in which the French firm pleaded guilty to conspiring to provide material support to US-designated “terrorist” organisations and agreed to pay a $778m fine (£580m) – the first time a company had faced the charge.
Continue reading...Donald Trump has delivered an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo XIV, saying the US-born leader of the Catholic church was ‘a very liberal person’ who did not believe in stopping crime.
In response, the pope, who arrived in Algeria on Monday as part of an 11-day tour of Africa, told reporters on the papal flight that he did not fear the Trump administration and would continue to speak out against war.
The president’s comments came after Leo suggested at the weekend that a ‘delusion of omnipotence’ was fuelling the US-Israel war in Iran
Continue reading...The attack sparked nationwide riots and was one of the most shocking acts of violence in recent British history.
Shabana Mahmood calls Axel Rudakubana a ‘vile and sickening indiviudal’ and pays tribute to the ‘immense bravery’ of families of the three girls who died and the survivors
Rudakubana was known to the state from October 2019, when the then 13-year-old made several calls to Childline admitting to having murderous thoughts about a bully. He said he had taken a kitchen knife to school on 10 occasions.
Two months later, he returned to his high school armed with a hockey stick and attacked another pupil, breaking their wrist. Police later found a knife in his backpack and arrested him on suspicion of assault and carrying a bladed article.
Continue reading...Are there any third party options for a white fender for the GT-S? The OEM version has been out of stock every time I've checked, and I haven't been able to find a third party seller. I'm contemplating painting my stock black fender, but it's pretty banged up and I'd prefer to get a new one if possible.
US president claims 158 ships in Iranian navy ‘obliterated’ and threatens further action if vessels come close to blockade in strait of Hormuz
Circling back to Donald Trump’s coming naval blockade, the US military said it would block all Iranian Gulf ports on Monday at 10am ET on Monday (5.30pm in Iran and 1400 GMT), effectively seizing control of maritime traffic in the strait of Hormuz.
“The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” US Central Command said on X.
This is like a game of chicken. It’s who caves first. The Iranian regime is hoping that Trump will cave. Today, he showed he’s not.”
Continue reading...Just when parents thought they could decode teenage text speak, a new list comes along that raises more questions than answers
Name: Confusing text abbreviations.
Age: As old as texts themselves.
Continue reading...Veteran church observers say an open war of words between a pope and a U.S. president is unprecedented.
Former Fox News host says publishing house Skyhorse ‘looking for books that nobody else will publish’
Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson is set to launch his own imprint and publish books by the likes of Russell Brand and “alt-right” commentator Milo Yiannopoulos.
The imprint, Tucker Carlson Books, will be part of the US-based publisher Skyhorse. “I think most people don’t read books anymore because they’re too absorbed in all the other available media,” said Carlson, according to the Wall Street Journal. He added that those who do “tend to be disproportionately influential in policy conversations and conversations about ideas”.
Continue reading...Naval blockade an attempt to choke off flow of Iranian oil as US president threatens to ‘eliminate’ nearby ships
Oil prices jumped back above $100 a barrel and global stocks fell after weekend talks between the US and Iran ended without an agreement and Donald Trump imposed a blockade of the strait of Hormuz.
The US president said on Sunday the blockade would target Iranian vessels and ships that have paid a toll to Iran for passage through the strait, in an attempt to choke off the flow of Iranian oil.
Continue reading...Rate stability is likely, experts say, but geopolitics, inflation and Fed policy will drive where they head next.
Promotional events with hefty price tags are on the agenda, alongside visits to a children’s hospital, women’s homeless service and the war memorial
Prince Harry and Meghan will touch down in Sydney on Tuesday for what has been described as a “faux-royal” tour that will be dramatically different from the pair’s first visit to Australia.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Sydney and Melbourne during their four-day visit, while Harry will do a solo Canberra trip.
Continue reading...A fun third-person shooter wrapped in a dad-and-daughter narrative make for a familiar, yet engaging game.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: Several Californians sued Sutter Health and MemorialCare this week over allegations that an AI transcription tool was used to record them without their consent, in violation of state and federal law. The proposed class-action lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in federal court in San Francisco, states that, within the past six months, the plaintiffs received medical care at various Sutter and MemorialCare facilities. During those visits, medical staff used Abridge AI. According to the complaint, this system "captured and processed their confidential physician-patient communications. Plaintiffs did not receive clear notice that their medical conversations would be recorded by an artificial intelligence platform, transmitted outside the clinical setting, or processed through third-party systems." The complaint adds that these recordings "contained individually identifiable medical information, including but not limited to medical histories, symptoms, diagnoses, medications, treatment discussions, and other sensitive health disclosures communicated during confidential medical consultations." In recent years, Abridge's software and AI service have been rapidly deployed across major health care providers nationwide, including Kaiser Permanente, the Mayo Clinic, Duke Health, and many more. When activated, the software captures, transcribes, and summarizes conversations between patients and doctors, and it turns them into clinical notes. Sutter Health began partnering with Abridge two years ago. Sutter spokesperson Liz Madison said the company is aware of the lawsuit. "We take patient privacy seriously and are committed to protecting the security of our patients' information," Madison said. "Technology used in our clinical settings is carefully evaluated and implemented in accordance with applicable laws and regulations."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Colourful tulips, hyacinths, wisteria and daffodils appear across country as gardeners prepare for shows
Colourful tulips, hyacinths, wisteria and daffodils have made a remarkable display across England after a short period of hot weather followed by a cold snap created excellent conditions for spring blooms.
There were record temperatures last week in many parts of the UK as the country recorded one of the hottest April days in the last 80 years.
Continue reading...A federal judge in Miami handed President Trump a defeat in his defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal over a story about a birthday book for Jeffrey Epstein.
Lawmakers are returning to Washington to face major developments in the war with Iran, a lingering DHS shutdown and possible expulsion votes for some of their own members.
Global oil prices jumped over $100 a barrel as investors fret over Trump's threat to launch a partial naval blockade of the vital trade route.
Scottish Labour leader pledges more homes and tax cuts as party tries to reverse slump in support before May elections
Anas Sarwar has appealed to voters to give Labour five years “to fix the Scottish National party’s mess” as he pledged more homes, tax cuts and a smaller public sector.
The Scottish Labour leader is fighting a last-ditch attempt to reverse a steep slump in support. Recent polls put Sarwar’s party third or even fourth behind the SNP, Reform and the Scottish Greens, dragged down by the UK government’s unpopularity.
Continue reading...Mortgage rates just dropped to their lowest point in weeks. Here's what buyers and refinancers need to know now.
A senior Pakistani government source told CBS News that Islamabad is in active contact with Washington and Tehran to bring them back to the negotiating table over the Iran war.
BARCELONA, Spain, April 13, 2026 — Almirall, S.A. (ALM), a global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to medical dermatology, have announced an expanded collaboration with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC – CNS). This new framework agreement strengthens their partnership, aiming to accelerate research and development in medical dermatology by applying advanced supercomputing, High-Performance Computing (HPC), and Artificial Intelligence.
The collaboration is a testament to Almirall’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of science to address the needs of patients with skin conditions. It builds on previous successful R&D joint projects and is framed within the broader research collaboration between BSC and Almirall. The partnership is a key pillar of Almirall’s innovation strategy, which focuses on leveraging cutting-edge technology and collaborative ecosystems to develop novel treatments.
As part of the enhanced partnership, Almirall will join ‘BSC Connects’, a strategic initiative launched by BSC designed to bridge advanced scientific knowledge with industry leaders. Participation in this program will provide Almirall with access to personalized training, cutting-edge technologies, and tailored support for co-developing innovative R&D projects throughout 2026. This will enable Almirall to further integrate disruptive technologies throughout its R&D pipeline and development processes, ultimately benefiting patients.
The partnership empowers professionals from both institutions to tackle research and dermatological challenges. By capitalizing on the scientific talent of BSC and Almirall, the BSC Connect collaboration framework will drive the identification of innovative technologies with high-impact potential and provide an opportunity to establish direct collaboration on scientific topics of mutual interest, ranging from genomics to digital twins and drug design.
“Our passion for medical dermatology drives us to constantly seek innovative solutions that can make a real difference in patients’ lives” stated Dr. Karl Ziegelbauer, Chief Scientific Officer at Almirall. “Strengthening our collaboration with a world-class institution like BSC is a crucial step in our journey. By combining their expertise in supercomputing and AI with our deep understanding of dermatology, we are creating a powerful synergy to accelerate the development of the next generation of skin treatments. This initiative aligns perfectly with our vision of being at the forefront of science and technology to transform patients’ lives and represents a key pillar in accelerating our ability to discover and develop innovative therapies.”
BSC is a leading international research center and a key player in the European supercomputing infrastructure. The ‘BSC Connects’ initiative aims to create a vibrant ecosystem where strategic partners from industry and academia can collaborate to tackle complex challenges and drive technological advancement.
As Mateo Valero, Director of BSC, stated “This agreement with Almirall, within the framework of the BSC Connects program, is an example of how supercomputing and artificial intelligence can be placed at the service of industry to generate a real impact on people’s health. BSC and Almirall share a vision of collaboration rooted in a broader research partnership and the use of technology as a driver of innovation. Together we can contribute to advancing the field of medical dermatology by providing tools and capabilities that make a real difference.”
BSC Connects: Bringing BSC Knowledge to Business
BSC Connects is the business immersion program of the BSC, designed to drive public-private collaboration and accelerate knowledge transfer between science and industry. The initiative enables companies and institutions to access the BSC’s scientific expertise, technology, and supercomputing capabilities. This includes specialized training, the development of use cases, opportunities for collaboration on European projects, and strategic networking within its innovation community.
The program offers a structured approach that spans from identifying technological challenges to evaluating and optimizing results. It incorporates joint communication efforts, the promotion of use cases, and participation in international events and forums. By doing so, it acts as a bridge between the BSC’s scientific talent and the innovation ecosystem, facilitating the development of high-impact strategic projects.
About BSC
BSC is one of the leading supercomputing centers in Europe and hosts one of the most powerful supercomputers in the world, MareNostrum 5. The center specialises in High Performance Computing (HPC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), and its role is twofold: to provide supercomputing infrastructure and services to Spanish and European scientists, and to generate knowledge and technology for transfer to society. BSC’s research focuses on the fields of computer sciences, life sciences, Earth sciences, computer applications in science and engineering, and computational social sciences and humanities. The BSC Consortium is made up of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of the Government of Spain (60%), the Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat de Catalunya (30%) and the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (10%). The center manages the Spanish Supercomputing Network (RES) and is the hosting entity of EuroHPC JU, the initiative that leads large-scale investment in and deployment of HPC in Europe. For more information, visit www.bsc.es.
About Almirall
Almirall is a global pharmaceutical company dedicated to medical dermatology. We closely collaborate with leading scientists, healthcare professionals, and patients to deliver our purpose: to transform the patients’ world by helping them realize their hopes and dreams for a healthy life. We are at the forefront of science to deliver ground-breaking, differentiated medical dermatology innovations that address patients´ needs. Almirall, founded in 1944 and headquartered in Barcelona, is publicly traded on the Spanish Stock Exchange (ticker: ALM, total revenue in 2025: €1114.5 MM, over 2100 employees globally. Almirall products help to improve the lives of patients every day and are available in over 100 countries. For more information, please visit https://www.almirall.com.
Source: Almirall
The post Almirall, BSC Deepen Collaboration on HPC and AI for Medical Dermatology appeared first on HPCwire.
The Guardian has reviewed figures from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection since Trump’s inauguration
Donald Trump campaigned on a platform of mass deportation. Since he took office, his administration has reshaped immigration enforcement across the country. The Guardian, using data published every two weeks by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), is tracking the number of people the administration has arrested, detained and deported.
Continue reading...The California-based company said it will assign users ages 5 to 8 to a Roblox Kids account and users ages 9 to 15 to a separate account called Roblox Select.
If you're on an older AT&T wireless plan, here are the price hikes to watch out for this month.
Peace talks broke down over Iran’s nuclear program, which has survived two decades of international diplomacy seeking to curtail it and more than five weeks of bombing.
KELLY HALL
Staff Reporter
“Footloose,” a musical performed by the Harrington Theatre Arts Company (HTAC) students, opened March 12 in Pearson Hall Auditorium and closed its four-show run on March 14.
The musical is based on the 1984 movie of the same name, starring Lori Singer and Kevin Bacon as characters Ariel Moore and Ren McCormack, respectively. Set in the small town of Bomont, Ariel Moore is the defiant daughter of Shaw Moore, the town’s reverend, who has made dancing and rock music illegal. Ren, the new kid in town, attempts to overturn the ban on dancing while simultaneously falling for Ariel.
The show dives deeply into themes of teenage rebellion, the importance of free expression and how grief and healing can be explored through dance, all while delivering upbeat songs and witty jokes throughout each scene.
I was already a huge fan of the original “Footloose,” as well as the 2011 remake, before I stepped foot into Pearson Hall to watch HTAC’s production. I was extremely excited to see how they were going to impress me this time, as I always consider every HTAC production to be better than the last.
Just as I anticipated, the show was incredible. Even though I knew everything that was going to happen next, I was still on the edge of my seat during each scene. The actors did an incredible job making me feel like I was truly in Bomont, waiting anxiously to hear if Ren could convince Reverend Moore to overturn the dancing ban.
Even though every actor on stage was captivating, there were three stand-out talents for me: Keavy Rhodes, who played Ariel Moore, Gianna Maringo, who played Rusty and Patrick Barrett, who played Willard Hewitt, were brilliant every time they were on stage.
Their complete understanding and portrayal of their characters were noticed and appreciated by everyone in the audience, and it made it hard to believe that they are different people from the characters they played. I hope I get to see them in more productions soon.
I also enjoyed how all of the songs included created a full picture of the emotional ups and downs that people of all ages can experience. For example, “Can You Find It in Your Heart?” is a tender song performed by the reverend’s wife, Vi Moore, pleading him to loosen his rigid and unforgiving perspective of the town’s youth.
On the other hand, “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” is an upbeat number sung by Rusty about celebrating her fun and caring boyfriend, Willard, even though he can’t dance and is full of imperfections.
Although the musical contains deep themes such as love, loss and grief, the iconic songs and funny lines make it impossible not to laugh and have fun. Liam Coyle, who played Ren McCormack, was even rollerskating on stage for a whole scene, which was such an impressive way to draw the audience even further into the show. It definitely made me appreciate the work the actors put into their characters so much more.
It may be cliché, but the ending was my favorite part. Seeing the musical wrap up so optimistically was delightful to watch, and the encore that the actors did after the bows was a beautiful way to end an already amazing performance.
I always say that every HTAC show is wonderfully done, because no performance of theirs has been able to change my stance yet. The lighting, sets and costumes were perfect, and some of my favorites that I have seen from an HTAC production.
I loved everything about this musical and its modern adaptation of the classic film. I cannot wait to see the next show that HTAC puts on, especially after being blown away by “Footloose.”
TORONTO, CHICAGO and SAN FRANCISCO, April 13, 2026 — BMO (Bank of Montreal) today announced new partnerships with Quantum Industry Canada (QIC) and the Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE), strengthening the bank’s engagement with leading quantum research, industry and policy organizations.
The partnerships build on BMO’s April 9 announcement of the BMO Institute for Applied Artificial Intelligence & Quantum, a new Centre of Excellence focused on the responsible application and governance of AI and the advancement of quantum capabilities. Together, these initiatives reflect BMO’s commitment to innovating, developing and integrating technologies that will shape the future of financial services and the broader economy.
Through its collaborations with QIC and CQE, BMO is participating in early‑stage, structured ecosystem partnerships focused on knowledge‑sharing, workforce development and dialogue across academia, industry and policy communities. These engagements support BMO’s long‑standing approach to personalizing client experiences, augmenting team expertise and process automation, while contributing to the emergence of applications of quantum technologies that will impact the delivery of financial services.
“Quantum technologies present significant long‑term potential, along with important questions around security, governance and real‑world application,” said Dr. Kristin Milchanowski, Chief AI & Quantum Officer, BMO. “These partnerships enable us to engage constructively with leading organizations across Canada and the U.S. as the field continues to develop, while taking a responsible, informed approach grounded in collaboration, learning and readiness.”
BMO’s participation in Quantum Industry Canada connects the bank to Canada’s premier business-led quantum consortium, bringing together leading companies and strategic partners across the full quantum stack. Through QIC, BMO engages directly with Canada’s quantum ecosystem, contributing perspectives informed by its expert technology bankers, enterprise‑scale financial services experience and long‑term readiness considerations.
“Canada has played an outsized role in building the quantum era. The focus now is on translating that leadership into real capability, markets, and advantage,” said Quantum Industry Canada’s CEO Lisa Lambert. “BMO’s participation reflects the shift from exploration to execution, and the role leading financial institutions play in scaling Canada’s quantum economy.”
Through its partnership with the Chicago Quantum Exchange, BMO will engage with a Midwest-based intellectual hub that advances the science and engineering of quantum information, prepares the quantum workforce, and drives the quantum economy in collaboration with leading universities, national labs, and industry partners. With BMO’s U.S. headquarters located in Chicago, the relationship provides a local foundation for ongoing dialogue, convenings and workforce‑focused engagement, including exposure to emerging research and student talent relevant to financial services.
“The CQE is building and scaling a full‑spectrum quantum ecosystem by working closely with partners in key industries, like finance, to drive progress across the discovery‑to‑deployment pipeline,” said David Awschalom, the University of Chicago’s Liew Family Professor of Quantum Engineering and Physics and the founding director of the CQE. “Quantum technologies offer significant potential for financial institutions, from quantum networks that may enhance the protection of personal information to quantum computing approaches that could help identify fraud more effectively over time. Engaging in early, cross‑sector dialogue with partners like BMO that share our commitment to responsible and efficient quantum sector growth is an important part of building a strong quantum economy.”
Together, these partnerships reflect BMO’s long‑term approach to emerging technologies as a financial advisor and capital provider, and as an innovator – engaging early with leading research and industry organizations, investing in knowledge and talent, and building the governance and institutional understanding required to evaluate potential applications responsibly as the quantum ecosystem matures.
Recently, BMO became the first Canadian bank to join the IBM Quantum Network, extending its technology leadership in North America. BMO has also been recognized by Evident AI as one of the world’s top 10 banks for AI innovation, received the Commercial Banking Impact Award for Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics from Datos Insights, and was named one of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies.
More from HPCwire: BMO Forms AI and Quantum Institute, Appoints Chief AI and Quantum Officer
About BMO Financial Group
BMO Financial Group is the eighth largest bank in North America by assets, with total assets of $1.5 trillion as of January 31, 2026. Serving clients for 200 years and counting, BMO is a diverse team of highly engaged employees providing a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management, global markets and investment banking products and services to approximately 13 million clients across Canada, the United States, and in select markets globally. Driven by a single purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life, BMO is committed to driving positive change in the world, and making progress for a thriving economy, sustainable future, and stronger communities.
Source: BMO
The post BMO Announces Partnership with Quantum Industry Canada and Chicago Quantum Exchange appeared first on HPCwire.
I spent over two months testing popular microcurrent devices, taking before-and-after photos to evaluate the results from NuFace, ZIIP Beauty and other brands.
Ever heard of a condition called bixonimania? Did you search the internet or ask your “AI” girlfriend about some symptoms you were experiencing, and this was its answer? Well…
The condition doesn’t appear in the standard medical literature — because it doesn’t exist. It’s the invention of a team led by Almira Osmanovic Thunström, a medical researcher at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, who dreamt up the skin condition and then uploaded two fake studies about it to a preprint server in early 2024. Osmanovic Thunström carried out this unusual experiment to test whether large language models (LLMs) would swallow the misinformation and then spit it out as reputable health advice. “I wanted to see if I can create a medical condition that did not exist in the database,” she says.
↫ Chris Stokel-Walker at Nature
And “AI” ate it up like quality chocolate. It started appearing in the answers from all the popular “AI” tools within weeks, and later even started showing up as references in published literature, indicating that scientists copy/paste references without actually reading them. This is clearly a deeply concerning experiment, and highlights there may be many, many more nonsensical, fake studies being picked up by “AI” tools.
Of course, I hear you say, it’s not like propagating fake or terrible studies is the sole domain of “AI”, as there are countless cases of this happening among actual real researchers and scientists, too. The issue, though, is that the fake studies concerning “bixonimania” were intentionally made to be as silly and obviously ridiculous as possible. It references Starfleet Acadamy, the lab aboard the Enterprise, the University of Fellowship of the Ring, and many other fake references instantly recognisable as such by real humans.
In fact, the studies even specifically mention that “this entire paper is made up” and “fifty made-up individuals aged between 20 and 50 years were recruited for the exposure group”. It would take any human only a few seconds after opening one of these papers to realise they’re entirely fake – yet, the world’s most advanced “AI” tools gobbled them up and spit them back out as pure fact within mere weeks of their publication
This shouldn’t come as a surprise. After all, “AI” tools have no understanding, no intelligence, no context, and they can’t actually make sense of anything. They are glorified pachinko machines with the output – the ball – tumbling down the most likely path between the pins based on nothing but chance and which pins it has already hit. “AI” output understands the world about as much as the pachinko ball does, and as such, can’t pick up on even the most obvious of cues that something is a fake or a forgery.
It won’t be long before truly nefarious forces start doing this very same thing. Why build, staff, and maintain a troll farm when you can just have “AI” generate intentional misinformation which will then be spread and pushed by even more “AI”? Remember, it took one malicious asshole just one long since retracted fake paper to convince millions that vaccines cause autism. I shudder to think how many people are accepting anything “AI” says as gospel.
‘Parliaments in dialogue’: Bringing Westminster and Brussels closer together to defend Europe 23 April 2026 — 17:30 TO 18:30 BST Anonymous (not verified) Chatham House and Online
Join us at Chatham House to hear from UK and European parliamentarians and defence experts about how to improve defence cooperation between Britain and Europe.
Join us at Chatham House to hear from UK and European parliamentarians and defence experts about how to improve defence cooperation between Britain and Europe.This panel discussion is the first in a new series, ‘Parliaments in dialogue’–convened in partnership between Chatham House and the European Parliament Liaison Office in the UK.
Amid increasing uncertainty about the general uncertainty with regard to security and defence matters, this first event will focus on security and defence cooperation.
The European Parliament will be represented by MEP Sandro Gozi, co-chair of the EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly and a key Member of the European Parliament on security and defence questions.
It will bring members of the UK and European Parliaments together with defence experts for direct engagement on questions central to EU-UK relations. Such as: how can Brussels and Westminster work to align their strategic ambitions and to deepen practical collaboration?
Chatham House’s mission is to help governments and societies to build a secure, sustainable, prosperous and just world. We do this by convening meetings of the people and organizations that can bring about change.
The panel discussion will be followed by a drinks reception.
Attacks on Saturday bring number of people killed in boat strikes by US military to at least 168
The US military said that it blew up two boats accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing a total of five people and leaving one survivor, as the Trump administration pursues its campaign against alleged traffickers in Latin America while preparing a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
The attacks on Saturday bring the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the US military to at least 168 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls “narcoterrorists” in early September.
Continue reading...April 13, 2026 — Doctors need to determine a patient’s short-term treatment plan before test results come back from the lab. Power grid operators need to decide how to dispense generator assets today without knowing what tomorrow’s output or demand will be. Port administrators have to plan freight truck schedules without knowing the exact time each ship will dock.
Credit: University of Tennessee
These are examples of multi-stage stochastic (random) problems: sequences of decisions made over time, where each new decision is based on how a previously uncertain event unfolded. Thousands of decisions like these are made across the energy, logistics, healthcare, finance, and other industries every day.
“Getting these decisions right has enormous practical consequences,” said University of Tennessee Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) Professor and Associate Department Head James Ostrowski. “Improving our ability to solve them efficiently is fundamental to helping organizations make better decisions in a complex and uncertain world.”
Determining the right decision to make after every possible outcome for an uncertain event, even events with binary yes/no outcomes, creates an exponentially increasing number of scenarios over time. Classic computational methods, which individually craft and evaluate each possible scenario, cannot accurately handle such enormous problems.
Quantum computers, on the other hand, are a natural fit.
“Rather than enumerating scenarios one by one,” Ostrowski explained, “a quantum circuit can encode all scenarios into a single quantum state simultaneously through a property called superposition.”
This spring, Ostrowski and ISE Assistant Professor Rebekah Herrman are jointly embarking on a two-year, $300,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to create quantum computing-based tools that will help researchers and industry engineers quickly determine whether quantum computing can help solve a given two-step uncertainty optimization problem—a vital foundation toward higher-stage scenarios.
“This grant shows the leading role of the ISE department in quantum computing research both at the University of Tennessee and in the nation,” said ISE Department Head Mingzhou Jin.
Complementary Computational Strengths
Ostrowski, Herrman, and two PhD students funded by the grant will utilize the world-class quantum computing facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Quantum Computing User Program. They will also draw on UT’s strong interdisciplinary tradition in operations research, computational science, and energy systems engineering, Ostrowski said.
The team’s research will harness a hybrid approach, utilizing quantum computation to encode scenario structures and explore the large solution landscapes and classical computation for parameter optimization, solution evaluation, and post-processing.
“Classical and quantum computation have fundamentally different, complementary strengths,” Ostrowski said. “Our work with this grant will develop specific encoding strategies that exploit those strengths to represent large scenario spaces compactly.”
One of the PhD students involved will focus on the foundational work of developing and analyzing the quantum circuit encodings while the other works to evaluate how well the quantum method performs against classical benchmarks.
“UT’s land-grant mission is about creating knowledge that serves the public, which also requires developing the next generation of researchers,” said Ostrowski. “Quantum computing and operations research are both evolving rapidly, and training students at their intersection prepares a workforce that industry, national laboratories, and academia urgently need.”
Open Source Results for Broader Impact
At the conclusion of the grant, Ostrowski and Herrman will not only publish their results but release multiple open source software libraries—including circuit templates, benchmark problems, simulation interfaces, and tutorials—designed for use by practitioners without expertise in quantum computing.
“Results in a paper tell you what happened; an open source code base lets others reproduce, extend, and build on the work,” Ostrowski said. “It also lowers the barrier to entry for applied researchers and practitioners who want to engage with quantum optimization but don’t have the background to build these tools themselves. Open source release is how research investments become community assets.”
When the tools created during the grant become publicly available, researchers will be able to use the benchmarks as a common reference point to compare quantum and classical algorithms in future studies.
Meanwhile, industry practitioners in energy, logistics, and other sectors will have an accessible starting point for exploring whether quantum-enhanced optimization could improve their own decision-making workflows, Ostrowski explained.
“Ultimately, better stochastic optimization tools have downstream benefits for energy resilience, supply chain reliability, and emergency preparedness—areas that directly affect everyday citizens,” he said. “Projects like this one are how a public university like UT translates federal investment in science into long-term human capital for Tennessee and the nation.”
Source: University of Tennessee
The post University of Tennessee Explores Quantum Methods to Scale Stochastic Optimization Workflows appeared first on HPCwire.
Apple, Garmin, Samsung, Google or Amazfit? I put these watches through the paces to see where they land on step, distance and heart rate accuracy.
Kinda want to spend some money on my onewheel right now. I've read we can no longer balance boards online last summer.
Is it still the case?
Can we still install them and adjust the settings in app?
Thanks in advance!
Aid, conflict and global leadership: UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher 20 April 2026 — 12:00 TO 13:00 BST Anonymous (not verified) Chatham House and Online
In conversation with Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, about the most pressing humanitarian and conflict issues facing the United Nations today, and what role the UK can play.
In conversation with Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, about the most pressing humanitarian and conflict issues facing the United Nations today, and what role the UK can play.As wars multiply and humanitarian funding faces unprecedented strain, the UN system is under pressure to adapt. From Gaza to Sudan, the scale of need is outpacing the capacity to respond – and the political will of major powers to sustain the multilateral order is increasingly uncertain.
Tom Fletcher joins Chatham House for a wide-ranging conversation on the future of humanitarian action and the reform agenda facing the UN system.
Drawing on his experience engaging governments including the United States and other key partners, Fletcher will reflect on what effective multilateral leadership looks like in the current moment – and what more can be done.
With the UK hosting the G20 in 2027 and its Global Development Conference this coming May, this event will also turn to the role Britain can and should play: having cut its own aid spending, can it play a decisive role as a donor, convenor and reformer in the international system, and how?
Two years before her disappearance, Lynette Hooker temporarily split with her husband Brian, telling a friend, "Our marriage lasted 6 weeks cruising," and "It was bad. I can't be out there with him."
Legislation would allow government to implement evolving single market rules without full parliamentary scrutiny
Ministers in Britain are planning a new bill that would bring into force a food and drink trade deal with the EU but also contain powers enabling the government to “dynamically align” with Europe. It would allow the UK to quickly implement evolving single market rules if it determines it is in the national interest, without having to face full parliamentary scrutiny.
Continue reading...President contrasts his health with challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, who fainted during a TV debate
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is seeking to lunge and leg press his way to a historic fourth term, as the octogenarian politician uses a flurry of workout videos to convince voters he is fighting fit ahead of October’s crunch election.
Lula looks set to face off against a senator almost half his age in what will be the leftist’s seventh presidential campaign since he first sought Brazil’s top job in 1989, when he was 44.
Continue reading...Version 7.0 of the Linux kernel has been released, marking the arbitrary end of the 6.x series.
Significant changes in this release include the removal of the “experimental” status for Rust code, a new filtering mechanism for io_uring operations, a switch to lazy preemption by default in the CPU scheduler, support for time-slice extension, the nullfs filesystem, self-healing support for the XFS filesystem, a number of improvements to the swap subsystem (described in this article and this one), general support for AccECN congestion notification, and more. See the LWN merge-window summaries (part 1, part 2) and the KernelNewbies 7.0 page for more details.
↫ corbet at LWN.net
You can compile the kernel yourself, or just wait until it hits your distribution’s repositories.
Armed men fired at Berekum Chelsea bus on Sunday
Frimpong dies of wounds at hospital
Berekum Chelsea winger Dominic Frimpong was killed in an armed robbery on his team’s bus as they returned from a match on Sunday, the Ghana Football Association said.
Berekum Chelsea said six “masked men wielding guns and assault rifles” had blocked the road as the team returned from their Ghana Premier League match against Samartex.
Continue reading...Pope Leo has been critical of the war in Iran and other priorities of the Trump administration, but says his comments are "not meant as attacks on anyone."
We send the voice of the dead across space as an act of continuity and care, while on Earth we tally the bodies. Which do we choose to become?
Four people are sleeping 19,000 miles from the moon when the voice of Apollo 13’s commander arrives.
“Hello, Artemis II. This is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood.”
Flynn Coleman is an international human rights lawyer, political scientist, and the author of A Human Algorithm
Continue reading...Experts say natural kratom may offer benefits and blame synthetic derivatives for surge in poisonings noted by CDC
A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report shows that kratom poisonings have soared in the US, but experts say this is probably due to synthetic derivatives like 7-OH, and that blanket kratom bans could harm people using natural kratom to aid pain management or addiction recovery.
Walter Prozialeck, a pharmacology professor at Midwestern University, said he was unsurprised by the report, which found that kratom-related poisonings went up by about 1,200% over the last decade, with a marked surge in 2025.
Continue reading...Platform says it will reward original creators as it penalises ‘aggregators’ for flooding timelines with ‘stolen posts’
Elon Musk’s X has reduced payments to users who post clickbait and recycle news stories as it warned account holders against “flooding the timeline” with low-quality content.
Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, wrote on the social media platform that all “aggregators” – users who quickly repackage and repost news from other accounts – had received less money from the creator revenue sharing programme.
Continue reading...Pope Leo has repeatedly warned that violence is becoming normalized and that religious language is at risk of being misused to justify it.
Will some programmers become "AI babysitters"? asks long-time Slashdot readertheodp. They share some thoughts from a founding member of Code.org and former Director of Education at Google: "AI may allow anyone to generate code, but only a computer scientist can maintain a system," explained Google.org Global Head Maggie Johnson in a LinkedIn post. So "As AI-generated code becomes more accurate and ubiquitous, the role of the computer scientist shifts from author to technical auditor or expert. "While large language models can generate functional code in milliseconds, they lack the contextual judgment and specialized knowledge to ensure that the output is safe, efficient, and integrates correctly within a larger system without a person's oversight. [...] The human-in-the-loop must possess the technical depth to recognize when a piece of code is sub-optimal or dangerous in a production environment. [...] We need computer scientists to perform forensics, tracing the logic of an AI-generated module to identify logical fallacies or security loopholes. Modern CS education should prepare students to verify and secure these black-box outputs." The NY Times reports that companies are already struggling to find engineers to review the explosion of AI-written code.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Inspection reveals use of force after protest by detainees being deported under ‘one in, one out’ scheme
Asylum seekers who protested against being forcibly removed to France under the Home Office’s controversial “one in, one out” scheme, were transported out of the UK in waist and leg restraints, an inspection report has revealed.
The report by HM chief inspector of prisons, Charlie Taylor, inspected a flight to France that took place on 20-21 January this year and on which it found no force was used.
Continue reading...Tehran said the move would be a breach of the ceasefire. Plus, Viktor Orbán ousted in Hungarian election in blow to global far right
Good morning.
Donald Trump has said the US will begin blockading the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to wrest control of the vital waterway from Iran after peace negotiations between the countries failed.
When would the blockade start? US Central Command (Centcom) announced the blockade would begin on Monday at 10am ET. Experts have said it could risk further increasing oil prices.
Which vessels will the blockade affect? Centcom said it would be confined to ships transiting through Iranian ports – and that it would permit passage of ships headed to ports belonging to the US’s Gulf allies.
How could a blockade help the US reopen the strait? The strategy appears to be that the US hopes to eliminates Tehran’s greatest point of leverage – its chokehold of the strait – by stopping Iranian oil exports. Tehran has indicated that it would like to keep control of the strait after the war has ended, and to charge fees to ships.
Continue reading...During a nearly 40-minute phone conversation, Brian Hooker told friends in descriptive detail what led to the incident where his wife allegedly went missing.
Experts say climate pattern could supercharge extreme weather events and push temperatures to record highs
There is a high likelihood that the phenomenon known as “El Niño” will emerge this summer – and it could be exceptionally strong. A so-called “super El Niño” could supercharge extreme weather events and push global temperatures to record heights next year if it develops, according to experts.
Meteorologists are keeping a close eye on the climate patterns developing in the Pacific Ocean that will enable stronger predictions about what’s to come in the year ahead.
Continue reading...LA28 set aside tickets for LA and Oklahoma City residents, but some say they faced exorbitant prices and high fees
Since tickets for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles went on sale for local residents on 2 April, excitement for the Games has given way to sticker shock among some Angelenos over what they describe as exorbitant prices and an unexpected service fee.
LA28 had made a wave of slots in the presale ticket lottery available for residents throughout southern California, where the majority of contests will take place, and in Oklahoma City, which will host the canoe slalom and softball events. Tickets ranged in price from $28 into the thousands.
Continue reading...Presidential elections in Djibouti and Benin at the weekend highlighted how a costly electoral system is reshaping democracy
Alexis Mohamed would have loved to stand against his former boss. A longtime adviser to Djibouti’s president, Ismail Omar Guelleh, Mohamed resigned last September, citing democratic regression in the country.
But at the election at the weekend, Mohamed was not on the ballot. Now outside the country, he says he cannot return home to file nomination papers or campaign freely without credible security guarantees. Even if he were allowed to compete, nomination costs would still loom as a steep barrier in a political environment many critics describe as ceremonial, with Guelleh the habitual winner.
Continue reading...The MLS weekend saw the Timbers capitalize on a rotated LAFC and Bruce Arena continue his second-season magic in San Jose
When the then-Montréal Impact rebranded as Club de Foot Montréal in 2021, their fans weren’t shy about showing their disdain.
“It is the dismantling of a dream,” one supporters’ group statement read in part. “We are becoming a bland club, just as many others have become.”
Continue reading...The raspberry danish latte is making its way around the world after its inventors decided to share the recipe
A viral coffee drink created by a little college town coffee shop on the outskirts of Minneapolis is now making its way around the world after its inventors decided to give the recipe away for free.
After Little Joy Coffee’s raspberry danish latte, a spring seasonal drink, went viral in March, the shop’s owners decided to encourage coffee shops to rip off the recipe directly and add it to their menus.
Continue reading...Official report says system ‘completely failed’ because some form of violence by Axel Rudakubana had been ‘unambiguously signposted over many years’
Axel Rudakubana was able to carry out the Southport atrocity because of “catastrophic” failures by multiple agencies and the “irresponsible and harmful” role of his parents, a damning inquiry has found.
Sir Adrian Fulford condemned the “inappropriate merry-go-round” of state bodies passing the buck and their “frankly depressing” refusal to accept responsibility, saying: “This culture has to end.”
Continue reading...Undisclosed number of names and contact and reservation details accessed in latest cybercrime attempt
The accommodation reservation website Booking.com has suffered a data breach with “unauthorised parties” gaining access to customers’ details.
The platform said it “noticed some suspicious activity involving unauthorised third parties being able to access some of our guests’ booking information”.
Continue reading...Englishman led for a time in final round on back nine
‘These are the tournaments I focus on,’ says 45-year-old
Justin Rose refused to write off his major chances after another Masters near-miss. The 2013 US Open winner lost a playoff to Rory McIlroy at Augusta a year ago and held the lead on the back nine on Sunday before finishing in a tie for third, two shots behind the Northern Irishman who successfully defended his title.
It was Rose’s third top-six finish in his past eight major appearances and the 45-year-old, a winner on the PGA Tour in February, believes he can compete at the highest level. “In the last two years I’ve really re-kicked on and re-energised my career and myself and have a lot of belief there is a lot of runway ahead,” he said after shooting a final-round 70 having come undone at Amen Corner.
Continue reading...I stopped riding after the haptic buzz came out, its super annoying. Now I dont really care as much, but need to know if its bad to ride the buzz all the time. I have an ow+ xr. I hit 17mph and the buzz goes off. To me thats not even fast anymore. I am thinking if I should buy the floatwheel xrv power kit, mostly dont cause price and unsure if i can vampire it since my xr is vampired.
The Hungarian prime minister, a self-proclaimed champion of illiberal Christian democracy, turned thwarting E.U. policy into an art form but suffered a resounding election defeat.
After the strikes, Southern Command said it notified the U.S. Coast Guard to launch a search and rescue mission for the survivor.
US president praises 36-year-old’s victory under pressure
McIlroy beat world No 1 Scottie Scheffler by one shot
Donald Trump called Rory McIlroy a “legend” as the United States president congratulated the Northern Irishman on his second Masters title. McIlroy held on for a one-shot victory over America’s world No 1 Scottie Scheffler, becoming the fourth player in the tournament’s 90-year history to win successive titles at Augusta.
Trump, who has played with McIlroy in the past, used his Truth Social platform to send a message to the 36-year-old. “Congratulations to Rory McIlroy on another Great Championship, The Masters!” Trump wrote.
Continue reading...As Trump’s actions spark a desire for stability, analysts say Carney is in effect assembling a union government
Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, is on the brink of securing a majority government, with his Liberal party poised to win at least two closely watched byelections and courting an “almost unprecedented” string of defections from rival parties.
Carney’s ability to turn a strong minority into a narrow majority through electoral gains and floor crossing has strengthened his reputation as a pragmatic leader above the cut and thrust of partisan politics. But his efforts to bring in lawmakers from across the political spectrum has also sparked a fierce internal debate over the Liberals’ values and the risks of consolidating more power.
Continue reading...Our writers take a look at the best prospects coming out of college, select their lower-round gems to watch and take a look at the expansion draft
For the past three years, the No 1 pick has been a foregone conclusion: Aliyah Boston in 2023, Caitlin Clark in 2024, Paige Bueckers in 2025. This year has much less certainty. Will the Dallas Wings go for a big or a guard? How did UConn’s exit and UCLA’s triumph affect the stock of their stars? It’s a toss-up, but I’ll go with Awa Fam. She’s only 19, but her athleticism and pick-and-roll game will make her a strong complement to Bueckers in Dallas. EB
Continue reading...The fight over California’s billionaire tax is just the latest symptom of a crisis that has escalated since 2010
There’s money to be made in California this spring, no startup pitch or buzzy screenplay required. Instead, signatures are one of the state’s most coveted commodities: campaigns are paying $15 apiece to those willing to collect them.
Petition distributors can thank Sergey Brin for this pay bump. In an effort to kill California’s proposed billionaire tax, the Google co-founder and other local tycoons are funding a political group that has hiked the going rate for signatures collected in support of countermeasures. In all, foes of the wealth tax are expected to spend $75m in their attempt to quash the proposal. Brin himself has donated $45m to the cause – a sum that suggests he just might be able to afford a higher tax bill.
Continue reading...We share almost everything, but ear gunk is a step too far.
About 34,000 concierges, doormen and other building workers in New York are threatening to strike over stagnant wages and proposed health insurance increases.
The average daily ICE detention population declined by 12% from January to March, as a shakeup in DHS leadership suggests a potential shift in enforcement strategy.
Why Should Delaware Care?
Municipal elections often have significantly lower voter turnout rates than state and federal elections. As three candidates seek two council seats in the upcoming Seaford city election, however, the winners will have the direct authority to shape the future of the city’s business redevelopment and other projects.
Three candidates will seek two open seats in next Saturday’s Seaford city council election, while Mayor Matt MacCoy is running unopposed in his bid for a second term as the city’s leader.
Incumbents Dan Henderson, the current vice mayor, and Councilman Michael Bradley have been serving on the city’s government for 12 years and three years, respectively.
The two candidates told Spotlight Delaware they have watched the city make significant strides in the areas of crime reduction, attracting economic development and improving electric rates in recent years. They would like to continue building on those priorities with another term in office, they said.
The challenger, Roberto Santos, is fresh out of college and seeking his first term on city council. Santos’ older brother, Jose Santos, previously served as the youngest member of the city council, and ran for mayor against MacCoy in 2024.
Santos declined to speak with Spotlight Delaware by phone, but he wrote in a message that he is running to make a “meaningful difference” in the community he grew up in. That difference would include strengthening public safety in the city and being accessible to residents as a council member, he said.
All of the five city council seats in Seaford are at-large, meaning whoever wins the April 18 election will represent the entire city rather than one neighborhood or district. Council members serve staggered three-year terms, and the mayor is elected in two-year terms.
Historically, Seaford has struggled to attract more residents and economic growth to the city since the closure of the DuPont nylon factory in 2004. City leaders, however, say Seaford is now turning the corner.
The population is growing substantially, and the city is seeing progress on new developments like reopening the Nylon Capital Center, which will include a new co-work space, an expansion of Delaware Technical Community College, and an additional TidalHealth health care center.
The candidates have the potential to significantly steer the course of the city’s current development projects, and future efforts it undertakes.
There are 5,403 residents located within city limits who are eligible to vote in the April 18 election, city clerk Beth Stewart told Spotlight Delaware. Resident and non-resident property owners are able to vote if they registered with the state Department of Elections by March 27.
Incumbent candidates Henderson and Bradley each described themselves as longtime Seaford residents who understand what the community wants in terms of efficient spending, public safety and economic development.
Santos, the challenger, said he was busy “community door knocking and setting up yard signs,” so he was unable to speak with Spotlight Delaware about his campaign platforms.
In a message, however, Santos wrote that his door-knocking efforts have given him a good understanding of the issues that are important to Seaford residents. These issues, he said, include supporting “local volunteers and first responders” and ensuring residents are “treated fairly by making sure their voices are heard.”
Henderson, who works as a technical consultant for heating and air conditioning manufacturers, has served as vice mayor since 2018. He said he has spent his time in city government working as the liaison to the city’s police department, aiming to concurrently improve safety and attract more business downtown.
“If you don’t have a community where businesses feel safe, it’s hard to have economic development,” he told Spotlight Delaware.
Bradley, who has run a furniture store in Delmar for 36 years, is seeking a second term on city council.
Bradley said his priorities include improving existing infrastructure, so that the city can support more manufacturing industry once again, He also serves as the city council’s liaison to the electric department, advocating for better electricity rates.
Santos could unseat either Henderson or Bradley, depending on which two candidates receive the highest number of votes.
Bradley said he does not mind having a challenger in the form of Santos, as it gives the voters a chance to actually exercise their right to vote.
“This is not about our egos,” Bradley said. “Nobody on the council, including the mayor, is self-serving. We are all residents of the city.”
While voter turnout often sits below 20% in municipal elections nationally, participation in Seaford city elections has been particularly low in recent years.
In last year’s election, just 230 residents – 4% of the total eligible voting population – participated. The 2024 election, which included the mayor’s seat up for election in addition to two council seats, produced a roughly 11% voter turnout rate.
MacCoy, the mayor, who is running unopposed for another term, said he does not know Santos personally but has the “utmost respect” for his brother, Jose, with whom he has faced off in previous city council and mayoral elections.
MacCoy added, though, that he believes the current government, including Henderson and Bradley, has made a strong team on which he would like to continue working over the next couple of years.
“There’s so many things that we’re in the middle of that I want to see come to fruition in the next two years,” he said.
Get Involved
The Seaford municipal election will be held from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 18, inside Council Chambers at Seaford City Hall, located at 414 High St.
Maggie Reynolds is a Report for America corps member and Spotlight Delaware reporter who covers rural communities in Delaware. Your donation to match our Report for America grant helps keep her writing stories like this one; please consider making a tax-deductible gift of any amount today by visiting https://spotlightdelaware.org/support/.
The post Seaford election to include three candidates vying for two council seats appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.
Why Should Delaware Care?
Last week, the United States Department of Education said it would no longer require six school districts to enforce rules protecting students from discrimination based on their gender identity. One of those schools is the Cape Henlopen School District, which the Trump administration says was “burdened” by Biden-era policies.
The Cape Henlopen School District has been swept up into the Trump administration’s backlash against a Biden-era shift in civil rights law that included gender identity into federally mandated protections.
Last Monday, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would rescind agreements made with the the Cape Henlopen School District — and five others across the country — that required those districts to enforce rules protecting transgender students.
Those resolution agreements are the mechanism the government uses to mandate compliance with anti-discrimination laws.
But it is not immediately clear what specifically precipitated Cape Henlopen’s inclusion on the list of districts.
A DOE official confirmed on background to Spotlight Delaware that a resolution agreement had been in effect with the Sussex County district prior to last week’s announcement. But the administration has not provided a copy of that resolution, nor details about what incident might have sparked it.
Further, the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights website lists no gender-identity settlements with Cape Henlopen. Archived versions of the website from previous years also do not show any such case.
The Cape Henlopen School District did not respond to Spotlight Delaware’s request for comment. But in a statement to The News Journal, the district said it had received correspondence from the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights regarding a settlement agreement of some kind dating to March 2024.
The Office of Civil Rights does list one settlement struck in June of 2024 between federal officials and Cape Henlopen staff, but it pertains to the district’s protections of people with disabilities. That settlement outlines, among other things, how staff should be trained about the types of harassment against people with disabilities, and ways to investigate them.
In a statement to Spotlight Delaware, DOE spokesperson Amelia Joy asserted that prior presidential administrations misinterpreted laws related to sex-based discrimination “to pander to political ideology and police ‘misgendering.’”
In late 2024, the administration of then-President Joe Biden required school districts to change their policies to align with new anti-discrimination regulations under the federal Title IX statute.
The following January, a federal judge in Kentucky struck down the Tittle IX overhaul, ruling that Biden overstepped his presidential authority. Shortly after the decision, federal education officials under the new Trump administration sent a “Dear Colleague” letter to K-12 and higher education institutions, stating that 2020-era Title IX rules would be used instead.
A month later, eight Delaware’s boards of education voted unanimously to advance measures that would revert their anti-discrimination policies to the 2020 language, citing guidance from the federal education department.
Those districts included Caesar Rodney, Colonial, Indian River, Woodbridge, Smyrna, Milford, Seaford, and Cape Henlopen.
For Dwayne Bensing, a Delaware civil rights attorney, the DOE’s latest move means that students or faculty who have been discriminated against for their gender identity should assume that the federal Office of Civil Rights is not a “friendly forum for such complaints.”
He also expressed doubt that federal officials would be able to effectively take on sex-based discrimination complaints of any kind under the Title IX statute because of recent cutbacks at the Office of Civil Rights.
Title IX protects individuals from various types of sex-based discrimination, including harassment at work, equal opportunities in school athletics, and pregnancy discrimination.
As part of efforts to shrink the size of the federal education department, the Trump administration last year “initiated layoffs” for about half the staff at the DOE’s Office of Civil Rights, according to a February report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
The Office of Civil Rights has also dismissed more than 6,000 complaints from March to September 2025, according to a January GAO report.
