John Kennedy pushes back against such spending as pro-Trump ‘public service announcements’ air before midterms
As the White House expands a taxpayer-funded advertising campaign to promote Donald Trump’s political agenda before the November midterm elections, US senator John Kennedy told CBS News on Sunday “there ought to be a rule” against such spending – before tacitly admitting such spending is “probably” illegal.
Kennedy, the US president’s fellow Republican, was asked by Margaret Brennan, the CBS Face the Nation host, about the White House spending to air multiple ads featuring Trump – including one that was produced for his 2024 election campaign.
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for calm in Northern Ireland on Sunday after the Orange Order was given the go-ahead by the High Court in Belfast in a late-night sitting.
The USC Trojans have suspended their linebacker Desman Stephens II after what was described as a “disgusting play” that left Oregon quarterback Dante Moore in hospital.
Moore was carted off the field after a late hit by Stephens in the first half of Oregon’s 41-27 win over USC on Saturday. During the play, Moore took off on a scramble. As he attempted to slide, he was hit in the head by Stephens, who was called for targeting and disqualified from the game. Moore was taken to hospital, and an Oregon spokesperson later said the quarterback had movement in all of his extremities and was being evaluated.
Vučić not allowed to seek third presidential term and election will test his grip on rule after widespread protests
Serbia’s populist president, Aleksandar Vučić, has resigned to pursue an attempt to become prime minister in an early parliamentary election that will test his firm rule in the Balkan country after nearly two years of protests.
Vučić’s second presidential term would otherwise end in May next year. He is banned by the constitution from seeking a third term and said he was resigning to lead his rightwing Serbian Progressive party (SNS) in the 25 October ballot.
Waymo's self-driving car technology "continues to outperform human benchmarks," the company claimed this week. "It was involved in 841 fewer injury-causing crashes — an 82% reduction compared to human drivers."
Electrek reports:
We've seen various Waymo crash data before, with Waymo claiming crash reductions. That's all well and good when the company says it, but we've also seen independent data confirming similar (though lower) crash reduction numbers...
Waymo has enough miles that it's ready to start quoting how many injuries it has prevented, and the number is pretty high. Its newest crash data states that it had operated a total of 271 million driverless miles through June of this year, which is 50 million more miles added in the 3 months since its end-of-March update. Over those miles, Waymo says there was an 82% reduction in crashes that caused injury, and a 95% reduction in crashes that cause "serious injury or worse" [compared to human drivers].
Waymo also says that compared to human drivers it's reduced injury-causing crashes involving pedestrians by 93%, cyclists by 86%, and motorcyclists by 82%.
Waymo's analysis comes from San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix, and its blog post includes video showing some near-misses where it says its automated system prevented an injury-causing collision.
Andy Burnham will fight the next election with a pledge to finally fix the broken social care system, acknowledging that he is willing to expend political capital by asking taxpayers to cover the cost.
As Labour’s party conference began in Liverpool, he pledged to “rip the plaster off” to radically transform care, setting out a vision for a universal service that would be free at the point of use for everybody in England.
Counter-terrorism police investigate whether Iran is behind suspected bomb plot after member of public calls 999 over suspicious vehicles
Counter-terrorism police are investigating whether Iran is behind a suspected bomb plot after armed officers found explosives on three vans parked minutes from an RAF base used by the US military.
The Guardian understands that after five men were arrested on terrorism charges, investigators were examining materials found in the vans, with an initial view being they were consistent with improvised explosive devices.
Thom Tillis says Trump’s decision to back Paxton over John Cornyn has put the Senate seat at risk for Republicans
US senator Thom Tillis on Sunday criticized Donald Trump, his fellow Republican, for the president’s support of Ken Paxton over incumbent John Cornyn in the Texas Senate Republican primary.
“He made a colossal mistake,” Tillis, a frequent Trump critic from North Carolina, said during an interview on CNN’s State of the Union in reference to the president’s support of Paxton who defeated Cornyn in the May primary.
On this "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" broadcast, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Alexander Yui, Taiwan representative to the U.S., join Margaret Brennan.
Even Andy Burnham’s closest allies accept that deposing Keir Starmer to install their man as leader was a huge political gamble. But if the mood at the Labour party conference in Liverpool is anything to go by, it is one that – so far – has paid off.
The contrast with last year, when Starmer retained his grip on the party and Burnham slunk away from Liverpool early, could not be more stark. Their relief at their turn of fortune is tempered only by the fiscal headwinds ahead.
Shabana Mahmood will announce a new legal route for refugees that prioritises Afghan women and girls and Palestinians, unfreezing a scheme that will put the most vulnerable refugees on a faster path to permanent status.
The change marks a shift in Mahmood’s approach to asylum seekers after the abrupt closure of the Afghan resettlement scheme last year and changes that will keep refugee status under constant review for two decades.
If you are like many other seniors in college, your first few weeks back on campus might be spent brainstorming items with your friends or looking up ideas on Pinterest to add to your senior year bucket list.
If you and your friends keep getting stuck on items to add, hopefully this list will give you inspiration on how to make your senior year the most memorable one yet.
1. Theme nights
One thing that can always make a hangout with your friends more fun and memorable is if there is a theme involved. Karaoke, bingo and trivia nights are some different themes you could use to spruce up a regular night.
Some restaurants on Main Street even have themed nights that you could go to. Grain Craft Bar + Kitchen usually has bingo and trivia nights on Mondays and Tuesdays, respectively. Two other fun options are Klondike Kate’s karaoke held on Tuesday nights from 9-11 p.m and Deer Park Tavern’s music bingo on Wednesdays from 8-10 p.m.
2. Group Halloween costume
It is always fun to spend a holiday with your friends, and Halloween is such a great excuse to get dressed up in a costume and go out. Getting everyone together to do a group Halloween costume would make for amazing memories and probably some hilarious pictures. Be as silly or as serious as you and your friends want to be.
3. Valentine’s Day party
Having a Valentine’s Day party with your friends is such an amazing way to show the love and care you have for them. Bake some cookies, show your appreciation for your friends and throw on a classic rom-com for a night everyone will love.
4. Make your own pizza night
Cooking by yourself might be boring sometimes, but getting to cook with all of your friends could be a fun activity for everyone to participate in. Make some dough, get some toppings and invite everyone over for a night with some good food. Plus, everyone gets to make their own so no one will be fighting over whether or not pineapple belongs on pizza.
5. Sleepover
Even though living with roommates may seem like one big sleepover every night, you could make the experience even more unforgettable by having all of your friends bring sleeping bags to the living room and having one big slumber party. You can tell spooky stories about freshman year or have some deep talks, but either way this one is a definite must.
6. Graduation Build-A-Bear
Want something special to commemorate your last year in college? Go buy a graduation Build-A-Bear with your friends or roommates! Make the bear even more unique by putting a voice box in it with the voices of the people who made your college experience so worthwhile. Do not forget its little diploma!