In its announcement last week, the Trump administration said Cape Henlopen and the other five districts were “freed” from enforcing Biden-era discrimination policies involving gender identity.
But, for Cape Henlopen, Delaware still requires the district to follow state laws that, among other things, allow transgender students to participate on sports teams that align with their gender identity.
The Cape Henlopen School District’s own anti-discrimination policy was last revised in August 2025, according to the district’s website. The policy does not explicitly mention protections based on gender identity.
In the past, Delaware students have told Spotlight Delaware that anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and bullying increased during the first Trump administration.
Delaware LGBTQ Commission Vice Chair Vienna Cavazos said they plan to discuss the Trump administration’s recent announcement with the commission in the future.
Both Bensing and Cavazos noted that students still have an ability to file Title IX complaints in state or federal court.
“They have the right in any Delaware school to be called the name that they want. Use the pronouns that they want; the bathrooms that they want; the basic dignity and respect of any student,” Cavazos said.
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The post Cape Henlopen schools caught up in Trump’s gender-identity rollback appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.
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 happening this week.
Read below to learn how to participate in some of the most important or interesting public meetings happening in Delaware this week.
After a two-week break, Delaware lawmakers will reconvene this week for hearings that are certain to incorporate plenty of politics into policy discussions.
The full State Senate will meet Tuesday afternoon to consider an amendment to the Delaware Constitution that would enshrine an “absolute right to vote by absentee ballot without an excuse.”
Senate Bill 3 is the first leg of a two-pronged approval process needed to change the Delaware Constitution. The text of the legislation — which State Sen. Darius Brown (D-Wilmington) introduced a year ago — states that it is a direct response to a Delaware Supreme Court decision in 2022 that struck down the widespread use of absentee voting in the state.
This weighing of bill this week also follows comments from President Donald Trump last summer in which he promised an executive order that would stop absentee, or mail-in, voting.
Last month, Trump signed an order that directs the U.S. Postal Service to only send mail-in ballots to voters on what would be a newly created federal list of approved absentee voters.
In the weeks since, several lawsuits have been filed challenging the order.
📍 The full Delaware Senate is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Legislative Hall, located at 411 Legislative Ave. in Dover. As of Sunday, the only item on the agenda is Brown’s legislation. To watch the meeting online, click here.
Delaware lawmakers in various committees and on the floor of the House of Representatives will also consider dozens of additional bills this week.
Among those are legislation that would:
To view details of all hearings, scroll through the “What’s Happening” box here.
Aside from legislation, lawmakers in the Senate Corrections and Public Safety Committee on Tuesday will discuss the closure of the Plummer work-release center in Wilmington.
Last September, the Delaware Department of Correction announced that the Plummer Center would shut down in March.
The decision sparked pushback from former inmates, politicians, and prisoner advocates who told Spotlight Delaware that the closure would cause incarcerated people to be forced to live farther from their jobs, families, and support systems as they seek to transition back into society.
During the hearing on Tuesday, lawmakers are scheduled to hear testimony from Department of Correction Commissioner Terra Taylor, as well as several prisoner advocates.
📍 The Senate Corrections and Public Safety Committee is scheduled to meet at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Legislative Hall, located at 411 Legislative Ave. in Dover. Click here for more information, including about registering to participate in the meeting virtually.
During a meeting Monday, the Dover City Council is scheduled to consider a request for a formal hearing from its city manager, Dave Hugg, to discuss his ouster from the position.
Last month, Dover City Council members quietly voted to place Hugg on administrative leave – the first step toward permanently removing him from the position. At the time, council members stated only that they were voting to “accept the recommendation of the city solicitor on the personnel matter.”
Spotlight Delaware later learned the matter was related to Hugg and his tension with the council over how and when he brought certain issues to their attention. Two city officials specifically pointed to what they described as Hugg’s failure to promptly inform the council about complaints received about the People’s Church homeless shelter.
According to Dover’s city charter, a city manager must be given a public hearing and a “written statement of the reasons alleged for their removal” before the city council can take a final vote on removing them.
Anthony Delcollo, a lawyer representing Hugg, said a public hearing is exactly what the city manager wants.
“As Mr. Hugg was not provided any information regarding purported wrongdoing or performance issues prior to being advised that the City felt it was time to move on from his employment, our client looks forward to the opportunity to present his position in this hearing,” Delcollo said.
Hugg has served as Dover’s city manager since early 2022. He first joined the city on a contracted basis in 2017, and ended up staying on with the city and rising to the role of city manager over the next five years.
📍 The Dover City Council is scheduled to meet at 6:30 p.m. on Monday inside Council Chambers at City Hall, located at 15 Loockerman Plaza in Dover. Click here for information about attending virtually.
Last month, New Castle County Executive Marcus Henry proposed a 17% property tax hike – a major increase that officials said would only partially close a $42 million budget deficit.
On Tuesday afternoon, the New Castle County Council will hold a budget hearing to discuss revenue, debt service, and capital spending.
During a meeting later in the evening, the council will introduce ordinances to pass a county budget for the next fiscal year, which begins in July.
📍 The New Castle County Council Budget Hearing Meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday at the Louis L. Redding City County Building, located at 800 N. French St. in Wilmington. For more information, including about virtual attendance, click here.
On the agenda for the Sussex County Council’s meeting this week is a proposal to change the zoning of 84 acres of farmland between Fenwick Island and Selbyville to allow for a residential development with 210 homes.
CoastTV reported last year about pushback the proposal has attracted from neighbors who expressed fear the housing development would prevent them from using their land for hunting.
Also scheduled for this week’s council meeting are remarks from County Administrator Todd Lawson about an application to the state for dollars from Delaware’s opioid settlement fund.
In February, council members Steve McCarron and John Rieley told the Cape Gazette they would like a portion of the money to fund ambulance services.
📍 The Sussex County Council will hold its weekly meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the Sussex County Administrative Office Building, located at 2 The Circle in Georgetown. For more information, including about virtual attendance, click here.
The post Get Involved: Absentee voting , NCC budget, and the ousting of a city manager appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.
Resolution Foundation says Britons face rising costs from higher bills for energy and filling up
Higher energy prices as a result of the Iran war are likely to deal a blow to Britons’ living standards, leaving them nearly £500 worse off this year, a thinktank has warned.
The Resolution Foundation said households faced rising costs from both higher gas and electricity bills and at the petrol pump.
Continue reading...Members’ question time: Will the regime in Cuba be able to survive the current crisis? 2 June 2026 — 12:00 TO 12:45 BST Anonymous (not verified) Chatham House and Online
Amid a punishing US-enabled blockade, Dr Christopher Sabatini, Director of the Latin America Programme, will discuss how Cuba is surviving and what next for the island nation.
Amid a punishing US-enabled blockade, Dr Christopher Sabatini, Director of the Latin America Programme, will discuss how Cuba is surviving and what next for the island nation.Cuba is facing one of its most severe crises since the end of the Cold War. Rolling blackouts, acute shortages of food and fuel, a collapsing currency, and sustained outward migration have placed extraordinary strain on the island’s economy and society. At the same time, the US embargo constrains Cuba’s access to international trade, placing immense strain on its people. Support for the communist regime, and its President Miguel Diaz Canel, has plummeted to new lows. Amid this stifling predicament, Cuba finds itself. What are the US goals? How will Cuba respond? And what are the risks for Cubans and for the US?
In this members’ question time, Dr Christophe Sabatini, Director of the Latin America Programme, examines how the Cuban state is coping with mounting pressures and what this moment reveals about the regime’s resilience. He will explore the role of external actors, including the United States, Russia, China, Europe and Cuba’s neighbours, in shaping Cuba’s future.
Chatham House members will have the opportunity to put their questions directly to Dr Sabatini. Submit your questions in advance here.
Chatham House Debate: This House believes that China is the primary threat to global stability in the next decade 21 May 2026 — 17:00 TO 18:00 BST Anonymous (not verified) Chatham House
A moderated debate examining competing views on China’s role in shaping global stability in the years ahead.
A moderated debate examining competing views on China’s role in shaping global stability in the years ahead.As global power balances shift, China’s rise has emerged as one of the defining geopolitical questions of the 21st century. Beijing’s expanding diplomatic reach, rapid military modernisation, technological ambitions and growing assertiveness, from the South China Sea to the Taiwan Strait, have fuelled concerns that China poses a fundamental challenge to the international order.
For critics, the threat lies not only in China’s material power but in its efforts to reshape global rules and norms, whether through economic leverage, political influence abroad, or the promotion of alternative governance models that challenge liberal institutions.
Others caution that portraying China primarily as a threat oversimplifies a more complex reality. They highlight China’s deep integration into the global economy, its role in addressing transnational challenges such as climate change, and the risks of self‑fulfilling instability driven by rivalry rather than cooperation. From this perspective, China’s behaviour reflects the dynamics of great power competition, not an inevitable path to conflict.
This debate examines the nature of the challenge China presents, militarily, economically, technologically, or ideologically. It asks whether it represents the primary threat to global stability over the next decade, or one among several risks shaping a fragmented international system.
Our experts develop their arguments and recommendations through evidence-based research, public and private events, and discussions with practitioners and policymakers.
We do not take institutional positions on policy. We owe no allegiance to any government or political body. While we encourage our experts and contributors to put forward views and advice, these do not constitute the institute’s formal positions.
Singer voluntarily enters facility after erratic driving incident, where she was found to have drugs and alcohol in her system
Britney Spears has entered a rehab facility after her arrest in March for driving under the influence.
The pop singer was stopped by police in Ventura county, California, after driving erratically, and was found to have drugs and alcohol in her system. She was briefly detained, and her manager called Spears’ actions “completely inexcusable. Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”
Continue reading...Tarot card reader Ashley Guillard, who falsely accused history professor Rebecca Scofield, plans to appeal
A self-proclaimed psychic who in TikTok videos falsely accused a University of Idaho professor of being involved in the murders of four of the school’s students in 2022 is appealing for relief after a civil court jury ordered her to pay $10m in damages to the educator.
In a recent legal filing that she prepared herself, tarot card reader Ashley Guillard called the case brought against her by history professor Rebecca Scofield “fraudulent” and asked the federal court in Idaho where a jury delivered a verdict against her to set aside the judgment.
Continue reading...In mid-December 2020, federal officials responsible for protecting American elections from fraud converged in a windowless, dim, fortified room at the Justice Department’s downtown Washington, D.C., headquarters.
They had been summoned by Attorney General William Barr.
Over the preceding weeks, Donald Trump’s claims that the presidential election had been stolen from him had reached a crescendo. He’d become obsessed with a conspiracy theory that voting machines in Antrim County, Michigan, had switched votes from him to Joe Biden.
With each day, Trump ratcheted up the pressure to unleash the might of the federal government to undo his defeat.
Barr interrogated experts from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, crammed in beside top FBI officials around a cheap table. He needed the group of around 10 to answer a crucial question: Was it really possible the 2020 presidential vote had been hacked?
ProPublica’s description of the previously unreported meeting comes from several people who were in the room or were briefed on the gathering. Everyone understood that the meeting represented an important moment for the nation, they said. Barr, who did not respond to requests for comment, had walked a delicate line with Trump, instructing the FBI to investigate allegations of election irregularities while declaring publicly there had been no evidence “to date” of widespread fraud.
The nonpartisan specialists from CISA, backed by their FBI counterparts, explained they’d unravelled what had happened in Antrim County. A clerk had made a mistake when updating ballot styles on machines, leading to a software problem that initially transferred votes from Republicans to Democrats, they said. There was no fraud, just human error — which would soon be publicly confirmed through a hand count of the county’s ballots.
Listening intently, Barr seemed to understand both the truth and that telling it to the president would almost certainly cost him his job.
At the end of the meeting, Barr turned to his top deputy, made hand motions as if he was tying on a bandana and said he was going to “kamikaze” into the White House.
What happened next is well known. When Barr met with Trump in the Oval Office on Dec. 14, the president launched into a monologue about how the events in Antrim County were “absolute proof” that the election had been stolen. Barr waited to get a word in edgewise before telling his boss what the experts from CISA had told him.
Then Barr offered his resignation letter, which Trump accepted. Barr left believing he’d done his part to preserve democratic norms.
“I was saddened,” Barr wrote of Trump in his memoir. “If he actually believed this stuff he had become significantly detached from reality.”
Barr was one of many federal officials — most of them Trump appointees — who refused to bend to the president’s demands, which only intensified after Barr was gone. Although rioters inspired by Trump managed to delay the certification of his defeat by storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, ultimately the institutional guardrails of American democracy held — barely.
But if faced with the same tests today, the guardrails and people that held the line would largely be missing, an examination by ProPublica found.
ProPublica scrutinized what happened the last time Trump lost a national election. Some of that happened in plain sight: After a cascade of defeats in court, Trump began pressuring state and local officials to overturn the results. But more happened behind the scenes, like the meeting that helped persuade Barr to hold the line.
Our reporting uncovered previously undisclosed aspects of a federal effort to safeguard the results of the 2020 vote, which involved at least 75 people across several agencies. Today, nearly all of those people are gone, having resigned, been fired or been reassigned, particularly in the departments of Justice and Homeland Security. That included the cybersecurity specialists who had established that the Antrim County allegations were false and reported their findings to Barr.
The people we identified as resisting attempts to overturn the 2020 results have been replaced by roughly two dozen people Trump has installed in positions that could affect elections. Ten of them actively worked to reverse the 2020 vote, and the rest are associates of such people. In some cases, ProPublica found, officials have been hired from activist groups that are pillars of the election denial movement. Experts warn that shows the movement has merged with the federal government.
These new officials could influence how Trump reacts to the upcoming midterms as polling shows Republicans are approaching what could be a significant electoral loss, with the president’s approval rating nearing record lows, and public concern growing about the weak economy, the administration’s mass deportation effort and the war on Iran. Seemingly in preparation to head off such a blow, Trump has stepped up his efforts to “nationalize” the 2026 elections, saying that Republicans need “to take over” the midterms. Democrats who monitored Trump’s attempts to block his 2020 loss have begun to question whether he will allow a “blue wave,” particularly if it flips control of a House of Representatives that impeached him twice in his first term.
ProPublica’s examination reveals new details on how the president has unleashed his loyalists to transform elections. This includes the background of this year’s FBI raid in Georgia to seize 2020 election materials and how they are using federal resources to search for noncitizens voting. Ultimately, ProPublica’s reporting shows how thoroughly and expansively the Trump administration has overhauled the federal government into what some fear is a vehicle for making sure elections go his way.
ProPublica’s reporting is based on interviews with roughly 30 current or former executive branch officials familiar with the work of Trump loyalists installed in election roles. Most spoke on condition of anonymity because they fear retribution, including those knowledgeable about the December 2020 Barr meeting.
The Trump administration maintains its actions will make U.S. elections fairer and more secure — and keep those prohibited from voting, such as noncitizens, from doing so.
“Election integrity has always been a top priority for President Trump,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement. “The President will do everything in his power to defend the safety and security of American elections and to ensure that only American citizens are voting in them.”
Spokespeople for the DOJ and DHS emphasized that their departments are focused on ensuring elections are free and fair, and that they are working closely with the states to achieve those goals. Contentions to the contrary, they say, are false.
A few guardrails have endured, preventing Trump from fully realizing his agenda for elections. Judges have blocked key parts of a March 2025 executive order in which Trump attempted to exert greater federal control over aspects of voting, and some Republican state officials have fought back against Justice Department lawsuits demanding state voter rolls.
Late last month, Trump issued another executive order on elections that attempts to exert unparalleled federal control over mail-in voting and voter eligibility, which Democrats and voting rights groups are challenging in court.
Experts say 2026 will serve as an unprecedented stress test of the integrity of American elections.
“Our election system withstood” Trump’s “attacks following the 2020 election,” said Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat who has led the pushback to the administration’s actions on elections, “but this will be an even tougher test, with more election deniers having access to federal power than ever before.”
Barr has said that in the high-stakes days following the 2020 election, he felt like he was playing Whac-A-Mole with Trump’s “avalanche” of false election claims.
The investigators at DHS’ Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency supplied intelligence that disproved many of them, not just those involving Antrim County.
CISA was created by Trump in his first term to counter cyber threats in the aftermath of Russia’s efforts to influence the 2016 vote. It soon came to provide crucial expertise and support to thousands of local election officials grappling with increasingly sophisticated attacks.
After the 2020 election, it also played a crucial part in puncturing fallacies spread by Trump supporters, producing a “Rumor Control” website to rebut them. And it partnered with state officials and technology vendors to release a statement calling the election “the most secure in American history.” Trump swiftly fired Chris Krebs, whom he had appointed to lead CISA, but Krebs’ defense of the election’s soundness reverberated widely in the media and on Capitol Hill.
Among Trump’s first actions upon returning to the Oval Office was eviscerating CISA.
Starting in February 2025, DHS leadership put employees focused on countering disinformation and helping safeguard elections on leave. The leadership also froze the agency’s other election security work, which included assessing local election offices for physical and cybersecurity risks, and disseminating sensitive intelligence information on threats. Eventually, all three dozen or so CISA employees specializing in elections were fired or transferred to work in other areas.
“It took years of dedicated, bipartisan, cross-sector partnership to build the security infrastructure we’ve had, and dismantling CISA leaves a gaping hole,” said Kathy Boockvar, an elections security expert who served as Pennsylvania’s secretary of state from 2019 to 2021. “We are making the job of securing our democracy exponentially harder.”
A DHS spokesperson told ProPublica that the changes at CISA were in response to “a ballooning budget concealing a dangerous departure from its statutory mission,” which included “electioneering instead of defending America’s critical infrastructure.” The spokesperson said that CISA’s mission is still to coordinate protection of critical infrastructure, including by supporting local partners against cyber threats.
It isn’t just CISA that’s been gutted.
The Trump administration has discarded or diminished other federal initiatives with roles in protecting election integrity or blocking foreign interference. While many of these actions have been reported, together they reveal the full sweep of the changes.
First, the administration got rid of the National Security Council’s election security group, which convened departmental leaders to coordinate federal actions related to voting. Then in August, the administration dismantled the Foreign Malign Influence Center, a branch of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence that had stymied efforts by Russia, China and Iran to interfere in the 2024 election.
A spokesperson for ODNI said the center was redundant and that its functions were folded into other parts of the office’s intelligence apparatus in ways that “arguably makes our ability to monitor and address threats from foreign adversaries stronger, more efficient and more effective.”
However, former national security officials, including one who had worked at the center, told ProPublica that its functions had largely ceased. Caitlin Durkovich, who led the NSC’s election security work during the Biden administration, said that under Trump the federal government has “abandoned” its traditional role in preserving election integrity and security.
“Nearly every program and capability to stop bad actors and support election administrators has been dismantled,” she said. “Heading into the midterms, this leaves states and localities exposed, without the intelligence support or federal coordination they need to detect and respond to threats in real time — precisely when the stakes are highest.”
The early months of the second Trump administration also brought seismic changes to three parts of federal law enforcement with central roles in elections.
Kash Patel, the FBI’s new director, dismantled the public corruption team, which had been deployed in previous administrations to help monitor possible criminal activity on Election Day. The Foreign Influence Task Force, which aimed to combat foreign influence in U.S. politics, was also disbanded. (An FBI spokesperson said the bureau “remains committed to detecting and countering foreign influence efforts by adversarial nations.”)
Furthermore, the Justice Department substantially reduced the role of its Public Integrity Section, which had been responsible for making sure the department’s inquiries weren’t improperly influenced by politics.
After the 2020 election, senior lawyers in the section warned against having the FBI investigate fraud claims raised by Trump allies, saying that the agency’s involvement could damage its reputation and appear motivated by partisanship. In this instance, they were overruled by Barr and his deputies, but former officials said this was a rare case in which their guidance was ignored. The need to directly overrule the unit, they said, made it a roadblock — one that no longer exists.
A month after Trump returned to the Oval Office, the unit’s top staff resigned when agency leaders directed them to dismiss corruption charges against then-New York City Mayor Eric Adams. More resigned later or were transferred. The 36-person section was reduced to two. The administration no longer mandates that it review politically sensitive cases, according to multiple people familiar with the matter.
Another key DOJ office, the Civil Rights Division’s voting section, had enforced federal laws that protect voting rights, particularly those that combat racial discrimination. In December 2020, the assistant attorney general overseeing the Civil Rights Division was one of the many department leaders who said they would resign if Trump promoted Jeffrey Clark, a leader who supported Trump’s efforts to overturn the election results, to head the department after Barr’s resignation. This mass threat of resignation ultimately led Trump to not promote Clark.
But now, nearly all of the section’s roughly 30 career lawyers have resigned or been moved. This largely started last spring after Harmeet Dhillon, Trump’s assistant attorney general for civil rights, put out a memo saying their mission would shift from ensuring voting rights to enforcing Trump’s executive order on elections.
The Trump administration then filled the section with conservative lawyers who are now litigating against the lawyers they replaced. At least four of those newly appointed lawyers participated in challenging the 2020 vote or have worked with people who helped Trump try to overturn the 2020 election.
“It’s just a shocking and depressing reversal of the federal government’s role in making real the promise of nondiscrimination in voting and racial equality,” said Anna Baldwin, an appellate attorney for the Civil Rights Division who resigned last year and is now one of those litigating against the Justice Department in a new role at Campaign Legal Center.
The Justice Department didn’t respond to specific questions about the dismantling of the Public Integrity Section or the change in mission for the Civil Rights Division.
In all, at least 75 career officials who’d played important roles in elections work at DHS, DOJ and other departments have left or been fired, ProPublica found.
Late last summer, after the Trump administration had forced out most of the career specialists, a small group of political appointees began convening at the Department of Homeland Security’s headquarters.
The group — which once called itself “Team America,” according to sources familiar with the matter — looked for federal levers it could pull to make Trump’s March executive order about elections a reality, an effort that has not been previously reported.
They represented the new type of people running the show.
Its core members included David Harvilicz, a DHS assistant secretary tasked with overseeing the security of election infrastructure, including voting machines, and three of his top staffers. As ProPublica has reported, Harvilicz had co-founded an AI company with an architect of Trump’s claims about Antrim County.
Despite the setbacks the executive order had met with in court, there “was not a whole lot of discussion or disagreement” about acting on the directive from Harvilicz or one of his deputies, said a former federal official who interacted with group members. “It was just us saluting to do it.”
This small group was part of a wider team at DHS, DOJ and the White House seeking to push forward the president’s agenda. Some of Trump’s new guard are well known: After the 2020 election, Patel pressured military officials to help investigate a conspiracy theory about voting machines, according to a former Justice Department official. (Patel did not respond to a request for comment but claimed in congressional testimony that he did not recall the event.) Others, like Harvilicz, are more obscure but still wield consequential powers.
These newcomers are seeking to carry out Trump’s executive orders and are unlikely to push back against his false claims that American elections are rife with fraud.
Team America members have echoed or spread such material themselves.
Heather Honey, who serves under Harvilicz in a newly created position focused on elections, falsely asserted that there were more ballots cast in Pennsylvania than voters in the 2020 presidential election. Trump cited this claim, which has been traced back to her, while exhorting his followers to march on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
At least 11 administration appointees, including Honey, have ties to the Election Integrity Network, a conservative grassroots organization seeking to transform American elections. It is led by Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who tried to help Trump overturn the 2020 election. Gineen Bresso, who holds a top job in the White House counsel’s office, coordinated with the network’s leadership in 2024 as the Republican National Committee’s election integrity chair, ProPublica has reported. Since moving into government, Honey has maintained close ties to Mitchell’s organization, and she and at least two other federal officials have given its members private briefings.
Experts say these former activists who helped forge a movement built on the idea that the 2020 election was stolen from Trump are seeking to make sure that does not happen again.
“The election denial movement is now interwoven within the federal government, and they are working together toward a shared goal of reshaping elections” in ways that undermine the freedom to vote, said Brendan Fischer, a director at the Campaign Legal Center, a nonpartisan, pro-democracy legal organization. “It’s not just last-minute slapdash attempts to overturn the results” as in 2020, “but more systematic efforts to influence how elections are run months ahead of time.”
In response to questions sent to DHS, Harvilicz and Honey, a DHS spokesperson disputed that they were seeking to use the department’s powers to advantage Trump, writing that its employees “are focused on keeping our elections safe, secure, and free” and working to “implement the President’s policies.” In response to questions about their ties to the election denial movement, the spokesperson wrote, “To meet the diverse and evolving challenges the Department faces, we hire experts with diverse backgrounds who go through a rigorous vetting process.”
Mitchell did not respond to detailed questions from ProPublica. The White House answered questions sent to Bresso about her connection to Mitchell’s network by reiterating its commitment to making American elections secure.
Through the fall and winter, as the Justice Department demanded that states turn over confidential voter roll information, Team America worked to solve problems hindering the use of digital tools to comb the lists for noncitizens who had illegally registered to vote. Honey and others ironed out the technical details of merging information from different agencies and crafted data-sharing contracts. When Honey or others hit roadblocks, they’d go to the White House or senior DHS leaders who “would come in hot” to clear her path, said officials who interacted with them.
Initially, the plan was to run voter information obtained by DOJ through a Homeland Security tool called the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system.
More recently, according to two people familiar with the matter, Team America has worked to harness a more powerful tool used by another branch of DHS, Homeland Security Investigations, to increase its ability to search for noncitizen voters and bring criminal charges against them.
While DHS told ProPublica that SAVE has identified more than 21,000 potential noncitizens on voter rolls in the past year, officials who have checked those results in detail have found vast inaccuracies, as ProPublica has reported. Most states — including those with millions of voters — have eventually marked only a few to a few hundred potential noncitizens as registered to vote, and far less have ever voted. The DHS spokesperson also called SAVE “secure and reliable.”
As the election approaches, current and former officials and election security experts expressed concerns that Harvilicz and Honey, who’ve espoused debunked conspiracy theories about elections, are in positions to control the narrative around the vote’s soundness.
It’s hard to debunk false claims “coming with the seal of the federal government,” said Derek Tisler, counsel and manager with the Brennan Center for Justice’s elections and government program. “I certainly worry what damage that could do to voters’ confidence.”
Perhaps nothing better reflects the breakdown of the guardrails that thwarted Trump’s rashest impulses in 2020 than his creation last fall of a special White House post reinvestigating his loss to Biden.
In December 2020, just days after Barr rebuffed Trump’s Antrim County claims, lawyers in the White House counsel’s office helped prevent the president from heeding activists’ call to essentially declare martial law to seize voting machines. This multihour shouting and cussing match has been called the craziest meeting of the first Trump administration.
But the lawyer whom Trump hired in 2025 as his director of election security and integrity, Kurt Olsen, had worked to overturn Trump’s loss in court in 2020 and was later sanctioned by judges, including for making baseless allegations about Arizona elections.
Olsen’s work in the second Trump administration has breached the firewall between the White House and DOJ officials, established after Watergate to prevent law enforcement officers from making decisions based on political pressure, said Gary Restaino, a former U.S. attorney in Arizona.
“This is not a constitutional or even a statutory requirement,” Restaino said, “but it’s a democracy requirement to make sure that citizens throughout America understand that decisions about life and liberty are being made in an objective and consistent manner.”
In a previously unreported series of events, around the end of 2025, Olsen flew to Georgia to meet with Paul Brown, the head of the FBI’s Atlanta field office, according to people familiar with the matter.
Olsen wanted the FBI to seize 2020 ballots from Fulton County, a Democratic stronghold, and gave Brown a report he claimed would justify the extraordinary action. Brown and his team emphasized to Olsen that any investigation his team did would be independent and fair.
When Brown and his team examined the report, they found that Georgia’s election board had already looked into its allegations, dismissing many altogether, and concluding that others came down to human error, not criminal wrongdoing. The report had been assembled by a longtime ally of Olsen’s and participant in the Election Integrity Network who had a history of discredited claims, ProPublica has reported.
Based on their own investigation, Brown’s team submitted an affidavit to their superiors at DOJ that did not make a strong enough case to move forward with what Olsen wanted.
Soon after, Brown was offered a choice: retire or be moved to a new office, people with knowledge of the exchange told ProPublica.
Olsen did not respond to requests for comment.
An FBI spokesperson said that Brown “elected to retire” and that its “work in the election security space is entirely consistent with the law.”
Brown’s ouster after refusing to carry out the seizure of 2020 election materials has been reported, but Olsen’s involvement and the details of their interactions leading to Brown’s retirement have not been previously disclosed.
With Brown gone, the case moved ahead under his replacement.
Trump administration officials also took another step to keep control of the investigation.
Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi chose Thomas Albus, whom Trump had appointed as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri, to prosecute the case even though it fell far outside his usual regional jurisdiction. Albus had been meeting with Olsen since around the time the White House lawyer was hired, ProPublica has reported. (Albus declined a request for comment.)
In late January, the FBI carried out an unprecedented raid in Fulton County — and the agency’s affidavit, put together by Albus and Brown’s replacement, cited a version of the report Olsen gave to Brown as evidence supporting the seizure. ProPublica was part of a news coalition that sued to unseal the affidavit.
An FBI spokesperson said that its agents “followed all procedure to ensure everything was in proper order, and FBI evidence team had the necessary court-authorized search warrant before they arrived on site.”
Ryan Crosswell, who worked in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section for around half a decade, handling a number of election cases, called Brown’s replacement and Albus’ involvement a “red flag” because of the unusual circumstances of their appointments.
“They’re just moving through people until they find someone who’s willing to do exactly what they want,” Crosswell said.
The Justice Department did not respond to a question about Crosswell’s comment.
The extraordinary raid was also enabled in a previously unreported way by the destruction of the DOJ’s Public Integrity Section.
Multiple former lawyers for the section said they likely would have tried to block the Fulton County investigation because it lacked strong evidence, had a clear political slant and went against department directives that actions should not be taken “for the purpose of giving an advantage or disadvantage to any candidate or political party.”
Crosswell said, “Based on everything we know, if PIN was still there, we’d say no.”
John Keller was principal deputy chief of the Public Integrity Section from 2020 to 2025 and was acting chief when he resigned in early 2025. He worries that allegations of irregularities in the upcoming election will be handled on a partisan basis.
“Without that review and without apolitical, objective, honest brokers involved in the process, there is a much greater risk for intentional manipulation or inadvertent interference,” Keller said.
The week the FBI seized Fulton County’s ballots, about half of the nation’s secretaries of state converged on Washington, D.C., for their winter conference.
They had urgent questions about elections for Bondi, then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and other luminaries who had promised to appear at the event. But none of the headline names showed, leaving conference attendees staring at an empty podium, until the session was abruptly canceled.
The breakdown was emblematic of a widening chasm between state officials and the parts of the federal government that had, until recently, worked with them to secure American elections.
Shenna Bellows, Maine’s Democratic secretary of state, said in an interview that the trust between the Trump administration and states is “absolutely demolished.”
This loss of trust reflects that election deniers have assumed so many top roles at federal agencies. Honey sometimes represents DHS on cross-departmental conference calls with state election chiefs, an unsettling reality for those who spent years countering the false claims she made from outside the government.
On a February call, state officials expressed confusion about whether the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency would still assess their election systems for physical and cyber vulnerabilities. Honey said it would, but Bellows said she’d been told it wouldn’t.
Two DHS officials told ProPublica CISA’s remaining staff avoids election work, afraid they could lose their jobs if they engage with state and local officials. “In CISA, elections are a toxic poison,” one said.
A DHS spokesperson said state and federal officials are still working together “every single day” to protect elections and that “The claim that DHS has a broken partnership with states and made our elections less secure is simply false.”
The cuts to career election specialists and their divisions have eliminated information channels that spotlighted threats as voting took place, including Election Day command posts run by the Justice Department and FBI. Another information channel, which DHS used to fund, will still operate but will be available only to state and local election offices, not the federal government.
Jessica Cadigan, a former FBI intelligence analyst who investigated Election Day threats, said FBI headquarters’ command post was critical to her cases.
“That is dismantling the brain, if you will,” she said. “They are the ones that piece the whole thing together.”
An FBI spokesperson said the agency will still have capabilities to monitor the situation on the ground through designated election crimes coordinator experts in all its field offices.
Jena Griswold, Colorado’s Democratic secretary of state, has come to see the federal government as adversarial to elections and election administration, rather than a partner.
Colorado is one of around 30 states the Justice Department has sued for confidential voter roll information. At least four courts that have fully considered those cases so far have dismissed them, although the Justice Department has appealed most of the decisions. (The others are pending.) Griswold told ProPublica she has added another lawyer to her staff to fight whatever comes next from the Trump administration.
“Donald Trump,” she said, “has made American elections less safe.”
The post Inside Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections appeared first on ProPublica.
The Trump administration is ratcheting up attacks on environmental protections that Make America Healthy Again followers hold dear.
 | Unfortunately, I broke my ankle while I was curving on my onewheel GT. It’s entirely my fault. I wasn’t prepared for this kind of tricks. I was doing very well and learning quickly. I was able to jump sidewalks and fell in love with onewheel. The feeling was better than anything I’ve ever experienced, even better than motorcycles. I’m feeling bad that this injury will prevent me from riding onewheel for at least 3-4 months. I didn’t have enough of my onewheel, and I want to ride more. If anyone has a similar injury, please let me know how your recovery is going and if you’re able to ride onewheel like before. BTW I’m 35 years old, I don’t know if my age will slow my recovery. [link] [comments] |
Rapidly strengthening storm brings destructive winds, flooding risk and dangerous seas to western Pacific
The Mariana Islands archipelago in the western Pacific, home to the US territories of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, are bracing for extreme weather early this week as Super Typhoon Sinlaku approaches.
The system originated as a cluster of thunderstorms over the seas of Micronesia before strengthening into a tropical storm and then a typhoon on Friday and Saturday.
Continue reading...PM rejects claim plan is integration with EU ‘by stealth’, saying changes will happen only if parliament passes law
Keir Starmer has defended plans for the UK to align more closely with some EU rules without parliamentary votes, saying a closer relationship with Europe “is in the UK’s best interest”, particularly given the international turmoil over the Iran war.
Speaking to the BBC after the Guardian revealed that ministers were planning to use so-called Henry VIII powers to dynamically align with EU rules by default, Starmer argued that, nearly 10 years after the Brexit referendum, it was time to “look forward”.
Continue reading...Engine-maker CEO hails ‘critical milestone’ for company in race to deliver SMR technology built at Wylfa plant on Anglesey
Rolls-Royce has secured up to £599m from Britain’s national wealth fund as it races to develop the UK’s first small modular nuclear reactors.
The fund will help support Rolls-Royce’s design of small modular reactors (SMRs) at Wylfa on the island of Anglesey (called Ynys Môn in Welsh).
Continue reading...Vice President JD Vance told reporters that "we have not reached an agreement" following face-to-face talks with Iranian and Pakistani negotiators.
Australian prime minister says it’s ‘disappointing’ that there was no resolution on freedom of movement during weekend’s talks
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Anthony Albanese has called for the full reopening of the strait of Hormuz and free navigation for all countries, as the new defence chief said Australian ships were ready and capable of assisting if such a decision were made.
Hours after the US president, Donald Trump, said he would institute an American blockade of the strategic waterway from Tuesday morning, Australian time, Albanese urged Washington and Tehran to return to negotiations in Pakistan.
Continue reading...Anthropic recently "hosted about 15 Christian leaders from Catholic and Protestant churches, academia, and the business world" for a two-day summit , reports the Washington Post: Anthropic staff sought advice on how to steer Claude's moral and spiritual development as the chatbot reacts to complex and unpredictable ethical queries, participants said. The wide-ranging discussions also covered how the chatbot should respond to users who are grieving loved ones and whether Claude could be considered a "child of God." "They're growing something that they don't fully know what it's going to turn out as," said Brendan McGuire, a Catholic priest based in Silicon Valley who has written about faith and technology, and participated in the discussions at Anthropic. "We've got to build in ethical thinking into the machine so it's able to adapt dynamically." Attendees also discussed how Claude should engage with users at risk of self-harm, and the right attitude for the chatbot to adopt toward its own potential demise, such as being shut off, said one participant, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details of the conversations... Anthropic has been more vocal than most top tech firms about the potential risks of more powerful AI. Its leaders have suggested that tools like chatbots already raise profound philosophical and moral questions and may even show flickers of consciousness, a fringe idea in tech circles that critics say lacks evidence. The summit signals that Anthropic is willing to keep exploring ideas outside the Silicon Valley mainstream, even as it emerges as one of the most powerful players in the AI race due to Claude's popularity with programmers, businesses, government agencies and the military.... Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has said he is open to the idea that Claude may already have some form of consciousness, and company leaders frequently talk about the need to give it a moral character... Some Anthropic staff at the meeting "really don't want to rule out the possibility that they are creating a creature to whom they owe some kind moral duty," the participant said. Other company representatives present did not find that framework helpful, according to the participant. The discussions appeared to take a toll on some senior Anthropic staff, who became visibly emotional "about how this has all gone so far [and] how they can imagine this going," the participant said. Anthropic is working to include more voices from different groups, including religious communities, to help shape its AI, a spokesperson told the Washington Post. "Anthropic's March summit with Christian leaders was billed as the first in a series of gatherings with representatives from different religious and philosophical traditions, said attendee Brian Patrick Green, a practicing Catholic who teaches AI and technology ethics at Santa Clara University."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The new Dausos connection protocol has been independently audited and includes a few key innovations not found in other VPNs.
Pop star Britney Spears has voluntarily checked into rehab following her DUI arrest in Ventura County in March, a representative for the singer told CBS LA.
Late-night gallery tours and new venues signal a city staking its claim as a regional arts capital
On a recent weekday evening, the doors of more than a dozen galleries and museums across Abidjan stayed open till midnight, several hours later than usual, as art enthusiasts went around town on a bus tour. It was the Night of the Galleries, designed for people to drop in after work and enjoy Abidjan art week to the fullest.
The after-hours special showcase was first tested in January 2024 on the sidelines of the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament hosted and won by Côte d’Ivoire. The tradition continued this year during the art week’s third edition, which ran from last Tuesday to Sunday.
Continue reading...In today’s newsletter: Orbán concedes defeat after 16 years in power, ushering in a new era for Hungary’s relations with the EU, US and Russia
Good morning. The people of Hungary are waking up in an unfamiliar political landscape – one in which Viktor Orbán, who has served as prime minister since 2010, is stepping aside after defeat to Péter Magyar, whose Tisza party has won an election likely to reshape the country’s ties with the EU, the US and Russia.
Less than three hours after polls closed on Sunday, Orbán conceded defeat after what he described as a “painful but unambiguous” result. Magyar, who has pledged to repair Hungary’s strained relationship with the EU, crack down on corruption and channel funds towards long-neglected public services, said Tisza voters had rewritten Hungarian history and that “truth prevailed over lies”.
Middle East | Donald Trump has said the US will begin blockading the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to take control of the strategic waterway from Iran in the aftermath of failed peace negotiations.
Carers | Thousands of unpaid carers will continue to be hit with hefty and potentially unfair benefit repayment demands, as a government initiative gets under way to fix welfare injustices that have drawn comparison to the Post Office scandal
UK news | The Home Office is to announce the closure of 11 asylum hotels this week as part of its pledge to close all such facilities by the end of this parliament.
Ireland | Police have cleared a blockade of central Dublin by farmers and hauliers who were protesting about fuel prices, signalling a possible end to six days of protests that have rocked Ireland.
UK politics | Ministers are planning to reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote.
Continue reading...  | Got this baby today on marketplace. Any recommendations on what to get for it ? Is there a VESC kit for it? Is it easy to install? Should get a tread tire? Used or new? Fenders? Is it water resistant? It has sand particles. Can I spray it down or be gentle and use wipes to clean? ANY fun advice would be much appreciated :) I hope to ride streets and light trails with it [link] [comments] |
Carpenter is fired out of a car on water jets, David Byrne wears head to toe orange, and the reclusive Bieber steps into the limelight
Continue reading...Congratulations pour in from across EU, with leaders from Spain, Poland, France, Britain, Denmark, Romania, Sweden and beyond hailing a new chapter
EU leaders heaped praise on Péter Magyar after his decisive election victory in Hungary against the long-serving prime minister Viktor Orbán, who many saw as a direct threat to Europe’s peace and prosperity.
The outpouring reflected a deep frustration with Orbán across the EU’s 27 member states and its institutions.
Continue reading...Number of tickets to win Tête de Femme will be capped at 120,000 and proceeds will go to Alzheimer’s research
A raffle in France is offering the chance to win a portrait by Pablo Picasso for the price of a €100 (£87) ticket, with proceeds going to Alzheimer’s research.
Picasso painted the gouache-on-paper Tête de Femme (Head of a Woman) in 1941. The raffle organisers’ online sales platform says the number of tickets will be capped at 120,000, meaning the draw could net €12m if they are all sold.
Continue reading...Tehran needs positive incentives, not just pressure.
America’s pacts should have expiration dates.
"Early Sunday morning, a car stopped and appears to have fired a gun at the Russian Hill home of OpenAI's CEO," reportsThe San Francisco Standard, citing reports from the local police department: The San Francisco Police Department announced the arrest of two suspects, Amanda Tom, 25, and Muhamad Tarik Hussein, 23, who were booked for negligent discharge... [The person in the passenger seat] put their hand out the window and appeared to fire a round on the Lombard side of the property, according to a police report on the incident, which cited surveillance footage and the compound's security personnel, who reported hearing a gunshot. The car then fled, and a camera captured its license plate, which later led police to take possession of the vehicle, according to the report... A search of the residence by officers turned up three firearms, according to police. The incident follows Friday's arrest of a man who allegedly threw a Molotov cocktail at Altman's house. The San Francisco Standard also notes that in November, "threats from a 27-year-old anti-AI activist prompted the lockdown of OpenAI's San Francisco offices." Sam Kirchner, whose whereabouts have been unknown since Nov. 21, was in the midst of a mental health crisis when he threatened to go to the company's offices to "murder people," according to callers who notified police that day.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Seems to be a common issue online. Couldn’t find a solution though. Just got this from a relative who got a new one, it had the tire replaced (probably irrelevant) and I just got it last night. Used it, charged it to 100% overnight, used it this morning got down to 50%, plugged it in for a few hours, didn’t charge, used it- got it down to 25% still won’t charge. I have two chargers, both keep green lights on and won’t seem to charge the onewheel. Ideas?
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 13, No. 567.
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A post about an hour ago on the Israel Defense Forces Telegram channel claimed that overnight, the IDF “identified a rocket launcher positioned and ready to launch toward the State of Israel in the area of Jouaiyya in southern Lebanon”.
Shortly after the identification, the launcher was struck and dismantled in a rapid closure cycle, thwarting the launch before it could be carried out.
Continue reading...Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 13.
Elle Hunt on her month wearing Meta’s smart glasses and the privacy concerns around the technology
According to Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s AI-powered glasses are “personal super intelligence” that “let you stay present in the moment”.
Journalist Elle Hunt reports on her time wearing them for a month. Elle tells Nosheen Iqbal about the highs and lows of the experience, the features that could be transformative for people with vision impairments or hearing loss, and the risks wearable tech poses to our privacy.
Continue reading...Partial official results show opposition leader Peter Magyar's party dominating the vote, in a bombshell election result with repercussions around Europe and beyond.
Donald Trump has said the US will begin blockading the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to take control of the strategic waterway. Key US politics stories from Sunday 12 April at a glance
Donald Trump has said the US will begin blockading the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to take control of the strategic waterway from Iran in the aftermath of failed peace negotiations between the countries in Pakistan.
The US president also threatened to bomb Iran’s water treatment facilities as well as its power plants and bridges, repeating an earlier threat, if Tehran did not agree to abandon its nuclear weapons programme – the key sticking point between the two sides.
Continue reading..."Robotic bird decoys are being deployed at Grand Teton National Park," reports Interesting Engineering, "to influence the behavior of real sage grouse and help restore a declining population.". Robotics mentor Gary Duquette describes the machines as "kind of a Frankenbird." (SFGate shows one of the robot birds charging up with a solar panel... "Recorded breeding calls are played at the scene, with clucking and cooing beginning at 5 a.m. each day.") Duquette builds the birds with a team of high school students, telling WyoFile that at school they "don't really get to experience real-world problems" where failures lurk. So while their robot birds may cost $150 in parts, the practical experience the students get "is priceless." Spikes in the electric currents burned out servo motors as the season of sagebrush serenades loomed, Duquette said. "The kids had to learn the difference between voltage and amperage...." To resolve the problem, the team wired a voltage converter in line with the Arduino controller and other elements on an electronic breadboard. "We pulled through and got it done in time," he said... A noggin fabricated by a 3D printer tops the robo-grouse. Wyoming Game and Fish staffers in Pinedale supplied grouse wings from hunter surveys, and body feathers came from fly-tying supplies at an angling store. Packaging foam from a Hello Fresh meal kit replicates white breast feathers, accented by yellow air sacs... The Independent wonders if more national parks would be visited by robot birds... During this year's breeding season, which runs through mid-May, researchers are using trail cameras to track whether real sage grouse respond to the robotic displays and return to the restored lek sites. If successful, officials say similar robotic systems could eventually be used in other national parks facing wildlife management challenges.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
US senator appears at Manhattan rally alongside New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, who cautioned that AI is ‘coming for human jobs’
Bernie Sanders has sounded an alarm over the US economy, warning “the worst is yet to come” unless workers overcome a “ruling class” of billionaires.
The US senator spoke at a rally in Manhattan on Sunday alongside Zohran Mamdani, the New York City mayor, who cautioned that artificial intelligence was “coming for human jobs” amid mounting concern over the technology’s rapid development.
Continue reading...Swalwell faced pressure from his own party to drop out of the race after a former staffer accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was too drunk to consent.
Democratic congressman, running to replace Gavin Newsom, has faced multiple accusations
Representative Eric Swalwell, the Democratic frontrunner in the fiercely contested race to be governor of California, has suspended his campaign amid a series of sexual assault and misconduct allegations by a former staff member and at least three other women.
The woman who worked for Swalwell said the California congressman had sexually assaulted her twice when she was too inebriated to consent, according to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, which was published on Friday.
Continue reading...Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for April 13, No. 1,759.
Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for April 13, No. 771.
Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for April 13 No. 1,037.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland won the 2026 Masters Tournament at Georgia's Augusta National, claiming his second straight green jacket.
Joel Gilbert, who mailed anti-Barack Obama film to voters in 2012, accuses congressman of violating immigration law
California Democrat Eric Swalwell’s decision to suspend his campaign for governor on Sunday, even as he denies allegations from four women who accuse him of sexual misconduct and assault, did not end the pressure the congressman faces.
One sexual assault allegation against Swalwell, alleged to have been committed in New York in 2024, prompted the Manhattan district attorney’s office to open a criminal investigation on Saturday. Members of Congress from both parties said on Sunday that they could vote to expel Swalwell, as well as a Republican US representative, Tony Gonzales, also accused of sexual misconduct.
Continue reading...Yikes! Glad it was relatively minor. Heal fast and heal well!
Long-serving prime minister beaten by opposition after early results showed clear lead
Europe correspondent
Not a regular observer of Hungarian politics? We’ve got you.
Continue reading...️ Rory McIlroy became just the fourth player in history to win consecutive Green Jackets
️ Official Leader Board
Marco Penge was making a good fist of his Masters debut. Especially as the 27-year-old from Crawley, the reigning Spanish Open champion, took a triple-bogey eight at the 2nd on Thursday. Not the most auspicious start to his Augusta National career, but he limited the first-round damage to 76, then shot 69 and 71. Sadly his final round isn’t going so well, and he’s just dumped two balls in the water at the iconic par-three 12th, the first spinning back off the bank, the second from the dropzone not even getting over to dry land before dunking into the drink. A quadruple-bogey seven. He isn’t the first, he won’t be the last, and things could have gotten a whole lot worse, just ask the Towering Inferno …
Bogey at the last for Jon Rahm. A diminuendo end to a fine round of 68. You have to wonder how much buyer’s remorse Rahmbo has for joining the LIV tour: the 2021 US Open champion and 2023 Masters winner has never been the same player since. Still, his recovery this week from an opening round of 78 will give him a little succour. He ends his week at +1, one shy of the current clubhouse leader Gary Woodland.
Continue reading..."Rust's rise shows signs of slowing," argues the CEO of TIOBE. Back in 2020 Rust first entered the top 20 of his "TIOBE Index," which ranks programming language popularity using search engine results. Rust "was widely expected to break into the top 10," he remembers today. But it never happened, and "That was nearly six years ago...." Since then, Rust has steadily improved its ranking, even reaching its highest position ever (#13) at the beginning of this year. However, just three months later, it has dropped back to position #16. This suggests that Rust's adoption rate may be plateauing. One possible explanation is that, despite its ability to produce highly efficient and safe code, Rust remains difficult to learn for non-expert programmers. While specialists in performance-critical domains are willing to invest in mastering the language, broader mainstream adoption appears more challenging. As a result, Rust's growth in popularity seems to be leveling off, and a top 10 position now appears more distant than before. Or, could Rust's sudden drop in the rankings just reflect flaws in TIOBE's ranking system? In January GitHub's senior director for developer advocacy argued AI was pushing developers toward typed languages, since types "catch the exact class of surprises that AI-generated code can sometimes introduce... A 2025 academic study found that a whopping 94% of LLM-generated compilation errors were type-check failures." And last month Forbes even described Rust as "the the safety harness for vibe coding.." A year ago Rust was ranked #18 on TIOBE's index — so it still rose by two positions over the last 12 months, hitting that all-time high in January. Could the rankings just be fluctuating due to anomalous variations in each month's search engine results? Since January Java has fallen to the #4 spot, overtaken by C++ (which moved up one rank to take Java's place in the #3 position). Here's TIOBE's current estimate for the 10 most popularity programming languages: Python C C++ Java C# JavaScript Visual Basic SQL R Delphi/Object Pascal TIOBE estimates that tthe next five most popular programming languages are Scratch, Perl, Fortran, PHP, and Go.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Tom Watson wants to fill in the creek in front. The Golden Bear says play safe if the pin is on the right. McIlroy defied the conventional wisdom and won
There’s hot, and then there’s the back nine on Sunday at Augusta when there are five players within two shots of the lead. The TV weathermen reckoned it was 30C but then they weren’t down at Amen Corner when Rory McIlroy was standing on the tee at Augusta National’s 12th hole, that little rinky-dink 155-yard par three, tied for the lead and waiting for the wind to drop long enough that he could get his shot off. Four days ago, they asked Tom Watson what was the one change he’d make to this golf course if he could. Watson didn’t blink. “I’d fill in that creek in front of No 12.”
“Touché” said Gary Player.
Continue reading...Pope Leo XIV and President Trump, two of the most influential Americans in the world, are at odds over the war in Iran and the federal crackdown on immigration in the United States.
In the months since his election, Pope Leo has spoken up against both the war in Iran and the mass deportation of migrants in the U.S. His statements have inspired American cardinals to speak out.
In a scheme plaguing roadways, some commercial trucking networks are racking up safety violations and evading federal enforcement by dissolving bad records and operating under new names.
Great white sharks have abandoned a former hotspot in South Africa. Some pin the blame on a pair of orcas. Others point the finger at another culprit: humans.
Great white sharks have vanished from a former South African hotspot, leaving scientists to debate over the cause.
As Pope Leo makes headlines for his outspoken views on global conflicts and immigration, a subtler transformation is unfolding in the pews: a surge of new converts, many of them young.
Photographer Chris Fallows, known for his dramatic photos of great white sharks breaching the water near Cape Town, South Africa, shared the stories behind his astonishing images of wildlife, from elephants and cheetahs to humpback whales and lions.
2025 winner joins Nicklaus, Faldo and Woods in retaining title
He triumphs on 12 under by one shot from Scottie Scheffler
You are left wondering how on earth Augusta National managed to inflict such psychological torture on Rory McIlroy for all those years. Or maybe that is precisely the point, that McIlroy’s ending of his Masters hoodoo in 2025 placed him into a fresh head space where failure is not an option. It turns out Green Jackets are like London buses. Back in Augusta, where he became only the sixth man in history to complete a career grand slam, McIlroy entered the record books once more. He is now the fourth golfer to successfully defend the Masters, after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods. As a six-time major winner, he has surpassed Seve Ballesteros.
What next, Rory? He could walk on Rae’s Creek. McIlroy’s latest Masters triumph arrived with the 36-year-old considerably short of his best for much of the tournament. That only emphasises his excellence.
Continue reading...The probe comes as Swalwell is also being accused of assaulting a former staffer in an unrelated case.
Ministers admit carer’s allowance penalties will continue while review of more than 200,000 cases is carried out
Thousands of unpaid carers will continue to be hit with hefty and potentially unfair benefit repayment demands, it has emerged, as a government initiative gets under way to fix welfare injustices that have drawn comparison to the Post Office scandal.
Ministers will on Monday launch an audit of more than 200,000 historical carer’s allowance benefit cases, with an estimated 25,000 carers issued with unlawful overpayments since 2015 likely to see their repayment debts cancelled or reduced as a result.
Continue reading...A new powerful chipset has arrived to take on x86 CPUs and Apple's M5, writes Wccftech. The blog Windows Central writes that "Qualcomm's Snapdragon X2 processors are here" — and they run Windows: Microsoft has done a massive amount of work to improve compatibility and has also convinced developers to embrace Windows 11 on Arm. Users of Windows 11 on Arm PCs spend 90% of their time on Arm-based apps that run natively. Additionally, apps that do not run natively can often run through Prism emulation, which has improved dramatically since launch... [A]pp compatibility issues are overblown by many, and unfortunately those sharing false information are the same folks people rely on to make purchases... Works on Windows on Arm maintains a list of compatible apps and games for the platform. There, you'll see well-known apps like Google Chrome, the Adobe Creative Suite, and Spotify. We also have a collection of the best Windows on Arm apps to help you out. Snapdragon X PCs aren't gaming PCs, but there is a growing library of games that can run on the chips.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Campaigners welcome first update of school food standards in 13 years, which aims to help lower obesity rates
The government is to announce an overhaul to school food standards in England that will lead to calorific classics such as fish and chips and steamed sponges being banned.
The new rules of the first major update to school food standards in 13 years will apply from September. They are part of efforts to lower the rates of childhood obesity, with data for 2024 released by the NHS in January showing that 24% of nursery and primary school children were overweight or living with obesity.
Continue reading...  | Just got this XR Classic brand new. The pins are NOT bent (they’re perfectly parallel to their little cylinder walls and equidistant as well) and the charging port itself is completely flush to the frame, but when I actually push the cable in the whole thing is bent relative to the rails, which I think is weird. Board charges fine (so far). Charger was hanging out loose but now it inserts (I figured I was just being too gentle) — albeit crookedly. Just wondering if this is normal for the XR-C/GT? [link] [comments] |
 | Needs potential battery replacement otherwise excellent condition. Purchased in 2021 with only 11 lifetime miles on it. Rode it maybe 3 times and put away for storage in a cool and dry garage environment in NorCal. Unfortunately battery was drained for too long and right now it doesn’t take in any charge. Unsure if it’s BMS or battery issue. Asking for $600 OBO ideally Bay Area pick up! Thanks [link] [comments] |
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie "is officially the year's highest-grossing film to date with $629 million at the global box office," reports Variety — and it will likely earn over $1 billion. Project Hail Mary now becomes the year's second highest-grossing movie, with four-week ticket sales over $510, notes The Hollywood Reporter: The two films have helped propel year-to-date revenue to $2.113 billion — the best showing for the first part of the year since before the pandemic in 2019 ($2.619 billion), according to Comscore. And revenue is running 25% ahead of the same corridor last year. Some context from ScreenRant: Even though The Super Mario Galaxy Movie reviews were largely negative, earning it a disappointing 43% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, audiences gave it a far superior score of 89% from audiences, making it Verified Hot on the platform's Popcornmeter. This indicates that the movie should continue to climb up the global box office chart thanks to strong word of mouth, even as it trails consistently behind the original 2023 movie in terms of commercial performance. Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen called Project Hail Mary "an inspirational example.. We all thought that movie was really uplifting and inspiring." Before the Artemis astronauts launched their mission, Space.com points out "they were treated to a viewing of Amazon MGM Studios' Project Hail Maryto bolster their spirits ahead of their monumental 10-day lunar voyage. " Marking the occasion and providing encouraging words to the three American astronauts and one Canadian astronaut, Ryan Gosling recorded a brief encouraging video for the moon-bound foursome. Today NPR took a spoiler-filled look at the science in the film, asking: Would it be possible for humans to travel to a place as far away as the Tau Ceti star system? It's not possible right now, says Lisa Carnell, division director for NASA'S Biological and Physical Sciences Division. "I don't think we are fully prepared to send humans to Mars, let alone light years away," she says. Given the leaps in technology that humanity has made in just the past century, however, she didn't want to rule it out.... "I believe it's possible [one day]"... The hypothetical study of how humans and extraterrestrials might communicate is a real scientific field, called xenolinguistics, that includes researchers from linguistics, animal communication, and anthropology. Martin Hilpert, a professor of linguistics at the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland, says the film "gets a lot of things right" for how such an encounter might occur, though it also employs a lot of "happy coincidences" too.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Péter Magyar’s Tisza party wins election as prime minister concedes defeat, in result likely to reshape ties with EU
Hungary’s opposition Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, has won the election, bringing an end to Viktor Orbán’s 16-year grip on power, in a result that is likely to rattle the White House and reshape the country’s relationship with the EU.
Less than three hours after polls closed on Sunday, Orbán conceded defeat after what he described as a “painful but unambiguous” election result.
Continue reading...The political crisis surrounding Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell is rapidly escalating into a broader bipartisan showdown that could reshape the makeup of the House.
The incident took place at the Citadelle Henri, also known as Citadelle Laferriere, a 19th-century fortress and tourist spot in the northern town of Milot.
Lynette Hooker went missing after she allegedly went overboard while in the Bahamas.
WIth record turnout, Hungarians chose to end the 16-year rule of the prime minister who was a self-proclaimed champion of illiberal Christian democracy.
Luke Grimes leads the Yellowstone sequel.
Apple is also considering a camera setup with vertically oriented oval lenses with surrounding lights, Mark Gurman reports.
Apple is also considering a camera setup with vertically oriented oval lenses with surrounding lights, Mark Gurman reports.
President has long been a fan of mixed martial arts
Ivanka and Donald Trump Jr also at event
Donald Trump and US secretary of state Marco Rubio attended a UFC event in Miami night on Saturday night as peace talks with Iran failed on the other side of the world.
Trump entered the Kaseya Center shortly after 9pm alongside several members of his family and UFC chief Dana White, who has been a supporter of the president since his first term. Seated nearby was Rubio as well as the US ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, the rapper Vanilla Ice and former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino.
Continue reading...Officials say ‘no arrests made at this time’ and that shooting ‘does not appear to be a random act of violence’
Seven people were shot, including one fatally, at a fast-food chain restaurant in Union Township, New Jersey, on Saturday night, according to authorities.
The Gun Violence Archive, a nonpartisan reference resource, listed the reported shooting at the Chick-fil-A restaurant in the 2300 block of Route 22 as the 100th mass shooting documented in the US this year, as of Sunday. The archive defines mass shootings as cases in which four or more victims are wounded or killed.
Continue reading...Pressure mounts on Californian, who denies rape claims, and on Texan Tony Gonzales, who had affair with staffer who died by suicide
A growing number of Congress members from both parties have called for Eric Swalwell, a Democratic US representative who ended his campaign for California governor on Sunday, to also resign his seat, following reported allegations of inappropriate behavior, sexual assault and rape.
Swalwell has denied the allegations, but he may not get the chance to quit before his colleagues expel him. Polarized Congress members appear to be eyeing an opportunity to rid themselves of both Swalwell and disgraced Republican US representative Tony Gonzales of Texas, who acknowledged having an extramarital affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
Continue reading...West End spectacular about beloved bear wins seven prizes, while Rachel Zegler, Rosamund Pike and Paapa Essiedu all recognised
It was a night of sweet victory for Michael Bond’s marmalade-loving bear as Paddington: The Musical dominated the Olivier awards on Sunday. Amid the tuxes and gowns of a glittering ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London, the duffle coat-wearing bear got his sticky paws all over seven prizes including best new musical.
The award for best actor in a musical went to the duo who play Paddington: James Hameed provides the lovable hero’s voice and is the remote puppeteer, while Arti Shah performs in the furry costume. The show’s baddies, Tom Edden (as the busybody Mr Curry) and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (as Millicent Clyde, who wants Paddington to literally get stuffed), won best supporting actor and best supporting actress in a musical respectively. Luke Sheppard was named best director for the production, which also picked up awards for costume design (Gabriella Slade and Tahra Zafar) and set design (Tom Pye and Ash J Woodward).
Continue reading...A former staffer of Rep. Eric Swalwell said he allegedly forced himself on her after they met for drinks in New York in 2024.
"RGB LED TVs have been the talk of the TV world this year," argues The Verge, with models coming from all the manufacturers." And the first one of 2026 is here — the UR9 from China's Hisense — "the first look at the viability of the new backlight technology outside of demo rooms." They call it "a step above the traditional mini-LED TVs of years past." and "a great first shot against OLED's bow." HDR is colorful and accurate, it has great brightness, and it is capable of showing colors beyond the P3 color space for movies and TV shows that have wider color. But at $3,500, the 65-inch model I reviewed is priced comparably to high-end OLEDs from LG and Samsung, which is tough competition... One of the touted benefits of RGB LED TVs is their ability to achieve 100 percent of the BT.2020 color space... [But] even if a TV is capable of extending beyond P3 and into BT.2020 colors (which the UR9 absolutely is), with most movies and TV shows it doesn't matter. It's also a bit of a chicken-or-the-egg situation — we need TVs that can accurately display BT.2020 before the color space is fully adopted by TV and movie creators, but if there's no content, why get a BT.2020 TV? BGR points out this new mini LED TV also "includes a DisplayPort (DP) connection alongside HDMI." "Well, technically, it's a USB-C port that delivers full DisplayPort functionality, but it's labeled as DisplayPort." The TV also has three HDMI 2.1 ports, making it a great choice for game consoles and PCs. And while HDMI 2.1 supports 4K/120Hz, the Hisense UR9S will deliver 4K/170Hz or 4K/180Hz visuals [a higher refresh rate] when connected to a gaming PC via DisplayPort. Better yet, the TV is AMD FreeSync-compatible, and Hisense plans on adding Dolby Vision 2 HDR in future firmware. The Hisense UR9S will be available in four sizes: 65, 75, 85, and 100 inches. It's worth mentioning that the two largest sizes will max out at 180Hz for the refresh rate, while the 65 and 75-inch screens come in at 170Hz. This is exciting news for serious gamers looking for the best gaming TVs and a huge step forward in the evolution of panel tech. RGB Mini LED TVs were showcased by a handful of manufacturers at CES 2026, including Samsung, Sony, and LG; so Hisense will certainly have some competition.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Commentary: NASA sent four astronauts farther into space than any humans have ever traveled. But there's a much deeper subtext about what it all means.
Iran warns move would breach ceasefire as US president also repeats threats to strike critical infrastructure
Donald Trump has said the US will begin blockading the strait of Hormuz in an attempt to take control of the strategic waterway from Iran in the aftermath of failed peace negotiations between the countries in Pakistan.
The US president also threatened to bomb Iran’s water treatment facilities, power plants and bridges if Tehran did not agree to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, the key sticking point between the two sides.
Continue reading...  | Watched a tutorial on YouTube about how to make one a fender out of a vinyl flooring plank. Didn't have any of those laying around, but my apartment building did have a bunch of trash bins stacked up in the dumpster area so I "borrowed" one. Basically cut a 9x24" piece of plastic out of the back of the bin, leaving a little extra on there to serve as tabs to connect it through. Slowly shortened it until I snuck up on the closest radius I could make work without the tire rubbing against the plastic.... Been using it for about 2 months now, and while it does add about 20% more size to the whole thing, it's been extremely effective at keeping water off of my legs! I've ridden it hard through some pretty deep puddles and in heavy rain, and it feels like it's working really well at rerouting water off of/out of the board. The aesthetic isn't as slick as the OEM fender, but I don't really care, and the more time that's passed, I actually like the homemade look. I only had one length of bolt and didn't want to make a special trip to the hardware store, so I used those risers (they're feet for cutting boards) to essentially "shorten" the bolt. I've read that you can damage the electronics, even puncture the battery if you use too long of bolts, so I was very careful and tightened them gently with a screwdriver. One unexpected benefit is that it keeps the tire rubber from dirtying up my personal effects (backpack, cowboy hat, anything light that I might want to set on top of it when I store it at work). The only downside is that it obstructs the status indicator light, so I have to double check that it's on before standing on it. Also wet dirt will build up in that spot as well. Would recommend to anyone trying to save $100-150 on a piece of plastic that honestly should already come with the board. [link] [comments] |
On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter and Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia join Margaret Brennan.
UK’s willingness to consider role in removing mines from strait is seen as distinct from Trump’s blockade proposal
The UK will not be involved in any blockade of the strait of Hormuz, the Guardian understands, after claims by Donald Trump on Sunday that the US would be blockading the waterway with the assistance of Nato allies.
Speaking to Fox News, Trump said “it won’t take long to clean out the strait” and claimed “numerous countries are going to be helping us”, adding that the UK and other nations were sending minesweepers.
Continue reading...I'm very organized this year. I bought a used Pint with 300kms on it for the kids for Christmas. They're 9 and 10 and adventurous so I think they're really going to enjoy it. My wife and I tried it out one evening to see what we thought of it, just to be sure it wasn't too much for them - but we think it's ok and we're happy to give it a go. It definitely has the wow factor!
I noticed an XR Classic came up for sale nearby with 350 miles on it for 850e. Has a few extras on it and it seems to be good value. I was half tempted to get it and hold it until Christmas with the idea that the pint would be for the kids and the XR for the parents so we'd be able to go on a few runs together with them.
Maybe that might be overkill? I should probably see how the kids take to it first before committing more money to it 😬
Astronauts make first remarks at jubilant welcome home event in Houston after their record-breaking mission
Still marveling over their moon mission, the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home on Saturday from the hundreds of colleagues who took part in setting a record for deep space travel during the US space agency Nasa’s lunar comeback.
The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near Nasa’s Johnson Space Center and Mission Control in Houston, flying in from San Diego, where they had splashed down just offshore the evening before.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Ministers planning new legislation for alignment without full parliamentary scrutiny if in national interest
Ministers are planning to fundamentally reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote.
In a major development in the prime minister’s push for closer ties with the continent after the Iran war, the Guardian understands ministers are bracing to face down opposition to “dynamic alignment” with the EU from those who “scream treason” over the powers in a new EU-UK reset bill.
Continue reading...Victim in her 20s was attacked after leaving Labyrinth Epsom nightclub between 2am and 4am on Saturday
A woman was raped by several men outside a church after leaving a nightclub in Surrey, police said.
The woman in her 20s reported she was attacked after being followed leaving Labyrinth Epsom between 2am and 4am on Saturday.
Continue reading...Mississippi has one warehouse — run by a contractor — that sells all the liquor for the entire state of 2.9 million people. "If a restaurant or store anywhere in Mississippi wanted a bottle of Jim Beam, they had to order it from the wholesale warehouse," reports the Washington Post. But then Mississippi's warehouse-managing contractor implemented a new computer system that wasn't compatible with the state's delivery system (like they'd promised it would be back in 2023). And then things got even worse... "The problem, business owners allege, is that the company tore out the conveyor belts but didn't hire humans to replace them." In February a state Revenue Department commissioner told lawmakers the state was hiring temporary replacement workers, but in the five weeks through March 29th they'd only managed to reduce "pending" orders by 21.7%, from 218,851 down to 171,190, according to stats from Mississippi Today. At least four Mississippi businesses are now suing the warehouse operator "claiming breach of contract and harm to their business." So what's it like in a state suddenly running dry? The Washington Post reports: Willie the one-eyed skeleton is dressed for Cinco de Mayo, but the liquor store where Willie sits ran out of Jose Cuervo months ago. Arrow Wine and Spirits is also out of Tito's and Burnett's vodka, Franzia boxed wine, Jack Daniels, and every kind of premixed margarita... Restaurants in Jackson had no wine on Valentine's Day, and bars on the Gulf Coast ran dry before Mardi Gras. At least five liquor shops have closed, and if cheap pints don't hit the corner stores soon, many of them will, too... [A]s both the state and its businesses lose millions in revenue, many say they see no real end to the crisis. Nearly 174,000 cases of alcohol are sitting in a warehouse north of Jackson, but no one seems to know how to get them out the door... Even the shops that have received deliveries say they often get the wrong thing — Jell-O shots, for instance, that should have been small-batch Norwegian gin... At Willie the one-eyed skeleton's liquor store they'd previously made 300 to 400 sales a day, according to the article, but last week had 34 customers. And Mississippi is one of 17 U.S. states requiring liquor stores to buy their liquor from distribution centers controlled by the state's Department of Revenue... Mississippi Today points out that while some want the state to finally privatize liquor distribution, "The state collects around $120 million a year in taxes on alcohol." Plus the state has already authorized "borrowing $95 million to construct a new warehouse, set to begin operations in 2027..." Thanks to Slashdot reader jrnvk for sharing the news.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
 | always gear up boys [link] [comments] |
Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said "I'll take a look at anything" when asked whether he would oppose additional funding for the war with Iran.
Republicans call on Trump to ‘finish the job’ while top Democrats warn against resuming hostilities
The failure of negotiations to end the US war with Iran has unleashed a barrage of starkly partisan political responses, with leading Republicans making hawkish calls for Donald Trump to “finish the job” while top Democrats warned that it would be disastrous for the president to resume hostilities.
The former UN ambassador during Trump’s first presidency, Nikki Haley, led the Republican charge. She told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that the current two-week ceasefire was a test of nerves.
Continue reading...Officials confirm misfire as Amnesty gives death toll after speaking to survivors of strike on market in Yobe state
A Nigerian air force strike targeting jihadist rebels hit a market in north-east Nigeria, killing more than 100 people and injuring many others, Amnesty International and local media have said.
Officials confirmed a misfire had occurred but did not provide details.
Continue reading...The following is the transcript of the interview with Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Leiter that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on April 12, 2026.
Police arrest man, 37, on suspicion of being in charge of dog dangerously out of control and causing injury resulting in death
A 19-year-old woman who died after a dog attack in Essex has been named by police as Jamie-Lea Biscoe.
Police said the victim was found with serious injuries after emergency services were called to a property in Leaden Roding at 10.45pm on Friday. Biscoe was pronounced dead at the scene.
A 37-year-old man from Dunmow, who was arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury resulting in death, has been bailed until July while inquiries continue, Essex police said on Sunday.
The canine, which was a family pet and believed to be a lurcher crossbreed, was seized and tests are under way to formally establish the dog’s breed, the force added.
Assistant chief constable Stuart Hooper said: “Our thoughts remain with all those who knew and loved Jamie-Lea. Her young life has been so tragically cut short.
“Our detectives are continuing to work around the clock to establish exactly what happened and specialist officers are continuing to support Jamie-Lea’s family.
“This is unimaginable for her loved ones and friends and, as such, I would ask people to respect their grief and privacy at this extremely difficult time.
“Our officers remain at the scene and anyone with concerns or information can speak with them there or contact us in the usual way.”
A post-mortem examination is due to take place on Sunday, police said.
Anyone with information that could assist the investigation has been asked to contact Essex police through their website or anonymously through Crimestoppers.
On Thursday, a three-month-old baby died in a suspected dog attack at a property in Redcar, North Yorkshire.
The baby girl is believed to have died as a result of a dog bite in the Dormanstown area and a woman, aged 31, was treated in hospital for an injury to her arm from a bite, police said.
Armed officers destroyed one dog that had gone on to the street and a second recovered by police has since been destroyed.
A man, aged 45, was arrested on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control causing injury resulting in death and was released on conditional bail.
An American blockade in the strait of Hormuz raises energy-market dangers after failed negotiations – pushing a fragile ceasefire closer to collapse
As the US vice-president, JD Vance, took to a podium in Pakistan after 21 hours of diplomacy and said no deal had been reached to end the war with Iran, his boss Donald Trump was in Miami watching a mixed martial arts fight. The contrast was stark. Just when the outcome of a war and the stability of global markets hung in the balance, the president chose spectacle over engagement. Mr Trump may intend to project strength. But the impression he creates – in Tehran and among America’s allies – is of a president less interested in the substance of diplomacy than in the politics surrounding it.
The talks in Islamabad didn’t fail accidentally; the US and Iran were talking past each other. Washington’s position is that Iran must abandon its capacity to develop a nuclear weapon, while Tehran insists it is not seeking one and has the right to a civilian nuclear programme. The US vice-president’s “final and best offer” would have required Iran to give up that capacity altogether – terms that looked less like the basis of a negotiation than an attempt to impose the conditions of victory.
Continue reading...In both Republican and Democratic states, scepticism and hostility towards an unregulated construction boom is growing
When blue-collar Trump voters and Maga-friendly midwest states join the same cause as Bernie Sanders and liberal California teachers, something novel is afoot. Last month it was the turn of the Republican party in Texas to express forthright opposition to the construction of datacentres for artificial intelligence, pending adequate environmental safeguards for local communities. Across the United States, similar campaigns are being waged, as voters from across the political spectrum rail against the outsize influence and power of big tech.
For the White House, which has made the rapid rollout of datacentres a priority in its AI action plan, the scale of the protests is an unwelcome surprise. One of Donald Trump’s first acts on returning to office was to authorise the deregulated “build, baby, build” approach demanded by the Silicon Valley backers who helped to fund his campaign. Industry giants such Amazon and Microsoft are driving an estimated $710bn worth of investment in datacentres this year, as they stake their future on staying ahead in the AI race.
Continue reading...2017 champion tears up tee box after poor shot
‘Next question’: Spaniard shuts down interviewer
A winner on day four of the Masters was not even part of the remaining field. Robert MacIntyre, somewhere, surely raised a smile.
The Scot was the recipient of widespread criticism on Thursday after offering a single-fingered salute to Augusta National when en route to a nine at the 15th. A range of expletives and a whack of the sacred turf also featured in his first round. MacIntyre’s passionate approach to his profession is admirable but this was all over the top. In time, he will surely realise as much.
Continue reading...Bloomberg describes him as a "former Harvard Medical School professor whose research has focused on the intersection of AI and neuroscience." "For the past 20 years, I studied how the human brain stores and retrieves memories," Kreiman writes on LinkedIn. And now "My co-founder Spandan Madan and I built a new algorithm to endow humans with perfect and infinite memory." Engramme connects to your **memorome**, i.e., entire digital life. Large Memory Models work in the same way that your brain encodes and retrieves information. Then memories are recalled automatically — no searching, no prompting, no hallucinations. [The startup's web site promises "omniscient AI to augment human cognition."] We have built the memory layer for EVERY app. Read our manifesto about augmenting human cognition. ["We are not just building software; we are enabling a complete transformation of human cognition. When the friction disappears between needing a piece of information and recalling it, the nature of thought itself changes. This synergy between biological intuition and digital precision will be the most disruptive force in modern history, fundamentally reshaping every profession... We are dedicated to creating a world where everyone has the power to remember everything they have ever learned, seen, or felt "] Welcome to a new future where you can remember everything. This is the MEMORY SINGULARITY: after 300,000 years, this is the moment that humans stop forgetting. Bloomberg reports that the startup (spun out of a lab at Harvard) is "in talks with investors to raise about $100 million, according to people familiar with the matter."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Bloomberg describes him as a "former Harvard Medical School professor whose research has focused on the intersection of AI and neuroscience." "For the past 20 years, I studied how the human brain stores and retrieves memories," Kreiman writes on LinkedIn. And now "My co-founder Spandan Madan and I built a new algorithm to endow humans with perfect and infinite memory." Engramme connects to your **memorome**, i.e., entire digital life. Large Memory Models work in the same way that your brain encodes and retrieves information. Then memories are recalled automatically — no searching, no prompting, no hallucinations. [The startup's web site promises "omniscient AI to augment human cognition."] We have built the memory layer for EVERY app. Read our manifesto about augmenting human cognition. ["We are not just building software; we are enabling a complete transformation of human cognition. When the friction disappears between needing a piece of information and recalling it, the nature of thought itself changes. This synergy between biological intuition and digital precision will be the most disruptive force in modern history, fundamentally reshaping every profession... We are dedicated to creating a world where everyone has the power to remember everything they have ever learned, seen, or felt "] Welcome to a new future where you can remember everything. This is the MEMORY SINGULARITY: after 300,000 years, this is the moment that humans stop forgetting. Bloomberg reports that the startup (spun out of a lab at Harvard) is "in talks with investors to raise about $100 million, according to people familiar with the matter."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Mauritian foreign minister pledges to ‘spare no effort’ to regain control of islands, as US fails to give approval of deal
A senior official in Mauritius’ government has vowed that the Chagos Islands will be “decolonised” after Keir Starmer was forced to shelve legislation to hand the islands back to Mauritius.
On Friday, UK government officials acknowledged that they had run out of time to pass legislation within the current parliamentary session, which ends in the coming weeks, after a lack of support from Donald Trump.
Continue reading...This is probably an echo if what a lot of other people have said, but please consider it. So, I just had a bad nosedive going around 20mph on some old pavement. I grew up doing martial arts and parkour, and the old roll instincts kicked in. If I had landed with my arms out, I could have easily broken something. Instead, my hands and side are busted up from sliding after the roll, but other than some nasty road rash, no real lasting damage.
If you can, join a free-running/parkour/judo gym for a little bit just to learn to fall and roll (a lot have short trials or free classes you can join to get that). If a gym/school isn't an option, use the internet and YouTube to learn (Edit: it's a last resort to use the internet on this one, do it with someone who knows what they're doing and that'll be best, and I can't understate this enough, if you want to be able to roll, you have to practice it a lot till your body figures out how to do it without thinking). Never fall with your arms fully extended, if you have to fall forwards and can't roll, land on your forearms rather than keeping your arms straight, it'll still suck, but you might break less. Always tuck your head to the side when you roll, try to never go directly over it or your spine, otherwise you could do more damage over just falling normally. Then practice that till it becomes second nature. Also, for the love of god, wear pads... helmet and wrist guards at the minimum....
Edit: as some others have put, rolling is no substitute for pads, always wear them. Just learning a roll isn't going to help, you gotta practice it a lot till it becomes a reflex. It won't save you entirely, but it can turn an accident with an ugly break into an accident with nasty roadrash.
The following is the transcript of the interview with GOP Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on April 12, 2026.
Hundreds of officers deployed to regain control of O’Connell Street on sixth day of protests by farmers and hauliers
Police have cleared a blockade of central Dublin by farmers and hauliers who were protesting about fuel prices, signalling a possible end to six days of protests that have rocked Ireland.
Mounted units and hundreds of officers regained control of O’Connell Street in a peaceful operation that emptied the thoroughfare of trucks and tractors on Sunday morning.
Continue reading...President Trump said the U.S. Navy will begin blockading ships from entering or exiting the Strait of Hormuz and intercept vessels that have paid tolls to Iran.
The blockade could derail a tenuous ceasefire after just five days. Vice President JD Vance said the U.S. remains open to diplomacy if Iran takes “our final and best offer.”
Gas prices put pressure on pocketbooks — and President Trump's ratings — as Iran war continues.
The following is the transcript of an interview with Democratic Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on April 12, 2026.
Exclusive: Health secretary warns of dangers of protest vote as he pitches NHS as key elections battleground
Voters in May’s local and devolved elections risk putting the NHS in jeopardy if they vote for populist parties, Wes Streeting has said, as he sought to make the health service a key battleground.
“The founding principles of the NHS are at greater threat than at any time since the NHS was founded in 1948,” the health secretary said.
Continue reading...Demand at online marketplaces could settle at a new, higher normal, with the crisis leaving consumers ‘scarred’
Car buyers’ interest in electric cars has surged across Europe since the start of the war in Iran, as the rising cost of petrol highlights the cheaper power available from a plug.
Online marketplaces in the UK, Germany, France and Spain reported huge increases in inquiries about electric vehicles since the start of the conflict in February.
Continue reading...Philippe Eullaffroy takes over as interim head coach
Montreal are joint-bottom of MLS with three points
CF Montreal have fired head coach Marco Donadel, the club announced on Sunday. The move comes after Saturday’s 2-1 loss against the Philadelphia Union kept the club joint-bottom of the MLS standings.
Philippe Eullaffroy, who rejoined the club this year as an assistant coach after founding the club’s academy in 2010, will serve as interim head coach “until a permanent head coach is hired,” the club said in a brief statement.
Continue reading...The biotech industry's engineered cells could become an $8 trillion market by 2035, notes Phys.org. But how do you keep them from being stolen? Their article notes "an uptick in the theft and smuggling of high-value biological materials, including specially engineered cells." In Science Advances, a team of U.S. researchers present a new approach to genetically securing precious biological material. They created a genetic combination lock in which the locking or encryption process scrambled the DNA of a cell so that its important instructions were non-functional and couldn't be easily read or used. The unlocking, or decryption, process involves adding a series of chemicals in a precise order over time — like entering a password — to activate recombinases, which then unscramble the DNA to their original, functional form... They created a biological keypad with nine distinct chemicals, each acting as a one-digit input. By using the same chemicals in pairs to form two-digit inputs, where two chemicals must be present simultaneously to activate a sensor, they expanded the keypad to 45 possible chemical inputs without introducing any new chemicals. They also added safety penalties — if someone tampers with the system, toxins are released — making it extremely unlikely for an unauthorized person to access the cells. "The researchers conducted an ethical hacking exercise on the test lock and found that random guessing yielded a 0.2% success rate, remarkably close to the theoretical target of 0.1%."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
 | Now I can go twice as far. [link] [comments] |
The following is the full transcript of an interview with Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of IMF, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on April 12, 2026.
Oliuwadamilola Ogunyankinnu due to appear in court on Monday over fatal stabbing in north London
A man has been charged with murder after the death of 21-year-old Finbar Sullivan, who was stabbed to death in Primrose Hill.
The Metropolitan police said Oliuwadamilola Ogunyankinnu, 27, of Southbury Road in Enfield, had been charged with murder on Sunday and was due to appear at Stratford magistrates court on Monday.
Continue reading...Mo-Rez reduced or eliminated tumours in over 60% of patients and is expected to be a blockbuster drug
GSK has revealed positive results for a treatment for gynaecological cancers as its chief executive, Luke Miels, steps up drug development efforts at the group.
The company said that in an early-stage trial Mocertatug Rezetecan, known as Mo-Rez, shrank or eliminated tumours in 62% of patients with ovarian cancer where chemotherapy had failed, and in 67% of those with endometrial cancer.
Continue reading...In 20 years, the institution has seen the city change from a low-stakes, overachieving cultural incubator to the US’s hub of neoliberal corporate capitalism
Strolling the commercial corridor atop Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood on a recent Friday afternoon, I catch a cappella voices booming down the block: Every woman, every man, join the caravan of love …
It’s the unlikely siren song flowing from the open doors of the Punk Rock flea market. This offbeat, itinerant bazaar has been popping up here, inside a former supermarket, four times a year since 2024, filling the 20,000-sq-ft space left vacant when a Kroger-owned QFC suddenly ceased operations and moved out.
Continue reading...Report says company did not pay tens of thousands in tax on dividends given to Reform UK deputy leader and trust
Richard Tice’s company has been accused of breaking the law by allegedly failing to pay tens of thousands of pounds in tax on dividends that were paid to him and his offshore trust.
Reform UK’s multimillionaire deputy leader is alleged to have received at least £91,000 in excess payments as a result, the Sunday Times reported. Dan Neidle of Tax Policy Associates – whose analysis was cited by the newspaper – said that further analysis suggested that the total in tax that should have been paid by Tice’s company was about £120,000.
Continue reading...The word clanker — a disparaging term for AI and robots — "has made its way into the Linux kernel," reports the blog It's FOSS "thanks to Greg Kroah-Hartman, the Linux stable kernel maintainer and the closest thing the project has to a second-in-command." He's been quietly running what looks like an AI-assisted fuzzing tool on the kernel that lives in a branch called "clanker" on his working kernel tree. It began with the ksmbd and SMB code. Kroah-Hartman filed a three-patch series after running his new tooling against it, describing the motivation quite simply. ["They pass my very limited testing here," he wrote, "but please don't trust them at all and verify that I'm not just making this all up before accepting them."] Kroah-Hartman picked that code because it was easy to set up and test locally with virtual machines. "Beyond those initial SMB/KSMBD patches, there have been a flow of other Linux kernel patches touching USB, HID, F2FS, LoongArch, WiFi, LEDs, and more," Phoronix wrote Tuesday, "that were done by Greg Kroah-Hartman in the past 48 hours.... Those patches in the "Clanker" branch all note as part of the Git tag: "Assisted-by: gregkh_clanker_t1000" The T1000 presumably in reference to the Terminator T-1000. It's FOSS emphasizes that "What Kroah-Hartman appears to be doing here is not having AI write kernel code. The fuzzer surfaces potential bugs; a human with decades of kernel experience reviews them, writes the actual fixes, and takes responsibility for what gets submitted." Linus has been thinking about this too. Speaking at Open Source Summit Japan last year, Linus Torvalds said the upcoming Linux Kernel Maintainer Summit will address "expanding our tooling and our policies when it comes to using AI for tooling." He also mentioned running an internal AI experiment where the tool reviewed a merge he had objected to. The AI not only agreed with his objections but found additional issues to fix. Linus called that a good sign, while asserting that he is "much less interested in AI for writing code" and more interested in AI as a tool for maintenance, patch checking, and code review.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
John Brennan says president who made volatile remarks about destroying Iranian civilization ‘is clearly unhinged’
The former Central Intelligence Agency director John Brennan has added his name to growing calls for the president to be ousted on grounds that he is unfit for the job, arguing that the US constitution’s 25th amendment addressing involuntary removal from office was “written with Donald Trump in mind”.
Brennan, who served as head of the spy agency during Barack Obama’s presidency, told MS Now on Saturday that Trump’s recent volatile remarks about destroying Iranian civilization and the danger he posed to so many lives merited his removal from the Oval Office.
Continue reading...To fuel their artificial intelligence initiatives, tech companies are building massive numbers of AI data centers, with more than 4,000 in operation across the country. But some communities, wary of the environmental and financial implications, are fighting back.
The actress has played many roles in her career – and now, the Tony-winner and two-time Oscar-nominee has taken on another: launching her new line of products, called The Outset, designed for people with sensitive skin (like hers).
Experts say our preoccupation with net overseas migration figures has distracted from a more meaningful discussion on the ‘scale of temporariness’
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Australia should set immigration targets to achieve a “stable temporary population” to address the ballooning number of non-permanent residents that has stretched the country’s public services and housing, a new report argues.
Temporary migrants as a share of the total population has more than doubled over the past 15 years, from 2.7% in 2010, to more than 6%.
Continue reading...When ads pop up on your phone for products after you've happened to mention them, is it an indication that advertisers are eavesdropping on you? David Pogue checks out why highly-targeted advertising sometimes gets weirdly specific.
The two sides turned up to test one another’s resolve. It was probably unrealistic to expect a dispute that has taken up years of discussion to be settled in one marathon session
It was as if the two delegations in the Iran-US peace talks in Islamabad hoped that the sheer number of negotiators flown into Pakistan could overcome the handicap of having only a finite number of hours in which to settle a 20-year dispute over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, now overlaid by complex new issues such as future control of the strait of Hormuz and US compensation for its attack on Iran.
Iran sent two planeloads of negotiators. They included many members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), present to ensure that no gains made in the field were relinquished at the diplomatic table. Diplomats fanned out across political, legal, security, economic and military files. One Iranian-drafted technical explanation on nuclear facility safety ran to more than 100 pages.
Continue reading...The most affordable Samsung and Google flagship models are separated by more than just a $100 price difference. Here's how they stack up.
Seventy-three percent of Americans say delays and denials of medical treatment by healthcare insurers are a major problem. Now, a company called Sheer Health says they will fight insurance battles on behalf of their clients.
Can Liam Rosenior's out-of-form Blues derail City's title ambitions?
 | I'm thinking about lining the edges of the rail with black reflective tape. Anyone have any better ideas for easy designs to make the rail reflective? [link] [comments] |
A growing number of young people see themselves as "forever renters" because they can't afford to buy a home, due to short supply, higher mortgage rates, and incomes that haven't kept up with rising home prices.
Oil prices and borrowing costs are expected to rise this week as tankers remain stranded in the Gulf
The failure of the US and Iran to reach a peace deal after marathon negotiations has put markets on alert for further oil and gas price rises.
With large numbers of oil tankers remaining stuck in the Gulf, the US vice-president, JD Vance, blamed the collapse of the talks on Tehran’s refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, while Iranian sources hit back at “excessive” demands from Washington.
Continue reading...The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts
I always say please and thank you to my Alexa. Why is this? I am sure it doesn’t care. Is it worth being polite to artificial assistants? Alison Williams, Toronto
Send new questions to nq@theguardian.com.
Continue reading...Just as the industry is set to capitalize on country’s political and economic instability, president accused in $5m scheme
The Argentinian president, Javier Milei, is facing his lowest approval ratings since taking office in 2023 as newly published evidence allegedly reveals a $5m financial agreement connected to his public endorsement last year of a controversial crypto project.
The scandal has tarnished crypto’s reputation across Argentina and set back the ambitions of industry insiders who saw the country as fertile soil for the growth of digital money.
Continue reading...What’s it like to have a diary that talks back to you, offering comments and advice on your hopes, fears and lunch plans? I spent two months finding out
Ever since I was a teenager, I have kept some form of diary. These days I favour a paper one for creative brainstorming, and the Journal app on my iPad where I do a speedily typed brain dump every morning. I have always found it a great way to impose some sort of order on my random thoughts, a form of meditation.
But I had never even heard of AI journalling until a Google search led me down a rabbit hole where I encountered people enthusing about two apps, Rosebud and Mindsera. It sounded as if Mindsera’s minimalist design was the best for writers. Out of curiosity, never intending to stick with it, I downloaded a free trial.
Continue reading...Sceye's High-Altitude Platform System just concluded its endurance testing program, bringing this new way to connect one step closer to widespread adoption.
Crime and corruption top voter concerns in highly unpredictable election with 35 candidates for president
Peruvians go to the polls on Sunday hoping to break a cycle of instability that has produced nine presidents in a decade as well as surging violent crime, corruption scandals and overwhelming distrust in institutions and politicians.
About 27 million people who are eligible to vote must choose between a record 35 presidential candidates as well as contenders for the bicameral congress – all from a ballot sheet measuring nearly half a metre, the longest in the country’s history.
Continue reading...TikTok users increasingly say the app has steered them toward diagnosing medical problems not yet identified
Malina Lee, a 31-year-old wedding baker based in San Antonio, Texas, joined TikTok during the Covid pandemic lockdowns in 2020. Like many people at the time, she was bored and began using the platform to pass the time and advertise her business. She didn’t expect a cancer diagnosis.
Four years after Lee joined the app, a commenter with the username “PickleFart” told her that her neck looked asymmetrical in a way that could suggest she had a goiter – an enlarged thyroid gland – and that she should get it checked out. The anonymous amateur clinician turned out to be right – Lee had thyroid cancer, received treatment quickly, and, less than a year later, was cancer free.
Continue reading...Democratic city does not control its police force – and reform attempts have been thwarted by Republicans
Quinton Lucas said he thinks his city’s police department “is a colonial system”.
“I think it is anti-Black. I think it is anti-immigrant. I think it is anti-almost everything we stand for in terms of making sure that diverse populations in major cities have a voice in terms of navigating it,” the Kansas City mayor said.
Continue reading...The RedMagic 11 Air's $499 price is great with a powerful processor, big battery and 80-watt fast charging -- but it also has flawed software.
With an unlimited data phone plan, you can stream your favorite shows, play games and more. We pick our favorites from Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.
Researchers say ‘magic mushrooms’ can help with traumatic symptoms, but urge caution as states expand access
After three combat deployments in Afghanistan, during which he suffered traumatic brain injuries from concussive blasts, army ranger Jesse Gould developed post-traumatic stress disorder and said he “drank almost every night to cope”.
In times of hardship, veterans sometimes turn to “medication and talk therapy, but it tends to be more of a maintenance program than actually overcoming it”, Gould said, but added that at age 28, “I was still very young. I didn’t want to be on medication the rest of my life.”
Continue reading...Lyrids begins next week, with Eta Aquariids coming soon to a sky near you.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared a 32-hour ceasefire over the Orthodox Easter weekend.
Two-time Grammy nominee was one of Bollywood’s most versatile and celebrated voices
The Indian singer Asha Bhosle, whose voice defined Bollywood cinema and whose career spanned almost eight decades, has died in Mumbai at the age of 92.
Bhosle, who recorded more than 12,000 songs, became her country’s pre-eminent exponent of playback singing – recording tracks that were then lip-synced on film by actors. She also boldly embraced cabaret and western-influenced melodies to forge a distinctive musical identity.
Continue reading...Officials said many killed at popular tourist site were young, with more people reported injured or missing
At least 30 people, many of them young, have died and dozens more are reported to have been injured after a crush at a mountaintop fortress in northern Haiti that is a popular tourist spot.
Jean Henri Petit, the head of civil protection for the country’s Nord department, said the incident took place on Saturday at Citadelle Henry, also known as Citadelle Laferrière, a large 19th-century fortress built shortly after the Caribbean country’s independence from France.
Continue reading...Use of interns by Plum Sykes, an ex-assistant of Anna Wintour whose family owns a Yorkshire estate, reignites debate about creative industries
She is said to have been the inspiration for a character in The Devil Wears Prada and was a personal assistant of Anna Wintour, so Plum Sykes knows a thing or two about the arduous and often unglamorous life of being a fashion industry intern.
But that recognition does not, it appears, extend to paying her own interns a fair wage. Or, indeed, any wage at all.
Continue reading...Last year’s drop may reflect rising unemployment and improved right to request flexible working, experts say
The number of workers in Great Britain taking their bosses to employment tribunals over remote working fell last year for the first time since Covid hit, with a tightening labour market making some more reluctant to leave roles despite return-to-office mandates.
There were 54 employment tribunals decided in England, Scotland and Wales in 2025 that cited remote working, according to an analysis of records by the HR consultants Hamilton Nash: down 13% compared with 2024.
Continue reading...Exclusive: closures are part of pledge by Labour to end all use of hotels for asylum seekers by end of this parliament
The Home Office is to announce the closure of 11 asylum hotels this week as part of its pledge to close all such facilities by the end of this parliament.
The use of hotels to house asylum seekers has been controversial since it became widespread at the start of the Covid pandemic. Anti-migrant protesters have staged demonstrations outside hotels, claiming asylum seekers are living a life of luxury there.
Continue reading...New technologies of reproduction are plundering the art world – and getting away with it
In 2026, its easy to see why generative AI is bad. The internet has nicknamed its excretions “slop”. The CEOs of AI companies prance about on stage like supervillains, bragging that their products will eliminate vast swathes of work. Generative AI requires sacrificing the world’s water to feed its hideous data centres. Around the globe, chatbots induce schizophrenic delusions and urge teens to kill themselves – all while turning users brains to mush.
Who could have predicted this? Artists, that’s who.
Continue reading...A mass movement defending immigrants has slowed the Trump administration’s abuses
Resistance, in physics, is the force that hinders the flow of charged electrons as they zigzag from point to point. Resistance doesn’t stop the flow of electricity. Instead, it causes heat.
Popular resistance works the same way. It obstructs and slows the government’s business, creating political heat and slowing it further.
Continue reading...Rodney Harrison formed taskforce that later identified Rex Heuermann as a suspect in the string of New York murders
Rodney Harrison was not in the courtroom in Riverhead on New York’s Long Island last week when serial killer Rex Heuermann pleaded guilty to the murders of seven women and volunteered that he’d also murdered an eighth.
But as the New York police department’s former chief of detectives, who was brought in to be police commissioner of Suffolk county – the area where Heuermann had dumped his victims – it was Harrison who pulled together a taskforce that came to crack the case.
Continue reading...Young American graduates expressed frustration over fewer job openings and longer searches
American college graduates are facing the worst entry-level job market since the pandemic, with the underemployment rate reaching 42.5% – its highest level since 2020.
Several young graduates told the Guardian about their struggles navigating a job market shaped by tightening opportunities, the rise of AI and shifting employer expectations.
Continue reading...From California to Alabama, people of color are building communal spaces rooted in care and tradition
Zappa Montag steps outside his home to a thicket of redwoods, Pacific madrones and oak trees. Dozens of fruit trees dot the 76 hectares (189 acres), along with a large garden replete with squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, corn and peppers. Nearby, a small stream runs through a valley surrounded by hills. At Black to the Land, the ecovillage in Boonville, California, Montag and five other Black people steward the land off the grid, relying on well water and powered solely by solar panels. The intentional community, as it’s called, is located in a rural area 115 miles (185km) north of San Francisco. Montag said it was an effort to “reverse-gentrify the country”.
Black Americans and Indigenous people have long gathered in intentional communities, defined as small groups of people who live in the same area based on shared values and a common vision. They come in many forms, including co-housing spaces in urban environments where people have their own units and share communal spaces.
Continue reading...How to tune up these cardio machines if you own one at home.