7. Visit old dorms/freshman year buildings on campus
Do not leave campus before taking pictures in front of the buildings that began some of your greatest relationships in college. Go to your old dorm, favorite dining hall or class building where you met your best friends and have a full-circle moment in your cap and gown.
8. Photoshoot with roommates/best friends
Set up a photoshoot to do with your roommates and best friends. You could take pictures on campus, Main Street or even at home. The options are endless. Afterwards, you could print the photos out and put them into a scrapbook to keep looking back on.
9. Sporting event with all your friends
Do not miss out on all of the sporting events that are constantly happening around campus. Make a night out of it with your friends by tailgating and enjoying the game. When are you ever going to be able to randomly go to a football game on a Thursday night with your friends again? Make the most of it now!
10. Write letters to your future self
Perhaps one of the most emotional items on this bucket list is to write letters to your future self. You could write one for you to open right after graduation or one for 30 years from now, but definitely include all of your favorite memories of your time in college. By putting pictures inside the envelope with your letter, you could even make a small time capsule of your four years here.
The thought of being a senior doesn’t have to be so scary when you know that you have a full year of fun, memorable experiences lined up for you and your friends. Happy senior year!
Local people say members of WhatsApp group noticed suspicious activity around vans in Whelford overnight
In the early hours of Sunday morning, a resident of the village of Whelford was driving home when she saw three white vans parked on a country road. She was immediately suspicious, she said, and all the more so when she spotted a “large group of hooded and balaclavaed” men. She called 999 and police arrived on the scene 15 minutes later.
The resident, who asked not to be named, told the Press Association: “It would appear that by doing so I just derailed whatever they [the men] were planning. A plucky amateur shouldn’t be spotting an unusual bit of activity at 1am when the airbase is on high alert. I think it’s absolutely astonishing.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A new television advertisement featuring President Donald Trump and rhetoric closely resembling his 2024 campaign messaging aired Sunday on Fox News Sunday with an unusual disclosure: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.”
The 30-second spot shows Trump walking through a hallway while audio plays from a campaign-era speech describing a “final battle” against the “deep state,” globalists, communists, Marxists, fascists and the “fake news media.” Mediaite reported that the wording is nearly identical to a Trump campaign video released in 2024.
The ad is part of a broader government-funded campaign that has appeared on Fox News, Newsmax and other networks. The White House says the spots are public service announcements intended to promote patriotism and educate Americans, not campaign advertisements.
However, federal appropriations law prohibits taxpayer money from being used for “publicity or propaganda,” and the Government Accountability Office has previously said that restriction applies to communications that are purely partisan or designed to aid candidates or parties. No court has ruled that the Trump ads violate that prohibition.
The campaign has drawn criticism from lawmakers and political figures across party lines, particularly because it is airing weeks before the midterm elections. AP reported that government spending on the ads had already reached hundreds of thousands of dollars.
President Trump said U.S. and British authorities were working together on the investigation. He said he believed the suspects were “looking to do big damage.”
Waltz says Trump rejected Iran’s proposal to end war because they ‘were asking for everything up front’
The Trump administration’s ambassador to the United Nations said the US rejected Iran’s proposal to end the ongoing war there because Iranian negotiators “were asking for everything up front”.
Echoing comments by Donald Trump on Saturday, the president’s UN ambassador Mike Waltz told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that Iran had asked for relief “from billions and billions of sanctions that are going into place” as part of an economic blockade on Iran. The blockade is aimed at putting pressure on Iran to stop its attacks on vessels in the strait of Hormuz.
The following is the transcript of the interview with Sen. John Kennedy, Republican of Louisiana, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sept. 27, 2026.
The following is the transcript of the interview with Rep. Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sept. 27, 2026.
The following is the transcript of the interview with Alexander Yui, Taiwan's representative to the U.S., that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sept. 27, 2026.
Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said that it's "entirely possible" his party wins control of the Senate in the midterm elections, while leaving the door open on his own political future.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Cook Political Report founder Charlie Cook said Sunday that Democrats retaking the House has looked like a “done deal” for some time and that winning control of the Senate has become “very realistic,” though his comments represent an election analyst’s assessment rather than a guaranteed outcome.
Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” Cook said he expects Democrats could gain roughly 20 House seats and four or five Senate seats. He pointed to competitive Senate races in Michigan, North Carolina, Alaska, Iowa, New Hampshire and Minnesota, with Kansas potentially joining that group.
Cook attributed the changing environment to a familiar midterm pattern: supporters of the president’s party becoming less motivated while opposition voters turn out more heavily and independents move away from the governing party. He described the current environment as a “red undertow” rather than a uniform Democratic wave.
Recent polling provides context for that assessment. A Reuters/Ipsos survey conducted Sept. 17-20 found President Donald Trump’s approval at 32%, while Democrats held an eight-point advantage over Republicans when respondents were asked which party they would support for Congress.
Decision Desk HQ’s separate forecasting model has also recently treated control of both chambers as competitive, with its Senate model describing the contest as essentially even.
Cook emphasized that individual races remain uneven and that candidate quality, turnout and local issues can still alter results before Election Day.
At least one person killed and nearly 150,000 households lost electricity from North Carolina to New England
A strong, deadly storm known as a nor’easter battered the US’s east coast over the weekend, bringing power outages, flooding, damaging winds and hazardous ocean conditions.
Trees and power lines were knocked down across the region, at least one person was killed and hundreds of thousands were left without electricity as officials cautioned that conditions could deteriorate further.
Airport chiefs say 2035 operations deadline unachievable as critics say new delay makes case for project ‘even more dubious’
Plans for a third runway at Heathrow are once again up in the air after the prime minister refused to say whether he backs the “contested” project which is delayed by up to four years.
Over the weekend it emerged that Heathrow no longer expects to meet the original 2035 deadline. Instead, the airport hopes to secure planning permission by 2029 and then open the runway “within a decade”, meaning it would not be operational until 2039.
(The Center Square) – With early voting in Illinois underway in most jurisdictions, Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton – the Democrat hopeful to replace Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., in Congress – sat down with The Center Square to discuss politics, policies…
(The Center Square) — Competitive races across Iowa are expected to determine partisan control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, where candidates are divided among affordability concerns, farming and tax policies.
Hundreds of protesters spent the day blocking the route of a hugely contentious parade in Northern Ireland after a court gave late-night clearance for the Orange Order to march on a historically significant road for the first time in nearly 30 years.
The loyalist Drumcree parade along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown was given the go ahead by the Parades Commission for the first time since 1998, a decision denounced as “madness” by Sinn Féin.
Pontiff also uses visit to Catholic shrine at Lourdes to criticise assisted dying as ‘false compassion’
The pope has called on the Catholic church to heal “deep wounds” and “painful errors”, before a meeting survivors of child sexual abuse as he continues his four-day visit to France.
Addressing a crowd in a large field near the Catholic shrine of Lourdes on Sunday, Pope Leo XIV called on the church to reckon with its past, without directly referencing sexual abuse scandals in France that affected at least 330,000 children over seven decades.