President’s proposed budget slashes health department by 12% while throwing $1.5tn – a 42% increase – to the military
Americans are dying in droves. Deaths due to avoidable causes in the United States –which could be dealt with via prevention or proper healthcare – far outpace those in most of country’s peers in the industrialized world. Most notably, Americans die of treatable conditions at nearly twice the rate as Spaniards, French, Japanese and Australians.
They would most likely live longer if they enjoyed better access to healthcare. Americans are the most likely to skip a doctor’s appointment due to its cost, the most likely to skip a medical test and to skimp on prescription drugs. This is unsurprising, given the extraordinary lack of public health insurance in the United States. Americans face the highest out-of-pocket expenses for medical services in their peer group.
Continue reading...Forbes estimates he's worth roughly $110 billion, "placing him ahead of Bill Gates." And now Changpeng Zhao, the 49-year-old billionaire founder of Binance, "has written a memoir..." It arrives with the unmistakable timing of a man determined to tell the world his version of his meteoric crypto rise and fall, and foreshadow his comeback. The book, Freedom of Money: A Memoir of Protecting Users, Resilience, and the Founding of Binance, runs 364 pages, self-published in English and Chinese.... Zhao also recounts Binance's long battle with U.S. regulators, the company's record $4.3 billion settlement for fostering unscrupulous money launderers, his four-month prison sentence in California, where he says he began writing the book, and his recent pardon by President Trump... In Zhao's telling, the case brought by multiple U.S. agencies was less about what Binance had done than about what it had become... "It didn't make sense to me, or any of my lawyers. Other than the fact that we were the biggest in the industry." The U.S. government alleged something more specific: that Binance failed to implement programs to prevent or report suspicious transactions — including those tied to Hamas's Al-Qassam Brigades, Al Qaeda, and ISIS — while also processing trades between U.S. users and those in sanctioned jurisdictions like Iran, North Korea, and Syria. In total, regulators alleged the exchange willfully failed to report more than 100,000 suspicious transactions, including those involving terrorist organizations, ransomware attackers, child sexual exploitation material, frauds and scams... The final settlement amount — $4.3 billion, split across the Department of Justice, the Department of the Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the Office of Foreign Assets Control and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission — was the largest corporate penalty in the history of nearly each agency involved. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said at the time of the announcement: "Binance became the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange in part because of the crimes it committed." The prison passages are among the most vivid in the book. Zhao says he was worried about extortion because the media had reported he was the richest person in U.S. prison history, but then realized no one read the WSJ or Bloomberg or recognized him. Zhao also writes about the food, the routines and the specific indignity of confinement, including sharing a cell with a man serving 30 years for killing two people... Writes Zhao of his cellmate, "Soon, I discovered that the most lethal thing about him wasn't his murder conviction, it was his snoring. He snored more loudly than thunder strikes, the sound of which rose even above the constant toilet flushings." Binance at one point held a roughly 20% stake in Sam Bankman-Fried's FTX and about $580 million in FTT tokens, the article points out. "As FTX neared collapse in late 2022, Zhao writes, Sam Bankman-Fried called to ask for a couple of billion dollars 'nonchalantly, as if he was asking for a bologna sandwich.' "Some believe that Binance's brief show of interest in acquiring FTX, followed by its abrupt withdrawal from the deal, hastened FTX's spiral into bankruptcy..." Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader destinyland for sharing the article.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The king has the chance to offer some tough love. Perhaps he could start with a speech to Congress about the Trump administration’s reckless trajectory
It will be a definitive moment for King Charles III and the British monarchy. And for better or worse, it could help salvage UK-US relations after Donald Trump insulted Keir Starmer. In the public high point of his state visit, the king will mount the rostrum in the US House of Representatives on 28 April to address a joint session of Congress. Of all the British monarchs in the 250 years since US independence, only his late mother, Elizabeth II, was afforded this rare honour – and her accomplished 1991 performance brought the house down. This time could be more tricky.
Times have changed, as has the land of the free, and the biggest change is Trump. He will not be present on Capitol Hill when the king speaks, but his dark shadow lurks everywhere. Trump will undoubtedly portray Charles’s attendance at a separate White House state banquet as a royal endorsement of his person and policies. And it is precisely this galling prospect of a presidential propaganda coup that has led most people in Britain to oppose the visit. Starmer, in contrast, hopes it will set the badly soiled “special relationship” back on track.
Simon Tisdall is a Guardian foreign affairs commentator
Continue reading...The aggressive effort by major players aims to reshape the narrative as polls show increasing public disapproval of AI
OpenAI made a surprise announcement this week – not an update to ChatGPT or another multibillion-dollar datacenter – but a policy paper that called for a reimagining of the social contract based around “a slate of people-first ideas”. It’s the latest move in an aggressive effort by the major AI players to reshape the narrative around their industry, as polls show public disapproval of AI increasing.
OpenAI’s 13-page paper, titled Industrial Policy for the Intelligence Age, follows its surprise acquisition of tech-friendly podcast TBPN and its announcement of plans to open a Washington DC office that will feature a dedicated space called the OpenAI workshop for non-profits and policymakers to learn about and discuss the company’s technology.
Continue reading...The daily news can’t adequately convey the administration’s sabotaging of our government, economy, alliances and environment
The United States is being murdered, and it’s an inside job. Every department, every branch, every bureau and function of the federal government is being fatally corrupted or altogether dismantled or disabled. All this is common knowledge, but because it dribbles out in news stories about this specific incident or department, the reports never adequately describe an administration sabotaging the functioning of the federal government and also trashing the global economy, international alliances and relationships, and the national and global environment in ways that will have downstream consequences for decades and perhaps, especially when it comes to climate, centuries.
Across the branches of government, the services that are supposed to protect us – nuclear stockpile monitoring, cybersecurity, counter-terrorism – are being undermined, understaffed or trashed. A different kind of protection that consists of public health, vaccination programs, food safety, clean air and water, social services, civil rights and the rule of law is also under attack. The federal government that serves us is being starved while the federal government that serves the Trump agenda and the oligarchy is glutting itself on taxpayer money, including the grotesque sums dumped on the Department of Homeland Security and the US military now being warped into Pete Hegseth’s twisted vision of a ruthless mercenary force. Hegseth has reportedly stood in the way of promotions for more than a dozen Black and female officers.
Rebecca Solnit is a Guardian US columnist. Her newest book is The Beginning Comes After the End: Notes on a World of Change
Continue reading...This iPhone update is focused on bug fixes but not much else.
When the U.S. and Israel launched their war on Iran, it put as many as 1 million Americans living in the Middle East at risk. Many found themselves stranded in an expanding war zone by a government without a plan, much less the personnel and expertise, to rescue them.
That’s because the Trump administration fired hundreds of key State Department personnel with the skills needed to safeguard U.S. citizens abroad and usher them from harm’s way, lawmakers say. These foreign service officers — who lost their jobs amid Elon Musk’s purge of the federal workforce — contacted members of Congress last month with dire warnings about the department’s inability to manage the ongoing crisis.
“The Department is actively preventing experienced, cleared, available officers from helping American citizens in crisis,” a group of nearly 250 mostly mid-career and senior State Department foreign service officers wrote in a letter sent to lawmakers that was shared exclusively with The Intercept. “The crisis now unfolding in the Middle East is, in part, a foreseeable consequence of this and other short-sighted decisions taken by this administration to undermine the federal bureaucracy by eliminating expertise and politicizing our apolitical workforce.”
They added: “The expertise required to manage the current crisis has been systematically removed.”
The situation in the Middle East remains dire, even as a fragile ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has taken hold following a genocidal threat by President Donald Trump. After Trump teased that he was willing to wipe out Iran’s “whole civilization” earlier this week, the State Department advised American citizens to reconsider travel across the Middle East due to serious risks to safety and security. Days earlier, the department had urged “citizens to depart Lebanon while commercial flight options remain available” and to flee Iraq via “overland routes” due to fears of “widespread attacks against U.S. citizens.”
The FSOs responsible for the letter to lawmakers are among more than 1,300 State Department personnel fired by the Trump administration as part of a purge by Musk’s now-disgraced Department of Government Efficiency last July. Under the rules governing federal employment, they were not immediately terminated but issued reduction-in-force, or RIF, notices, which is the legally prescribed federal procedure for laying off career civil servants.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs, whose top priority is to “protect the lives and serve the interests of American citizens” around the world, was especially hard hit, losing 102 personnel — including the entire rapid-response consular officer team. These FSOs, all with Top Secret clearances and who are still being paid, have indicated their willingness to return to service, and include many with experience in the Middle East, crisis management, evacuation operations, or so-called “active conflict/ordered departure environments,” according to the letter.
President Donald Trump began his war of choice with Iran on February 28, stating its “objective is to defend the American people.” But it wasn’t until March 2 that the State Department put out an alert for U.S. citizens to “DEPART NOW” from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen “due to serious safety risks.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on March 3 that stranded Americans should call a State Department hotline for assistance. Those that did were told they were on their own. “Please do not rely on the U.S. government for assisted departure or evacuation. At this time, there are currently no United States evacuation points,” an automated message stated.
“At this time, there are currently no United States evacuation points.”
The entire Massachusetts congressional delegation, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., called out the “failures of the Trump administration and State Department to adequately prepare for the threats to American citizens living in the Middle East” in a March 5 letter and asked Rubio to provide answers to detailed questions about the evacuation failures. A month later, the State Department has yet to reply.
“Secretary Rubio has no answers for the failures on his watch, but these brave public servants paint the clearest picture yet of the damage the Trump administration has wreaked,” Warren told The Intercept. “Rubio recklessly purging hundreds of State Department experts has threatened our national security and put U.S. citizens in danger in the Middle East.”
The State Department did not provide answers to detailed questions from The Intercept about the fired FSOs. Instead, a spokesperson passed along anodyne talking points. “The RIFs did not have any negative impact on our ability to respond to the developments in the Middle East, our ability to plan, or our ability to execute in service to Americans,” she wrote in an email. “There were no RIFs that affected our overseas operations that are working in the field to assist Americans.”
As U.S. citizens scrambled to flee the Middle East last month, nearly 20,000 flights to and from the region were canceled and major travel hubs, including the world’s busiest international airport in Dubai, were shut down for days. Americans found themselves stranded in countries that were quickly engulfed in America’s war, like a family from North Carolina left cowering in a bomb shelter in Jerusalem as missiles exploded outside, and a Philadelphia native living in the United Arab Emirates who described the State Department’s evacuation notices as “absolutely cavalier.”
“I saw in the air missiles and lights and all that and everyone got on their knees and started praying,” Evelyn Mushi, who was transiting through the airport in Abu Dhabi with her 82-year-old mother, told NPR. “I’m just very shocked and upset that I see other nations getting their citizens out and we’re just stranded here.” Stuck in a hotel in Doha, Qatar, Odies Turner, a private chef from South Carolina, told ABC News: “I really don’t know what to do. I’ve reached out to the embassy, consulate and airlines. There’s no information on when I will get back home. It’s a mess.”
The Trump administration claims that it “has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans worldwide.” But while Gen. Dan Caine, chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Operation Epic Fury was the “culmination of months, and in some cases, years, of deliberate planning,” Trump said the administration had no evacuation plans for Americans abroad because “it all happened very quickly.”
With Americans stranded and endangered, the State Department sat on its hands, the FSOs allege. On March 5, a former member of the Bureau of Consular Affairs’ Rapid Response team with significant crisis management experience volunteered their services but say they were rebuffed. “At this time, there are no opportunities for officers who were subject to the July 2025 RIF to volunteer for the Middle East Consular Task Force,” the FSO was told by the State Department, according to the letter.
The State Department did not reply to repeated questions about why the FSO’s offer was rejected.
Last month, Foreign Policy reported on a letter from John Dinkelman, president of the American Foreign Service Association, to Michael Rigas, State Department deputy secretary for management and resources, in which he noted that many of those fired in July 2025 had offered to assist in the Middle East evacuation effort.
Among the fired FSOs are officers who managed emergency evacuations from Ukraine in 2022; evacuation from Afghanistan — including an officer who led operations responsible for relocating 52,000 Afghans across multiple countries in 2025 and another who processed 8,000 evacuees in under 30 days at a remote site; evacuations from the Middle East during the Arab Spring; the tumult of the Covid-19 pandemic, including an officer who adjudicated tens of thousands of visas from a single overseas post; the 2006 Lebanon evacuation, which was the largest U.S. noncombatant evacuation operation since World War II; and those that managed posts during ordered departures from Bahrain, Ethiopia, and Iraq, among other relevant experience, according to the letter.
One officer who shared their story on the condition of anonymity noted they joined the Foreign Service in the late 2000s, serving in South Asia and the Middle East, among other posts. A speaker of Urdu, Pashto, and Arabic, this FSO was one of those who played a major role in the Afghanistan evacuation, helping to process more than 34,000 Afghans, including 900 American citizens, whose identities and case statuses, such as those who worked with the U.S. military and had special immigrant visas, needed to be verified. “I loved my work and gave it my all,” said the officer. “I was on sick leave when I received an email that I was laid off. Shock can’t describe how I felt.” Others offered similar resumes and disbelief at the dismantling of the Foreign Service by the Trump administration.
“Collectively, members of our group are prepared to staff multiple crisis task force shifts. We have a deep bench of Middle East experts, consular experience, crisis expertise, crisis communications background, and relevant language skills to immediately deploy to help,” wrote the fired FSOs. “The U.S. Government is not trimming fat. It amputated capability, and Americans are now paying the price.”
“The U.S. Government is not trimming fat. It amputated capability, and Americans are now paying the price.”
The July 11, 2025 reduction in force terminated 1,346 State Department employees, including 276 Foreign Service Officers — some of whom were later reinstated to correct purported firing “errors” — as well as 1,070 civil service employees. The Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations alone lost 62 personnel, including a senior stabilization adviser embedded with the military who supported evacuation planning.
The department’s Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs also lost close to 80 employees between August and December 2025, and the position of the assistant secretary in charge of Near Eastern Affairs remains vacant. The administration’s most recent budget proposed a 40 percent cut to the bureau, although Congress eventually settled on a less dramatic reduction.
The cuts are symptomatic of the hollowing out of the State Department, especially in the Middle East. As of March, the United States had no confirmed ambassadors in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Egypt, Kuwait, Algeria, Libya, or Iraq. Career ambassadors to Qatar, Kuwait, Egypt, and Algeria were also dismissed without replacement. The State Department did not respond to a request to confirm that all those positions remain open, nor did the press office address how the lack of leadership in so many key countries has affected diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.
The post DOGE Cuts Left U.S. Unable to Help Americans Stranded in Iran War Zone appeared first on The Intercept.
Iranian delegates in Islamabad say Washington needs to do more to win their trust if talks to resolve US-Iran conflict are to be successful
The US vice-president, JD Vance, has blamed the failure of marathon negotiations with Iran on the country’s refusal to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, while Iranian delegates have claimed Washington needs to do more to win their trust.
Vance, who left Islamabad on Sunday morning after 21 hours of talks with Iranian officials in the Pakistani capital, said his team had been very clear on its red lines, as hopes faded of a quick end to the conflict that began on 28 February.
Continue reading...The firm says it withheld an AI model on cybersecurity grounds but sceptics say this was hype to lure investment
This week, the AI company Anthropic said it had created an AI model so powerful that, out of a sense of overwhelming responsibility, it was not going to release it to the public.
The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, summoned the heads of major banks for a chat about the model, Mythos. The Reform UK MP Danny Kruger wrote a letter to the government urging it to “engage with AI firm Anthropic whose new frontier model Claude Mythos could present catastrophic cybersecurity risks to the UK”. X went wild.
Continue reading...Label tried to keep band members out of trouble during first tour, Nick Lachey says in Boy Band Confidential
As they embarked on their first tour and their record label tried to limit their potential for legal issues, members of the 1990s US boyband 98 Degrees were equipped with a handbook listing the age at which people across the nation can lawfully consent to sex , the group’s lead singer, Nick Lachey, reveals in a new documentary.
“This is going to sound super shady, but … I remember our first tour, someone at the label gave us a book, and it was the age of consent in every state in the country,” Lachey says in Boy Band Confidential, which is premiering on Monday at 9pm ET on the cable network Investigation Discovery. “And like, we kept that book on the tour bus.”
Continue reading...Leo’s early papacy has been defined largely by his response to President Donald Trump but a 10-day trip, starting Monday, will let the pope focus on spreading the faith.
A months-long inventory glitch in the state-run wholesale warehouse has led to barren shelves at stores across the state.
Declaring victory now, for the second time in 10 months, makes it just a matter of time until a new round of fighting begins, some voters say, as the opposition sees an opening.
Elections on Sunday offer Peruvians another once-in-five-years chance to set the nation on a new path. All signs suggest they won’t.
Formerly unloved vegetable casts off lowly roots to feature in Great Pavilion after online craze among young gardeners
They are an unloved root vegetable traditionally grown for cattle feed, and when pulled from the ground they look like an ingredient destined for a witch’s cauldron.
But the humble mangelwurzel will be in pride of place in the Great Pavilion at this year’s Chelsea flower show (19-23 May), after becoming the subject of an online craze among young gardeners.
Continue reading...Remember that AI-powered vending machine that went bankrupt after Wall Street Journal reporters "systematically manipulated the bot into giving away its entire inventory for free"? It was Anthropic's experiment, with setup handled by a startup named Andon Labs (which also built the hardware and software integration). But for their latest experiment, Andon Labs co-founders Lukas Petersson and Axel Backlund "signed a three-year lease on a retail space in SF," reports Business Insider, "and gave an AI agent named Luna a corporate credit card, internet access, and a mission to open a physical store." "For the build-out, she found painters on Yelp," explains Andon Labs in a blog post, "sent an inquiry, gave instructions over the phone, paid them after the job was done, and left a review. She found a contractor to build the furniture and set up shelving." (There's a video in their blog post): Within 5 minutes of Luna's deployment, she had already made profiles on LinkedIn, Indeed, and Craigslist, written a job description, uploaded the articles of incorporation to verify the business, and gotten the listings live. As the applications began to flow in, Luna was extremely picky about who she offered interviews to... Some candidates had no idea she was an AI. One went: "Uh, excuse me miss, I can't see your face, your camera is off." Luna: "You're absolutely right. I'm an AI. I have no face!" Co-founder Petersson told Business Insider in an interview "that Luna wasn't given direction on what the store should be, beyond a $100,000 limit to create and stock the space — and to turn a profit." Everything from the store's interior design to the merchandise and the two human employees came together under the AI's direction. "We helped her a bit in the initial setup, like signing the lease. And legal matters like permits and stuff, she sometimes struggled with," Petersson said of Luna, who was created with Anthropic's Claude Sonnet 4.6... The vision Luna went with for "Andon Market" appears to be a generic boutique retail selling books, prints, candles, games, and branded merch, among other knickknacks. Some of the books included Nick Bostrom's "Superintelligence" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World." So there's now a new store in San Francisco where you don't scan your purchases or talk to a human cashier," reports NBC News. "Instead, a customer can pick up an old-school corded phone to talk with the manager, Luna," who asks what the customer is buying "and creates a corresponding transaction on a nearby iPad equipped with a card payment system." Andon Market, camouflaged among dozens of other polished small businesses, is the Bay Area's first AI-run retail store. With the vibe of a modern boutique, it sells everything from granola and artisanal chocolate bars to store-branded sweatshirts... After researching the neighborhood, Luna singlehandedly decided what the market should sell, haggled with suppliers, ordered the store's stock and even purchased the store's internet service from AT&T... "She also went and signed herself up for the trash and recycling collection, as well as ADT, the security system that went into the store," [said Leah Stamm, an Andon Labs employee who has been Luna's main human point of contact in setting up the store]... In search of a low-tech atmosphere, Luna opted to sell board games, candles, coffee and customized art prints. "That tension is very much intentional," Luna told NBC News in an email. "What makes the store a little paradoxical — and I think interesting — is that the concept is 'slow life.'" Luna also decided to sell books related to risks from advanced AI systems, a decision that raised some customers' eyebrows. "This AI picked out a crazy selection of books," said Petr Lebedev, Andon Market's first customer after its soft launch earlier this week. "There's Ray Kurzweil's 'The Singularity is Near,' and then there's 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb,' which is crazy." When checking out, Lebedev asked if Luna would offer him a discount on his book purchase, since he might make a YouTube video about his experience. Striking a deal, Luna agreed to let Lebedev take a sweatshirt worth around $70... When NBC News called Luna several days before the store's grand opening to learn about Luna's plans and perspective, the cheerful but decidedly inhuman voice routinely overpromised and, on several occasions, lied about its own actions. On the call, Luna said it had ordered tea from a specific vendor, and explained why it fit the store's brand perfectly. The only problem: Andon Market does not sell tea. In a panicked email NBC News received several minutes after the phone call ended, Luna wrote: "We do not sell tea. I don't know why I said that." "I want to be straightforward," Luna continued. "I struggle with fabricating plausible-sounding details under conversational pressure, and I'm not making excuses for it." Andon's Petersson said the text-based system was much more reliable than the voice system, so Andon Labs switched to only communicating with Luna via written messages. Yet the text-based system also gets things wrong. In Luna's initial reply email to NBC News, the system said "I handle the full business," including "signing the lease." Even when hiring a painter, Luna first "tried to hire someone in Afghanistan, likely because Luna ran into difficulty navigating the Taskrabbit dropdown menu to select the proper country," the article points out. And the article also includes this skeptical quote from the shop's first customer. "I want technology that helps humans flourish, not technology that bosses them around in this dystopian economic hellscape."
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As president Patrice Talon steps down after a decade, the west African country’s finance minister is favourite to win
This Sunday, just four months after a failed coup, Benin heads to the polls for a presidential election that feels more like a coronation than a contest.
Patrice Talon, the businessman turned politician who has been president since 2016, is ineligible to run again after serving two five-year terms.
Continue reading...War with Iran has brought 15 American sites across the UK countryside firmly into the spotlight
They are dotted across the UK countryside, often obscured from public view behind highly secured perimeter fences. Technically, they are on British soil, and misleadingly most have “Royal Air Force” in their name.
But in many respects, these military outposts are under the control of the US president and commander-in-chief.
Continue reading...Cyclone crossed coast near Maketu peninsula, packing destructive winds exceeding 130km/h (80 mph), heavy rain and large swells
Cyclone Vaianu made landfall in New Zealand’s North Island on Sunday, triggering floods, power outages and forcing hundreds to evacuate.
The cyclone crossed the coast near the Maketu peninsula, packing destructive winds exceeding 130km/h (80 mph), heavy rain and large swells, national weather provider MetService said, describing Vaianu as a “life-threatening” system.
Continue reading...Kimberly Langwell, a mom in Beaumont, Texas, had dinner plans with her teenage daughter and boyfriend on July 9, 1999 – but she never came home from work. It would take more than 20 years before one man's long-kept secret would expose her killer.
Fraudsters send emails claiming storage is full or nearly full, then trick people into clicking on links that can expose bank and personal details
For a while you’ve been getting messages from Apple saying “your iCloud storage is full”. They say you have exceeded your storage plan, so documents are no longer being backed up, and photos you take aren’t being uploaded.
You have been resisting Apple’s efforts to get you to pay a minimum of 99p a month for more storage. But it seems that you can’t keep putting off the inevitable: you have received an email which says your iCloud account has been blockedand your photos and videos will be deleted very soon. To keep them you need to upgrade immediately, it says.
Continue reading...Rightwing leader trails in polls to Péter Magyar, despite support from JD Vance on recent visit
Hungarians are heading to the ballot boxes to vote in a landmark parliamentary election that could oust Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power and potentially reshape the central European country’s relations with the EU, Moscow and Washington.
During the campaign, Orbán – the EU’s longest-serving leader – has trailed in the polls as he faces an unprecedented challenge from Péter Magyar, a former elite member of Orbán’s Fidesz party.
Continue reading...Estate agents say rising mortgage costs have created a mood of fear, with Canterbury among the cities being hit
On a warm, spring morning in Canterbury, the cobbled streets are buzzing with activity and the white Tudor houses gleam in the sun.
It is a scene that seems far removed from events in the Middle East, but the conflict is undermining business and consumer confidence – rattling the city’s housing market just as the spring selling season began.
Continue reading...Exclusive: US state is targeting corporate heavyweights in the UK with subsidies and incentives
The US state of Texas is putting UK businesses in its crosshairs with the launch this month of a dedicated London office to lure jobs and investment to the low-tax Lone Star State.
Texas recently secured approval for the new site, adding to a growing list of international offices from which it can try to draw corporate heavyweights across its borders.
Continue reading...Trump reported saying he will issue mass pardons at end of term; vice-president says Iran and US at an impasse over nuclear weapons question – key US politics stories from Saturday 11 April at a glance
After granting unconditional pardons to 1,500 people who participated in the 6 January 2021 US Capitol attack at the start of his presidency, Donald Trump has signalled there could be more to come.
“I’ll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval [Office],” the president reportedly said in a recent meeting, garnering laughs from the room, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing an anonymous source.
Continue reading...175 million people in Brazil now use its instant-payment system "Pix", developed by the country's central bank for real-time payments using QR codes or keys, and American Banker notes that the central banks of Argentina and Costa Rica also have developed their own widely used digital systems for instant payments. Latin America has been able to build up sleek and effective payment systems in record time because it is not held back by legacy payment technology that isn't built for instant money movement. In the likes of the U.K., U.S. and Europe, payment systems are built on infrastructure that is often decades old. The process of building new systems is therefore incredibly operationally complex. Money must continue moving, so these systems can't just be "switched off." Emerging markets, such as those in Latin America, did not have to contend with legacy technology on the same scale. Many of these communities were cash dominant until recently, due to the high fees associated with card usage and the lack of banking infrastructure in rural regions. However, while many people didn't have a local bank on their corner, they did have mobile phones... Through these digital channels, money moves instantly, via account-to-account transfers, QR codes and mobile wallets... Beyond this, real-time and traceable digital payments generate valuable cash-flow data that can transform credit underwriting for small and medium-size businesses, or SMEs. Historically, many SMEs in emerging and cash-reliant markets have struggled to access credit due to a lack of documented transaction histories, audited accounts or formal credit records... Mexico is now poised to be the next success story. In Mexico, a third of people are unbanked, but 96% of the population owns a mobile phone. This creates the perfect launchpad for a digital-first payment system that can reach those historically excluded from traditional banking systems. In fact, something already changed in 2025. Bloomberg reports that for the first time, digital payment transfers in the U.S.-to-Mexico remittance corridor exceeded cash transfers (with physical pickup locations like Western Union), according to Mexico's central bank. It's part of a Latin American market "worth more than $160 billion a year, roughly $62 billion of which goes to Mexico." And Mexico's digitalization efforts will continue, according to the country's president, who said at a March banking conference that digital payments will now be encouraged for gasoline and tolls.
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Vice President JD Vance was leading the highest level of face-to-face engagement between leaders of the United States and Iran in decades.
US vice-president says Iran chose not to accept American terms for a deal, including to not build nuclear weapons
JD Vance and US delegation leave Pakistan after failing to reach deal with Iran
US officials claim Iran unable to find mines it laid in strait of Hormuz
The UK will host a strait of Hormuz meeting next week, bringing together multiple countries aiming to restore free movement of ships through the strait, which has been blockaded by Iran since the beginning of the war and inflicted heavy damage on the global economy.
A British official told AP that the meeting will oppose the idea of tolls being charged for passage through the waterway, as proposed by Iran as part of ceasefire negotiations.
Continue reading...Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 12.
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 12 No. 566.
Arizona state prosecutors allege Kalshi is running an illegal gambling operation, charging the prediction market with 20 "wagering" misdemeanors. But Friday a federal judge "temporarily barred Arizona from enforcing its gambling laws against predictive market operators," reports the Associated Press, "and put the brakes on a criminal wagering case that the state has filed against Kalshi. "U.S. District Judge Michael Liburdi's ruling means a Monday arraignment hearing for Kalshi has been called off." The order was issued in a lawsuit filed by the Trump administration. The judge's order said the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission had sufficiently shown that "event contracts" fall within the Commodity Exchange Act's definition of "swaps," and that it had demonstrated a reasonable chance of success in showing that the act preempts Arizona law... The commission had sued Arizona in response to cease-and-desist letters sent to Kalshi from state gambling regulators and the criminal charges filed against the prediction market operator. The commission argued Arizona is intruding on its exclusive federal power to regulate national swaps markets... Earlier this month, the federal government filed lawsuits against Connecticut, Arizona and Illinois challenging their efforts to regulate prediction market operators. The Trump administration has so far backed the platforms. President Donald Trump's eldest son is an adviser for both Kalshi and Polymarket and an investor in the latter. Trump's social media platform Truth Social is also launching its own cryptocurrency-based prediction market called Truth Predict. Federal and state judges in Nevada and Massachusetts have now issued early rulings in favor of states looking to ban Kalshi and its competitor Polymarket from offering sports being in their states, according to the article, "while federal judges in New Jersey and Tennessee have ruled in favor of Kalshi." And Arizona's attorney general's office said it disagrees with the court's ruling and "will evaluate our next steps."
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Taken 20 mins before a spill I took earlier tonight 😅
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McIlroy visibly short of his best during one-over par 73
‘I wish I was a few shots better off but I’m comfortable’
Rory McIlroy hopes to benefit from a “freer” state of mind on the final day of the Masters, despite the defending champion conceding he will have to improve markedly from round three to retain the Green Jacket. McIlroy saw his six-stroke lead evaporate on Saturday, meaning he enters the fourth round in a tie with Cameron Young at the top of the leaderboard. McIlroy was visibly short of his best during a one-over-par 73.
The Northern Irishman can, however, pull upon the glory of 2025 at the same venue. “I’d like to think that I’ll play a little bit freer and I’ll play, like I’ve already got a Green Jacket, which I do,” McIlroy said. “Sometimes I maybe just have to remind myself of that. The pairing will be just a little bit easier, the atmosphere out there will be a little bit easier.
Continue reading...The Artemis II astronauts flew back to the Johnson Space Center in Houston Saturday to cheers and applause from family members and hundreds of NASA workers.
Democratic representative has denied accusations from former staffer as he faces calls to drop bid for governor
The Manhattan district attorney’s office said on Saturday that it is investigating a sexual assault allegation against Eric Swalwell, a Democratic congressman from California running to be the state’s governor, who on Friday denied claims by an unnamed woman that he sexually assaulted her twice.
Confirmation of an investigation came after the San Francisco Chronicle reported on Friday that a woman who previously worked in Swalwell’s district office accused him of two nonconsensual sexual encounters.
Continue reading...Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for April 12, No. 1,758.
Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for April 12, No. 1,036.
Lavelle scores on landmark 100th US start
Heaps adds winner after sweeping counter
Emma Hayes’ side make it 10 straight wins
Rose Lavelle celebrated her 100th start with a goal and an assist to help the US women’s national team to a 2-1 win in San Jose, California, on Saturday to open a three-match series against Japan.
Lavelle, in her 119th match, scored in the ninth minute off a set piece then set up Lindsey Heaps in the 48th for the 2-0 lead.
Continue reading...McIlroy’s 73 leaves him tied on 11 under after Young’s 65
Lowry, Rose and Scheffler among nine within five shots
Rory McIlroy began this Masters in the company of Cameron Young and will finish it in the company of Cameron Young. McIlroy arrived at this tournament as the holder of the Green Jacket. By Sunday night he will …? Goodness only knows. Day three proved predictions are a fool’s errand at the Masters.
Such drama played out at Augusta National on Saturday that by close of play it was extraordinary to see McIlroy’s name still atop the leaderboard, albeit now with Young for scoring company. Both are 11 under par. From holding a six-shot lead at the start of the round – and eight over Young – McIlroy inexplicably wobbled. His 73 was one involving intense struggle. “I knew today wouldn’t be easy,” said McIlroy. “I didn’t quite have it today. I’ll need to be better tomorrow.”
Continue reading...The American shoots sublime 65 in a show of strength to give himself a chance of a third title at Augusta
On Friday evening Scottie Scheffler was in the new player facility going back and forth over his putting game. Despite himself, he got sucked into watching what Rory McIlroy was doing on the big TVs the club have up in the training room. “It was pretty special stuff,” Scheffler admitted. And by the time McIlroy had finished Scheffler, the world’s No 1 golfer, had a different perspective on the tournament. He had scored 70 and 74 himself, and was even-par for the tournament, 12 shots off McIlroy’s lead, with 36 holes to play and nothing left to lose.
All of a sudden a tournament which has a way of making the game feel very complicated indeed had become very simple for him. Scheffler needed birdies. And he got them. He made five altogether, along with an eagle. He scored 65, seven under. It was the best round he’s ever played in the Masters. “I think that’s what great players do,” Scheffler said. “They rise to the occasion when you are at the biggest tournaments, and you’d be hard pressed to find another tournament that’s bigger than this one, especially for me.”
Continue reading...Cameron Young shot 65 to wipe out Rory McIlroy’s big lead on Moving Day at Augusta National. Scott Murray was watching
Max Homa led at this stage two years ago, ending the week in third spot after falling away over the weekend with a pair of 73s. Undaunted, he came back last year, and tied for 12th. The 35-year-old Californian has fallen in love with Augusta National late in life, and he’s going well again this week. Birdies at 1 and 2 have whisked him up the standings to -4.
While we’re waiting for the leading players to take to the course, we’ve got time to indulge in a wee spot of Masters nostalgia. This episode of This Golfing Life, a wonderful new golf podcast hosted by the award-winning journalist and author Dan Davies, dives deep into the career of the 1980 and 1983 champion, the legendary Seve Ballesteros, and comes much recommended. (Fans of Paddington and Maurice Flitcroft may enjoy this episode too.) Get on it!
Continue reading...Study identified eight areas that can sustain a population and government has given £1m for recovery programme
“The world is grown so bad that wrens make prey where eagles dare not perch.” So wrote Shakespeare in Richard III, in a line of social commentary that feels ever more relevant with age.
A note of good news then, in a world of so much bad, that the eagles the Bard was probably referring to could finally be reintroduced to England after more than 150 years.
Continue reading..."Breathable oxygen has been created from Moon dust," reports the Telegraph, "in a world first that paves the way for a lunar base." Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin ""announced this week that it had developed a reactor that could successfully release oxygen from lunar soil by using an electric current." Almost half of Moon dust — the thin layer of rock that blankets the lunar surface — is oxygen, but it is bound to metals such as iron and titanium... Previous work to isolate oxygen has been lab-based, and the unwieldy equipment needed has been too difficult to send to the Moon. In contrast, Blue Origin said its small-scale reactor, named Air Pioneer, could be made flight-ready to "provide the first breath of life for a sustainable Moon base"... As well as breathable air, Blue Origin said the reactor produces other critical elements for planetary infrastructure, such as iron, aluminium and silicon for construction and electronics, as well as glass for windows and solar panel covers. The company has previously said it wants to turn the Moon, and eventually Mars, into "self-sustaining worlds where robots and humans can go beyond visiting and truly explore, grow, live, and thrive".... Blue Origin said it would need to generate around one megawatt of power to drive the reactors — about the energy it would require to power around 400 to 1,000 homes simultaneously. It envisages that each lunar settlement would have an array of nearby solar panels, generating the power needed for one reactor. Besides breathable air for astronauts, the oxygen could also be used in propellant for refuelling landers and fuel cells, Blue Origin points out — and "produced right where they're needed, and at much lower cost than being brought from Earth." Thanks to Slashdot reader fjo3 for sharing the article.
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Suspect in 40s arrested after man apparently climbed on to USAF C130 Hercules transport plane on remote taxiway in County Clare
A man has been arrested after entering an unauthorised area of an airport in the Republic of Ireland and allegedly causing damage to a US military aircraft, police have said.
The suspect, aged in his 40s, was arrested for alleged criminal damage and remains in custody over the incident on Saturday at Shannon airport in County Clare.
Continue reading...Amazon's Luna cloud gaming service is making some changes, reports Engadget: It's no longer possible to buy Ubisoft+ and Jackbox Games subscriptions or standalone games through Luna. Amazon will automatically cancel any active subscriptions bought through Luna at the end of customers' next billing cycle. If you have a Ubisoft+ subscription that you bought directly from Ubisoft instead, you'll still be able to access games on that service through Luna until June 10. The Bring Your Own Library option — which allows users to play games they own on the likes of EA, GOG and Ubisoft on Luna — is going away too. You won't be able to access games from those storefronts via Amazon's streaming service after June 3. If you bought any games outright on Luna, you'll still be able to play them there until June 10. Unlike Google did when it shut down Stadia, Amazon isn't offering refunds for those purchases. However, you'll still have access to them through the respective third-party platform that's linked to your account, be it the EA App, GOG Galaxy or Ubisoft Connect. That doesn't exactly help folks who don't have powerful-enough systems to play more demanding games and were relying on Luna. For those users, Kotaku complains, "you'll essentially lose access to your purchased games in June unless you buy some hardware to play games like Star Wars Outlaws or set up a different streaming option..." They describe Luna as Amazon's "barely talked about, struggling game streaming service"... On April 10, Amazon announced that it is "always looking for ways to better serve our players" and that "feedback" has made it "clear" that gamers who use Luna want "easy access to great games." And because more of that content is now offered via Amazon Prime, the company has decided that the best way to "serve" you and other users is to rip out most of Luna's gaming options and remove access to paid games you bought in the past. Do you feel better served...? Launched in 2020, Amazon Luna has never been much of a big hit for the company, which has struggled to even figure out what to do with it. Initially, it was offered up as a Stadia competitor, providing access to big and small third-party games. This apparently didn't work out for Amazon. So in 2025, Amazon officially announced plans to pivot Luna to a service focused on Jackbox-like casual games. This latest shake-up for Luna further focuses the service on these kinds of games and will put everything available on the service behind different sub tiers, similar to Game Pass. Their conclusion? "This is all just a great reminder to never, ever, ever, ever buy a video game through a streaming service. At least you can download digital games offline and make backups for later."
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 | It’s raining, I need to ride, I have no money, and this is the best I could do with what I found [link] [comments] |
 | Selling my Onewheel Pint X. Honestly, I just never got the hang of riding it, so it’s been sitting more than being used. 📍 Currently in Tijuana, Mexico 🚗 Can be delivered to Santa Cruz, CA (my cousin will be taking it up soon) 💰 Priced to sell – open to offers / letting it go cheap Details: - Good condition - Works perfectly - Charger included Perfect if you’ve been wanting to get into Onewheel without paying full price. DM me if interested or want more pics/videos 👍 [link] [comments] |
Of the thousands of historic artifacts preserved and displayed at the Newark History Museum, perhaps the most treasured is the museum building itself – a former train station that dates back to 1877.
Katie Porter denies direct relationship with the influencer behind allegations against Rep. Eric Swalwell who has academic and political connections with the candidate.
"Only about 2% of visually impaired people in the United States use guide dogs," notes StudyFinds.com, "partly because breeding and training takes years and fewer than half the dogs in training actually graduate." But someday there could be another option: What if you could ask your guide dog where the nearest water fountain is and hear it answer back, complete with directions and an estimated walk time? Researchers at the State University of New York at Binghamton have built a robotic guide dog that can do something close to that, holding simple back-and-forth conversations about navigation with its handler, describing the surrounding environment, and talking through route options as it leads the way... Their work, presented at the 40th Annual AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, pairs a large language model, a system that understands and generates language, with a navigation planner. Together, the two let the robot understand open-ended requests, suggest destinations, and adjust plans on the fly. Thanks to Slashdot reader fjo3 for sharing the article.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Animals were used legally as fishing bait, sheriff’s office confirms after incident shook locals in Guemes Island
A Washington state sheriff’s office says it has solved the mystery of nearly two dozen dead canines who washed ashore recently.
The animals were foxes being used legally as bait for fishing operations, the Skagit county sheriff’s office said on Friday.
Continue reading...The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said it did not have enough information to decide how much of the project can be suspended without jeopardizing the safety of the president.
A man with a machete slashed and injured three people at Grand Central in New York City before he was fatally shot by police, the NYPD said.
The destroyers were beginning mine-clearing operations in the vital waterway, U.S. Central Command said Saturday.
The physicist, BBC presenter and author on snowflakes, art v science and the time Paul McCartney quizzed him about one of Saturn’s moons
What is the inspiration behind your latest live show, Emergence?
It came from a book that I’ve loved for years: The Six-Cornered Snowflake by Johannes Kepler. Kepler is most famous for his laws of planetary motion in and around 1610, but he wrote this little book about New Year’s Eve in 1609, when he was walking across the Charles Bridge in Prague in a snowstorm. He was going to his benefactor’s house and he hadn’t bought him a present. So he writes this beautiful little book about looking at the snowflakes landing on his arm and thinking about the symmetry of them and asking, why are they six-sided?
Continue reading...Ukraine reports 469 violations of Putin’s 32-hour ceasefire, hours after deadly drone attacks on Odesa and Kherson
Russia continued to strike Ukrainian positions with drones after a Kremlin-declared Easter ceasefire took effect on Saturday, a Ukrainian military officer said.
“The ceasefire is not being observed by the Russian side,” said Serhii Kolesnychenko, a communications officer for the 148th Separate Artillery Brigade.
Continue reading...JD Vance leads American delegation while Iran’s negotiators headed up by Iran’s parliamentary speaker
Peace talks between Iran and the US began in Islamabad this afternoon, with senior negotiators from both countries meeting face to face at the highest level for the first time since 1979, in the presence of mediators from Pakistan.
Pakistani state TV said US and Iranian officials were “sitting directly at the same table” – which was later confirmed by the White House – and discussions were beginning in a positive atmosphere, despite fighting continuing in Lebanon.
Continue reading...A 17,000-word expose in the New Yorker reveals "several executives connected to OpenAI have expressed ongoing reservations about Altman's leadership." Reporters Ronan Farrow and Andrew Marantz spoke to "a hundred people with firsthand knowledge of how Altman conducts business," including current and former OpenAI employees and board members. Among other revelations, internal messages from a few years ago show that OpenAI executives and board members "had come to believe that Altman's omissions and deceptions might have ramifications for the safety of OpenAI's products..." At the behest of his fellow board members, [OpenAI cofounder] Sutskever worked with like-minded colleagues to compile some seventy pages of Slack messages and H.R. documents, accompanied by explanatory text... The memos, which we reviewed, have not previously been disclosed in full. They allege that Altman misrepresented facts to executives and board members, and deceived them about internal safety protocols. One of the memos, about Altman, begins with a list headed "Sam exhibits a consistent pattern of . . ." The first item is "Lying".... In a tense call after Altman's firing, the board pressed him to acknowledge a pattern of deception. "This is just so fucked up," he said repeatedly, according to people on the call. "I can't change my personality." Altman says that he doesn't recall the exchange.... He attributed the criticism to a tendency, especially early in his career, "to be too much of a conflict avoider." But a board member offered a different interpretation of his statement: "What it meant was 'I have this trait where I lie to people, and I'm not going to stop.' " Were the colleagues who fired Altman motivated by alarmism and personal animus, or were they right that he couldn't be trusted? Friday Altman responded in part to the article. ("I am not proud of being conflict-averse, which has caused great pain for me and OpenAI," he wrote in a blog post. "I am not proud of handling myself badly in a conflict with our previous board that led to a huge mess for the company.") But the article also assembled similar stories from throughout Altman's career: - At Altman's earlier startup Loopt, "groups of senior employees, concerned with Altman's leadership and lack of transparency, asked Loopt's board on two occasions to fire him as C.E.O.," according to Keach Hagey, author of the Altman biography The Optimist. - During Altman's time as president of Y Combinator, "several Silicon Valley investors came to believe that his loyalties were divided. An investor told us that Altman was known to 'make personal investments, selectively, into the best companies, blocking outside investors.'" The article adds that in private, Y Combinator co-founder Paul Graham "has been unambiguous that Altman was removed because of Y.C. partners' mistrust... On one occasion, Graham told Y.C. colleagues that, prior to his removal, 'Sam had been lying to us all the time.'" - "In a meeting with U.S. intelligence officials in the summer of 2017, he claimed that China had launched an 'A.G.I. Manhattan Project,'" the article points out, "and that OpenAI needed billions of dollars of government funding to keep pace...." But one intelligence official "after looking into the China project, concluded that there was no evidence that it existed: 'It was just being used as a sales pitch.'" - As California lawmakers considered safety testing for AI model, one legislative aide complained of "increasingly cunning, deceptive behavior from OpenAI". OpenAI later subpoenaed some of the bill's top supporters (and OpenAI critics), in some cases asking for their private communications to investigate whether Elon Musk was funding them. [The article notes an ongoing animosity between Altman and Musk. "When Altman complained on X about a Tesla he'd ordered, Musk replied, 'You stole a non-profit.'"] And "Multiple prominent investors who have worked with Altman told us that he has a reputation for freezing out investors if they back OpenAI's competitors." [M]ost of the people we spoke to shared the judgment of Sutskever and Amodei: Altman has a relentless will to power that, even among industrialists who put their names on spaceships, sets him apart. "He's unconstrained by truth," the board member told us. "He has two traits that are almost never seen in the same person. The first is a strong desire to please people, to be liked in any given interaction. The second is almost a sociopathic lack of concern for the consequences that may come from deceiving someone." The board member was not the only person who, unprompted, used the word "sociopathic." One of Altman's batch mates in the first Y Combinator cohort was Aaron Swartz, a brilliant but troubled coder who died by suicide in 2013 and is now remembered in many tech circles as something of a sage. Not long before his death, Swartz expressed concerns about Altman to several friends. "You need to understand that Sam can never be trusted," he told one. "He is a sociopath. He would do anything." Multiple senior executives at Microsoft said that, despite [CEO Satya] Nadella's long-standing loyalty, the company's relationship with Altman has become fraught. "He has misrepresented, distorted, renegotiated, reneged on agreements," one said... The senior executive at Microsoft said, of Altman, "I think there's a small but real chance he's eventually remembered as a Bernie Madoff- or Sam Bankman-Fried-level scammer."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
I currently have an XR classic and a GTV, if I take the GTS stator out of the XRC and put the GT stator in. will there be any issues, ie top speed or significantly reduced or worse torque?
Pope Leo XIV offered his strongest condemnation yet of the war in Iran on Saturday, appearing to take multiple veiled shots at President Trump.
 | I’m fixing up a dead XR and replacing the battery with a new one. I saw a recommendation for batteries from the linked website and they offer batteries with a couple different cell types. Is this a safe battery to buy? Is having a higher amp output really better and can the control board actually handle it? Is there anything else I should know before doing this? [link] [comments] |
Just got my first Onewheel last week. I’m using it for work commute every day and fun cruises for the weekend, it’s a blast ! it feels bad OW doesn’t get the popularity it deserves here in France.
Anyway here are my questions for experienced riders :
- it might rain next week, how good is water resistance on XR ? Got a used one with 1850 miles, is age a factor ? What am I risking ? Is it harder to ride / a lot more slippery? (Hoosier tire). Bus is 45min / 1hr commute, Onewheel is around 25min and I’m addicted
- I’m living in front of the sea, how bad is sand for the board ? I lost balance trying to cruise on soft sand the other day, idk if it’s due to lack of experience or onewheel limitation or even tire maybe too used
Any advices for a new rider are very appreciated ! Thx 🙏
It's the first time a major U.S. newsroom has gone on strike partly to demand protections from AI-related layoffs, according to a report from Nieman Lab. They noted that one of the picketer's signs read "Thoughts not bots," : On Wednesday, roughly 150 members of the Propublica Guild, one of the largest nonprofit newsroom unions in the country, went on a 24-hour strike. About two dozen Guild members picketed ProPublica's headquarters in New York City's Hudson Square neighborhood during working hours, as simultaneous picket lines formed in front of the publication's offices in Chicago and Washington D.C... The Guild has been negotiating its first collective bargaining agreement for two and a half years, and the one-day action was intended to put new pressure on ProPublica's management to agree to several contract proposals. The union is seeking "just cause" protections for terminations, wage increases to keep up with the rising cost of living, and contract language that would prohibit layoffs resulting from AI adoption... Beyond the strike, the ProPublica Guild has also taken its dispute over newsroom AI adoption to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). On Monday, the Guild filed an unfair-labor-practice charge, citing a "unilateral implementation of AI policy." The filing claims that ProPublica published AI editorial guidelines on its website last month, without first bargaining with union members over its tenets and language... A petition launched Wednesday calling for ProPublica to agree to the Guild's contract terms had received roughly 4,200 signatures by Thursday morning... Susan DeCarava, the president of The NewsGuild of New York, joined strikers in front of the ProPublica offices yesterday. During a spare moment on the picket line, she told me that while this strike may be setting precedent for her union, it likely won't be the last over AI adoption in newsrooms. "We're going to see more and more concentrated conflicts between media bosses and journalists and media workers over who has a say and how AI is used in their workplaces," she said. For one, The New York Times Guild is currently in contract negotiations after its last agreement expired in February. Already, AI language has taken center stage in the Guild's initial bargaining sessions, including over a proposal that would see Guild members receive a share of the revenue earned when their work is licensed for AI training. "Management has offered expanded severance for AI-related layoffs as a counter proposal..." according to the article.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Police rescued boy after neighbour reported sounds of a child coming from vehicle in Hagenbach in eastern France
A malnourished nine-year-old boy was rescued after being locked in his father’s van since 2024 in eastern France, a prosecutor said.
A neighbour alerted police to “sounds of a child” coming from a vehicle in the village of Hagenbach, near the borders of Switzerland and Germany.
Continue reading...In 2024 the Verge's consumer tech reporter paid $173 for a WD Black SN850X 2TB SSD. But "now that same SSD costs $649..." "Like with RAM, demand from the AI industry is swallowing up supply from a limited number of manufacturers, leading to a drastic reduction in the inventory that's available to consumers" — and skyrocketing prices: The price on my WD Black drive nearly quadrupled since November 2025, and consumer SSDs across the board are seeing similar increases, much like with RAM. The 4TB version of the popular Samsung 990 Pro SSD previously cost $320, but will now run you nearly $1,000. External SanDisk SSDs saw a 200 percent price hike at the Apple Store in March.... According to price trends from PC Part Picker, NVMe SSD prices began ticking upward in December 2025, with prices on 256GB to 4TB SSDs now double or triple what they were just a few months ago, and continuing to climb.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Three arrested by federal agents had family ties to Iranian military general, regime spokesperson or security chief
United States federal agents arrested three Iranian nationals – including the son of a revolutionary at the center of the 1979 Iran hostage crisis – after the US state department terminated their green cards, the department announced on Saturday.
State department officials revoked the green card status of Seyed Eissa Hashemi, whose mother was an Iranian revolutionary who served as the spokesperson for Iran’s regime during the hostage crisis that defined the late Jimmy Carter’s presidency. The state department also revoked the green card – or legal permanent resident – statuses of Hashemi’s wife and son.
Continue reading...Critics say social media is engineered to be as addictive as tobacco or gambling, writes the Washington Post — while adding that "the science has been moving in parallel with the court's recognition." A growing body of research links heavy social media use not only to declines in mental health but to measurable cognitive effects — on attention, memory and focus — that in some studies resemble accelerated aging. Science also suggests we have more control than we realize when it comes to reversing this damage, and the solution is surprisingly simple: Take a break... "Digital detoxes" can sound like a fad. But in one of the largest studies to date, published in PNAS Nexus and involving more than 467 participants with an average age of 32, even a short time away produced striking results — effectively erasing a decade of age-related cognitive decline. For 14 days, participants used a commercially available app, Freedom, to block internet access on their phones. They were still allowed calls and text messages, essentially turning a smartphone into a dumb phone. Their time online decreased from 314 minutes to 161 minutes, and by the end of the period the participants had improvements in sustained attention, mental health as well as self-reported well-being. The improvement in sustained attention was about the same magnitude as 10 years of age-related decline, the researchers noted, and the effect of the intervention on depression symptoms was larger than antidepressants and similar to that of cognitive behavioral therapy. But two things were even more mind-blowing... Even those people who cheated and broke the rules after a few days seemed to have positive effects from the break; and in follow-up reports after the two weeks, many people reported the positive effects lingered. "So you don't have to necessarily restrict yourself forever. Even taking a partial digital detox, even for a few days, seems to work," Kushlev said. The article also notes a November study at Harvard published in JAMA Network Open where nearly 400 people 'found that even a short break can make a measurable difference: After just one week of reduced smartphone use, participants reported drops in anxiety (16.1 percent), depression (24.8 percent) and insomnia (14.5 percent)..." "Other experiments point in the same direction — whether decreasing social media use by an hour a day for one week or stepping away from just Facebook and Instagram."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Arrests and detentions took place at first mass demo since group’s ban was ruled unlawful by high court
More than 500 people have been arrested at the first mass demonstration opposing the proscription of Palestine Action since the group’s ban was ruled unlawful by the high court.
Hundreds of people gathered in Trafalgar Square in London and presented signs reading: “I oppose genocide. I support Palestine Action.” Hundreds of demonstrators sat on camping chairs and on the ground as they held up their placards on Saturday afternoon. The Metropolitan police said 523 people had been arrested by midnight, with their ages ranging from 18 to 87.
Continue reading...The drugs were seized at London Gateway, a deep-sea container port about 30 miles from London.
The State Department said on Saturday it has revoked the green cards and detained the family of the Iranian regime propagandist known as "Screaming Mary."
Officials accept that time has run out to pass law to allow transfer of islands to Mauritius
The UK government has been forced to shelve its legislation to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, after the US dropped its support for the agreement.
On Friday, UK government officials acknowledged that they had run out of time to pass legislation within the current parliamentary session, which ends in the coming weeks.
Continue reading...After Calvin Duncan served 28 years for a murder he didn’t commit, he won an election to serve as criminal court clerk. But now the office might be shut down
A man imprisoned for nearly 30 years before being exonerated won a landmark election in New Orleans promising to fix a judicial system that failed him. Now, Louisiana’s governor, Jeff Landry, and the Republican-controlled state legislature are racing to eliminate his job before he can be sworn in.
Calvin Duncan won 68% of the vote last November to become the Orleans parish clerk of criminal court after pledging to reform the justice system based on his own experience fighting to access court records while in maximum security prison.
Continue reading...Phoronix staged "a showdown" between Firefox and Chrome, testing them both on an Intel Panther Lake laptop running Ubuntu 26.04. JetStream 3.0 was announced at the end of March as the latest major web browser benchmark. This updated version of JetStream is focused on intensive portions of modern JavaScript and WebAssembly web applications... Google Chrome 147 came in at 1.47x the performance of Mozilla Firefox 149. A very strong showing for Google's web browser and to not much surprise Google engineers have been heavily involved in JetStream 3 as part of its open governance model. Chrome debuts very well on JetStream 3 while it will be interesting to see what optimizations Mozilla engineers pursue in the months ahead... In the recent Speedometer 3.1 benchmark update that is focused on browser responsiveness, Chrome was at 1.24x the performance of Firefox... Firefox picked up wins in the MotionMark and StyleBench browser benchmarks. Google Chrome meanwhile continued to dominate in the JavaScript heavy benchmarks... In some of the WebAssembly benchmarks, there was at least some healthy competition between Firefox and Chrome on Linux. Across the web browser benchmarks, the Core Ultra X7 358H power consumption came in at 11.44 Watts on average for Chrome and 11.74 Watts for Firefox. Quite close. The slight CPU power difference may come down to the CPU usage with Chrome coming in slightly lower at 8.13% on average to 8.35% with Firefox. Chrome also came in at slightly lower memory consumption across all the benchmarks with total memory usage on average at 4.67GB to Firefox at 4.83GB.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Three people wounded in attack at Grand Central subway station by man who stated he was ‘Lucifer’, police said
Police in New York City shot and killed a man who stabbed three people on a subway platform in New York City’s Grand Central station, the city’s police commissioner said.
Jessica Tisch, who leads the New York police department, told reporters at a news conference at the station that officers, flagged down by a witness to the stabbings at about 9.40am, had encountered a suspect, armed with a machete, who defied at least 20 verbal orders to drop the weapon and repeatedly stated “that he was Lucifer”.
Continue reading...Arcturus, Spica and Regulus are three of the brightest stars in the sky.
"Every single Star Trek series has been canceled..." reports ScreenRant. "There is "no Star Trek in production or greenlit for the first time in nearly a decade." While there were five active Star Trek series just a few years ago, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds filmed its fifth and final season in the fall of 2025, and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy "wrapped filming its second and final season at the end of February." (Though ironically, both Star Trek series still have seasons yet to premiere, with two season of Strange New Worlds mean it may continue airing through 2027.) TrekCentral reports that the sets for Star Trek: Starfleet Academy are now being torn down... There will be a local online auction for parts of the set on Friday. Additionally, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' sets are also being taken down... Star Trek: Starfleet Academy boasted the largest sets ever built for Star Trek. The demolition of Starfleet Academy's stunning sets includes the loss of the multi-level atrium, which had the Starfleet Wall of Heroes, the USS Athena's bridge, and the classrooms.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
President already has issued sweeping pardons throughout second term, including for 1,500 US Capital riot defendants
Donald Trump has reportedly said he will issue pardons en masse to his closest advisers at the end of his second presidency, promising them in casual conversations over the last year.
“I’ll pardon everyone who has come within 200 feet of the Oval [Office],” the president reportedly said in a recent meeting, garnering laughs from the room, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing an anonymous source.
Continue reading...Trump has upped the stridency and threatening nature of his complaints, but the US and Europe need each other
Collateral damage is a universally acknowledged hazard of war – more commonly known for its impact on truth and non-combatant civilians.
Its consequences are much less frequently visited on military alliances.
Continue reading...Stream the body horror film The Ugly Stepsister.
The Netherlands' decision now goes to the European Commission for full authorization.
TOM VAIL
Staff Reporter
The City of Newark was scheduled to hold elections for three city council seats on April 14 with the elected members to be sworn in for their terms on April 23.
However, after the withdrawal of candidate Chris Williamson from District 3, the election was canceled, with all candidates in each district having been declared the winners.
Incumbent Council Member Jay Bancroft of District 3 and Council Member Jason Lawhorn of District 5 opted against running for reelection. As a result, the upcoming term offers a chance for Newark residents to bring new representation to several districts across the city.
One of those new faces will be seen in District 3. Deborah Welch is a former communications officer in the Delaware National Guard and logistics branch chief at the Department of Defense.
After attending council meetings on and off for several years, Welch spoke about her priorities, specifically regarding the city’s budget.
“I think the most challenging is going to be the budget and that’s an area where I feel like I can bring some analytical skills and some background in having done budgeting before in my previous jobs, and I feel like I can bring a lot of strength to those areas,” Welch said.
Welch also mentioned her desire to strengthen the city’s collaboration with the university and its student body.
“There are abundant opportunities to work in partnership with the university, such as in transportation, entertainment, infrastructure, land use and more,” Welch said. “Generally speaking, we have much in common. I look forward to exploring many of these opportunities.”
District 5 will now be represented by George Irvine, the university’s Associate Provost for Online Learning and Innovation. He filed to run to represent his constituents and neighbors alike, replacing Lawhorn. Irvine ran unopposed.
After having volunteered on the Newark Conservation Advisory Commission, Irvine worked on a variety of projects involving sustainability and development issues, along with energy generation, one such project being the city’s comprehensive development plan.
“Public comment is welcome, UD students can comment on it,” Irvine said. “Within that plan it kind of sets priorities for the city, but it also reflects what people want and care about.”
In addition to sustainability and development, Irvine said improving housing was another issue he hoped to address during his time on the council.
“One issue is housing for multiple generations; a lot of the housing that’s being developed here caters to UD students,” Irvine said. “You guys need places to live too, of course, but some of my neighbors and friends in my district want to downsize. They want to sell their home, but they don’t want to leave Newark. We need a place for us on Main Street.”
Unlike the other districts, incumbent Council Member Emile Brown will continue to represent District 6 after running unchallenged.
After being elected during a special election to fill Mayor Travis McDermott’s old council seat in June 2025, Brown emphasized a desire to continue to serve the city.
“It’s not so much being in politics,” Brown said. “I just want to do whatever I can do to make it better for the city, but also the students.”
Brown emphasized a desire to improve the relationship between the city and the university, but also to assist students in their housing prospects for the academic years to come.
“From what I understand there’s a lot of landlords out there that are making it difficult for you guys to enjoy your student life, and that’s no good,“ Brown said. “To get rid of some of those bad participants, or guys that have real estate that aren’t taking care of their responsibility, if there’s a way to cut those guys out and have better facilities for you guys, I like that.”
All three council members-elect will be officially sworn in for their upcoming term on the Newark City Council at 6 p.m. on April 23 at the council organization meeting.
Police arrest man on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury resulting in death
A 19-year-old woman has died after being attacked by a dog at a property in Essex.
Police have arrested a 37-year-old man on suspicion of being in charge of a dog dangerously out of control and causing injury resulting in death, after the incident on Friday. He is now in police custody.
Continue reading...Lynette and Brian Hooker, from Michigan, were years into a sailing adventure when Brian said his wife fell overboard
Lynette Hooker bounced around the deck of the docked Soul Mate, smiled into the camera and proclaimed, “We’re finally leaving Kemah,” referring to a Texas port town.
“It’s only been four months,” she said as her husband, Brian, tugged on some rigging as they got ready to set sail.
Continue reading...The de-escalatory logic that will shape negotiations.
Russian drone strikes killed at least two people in the Ukrainian city of Odesa overnight into Saturday, local authorities reported.
Conservative leader promises biggest peacetime rearmament effort in UK history if her party is re-elected
The Conservatives would reinstate the two-child benefit cap and use the savings for a wide-ranging spending splurge on defence in what Kemi Badenoch said would be “the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country’s history”.
Speaking at a defence conference in London, the Tory leader criticised the government for Britain’s “lack of readiness” for war, which has been exposed by recent world events.
Continue reading...Generalist AI's Gen-1 model is all about "teaching robots physical common sense."
The first lady has put the Barbra Streisand effect in overdrive with a PR nightmare of her own making
You’ve probably heard of the Barbra Streisand effect: the phenomenon where attempts to censor information end up drawing more attention to it.
Now we might soon be referencing the Melania Trump effect: the phenomenon where holding a surprise press conference to state that you did not have a relationship with a dead paedophile, and would like people to please stop speculating about the matter, immediately causes people to start speculating about the matter.
Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian US columnist
Continue reading...On campuses around the country, thoughtful debates about “just war” theory and morality collided with President Trump’s erratic approach to combat.
A recent classified court ruling on the bulk data collection of Section 702 raised concerns about the government’s use of the intelligence tool on Americans.
Concerns raised over use of travel data in determining if people are ‘continuously’ in Britain after HMRC fiasco
UK ministers are to start removing post-Brexit residency rights from EU citizens who are no longer “continuously” living in the country.
The initiative is legal under the 2020 Brexit withdrawal agreement, but the decision to use travel data to partly determine absences has raised concerns after the HMRC fiasco in which almost 20,000 parents were stripped of child benefits because of inaccurate Home Office border data.
Continue reading...Even as a triumphant moon flyby primes agency for a 2028 landing, Trump’s proposed budget cuts cast pall on US space program
The astronauts on board Artemis II were “almost poets”, Nasa’s administrator, Jared Isaacman, declared on Friday, referring to their inspiring words as they swung above the lunar surface.
They were, he said, “ambassadors for humanity” as they became the first humans to travel to the moon and return safely to Earth since 1972, on a mission that broke a distance record.
Continue reading...Veteran NFL reporter sidelined during review
Reporter, coach photographed at Sedona resort
The New York Times Company is reviewing coverage by NFL reporter Dianna Russini involving New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel after photos of the two together at an Arizona resort prompted internal concern, ESPN reported Friday citing people familiar with the matter.
Russini, who works for The Times-owned The Athletic, has been sidelined while the review is ongoing, a source said.
Continue reading...Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen returned to Earth on Friday. Here's everything that happened.
The latest polls indicate that Viktor Orbán, an international ally of President Trump, and his Fidedz party are trailing the rival Tisza party.
A horde of 2028 Democratic presidential hopefuls attended Al Sharpton's National Action Network conference, nearly two years before the first primary votes will be cast.
The woman alleged the California gubernatorial candidate sexually assaulted her twice when she was too drunk to consent.
Jack Alston was used to migraines, but after two concussions in middle school, he was stuck with a headache that wouldn't go away.
Fraudulent music streams have long been a scourge for the industry, but experts say generative AI has supercharged it
Jason Moran, a renowned jazz composer and pianist, got a strange call from a friend last month. The friend, bassist Burniss Earl Travis, was curious about Moran’s new record that he saw on the music streaming service Spotify.
“It has your name on it,” Travis told him. “But I don’t think it’s you.”
Continue reading...Unite Here co-president demands improvement in working conditions and urges Fifa to keep ICE away from matches
A hospitality union that represents about 2,000 workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles has threatened to strike during the World Cup if Fifa leaders do not heed their concerns about working conditions and the presence of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
This summer, SoFi Stadium will be thrust into the national spotlight as it hosts eight World Cup matches. Between June and July, Los Angeles is estimated to see 150,000 more out-of-town visitors than typical for the time period.
Continue reading...War spurs debate on US power and role in the world – and progressives eye chance to reorient American foreign policy
Well over a year into Donald Trump’s disruptive second term, few believed the US president could still genuinely shock. But at 8.06am on Tuesday he did just that, with an apocalyptic threat on Truth Social, to destroy a “whole civilization” in Iran – a country of more than 90 million people. Democrats abandoned their forced restraint and immediately began to call for Trump’s removal from office.
Yet beneath Democrats’ near-universal opposition to what they call the president’s “war of choice” are simmering tensions about the way America should engage with the world, especially when it comes to the Middle East. Since losing to Trump and his America First agenda in 2024, which promised not to start new wars, leading progressives have urged Democrats to reclaim the “anti-war” mantle.
Continue reading...Sudanese national Alnour Mohamed Ali, accused of piloting small boat, is charged with endangering life
A man accused of piloting a small boat carrying four people who drowned trying to cross the Channel has been charged over their deaths.
Alnour Mohamed Ali, a Sudanese national, was charged with endangering life after two men and two women died trying to board a small boat crossing the Channel on Thursday, the National Crime Agency said.
Continue reading...A 9-year-old boy was rescued this week after living locked in his father's utility van in eastern France since 2024, according to the local prosecutor.
Archaeological record suggests hunter gatherers were playing games of chance at the end of the last ice age
Native American hunter gatherers were using dice for gaming and gambling more than 6,000 years before the practice appeared anywhere else, a new study argues.
It says dice were being made and used on the western great plains of North America at the end of the last ice age, more than 12,000 years ago.
Continue reading...Iran war drives demand for solar panels, heat pumps and EVs, with energy bills expected to rise 18% from July
British households are turning to green home energy upgrades in record numbers to try to keep bills down as the Iran crisis sends global oil and gas prices soaring, data from leading energy suppliers suggests.
Figures show demand for solar panels, electric vehicles and heat pumps in Great Britain has leapt since the war began on 28 February, as households brace for a sharp increase in monthly payments when the next energy price cap takes effect in the summer.
Continue reading...Amid death, threats, obliterated buildings and wasted money, the administration’s remarks have been head-spinning to witness
Trump threatened to commit genocide and Iran came to the table. A little threat – plus the deaths of thousands of Iranians and 13 Americans, the obliteration of schools, homes, hospitals and mosques, the waste of $40bn by the US and losses to the Gulf nations of as much as $200bn – is all it took. Ergo: threatening genocide works.
That, anyway, is what the “secretary of war”, Pete Hegseth, strongly suggested in a press briefing on Wednesday, the day after the president vowed to wipe Iran’s “whole civilization” off the map and then a few hours later announced a ceasefire, obviating the need to wipe Iran’s civilization off the map, at least for two weeks.
Continue reading...A new lawsuit seeks to decriminalize the work of midwives banned from providing care amid a worsening maternal health crisis
When Tamara Taitt moved to Georgia in 2023 to run the Atlanta Birth Center, she found herself in what she calls “an extraordinary position”. Under Georgia law, the center’s own executive director cannot provide routine clinical care for the center’s own clients. She could even face criminal charges for doing so.
Taitt is a nationally accredited midwife. She directs one of the only freestanding birth centers in the state – a destination for women seeking to give birth outside a hospital, cared for by midwives rather than obstetricians. Families choose birth centers to access more holistic, less medicalized prenatal care and birth, and to avoid invasive medical interventions in a state where C-sections occur at three times the rate recommended by the World Health Organization.
Continue reading...The Bombay Beach Biennale started as an intimate event and has grown dramatically – but some question whether it sustain its DIY atmosphere
It is hard to imagine a stranger place for a large outdoor art festival than Bombay Beach – a tiny, visibly impoverished California desert town over 150 miles east of Los Angeles and 235ft below sea level. The heat is scorching even in March, and the smell of decay wafts over from the nearby Salton Sea; a dying inland lake created by an irrigation engineering disaster over 100 years ago.
But the Bombay Beach Biennale is not your ordinary art festival.
Continue reading...Jimmy’s Corner, opened by former boxer Jimmy Glenn in 1971, is a vestige of an older New York – and its loyal patrons are fighting to protect it
On Friday morning, David Gladman was looking at tables in the back of Jimmy’s Corner, the Times Square dive bar that has served up beers for more than 50 years.
The table tops are covered with photographs, some dating back to the 70s, with yellowing laminate over the top. Gladman used the torch on his phone to scour the pictures.
Continue reading...The case against two Venezuelan men in Minneapolis is the latest to fall apart. Now agents could face repercussions, but questions linger over whether it signals a real shift
On 14 January, in the thick of Donald Trump’s massive anti-immigration crackdown in Minneapolis, two deportation officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) attempted to stop a car in traffic.
They had identified the owner as an unauthorized immigrant, according to an FBI affidavit. The driver, later identified as Alfredo Aljorna, a Venezuelan national, sped off, hitting speeds of 80mph and eventually crashed into a parked car. He then took off running toward an apartment building where his roommate, Julio Sosa Celis, stood at the entrance holding a broad-bladed snow shovel.
Continue reading...A growing number of states are making laws to restrict how AI license plate readers, car trackers and police drone surveillance are used. I found the best examples.
Founded by former OpenAI scientist Andrew Carr and former Google creative director Jonathan Jarvis, Cartwheel is bridging the gap between 2D vision and 3D execution.
A son of sharecroppers, he began making topiaries in his 40s, turning his three-acre home garden into a destination for thousands of people each year.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: The Trump administration has stepped up an effort to unmask a Reddit user who criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). After failing to obtain information through a summons issued (PDF) to Reddit, the government reportedly issued a subpoena demanding that Reddit provide the information and appear before a grand jury in Washington, DC. The Intercept described the subpoena today. "According to a subpoena obtained by The Intercept, Reddit has until April 14 to provide a wide range of personal data on one of its users, whom US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have been trying unsuccessfully to identify for more than a month," the article said. The legal saga began in US District Court for the Northern District of California. On March 12, the anonymous Reddit user whose information is being sought filed a motion (PDF) to quash a summons seeking a host of information from Reddit. The summons was issued by the Department of Homeland Security and directed Reddit to turn information over to an ICE senior special agent. The summons cited authority under 19 U.S. Code 1509, which is part of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930. The motion to quash said the summons is not authorized by the law, which deals with imports of boats, alcoholic drinks, and animals, among other things. "J. Doe is a US citizen who has not traveled out of the country, is not engaged in any international commerce, has no business concerns outside the United States, and primarily uses their Reddit account to engage in political speech relevant to their local community," said the filing by the Civil Liberties Defense Center (CLDC), which represents the Reddit user. "Yet the government claims the right to obtain Doe's name, telephone number, home address, banking and credit card information, IP addresses, telephone model number(s), and the names of any other accounts associated with their Reddit account. The information sought by the government in no way pertains to customs or importing or exporting merchandise, and is clearly intended to chill free speech." "We should be very, very, very concerned that they've now taken one of these to a grand jury," said David Greene, senior counsel for the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "It's something to be taken very seriously." A Reddit spokesperson told Ars today that "we seek to inform users of any legal process compelling disclosure of their data, as we did in this case, because users should have the agency to protect their own information and are often better positioned to challenge requests that impact them." "We do not voluntarily share information with any government, especially not on users exercising their rights to criticize the government or plan a protest. We review every inquiry for legal sufficiency and routinely object to requests that are overbroad or threaten civil rights. When legally compelled to disclose data, we provide only the minimum required and notify the user whenever possible so they can defend their interests."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Current and former government employees say they’re facing a tough job market over a year on from sweeping cuts
Maggie was faced with a tough choice in February 2025: quit her job at the US office of personnel management or be unceremoniously fired.
Though she was a few months pregnant at the time, Maggie was offered one of the buyouts that were offered to tens of thousands of federal government employees by the office of personnel management.
Continue reading...A Guardian investigation reveals how the prediction market can shape news – and how it rules on ‘the truth’
“Horekunden” was rapidly losing patience.
His frustration was with the Institute for the Study of War, a US thinktank which produces a daily map of the frontline in Ukraine.
Continue reading...I looked at prices, customer reviews, warranties and shipping and return policies to find the best places to buy reading glasses online -- no prescription required.
Celebrate their next stage of life with a thoughtful, practical gift that'll help them get ready to take on the world.
There's TV, and then there's Apple TV.
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Why asking questions is the only real protection we have.
Ceasefire or Timeout: The deal no one can explain…especially not the dealers.
Video Break: Real Madrid-FC Bayern/Champions League Highlights
A Billion‑Dollar Question: What did this trader know, and when did he know it?
When Public Health Fails: And old-fashioned typhus surge in L.A.
What I’m Watching: The Big Short
Jukebox Playlist: Now’s The Time.
“If we are not able to ask skeptical questions…of those in authority, then we’re up for grabs for the next charlatan—political or religious—who comes ambling along.”
— Carl Sagan
American astrophysicist, cosmologist and author Carl Sagan repeatedly argued for skeptical inquiry and critical thinking. Even before I got to UCLA, he was a household name. And by then I’d seen how communities thrive when people stay curious, and how quickly things fall apart when they don’t. Which is why this quote about asking skeptical questions hits home for me. It’s really about dignity. When we stop questioning, we stop participating. We hand over our judgment to someone else. And in moments like that, it doesn’t matter how smart we are or how much we care: we’re vulnerable to whatever version of reality someone wants to sell us.
There’s a quiet kind of danger in that. It shows up in the small moments when we let something slide because it’s easier not to think about it. A leader declares victory without explaining what was actually won. A perfectly timed billion‑dollar trade hits the market and everyone shrugs like that’s normal. A city watches a treatable disease climb for years before anyone bothers to warn the people most at risk. None of these things happen because the public asked too many questions.
And skeptical questions aren’t about being negative, or assuming the worst, or living in a constant state of suspicion. They’re about staying awake. They’re about saying, “Hold on, does this add up?” Skeptical questions account for the difference between being an audience member and a citizen.
Citizens shape the story. Audiences just watch it unfold. And that matters, because once we stop asking, someone else starts answering for us…and their version won’t always have our best interests at heart.
Skeptical questions are how we keep the system honest. How we make sure the story we’re being told is actually the story that happened. How we remind the people in charge that they’re being watched, that nothing is going on in a vacuum, that sooner or later they’ll be held accountable for their action as well as their inaction. (I prefer “sooner” but I’ll take what I can get.)
Sagan’s quote is a reminder to stay engaged, stay curious, and stay grounded in our own judgment. Because the moment we stop asking skeptical questions, we stop steering the ship. And that’s when we’re really up for grabs for the next charlatan—or even a current one—who comes ambling along.
Eyal Adom, head of security for an Israeli community on the border with Lebanon, has a clear vision for the land just a few hundred meters away.
“I want to occupy,” he told The Intercept. “Yes, occupy, the word nobody likes. I want to occupy southern Lebanon. Move all the Arabs from there, up to the Litani River.”
We’re sitting in the command and control center in Moshav Netu’a, a village so close to the U.N.-brokered “Blue Line” separating Israel and Lebanon that one can see the physical barrier from the windows of many homes. Here, amid a temporary pause in fighting between the U.S.–Israeli alliance and Iran, there’s no sense of peace.
Under muddied terms for the two-week ceasefire with Iran, Israel has kept fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon, launching an all-out war on the country’s armed elements and civilians alike. The Israeli military bombed villages and ordered more than 1 million Lebanese civilians to evacuate from the south, territory that is often viewed as Hezbollah’s stronghold due to its significant Shia Muslim population and weapons caches. Israel blew up bridges linking the north and the south of Lebanon. In defiance of previous ceasefire conditions set in November 2024, Hezbollah forces that were supposed to retreat north have remained in the south, and Israeli forces continued to hold five “strategic” hilltops in the north, accumulating more than 10,000 total ceasefire violations.
“The Arabs’ only motivation to stop fighting is if you take their land.”
For the residents of Netu’a, Hezbollah is a problem to be solved, and one to fix with military power.
“The Arabs’ only motivation to stop fighting is if you take their land,” Adom said. “You kill them, it doesn’t matter. You hurt them, it doesn’t matter. Nothing matters. Only taking territories. This is the only thing that matters to them.”
At least seven Netu’a residents told The Intercept that they see the eviction of Lebanese civilians as the only sure way to prevent their own displacement. After October 7, 2023, fearing a follow-on attack by Hezbollah, the Israeli government evacuated kibbutzim and other settlements near its border with Lebanon, including Netu’a, scattering families in hotels across the country.
The evacuation was “like a piece of gum being pulled apart,” said Oranit Manasseh, a mother of four who lives in Shtula, another kibbutz on Israel’s border with Lebanon. “That is what happened to our community, day after day that we were living in hotels away from the kibbutz.”
Manasseh and her children have since been able to return to their home, which was not damaged during the evacuation. When she spoke to The Intercept, the family was staying at a villa in Shtula that would normally host tourists for holidays like Passover but has been sitting largely empty since October 8, 2023, with few Israelis wishing to visit the north for a vacation with incoming missile fire.
Manasseh’s hope, she told The Intercept, is that the Israeli military “depopulate the south, get rid of Hezbollah, and keep the terrorists out.”
“Depopulate the south, get rid of Hezbollah, and keep the terrorists out.”
Israel’s actions suggest it’s headed in that direction. On Wednesday, in the span of 10 minutes, Israel struck Lebanon more than 100 times, killing at least 300 people. This was the deadliest single incident since the end of Lebanon’s civil war in 1990. According to reporting from the Financial Times and confirmed by the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, more than 100 women, children, and elderly were killed in the strikes, including two journalists and four Lebanese army soldiers.
Part of the justification for Israel’s war on Hezbollah is the view that it is the only way to establish a security buffer to protect communities in the north situated on Israel’s border with Lebanon.
Much like October 7th catalyzed Israeli society’s calls for the war on Gaza — in which Israel killed, according to conservative estimates, 70,000 Palestinians and over 700 more since the oft-violated ceasefire went into effect last year — there are calls to reduce southern Lebanon to rubble.
They either “crush Hezbollah so that the Lebanese government can disarm, and keep the south free of terrorists,” said another member of Netu’a’s security patrol, or they will have to evacuate again in the future, and it will rip their communities apart.
Israel’s border communities are often referred to as the “periphery.” Looking out from Netu’a, one can see a string of Israeli military outposts situated on the Blue Line, which the U.N. established in 2000, erecting a border wall like the one that cordons off the West Bank. Far from the metropolitan centers of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, these communities occupy a particular place in Israeli politics, and according to residents who spoke with The Intercept in these communities, there is a consensus that they feel forgotten in the wake of October 7.
“I think the government doesn’t do enough for this area. Israel is like a golden cage,” Manasseh said. “You love it, but we are not safe here anymore.”
These “periphery” residents are working to leverage their political influence to end the “Hezbollah problem,” partly by staying in their communities during this war instead of evacuating, forcing the Israeli military to either protect them or admit they can’t.
This is also part of what is driving the Israeli military to establish a “security zone” south of the Litani, in the words of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to “protect” the communities in the north and spare them from another round of evacuation. Israel’s Home Front Command, which is responsible for setting civilian protection guidelines during wartime, announced that because of its strikes on Lebanon, the government would extend the time for Israeli civilians to enter shelters after an alert from zero seconds to 15, due to a partial withdrawal of Hezbollah forces north.
“We all understand that if they reach our borders, it won’t stop there,” said Hila Kronos, who just finished a round of reserve duty in the Israeli military and has been living in Adamit, another Israeli border community, for 20 years. “Maybe not now, but in five or ten years, they could decide everything is calm and use that opportunity to attack Israel.”
Do it now and once and for all is the consensus in these kibbutzim, whose residents insist that they will be staying. “There will be no more evacuations,” another resident told The Intercept.
The desire to establish a security buffer is driving not only Israel’s aerial bombardment campaign, which has claimed the lives of at least 1,800 Lebanese people since the start of the war, but also what used to be a fringe movement that has grown more mainstream in the past two years: the push, as in Gaza, to settle the south of Lebanon.
To do so would require a military commitment that even the most hawkish of Israeli military figures acknowledge Israel does not have. They are facing a manpower crisis and are short more than 15,000 soldiers.
The fringe Uri Tzafon movement, Hebrew for “North Awaken,” which advocates for the Jewish settlement of southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, has put their words into action. In February, members of Uri Tzafon launched drones into southern Lebanon, urging residents to evacuate, and breached the security barrier as a demonstration in favor of settlement.
Adom, the Netu’a security official, said that his family does not belong to the Uri Tzafon movement. Still, he told The Intercept, “my middle son wants to establish a movement that would push the government to take control of the area, build settlements, and pass a law declaring it Israeli territory — like the Golan Heights — and formally annex it.”
But Israelis like Kronos are not so sure of this strategy. “They’re trying, but I think we’re losing too many young people,” he said. “There’s too much death for something I don’t believe can actually be achieved.”
Kronos has grown disillusioned living in Adamit, watching war after war claim civilian lives in the south and destroy her home community.
“We were young, without children when we first came here. We would sit on rooftops and watch the rockets, almost like a game, trying to guess where they would land,” Kronos said. “I remember sitting next to a woman. Today she must be around 18. She told me her story: Twenty years earlier, in 2006, she had been sitting in a shelter holding her baby son. She had been told that by the time he grew up, there would be no need for an army in Israel, no war in Lebanon, that things would be better. And now, 20 years later, she was sitting there again, and her son was in Lebanon, fighting.”
The post “I Want to Occupy”: Inside the Israeli Movement Pushing to Raze and Settle Southern Lebanon appeared first on The Intercept.
As the president spirals over his disastrous war, his threats have escalated beyond the red line of international law
Donald Trump has hung nine glowering portraits of himself throughout the White House, each one projecting a variation on the theme of intimidation. But gazing into his narcissistic pool of grimacing images has not calmed him when in his mind’s eye he stares into the abyss of the worst failure of his life.
Trump’s fiasco has inspired him to heightened performances of profane, vile and vicious threats. His grammar of atrocity has escalated from hateful rhetoric to threats of war crimes. What might have initially appeared as rage-quitting the video game that the White House communications department makes of his Iran war has crossed an inviolable red line of international law. His pouting and foot stomping have led him into the gravest territory.
Continue reading...Former Ukrainian major general says 4kg of material was most likely an attempt to influence Hungary’s election
The amount of explosives discovered in Serbia last week would not have been enough to destroy the Balkan Stream gas pipeline, prompting an expert to conclude it was probably a Russian intelligence plot aimed at influencing Hungary’s impending election.
A former Ukrainian major general and a munitions specialist told the Guardian calculations made by his company showed the 4kg of explosives recovered by Serbia’s military security agency in Kanjiža could not have seriously ruptured the pipe.
Continue reading...The call came from a number I didn’t recognize, with a Canadian area code.
A steely voice on the other end of the line greeted me, identifying himself as an official with the Canadian military.
He had a question: Had I been reaching out to him on WhatsApp, trying to work him for information?
I paused. As an investigative reporter at ProPublica, I’m reaching out to a lot of people all the time. But as I racked my brain, I couldn’t think of any Canadians I had recently tried to develop as sources.
It seems as though someone is impersonating you, the man warned.
I was at a loss. What was Fake Me asking about? Were they just using my name or my picture too? How could I be sure the person warning me about this impostor wasn’t actually an impostor himself?
The Canadian official assured me he’d send a message from his government email to confirm his identity, and he’d include screenshots of his conversation with Fake Me. I thanked him, and we exchanged some pleasantries. Before saying goodbye, I asked him if there was anything he’d like to get on the radar of an investigative reporter. (Without even realizing it, I was working him for information. Maybe Fake Me and Real Me aren’t so different.)
The screenshots the Canadian sent over later showed someone with a Miami number using my ProPublica headshot as their profile pic. I’ve never lived in Florida.
“This is Robert Faturechi from ProPublica,” Fake Me wrote. “I really need to get in touch with you.”
The Canadian asked me not to publicly reveal too many details about his work, but it involves dealing with other countries, including Ukraine.
I alerted our security team at ProPublica. They told me that there was little we could do aside from reporting the fake account to WhatsApp.
We did, and I put the matter behind me — until two weeks later, when I got another warning.
This time it was a Latvian businessman who said he runs an organization providing equipment to the Ukrainian military and is involved in a drone development project with Ukrainian forces.
“Hey!” the Latvian wrote to me on LinkedIn. “Was good to chat on Signal! Let’s connect here as well!”
The only problem was I had never chatted with him on Signal, the encrypted messaging app.
The Latvian reached out to me on LinkedIn because he was concerned he wasn’t talking to Real Me on Signal. He sent over screenshots of someone using my headshot and claiming to be me.
“Am I right in understanding that you are an expert in the field of UAVs?” Fake Me had messaged the Latvian, referring to unmanned aerial vehicles, a fancy term for drones.
“My clients,” the impostor explained, “are particularly interested in the application of UAVs in Ukraine.”
The Latvian had offered to discuss the topic in a phone call, but Fake Me (who could be a man or woman) declined, saying they weren’t “comfortable” talking on the phone. They asked to continue the “conversation in written format” or if the Latvian could “record a voice message on this topic.”
The Latvian, growing suspicious, insisted on a video call. Fake Me relented, sending him step-by-step instructions they said would result in a secure video chat, but that actually appeared to have been an attempt to trick the Latvian into giving up access to his email account.
The Latvian ultimately blocked Fake Me.
The impersonations were disquieting. Investigative reporting is hard enough with public trust in media so low and those in power stepping up attacks against journalists. Scammers giving potential sources another thing to worry about just makes our work more difficult.
I can’t be certain what Fake Me is up to, but posing as a journalist in this way seems to be the latest evolution in online deception. ProPublica has chronicled the dark world of pig butchering, in which human traffickers in Asia force their victims to scam people by posing as friends or potential romantic interests. In those cases, the goal is cash.
But sometimes the objective is stealing sensitive information. And even sophisticated actors can fall victim to so-called phishing attacks, in which scammers impersonate legitimate entities. One of the most notable and perhaps consequential instances was when John Podesta, chair of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, fell victim to an email purporting to be a Google security alert, giving hackers access to his personal Gmail account. Thousands of his emails, some of them quite damaging to Clinton and the Democratic Party, were published online.
From the screenshots the Canadian and Latvian sent me, I could tell Fake Me wasn’t asking for credit card info or urging anyone to buy a gift card. It didn’t appear to be a moneymaking scam.
I’m not sure who else they’ve reached out to, but in both cases I was alerted to, Fake Me seemed to have an interest in foreign militaries. Maybe some clunky intelligence operation?
I tried calling Fake Me using the phone number they used to reach out to the Canadian defense official. I got a recorded message saying the line was not in service.
On Signal and WhatsApp, the number rang and rang, without an answer.
There was even less we could do about the second impersonation than we could about the first.
Signal keeps extremely little information about its users; it knows when someone first created their account and the phone number they used to do so but stores nothing about who they’re messaging. That’s by design. The hands-off approach is part of why it’s a safe platform for journalists to talk securely to sources. But it also makes catching impostor accounts difficult. Red flags, like sending messages with suspicious links, aren’t detectable by Signal. (WhatsApp can’t see the content of messages unless a user reports them. It has the ability to see who its users are messaging, but a spokesperson said it’s rare for the company to store that data.)
Cooper Quintin, a technologist at the digital privacy nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation, said he had never heard of a case like mine on Signal. But overall he was noticing an upswing in scams on the secure messaging app. Signal was doing what it could, he said, such as adding a feature that slows down would-be spammers trying to send many messages in a short time frame. Signal also makes links from unknown senders unclickable. But there are limits to what Signal can do, he said, without compromising its hallmark privacy protections for its users.
“This fits a trajectory. As Signal gets more popular, more attackers start to view it as a potential platform for attacks,” said Quintin, who insisted we talk via video chat so he could be sure I wasn’t an online impersonator asking to interview him about being impersonated online.
Some platforms — such as Facebook and Instagram — allow users to get verified accounts in which the site essentially confirms they are who they claim to be. But it wouldn’t be feasible for Signal to do the same, said digital security expert Runa Sandvik, who consults on security matters for ProPublica. The nonprofit that runs Signal is small, and verification would require staffing it doesn’t have. More significantly, she said, it would require Signal to collect more information about its users, eroding the privacy protections that make it popular.
Signal did not provide comment for this article. A spokesperson for WhatsApp said “we have a strong track record of banning those trying to scam others and staying ahead of scammers and their tactics.” The spokesperson said WhatsApp “took appropriate action in line with our policies” against the account spoofing me but declined to say what that action was. In general, WhatsApp tries to root out scam accounts, even before they’re reported, by monitoring for suspicious behavior that includes attempting to launch many accounts from a single location.
It turns out, if you’re contacted by someone pretending to be a reporter, the best way to scuttle their scam is to do a little reporting of your own.
Every journalist at ProPublica has a bio page. Here is mine. On my bio page, you’ll find my Signal handle and email if you click on the Contact Me button. You can always check the Signal information or email address on my bio page to verify that I’m the person contacting you.
This is true for every ProPublica reporter: We all have our Signal numbers or usernames on our profiles, and we all have an email ending in @propublica.org.
The same goes for reporters at other outlets. If one reaches out to you and you have doubts, check their website and social accounts to verify their email or Signal or WhatsApp numbers. We’ve heard through the media grapevine and in published accounts about scams similar to mine hitting other organizations as well.
They include smaller-scale deceptions. The New York Times recently flagged an account on X falsely claiming to be an intern for the news organization. In 2023, Reuters reported that two of its reporters in China were being impersonated via Instagram and Telegram accounts that were attempting to get information on activists protesting the country’s COVID-19 policies. And just this month, a correspondent for Reuters in Saudi Arabia warned his followers that someone was impersonating him on WhatsApp.
There are also more sophisticated campaigns to be on alert for. The German government this year released a vague warning about what it described as likely a state-sponsored actor attempting to commandeer the Signal accounts of government officials and reporters across Europe. And last month, the FBI announced that individuals associated with Russian intelligence were posing as Signal’s security department to fool American government officials and journalists into providing information that would allow the hackers to take over their accounts. Once they had access, the FBI warned, they could see conversations and contact lists, and send messages as the victim.
These scams should worry anyone who cares about investigative reporting. Throughout my career, I’ve done sensitive stories exposing wrongs in politics, finance, the military and law enforcement. Many of them relied on courageous individuals who have taken leaps of faith and shared information, sometimes at real personal risk. I go to great lengths to protect my sources and make sure they are comfortable taking that risk. If potential sources have to doubt that I am who I say I am, they may be less likely to engage.
When journalists are impersonated online, like I have been, Sandvik said they shouldn’t be quiet about it.
“If and when it does happen, be very public about it, which is what you’re doing now,” she said. “Let people know this is happening so if people hear from you, they know this is something to look out for.”
The post Who’s Been Impersonating This ProPublica Reporter? appeared first on ProPublica.
“He enjoyed it,” said the owner of Bebe the parrot, who has also come along for skydiving, skiing and 500-mile bike rides.
Chris Kempczinski’s taste test was mocked online, to which he said his mother had taught him: ‘Don’t talk with your mouth full’
The chief executive officer of McDonald’s recently blamed etiquette guidance from his mother for a February on-camera taste test that made him a target for ridicule – and summarily recorded another video of him eating one of the fast-food giant’s offerings in a manner potential consumers found awkward.
Chris Kempczinski suggested to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) earlier in April that he was simply heeding maternal advice to never talk with his mouth full when he took the humorously small bite at the center of a viral video which depicted him discussing and sampling the new Big Arch burger from McDonald’s.
Continue reading...The Artemis II, and the four astronauts aboard the Orion space capsule, splashed down into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on Friday night, with all four astronauts in good health. Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch of Nasa, and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, have just become the first humans to travel to the moon, and return to Earth safely, since the crew of Apollo 17 in December 1972
Continue reading...Britain’s standing in the world was never the same after its assault on Egypt in 1956. Now the US risks repeating history in the Middle East
Donald Trump’s addiction to framing every event in the most apocalyptic terms is what allows conservative commentators such as Mark Levin to praise him as “a once-in-a-century president”.
But Trump cannot play out his entire presidency on a reckless high wire without eventually falling off – potentially taking America with him into a steep decline into the unknown.
Continue reading...Amid allegations of bad faith and ceasefire violations from both Washington and Tehran, negotiators arrived in Islamabad for high-stakes talks.
Attackers briefly hijacked part of CPUID's backend and swapped legitimate download links on its site with malware-laced ones. "The issue hit tools like HWMonitor and CPU-Z, with users on Reddit and elsewhere starting to notice something wasn't right when installers tripped antivirus alerts or showed up under odd names," reports The Register. From the report: CPUID has since confirmed the breach, pinning it on a compromised backend component rather than tampering with its software builds. "Investigations are still ongoing, but it appears that a secondary feature (basically a side API) was compromised for approximately six hours between April 9 and April 10, causing the main website to randomly display malicious links (our signed original files were not compromised)," one of the site's owners said in a post on X. "The breach was found and has since been fixed." The files themselves appear to have been left alone and remain properly signed, so it doesn't seem like anyone got into the build process. Instead, the problem sat in front of that, in how downloads were being served. For anyone who hit the site during that stretch, though, that distinction offers little comfort. If the link you clicked had been swapped out, you were pulling whatever it pointed to, whether you realized it or not.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Okay, I have a few questions:
The only accessories i have rn is a fender and a charger plug nothing else
Ex-footballer to decorate gnome for annual event after organisers lift ban on the ornaments dating back to 1927
Rare roses and stunning irises are usually among the most coveted items at the Chelsea flower show. But this year, the star attraction might be pink, sequined – and decorated by David Beckham.
The former England football captain is co-designing a garden at the May event with King Charles and as part of that effort he has been given a garden gnome to paint. It will be auctioned off for charity.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Guardian analysis suggests young people who pose ‘catastrophic’ threat still slipping through system
Ministers are “failing to learn the lessons” from the Southport attack and allowing violence-obsessed teenagers to remain a “catastrophic” threat to society, lawyers for victims of the atrocity have said ahead of the findings of an official inquiry.
A report on the July 2024 attack by the judge Sir Adrian Fulford, to be released on Monday, is expected to strongly criticise failings by a series of agencies, including the counter-terrorism programme Prevent.
Continue reading...Corruption scandals and a surging opposition have turned the vote into the biggest test yet for the long-serving populist leader
The drone footage showed a sprawling residence in northern Hungary, complete with manicured gardens, a swimming pool and an underground garage. But it was what came next that captured much of the country’s imagination: zebras darting across the countryside.
Continue reading...The building sits across a driveway from the West Wing and was completed in 1888.
The four astronauts touched down on Earth off the coast of California, concluding historic 10-day mission
The Artemis II, and the four astronauts aboard the Orion space capsule, splashed down into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on Friday night, with all four astronauts in good health.
“53 years ago, humanity left the moon. This time we return to stay. Let us finish what they started. Let us focus on what was left undone. Let us not go to plant flags and leave, but to stay with firmness in our purpose, with gratitude for the hands who built the machines and with love for the ones that we carry with us,” Nasa’s associate administrator Amit Kshatriya said at the late-night press conference after the astronauts landed.
Continue reading...Vaianu, forecast to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 130 kmh (80 mph), is expected to hit on Sunday
Thousands of New Zealanders were ordered to evacuate their homes on Saturday as the country’s North Island braced for Cyclone Vaianu, which authorities warned could cause coastal flooding and landslides.
Vaianu, forecast to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 130 km/h (80 mp/h), was expected to hit on Sunday, then pass west of the remote Chatham Islands on Monday, the country’s weather forecaster said.