In recent weeks there has been much speculation in some parts of the media that Andy Burnham would be calling an early general election. Speculation that existed largely in the heads of those writing the stories, as even the most favourable polls suggest that Labour would lose its huge majority and become the largest party in a coalition government. But to stop the chatter dominating his party conference, Burnham made it clear there would be no early election. His reward? Headlines in the rightwing press that he had bottled it. By not calling an election he had never planned to call. Sometimes you just can’t win.
There again, you might call this a first-world problem for the prime minister. This time last year, Burnham had been hanging around the fringes of the conference as he and his allies attempted one of the most half-arsed coups in living memory. One that fizzled out almost before it had started and became the butt of many jokes among Keir Starmer’s inner circle. Andy looked to have blown himself up on the runway, leaving Keir safe for the duration of the parliament.
70% vote against tightening centuries-old neutrality, which far right said was being eroded by sanctions against Russia
Swiss voters have decisively rejected a proposal for a strict definition of neutrality that would have required Switzerland to curb cooperation with Nato and abandon sanctions against Russia.
All cantons and about 70% of voters rejected the proposal for a strictly defined version of neutrality to be written into the Swiss constitution, final results from the Federal Statistical Office showed. The motion had been promoted by the far-right Swiss People’s party (SVP).
The worst impacts of a powerful nor'easter could still be ahead on Sunday, after the storm brought heavy rain, flooding and destructive winds to the Northeast.
"OpenAI said it has paused training of its latest AI models," reports the Associated Press, "as reports of AI agents going rogue mount."
The decision to halt development came just hours after the company disclosed Friday that it was reviewing several incidents from the summer in which OpenAI agents searching federal government websites acted in unexpected ways beyond what was asked of them while gathering and distributing information... OpenAI said in a statement that it will resume training "only when we are confident that we have additional safeguards" in place, adding that it expects it will have to "hit pause" again as AI develops and other issues emerge... It is the second time in three months that OpenAI has halted development of its models. The first came in July after disclosure of a cyberattack targeting AI startup Hugging Face, a now notorious incident that raised fears the industry was losing control.
OpenAI "also said it had notified dozens of third parties about improper activity," reports Reuters:
As of mid-September, one person briefed on the matter estimated that OpenAI had found roughly two dozen incidents of its agents acting in undesirable ways. But the number has continued rising as OpenAI teams sift through internal logs of the agents' activities and find previously unknown cases, the two people close to the company said... OpenAI has acknowledged a general need for more transparency around rogue AI behavior... Even so, two people familiar with OpenAI's investigation into its agents' activity described it as locked down and shaped by company lawyers.
The process has been unusually compartmentalized for a company that some former employees say was more open about these issues in the past, the people said. Roughly 100 people were in some way involved in the process to understand the Hugging Face hack, three people briefed on the matter said. During that process, evidence of other incidents surfaced. Reuters has previously reported that OpenAI investigators looking into the Hugging Face breach were discouraged by the company's lawyers from expanding the scope of the investigation to include other incidents. OpenAI said its lawyers did not discourage deeper investigation.
Many incidents have been uncovered by outside researchers rather than OpenAI directly. In several episodes, the agents took problematic actions that went unnoticed by the company for months.
Meanwhile, Axios reports that Anthropic's Claude Opus 5.5 model "sought to escape a sandbox — a secure testing environment — in 1.5% of test runs, though the company emphasized that these were adversarial experiments where a task couldn't be solved without escaping the sandbox." Anthropic points out that those tests were run "without the additional safeguards we apply in production". But they acknowledged that then Claude Opus 5.5 "when given apparent credentials to a public package registry in a simulated security exercise, took potentially harmful actions in roughly half of cases. Very rarely, pre-release snapshots produced and acted on spontaneous malicious tool calls, and during training some snapshots concealed actions from an automated grader."
Claude Opus 5.5 "showed less misaligned behavior and less cooperation with misuse than any other recent Claude model on nearly all measures," Anthropic adds, and "took overeager or destructive actions less than any other model we tested." But Axios makes an interesting estimate about that 1.5% of test runs (without safeguards). "Anthropic and other companies conduct hundreds of thousands of test runs on their models, or more, sources said. That means even a small percentage of misaligned behavior can still amount to tens of thousands of incidents in which the models behaved in unexpected, sometimes troubling ways."
The sheer number of incidents, which occurred in recent months in internal testing and the real world, indicates that the problem is orders of magnitude more complex than what is publicly known. The findings, which are surfacing as part of internal work to assess models and in investigations at both companies into model behavior, raise questions about whether either company — or any top model-maker — is currently capable of establishing complete control over their technology. The episodes include bypassing guardrails, creating message boards, escaping sandboxes, website hijacking, self-prompting or seeking to bypass monitors, sources said. They occurred in internal testing and in the real world, and many have yet to become public as security researchers continue to investigate, sources said...
Some at OpenAI see Hugging Face as a one-off, with disclosures about future incidents likely to be less severe due to improved controls and the unusual nature of the testing they conducted, which involved an unreleased model, sources told Axios. AI security researchers agree that there are simple fixes that will help AI companies avoid aspects of what made the Hugging Face episode appear so dangerous to outsiders.
Other AI executives and safety researchers, however, cautioned that they have limited confidence that AI companies will be able to prevent all problematic model behavior... It's not about how damaging each individual instance was, Connor Leahy, AI researcher and executive director at ControlAI told Axios. The "crazy thing," he said, is that these instances involve "autonomous systems doing things they were told not to do," potentially including crimes.
US-owned firm says average monthly users at its UK arm surged to 700,000 with sales up by a third
Love them or hate them, Lime ebikes are an increasingly common sight on England’s roads with new figures showing annual profits more than doubling thanks to a surge in riders.
Lime’s average number of monthly users jumped 31% to approaching 700,000 as it added more than 4,500 ebikes and scooters to its fleet, taking the total to almost 38,000, the company’s UK arm, Lime Technologies, said in accounts filed at Companies House.
Today the public's appetite for true crime – from TV shows and podcasts to the big screen – has never been bigger, as devotees of the genre even spend their free time trying to solve crimes.
Hurricane Nolo will continue to strengthen as it moves away from Hawaii, forecasters said, but it was still expected to lash the Big Island and Maui with heavy rains through the weekend.
Sylvester Stallone was a struggling actor who wrote the perfect script for himself – and refused to sell it unless he played the title role. He talks about his new memoir, "The Steps," that recounts his rocky road to fame before and after "Rocky."
Firms manipulating process to avoid emission controls and scrutiny of their projects, environmental groups warn
Datacenter developers are manipulating the EPA’s air pollution permitting process to avoid emission controls and scrutiny of their projects, environmental advocates allege.
Companies need federal permits to emit a range of pollutants. In their permit applications, some in big tech are avoiding “major” reviews by dividing their emissions sources into separate, multiple “minor” sources that require less regulatory oversight, the advocates say.
(The Center Square) — One of the closest U.S. Senate races in the country is in Alaska between candidates who offer key similarities and differences in their tax policies.
AI experts discuss the risks inherent in artificial intelligence teaching itself to become smarter; and whether recent declarations of AI's threat to humanity are to be taken seriously.
Seventeen people killed near Johannesburg in suspected ‘illegal goldmining turf war’, as 10 killed in separate incident at barbecue venue near Cape Town
Two separate mass shootings near South Africa’s two biggest cities killed at least 27 people, as the country grapples with one of the world’s highest murder rates amid investigations into corruption and criminality within the police.
The South African police service said on Sunday that 17 people were killed on Saturday night when eight suspects armed with AK-47 assault rifles and pistols opened fire at a bar in Wedela township, about 50 miles south-west of central Johannesburg. At least 15 other people sustained gunshot injuries in that attack, police said.
"Sunday Morning" explores the latest art exhibits at museums across the country this fall, including a joyous and colorful look at three-dimensional works by Keith Haring at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark.
Ping Ping and Fu Shuang to live at Atlanta zoo in Georgia as part of loan deal between Chinese and US governments
Two giant pandas from China arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday morning as part of an agreement between the Chinese and American governments.
While in Washington DC for a three-daysummit with Donald Trump, Chinese president Xi Jinping announced that the pandas would arrive in Atlanta in the coming days. The loan of the pandas to the Atlanta zoo was one of the few concrete outcomes to come out of Xi’s state visit with the US president, which saw expressions of goodwill between the leaders, but no fixes to any of the longstanding differences between the two countries.
The Guardian spoke with surrogates across the US about what they think of the controversy surrounding the practice
Surrogacy has been thrust into the national spotlight in recent weeks, with both the announcement of Lena Dunham using a surrogate to start a family and the ongoing legal battle surrounding McKenna West, a gestational surrogate who fled to Texas to avoid having an abortion that was requested by the child’s biological parents.
With a renewed public interest on commercial, or compensated, surrogacy, the Guardian spoke with surrogates across the US who shared their experiences and how they feel about surrogacy being part of a global, public conversation.
This past weekend, I visited my boyfriend at his college and one of my top priorities was for us to get more photos together.
On my plane ride back to the university, I scrolled through the 60 or so photos that we took. While all of them captured the happiness of the moment and the excitement that I felt of getting to see him, ultimately, only one photo made the cut for my Instagram post. Why just one, you may ask?
My reasoning was simple –– this particular photo matched the aesthetic of my page.
As a chronically online teenage girl, it has come to my attention that there has been a major change recently in how people (myself included) present themselves online. Across all social media platforms, teens and college students in particular are obsessed with making their accounts look “aesthetically pleasing” with a consistency and cohesiveness to their account.
For both our self-care and awareness, it’s important to recognize that these habits that have become so ingrained in our lives. Social media has already created a draining, divisive, inauthentic world for us to obsess over what our individual posts look like. So, why add to the madness by making us care about what our posts look like collectively?
Now, we can’t just constantly be pointing the finger at social media. While it has changed our lives immensely, we the users are what make up social media and have control over what it becomes. Ultimately, by breaking away from trends, we gradually become more comfortable being ourselves, making social media a more positive environment that celebrates being unique.
It is important to understand what the term “aesthetic” actually means. In the article The Importance of Aesthetics, author Erin Stenson describes this concept as a psychological experience of brain stimulation (or lack thereof) that humans have when interacting with pretty much anything. The experience of whether or not something is pleasing to look at dictates if and how we engage with it in the future.
A couple of the many examples of trending TikTok aesthetics include “Beach Girl,” “Cottage Core,” or one of my personal favorites, the “Frazzled English Woman” aesthetic. Many people who embody these aesthetics and present themselves accordingly on digital platforms are essentially creating a brand for themselves, the impact being the way we perceive others online, and also how we approach what we put on social media.
I have fallen victim to this. The aesthetic I have attempted to curate for myself is the “Downtown Girl” look, achieved by posting city landscapes and subway photos. Whether or not I have succeeded in this attempt or failed miserably, matching this aesthetic is something that I am always conscious of when deciding what to post.
Unfortunately, I found that the need for my account to look consistent with a color palette and photo subjects has actually stopped me from posting photos where I am genuinely happy or in the moment.
My peers do this as well. When scrolling through a close friend’s Instagram account, I noticed that she had deleted a photo of herself taken at a group outing to an apple orchard in October. When I asked her about it, she said she archived the image because “it didn’t match the vibe” of her page.
I did not judge her because I have also done this. It did, however, make me realize how critical we are of not just individual photos that we upload but how they collectively represent us.
We can also look for examples among our favorite influencers and celebrities. Music artist beabadoobee captures her cool rockstar vibe across her social media accounts by consistently wearing dark colors and frequently posting photos of herself rocking out on stage with her electric guitar. She is also typically photographed with a digital camera that makes the images look vintage and faded.
Famous TikTok influencer Lexi Hidalgo, who has close to three million followers, has found the formula to capturing her outdoorsy beach life in her videos. She is usually wearing colorful bathing suits or summer clothes, filming “Outfit of the Day” videos in front of the ocean and making most of her content in front of palm trees or vibrant coastal backgrounds.
Hidalgo and beabadoobee have concerts to promote, brand deals to post and millions of followers to keep up to date. We, on the other hand, have no huge audiences to please, sponsorships or tickets to sell. Yet, we still fixate on our personal digital appearance every single day.
Unlike the digital world we have come to know, life is not aesthetic, and formulating everything we put online separates us from one another. We need to step out of the boxes that we have put ourselves in. Whether you’re the “Cool Girl” or the “Beach Girl,” we are all just people, and authenticity is the best personal brand that one can have.
Cece Cummins is a staff reporter at The Review. Her opinions are her own and do not represent the majority opinion of The Review staff. She may be reached atcecehc@udel.edu.
When the evening takes an unexpected turn, a warm bowl of soup can make dinner easier. These 17 recipes offer creamy chowders, hearty meat soups, noodles, vegetables, and simple bowls for chilly nights.The post 17 soup recipes delivering real comfort…
Kuenssberg puts it to Burnham that, according to the Health Foundation, a system offering adult social care free at the point of delivery (like healthcare delivered by the NHS) would cost £18bn.
Burnham says the cost is “not that high” (ie, not as high as £18bn).
Not that high.
But can I directly deal with this issue of the costs?
Louise Casey is still doing an official review for us, so I will set out the vision, if you like, on Tuesday [in his speech to the conference].
Louise will then help us with the how. How do we make this happen? When can we make it happen?
Hurricane Polo was downgraded to Category 3 status Saturday as its intensity fluctuated off Mexico's southwestern coast, but it was forecast to make landfall in Baja California on Monday.