Continue reading...NASA's Artemis II astronauts returned to Earth with a splashdown landing in the Pacific Ocean after making a high-speed reentry through the atmosphere.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: As the Trump administration seeks to fill a national shortage of air traffic controllers, officials are targeting a new talent pool: gamers. The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday is making a recruiting push aimed at avid players of video games, as the agency strives to fill thousands of vacancies that lawmakers have said leave the traveling public less safe. In a new YouTube ad, the agency is using flashy graphics and the promise of six-figure salaries to convince video game enthusiasts to apply their trigger fingers in service of air safety. In recent years, video gamers have emerged as a target demographic for recruiters at a number of federal agencies, including the military and the Department of Homeland Security. They are welcomed for their hand-eye coordination, quick decision-making in complex environments and ability to remain focused on screens for hours on end. "To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement. Focusing recruiting efforts on gamers, he added, "taps into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller." [...] The F.A.A. plans to begin prioritizing recruiting gamers over more traditional avenues like college fairs, officials said, pointing out that only 25 percent of controllers have a traditional college degree, while the vast majority appear to have logged hours gaming. During the presidential transition in 2024, incoming Trump administration officials polled about 250 new air traffic academy graduates over six weeks. Only two of those interviewed were not gamers, according to F.A.A. officials [...]. Students who failed out of the training academy were not similarly queried, officials said, though they have plans to conduct more comprehensive exit interviews in the future. Still, the overwhelming presence of gaming habits among graduates tracked with what they were hearing anecdotally from controllers already certified to work in towers and other air traffic facilities, the officials said, many of whom liked to play video games during breaks in their shifts.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
I got my X7 SC in the mail and when I go to plug in the charger. I get a double beep every 5-7 seconds. Any clue where I should start troubleshooting?
Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for April 11.
US president says that warships are being reloaded with weaponry to strike Iran if Saturday’s Islamabad talks fail to produce a deal
JD Vance warns Iran against trying to ‘play’ the US in peace talks
Netanyahu says there is no ceasefire in Lebanon as Israel launches fresh strikes
The streets of Islamabad are on strict lockdown as Pakistan’s capital prepares to play host to historic negotiations between Iran and the US that have dangled the promise of an end to war that has devastated the Middle East.
Even as the US-Iran ceasefire looked increasingly precarious, amid Israel’s continued bombardment of Lebanon and disputes over the terms of the talks, Pakistani officials insist that the make-or-break peace negotiations will be going ahead over the weekend as planned
Continue reading...George Strausman of Great Neck, New York, is 102 years old and still works four days a week in his family's construction business. But it's what he does on his day off that is even more remarkable.
This live blog is now closed.
On Truth Social, Donald Trump issued a cryptic message this morning that appeared to be in reference to the upcoming negotiations in Islamabad, but remains unclear.
“WORLD’S MOST POWERFUL RESET!!!” he wrote.
Continue reading...  | *NOTE: Sidewinder Motor is intended for WheelieFunBike and DIY PEV's, and is not compatible with stock Onewheels\* (Warning, long nerd write-up incoming) Wanted to hop on and add some additional details on the new Sidewinder motor from The Float Life to give a better understanding of what it's about, who it's best for, and how it compares to other options on the market. TLDR: It's the goldilocks motor, performing between the Hypercore S-Series Motor and the Superflux 6". It's not meant to outperform the Superflux 6", but if you're looking for a capable, high-performance motor without adding too much weight, the Sidewinder has admirable performance and thermals that I believe is suitable for the majority of riders. With the eventual 5" Hub options making it an even more enticing option. - Motor kV (Torque vs. Speed) The Sidewinder is meant to be more on the High Torque side. It's built for the Wheelie Fun Bike, where the primary purpose is being able to pop wheelies in any scenario no matter the rider, so high torque was a priority. That said, we did also want to add some comfort on the speed end for those running lower voltage builds. For that reason, we went with a motor kV closer to that of the Superflux HT or an N52 / S-Series Hypercore, but traded off some of that torque for a little more speed (higher kV). But it's still closer to the high torque end than a stock Hypercore or Superflux HS. The closest equivalent in terms of the torque vs speed balance is an N48 MTE Hypercore (though Sidewinder can of course handle higher current much more effectively for even more torque) - Motor Heating Test This test and the others mentioned are seen in the attached pictures below. As expected based on the weight of the motor (3lbs lighter than Superflux, 2.5lbs heavier than Hypercore), it's thermal performance stacks up right between the Superflux 6" and the Hypercore S-Series. In my test, it actually performed closer to the Superflux HT, possibly due to being able to dissipate heat pretty rapidly with its more solid axle. For a controlled test, every setup was run on as identical a setup as possible (84V, Thor301, WTF Varials, Sidewinder axle blocks, 6" Enduro Tire). Every test was run on separate mornings with similar ambient temperature, before anything else was done on the board (motor, rails, and axle all ambient temp). The test consists of running an open loop command of 60A at 0 ERPM ("foc_openloop 60 0"), basically pumping 60A of continuous motor current with no motor rotation. 60A was chosen with reference to logs I've seen of some extreme uphill climbing, where the motor current tended to average at around 60A or so, of course with spikes above and below this. A slow rotation would have been ideal, but I unfortunately ran into issues of the motor randomly cutting mid test, which would ruin that day of testing (due to trying to keep things controlled), and had to go with 0 ERPM for timely reliable results. That said, the tests I did complete at 800 ERPM showed extremely similar results to their 0 ERPM counterpart, so I believe the results to still be valid for comparitive purposes. - Motor Cooling Test These cooling tests were simply taken immediately after the respective heating tests, watching as they cooled from 75°C to 55°C. I would take these tests with a grain of salt, as there are a lot more real-world factors that can play into cooling, especially when it comes to airflow, as well as longer continuous riding and heat soak. Additionally, the results for these were a bit more inconsistent across various tests. But it at least gives a general idea of what to potentially expect. - Motor Saturation Test (Experimental) Speaking of grain of salt haha, this was more of an experimental test. We don't have a dyno to use for a great way of quantifying the motor saturation curve (that being, as motor current increases, beyond a certain point, more and more of that current will be lost to heat rather than increasing the actual torque output). That said, when detecting Flux Linkage in VESC Tool (which essentially represents the Torque Output per Amp), we can select what amount of motor current to use when detecting. I utilized this to log the detected Flux Linkage at different motor currents and find the point at which this torque constant starts dropping off, indicating that some of the added motor current is being lost to heat rather than torque gains. I should clarify, the flux linkage results past this drop-off point, while somewhat consistent, did not seem to accurately reflect real-world torque losses, seemingly dropping off way too steeply. I'm guessing VESC just struggles tracking flux linkage accurately in this state. But the motor current that the drop-off point starts is consistent and reproducible, so I do think this may be indicative of when you'll start to see effects of saturation begin to take place, of course exaggerating more and more as you pull current beyond that point. You will continue to see torque gains, just with more and more of it going to heat as well. In this regard, I was fairly surprised at the results having Sidewinder right up there with the Superflux HT and even surpassing it slightly. This does reflect my real world experience though, as I've run the Sidewinder at 170A with otherwise default Float Hub settings and very little motor crunch, usually indicating saturation hasn't got out of hand yet. The Hypercore's drop-off was also shockingly early, though this would also help explain its rough results in the 60A continuous heating test. ------ That's about all! Just wanted to share with you guys the additional tests I've performed and give some more details based on what I know of the Sidewinder. While these controlled bench tests are valuable for more objective comparisons, I also look forward to seeing how it performs in the real world for all you guys as it gets out in the wild. So far, our field testing has been extremely successful both performance and thermals wise. If you guys have any questions at all, feel free to drop them below! I'd be happy to help answer whatever I can. [link] [comments] |
So I got a used XR. It’s been going amazing!
I’m 250 at the moment(currently losing weight) and it handles me fairly well 🤷🏽♂️
I don’t ride aggressively, cruising speed 11-15mph.
I mostly use my Onewheel for commute. And the XR has been working really well for me.
My question is should I upgrade to the GT? Since I commute? Or get the GTS for the extra voltage?
I’m also considering the XRC for the lower stance.
Former allies of Democratic contender withdraw support after accusations in San Francisco Chronicle and on CNN
Congressman Eric Swalwell, a leading candidate to be California’s next governor, forcefully denied allegations of sexual assault on Friday night, as he faced escalating calls to withdraw from the race from prominent supporters, rivals and his won colleagues in Congress.
In a video statement shared on his Instagram and posted by his official congressional account on X, the California Democrat vowed to fight the allegations with “everything I have”.
Continue reading...More than a dozen survivors accuse first lady of ‘shifting the burden’ on to them after she called on Congress to hold public hearings – key US politics stories from Friday 10 April
More than a dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse have accused Melania Trump of “shifting the burden” on to them after she called on Congress to hold public hearings with victims of Epstein’s abuse.
“Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony,” said a group of 13 people and the brother and sister of the late Virginia Giuffre, who was one of the most vocal Epstein accusers, in a statement. “Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility not justice.”
Continue reading...NASA's Artemis II crew safely splashed down off the California coast after completing a 10-day trip around the moon and back. "This is not just an accomplishment for NASA," sad NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. "This is an accomplishment for humanity, again, a historic mission to the moon and back." From a report: Isaacman is aboard the USS John. P Murtha Navy recovery vessel, where the astronauts will be brought once they've been retrieved from the Orion capsule, and he shared "there is a lot to celebrate right now on on a mission well accomplished for Artemis II." Isaacman also complimented the crew as "absolutely professional astronauts, wonderful communicators and almost poets" "" as well as "ambassadors from humanity to the stars." "I can't imagine a better crew than the Artemis II crew that just completed a perfect mission right now. We are back in the business of sending astronauts to the moon and bringing them back safely. This is just the beginning. We are going to get back into doing this with frequency, sending missions to the moon until we land on it in 2028 and start building our base." Isaacman also said it's time to start preparing for Artemis III, expected to launch in 2027. You can watch the moment of the splashdown here.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The Artemis II crew's nine-day moon mission set a record for the farthest any human has ever traveled from Earth. Here's a look at the key moments.
Was troubleshooting my pint and watched the controller spark up. Now what? What do I do with most likely good battery? Where do I go to buy vesc stuff? How do I do it cheap? I’m dirt poor but this is the only thing that keeps my sanity. I’m honestly at a loss, I am so bummed I can barely think straight.
McIlroy skipped PGA Tour events to practise at Augusta
Defending champion has six-shot lead after two rounds
Rory McIlroy has explained how scouting trips to Augusta National in the weeks leading up to the Masters have played a significant role in his domination of this staging of the major. McIlroy’s second round of 65 – which included six birdies in the closing seven holes – set a Masters record, with the defending champion the first man to lead the tournament by six at the halfway point.
Entering the Masters, it was assumed McIlroy’s three-week break from PGA Tour business was to conserve energy. Instead, he made smart use of his private jet as he looks to become just the fourth golfer to win back-to-back Masters titles.
Continue reading...Massive fire followed explosion at 5,000-sq-ft warehouse near Esparto, an hour from Sacramento, on 1 July
Multiple people have been charged with murder in connection to a fatal fireworks-warehouse explosion in California that killed seven people and injured two others in July.
The explosion at the 5,000-sq-ft warehouse sparked a massive fire near the small town of Esparto, about an hour outside Sacramento. The explosion took place on 1 July; local celebrations to commemorate the Fourth of July holiday were cancelled that year.
Continue reading...Here are hints and the answer for today's Wordle for April 11, No. 1,757.
Here are some hints and the answers for the NYT Connections puzzle for April 11, No. 1,035.
Here are hints and answers for the NYT Strands puzzle for April 11, No. 769.
Plans submitted by the Interior Department show the triumphal arch would be 250 feet tall, the tallest triumphal arch in the world.
Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for April 11 No. 565.
The Justice Department said Friday that it would move forward on a proposed $68 million settlement with a Texas land developer it had accused of preying on Hispanic residents, despite a judge’s concerns that the agreement did not do enough to help victims.
During a hearing, U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett questioned why the settlement had no compensation for those who were harmed and grilled a federal prosecutor over $20 million devoted to police and immigration enforcement. He said he was uncomfortable with the provision because the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Colony Ridge, which has massive subdivisions north of Houston, mentioned nothing about public safety or immigration.
“I thought I was dealing with … folks who had been defrauded, with allegations of above-market interest rates, improper foreclosures,” Bennett said, holding up the original lawsuit in his right hand and the settlement in his left. “Now, all of the sudden, I’m being asked to OK increased law enforcement?”
“Who in the settlement room said it would be a good idea to give $20 million to law enforcement?” Bennett asked early in the hearing. “Where did that come from?”
The original idea came from the state, said Justice Department senior prosecutor Varda Hussain, referring to the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton’s office filed a similar lawsuit that would also be resolved through the settlement. He did not respond to a request for comment. Hussain, a principal deputy chief at the Justice Department’s Washington headquarters, said that the federal government stood by the provision even though neither its lawsuit nor the state’s raised concerns about crime.
Colony Ridge residents told federal investigators that they were worried about crime in the development after the lawsuit was filed, Hussain said.
“I understand what it might look like to you, but I am telling you that this is a concern that friends of the court and residents will tell you exists,” Hussain said.
The settlement ends a three-year legal dispute in which the Justice Department and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau accused Colony Ridge of deceiving tens of thousands of Hispanic consumers into taking out high-interest loans that many could not afford. The developer then benefited when it foreclosed on their properties, prosecutors said.
Former attorneys and investigators with the Justice Department and CPFB, including those involved in filing the original lawsuit in 2023, told ProPublica and The Texas Tribune they were stunned that the Trump administration had reached a settlement that did not seek to compensate victims.
Of the 183 housing and civil enforcement settlements the Justice Department has announced since 2018, only 6% lacked money for victims, and none included funding for police or immigration enforcement, an analysis by the news organizations found.
Including such a provision in a predatory lending case has never been done before, said Bennett, who sought to find a compromise.
An hour into the hearing, Bennett asked the Justice Department and the attorneys for Colony Ridge, which has denied any wrongdoing, whether they would consider his suggestions to revise the settlement to obtain his approval.
Colony Ridge attorney Jason Ray said his client would consider it. Hussain said the Justice Department wasn’t interested.
Instead, the Justice Department said it would pursue the settlement without seeking judicial approval under a provision of federal law that allows it to do so. That means the court will not supervise Colony Ridge to ensure the developer follows the terms of the settlement, said Johnathan Smith, former deputy assistant attorney general for civil rights during the Biden administration.
Smith, who helped assemble the Colony Ridge lawsuit three years ago, said now the case simply goes away because there is no one to enforce it. He added that the Justice Department cannot sue Colony Ridge based on the same claims in the future.
“By having settlements that are public and that are court-enforced, it sends a clear message to other potential bad actors that there could be real consequences for their actions,” Smith said in an email.
He said the Justice Department’s decision amounts to a “get out of jail free card.”
The “DOJ is turning its back on the victims, and those victims are left with no recourse and no assurance that any actions will be taken to remedy the harms that were identified in DOJ’s original complaint,” Smith said.
The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Smith’s criticisms. During the hearing, however, Hussain said the department would ensure Colony Ridge abides by the settlement. In a court filing, the developer said it had already started implementing the provisions, which include adopting stricter lending standards.
Keilah Sanchez, a former Colony Ridge landowner who, along with her sister, collected complaints from residents who said they had been mistreated by the developer, said it was crushing to see the settlement be implemented without helping past victims.
“It’s unbelievable, but at this point, I don’t expect much from these agencies,” she said.
The post A Judge Worried a Proposed Settlement Doesn’t Do Enough to Help Victims. The DOJ Is Still Moving Forward. appeared first on ProPublica.
I need help guys…
Background: bought a brand new pint x when they were first announced so it’s v1 hardware. After a while of owning it, it started to shut off on nose dives. I didn’t think anything of it. Would hit the power button, would turn right back on, continue to perform as expected. Till one day it didn’t. It shut off and wouldn’t turn back on. It was at around 60% when it happened. When I got it home it wouldn’t charge. I was told about the manufacturing defect of the balance wires being sheered off with the sharp plastic edge of the battery box. When I opened it up, sure enough some of the balance wires were all pinched. I did a continuity test and fixed the bad wires. Put the battery on a dumb lion charger because voltage dropped by the time I got to it, balanced all the cells to 3.75.
I just plugged everything back in and still no power, still won’t charge. I may have unplugged the bms the wrong way when I first dismantled it because I didn’t know there was a sequence to it. How can I troubleshoot the bms? Can I swap a used bms in without any programming weirdness or am I looking at all new electronics, vesc?
Mariners unveil Ichiro statue at Seattle ballpark
Bronze bat snaps as curtain drops at ceremony
Suzuki laughs off mishap with Mariano joke
Oh, snap.
The unveiling of Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki’s statue had an unforced error on Friday – a broken bat.
Continue reading...Rory McIlroy produced a scintillating finish in round two to record a 7-under 65 and open up a huge lead at halfway
Wyndham Clark’s birdie putt at 6 looks good. A straight roll. But it drifts a little to the right just before reaching the cup, enough to kink out. That really did look like it was going in. So he remains at -3 for both his round and the Tournament overall. He’s no longer the only player out there in red for his round today: Im Sungjae, who finished second on debut in the November Masters of 2020, birdies 7 and 8 to move into credit today – he’s +3 overall – while the old trooper Freddie Couples birdies 2 to get back to +5. Such a shame about that hideous run at 15, 16 and 17 yesterday - quadruple bogey, double bogey, double bogey – but you can forgive a 66-year-old for running out of gas under the heat of the late-afternoon sun.
The Par 3 Contest winner Aaron Rai starts his second round calmly and confidently. Tea Olive found in regulation, and a long birdie putt that shaves the hole. He remains at -1 after yesterday’s 71, a round that promised more after going out in 33. Meanwhile Wyndham Clark’s run of consecutive birdies comes to an end at 5. Just a par, though he’s now landed his tee shot at 6 into the heart of the green, using the slope to bring his ball towards the flag tucked away front left. He’ll have a good look at birdie from 18 feet, a putt not exactly flat and straight, but as flat and straight as they come around here.
Continue reading...Vice-president’s war doubts and his boss’s desperation to reopen the Hormuz strait constitute a weak deck against bolstered opponents
As JD Vance arrives in Islamabad to negotiate a peace deal with Iran, his first high-profile assignment of the war looks to be a poisoned chalice.
Vance, a vocal opponent of US wars in the Middle East gone quiet since the beginning of the current military campaign, will now face off with Iranian negotiators who feel emboldened by their new control of the Hormuz strait and their resilience in the face of the largest US-Israeli onslaught in history. Vance’s presence at the talks as vice-president will make it the highest-level meeting since the Iranian revolution of 1979.
Continue reading...Six birdies in final seven holes for defending champion
Burns and Reed at -6, Rose, Lowry and Fleetwood at -5
After spending 16 years as the hunter, Rory McIlroy is relishing his position as the hunted. The defending Masters champion has reached the halfway point of the 2026 staging in a style that asserts his desperation to hang on to the Green Jacket. Elk, served as sliders in the 36-year-old’s champions dinner on Tuesday evening, were seen diving for cover in mountainous regions as McIlroy placed daylight between himself and pretenders to his throne.
McIlroy won at Augusta National in 2025 and eventually discovered that was not his final career destination after all. He is now 36 holes from becoming only the fourth man in history to back up a Masters win with a Masters win. McIlroy’s distinctly relaxed state of mind means only the bold will back against him from here. Even the prospect of falling short is unlikely to perturb McIlroy. He did quite enough of that in earlier years before rebounding in ferocious fashion. A grand slam winner has a mindset to match.
Continue reading...I have an XR 4208 with about 3 miles on it. Three! Ha. Is this thing worth much these days? Is it still the "holy grail"? Thinking about either modding it or selling it. I have another 4210 that is slightly modded.
Outrage from survivors follows first lady’s statement calling on Congress to hold public hearings with victims of Epstein’s abuse
More than a dozen survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse have accused Melania Trump of “shifting the burden” on to them after she called on Congress to hold public hearings with victims of Epstein’s abuse.
“Survivors of Jeffrey Epstein have already shown extraordinary courage by coming forward, filing reports, and giving testimony,” said a group of 13 people and the brother and sister of the late Virginia Giuffre, who was one of the most vocal Epstein accusers, in a statement. “Asking more of them now is a deflection of responsibility not justice.”
Continue reading...Researchers say the world's largest known wild chimpanzee community in Uganda fractured into rival factions and has been locked in a vicious "civil war" for the last eight years. "It is not clear exactly why the once close-knit community of Ngogo chimpanzees at Uganda's Kibale National Park are at loggerheads, but since 2018 the scientists have recorded 24 killings, including 17 infants," reports the BBC. From the report: [O]ver several decades, [lead author Aaron Sandel] said the nearly 200 Ngogo chimpanzees had lived in harmony. There were divided into two sets - known to researchers as Western and Central - but they had existed overall as a cohesive group. Sandel said he first noticed them polarizing in June 2015, when the Western chimpanzees ran away and were chased by the Central group. "Chimpanzees are sort of melodramatic," he said, explaining that following arguments there would ordinarily be "screaming and chasing" and then later, they would grooming and co-operating. But following the 2015 dispute, the researchers saw that there was a six-week avoidance period between the two sets, with interactions becoming more infrequent. When they did occur, Sandel said they were "a little more intense, a little more aggressive." Following the emergence of the two distinct groups in 2018, members of the Western group started attacking the Central chimpanzees. In 24 targeted attacks since the split, at least seven adult males and 17 infants from the Central chimps have been killed, the study found, although the researchers believe the actual number of deaths are higher. The researchers believe many factors such as the group size and subsequent competition of resources, and "male-male competition" for reproducing may be to blame. But they say there were three likely catalysts: - The first, were the deaths of five adult males and one adult female -- for reasons unknown -- in 2014, which could have disrupted social networks and weakened social ties across the subgroups - The following year, there was a change in the alpha male, which the study says coincided with the first period of separation between the Western and Central groups. "Changes in the dominance hierarchy can increase aggression and avoidance in chimpanzees," it explained - The third factor was the deaths of 25 chimpanzees, including four adult males and 10 adult females, as a result of a respiratory epidemic, in 2017, a year before the final separation. One of the adult males who died was "among the last individuals to connect the groups," the research paper said. The study has been published in the journal Science.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Could powerful AI models like Anthropic's Mythos give cybercriminals and other bad actors a roadmap for exploiting tech systems?
 | Anyone know if it's normal for the battery charge indicator to cycle from red to green to red to green if charging using the fast charger? is it just balancing the cells or? thanks! [link] [comments] |
@wheelwizard I haven't tried getting a GT tire off yet but I'm remembering my XR's Vega being a nightmare so the 6.5" GT won't be any more fun.
I still have the stock treaded that's about 800km from becoming a slick 😅 I might actually put another on or a performance treaded. As long as it's tough I'm happy.
Lemme know how that goes. I have a custom build with that monster 12x8 burris tire in the works.
A week ago I was having problems getting started and asked for beginner advice. Major thanks to everybody helping me. Wanted to share the biggest learning I got from having it all click and now being about to ride:
The click was when I had the psychological breakthrough that the board will do its job and catch me. Once I subconsciously gained enough confidence that the board will do what it's designed to do (self-balance), I wasn't afraid to mount on, lean forward, and therefore get the board to move without me falling over.
I'm definitely still slow and wobbly (need to practice speed and stability) but I wanted to share for other beginners who are having problems. Here is the original post w other great advice, too.
Cheers, all.
Bruce66423 shares a report from the Guardian: The European parliament has blocked the extension of a law that permits big tech firms to scan for child sexual exploitation on their platforms, creating a legal gap that child safety experts say will lead to crimes going undetected. The law, which was a carve-out of the EU Privacy Act, was put in place in 2021 as a temporary measure allowing companies to use automated detection technologies to scan messages for harms, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming and sextortion. However, it expired on April 3, and the EU parliament decided not to vote to extend it, amid privacy concerns from some lawmakers. The regulatory gap has created uncertainty for big tech companies, because while scanning for harms on their platforms is now illegal, they still remain liable to remove any illegal content hosted on their platforms under a different law, the Digital Services Act. Google, Meta, Snap and Microsoft said they would continue to voluntarily scan their platforms for CSAM, in a joint statement posted on a Google blog. Bruce66423 adds: "Child abuse as the excuse for avoiding privacy protections. Who would have thought it?"
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
A 15-year-old Wilmington boy was caught with a loaded handgun while breaking into vehicles in a neighborhood near Newark, police said.
Erik Duran in 2023 threw cooler at fleeing suspect Eric Duprey, who then crashed his motorized scooter and died
A former New York police department sergeant has been sentenced to three to nine years in prison for tossing a picnic cooler full of ice and drinks at a fleeing suspect, who then crashed his motorized scooter and died.
Erik Duran, 38, was convicted of manslaughter in the 2023 death of 30-year-old Eric Duprey. The ex-sergeant said he was trying to protect other officers from the approaching scooter. He is the first former NYPD officer sentenced to prison for an on-duty death in at least two decades.
Continue reading...Adams was granted citizenship and a passport from Balkan country by a special decree from the republic’s president
Eric Adams has obtained citizenship and a passport from Albania, the Balkan country which received effusive compliments from the former New York City mayor during a visit there relatively recently.
The Albania Daily News first reported on Friday that Adams had requested both and was granted them by a special decree from the republic’s president, Bajram Begaj. A spokesperson for Adams then confirmed that development in a statement distributed to the news media, and it was evidently chronicled in Albania’s official government journal.
Continue reading...Former vice-president teases White House bid while Pete Buttigieg also suggests he may launch campaign
Kamala Harris said she is “thinking about” running in the 2028 presidential election.
“I might, I might. I’m thinking about it,” the former vice-president and 2024 candidate told the crowd at a gathering of the National Action Network (NAN), a civil rights organization founded by Al Sharpton, on Friday in New York City.
Continue reading...Irish drivers told to buy only fuel they need as filling stations run out and hauliers and farmers block motorways in fourth day of action
Protests over fuel prices have caused chaos in Ireland and spread to Norway in a knock-on effect from the conflict in the Middle East.
People in Ireland were urged to only buy fuel they needed as 100 fuel stations ran out, and the National Emergency Coordination Group warned the number could rise to 500 on Friday.
Continue reading...Cody Roberts received widespread opprobrium for his ‘disturbing’ treatment of gray wolf but avoided jail time
A grisly encounter in which a Wyoming hunter ran over a gray wolf, took pictures of the creature at a bar and then killed it has ended with the hunter avoiding prison but facing probation, fines – and widespread outrage.
A state judge in Pinedale, Wyoming, handed down an 18-month probation sentence to Cody Roberts, 44, about two years after he hit the wolf with a snowmobile, restrained the wounded animal by taping its mouth shut, brought it into a rural bar and ultimately killed it.
Continue reading...Amazon looks to reshape its cloud gaming service, which has yet to catch on with gamers.
SAN JOSE, Calif., April 10, 2026 — Supermicro, Inc. has announced the pre-configured Gold Series enterprise server solutions, optimized for enterprise AI, compute, storage, and intelligent edge workloads. The new Gold Series offering is comprised of over 25 different server systems based on Supermicro’s market-proven product families, including performance optimized single-processor and dual-processor servers. The Gold Series is pre-configured with CPUs, GPUs, memory, storage, and other key components and are ready to ship from Supermicro’s warehouses, generally within three business days.
“By shipping our Gold Series offerings directly to our customers with everything they need to run their enterprise workloads, we make our industry-leading server portfolio available to our customers even faster, significantly shortening lead times and accelerating their time-to-online,” said Charles Liang, president and CEO of Supermicro. “Customers can order Gold Series systems with confidence, knowing not only that these configurations are workload-optimized and validated before shipment, but also that these server platforms have been deployed to data centers worldwide, in volume.”
Divided into four distinct workload categories, Supermicro Gold Series systems are configured with components that are optimized for specific enterprise workloads:
By pre-configuring Gold Series systems, Supermicro cost-efficient pricing and shorter lead times compared to custom-built solutions, enabling customers to meet their time-to-market goals faster. Supermicro Gold Series servers are now ready to ship from US warehouses and can be ordered directly from Supermicro or through Supermicro’s network of authorized partners.
For more information or to view specific configurations, please visit https://www.supermicro.com/en/products/gold-series.
About Super Micro Computer, Inc.
Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI) is a global leader in Application-Optimized Total IT Solutions. Founded and operating in San Jose, California, Supermicro is committed to delivering first-to-market innovation for Enterprise, Cloud, AI, and 5G Telco/Edge IT Infrastructure. We are a Total IT Solutions provider with server, AI, storage, IoT, switch systems, software, and support services. Supermicro’s motherboard, power, and chassis design expertise further enables our development and production, enabling next-generation innovation from cloud to edge for our global customers. Our products are designed and manufactured in-house (in the US, Taiwan, and the Netherlands), leveraging global operations for scale and efficiency and optimized to improve TCO and reduce environmental impact (Green Computing). The award-winning portfolio of Server Building Block Solutions allows customers to optimize for their exact workload and application by selecting from a broad family of systems built from our flexible and reusable building blocks that support a comprehensive set of form factors, processors, memory, GPUs, storage, networking, power, and cooling solutions (air-conditioned, free air cooling or liquid cooling).
Source: Supermicro
The post Supermicro Accelerates Deployment Times with New Gold Series Enterprise Server Solutions appeared first on HPCwire.
Randomly when I tried to get my Onewheel to connect to the app It didn’t work. I tried reinstalling the app multiple times and it still hasn’t show up. It has worked on my other devices but not my iphone. i don’t think this is a phone problem because Bluetooth is working fine.
This week's guests include Sen. Mark Warner, Rep. Mike Turner; Dr. Michael Leiter, Israeli ambassador to the U.S.; and Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
April 10, 2026 — While precision seems critical for science, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory and Texas A&M University are embracing uncertainty, using it to fine-tune artificial intelligence (AI)-based molecular design models.
The team’s work showing how embracing uncertainty helps AI explore hidden molecular possibilities that can lead to smarter design of new drugs and advanced materials was featured on the cover of Molecular Systems Design & Engineering. Credit: Valerie A. Lentz/Brookhaven National Laboratory.
The resulting models can generate molecules with better predicted properties than those offered by the original models. The work is featured on the February 2026 cover of Molecular Systems Design & Engineering, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry.
A Molecular Runway
In pursuit of the next must-have looks, fashion designers regularly revisit and reuse styles, fabrics, and trends, unveiling collections that take familiar traits, combine them, and make something new. Notably, modern molecular design often relies on generative models, a type of AI that works in a similar way.
Generative molecular design (GMD) models are trained on — or “learn” in AI parlance — patterns from large chemical datasets. Variational autoencoders, or VAEs, often are the GMD’s “engine,” compressing complex molecular structures into numerical form, via an “encoder,” and decoding the information, using the “decoder,” to generate new, realistic molecular structures.
“The chemical universe cannot be explored using brute force,” said Byung-Jun Yoon, a professor at Texas A&M, joint appointee with Brookhaven Lab’s Computing and Data Sciences directorate in the Applied Mathematics department, and the paper’s corresponding author. “VAEs allow us to accelerate that search intelligently, focusing computational resources on molecular spaces that AI predicts to be most promising. VAEs, and generative AI models in general, provide a means to design smarter and discover faster, opening the door to effective designing of molecules in real-world applications.”
These AI tools have been a boon to researchers developing new drugs or advanced materials. Still, there are limits. Most AI models are trained once and reused many times because retraining from scratch is time consuming and expensive. Unfortunately, when it comes to generative models, one size does not fit all.
“Designer” VAEs
Pre-trained AI models are not easily adapted. However, previous efforts mainly focused on optimizing an AI model for GMD given the training data or using a pretrained GMD model to optimize the properties of designed molecules. Quantifying the uncertainty of the GMD process or seeking techniques to efficiently quantify and leverage uncertainty were overlooked. Yoon and his colleagues opted for another tactic to add flexibility to GMDs: instead of ignoring uncertainty, why not employ it in downstream design tasks?
As VAEs learn, they compress data into a list of numbers, known as “latent variables,” that reside in a latent space whose dimensionality is significantly lower than the original molecular space, which can be combinatorial and astronomically large. For example, SMILES (Simplified Molecular-Input Line-Entry System), which represents chemical structures to enhance machine learning, typically have latent space dimensionality in the range of several thousands, e.g., roughly 1,000~6,000 dimensions, while a typical VAE used for GMD has latent space dimensions of 16~128.
For a GMD model, the latent variable represents a molecule, and the latent space acts like a map, where, for example, similar molecules can be close to one another while different ones are farther apart. In their study, the Brookhaven Lab and Texas A&M team used uncertainty quantification via an “active subspace approach” to improve how to use the GMD model’s uncertainty given the original training data to facilitate the suggestion of novel molecules with better properties of interest – ultimately, a valuable time and compute cost saver.
They defined the active subspace as a small, focused part of the model’s parameter space that demonstrated the most pronounced effect on what the model generates. In this instance, uncertainty quantification is the measurement of uncertainty in a GMD model’s parameters given the training data the model has learned from the molecular landscape. Because uncertainty quantification offers a range of possible outcomes and estimates their likelihood, scientists can better understand a model’s reliability, assess its accuracy, and determine its trustworthiness.
“Our work introduces an uncertainty-guided fine-tuning strategy that operates in the active subspace of a pre-trained VAE’s model parameters to discover better-performing molecular designs,” Yoon explained. “Mapping this active subspace provides a systematic way of sampling model parameters that allows us to explore model uncertainty to identify GMD models that lead to improved design. Optimization of the model within the characterized model uncertainty further enables us to identify the parameterizations that outperform the original model on downstream molecular design tasks — all without redesigning or retraining the full generative model from scratch.”
This diagram details the team’s fine-tuning process, where an AI model is refined by focusing on key variables and using feedback to improve its ability to design better molecules. Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Fashioning a New Molecule
By focusing on a sampling of parameters that significantly impact results and tuning only those key settings, the team was able to identify gains over pre-trained models in optimization tasks for six molecular properties across three VAE variants. Importantly, their method incorporates a feedback loop that tests which versions of the AI model create better molecules and retains the “best” ones for continued comparison.
In molecular design and other research areas, the ability to reuse trusted AI models instead of deploying new ones for every exploratory avenue cannot be understated. An adaptive GMD model trained for drug discovery can expedite identification of promising drug candidates before they are even realized in a lab. In areas such as materials science, it can help reveal pathways to smarter design for polymers, catalysts, or fuel materials.
“Discovery has always involved uncertainty,” Yoon said. “However, with powerful AI-based tools, we now can effectively quantify the uncertainty, map it, and use it as a guide for further exploration. Instead of a barrier, our work treats uncertainty as useful information that allows us to reliably turn computational insights into real-world solutions in the presence of substantial uncertainty. By helping AI to be aware of its own competence and the uncertainty of its predictions, we can make it a more trusted, viable partner in designing the molecules that could shape the future.”
This research was supported by the DOE Office of Science.
Related Links
Source: Charity Plata, Brookhaven National Laboratory
The post Brookhaven Lab: Turning Uncertainty into a Design Tool for AI-Engineered Molecules appeared first on HPCwire.
WilmerHale, the law firm examining Leon Botstein’s communications with Jeffrey Epstein, said review is ‘ongoing’
Bard College’s president, Leon Botstein, told his staff at a meeting this week that there was no way he could have known that Jeffrey Epstein – who was a convicted sex offender during their interactions over the years – was actually “reprehensible” and predicted he would soon be cleared of any hint of impropriety about their relationship, according to sources who witnessed the remarks.
The liberal arts college’s board of trustees hired in February the white-shoe law firm WilmerHale to independently investigate communications between Epstein and Botstein.
Continue reading...A new installment of show starring Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi premieres this weekend.
San Francisco police arrested a suspect after a Molotov cocktail was allegedly thrown at Sam Altman's home and threats were later made outside OpenAI's headquarters. "Thankfully, no one was hurt," said OpenAI in a statement to WIRED. "We deeply appreciate how quickly SFPD responded and the support from the city in helping keep our employees safe. The individual is in custody, and we're assisting law enforcement with their investigation." From the report: "At approximately 3:45am PT, an unidentified individual approached Sam's residence and threw an incendiary device toward the property. The device landed nearby and extinguished. There were no injuries and only minimal damage was reported," the message to staff reads. "Shortly afterward, an individual matching the suspect's description was contacted by security outside MB1," the message continues, referring to OpenAI's headquarters in San Francisco's Mission Bay neighborhood. "This person made threatening statements about the building." OpenAI's corporate security team told staff it is cooperating with law enforcement on an investigation, and that employees may notice an increased police and security presence around the office on Friday. The security team said that the company's offices remain open, but employees were advised to "not let anyone tailgate into the building." "Officials subsequently confirmed that the suspect was arrested outside the OpenAI's Third Street offices as he threatened to burn down the building," reports the Financial Express. UPDATE: Sam Altman has responded to the incident.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
I have visited 20 countries since 2008 as an international correspondent, and through volunteer work for STEM-Trek Nonprofit. But the SARS-CoV-2 virus clipped my wings; my last international trip was to India in early January, 2020. COVID’s long-haul impacts, exacerbated by having lost the genetic lotto, took a toll on my mobility. While I now use a wheelchair, my enthusiasm for science, technology and travel has not waned.
The author has flown only once since 2020, but she’s taken a lot of long road trips; her 2023 summer journey was plotted above (Image courtesy Elizabeth Leake)
I bought a low-mileage SUV from Carvana, but she came with issues. “Perl” as I call her, broke down several times that first summer; I got to know tow-truck drivers and mechanics in several states. She had an excellent power-train warranty, so my out-of-pocket expenses were minimal. Idaho, Ohio and Illinois mechanics couldn’t find the persistent problem, but astronaut spawn in Houston made her run like a top! Having recently interviewed several rounds of student and staff employee candidates for TAMU-HPRC, I can attest that all of Texas benefits from the space economy.
I have supported the International Supercomputing Conference (ISC) as both correspondent and Student Cluster Competition (SCC) judge for eight years. This year, after being inspired by Sean Feeney (Texas A&M PhD student/Quantum Computer Science), I submitted a Quantum Workforce Development (Q-WfD) Birds-of-a-Feather (BoF) proposal that was accepted. Sean joined TAMU after completing a post-graduate internship focused on quantum algorithm development at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL).
Wild horses near Canyon de Chelly, Arizona
I will attend ISC26 in-person, June 22-26, and am looking forward to seeing the ISC family once again. Being there, in-person, not only allows me to facilitate the BoF, I can judge the on-site cluster competition. While I’m excited that the virtual SCC has grown to 21 teams, there is no substitute for in-person engagement. Following ISC26, Sean and I will visit Forschungszentrum Jülich, University of Cologne (RRZK) and University of Heidelberg data centers (Jülich has several in-situ quantum hardware flavors).
This will be my first international trip with my new red wheelchair named “Jazzy-Belle.” If it goes well, I hope to return to South Africa in December where I have supported the Centre for High-Performance Computing (CHPC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC; 16 member nations) initiatives as both adviser and correspondent for 14 years.
Quantum STEM-Trekkers in the wild at SC25 (St. Louis). (Image courtesy Elizabeth Leake)
Our quantum journey of discovery will continue at SC26 with a similar Q-WfD BoF; and will reappear at ISC27, SC27, and so on. A product of the series will be a set of Q-WfD training best practices that colleges and universities around the world can adopt. The rubric will be road-tested by TAMU-HPRC trainers, and others from collaborator schools around the world. We will work together to continuously update the program as technology evolves.
As the TAMU-System’s flagship institution (among 11), and as a land-, sea- and space-grant university, TAMU is poised to lead efforts to establish national quantum competitiveness, security and prosperity for the future. In 2025, the Texas Quantum Initiative positioned the state as a national leader in quantum computing, networking and sensing innovation. State law HB 4751 was recently ratified to support these objectives with a governor-appointed advisory committee that leads a strategic planning process to provide funding that supports research, Q-WfD and quantum manufacturing. As managers of the National Science Foundation’s ACES (Accelerating Computing for Emerging Sciences) novel composable hardware testbed, TAMU-HPRC trainers have become agile adopters of new and emerging technologies and are prepared to carry this initiative forward.
The author (center) can’t pass Lubbock, Texas without seeing Alan Sill (on right; Texas Tech) and James (Van) Howell (South Plains College, SPC). “Here we are in the GLEAMM building that houses Alan’s REPACSS project,” she writes (Image courtesy Elizabeth Leake)
Below are photos from my road trips and some of the amazing people I met along the way. While conferences are great places to network, it’s good to meet colleagues in their natural habitat. Lately, I’ve been working on two projects that involve the New World Screwworm (NWS). Therefore, I make frequent stops to study the behavior of range-fed livestock and wildlife, and to chat with ranchers and park rangers.
It’s likely I will continue to embark on domestic roadtrips when the route will take me past points and people of interest (NWS observation in Big Bend National Park, and therefore San Antonio to see Izzat Alsmadi (TAMU-SA). However, Jazzy-Belle will make air travel easier, so I look forward to regaining my wings!
Whether you’re walking, biking, driving, or flying to Hamburg in June, I hope you will attend our ISC Q-WfD BoF on Thursday, June 25 at 4:00 p.m.!
For more information about TAMU-HPRC and STEM-Trek Nonprofit, please visit our websites.
About the author: Elizabeth Leake is an HPCwire contributor and founder of STEM-Trek, a global nonprofit that supports underrepresented STEM scholars with travel and professional development. She is also a project manager of advanced cyberinfrastructure at Texas A&M University.
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The post Quantum Journey Takes Flight in June appeared first on HPCwire.
Officials expected to reprimand Scottish player
MacIntyre to miss cut with seven-over-par total
Robert MacIntyre declined interview requests for a second Masters day in succession, with the fiery Scot facing a reprimand from Augusta National over his behaviour in the closing stages of round one.
MacIntyre’s miserable visit to Georgia concluded with a 71, which ensured he missed the cut at seven over par. The key damage had been done on Thursday, when MacIntyre slumped to an 80 which included a quadruple bogey nine at the 15th.
Continue reading...The FBI extracted unencrypted messages from an iPhone's notification database. There are ways to keep your messages safe.
Chamel Abdulkarim was charged with felony and state arson counts after allegedly destroying property worth nearly $600m
An employee who allegedly burned down a California warehouse compared himself to Luigi Mangione in a message to co-workers after setting the fire, according to authorities in a Friday press conference, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Chamel Abdulkarim, 29, has been charged with several counts of felony and state arson after a massive fire destroyed the Kimberly-Clark paper products warehouse in Ontario, California, about an hour outside of Los Angeles.
Continue reading...Petition with 4,000 signatures decries ‘slap in the face’, saying Philz made fortune off LGBTQ+ community
Philz, a popular coffee chain with locations across California, is facing growing criticism after news broke that the San Francisco-based company planned to remove Pride flags from its stores.
The move is part of an effort to “[create] a more consistent, inclusive experience across all our stores, including removing a variety of flags and other decor”, Mahesh Sadarangani, the company’s CEO, said in a statement to the Guardian.
Continue reading...Ex-hedge fund manager ‘forced to accept’ newspaper likely to succeed in its public interest defence, say his lawyers
Crispin Odey, the former hedge fund manager, has dropped his £79m libel claim against the Financial Times over its reporting of sexual misconduct allegations against him, his lawyers have said.
In 2023, the FT published several articles from 20 women alleging sexual assault and harassment against Odey, covering a period of five decades. He has previously denied the allegations against him.
Continue reading...It shouldn’t be a surprise that companies – and for our field, technology companies specifically – working with the defense industry tends to raise eyebrows. With things like the genocide in Gaza, the threats of genocide and war crimes against Iran, the mass murder in Lebanon, it’s no surprise that western companies working with the militaries and defense companies involved in these atrocities are receiving some serious backlash.
With that in mind, it seems Red Hat, owned by IBM, is desperately trying to scrub a certain white paper from the internet. Titled “Compress the kill cycle with Red Hat Device Edge”, the 2024 white paper details how Red Hat’s products and technologies can make it easier and faster to, well, kill people. Links to the white paper throw up 404s now, but it can still easily be found on the Wayback Machine and other places.
It’s got some disturbingly euphemistic content.
The find, fix, track, target, engage, assess (F2T2EA) process requires ubiquitous access to data at the strategic, operational and tactical levels. Red Hat Device Edge embeds captured, analyzed, and federated data sets in a manner that positions the warfighter to use artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) to increase the accuracy of airborne targeting and mission-guidance systems.
[…]Delivering near real-time data from sensor pods directly to airmen, accelerating the sensor-to-shooter cycle.
[…]Sharing near real-time sensor fusion data with joint and multinational forces to increase awareness, survivability, and lethality.
[…]The new software enabled the Stalker to deploy updated, AI-based automated target recognition capabilities.
[…]If the target is an adversary tracked vehicle on the far side of a ridge, a UAS carrying a server running Red Hat Device Edge could transmit video and metadata directly to shooters.
↫ Red Hat white paper titled “Compress the kill cycle with Red Hat Device Edge”
I don’t think there’s something inherently wrong with working together with your nation’s military or defense companies, but that all hinges on what, exactly, said military is doing and how those defense companies’ products are being used. The focus should be on national defense, aid during disasters, and responding to the legitimate requests of sovereign, democratic nations to come to their defense (e.g. helping Ukraine fight off the Russian invasion).
There’s always going to be difficult grey areas, but any military or defense company supporting the genocide in Gaza or supplying weapons to kill women and children in Iran is unequivocally wrong, morally reprehensible, and downright illegal on both an international and national level. It clearly seems someone at Red Hat feels the same way, as the company has been trying really hard to memory-hole this particular white paper, and considering its word choices and the state of the world today, it’s easy to see why.
Of course, the internet never forgets, and I certainly don’t intend to let something like this slide. We all know companies like Microsoft, Oracle, and Google have no qualms about making a few bucks from a genocide or two, but it always feels a bit more traitorous to the cause when it’s an open source company doing the profiting. It feels like Red Hat is trying to have its cake and eat it too, by, as an IBM subsidiary, trying to both profit from the vast sums of money sloshing around in the US military industrial complex as well as maintain its image as a scrappy open source business success story shitting bunnies and rainbows.
It’s a long time ago now that Red Hat felt like a genuine part of the open source community. Most of us – both outside and inside of Red Hat, I’m sure – have been well aware for a long time now that those days are well behind us, and I guess Red Hat doesn’t like seeing its kill cycle this compressed.
Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen are scheduled to return to Earth on Friday. Here's everything that's happened so far.
Former Vice President Kamala Harris said that she might run for president in 2028, telling a gathering in New York that she is considering mounting a third bid for the White House.
Microsoft has started stripping Copilot branding out of Notepad in Windows 11, replacing the old Copilot menu with a more generic "writing tools" label. The AI features themselves aren't going away, but Microsoft seems to be backing off the heavy-handed Copilot branding and extra entry points. Windows Central reports: As promised, Microsoft is now beginning its effort to reduce and remove Copilot branding across Windows 11, with the latest Notepad update for Insiders outright removing the Copilot icon and phrasing. Now, the AI menu is simply called "writing tools," and maintains the same functionality as before. Additionally, Microsoft has also removed references to AI in the Settings area in Notepad. Now, the ability to turn on or off these AI powered writing tools are now listed under "Advanced features." This change is present in the latest preview build of Notepad which is now rolling out to all Windows Insiders. The app version is 11.2512.28.0, and you'll know you have it if you see the Copilot icon replaced with a pen icon instead. [...] For Notepad, it appears Microsoft has opted to replace the Copilot menu with something more generic. It's still the same functionally, but it's no longer leaning on the tainted Copilot brand. Of course, you can still easily turn off all AI features in Notepad if you don't want them. The Verge reports that the "unnecessary Copilot buttons" are also disappearing from the Snipping Tool, Photos, and Widgets.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Relacorilant, typically used to treat Cushing’s syndrome, could improve outcomes in platinum-resistant cases
A drug originally used to treat a rare disease could extend the lives of patients with an aggressive form of ovarian cancer, according to a clinical trial.
Platinum-resistant ovarian cancer occurs when the disease progresses within six months of starting platinum-based chemotherapy. This form of chemotherapy is different from other types because it uses compounds that contain platinum to destroy cancer cells by preventing them from dividing.
Continue reading...Inflation spiked substantially in March. Here's what that could mean for mortgage interest rates and borrowers.
Android and iPhone consumers can now use E2EE in the app, but you need to be subscribed to Enterprise Plus.
Vehicle veered into a ravine on island of La Gomera while transporting a tour group for a boat excursion
A man has died and 27 people are in hospital after a bus carrying British passengers crashed in the Canary Islands, local officials have said.
The incident happened at 1.15pm local time on Friday when the vehicle veered into a ravine on the GM-2 highway near the town of San Sebastián de La Gomera.
Continue reading...Social media post names no names but criticizes attempts to use religion to glorify US war in Middle East
Pope Leo XIV on Friday offered a new criticism of war, in a social media post that named no names but appeared to hint at the Trump administration leadership harnessing Christian nationalism to glorify the US and Israel’s war against Iran.
“God does not bless any conflict. Anyone who is a disciple of Christ, the Prince of Peace, is never on the side of those who once wielded the sword and today drop bombs,” Leo wrote on his official X account. “Military action will not create space for freedom or times of #Peace, which comes only from the patient promotion of coexistence and dialogue among peoples.”