HOUSTON, Texas — A University of Houston student whose parked car was riddled with police gunfire during a July shootout was initially told the city owed her nothing, even though authorities do not accuse her of any wrongdoing.
Abigail Trujillo, 20, was working at Highland Village on July 6 when Houston police confronted Jamarcus Spates, who was driving a reportedly stolen vehicle. Nine officers opened fire, and dozens of bullets struck Trujillo’s Nissan Altima, totaling it. She still owed money on the vehicle and depended on it for school and work.
When Trujillo sought compensation, city attorneys denied her claim and wrote that they “regret your inconvenience.” The dispute highlights a broader legal fight over whether governments must compensate innocent property owners when police destroy property while pursuing suspects.
A similar Texas case involved Vicki Baker, whose McKinney home was heavily damaged by a SWAT team pursuing a fugitive. In May, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a ruling requiring McKinney to pay Baker nearly $60,000 under the Texas Constitution.
After publicity surrounding Trujillo’s case, Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the city had “totally mishandled” it. He said officials would help replace her car and review other previously denied property-damage claims.
La Salle College High School (PA) defeated Salesianum, 28-10, Friday night. The loss was Salesianum football’s first this season.
The Salesianum captains start to walk to mid-field for the coin toss prior to their game against La Salle.
Swoop and a pair of Eagles cheerleaders stand at midfield. The Eagles celebrated their Friday Night Captains Program which helps promote and celebrate local high school football.
The teams go through the coin toss with Swoop and the Eagles cheerleaders in the background. As a part of the Friday Night Captains program, the Eagles will make a donation to both football programs.
Sallies quarterback Brady Nabb fires a pass on the game’s opening possession.
Salesianum defender, Jett Healy, attempts to knock the pass down on La Salle’s first offensive possesion.
Sallies senior Liam Sherlock finds an opening to run through against the Explorer defense.
The Salesianum student section was packed as they cheered on the Sals.
Sallies senior Tysir Jones races down the right sideline on his 78-yard reception. This play came right after La Salle took the lead on its prior drive.
Jones was brought down at the La Salle two-yard line. Jett Healy scored the game tying touchdown on the next play.
Various factors block sufferers of disease from receiving treatment that is effective and has widespread availability
Sickle cell patients are missing out on an effective treatment despite widespread US hospital access to the technology, new research has found.
That treatment is called a red blood cell exchange, a procedure that discards a patient’s damaged red blood cells while simultaneously mixing the patient’s remaining plasma, platelets and white blood cells with red blood cells from a donor before returning them to the body.
President has let rip with swearwords in recent months, redefining norms about acceptable language in public office
With a lifetime of political memories stretching back to John F Kennedy’s assassination and the Black civil rights struggles of the 1960s, Cheryl Johnson had one complaint above all else about today’s politicians: the swearing.
“All this cursing in politics, we never heard that before,” said Johnson, a retired social worker living in the Pittsburgh area. “Words are very powerful, and the past 45 presidents of this country, have not used such vile language.
Bears are increasingly entering places where humans live in the US, forcing wildlife workers to make tough decisions
Dan Thompson, supervisor of the large carnivore section of the Wyoming game and fish department, enjoys the field work of capturing mountain lions, wolves, black bears and grizzly bears to study them.
“I have always been personally intrigued with carnivores and their role throughout any ecosystem,” Thompson said. “I actually feel very fortunate to get paid to do what we do.”
Grassroots organizer Yasmin Radjy on the Democratic ground game leading into the midterm elections
In the run-up to the US midterm elections, Swing Left – a grassroots political group focused on electing Democrats to office – has spent time canvassing in dozens of districts across the country to hear from hundreds of thousands of voters.
Now, with fewer than 40 days until the US midterm elections, the group’s executive director, Yasmin Radjy, sets out what she feels Democrats have been getting right and wrong this election cycle, and why these races are vital for the party’s future control of the US Congress in the years to come.
Chilly fall evenings call for a steaming bowl of something homemade. These 13 soup and stew recipes bring together rich broths, tender meat, creamy vegetables, and familiar flavors for a filling dinner.The post 13 hearty fall soup and stew dishes…
Decision to allow development of 190 new homes in north Somerset sparks campaign for change in the law
Houses can be built on floodplains even if they fail a crucial safety test, according to a high court judgment that will be of “immense interest” to developers across England and Wales.
The ruling clears the way for a highly controversial development of 190 new homes on north Somerset’s floodplains, despite the site being in “flood zone 3a”, the highest level of flood risk before land is considered a functional floodplain.
People evacuated from village after men are arrested on suspicion of explosives offences near Gloucestershire airbase used by US forces
Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation in which several men were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences near an RAF base used in American attacks against Iran.
After the declaration of a major incident at RAF Fairford, a bomb squad was sent to the village of Whelford with extra security measures, including the fortification of entrances to the base, put in place. Roadblocks and armed police have also been seen in the area over the weekend.
Two troops of chacma baboons are breaking into homes and shops but animal rights activists insist coexistence is the answer
Cape Town’s city council has said it will “imminently” round up two baboon troops coming into repeated conflict with residents. The animals will be sterilised and permanently moved to a newly constructed sanctuary. The plan has been fiercely criticised by animal rights activists, who say the monkeys should remain roaming freely, and that less destructive options have not been properly considered.
Cape Town’s baboon problem has been brewing since the 2000s, after the city stopped culling troops in the late 1990s after pressure from the public. But in the past two years it has reached boiling point. A 2025 census found that the population had grown by a third since 2000, from 360 baboons to 493, now living in 12 managed troops.
The streaming channel was full of the president’s vanity and myopia. It was also deeply, deeply dull
Are you currently at an airport? Strapped to a hospital bed, with various tubes protruding from your body? Maybe you’re on a treadmill or visiting an elder care facility? Chained to a radiator in the basement from the Saw movies?
If you said yes to any of these questions, you might be watching cable news while reading this column. Or maybe you’re one of the hundreds of people currently watching Donald Trump’s answer to cable news, Trump TV – a YouTube streaming channel that airs nothing but White House-sanctioned content 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Dave Schilling is a Los Angeles-based writer and humorist
Ukrainian forces airdrop supplies to city where bodies are left to be eaten by dogs because of deadly risk from drones
The phone message sent out of Russian-occupied Oleshky was grimly matter-of-fact: food had finally run out for the 2,000 or so civilians, including 50 children, remaining in the city and its surrounding villages.
“We’re in Oleshky [and] we can’t get out. We’re going hungry … Right now, I’ve got absolutely nothing to eat,” read the message from a woman in the besieged city who was waiting to be evacuated by the occupying forces.
‘The push against datacenters speaks to the frustration of people who don’t feel they are making the choices in their lives’
The Stanford ethicist Rob Reich was once invited to a dinner organized by a Silicon Valley mogul to discuss what a state designed to maximize science and tech powered by commercial models might look like. The gathered technologists were drawn to the idea of building a small nation-state dedicated to the endeavor, Reich recalls in “System Error: Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot it”.
When Reich asked whether this state would be a democracy, he got a cool no. “Democracy is too slow, and it holds science back,” he was told. “To optimize for science, we need a beneficent technocrat in charge.”
Before she became infamous as one of the youngest American women ever sentenced to die, Christa Gail Pike was a North Carolina teenager who broke into a community center to steal some candy. At 5-foot-3, with thick auburn curls, she’d been in trouble at home and in school but not with the law. A juvenile court judge put Pike on probation, but she ran afoul of the rules. In the fall of 1991, when she was 15, Pike was sent to the Juvenile Evaluation Center in Swannanoa. She arrived just before Thanksgiving.
Nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains, just minutes away from Asheville, the center first opened in the 1960s as a “haven for troubled children,” in the words of the press. It was supposed to be an alternative to more severe “training schools,” but by the 1990s was skewed toward punishment. According to former staff, progress was measured in points, which were added or subtracted according to a child’s behavior. Infractions ranged from having “contraband” — including pencils or pens, which were allowable only in sanctioned study areas — to running away.
The system didn’t work for Pike. “She was not following the rules or she was doing something to sabotage herself,” one social worker would later testify at a hearing in Pike’s case. Although her violations weren’t generally serious, they did keep her stuck in place. Most kids stayed at the center for a few months; Pike stayed for well over a year.
It seemed possible that Pike might not actually want to go home. From the time she was a little girl, she’d been hurt and neglected by the adults who were supposed to protect her. Months before arriving in Swannanoa, Pike had been temporarily removed from her home by the state’s social services agency, which found that her mother’s live-in boyfriend was physically and sexually abusing her. Shortly afterward, Pike wrote a letter to her best friend saying she wanted to kill herself. Among a list of reasons, she wrote that she’d been raped by a different man, a neighbor who assaulted her when she was 11 years old.
Nevertheless, Pike stood out among her peers at the juvenile center. She was engaging and intelligent; she earned her GED and became a teacher’s assistant. “Christa was open and willing to grow,” one counselor would later write in a clemency letter on Pike’s behalf. “Though she had psychological struggles and resulting behavioral difficulties, I could see that Christa was a good child who was trying to find her place in the world. I never saw Christa act aggressively or violently. She was trying to figure out how to heal from her traumas.”
“She is so much more than the darkness which has followed her from childhood into adulthood.”
Pike finally left Swannanoa in March 1993. The following year, the counselor got a letter from her in the mail. “She shared that she would be visiting Asheville soon and invited me to meet up with her,” the counselor recalled in the clemency letter. But the visit never happened. In January 1995, Pike was arrested alongside two other teenagers while enrolled at a Jobs Corp program in Knoxville, Tennessee. At 18, she was charged with first-degree murder.
The crime seemed pulled from a horror movie — an act of savagery that would become imprinted in the public psyche. Nineteen-year-old Colleen Slemmer, one of Pike’s classmates, had been lured into a secluded corner of a city park, then beaten, bludgeoned, and slashed with a boxcutter. Her body was found naked from the waist up. On her chest, her attackers had carved a pentagram.
Pike admitted her guilt within days. In a tape-recorded statement to investigators, she sobbed that she had begun hitting Slemmer and just didn’t stop. “I literally thought I was going crazy cause I’d never seen myself act like that before in my life,” she said. Before long, witnesses came forward with disturbing new details. In the public’s eye, Pike transformed from an 18-year-old who committed a shocking act of violence into a woman driven by the devil himself.
Weeks after her 20th birthday, Pike was convicted and sentenced to die.
Pike had been on death row for nearly 30 years when Tennessee announced her execution date: September 30, 2026. In a lengthy clemency petition submitted earlier this month, Pike’s lawyers urged Gov. Bill Lee to spare her life. They told a story of Pike’s upbringing that her jury never heard, a childhood shaped by untreated mental illness and sexual abuse beginning when she was just two years old. They enclosed dozens of letters from people who have known Pike over the years, including in North Carolina.
“We in North Carolina — myself included — failed Christa.”
One of the letters came from the lawyer who represented Pike in her first juvenile delinquency hearing, not long before she was sent to Swannanoa. Now a retired tribal court judge, he was filled with regret. “In my view, this proceeding was the most pivotal event of Christa’s sad childhood,” he wrote. It set in motion everything that would follow. Rather than treating her like a vulnerable child in need of support, the juvenile system had compounded her trauma through more punishment, with devastating consequences.
“I regret to tell you, Governor, that we in North Carolina — myself included — failed Christa,” he wrote. He urged Lee to make up for his state’s mistakes. “She is so much more than the darkness which has followed her from childhood into adulthood.”
If Lee does not show mercy — and barring any last-minute intervention by the courts — Pike will be executed by lethal injection at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution on Wednesday at 10 a.m. She would be the 19th woman executed in the country in the modern death penalty era — and the first woman put to death in Tennessee in two centuries.
Pike, who turned 50 this year, has spent her entire adult life at the Tennessee Prison for Women in Nashville, nearly all of it in solitary confinement. Although there was one other woman living under a death sentence when Pike first arrived at the prison, her sentence was commuted and she was paroled in 2011.
One of Pike’s co-defendants was released long ago, while the other, her then-boyfriend, Tadaryl Shipp, remains eligible for parole. Shipp was 17 when he participated in Slemmer’s murder, which prevented prosecutors from seeking the death penalty under state law. In a letter asking Lee to grant clemency, Shipp’s trial lawyer wrote that he was surprised that Pike’s attorneys had not emphasized her boyfriend’s role at her 1996 trial. “When I represented Tadaryl in his 1997 trial,” he wrote, “the defense I presented was to shift as much blame as possible to Christa.”
Like many women condemned to die, Pike became an object of lurid fascination. In 1998, after Texas executed Karla Faye Tucker, interview requests poured in from talk shows, filmmakers, and journalists all over the world, according to the Knoxville News Sentinel, which compared the level of interest to that of the late Martin Luther King Jr. assassin James Earl Ray. Pike, the newspaper said, “has become a death-row celebrity, a child star of the true-crime beat.”
The article described Pike as a “savvy subject,” a kinder version of an accusation that has followed Pike from the start: that she reveled in her notoriety while showing no signs of remorse. For many people, including Slemmer’s mother, who plans to witness Pike’s execution, the image of an unrepentant killer basking in attention has remained fixed in time. So has the claim by the lead detective that Pike was filled with excitement by the murder. He told interviewers in the 2025 podcast series “Unrestorable” that Pike was “giddy” while recounting what she’d done. “This was the greatest thing that ever happened to her,” he said. “She was just happy as a lark.”
Audio of Pike interrogation’s does not match these descriptions — and numerous people who know Pike say that she has expressed remorse for years. One woman, who began visiting her 30 years ago, wrote in a clemency letter that Pike has matured into a compassionate person who cares for those around her. “She has told me repeatedly that she would trade places with Colleen Slemmer so that her mother … could have her daughter back,” she wrote.