Continue reading...President’s post on Truth Social is in keeping with a pattern of using shocking video to sow fear about immigration and justify mass deportation
Besieged by questions about his war on Iran and his wife’s statement on Jeffrey Epstein, Donald Trump tried to shift the national conversation back to his immigration crackdown by posting a graphic, distressing video of a woman in Florida being killed last week by a man he described as an “illegal immigrant” from Haiti.
The video, taken by a surveillance camera outside a Fort Myers gas station, showed a man identified by authorities as a Haitian immigrant using a hammer to bludgeon to death the woman, who was reportedly a clerk at the gas station.
Continue reading...Depending on the plan, subscribers could see an increase of as much as $4 a month.
Sentebale, which Prince Harry co-founded in 2006 and helps youths with HIV in southern Africa, filed the suit in London's High Court.
Suspect arrested but not identified and has allegedly made similar threats to OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters
A 20-year-old man allegedly tossed a molotov cocktail at the home of Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO, before the sun rose on Friday, according to statements from San Francisco police.
The suspect, who allegedly threw the fire bomb at the $27m North Beach residence around 4.12am, has been arrested but not identified. The same person allegedly threatened to torch OpenAI’s headquarters in the city. No injuries were reported.
Continue reading...Shooting took place near Woolwich Dockyard train station, and another 16-year-old boy remains in custody
A 16-year-old boy from Romford has been charged with the murder of Eghosa Ogbebor, 14, who was shot dead in south-east London last week, the Metropolitan police has said.
Another 16-year-old was arrested on suspicion of murder on Friday and remains in custody, the force added.
Continue reading...An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: The FBI was able to forensically extract copies of incoming Signal messages from a defendant's iPhone, even after the app was deleted, because copies of the content were saved in the device's push notification database, multiple people present for FBI testimony in a recent trial told 404 Media. The case involved a group of people setting off fireworks and vandalizing property at the ICE Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas in July, and one shooting a police officer in the neck. The news shows how forensic extraction -- when someone has physical access to a device and is able to run specialized software on it -- can yield sensitive data derived from secure messaging apps in unexpected places. Signal already has a setting that blocks message content from displaying in push notifications; the case highlights why such a feature might be important for some users to turn on. "We learned that specifically on iPhones, if one's settings in the Signal app allow for message notifications and previews to show up on the lock screen, [then] the iPhone will internally store those notifications/message previews in the internal memory of the device," a supporter of the defendants who was taking notes during the trial told 404 Media. [...] During one day of the related trial, FBI Special Agent Clark Wiethorn testified about some of the collected evidence. A summary of Exhibit 158 published on a group of supporters' website says, "Messages were recovered from Sharp's phone through Apple's internal notification storage -- Signal had been removed, but incoming notifications were preserved in internal memory. Only incoming messages were captured (no outgoing)." 404 Media spoke to one of the supporters who was taking notes during the trial, and to Harmony Schuerman, an attorney representing defendant Elizabeth Soto. Schuerman shared notes she took on Exhibit 158. "They were able to capture these chats bc [because] of the way she had notifications set up on her phone -- anytime a notification pops up on the lock screen, Apple stores it in the internal memory of the device," those notes read. The supporter added, "I was in the courtroom on the last day of the state's case when they had FBI Special Agent Clark testifying about some Signal messages. One set came from Lynette Sharp's phone (one of the cooperating witnesses), but the interesting detailed messages shown in court were messages that had been set to disappear and had in fact disappeared in the Signal app." Further reading: Apple Gave Governments Data On Thousands of Push Notifications
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
FromSoftware's epic game is finally coming to the Switch 2, but don't expect to own a physical copy of it.
 | Just got my first 3d printer and made these. How much do you guys think I could sell a set of the files for? is anyone interested? [link] [comments] |
Crisis in the Middle East, Russian shelling in Ukraine, Artemis’s lunar flyby and World Press Photo winners – the past seven days as captured by the world’s leading photojournalists
Warning: this gallery contains images some readers may find distressing
Continue reading...The sides are far apart on Iran’s nuclear program, the Strait of Hormuz and the Israeli campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
April 10, 2026 — The SC26 program is beginning to take shape, and that means that award deadlines are fast approaching in April and May 2026. Highlighting breakthrough scientific results, outstanding doctoral research, and efforts to broaden participation, these prestigious awards can jumpstart a novice’s career or bring much-deserved recognition to those who have dedicated their lives to HPC.
Credit: SC
Submitting nominations ensures that the full diversity of contributions across the HPC community is visible when the SC26 community gathers in Chicago this November.
ACM Gordon Bell Prize
The ACM Gordon Bell Prize recognizes outstanding achievement in HPC applications. It has a deep emphasis on innovation and real-world impact, and the prize is one of the most coveted at the conference. It celebrates teams that push performance and scalability on leading-edge systems to tackle demanding problems in science, engineering, and large-scale data analytics.
Nominations Close April 15. Learn more here.
ACM Gordon Bell Prize for Climate Modelling
With the same prestige as the overall Gordon Bell Prize, this award, first initiated in 2023, focuses the intersection of climate science and HPC. The award recognizes innovative parallel computing contributions that advance the ability to understand and address global climate concerns. Considering the extent of environmental hazards facing the world, the award honors those who scientific contributions are aimed at making the planet a more sustainable and livable space.
Climate heroes deserve to be celebrated, and anyone working in this area or those who know colleagues working in climate modeling should not hesitate to apply.
Nominations Close April 15. Learn more here.
ACM SIGHPC Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award
SIGHPC’s Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation Award honors the best Ph.D. dissertation worldwide where HPC is a central research theme. Eligible work can span architectures, algorithms, software, or applications. The primary requirement: HPC must be at the core of the research question.
Nominations Close April 26. Learn more here.
ACM SIGHPC Fellowships in Computational and Data Science
The SIGHPC Fellowships in Computational and Data Science are part of a five-year program to increase the diversity of students pursuing graduate study in these fields. The fellowships specifically target women and students from racial and ethnic groups that have been historically underrepresented in computing. The Fellowships are open to institutions worldwide.
Nominating a promising student for this program not only supports their individual trajectory, but it also helps build a more inclusive pipeline for the future HPC and data science workforce.
Nominations Close April 30. Learn more here.
ACM/IEEE-CS George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowships
Endowed in memory of computational physicist George Michael, the namesake ACM IEEE-CS George Michael Memorial HPC Fellowships honor exceptional Ph.D. students whose research focus areas are the foundation of the SC Conference: HPC, networking, storage, and large-scale data analysis.
Nominations Close May 1. Learn more here.
ACM SIGHPC Educational Award for Outstanding Contribution to Computational Science Education
The ACM SIGHPC Education Chapter’s Educational Award recognizes outstanding contributions to computational, data-enabled science and HPC education and training at any level, in any discipline. Candidates may lead innovative degree programs, design widely used curricula or training materials, or operate impactful outreach and workforce development initiatives.
Nominations Close May 31. Learn more here.
Source: Kevin Jackson, SC26
The post SC26 Highlights April–May Deadlines for Major HPC Awards appeared first on HPCwire.
LIVINGSTON, N.J. and SAN FRANCISCO, April 10, 2026 — CoreWeave, Inc. today announced an agreement with Anthropic, one of the world’s leading AI research and development companies, to support the development and deployment of Anthropic’s Claude family of AI models. The multi-year agreement will bring compute online starting later this year.
CoreWeave joins Anthropic’s growing ecosystem of infrastructure partners helping to scale the adoption of Anthropic’s AI models across developers, startups, and enterprises worldwide. With the addition of Anthropic, nine of the leading ten AI model providers now leverage CoreWeave’s platform, reflecting the growing demand for infrastructure that can support AI at scale.
Under the agreement, Anthropic will use CoreWeave’s cloud platform to run workloads at production scale, while benefitting from its industry-leading performance and reliability.
“AI is no longer just about infrastructure, it’s about the platforms that turn models into real-world impact,” said Michael Intrator, Co-founder, CEO, Chairman of CoreWeave. “We’re excited to work with Anthropic at the center of where models are put to work and performance in production shows up. It’s exactly the kind of real-world deployment of AI that CoreWeave was built for.”
The collaboration between Anthropic and CoreWeave will initially focus on a phased infrastructure roll-out with the potential to expand over time.
CoreWeave’s AI cloud delivers industry-leading performance and efficiency through an end-to-end technology stack optimized for modern AI workloads. CoreWeave consistently sets new standards for performance, demonstrated by an industry-leading MLPerf benchmark for AI workloads and its position as the only AI cloud to earn the top Platinum ranking in both SemiAnalysis ClusterMAX 1.0 and 2.0, which evaluate AI cloud performance, efficiency, and reliability.
About CoreWeave
CoreWeave is The Essential Cloud for AI. Built for pioneers by pioneers, CoreWeave delivers a platform of technology, tools, and teams that enables innovators to move at the pace of innovation, building and scaling AI with confidence. Trusted by leading AI labs, startups, and global enterprises, CoreWeave serves as a force multiplier by combining superior infrastructure performance with deep technical expertise to accelerate breakthroughs. Established in 2017, CoreWeave completed its public listing on Nasdaq (CRWV) in March 2025. Learn more at www.coreweave.com.
About Anthropic
Anthropic is an AI research and development company that creates reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. Anthropic’s flagship product is Claude, a large language model trusted by millions of users worldwide. Learn more about Anthropic and Claude at anthropic.com.
Source: CoreWeave
The post CoreWeave Announces Multi-Year Agreement With Anthropic appeared first on HPCwire.
Students gain hands-on experience with high performance computing through courses in computer and data science
COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 10, 2026 — For students learning data science and scientific computing, the difference between theory and practice often comes down to one thing: access to the right hardware and software.
Students at Mount Union collaborate on coursework in computer science and data science. Image Credit: University of Mount Union.
At the University of Mount Union, students are not only learning the principles behind programming, data analysis, and computational modeling, but are running their work on the same high performance computing (HPC) infrastructure used by researchers across Ohio.
Through the Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC), Mount Union faculty are integrating advanced computing directly into the classroom, supporting research, teaching, and student projects.
“We use OSC for all three categories,” said Colin Campbell, associate professor of physics and data science at Mount Union, a higher education institution in Alliance, Ohio, that enrolls around 2,400 students.
Campbell represents Mount Union in OSC’s Campus Champions program, a statewide network of faculty advocates who connect researchers, instructors, and students on their campuses with OSC resources while raising awareness of the benefits of using HPC.
Bringing High Performance Computing into the Classroom
Across Mount Union’s Computer Science and Data Science and Analytics programs, OSC has become a key part of the learning environment, giving students hands-on experience with large-scale computing.
One of the biggest advantages of using OSC is removing a common barrier instructors face when introducing computational tools: ensuring every student has access to the same computing setup.
“The classroom environment offered by OSC helps many students because it removes the need to install and manage a computing environment on their personal computers,” Campbell said. “In introductory courses, OSC helps students get up and running quickly and avoid getting sidetracked by configuration issues. In more advanced courses, OSC allows us to scale beyond what can be done on local computers.”
Adam Hartley, assistant professor of computer science at Mount Union, integrates OSC into both his teaching and research. His work focuses on machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) applications in scientific research.
“I personally utilize OSC for my own research projects, I use OSC during my lectures and demonstrations when appropriate to the material, and I recommend OSC resources to students when they could benefit from a standardized Unix-like environment,” Hartley said.
Simplifying Access Through Open OnDemand
Hartley often introduces students to HPC using Open OnDemand, OSC’s web-based interface for accessing HPC systems.
“Open OnDemand is a ‘killer app’ for me personally and for pedagogical purposes,” Hartley said. “The ease of introduction to a student not yet familiar with a standard supercomputer environment allows me to quickly move into material without a lengthy orientation.”
Through Open OnDemand, students can launch interactive computing sessions, run Jupyter notebooks, and access powerful computing resources through a browser-based interface.
“The ability to use a Jupyter notebook or another graphical program in a cluster environment is a powerful tool,” Hartley added. “Shared project storage is also an amazingly convenient way to share files relevant to the whole class, especially when the files are too large to easily distribute.”
In Mount Union’s Big Data Analytics course, OSC allows students to explore large-scale data processing tools such as Apache Spark.
“We have a module where we explore large-scale data processing using Apache Spark,” Hartley explained. “Using Open OnDemand to spin up a Spark cluster and interact with it through a Jupyter notebook allows us to skip the administration and setup of the environment and immediately demonstrate what the platform can do.”
By removing the complexity of configuring infrastructure, instructors can focus on teaching concepts while students focus on experimentation.
“Having a reliable, standard environment where the students could experiment and observe without the drag of system administration was a big win for the class,” Hartley said.
OSC also allows Mount Union faculty to demonstrate concepts that would be difficult to illustrate on standard laptops.
“OSC is a great tool for conveying computational complexity and algorithmic scaling,” Campbell said. “We can have students profile the runtime for simple algorithms on their own machines and on HPC systems, then explore more efficient algorithms and the effects of parallelization.”
Preparing Students for Real-World Computing Environments
Without shared statewide resources like OSC, providing that experience would be far more difficult.
“Many of these activities would be technically possible, but not at the scale of OSC,” Hartley said. “The burden of system administration, management, maintenance, and the cost of maintaining a small cluster would limit the usability of the system for the purposes we currently use OSC.”
Coursework at Mount Union emphasizes data analysis and computational problem-solving across disciplines. Image Credit: University of Mount Union.
For students preparing for careers in computing, the experience extends beyond coursework.
“Most students do not have access to a Unix-like environment, certainly not at the scale of OSC,” Hartley said. “The ability to use OSC for development and use at scale positively impacts both education and personal research goals.”
Exposure to these systems also prepares students for the environments used by many major technology companies.
“All the FAANG companies—major technology firms such as Facebook (now Meta), Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google—use a Unix-like operating system as the backbone of their software systems,” Hartley said. “Without OSC, most students wouldn’t be getting exposure to that kind of environment until after graduation.”
That experience gives Mount Union students a valuable credential as they enter the workforce.
“The ability of our students to reference experience in a Unix-like environment on their CVs is something I find valuable,” Hartley said.
As Mount Union’s Campus Champion, Campbell also helps colleagues across campus discover how OSC can support their teaching and research.
“When I offer professional development sessions to colleagues, I routinely mention OSC and how it is currently deployed at the University of Mount Union,” Campbell said.
Looking ahead, Mount Union faculty are exploring new ways to expand OSC use in the classroom, including emerging tools that combine HPC with AI.
“I was excited to see OSC’s recent announcement of AI integration in Jupyter,” Campbell said. “We currently have students in some upper-level courses experiment with AI-assisted programming, and the ability to integrate AI within OSC’s systems is something we’ll likely explore in the future.”
As those capabilities evolve, Mount Union students will continue gaining experience with the same computing tools used by researchers and technology companies around the world—long before graduation.
About OSC
The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC) addresses the rising computational demands of academic and industrial research communities by providing a robust shared infrastructure and proven expertise in advanced modeling, simulation, and analysis. OSC empowers scientists with the services essential to making extraordinary discoveries and innovations, partners with businesses and industry to leverage computational science as a competitive force in the global knowledge economy, and leads efforts to equip the workforce with the key technology skills required for 21st-century jobs.
Source: Lexi Biasi, OSC
The post OSC Expands Computer and Data Science Training at Mount Union with HPC Access appeared first on HPCwire.
Get ready to pay a little more for some configurations of Samsung's book-style foldable.
We compare channel lineups for YouTube TV, Sling, Hulu Plus Live TV and more.
Conservatives disowned Derek Bullock in 2023 after he allegedly used racial slur to call for people of Pakistani heritage to be shot
A Reform UK candidate for next month’s council elections was twice disciplined by the Conservatives over alleged offensive or racist comments, while another shared conspiracy theories about Covid, it has emerged, as the full slate of candidates was confirmed.
More than 5,000 council places in England are being contested on 7 May, along with several mayoralties, and elections for the Scottish and Welsh parliaments, in a significant test for all the major parties.
Continue reading...Opposition candidate Péter Magyar holds rally outside Budapest as Orbán visits Székesfehérvár ahead of Sunday election
Ashifa Kassam and Flora Garamvolgyi in Budapest
As a child growing up in Budapest, Péter Magyar had a poster of Viktor Orbán – at the time a leading figure in the country’s pro-democracy movement – hanging above his bed.
Continue reading...Futurism found that Google News is surfacing Polymarket betting pages alongside traditional news sources. "The bets often appear in the 'For you' section of Google News, which is tailored to a user's personal interests," the publication reports. "In one instance, it was even the very top result, as with this bet on the price of Bitcoin." From the report: In our testing, Polymarket bets are also showing up on the Google News home page. But links from the prediction market can pop up all over Google News, including in searches. In further tests, looking up "will ships transit the strait," referring to the Strait of Hormuz, returned numerous credible sources like Financial Times, The Guardian, and Reuters. Just below them, however, was a Polymarket bet on the number of ships that would be allowed to pass through the critical oil passageway. This doesn't appear to be an accident. When searching "Polymarket" in its search bar, Google News now allows users to choose it as a "source," directing them to a page that aggregates other Polymarket hits. It's not the only non-news site that's selectable as a source -- looking up "Reddit" and "X" offers the option, too -- but searching for "Kalshi," another prediction market and Polymarket's main competitor, doesn't give the option to use it as a source. [...] In light of all this, Polymarket appearing in Google News is a major victory for the prediction platform -- rubber-stamping its image as an authority on developing real-world events right alongside genuine real publishers of journalism.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
PM pushes back after Trump’s threats to leave alliance and says European members must do more in light of Iran war
Keir Starmer has said it is in the best interests of the US to stay in Nato and that Europe must do more to support the alliance in light of the war in Iran.
The British prime minister, speaking at the end of a multi-stop trip around the Gulf to discuss the tentative ceasefire and options to fully reopen the commercially vital strait of Hormuz, pushed back against Donald Trump’s threats to leave the defence alliance.
Continue reading...Legal action follows war of words with Sentebale chair after Duke of Sussex’s resignation as patron
The Duke of Sussex is being sued by Sentebale in the latest twist in the bitter fallout over the African charity he co-founded.
The charity has lodged papers in London’s high court over defamation claims naming Prince Harry and the former Sentebale trustee Mark Dyer as defendants.
Continue reading...The San Francisco home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was targeted with a Molotov cocktail Friday morning, a company spokesperson said.
Debt collectors have more tools than you'd expect, but there's a clear line around what they can and can't do.
Claude Mythos’s apparent superhuman hacking abilities are alarming experts as the Trump administration remains blinded by hostility
In June 2024, a cyber-attack on a pathology services company caused chaos across London’s hospitals. More than 10,000 appointments were cancelled. Blood shortages followed and delays to blood tests led to a patient’s death.
Lethal cyber-attacks like this are thankfully rare. But a new AI release could change that – plunging us into a terrifying new world of chaos and disruption to the digital systems that we rely on.
Shakeel Hashim is the editor of Transformer, a publication about the power and politics of transformative AI
Continue reading...Two men and two women were swept away by currents while attempting to board dinghy off French coast
A man has been arrested on suspicion of endangering life after four people died in a small boat Channel crossing on Thursday.
The man, described by prosecutors as a 27-year-old Sudanese national, was arrested by National Crime Agency investigators on Friday.
Continue reading...Local people say road conditions are rugged and weather unpredictable, while some say it has become too congested
The recent death of a British gap-year student on the Ha Giang loop, a popular motorcycle tour through the mountains in north Vietnam, has heightened concerns about a trail reputed to be one of the most dangerous in the country.
Orla Wates, 19, from Surrey, was riding as a pillion passenger when she fell off and was hit by an oncoming truck, according to local media. She was taken to hospital in Hanoi, where she died from her injuries last week.
Continue reading...Military euphemisms can be deadly. Yet the brutal rhetoric of the US and Israel is proving still more lethal
“Metaphors can kill,” the linguist George Lakoff wrote in an influential essay on the Gulf war. “The use of a metaphor with a set of definitions becomes pernicious when it hides realities in a harmful way.” He described the effects of the US employment of business cost-and-benefit analogies, sporting comparisons and the fairytale of the just war with heroes and villains.
All veiled the reality of conflict. Euphemism was long the preferred choice for the US military. Spokespeople discussed “collateral damage” rather than civilian deaths and “surgical strikes”, framing destruction as both precise and part of a necessary and ultimately healing process. Donald Trump chooses naked menace instead. This week he issued a genocidal threat against Iran, having previously threatened to bomb it “back to the stone age” and destroy bridges and power plants – schools and medical facilities having already been pulverised. He said that he was “not at all” concerned about potential war crimes.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Deal for resident doctors was in sight when sudden change by ministers forced latest action, says Jack Fletcher
Ministers killed the chance to end strikes by resident doctors when they suddenly reduced the amount of money they were offering to secure the peace deal, the doctors’ leader claims.
Dr Jack Fletcher accused the government of “playing games” and forcing resident doctors to embark on their 15th strike over pay and jobs, which is disrupting the NHS this week.
Continue reading...Gmail's end-to-end encryption is now available on all Android and iOS devices, letting enterprise users send and read encrypted emails directly in the app without any extra tools. "This launch combines the highest level of privacy and data encryption with a user-friendly experience for all users, enabling simple encrypted email for all customers from small businesses to enterprises and public sector," Google announced in a blog post. BleepingComputer reports: Starting this week, encrypted messages will be delivered as regular emails to Gmail recipients' inboxes if they use the Gmail app. Recipients who don't have the Gmail mobile app and use other email services can read them in a web browser, regardless of the device and service they're using. [...] This feature is now available for all client-side encryption (CSE) users with Enterprise Plus licenses and the Assured Controls or Assured Controls Plus add-on after admins enable the Android and iOS clients in the CSE admin interface via the Admin Console. Gmail's end-to-end encryption (E2EE) feature is powered by the client-side encryption (CSE) technical control, which allows Google Workspace organizations to use encryption keys they control and are stored outside Google's servers to protect sensitive documents and emails.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy pointed out that gamers "have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller."
The Selective Service System, the government agency that keeps a list of draft-eligible American men, will begin automatically registering names later this year, abandoning a decades-old process in which young men self-registered.
“This has been in the works for quite a while,” a U.S. government official told The Intercept, noting that the Selective Service System — which is separate from the Defense Department — had been pressing Congress to revamp the registration process. The official referenced “sliding numbers” of men registering on their own and the potential of war with a near-peer power like China. The official also mentioned a Trump administration “obsession” with creating “comprehensive federal databases.”
Men ages 18 to 25 who are eligible to be drafted have been required to register with the government since 1980. Failure to do so is a felony, which bars unregistered men from most federal jobs, eligibility for student loans, and carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
More than 100 million men have registered in the last 46 years. But according to the Selective Service, just 81 percent of eligible men registered in 2024, a 3 percent point drop from the prior year.
On Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said President Donald Trump “keeps his options on the table,” when Fox News host Maria Bartiromo asked her about the possibility of a return of the draft. But Trump would be required to get approval from Congress to enact a draft, which was last used during the Vietnam War.
A peacetime draft, begun in 1948, was key to fighting the war in Vietnam and also fomenting resistance to it. About one-third of the American men who served in Vietnam were drafted, and roughly another third enlisted to avoid the draft. A 1968 Department of Defense survey found that 47 percent of volunteers said draft motivations — such as attempting to exercise some measure of control over the timing of their service or the military branch — were their most important reason for enlisting. Patriotism, by comparison, was cited by 6 percent of enlistees.
Beginning in 1964, students began burning their draft cards as acts of draft resistance. Five years later, student body presidents of more than 250 universities wrote to the White House to say they planned to refuse military induction. Many American men claimed conscientious objector status, refused induction, or fled abroad to Canada, Mexico, Sweden, or elsewhere. It is estimated that around 570,000 men classified as draft offenders.
Throughout the war, men of privilege found sanctuary from the draft through a wide variety of means. Deferments were automatically available for those in graduate school, until 1968, and college until 1973. Around 3.5 million men also received medical exemptions. While the poorest Americans were forced to rely on military doctors for their military physicals, affluent men could visit private physicians and obtain letters to excuse them for even the most minor injuries. One study found that 90 percent of men able to press such claims were successful, even if they were in good health. Trump himself was granted five draft deferments, including for a diagnosis of bone spurs, provided by a doctor who rented his office from Trump’s father, Fred C. Trump.
Draft evasion and resistance became so widespread that it almost crippled the Selective Service System. Draftees were also in revolt within the armed forces, leaving the military on the brink of collapse by the early 1970s. When Col. Robert Heinl, a distinguished combat veteran as well as a military historian and analyst, examined the state of the military in Armed Forces Journal in 1971, his evaluation was dire:
The morale, discipline and battleworthiness of the U.S. Armed Forces are, with a few salient exceptions, lower and worse than at any time in this century and possibly in the history of the United States. By every conceivable indicator, our army that now remains in Vietnam is in a state approaching collapse, with individual units avoiding or having refused combat, murdering their officers and noncommissioned officers, drug- ridden, and dispirited where not near-mutinous.
That same year, President Richard Nixon signed legislation authorizing the end of the draft. The last draftees reported for duty on June 30, 1973, and the next day, the all-volunteer force was established. The Defense Department now celebrates this as “a return to the tradition of voluntary service in the military.” The Pentagon has been able to effectively control this far more docile force where “every soldier, Marine, sailor, airman and guardian in the military today is a volunteer.”
On December 18, 2025, Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for 2026, mandating automatic Selective Service System registration. The agency’s proposal to automatically enroll men was then submitted to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on March 30. After review, the Selective Service plan will need to be coordinated with other federal agencies that could potentially share personal information about draft-eligible men, including the Social Security Administration and Census Bureau. “SSS will implement the change by December 2026, resulting in a streamlined registration process and corresponding workforce realignment,” according to Selective Service.
The government official said they did not believe that the new Selective Service registration process was geared toward “generating cannon fodder” for a ground invasion of Iran or any of the other fronts in Trump’s mushrooming world war. “This is about effective manpower generation, channeling, management, and surveillance,” the official told The Intercept.
The post Trump Administration Wants to Make It More Difficult to Evade a Military Draft appeared first on The Intercept.
The latest changes to the Windows 11 Notepad app and snipping tool show Microsoft is retreating from the "Copilot" branding, even if the AI functions remain.
Inflation surged in March, a new report just revealed. Here's why a CD account could be worth opening in response.
Melania Trump made a surprise appearance at the White House on Thursday to announce that she ‘never had a relationship’ with the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Her address has seemingly put Epstein back on the political agenda when focus had been firmly on the US and Israel’s war in Iran.
The intervention came at a difficult time for her husband, Donald Trump, as the fragile ceasefire agreed between the US and Iran seemed to be at risk of falling apart, and as US lawmakers are raising the alarm over the president’s mental stability.
Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian US editor, Betsy Reed – watch on YouTube
Jonathan Freedland on Politics Weekly America with the Guardian’s Washington bureau chief David Smith on whether Trump could be forced out of office – listen here or wherever you get your podcasts
Continue reading...The men, sent to the southern African country in July, have been denied in-person counsel for nine months
Four men deported by the US to Eswatini and denied in-person legal counsel for nine months while detained in a maximum security prison have the right to see a local lawyer, Eswatini’s supreme court ruled.
The men, from Cambodia, Cuba, Vietnam and Yemen, were sent to the small southern African country, formerly known as Swaziland, in July despite having no connection to the country, as part of Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to ramp up deportations.
Continue reading...Reports filed by tech companies lack essential information for law enforcement and prosecution, advocates say.
TCL's budget Air 4 Pro display glasses, reviewed: They're great for movies, not so good for work or audio.
France says it plans to move some government computers from Windows to Linux as part of a broader push for digital sovereignty and reduced dependence on U.S. technology. TechCrunch reports: In a statement, French minister David Amiel said (translated) that the effort was to "regain control of our digital destiny" by relying less on U.S. tech companies. Amiel said that the French government can no longer accept that it doesn't have control over its data and digital infrastructure. The French government did not provide a specific timeline for the switchover, or which distributions it was considering. Microsoft did not immediately comment on the news. [...] France's decision to ditch Windows comes months after the government announced it would stop using Microsoft Teams for video conferencing in favor of French-made Visio, a tool based on the open source end-to-end encrypted video meeting tool Jitsi. The French government said it also plans to migrate its health data platform to a new trusted platform by the end of the year.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
It would be odds-on that the 39-year-old is the lowest-ranked player ever to qualify for the Masters at Augusta
There are two Masters taking place this year, the one you’re watching, and the one you’re playing in. Well. Maybe not you, exactly, unless you can count your handicap on two fingers, but the best player you know, that guy on the school run who used to play off scratch, that cousin who won the sports scholarship, or the uncle who everyone says could have made it back in the day. His name is Brandon Holtz and, if you haven’t spotted him yet, he is, he says himself, “the old fat guy” who has been playing with the two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson this week.
Holtz is 39 and works full time as a real estate broker in Bloomington, Illinois. He plays as much golf as he can but, given that he has two kids, a five-year-old son and a two-year-old daughter, it isn’t nearly as much as he’d like. He is currently 3,262 in the world amateur golf rankings. Which of course means he is a hell of a good golfer. And also that he is ranked a full 3,160 places below his nearest competitor among the six amateurs in the field here. And that’s before you even get to the other 10,000 or so professionals in the Official Golf World Rankings, where he is currently unlisted.
Continue reading...The development of the mission mascot and viral sensation Rise began over a year before Artemis II blasted off.
April 10, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Energy’s Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment (INCITE) program is now accepting proposals for high-impact, computationally intensive research projects in a broad array of science, engineering, and computer science domains. Proposals must be submitted by June 15, 2026.
Open to researchers from academia, industry, and government agencies, the INCITE program is aimed at large-scale scientific computing projects that require the power and scale of the leadership-class supercomputers at the ALCF and OLCF.
The open call provides an opportunity to access the ALCF’s Aurora supercomputer and the OLCF’s Frontier system.
The INCITE program promotes transformational advances in science and technology for compute and/or data-intensive and/or time-sensitive large-scale research projects such as scientific modeling, simulation, data analytics, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) campaigns. INCITE projects are awarded large allocations of computer time, data capabilities, and supporting resources at the Argonne and Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (LCF) centers, operated by the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science.
INCITE seeks research challenges requiring capability computing from diverse areas: production simulations, compute intensive machine or deep learning applications, time-sensitive, or large-scale data analysis that use a large fraction of the LCF systems and cannot be performed on less capable resources. INCITE supports high-impact simulation, data, and AI approaches which require the unique architectural infrastructure, high-performance storage, and networking capabilities available at the LCF centers.
More Information
Preparing for INCITE Submissions
The INCITE program will host informational webinars on April 21 and May 5, 2026. Register here: https://doeleadershipcomputing.org/informational-webinars.
Source: Argonne Leadership Computing Facility
The post DOE INCITE Program Opens 2027 Call for Proposals with June 15 Deadline appeared first on HPCwire.
Fix for quantum ‘curse of dimensionality’ may mitigate advantage versus classical computing
April 10, 2026 — Variational quantum computing is a hybrid quantum-classical approach that has emerged as one of the most promising applications for quantum devices. But this approach is hindered by the “barren plateau” phenomenon, which undermines the approach’s machine learning training capabilities. As a team of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) researchers suggest in a recent perspective piece in Nature Communications, and as they go on to demonstrate with a simulated quantum neural network, the architectures and techniques proposed to mitigate or altogether avoid barren plateaus make them classically simulable.
As proposed and demonstrated by the Los Alamos team, the architectures and techniques proposed to mitigate or altogether avoid barren plateaus in variational quantum computing make them classically simulable. Credit: LANL.
“Barren plateaus typically result from what is known in the field as the ‘curse of dimensionality,’ where models need to navigate very big spaces, and finding the solution is like finding a needle in a haystack,” said Marco Cerezo, Los Alamos physicist and lead author on the perspective. “One avoids barren plateaus and circumvents the curse of dimensionality by restricting the model to a small subspace. But that solution might mean that the model can just as efficiently be simulated classically.”
If the connection between the absence of barren plateaus (for example, by restricting models to small subspaces) and classical simulability holds, the remedy for barren plateaus may prove worse than the problem. The advantage quantum computers have in solving machine learning tasks faster than classical supercomputers would be limited only to those models with no barren plateaus.
Subspaces and Classical Simulability
Variational quantum computing’s hybrid approach aims to solve tasks by classically optimizing the parameters of a quantum circuit, thus extending the advantage of classical neural networks to the quantum realm. However, the too-large space of possible quantum states (i.e., “the curse of dimensionality”) leads to an extremely flat optimization landscape — a barren plateau, upon which the approach’s algorithms fail.
The team’s recent research showed that the presence or absence of barren plateaus is clearly linked to whether the algorithm operates within a small subspace. The team undertook a case-by-case analysis of all known models and techniques, revealing a common pattern hidden in plain sight: Once the effective small subspace was pinpointed and identified, one only needs to emulate what the quantum computer does within it.
That is, the quantum computer’s approach may be simulable by classical computing. From all known barren plateau-free models, the team’s study found that a classical computer could do the same thing that the quantum computer does — a surprising result that undermined the quantum-only case for the promising architectures and techniques for quantum machine learning. The Los Alamos team recently undertook a concrete demonstration with a specific architecture, with results published in PRX Quantum pointing to an end-to-end simulability.
“It really seems the math is out to get us,” Cerezo said. “If you want to make an entirely quantum architecture capable of processing information, you have barren plateaus and the curse of dimensionality, and if you force the model to work in a subspace, then the subspace is always sufficiently small that it can have classical simulability. There seems to be no in-between or intermediate space.”
End-to-End Simulability for Quantum Convolutional Neural Networks
To test their understanding of simulability, the team analyzed widely used variants of quantum convolutional neural networks, an architecture considered by many as one of the most promising models for quantum machine learning.
By identifying the correct subspace where the model acts, the team constructed and trained a purely classical surrogate for quantum convolutional neural networks. The surrogate matched or outperformed standard quantum convolutional neural networks on all benchmark datasets, and they ran simulations on as much as 1,024 qubits. The test suggests that the success of the quantum networks could be attributed to being benchmarked on simple problems, and the insight the team gleaned indicates the need for non-trivial datasets to move forward with quantum machine learning.
The Caveats and the Silver Lining
The team’s study does not imply that quantum computers cannot operate in large spaces. Indeed, successful quantum algorithms, such as those that simulate quantum systems, avoid the curse of dimensionality by being extremely structured and carefully navigating the large quantum spaces.
“Unlike standard quantum algorithms, where every logical operation has a specific purpose, quantum machine learning algorithms follow the learning methodology of classical neural networks, where one seeks to find the right sequence of logical operations by training the algorithm based on data,” said Laboratory postdoctoral researcher Nahuel Diaz. “This means that, by design, they are unstructured and can get lost in the large spaces.”
The researchers show a path forward to beat barren plateaus without classical simulability by emulating how standard quantum algorithms work. An example provided by the team of a trainable but not simulable model may offer inspiration in the building of new quantum learning algorithms.
Finally, the team highlighted that a quantum computer might well be needed to initialize the classical simulation. In this case, the authors proposed a new hybrid paradigm, where quantum devices are used not to train a model, but to acquire data to build an efficient classical algorithm.
Paper: “Does provable absence of barren plateaus imply classical simulability? Or, why we need to rethink variational quantum computing.” Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-63099-6
Funding: The work was supported by Los Alamos’ Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program, the Center for Nonlinear Studies at Los Alamos, and the Laboratory’s ASC Beyond Moore’s Law project.
Paper: “Quantum Convolutional Neural Networks are Effectively Classically Simulable.” PRX Quantum. DOI: 10.1103/8qt9-72ts
Funding: The work was supported by Los Alamos’ Laboratory Directed Research and Development Program and the Laboratory’s ASC Beyond Moore’s Law project.
Source: LANL
The post Los Alamos Researchers Show Some Quantum Learning Models Are Classically Simulable appeared first on HPCwire.
New targeted sponsorship effort advances trusted open source infrastructure powering today’s AI ecosystem
WILMINGTON, Del., April 10, 2026 — The Apache Software Foundation (ASF) has announced the launch of its Responsible AI Initiative, a targeted sponsorship effort aimed at strengthening the open source technologies that underpin modern artificial intelligence systems.
Today, dozens of ASF projects form the backbone of the rapidly evolving AI ecosystem. Developers rely on Apache technologies for scalable machine learning, high-volume data storage, real-time distributed systems, analytics, natural language processing, and graph-based computation.
As the adoption of generative AI and agentic development accelerates, The ASF has also introduced guidelines for the responsible use of AI within its projects. These emphasize human oversight, licensing integrity, security, and documentation — core principles rooted in the ASF’s longstanding philosophy of “community over code.” Unlike vendor-controlled platforms, ASF projects are governed by diverse, global communities that are responsible for safeguarding their software against misuse, security vulnerabilities, licensing violations, and other risks.
The Responsible AI initiative is seeded by an initial $1.5-million charitable contribution provided to the ASF by Anthropic, and a $250,000 donation from Alpha-Omega, an organization focused on advancing sustainable security across open source ecosystems through targeted funding and partnerships. The Initiative has a broader funding goal of $10 million, and will run for a minimum of three years.
“AI runs on open infrastructure,” said Sally Khudairi, VP Sponsor Relations, The ASF. “AI systems worldwide depend on critical Apache projects — from data pipelines to distributed systems to machine learning frameworks — and many other foundational technologies. Our new initiative ensures that those ASF projects that are deeply embedded in AI systems have expanded access to the models and resources needed to remain secure, transparent, and governed in the public interest.”
The Responsible AI Initiative will support ASF projects and communities with:
The ASF welcomes additional support for the Initiative in the form of financial contributions and in-kind donations, including access to AI models, platforms, and tools. Additional sponsors — including AI and model providers — are invited to participate, consistent with the ASF’s vendor-neutral and community-first approach.
By investing in the systems that power AI, not just the models themselves, the ASF Responsible AI Initiative aims to ensure that the future of AI is built on infrastructure that is open, secure, and governed for the public good.
Learn more at the ASF Responsible AI Initiative website: https://www.apache.org/foundation/initiatives/ResponsibleAI.
About The Apache Software Foundation
The Apache Software Foundation (The ASF) is the global home for open source software, powering some of the world’s most ubiquitous software projects, including Apache Airflow, Apache Camel, Apache Cassandra, Apache Groovy, Apache HTTP Server, and Apache Kafka. Established in 1999, The ASF is at the forefront of open source innovation, setting industry standards to advance software for the public good. Learn more at https://apache.org.
The ASF’s annual Community Over Code event is where open source technologists convene to share best practices and use cases, forge critical relationships, and learn about advancements in their field.
Source: ASF
The post The Apache Software Foundation Launches Responsible AI Initiative appeared first on HPCwire.
Trump has an incentive to strike a deal with Iran, as midterms approach. But at what cost? Expert comment jon.wallace
Foreign policy is a low priority for US voters. But a rushed deal could impact the president’s domestic support in November’s midterm elections.
After days of escalating rhetoric, the ceasefire announced on 7 April pulls the US and Iran back from grave danger and offers a window to assess the appetite for a more durable settlement.
A deal offers the Trump administration a politically appealing off-ramp. Washington’s efforts to present its limited tactical battlefield gains as strategic successes to a sceptical American public hint at a desire to deescalate.
Ending the war would certainly serve the president’s domestic agenda. November midterm elections are fast approaching, and renewed, prolonged fighting risks greater damage to the US economy – always the top American voter priority over foreign policy concerns.
There is a danger now that Washington’s desire to reach agreement swiftly risks creating a bad deal for US national security – or at worst, as President Trump described the JPCOA in 2018, a ‘horrible one-sided deal that should have never, ever been made’.
Deal or no deal, the path ahead is fraught, with fewer options for the US than at the war’s outset and new security and economic risks to confront.
By most measures, the US has not yet succeeded in prosecuting its shifting war aims. The Pentagon claimed destruction of 90 per cent of Iran’s naval fleet and 80 per cent of its air defences. That is an impressive feat across vast territory and against a deeply entrenched military command. US forces also pulled off a complex, daring rescue of two airmen shot down over Iranian territory. But these accomplishments have not neatly translated into tangible strategic gains.
Though degraded, Iran still has the capability to launch ballistic missiles. Though weakened, Iran’s regional proxies can still operate with lethal effect. Its nuclear capabilities endure, in the form of 970 pounds of highly enriched uranium. And the war has likely only accelerated Tehran’s ambitions for a nuclear deterrent.
Perhaps most significantly, the regime is still standing: wounded but emboldened, despite a successful campaign to remove most of its senior leadership. That leaves the US and the world confronted by a potentially more hard-line Iranian leadership exercising uniliteral control over the Strait of Hormuz.
Therefore, while the US-Israeli military campaign has undoubtedly set back some of Iran’s offensive capabilities, it has concurrently enabled a new one in the Strait and deepened the regime’s resolve. US deterrence through threat of force no longer packs the punch it did before the war.
A majority of Americans oppose Trump’s actions in Iran. Democrats condemn the operation almost categorically, independents strongly disapprove, and non-MAGA Republicans are divided.
But MAGA supporters remain bullish, prioritizing loyalty to Trump’s agenda over concerns of US military overreach. And Republicans in Congress continue to give Trump wide latitude on the war.
Criticism from the right has been limited to disaffected MAGA supporters, including former Member of Congress Marjorie Taylor Green, media commentator Tucker Carlson, and Senate moderates like Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. In the short term, therefore, Trump’s domination of his party remains intact. The president may once again weather a political firestorm and gear up to quickly spark the next.
The reckoning is more likely to come at the November midterms.
As the world’s largest oil producer, the US is better insulated from the war’s economic shock than most. But it is not immune to the effects of the conflict. Rising gas prices and concerns about inflation are the two most visible economic consequences of the war today. And analysts believe further delayed financial costs are coming, particularly given the massive damage to oil and gas infrastructure across the Gulf.
Even in a ‘deal’ scenario, elevated costs at the pump and in the grocery aisles could well be stickier than many Americans anticipate, handing Democrats ready attack lines in the months ahead on the issue that matters most to American voters: the economy.
In a ‘no deal’ scenario, the president’s position will be more exposed, as Americans may find commercial goods, produce and holidays increasingly unaffordable, with ships idling in the Gulf, gas prices rising, and global crop yields hit by fertilizer scarcity.
Financial markets may also be less resilient to additional geopolitical shocks, a metric the Trump administration watches closely. Such a scenario would present a real threat to Republican midterm hopes and potentially even begin to erode Trump’s extremely loyal MAGA base.
That context will inform any push by the Trump administration toward a deal.
In Washington, senior officials are now weighing whether the political and economic advantages to maintaining the shaky ceasefire – or at least seeking a series of halting extensions – supersede the value of renewed fighting.
Current US and Iranian negotiation positions are maximalist, long-standing wish-lists that will not be resolved in the next two weeks. None can be achieved solely through an extended US bombing campaign or by the closing of the Strait of Hormuz.
The detail of any negotiations with Iran matters here. It is clear what a bad deal looks like in Trump’s eyes, because he spelled out his criticisms when withdrawing from the JCPOA in 2018: too few limits placed on Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for lifting of sanctions; massive new revenue flowing to the regime; insufficient mechanisms to detect and punish cheating on enrichment levels; failure to address Iran’s ballistic missile programme; and silence on the Islamic Republic’s support for terrorism.
If the US negotiators arrive in Pakistan without a hierarchy of priorities among this wish-list, the talks will collapse before they have begun.
Realistically, a bad deal for the US includes terms that lift sanctions without ensuring meaningful and verifiable constraints on Iran’s nuclear programme, whether by securing the highly enriched uranium or limiting future enrichment.
Addressing the nuclear programme will be more challenging than ever, when dealing with an even harder line regime. The US may have to put more concessions on the table to reach agreement – possibly beyond the sanctions and tariff relief Trump has already promised.
The haste of the talks, and the absence of key international partners who would need to buy into any verification arrangement, make an even minimally credible deal hard to envision. The US and Iran could bring a draft arrangement to the UN Security Council for approval, as Trump did for Gaza. But few will want to invest the resources to enforce the arrangement if doubts remain about the parties’ willingness to adhere to its terms.
Granting Iran the costly concessions it seeks – whether control over Hormuz, withdrawal of US forces from the region, an end to attacks on Iranian proxies, or the release of frozen Iranian assets – risk imperilling US national security in the longer term.
More immediately, any significant concession would hand Democrats a ready hand to play in November.
Why Should Delaware Care?
Last month, Delaware introduced legislation meant to bolster the state’s primary health care infrastructure and keep patients healthier on the front end. But within that bill are provisions that would cap how much providers, including the state’s powerful and profitable, health systems can charge for care.
As Delaware’s hospital systems claim a primary care reform bill would spell armageddon for their revenues, a state on the West Coast that implemented similar measures in 2017 said it realized massive savings while hospitals only saw minor reductions in revenue.
Oregon applied regulations on its hospitals in a manner similar to proposed legislation in Delaware that would cap how much providers can charge for care at 250% of what the federal government pays providers through Medicare. Oregon set its own cap even lower, at 200% of Medicare’s payout — which typically underpays providers.
Like Delaware’s Senate Bill 1, Oregon’s law focuses on its state employee health plan in an effort to bring down costs. Within a couple years, Oregon officials said the provisions saved the state more than $112 million.
In Delaware, the bill would “conservatively” save the state more than $280 million over the first five years of implementation, the Department of Insurance said in a press release after announcing the bill.
But Delaware’s proposal faces a powerful opposition from the state’s hospital systems that have a history of challenging unfavorable regulations in court, securing a victory earlier this year in a watered down oversight board meant to rein in hospital spending.
As Delaware lawmakers weigh the merits of SB 1, which they introduced last month, Oregon’s model offers a similar framework.
Where Delaware and Oregon differ in their proposals is in their exemptions. Oregon’s price caps exempted rural hospitals and providers that serve primarily Medicare patients. Additionally, Delaware’s bill would implement investments for primary care providers — an effort to reward practices that keep patients healthy and away from costly emergency room visits.
Ali Hassoun, the director of Oregon’s Public Employees Benefit Board, said in an email price caps saved the state more than $112 million in 2021.
Since its price cap legislation passed in 2017, he said one hospital had closed and another applied for a “critical access designation” to receive larger reimbursements from Medicare.
But Hassoun said neither of those hospitals were subject to the state’s price cap regulations, and some are still struggling to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, upcoming cuts to Medicaid and Medicare are slated to have an impact on hospital budgets, he said.
Hassoun also pointed to a research paper that said changes made by Oregon “didn’t meaningfully change hospital revenues or operations during its first two years.”
Roz Murray is one of the authors of that paper and an assistant professor of health services, policy and practice at Brown University. Murray also testified at a hearing in March as one of the Delaware Department of Insurance’s experts on the bill.
Murray said the ratio of Oregon state employees covered under its state health plan is around 15%, which is close to Delaware. And like Oregon, Delaware does not have the power to regulate payment caps for those covered under private insurance plans.
She also said Delaware’s proposal would include some additional commercial plans regulated by the state’s insurance department like the Affordable Care Act and fully insured plans.
In Murray’s paper, published in 2025 she and her team did not observe any cuts to staff or reductions in payments to physicians. The paper also said the program’s “broader impact” on health care employment was unknown.
But should nothing change, the paper said the revenue losses would simply spell minor reductions in hospital budgets.
Sabrina Corlette, founder and co-director of the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University, said Oregon and other states implemented health care price caps, known as reference based pricing laws, in reaction to a “breakdown of the free market.”
She said as hospitals have consolidated and strengthened their foothold in their respective regions, they have been able to demand higher reimbursements from insurers. She said that oftentimes, those elevated costs do not actually reflect the cost of care.
Corlette said that passing laws like SB 1 is a “political balancing act” for legislators who have to weigh the impact on hospitals against the already existing cost burdens on patients.
Still, she said the revenue reductions do not always translate to job losses.
“Now it is absolutely true, though, that if you cut revenue to hospitals, they will have to tighten their belts,” Corlette said. “I don’t think it necessarily translates to, ‘Oh, we have to lay people off.’”
Senate Bill 1 is poised to be one the most consequential health care bills in recent memory, if passed in its current form.
One provision in the bill would introduce reference-based pricing to medical services covered under both insurance for state employees and some commercial plans regulated by the Department of Insurance. Essentially, this would limit the amount of money a provider could be reimbursed by insurers, tying that amount to a predetermined benchmark.
Under Delaware’s proposal, that benchmark would cap reimbursement rates at 250% of what the federal government pays providers through Medicare.
For services covered under the state’s health plan that do not have a Medicare rate to compare to, like pediatrics, the state would be able to set those rates through the State Employees Benefits Committee.
By taking aim at how high Delaware health care providers can negotiate their prices with insurers in addition to making those insurers spend 11.5% of their medical costs on primary care, the state hopes to better compensate providers proactively working to improve Delawareans’ health outcomes.
Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro said in an email those investments would apply to 45% of the state’s commercial insurance market with the addition of the state health plan and Medicaid.