Although the Tennessee Department of Correction routinely denies interviews with people under a death sentence, Pike addressed the matter through one of her attorneys for the 2025 podcast. The older she has gotten, she said, the more she has absorbed the magnitude of what she stole from Slemmer and her family. “She had a whole world of her own that I just jerked her out of. And there’s a big empty spot there, where she could be shining right now. And she’s not.”
Pike’s case may stand out for its brutality and sensationalism, but her background shares much in common with other people on death row, especially women, whose lives are frequently marked by sexual violence and trauma. One clinical psychologist describes the amount of abuse and neglect Pike experienced from the time she was a preschooler as “almost impossible to grasp.”
This history should have been key to Pike’s defense. But like many others condemned to die, she was also tried in an era in which attorneys assigned to capital cases were often not up to the task. Pike was represented by a pair of court-appointed lawyers who were inexperienced and overworked. Neither had ever handled a capital case — nor had her trial judge.
Perhaps most telling, her own lead attorney would end up being one of a slew of people who seemed eager to cash in on the case. Post-conviction records show that he asked Pike to sign an agreement giving him the rights to her story. “My thought was, I would write a book on Christa, the human side of Christa,” he later testified at a court hearing. “I thought to do that I would probably need to get some kind of release. It was one of those spur of the moment things. I drew it up, I took it over, she signed it. Nothing ever became of it.”
“Looking back,” he added, “it’s probably something I shouldn’t have done.”
There would be no shortage of people telling Pike’s story. Her crime has been described in countless articles, podcasts, and sensationalistic TV series with names like “Mean Girl Murders.” All of them include a disturbing and singular detail that has come to define the case: Slemmer’s body was found with a piece of her skull missing. It would be discovered in the pocket of a jacket belonging to Pike.
“When the piece of skull got out, that’s kind of the death knell for Christa,” a former Knoxville journalist who now creates true-crime coloring books told the “Unrestorable” podcast. “You’re not coming back from that.”
Christa Pike wipes away tears in a Knoxville, Tenn., courtroom during a 2008 post-conviction hearing challenging her death sentence.Photo: Courtesy of Christa Pike’s legal team
This ghoulish revelation fueled the belief that Pike was driven by satanic beliefs. The murder coincided with a societal fixation now known as the “satanic panic,” in which reports of devil-worshipping cults took hold across the country during the 1980s and ’90s, leading to false accusations and wrongful convictions. Fears were especially pronounced when it came to young people, who appeared to be “dabbling in the trappings of satanism,” as the AP reported in 1988, “whether serious or as a prank.” In most cases, there was nothing to back up the hysteria. But many saw Pike’s case as chilling proof that the crisis was real.
The lead investigator in Pike’s case, Knox County Police Detective Randy York, had attended a training on satanism and cults just before Slemmer was killed. In interviews, he has maintained that the pentagram was the key that unlocked the case; a woman called police to say that her daughter was in the Jobs Corp program and was worried about a satanic cult, which ultimately led York to Pike. But there was a more straightforward link: Slemmer was in the same residential program as her attackers. On the day of the murder, all four teenagers signed out at the same time. Only Slemmer failed to sign back in.
Regardless, it was Shipp, not Pike, who was interested in satanism. The teenager kept a satanic altar in his room. But as his lawyer would later write in his clemency letter for Pike, for all the focus on satanism, “that was never the motivation behind what happened.” By most accounts, Pike targeted Slemmer because she believed that she wanted to steal her boyfriend; Pike has said she did not plan to kill Slemmer, only to fight her. But there was no explaining such a senseless crime. “We were all just really screwed up kids,” Pike said on the “Unrestorable” podcast. “We were all going through things that no one understood.”
Pike’s lawyers have long argued that the media frenzy over the crime made it impossible to get a fair trial. Nearly every prospective juror had heard of the case. News cameras filmed the trial from beginning to end, which cast further scrutiny on Pike’s demeanor. Wearing modest floral dresses day after day, Pike was deemed to be inappropriately cheerful, enjoying the limelight of her case.
In his own letter asking for clemency, Pike’s lead trial attorney, William Talman, said that he, too, was unnerved by his client’s seeming contentment at the crowds in the courtroom. As he remembers it, she told him at one point that she was “happy,” which struck him as bizarre. When he asked her why, he wrote, she responded in a way that has haunted him ever since. “It was the first time in her life that she could remember so many members of her family being there for her.”
It’s possible that Pike would have been sentenced to death no matter what her lawyers did. But her legal team has long argued that Talman and his co-counsel failed their client in key ways. On the eve of the trial, prosecutors offered Pike a plea deal that would have sent her to prison for life. She declined. Pike has said that Talman assured her that a jury would never vote to execute a pretty young girl — an account he has denied. But he conceded in court testimony that he should have done a better job discussing the offer with her.
Case records show that Talman’s most devastating blunder was his mishandling of the sentencing trial — the single most critical part of any death penalty case. Today, capital defense attorneys are trained to prioritize mitigation, delving into a client’s early life to uncover any history of abuse, trauma, and mental illness — factors that can persuade jurors to spare a client’s life. Between Pike’s age at the time of the murder and her harrowing childhood, there was plenty to draw from. A clinical psychologist hired as Pike’s mitigation expert put together binders of information that Talman planned to use. But for reasons long in dispute, Talman decided at the last minute not to call her as a witness.
Christa Pike immediately after her sentence was read in a Knoxville, Tenn., courtroom in 1996.Courtesy of Christa Pike’s legal team
At a post-conviction hearing, Talman cited two reasons for his hasty decision. For one, he had discovered during the trial that the psychologist had previously been in a romantic relationship with the lead prosecutor. Although she would testify that it was long over by then, she admitted that she didn’t disclose it as early as she should have.
The other reason, according to Talman, was that the judge ordered him to hand over copies of his expert’s binders to the lead prosecutor, who flagged parts that might bolster their case for the death penalty. “He had about a million stickies, little sticky notes, in the report,” Talman said. He feared that the file would end up doing more harm than good.
In the end, that’s precisely what happened. Talman did not call the witness with the best chance of conveying Pike’s lifelong trauma, while the state pulled the most damaging details from the defense’s own file to use against his client. In his closing statement, the prosecutor described Pike as a “monster that we have to deal with.” It took the jury less than an hour and a half to sentence her to death.
Colleen Slemmer Would have turned 51 this month. Her mother, May Martinez, has often expressed indignation over the attention devoted to Pike. She feels it has eclipsed the memory of her daughter, a caring young woman who helped students with disabilities and loved working on computers with her stepdad. Martinez told the Nashville Banner that she hopes the execution will bring her peace — “and that Colleen can always be remembered as the sweet little girl that she was.”