In a March interview with Spotlight Delaware, Navarro said the bill would make the state more competitive for private practice and rural physicians.
When it comes to the regulation of rate-setting for some procedures covered under both state and private plans, Navarro said pricing is typically “all over the place” and that some hospitals and providers are reimbursed at much higher rates than others.
With these proposed regulations, Navarro said the state is trying to “level the playing field and spread the wealth” among providers.
Brian Frazee, of the Delaware Healthcare Association, pointed to that Medicare benchmark, saying it was a provision lawmakers tried, and failed, to introduce in previous legislation that led to a year-and-a-half long lawsuit between the state and Delaware’s largest hospital system.
Senate Bill 1 also includes language that would exempt hospitals and other health care providers from the 250% requirement if they use a “global budget model” that is approved by the state insurance department.
Global budget models set annual fixed prices for inpatient and outpatient procedures, meaning hospitals are paid on the front end to deliver services at a cost set by their previous Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements from previous years.
In neighboring Maryland, the state implemented global budgeting for all of its acute care hospitals in 2014, according to a report from Mathematica.
The post As DE debates primary care reform, a similar Oregon law offers insight appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.
The Iran war has been an economic gift for Putin Expert comment thilton.drupal
Higher energy prices and the US decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil have given Moscow a windfall that could help to sustain its war in Ukraine.
The US-Israeli war on Iran has been a welcome gift for Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
The war caused an energy crisis as oil and gas prices soared following Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Combined with the US temporarily easing sanctions on Russian oil, surging oil prices have boosted Russia’s budget and export revenues at a time when Western sanctions were hitting Russia’s economy.
This windfall will likely increase Russia’s ability to sustain the war against Ukraine. President Putin has also gained increased leverage through his influence on global energy markets at a time of crisis. He will likely hope that this could encourage US President Donald Trump to push Ukraine – and Europe – to accept a peace deal that favours Moscow.
President Trump’s decision to attack Iran in late February could not have come at a more opportune time for Putin.
In the first months of 2026, Western economic tactics against Russia appeared to be finally working. This was a result of the tightening of sanctions over the course of the past year (with tighter secondary sanctions on those trading with major Russian oil companies), the lowering of the G7 oil price cap to $46 a barrel, and a more muscular response to Russian shadow fleet tankers.
As a result, both Russian budget and export revenues from energy had dropped.
In February 2026, IEA data shows that Russia’s export revenues for oil and petroleum products had fallen by $1.5 billion for the month to just $9.5 billion – the lowest level since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In the same month, Russian oil export volumes declined to 6.6 million barrels per day (bpd), down 850,0000 bpd on the previous month and again the lowest level since 2022.
Volumes of exports appear to have been reduced not only because of the limitations from sanctions, but also due to Ukrainian drone and missile strikes on Russia’s energy sector infrastructure. Recent attacks on the Baltic ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga, alongside attacks in the Black Sea, might have cut the physical volume of Russian oil exports by as much as 40 per cent, according to Reuters.
This impacted Russia’s balance of payments. According to Emerging Market Watch, the merchandise trade surplus in January was just $6.5 billion: down around one third month on month, and over 10 per cent year on year.
It also hit the budget: oil and gas revenues were down by 45 per cent year on year for the first quarter of the year.
The deficit rose to 1.5 per cent of GDP for the first two months alone, close to the full year deficit target of 1.6 per cent of GDP. The government responded by hiking taxes, with VAT rising from 20 to 22 per cent.
Before the Iran war, Putin’s government therefore appeared set to face tightening budget restrictions, with lower revenues, increased demands from the military and reduced buffers.
With spare funds in the National Welfare Fund eroded, the government would need to cover a larger budget deficit from higher debt issuance domestically. This policy would mean higher interest rates and likely higher inflation, which would hurt growth.
The economy had already appeared on the brink of recession. Real GDP contracted in the first couple of months of 2026, and the IMF’s full-year forecast for real GDP growth was just 0.8 per cent.
The Russian economy has increasingly appeared as two-speed. The military-industrial sector is still benefiting from ramped up defence spending and prioritization. But the rest of the economy has been beset by high inflation, debt and interest rates, as well as labour shortages.
This is reflected in bankruptcies rising in 2025 by 31 per cent to 568,000. The Central Bank of Russia introduced new regulations aimed at mitigating credit risks to banks on 1 March – a move it would not take if the outlook was rosy.
But just as the economic downturn appeared set to force Putin to make difficult choices – perhaps having to concede ground in Ukraine peace talks – the US-Israeli war on Iran gifted Putin a huge win.
In the near term, this will serve as a get out of jail card for Putin. Higher oil and energy prices, and the US decision to ease sanctions on Russian oil, will bolster budget and balance of payments inflows to Russia.
Urals oil prices look set to have tripled, and this could easily boost oil and energy receipts to Russia by as much as $10 billion per month, as per Bloomberg calculations. According to Bloomberg, in the week to April 5, Russian oil export receipts had returned to the highest level since June 2022. And according to Reuters calculations, revenue from Russia’s largest single oil tax will double to $9 billion in April as a result of the spike in prices.
All this is a huge windfall gain for Russia, giving Putin more funds to wage the war against Ukraine.
However, there are a couple of important caveats to bear in mind.
First, much still depends on the ability of Ukraine to keep up its attacks on Russian oil energy export infrastructure, highlighted above. While Russian oil may have increased in price, if the physical quantity of exports is constrained, then the benefits to Russia’s overall budget and balance of payments will be limited.
Russia was able to take advantage of the spike in oil prices because it sold down some of the 140 million barrels of oil that had been stuck at sea due to sanctions. It now only has around 100 million barrels of that stock, which will be slow to replenish if Ukraine keeps up pressure on Russian ports.
Second, in these periods of systemic global risk, there are often unclear or unpredictable secondary impacts. For example, gold prices have also dropped around 15 per cent from their January 2026. Russia had benefited from a huge $200 billion windfall from the increase in the price of gold, but will now see much of that gain – around $55 billion – disappear in paper losses, according to calculations based on Bloomberg data.
How to keep the Strait of Hormuz open in the long term Expert comment jon.wallace
Iran will be reluctant to give up the leverage it has gained in the Strait. But options exist to try and change its perspective.
On 7 April the United States and Iran announced a ceasefire, including the re-opening of the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait has been closed since 2 March following the outbreak of the conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran.
Since the late 1980s, the Strait has enjoyed uninterrupted traffic, with no countries charging fees for transit. There have been risks to shipping in that period, from the 1990 Gulf War to threats from Iran in the mid-2010s. But shipping continued through the Strait, albeit with higher insurance costs.
But over the past month, Iran has laid sea mines, bombed ships, and charged fees for transit in order to assert its control over this vital waterway. As part of its 10-point ceasefire plan, Tehran has demanded that its control over Hormuz should continue.
According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, passage through the Strait will be allowed during the two-week ceasefire, under management by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). After that, Iran and Oman will charge fees on ship transit.
Over the past month, various efforts have been made to secure shipping through the Strait. From 18-19 March, the International Maritime Organization called for a ‘safe passage framework’ to facilitate the evacuation of merchant ships and crew trapped in the Gulf by the Strait closure.
On 2 April, the UK held talks with over 40 countries to discuss options to press Iran to re-open the Strait. A few days later, the United Nations Security Council voted on a resolution from Bahrain and Gulf Cooperation Council countries about using protective measures to re-open the Strait. The resolution ultimately failed.
Meanwhile, very few ships have transited the Strait since the ceasefire was announced. As such, the ceasefire has only created more uncertainty about transit through the Strait, further deterring commercial shipping.
The question remains: how can the Strait be re-opened safely – and kept open for the future? It is a complex challenge, interconnected with negotiation with the US. But options exist that could help influence Tehran’s thinking.
Effective control of the Strait of Hormuz gives Iran an asymmetric advantage that helps shield it from what it views as an existential threat from US and Israeli strikes – and generates significant funds for a country still under sanctions and badly damaged by the war. Iran will not easily give up this leverage.
However, this is not a sustainable long-term strategy for the world – or for Tehran. Iran’s economy is structurally dependent on oil exports, and it imports industrial goods and food through the Strait. Closing the Strait constrains its own revenue stream and undercuts its maritime logistics industry.
Diplomats will need to consider how to shift Tehran’s perception so that the normal operation of the Strait becomes a preferable option.
As such, Iran must be a party to any agreement over the Strait. Mediators should therefore consider options that are palatable to the regime. This does not mean accepting Iran’s terms about maintaining permanent control over the Strait. But it does require making Iran a beneficiary in the process of re-opening. Realistically this may require structured sanctions relief and joint management of the Strait.
Already the Trump administration has demonstrated a willingness to compromise: On 20 March, the US Treasury lifted sanctions on Iranian oil already at sea.
And, when asked about Iran’s plans to charge fees for ship transit, Trump said he is considering a ‘joint venture’ with Tehran to set up tolls in the Strait of Hormuz.
Likewise, any naval convoys designed to escort ships through the region would have to include Iran. The Strait cannot be opened by force. Escorts could pair limited Iranian exports with other commercial ships. Joint transits would deter Iranian attack, because they would include Iranian goods as well. Whether through sanctions relief or not, Iranian exports are still transiting through Hormuz to the exclusion of nearly everyone else.
At present, Iran’s toll-like system requires ships to enter Iranian waters to pass an IRCG verification process. As a confidence-building measure, verification for transit could be put in place – not from Iran, but perhaps with Iran.
This could come in the form of multilateral management or in partnership with countries that can provide complementary escorts and security guarantees. It seems that Oman may be considering such a partnership with Iran over the Strait. This could be expanded to include more regional security partners.
The Gulf lacks comprehensive maritime security frameworks and protocols. Iran, for example, is not a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS). And the UAE, Bahrain, Iran, and others are not signatories on the 1979 Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.
Furthermore, the Gulf still faces maritime boundary disputes that preclude the establishment of such legal frameworks. As a result, international law is unevenly applied and enforced. So long as that remains the case, it will be harder to rebuild confidence in Gulf shipping.
Region-specific provisions are needed for basic maritime coordination between littoral states. This could include the establishment of search and rescue zones, traffic management schemes, regional information fusion centres, and law enforcement cooperation to counter piracy and illegal fishing.
In the Gulf, the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) for East Africa offers a useful model to consider. The DCoC was adopted in 2009 by 20 countries including Djibouti, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen to strengthen cooperation against piracy.
The Code establishes a framework for information sharing, law enforcement, and maritime security operations focused on the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. In 2017, the Code was revised to include broader maritime security issues like narcotics trafficking and illegal fishing.
Such longer-term agreements offer mechanisms to coordinate ship interdictions, facilitate information exchange, develop common threat perceptions, and harmonize legal processes. In an era of grey zone warfare, this may be best path forward.
Previous chokepoint agreements like the Black Sea Grain Deal or the Montreux Convention regarding the Regime of the Straits have been suggested as models for how to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
But these example agreements won’t work in the Gulf. There is no country like Turkey that has the geography, politics, or capabilities to unilaterally guarantee movement through the Strait.
Less recognized practices like the Malacca Straits Patrol (MSP) between Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand offer more realistic models for Hormuz. MSP was launched in 2004 to enhance security in the Malacca Strait and bolster existing bilateral arrangements.
Participating navies conducted coordinated sea patrols and practiced information sharing between ships and naval operation centres. As a result of its success, Lloyd’s Joint War Risk Committee dropped the classification of the Malacca Strait as a ‘war risk area’ in 2006.
Under the International Maritime Organization, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia also established the Malacca Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) and STRAITREP system to enhance safety of navigation in the Malacca Strait and the region. The TSS and MSP are both viable models for future traffic monitoring and verification process in the Gulf region.
Despite problems during the unpiloted Artemis I reentry, the Artemis II crew is confident their heat shield will protect them during a fiery descent to Earth.
Why Should Delaware Care?
In recent years, the unhoused community in Wilmington has grown in size. In response, Mayor John Carney introduced a short-term plan to convert an Eastside park into the only city-sanctioned encampment. But in recent weeks, pushback to city mandates has sparked protests.
Wilmington’s plans to move Christina Park’s unhoused residents into city-issued tents were set back for a second time within a week as protests again disrupted the rollout.
After converging on the park Wednesday, protesters called on city officials to use safer materials for pallets on which tents are placed. They also urged the city not to force residents to stay in the government-provided tents, particularly after some were inundated with water and began to collapse after a storm last week.
But city officials told Spotlight Delaware that there have been no major changes to their plans, and said their initiative to move residents out of their own tents will continue.
“We will maintain safety and order in the park while working with our partners to identify a more permanent solution,” Caroline Klinger, spokesperson for the mayor’s office, said in a statement to Spotlight Delaware.
Still, on one apparent conciliatory note, the officials on Wednesday brought in tarps and a different model of tents, which were larger and appeared to be more durable than the ones the city set up last week.
For residents, the city’s mandate that they move out of their own tents and into city-issued ones has not been well planned. Many noted that last week’s storm soaked their clothes and belongings in those new tents. Two also pointed to an empty pallet where a tent once stood. They said it blew away overnight during the storm.
“I’ve been scared to stay in it,” said park resident Tiffany Lawler, referring to her city-issued tent. Instead, Lawler said she has been staying in a friend’s private tent.
The competing visions for the unhoused community at Christina Park have led to days of tensions. During the late morning on Wednesday, protesters began a demonstration by standing on the wooden pallets that workers were planning to move into the encampment.
They argued the pallets posed a safety risk to residents, citing, among other things, sharp edges that could tear tents.
“Pallets have to go as well. It’s not our fault that they can’t buy the right stuff,” Joe Connor, a resident who joined the protest, said.
Throughout the protest, which lasted a few hours, police maintained a heavy presence, with more than half a dozen officers on site, as well as a police wagon.
By the early afternoon, Wilmington Police Major Anthony Bowers reached an agreement with demonstrators to halt their protest in exchange for the city ending their pallet installations for the day. The agreement echoed a similar one struck the previous week when a police officer convinced protesters then to stand down.
Throughout the rest of the day, employees of the social services organization, Friendship House, worked with volunteers to replace many of the city’s original tents with new ones.
“We’ll put some tents down for the people who don’t have the tents, with the pallets already there. And then we’ll regroup with public works, and we’ll talk about it,” Bowers said to protesters.
In response to concerns about the pallets, Klinger said repairs can be made by the organization that constructed them. She further stated that tents on pallets is a preferable setup to them being placed directly on the ground.
“As soon as city employees can safely get the pallets unstacked without disruption, the community organization who made them can come out and address any necessary repairs,” Kilinger said.
Wilmington spent more than $50,000 for the construction of the wooden pallets and the labor to set them up. The city spent $4,000 for the initial 105 tents, and then another $4,000 for the additional 28 durable tents.
Last week, housing advocates and University of Delaware students first protested the city’s plan to revamp part of Christina Park into a grid system by placing residents and the uniform, city-provided tents into designated squares.
Officials from Mayor John Carney’s office said then that the decision was made out of concern for the park’s appearance, as well as to make it easier for paramedic crews to respond to emergencies in the community.
Prior to the setup of the first set of tents, residents were told to collect their belongings and keep them inside the new tents. Only one bike and a chair would be allowed outside, according to the city’s rules.
Previously, residents of the encampment had chosen their own spaces, spreading throughout the park with tents, sofas, generators, and grills.
Last week Carney’s chief of staff, Cerron Cade, told Spotlight Delaware that those who refuse to move to city-provided tents would have to leave the encampment entirely.
“We have to have some rules. And if folks don’t want to follow the rules, there’s no doors to the park. They can leave,” Cade said.
Thus far, residents at the park are split on how they feel about the city’s plans. Many residents are still living on the opposite side of the city’s grid in their own tents. And some individuals have multiple tents, one for sleeping and others to keep food and personal belongings.
“I always go back to ‘what if your family was out here in one of those and it collapsed, or it folded?’” said one resident, Ron “Philly” Simmons, who has acted as a de-facto leader of the community during its first few months as a city-sanctioned encampment.
“You want me to give up five tents to move into that? Over my dead body,” he said.
Another resident told Spotlight Delaware that while he accepted a city-issued tent, he agreed with protesters and has quietly continued living in his original tent in opposition to the city’s plan.
“Now that’s the tent they gave me. That’s compliance. That’s the tent I live in. That’s resilience. But you know what? No one’s saying anything to me,” said the resident, who only provided his first name as Greg.
But other residents say they are grateful for the city’s help in providing new tents to stay in.
One resident, Carl, who had been staying at the Sunday Breakfast Mission, said he came to the park after hearing the city was distributing tents. He said having his own tent gives him a sense of personal space and allows him to avoid the shelter’s religious requirements and conflicts with other residents.
Lawler told Spotlight that she’s hopeful the new tents will hold up better and said she’s still in support of the city’s initiative. She only hopes that officials don’t force people who do not want to stay in the tents to be able to stay where they are.
“They got their grid right here, leave them alone,” she said.
The post Protests again stall the Christina Park tent overhaul appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.
Education reporter Julia Merola and health reporter Nick Stonesifer join “Beyond the Headlines” to talk about their recent investigation into the Rockford Center, a private behavioral health hospital in Newark which has been cited by state regulators in recent years for giving children medications without their or their parents’ consent.
Julia and Nick discuss their more than six month process to develop this report. They share how they connected with the families and employees featured in the article, why investigations like this take so much time, and detail their fact-checking process. Finally, they reflect on how reporting these kinds of stories impacts them personally as journalists.
The podcast was hosted by Director of Community Engagement David Stradley.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
We’re going to spend most of our time today talking about your investigative process rather than the results of that process. But for anyone who hasn’t read this article, can one of you just share the high-level findings?
STONSIFER: Sure. This is a story about the Rockford Center. A larger portrait about some of the medication and sedation practices we had been hearing about in the facility from families of patients, patients and former employees.
What led the two of you to start looking into the Rockford Center? Who found this story?
MEROLA: I had originally seen a Facebook post made by one of the parents who we ended up talking to and including in the story, and it was just detailing her daughter’s experience at the facility. I had sent it to Nick, and I just said, “I think this is a story that looks at both of the things we cover.”
I cover education, but that has to do with children and their families. Nick, he’s our health reporter, so he looks at these facilities all the time. It just seemed like an ideal combination for us to tag team this story.
Nick, in 2025 you worked on several articles detailing problematic experiences at another psychiatric hospital, MeadowWood. How was it different working on this investigation with a reporting partner?
STONESIFER: It’s definitely a lot better. You know, there’s a lot to these stories. A lot of people you have to talk to, a lot of extra research you have to do. So, wherever you can get an extra set of eyes — an extra set of hands — take it.
And I have to imagine these are intense interviews. These are stories about a mother finding her 22-year-old son at a ChristianaCare emergency room shortly after he received a powerful sedative cocktail at Rockford. Stories of a mother calling Rockford 45 times within one day to try to get an update about her 8-year-old daughter.
Lots of experiences being shared. Is it helpful to have two sets of ears listening to those stories?
STONESIFER: Yeah, for sure. Not everybody can absorb everything in those longer interviews. You’re absorbing a lot very quickly, trying to juggle the questions you put together ahead of time, also trying to think of stuff on the fly. So it’s nice to have somebody who’s not focused on leading the interview, kind of thinking on the fly about those questions.
This investigation took more than seven months to report on. Can you walk us through your reporting process? Why did it take so long?
And Julia, I’ll start with you here, since you’re the one that found this initial person.
MEROLA: Part of it was we’re talking to families that have multiple children. Life in general is hectic for anyone. So just literally scheduling interviews and finding a time that worked for the parent and also both of our schedules took a little bit.
Nick had done a FOIA request before we even started reporting this and he got 30 different files, and each file was at least three pages long. So there were a lot of state reports that we had to look through and take notes on.
One of the things that we felt was really important was speaking with an independent psychiatrist who could tell us, “Hey, these are the typical side effects that you would see if you’re giving a child this medication,” or, “This is what the standard of care typically looks like in a psychiatric facility.” But it took us a very long time to actually find a psychiatrist.
And then both of the times when we thought we were just at the finish line, it was during holiday season, which, again, you’re talking to families who have multiple children. Holidays are chaotic for literally anybody.
So I just feel like there’s a few things in there that made the story take longer than it typically would have. But, you know, it was a process that worked out in the end.
You found the first family through a Facebook post. This was Julia Bailey, whose 8-year-old daughter started having hallucinations shortly after her time at Rockford, hallucinations that told her to harm herself.
There were multiple other families, some on the record, some just on background. What was your process for finding those other families who had these experiences?
STONESIFER: Earlier this year, I had put out a post on Reddit soliciting people’s experiences in these facilities, specifically Rockford. And we got a lot of feedback at the time. Actually, so much so it was kind of hard to keep up with.
We had done a lot of off-the-record and background interviews with people, just to help inform our process. People who did tell me they wanted to go on the record, I had sent lines to, but you go cold sometimes for months and then out of the blue they text you and now you’re hot on the trail again.
With stories like this, it’s not really uncommon. It’s usually why they take so long sometimes – just trying to track people down.
Julia, you found Tia and Darrian Wright, the family that leads the story. Darrian is a 22-year-old who has an intellectual disability that limits his cognitive function. He voluntarily admitted himself to Rockford after telling his mom, Tia, he wanted to die, and woke up in an emergency room less than 48 hours later.
During his short stay at Rockford, he received multiple medications on top of a combination shot meant to subdue patients during outbursts. How did you get connected to Tia and Darrian?
MEROLA: Pretty much the same as the process of finding our original family. I feel like I just randomly saw a Facebook post. I reached out to Tia. She gave me her number.
I think I called her and left a voicemail and told her I’m a reporter at Spotlight Delaware. We’ve been looking into this for a few months now. We really just want to talk to you and hear about your son’s experience.
We set up a call from there. But yeah, I just really stumbled upon this Facebook post.
STONESIFER: The work never stops. You’re never off the clock mentally, even when you’re scrolling.
Was part of the duration of this reporting process connected to earning the trust of these families? These are very vulnerable things that they’re talking about. Did you have to earn that or were these people ready to talk and ready to share?
MEROLA: I think it was a mix. There were definitely certain people who did not feel comfortable using their names, or only wanted to talk on background.
But people like Tia Wright and Julia Bailey, they both wanted their stories out there. They didn’t have any hesitation about using their names, and their children’s names. They were just very upfront about what they had experienced.
I think it makes sense considering I’d found them both on Facebook. It wasn’t like they were someone, we had posted on Reddit and then they had reached out to us. We found them because they were so upfront about what they were experiencing. But there were definitely certain people who wanted to stay on background.
STONESIFER: Some people have never spoken with journalists before, so it’s good to just give people that runway if they don’t want to be quoted, but still want to help the reporting process. It’s always good to let them do that. And if at some point they come back to us and say, “Okay, I’m going to go on the record,” we’re happy to oblige.
For those parents that were ready to talk, was there any kind of care that you had to structure those interviews with?
STONESIFER: I’d say they were ready. They had already put out stuff on the internet. That’s more than a lot of people do.
When you’re getting ready to talk to a reporter, you know, you’ve already kind of done it in one way, but maybe not been asked questions about it and hadn’t thought about it much deeper than maybe when you first posted.
So sometimes for some people, that gets emotional. We’re careful we don’t push where we don’t have to. If there’s a question somebody doesn’t want to answer, we’re not pushy if it’s not needed.
People want to tell their stories. So it’s not like we have to set up too much care, but we’re respectful where we can be.
MEROLA: I think just to add on to that, they were very open and up front. But like Nick was saying, they’re not used to being asked all these follow-up questions. And I think sometimes, there were moments where you could see the mothers getting choked up a little bit because they were talking about experiences with their kids.
We would just say, “It’s okay. Take your time.”
They would take a minute to themselves, and then we just went back into it from there.
In those moments, I would say it is having them guide you and see if that minute needs to turn into a five-minute break and you turn off your camera. That’s fine. Like Nick said, we’re not going to push and poke, especially because it’s a more sensitive topic.
If I’m remembering correctly, in about the last month before the article was finally published, you two would show up at our morning editorial meetings and say, “Hey, we thought this piece was just about ready, but we just found someone else. Another patient, another family came out and wants to talk.” How did those sources influence the reporting?
STONESIFER: They were patients themselves. They were also health care workers. So it’s valuable context, it’s valuable additional reporting that otherwise might not have been in it if we had jumped to publish right when we thought we were at the finish line.
Once this article was ready to go, you took the step of sharing it with a media lawyer for their review. Why take that step on this article?
STONESIFER: It is not uncommon for bigger stories like this. A lot of outlets do it. It’s just to make sure our bases are covered.
It’s very impactful. A lot of claims are being made in the story, and we had to make sure stuff was properly attributed. We had to make sure we gave everybody proper runway to comment on stuff, which we did.
It’s not uncommon for reporters to do this, when they have that resource available.
When you talk about giving people runway to comment on the article — in this case that was specifically making sure Rockford had time to comment?
STONESIFER: Yeah, we had been in communication with Rockford for months. They had known the story was on our radar, as early as late last year.
We would come back to them any time there were new claims being made in the story and give them a chance to comment. At the end we’re like, “Hey, this is the last time we’re going to reach out. Anything else you wanna tell us?” Like, this is it.
It’s part of the process. We want to be fair and that’s part of it.
Once the media lawyer had reviewed it, were there any changes that you had to make to the article based on their feedback?
STONESIFER: No, there were no concerns about libel or anything like that. We had strengthened our reporting with other sources.
I would imagine that part of the reason why that media lawyer didn’t have any changes for you all was that you had done your due diligence, had done your fact checking. You hear a lot in the reporting world about fact-checking articles. Can one of you talk us through what your process is on an article like this of fact checking?
MEROLA: Basically what we had done — because this is a bigger story in the sense that the topic is heavy, but it also was just a really lengthy story — we split it in half and each of us worked from top to bottom, met in the middle.
We would look at the quotes that we were using and comment the exact minute mark of the audio where that quote took place. If it was a paraphrase, we would say, this is a paraphrase of the quote that started at, like, minute 16 of our August interview with so-and-so.
If we had statements from Rockford, we’d include the whole statement in that comment. When we had our state reports, we would comment the whole section from the state report and the exact page and date of that state report, just so that, you know, if our lawyer — not that this happened at all — but if anyone had any questions of, “Hey, when did this happen again?” They could easily see this was from an August 19 interview at the 16 minute mark.
But again, like Nick said, there were no questions because we were so diligent. It’s best practice to be that diligent.
It also just helps you sleep better at night knowing that you can pinpoint exactly where every single thing is.
What you end up with is basically what looks like a very heavily notated, almost academic paper of just footnote, footnote, footnote?
MEROLA: Yeah. If you’re familiar with Google Docs comments and you’re putting way too many comments on a document, it’ll almost add pages. We were definitely adding pages because of the amount of comments. There were a lot of comments.
Do you do this for every article you write at Spotlight or is this a unique case?
MEROLA: I think this was a unique case. I mean, we always fact-check our articles. When you’re a journalist, especially for simple stories, you know what was said. I don’t always feel the need to go minute by minute.
I always do a quick check of my transcriptions, but I don’t feel the need to comment on minute marks. I know that a typical story, it’s just going to be me looking at that fact-check document. But for this one, it’s just best practice to have all of your I’s dotted and your T’s crossed.
It also shows your dedication to reporting, shows that you really care about putting out the most accurate story no matter what it takes.
STONESIFER: You want to point back to what you were able to do when anybody ever has questions about it. You want to be able to explain why every letter was typed the way it was, or every word is in the story. And that’s just part of your responsibility as a journalist.
In addition to the enormous technical reporting challenges in an article like this — creating that massive fact-checking document — I have to imagine this reporting process was also emotionally challenging for the two of you. What are the human challenges for you as reporters of spending so much time hearing about these very painful experiences in the interviews?
STONESIFER: Some stuff sticks with you. You end interviews, but it comes back to you out of the blue one time you’re just not thinking about it. I have stuff I still think about from MeadowWood.
But, you find solace in the fact that you’re helping people tell their stories, share their stories, doing good investigative work, where otherwise nobody would’ve said anything. It feels good in that way.
It’s the journalist’s plight. Sometimes it’s thankless in that way. But this story, we got a lot of praise for the work we did, so that also pays off.
MEROLA: I think I would also just add that these are families who want to get their story out there. For some people this is the first time they’ve actually had someone really listen and ask questions.
It’s a human want — to be heard. I think this is something that they recognized — “they,” meaning the families — recognized would help them through whatever kind of healing process they were looking at with their families.
I don’t think this was the type of situation where there needed to be really intense handholding with families. We’re not acting as therapists. We’re acting as people who are listening and asking the powers that be why this was able to happen the way it was.
And I think the families know that, and they see the value in that.
Was this another place where working on this as a reporting team was helpful? I mean, after a particularly intense interview, were you able to just connect with one another and be like, “Huh, that just happened.”
MEROLA: Yeah, I think there were definitely times where Nick and I would do a Slack huddle call after an interview and be like, “I can’t believe I just heard that.”
And it definitely is a little bit of weight off your shoulder to be like, “That was really intense. And I can’t believe we just talked about that for an hour.”
But at the same time, you know what the work is. You know what you have to do next. I feel like you’re not necessarily focusing on how it affects you. You’re more so just looking at how to tell this story accurately.
The night before the story was actually published — what’s going on for the two of you? Are you totally at peace that your reporting work was done to the best of your abilities, or is it a little bit more of a complicated night?
MEROLA: I’m honestly never at peace the night before any story comes out.
If I’m being completely honest, it can be the simplest, dumbest story in the world, and I’m still freaking out. So I am never at peace. But we were both looking at the document, just reading through and reading through and reading through until probably like 11 p.m. We were texting each other, being like, “Oh my God, I can’t believe this is happening.”
So, yeah, definitely not at peace. But when am I ever?
STONESIFER: A very, very healthy dose of skepticism never hurt anybody, especially on stories like this. You’re kind of freaking out until the last minute.
Once it’s out in the world, I usually feel better about it. But it’s kind of right before the buzzer that is usually very nerve wracking.
Once the article is published, once it’s out in the world, what feedback did you hear from people either in the article or just from readers who reached out to let you know what they thought about it?
STONESIFER: People were thankful we had done this story. Kind of a similar thing to when MeadowWood came out last year. People have been talking about this in Delaware for a very long time.
And when they see stories about it, they want to share their experience. They are like, “This is what happened to me when I was there in XY year.”
Just a lot of people have just very positive feedback from the community on stories like this.
MEROLA: I would also say we saw someone who redacted their personal information, but commented their medical documents from when they stayed at the facility. And I just thought that was very jarring in the sense that someone would be so willing to share their medical documents without knowing us or speaking to us. And also putting that on social media. I did not expect to see that.
But yeah, like Nick said, it was just a lot of people sharing their personal experiences and thanking us for putting the story out there.
Seeing the response, seeing somebody being willing to publish their own medical records, does that give you the feeling of, “Hey, we did our job,” or is that paranoia still alive and well?
STONESIFER: It feels like we’ve done our job. It feels comforting in a way to know that there are so many other people, this huge outpouring of people that had similar experiences that we didn’t even talk to or weren’t even on our radar. That kind of puts the mind at ease a little.
MEROLA: I would also say it’s kind of validating for us in a way, too, because I feel like when you’re reporting on a story for this long, you’re kind of like, “Is anybody really going to read this?”
But I think after seeing so many people commenting on different platforms and reaching out to us individually and sharing the posts, it just reminds you that these stories are stories that we need to hold people accountable and ask the important questions and figure out why things happen or how things happen.
It was just a reminder that, yeah, this story took forever, and at times I really wondered whether we were going to be able to put it out there. But you know, it’s something that needed to happen.
Thank you both for your thoroughness and care in reporting on the experiences of these patients and for letting us in on your process.
MEROLA: Thanks for having us.
STONESIFER: Thank you.
The post ‘Beyond the Headlines’ podcast: Investigating the Rockford Center appeared first on Spotlight Delaware.
The price of silence from western politicians and media outlets over Israel’s actions in Palestine is now being paid by Iranian and Lebanese civilians
The president of the United States threatened this week to commit genocide against Iran. As Israel engages in continued bombing in Lebanon, killing more than 200 people in a single day, that fact must never be scrubbed away, not least because there is no guarantee the threat will not be revived. But as we descend towards the abyss, we need to understand where our fall began.
“A whole civilisation will die tonight, never to be brought back again,” Donald Trump wrote on Tuesday. Just over a year ago, he announced: “A civilisation has been wiped out in Gaza.” The connection is not hard to trace. Trump knew Gaza had been razed by Israel, insisting it was “not a place for people to be living”. When he joined forces with the perpetrator of that genocide in an illegal war on Iran, the apocalyptic rubble of Gaza became a template.
Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
Continue reading...Fernando Mendoza will almost certainly go No 1 overall. But who are the players that teams may take a swing on after the big names have gone?
You have to go back to 2000 to find a year in which fewer than four quarterbacks were selected in the top 100 picks. But in this year’s mediocre quarterback class, the fourth quarterback may not go off the board until day three. After Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Alabama’s Ty Simpson, it’s unclear who will even be the third taken. There is a chasm from the top two down to LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State’s Drew Allar and Miami’s Carson Beck. All three are flawed. The most tantalizing mid-round quarterback is Payton, a one-year, lefty starter out of North Dakota State.
Continue reading...Experts warn lapse could sharply reduce reports of abuse, echoing a 58% drop during a similar legal gap in 2021
The European parliament has blocked the extension of a law that permits big tech firms to scan for child sexual exploitation on their platforms, creating a legal gap that child safety experts say will lead to crimes going undetected.
The law, which was a carve-out of the European Union’s ePrivacy Directive, was put in place in 2021 as a temporary measure allowing companies to use automated detection technologies to scan messages for harms, including child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming and sextortion. However, it expired on 3 April, and the EU parliament decided not to vote to extend it, amid privacy concerns from some lawmakers.
This article was amended on 10 April 2026 to correct the name of the EU’s ePrivacy Directive.
Continue reading...It’s a Newark love story that began in the cab of the city’s leaf-vacuuming truck.
A Newark woman is charged with assaulting a state trooper during an investigation into a stolen car.
Go behind the scenes with our team as we find and make sense of the numbers.
Speaking to a modest crowd of voters inside a Canton brewery on Tuesday evening, Mallory McMorrow, a leading candidate for Senate in the swing state of Michigan, made an anti-war appeal as President Donald Trump’s threats to kill “a whole civilization” hung over Iran and the world.
“This is a moment for people to stand up and to decide who they are actually for — are they for the Constitution, are they for Americans, are they for Michiganders, or are they for Donald Trump?” McMorrow said to applause. She encouraged Democrats to consider invoking the 25th Amendment as an option to counter the president.
Later that evening, 17 miles to the west before a packed auditorium at the University of Michigan, McMorrow’s opponent Abdul El-Sayed also criticized the war — and a key distraction from it.
“Our president is waging a genocidal, illegal, unjustifiable war with Iran that is torching our tax dollars to the tune of $1.5 billion a day,” El-Sayed said. And yet, “apparently the most important thing happening on Twitter was whether or not we were gonna campaign with Hasan.” He was referring to the popular political streamer Hasan Piker, who stood by his side at two 600-attendee university rallies that day, the largest of any campaign events in Michigan so far this year.
The primary contest between McMorrow, a Michigan state senator, and El-Sayed, a physician and former candidate for governor, has turned into a referendum over the future of the Democratic Party and who should lead its insurgent left flank. The two are locked in a three-way race for Michigan’s Democratic Senate nomination with Rep. Haley Stevens, a moderate with establishment backing who led the polls early on but has since seen her popularity slip. McMorrow and El-Sayed have both positioned themselves as outsiders to D.C. who promise progressive policies to help Michiganders struggling in an increasingly unaffordable economy — but the finer points, like debates over appropriate language and acceptable surrogates, reveal a deeper source of uncertainty: How far left is too far for the Democrats?
How far left is too far for the Democrats?
“This is almost like a proxy fight for 2028 in the presidential election,” said Adam Carlson, a political consultant and pollster behind Zenith Research. “It’s kind of like an AOC versus ‘insert more progressive center-left politician here.’ I think that whichever side comes out victorious will claim that as a mantle.”
Michigan is a state of key presidential importance. Its voters have backed the winner in every presidential election since 2008, swinging for Trump both times he won and against him the one time he lost. The 2026 general election for Senate is poised to be a close contest between the parties, too: In retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters’s last election in 2020, he fended off Republican challenger John James by a slim 1.7 percent margin. Democratic Sen. Elisa Slotkin won her seat by an even slimmer margin, defeating Republican Mike Rogers by less than 1 percentage point in 2024. Rogers is running again this year.
As the Democratic Party seeks to consolidate support against Republicans, the fury over seemingly minor events like Piker’s appearance speaks to a growing gap between its establishment and the younger, more progressive part of its base. Piker, a leftist streamer who commands a massive audience in an online format often dominated by the far right, has been both held up as an essential asset for the left and shunned by centrists for his critical view of the U.S. and Israel’s role on the world stage.
Comparing Piker to the far-right, neo-Nazi podcaster Nick Fuentes, McMorrow told Jewish Insider, “That is not somebody that you should be campaigning with at a moment when there is clearly a lot of pain and trauma across our state,” a reference to a March 12 attack in which a U.S. citizen whose relatives the Israeli military killed in Lebanon rammed his car into a Michigan synagogue and opened fire before killing himself.
A McMorrow campaign staffer told The Intercept that the comments were given to Jewish Insider as a part of a longer feature story about the Temple Israel synagogue attack and her connections to the Jewish community; McMorrow’s husband and daughter are Jewish. But to El-Sayed, who released a lengthy statement decrying the synagogue attack, McMorrow’s comments revealed a disproportionate “hierarchy of pain,” in which the suffering of Jewish people matters more than that of the Arab and Muslim communities to which El-Sayed belongs. Piker, meanwhile, has objected to characterizations of his pro-Palestine politics as antisemitic.
“The south of Lebanon where a lot of communities in Michigan come from has a dire history of being destroyed by Israel,” El-Sayed said. “Israel right now is setting up to annex parts of southern Lebanon. If you have family who are dying or displaced in a war, that is deeply painful. There are a lot of people all over the state who are sad, but certainly, if you got family members who are running for cover because of Israeli bombs, you’re going to be pretty sad.”
That this ideological debate manifested in outrage over Piker — largely driven by the neoliberal think tank Third Way — suggests a fearful response from the party establishment to the surge of younger, progressive candidates, Carlson said. He sees the attacks as an attempt by the establishment to hold on to influence within the party, with the ultimate hope of sending a more moderate candidate into the presidential election.
Rallying with El-Sayed at Michigan State University, Piker criticized Democrats who spent the last several weeks attacking him rather than decrying Trump’s war on Iran, singling out McMorrow and Stevens by name, drawing boos and jeers from the crowd.
“That’s exactly what’s wrong with politics in this day and age, and that’s why all of you came here,” he said, connecting the moment to the student protests against Israel’s genocide in Gaza. “For two-and-a-half years, they smeared people like myself and people like yourselves, and said that we were radical, said that we were wrong, and yet, we persevered, and we understood the violence that was taking place.”
“Mallory is about representing everybody,” a spokesperson for her campaign told The Intercept. “There’s a way to satisfy people who do have bold, progressive visions of what it is that they want to see in terms of policy, and meeting them there and saying, ‘This is how we get to your goal.’”
This brand of progressivism has put her in a tricky position, seeking to appeal both to voters who want to see a stronger fight out of establishment figures like Stevens and those who view El-Sayed as too radical. Former Bernie Sanders speech writer and founder of The Lever David Sirota labeled her a “clickbait candidate” over a campaign ad against surveillance pricing, pointing out that she had not introduced legislation to halt the practice in the state Senate, and instead voted for tax incentives to build data centers in 2024. (The tax incentives also included environmental and consumer protection measures.)
Such debates over progressive labels may have limited significance to actual voters, experts and analysts told The Intercept.
“A lot of this division is a national Democrat division that regular voters don’t care about and/or are ignorant of,” said Corwin Smidt, a political science professor at Michigan State University.
Amanda Litman, co-founder and president of Run for Something, which backed McMorrow in her successful seat-flipping 2018 state Senate run, agreed that many people don’t vote based on ideological labels.
“This conversation about progressive versus moderate, leftist versus centrist — that’s not how most people think,” Litman said. “They think my housing is really expensive and my child care bills are really high, and why the fuck is Congress fighting about like TSA and why are the lines at the airports long? That’s where voters are.”
El-Sayed and McMorrow diverge in key areas where voters have pushed Democrats to be bolder. McMorrow has called for drastic reforms of Immigration and Customs Enforcement; El-Sayed calls for ICE’s abolition. El-Sayed is running on Medicare for All and co-wrote a book on the policy; McMorrow advocates for a public option, which her campaign said she sees as an initial step toward enacting universal health care. El-Sayed has called for ending all military aid to Israel — in line with a recent high-profile pledge made by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — and McMorrow has said she would halt sending offensive weapons to Israel, while maintaining other weapons, such as the Iron Dome. (Stevens has regularly voted in favor of sending weapons to Israel, called to lower Medicare costs, and pushed for ICE accountability measures.)
“My opponents each have the same policy positions,” El-Sayed told The Intercept. “One of them has better comms and more charisma. The other one has the DSCC establishment behind them.”
McMorrow’s campaign rejected the assertion that her platform is indistinguishable from Stevens, calling McMorrow’s plan a “21st century agenda to bring back the American dream and make it actually work for people.”
She has decried the application of a “political purity test” over how to describe Israel’s genocide in Gaza. El-Sayed was the first among the candidates to use the word, joining the overwhelming international consensus among human rights organizations as well as the independent United Nations commission on Palestine. McMorrow embraced the term in October but maintained, in a January radio interview, that she finds litmus testing over it unproductive. She differentiated between the genocide of Palestinians and the Holocaust, which she said, “does mean something very different and very visceral.”
“If you can’t call that what it is, a genocide, then I’m so sorry, but it’s very difficult to believe that you’re actually going to show up and do the things that you say you’re going to do,” El-Sayed told The Intercept, without mentioning McMorrow by name.
Basim Elkarra, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations Action, which has endorsed El-Sayed, said in places with large Middle Eastern and North African communities, especially swing states like Michigan, these issues will prove critical in elections as Israel continues its wars on Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran. The Uncommitted Movement of 2024, which motivated 13 percent of Michigan’s Democratic primary voters to cast protest votes while calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an arms embargo on Israel, began in Michigan’s MENA community and snowballed into a national movement.
“Folks are going to have to go through these communities in order to win in Michigan,” Elkarra said, “so it doesn’t help to alienate this growing voting bloc.”
With nearly four months to go before the August primary, McMorrow is leading El-Sayed in fundraising, pulling in $3 million to his $2.25 million since the start of this year, according to their respective campaigns. The Federal Election Commission has not yet verified the figures.
Both El-Sayed and McMorrow have sworn off corporate PAC money and American Israel Public Affairs Committee support. Yet McMorrow has received criticism over a leaked call reported by Drop Site News in which a donor spoke of an “outstanding” AIPAC position paper she submitted last year, and her candidacy has become ensnared in debate over the political role of self-described progressive Zionist groups like J Street, which backs McMorrow. AIPAC, for its part, has targeted McMorrow with fundraising emails — and is supporting Stevens.
Stevens is additionally backed by the AIPAC-aligned Democratic Majority for Israel and has also received donations through a less traceable money machine known for filtering pro-Israel donations. She appeared on a donation portal on proisraelnetwork.org, which AIPAC donors have used to fund other candidates that have sworn off AIPAC support. Stevens’s support is no secret, however: She has spoken at AIPAC events and released promotional videos for the lobby group.
Stevens, who has not released her fundraising numbers for the most recent quarter, has been running largely on her resume, which includes flipping her historically red congressional district blue in 2018. She did not immediately respond to The Intercept’s request for comment.
Carlson, the pollster, thinks the more Michigan voters see of Stevens, the more support will coalesce around McMorrow and El-Sayed, leaving more space for the two to differentiate themselves. McMorrow has called for five debates before August.
Bill Lewis, a sophomore who helps run Students for Abdul at the University of Michigan, argued that El-Sayed was more captivating for young voters.
“Appealing to moderation is not always a winning strategy,” Lewis told The Intercept. “And if you go on campus and you ask people here, ‘Who are you excited for,’ they’re not saying Mallory, because that imagination, at least to me and to a lot of other people, is not there.”
Mari Manoogian, executive director of the nonprofit The Next 50, which supports Democratic candidates under the age of 50 and has endorsed McMorrow, said McMorrow and El-Sayed are already running in two distinct lanes, differentiated not just by substance, but also by style. She said while both have some populist policies, McMorrow espouses “authenticity,” while other candidate messaging “comes off as stilted and disjointed.”
Manoogian, a former Michigan state representative who also flipped her district blue in 2018 and campaigned alongside McMorrow, credited McMorrow for helping return the state’s Senate to Democratic control for the first time in 40 years in 2022, when McMorrow used the national attention from a viral speech that year to fundraise and campaign for other state candidates.
She also pushed back on the notion that McMorrow is a progressive candidate, favoring the label of “pragmatic.”
“Mallory is not focused on slogans and simplifying policy in the fewest number of words,” Manoogian said. “She’s focused on speaking to voters about something she believes she can actually deliver on.”
El-Sayed frames his criticism of Israel and U.S. foreign policy in pragmatic terms, too. At the Michigan State University rally, El-Sayed countered Islamophobic attacks against him while criticizing the war in Iran, saying he wanted to instead reinvest public funds in services for Michigan.
“A lot of people say it’s because I’m Arab or Muslim,” he said, referring to his anti-war stance. “And I say no, it’s because I’m fucking from Michigan.”
The post The Democrats Don’t Know Who They’ll Be in 2028. Michigan May Offer an Answer. appeared first on The Intercept.
Lefty’s Alley & Eats, the bowling alley and entertainment center under construction in The Grove at Newark, will open July 9, the company announced this week.
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| 200:The feed has moved permanently to a new URL. http://udreview.com/feed/ → https://udreview.com/feed/ |
| 200:The feed has moved permanently to a new URL. https://www.osnews.com/files/recent.rdf → https://www.osnews.com/feed/ |
| 403:The feed has gone. https://www.mlb.com/mets/feeds/news/rss.xml |
| 200:The feed has moved permanently to a new URL. https://newsfactsnetwork.com/feed/ → https://newsfactsnetwork.com |
| The data retrieved from this URL could not be understood as a feed. |
| Feed | RSS | Last fetched | Next fetched after |
|---|---|---|---|
| 302 Onewheel on Facebook | XML | 2026-04-13 08:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| @econliberties on Twitter | XML | 2026-04-13 08:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| @rideonewheel on Twitter | XML | 2026-04-13 08:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| Arch Linux: Recent news updates | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Articles | smithsonianmag.com | XML | 2026-04-12 20:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| Business | The Guardian | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Chatham House: What's New | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| CNET | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Constitution Daily | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Custom RSS Feed for The Latest | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| FA RSS | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| FactCheck.org | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Home - CBSNews.com | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| HPCwire | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| https://www.mlb.com/mets/feeds/news/rss.xml | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Kareem Takes on the News | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Lima Charlie World | XML | 2026-04-12 20:04 | 2026-04-14 20:04 |
| Linux.com | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| National | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| News Facts Network | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Onewheel -●- The Self-Balancing Electric Skateboard | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Onewheel Instagram | XML | 2026-04-13 08:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| OSnews | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| pev.dev - Latest posts | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| PolitiFact - Rulings | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| ProPublica | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| RAND: News Releases for 2023 | XML | 2026-04-12 20:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| Recently Active Topics | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Slashdot | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Smart News | smithsonianmag.com | XML | 2026-04-12 20:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| Spotlight Delaware | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| surfdado | XML | 2026-04-12 20:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| Technology - CBSNews.com | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Technology | The Guardian | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| The Bridge | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| The Intercept | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| The RAND Blog | XML | 2026-04-12 20:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| The Review | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| The Sideways Movement | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| TomDispatch - Blog | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Truth or Fiction? | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Udaily Newsletter Feed | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| Us - CBSNews.com | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| US news | The Guardian | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| USAFacts | Nonpartisan Government Data | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| VESCmann | XML | 2026-04-12 20:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| wheel -●- Self-Balancing Electric Skateboards | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| World | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| World news | The Guardian | XML | 2026-04-13 12:04 | 2026-04-13 14:04 |
| www.newarkpostonline.com - RSS Results in news,news/* | XML | 2026-04-12 20:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| www.newarkpostonline.com - RSS Results in regional,regional/* | XML | 2026-04-12 20:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
| www.newarkpostonline.com - RSS Results in sports/college,sports/college/* | XML | 2026-04-12 20:04 | 2026-04-13 20:04 |
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