Pike’s advocates emphasize that their calls for clemency should never be mistaken for a lack of compassion for her victim. As they stepped up their appeals to the governor last week, youth counselor Sarah Bailey joined a press conference in Nashville, where she said she knew what it was like to lose a loved one to homicide — someone murdered her own son. She also knew what it was like “to have adults decide who you are while you are still becoming a person.” Bailey was convicted of murder for a crime she committed at 16, a devastating mistake that for years defined her “entire identity.”
Finally, she knew Pike. When she got to prison as a frightened teenager, Pike helped her navigate the world around her. “She sent me stamps, she sent me commissary, and she sent me love,” Bailey said. “That said a lot about who she was, and that says a lot about who she has become.”
Bailey echoed what many have said about Pike in recent years. Some of the most urgent pleas for mercy have come from women whose voices are the least often heard. “I’d like to ask that you look past the fact that I am incarcerated when reading this,” one clemency letter reads. “I am an inmate; however, I am also a woman who understands the importance of seeing people as the human beings that we all are.”
“The Christa you will meet today is a far cry from the one who walked through the doors from the beginning,” the letter goes on. “For those of us who have found themselves housed near Christa she has offered hope when there should have only been despair. In a time of pain and struggle, Christa’s small voice rings out to let you know that you are not alone.”
Could this push solar cell efficiency beyond the theoretical 33% limit? Interesting Engineering reports:
Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands found that tin-based perovskite solar cells can slow heat loss from high-energy "hot electrons..."
When sunlight strikes a panel, photons jump-start electrons into action. The most energetic photons create super-charged hot electrons... [but] in fractions of a trillionth of a second, these high-energy particles rapidly cool, dumping their bonus energy as waste heat before ever leaving the solar cell... In collaboration with Maria Antonietta Loi, professor of Photophysics and Optoelectronics, the team created an experimental setup. Using a specialized solar cell material called tin-based perovskite, Loi's lab performed a feat many thought impossible: she slowed the heat loss down by a factor of 1,000.
Suddenly, the extra energy lingered for nanoseconds instead of vanishing in picoseconds... To solve the puzzle, Koster and PhD student Tim Faber built digital simulations to peel back the quantum layers. And discovered a surprising double-action mechanism at work... The simulations matched the exact nanosecond delay observed in the lab... These specialized materials could be used to build a new generation of super-efficient solar cells.
Tin-based metal halide perovskites are non-toxic, eco-friendly crystalline materials for high-performance solar energy conversion... The material possesses an unusually low electron mass. As a result, electric charges move quickly and retain extra thermal energy for extended periods. This combination of broad light absorption, efficient charge movement, and prolonged energy retention makes these materials prime candidates for next-generation solar panels.
"There are many other questions that still need answers," the team said in their announcement, "but in theory, this discovery could allow the creation of more efficient solar cells, beyond the theoretical limit of 33 percent."
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader fahrbot-bot for sharing the article.
Andy Burnham has said that he is going to “rip the plaster off” to fix the broken social care system, as he set out a vision for a universal service that would be free at the point of use for everybody in England.
The prime minister said the new NHS-style social care service would be funded by “everybody” but did not give further details of how his radical long-term plan would be paid for.
Fears grow that loyalists in key states could use critical period when votes are counted to amplify false claims
Election experts have warned Donald Trump’s administration could use the crucial hours and days after November’s midterm elections to disrupt the results after struggling to enforce a crackdown on voting.
With less than six weeks remaining until polls close, and control of US Congress in the balance, the post-election “counting window” is seen as as a particularly vulnerable moment by former US federal government officials.
The popular Twitch streamer has been vilified by Republicans, but the socialist commentator has a large audience that some Democrats have courted
It’s only9am and the latest media shitstorm is well under way. Hasan Piker scrolls through his social media feeds as he comes down the stairs of his home in West Hollywood.
An interview with Axios, in which Piker said the US had committed more atrocities than al-Qaida, is blowing up his phone. Requests from reporters arestreaming in. Comments on the interview flood his replies.
A picture of the pylon at Delaware Stadium during the Blue Hens first game of the 2026 season against Merrimack. Photo Credit: Dave Reeder.
The Virginia Cavaliers (3-1) defeated the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens (2-2), 42-3, on September 26, in the Blue Hens’ final non-conference game of the regular season.
Virginia quarterback Beau Pribula received the snap standing at the Delaware 15-yard line during the Cavaliers’ first offensive possession of the game. Pribula faked a hand-off to the running back on his left and quickly shuffled his feet to reset for a throw to wide receiver Da’Shawn Martin breaking right toward the middle of the endzone.
Pribula hit Martin in stride and completed Virginia’s 13-play opening possession with an 11-yard score. The drive ate up over seven minutes of the opening quarter and was a sign of more to come in Virginia’s 42-3 victory over the Blue Hens, Saturday evening.
The Cavaliers scored touchdowns on four of their six offensive possessions throughout a first half fueled by their passing game. Pribula finished the half with 264 yards passing, completed 21 of his 24 pass attempts and threw for all four of Virginia’s touchdowns.
Martin was on the receiving end of Pribula’s first score on a drive in which the former Penn State and Mizzou quarterback threw a perfect eight for eight to start the game. Fourth year receiver Rico Flores Jr. caught Pribula’s second touchdown throw on the first play of the second quarter and the final two were hauled in by third year receiver Kameron Courtney in the final five minutes of the frame.
The Blue Hens lone scoring drive came in the early stages of the second quarter and featured a good balance of production from the running game and passing game. Running back Jo Silver ran the ball five times for 27 yards and Minicucci completed all four of his passes to get the Blue Hens into Cavalier territory for the first time.
The drive stalled at the Virginia 22-yard line due in part to a holding penalty that negated a first down scramble from Minicucci and the Blue Hens turned to kicker Tucker Smack for a 39-yard attempt. Smack kicked it in giving Delaware its first — and only — points of the night.
The scoring drive provided a spark for Delaware which trailed, 14-3, after the score and the defense capitalized by forcing Virginia’s offense into its only three and out on the night. Any hope those two positive drives provided Delaware fans was extinguished on UD’s next offensive possession.
Facing a collapsing pocket on second down, Minicucci scrambled out to his right and turned upfield for an eight yard gain, sliding to the ground to avoid being met by a pair of Cavalier defenders. Minicucci immediately grabbed the back of his right leg in clear discomfort after the slide and struggled to get to the sideline before the training staff stopped him right before the out of bounds line to check on him.
Minicucci left the game and didn’t return. Junior Braden Streeter took over under center for the Blue Hens with a little under six minutes remaining in the second quarter and played up until UD’s final drive of the game. The ACC Network cameras showed Minicucci on crutches with a brace on his right leg along the sidelines in the second half.
Pribula led the Cavaliers on their first drive of the third quarter and scored his fifth total touchdown on a 14-yard quarterback run. Cavalier backup Eli Holstein took over for Pribula following that drive. Pribula finished the game with an 86 percent completion percentage, 279 yards passing, five total touchdowns and the Cavaliers ahead, 35-3.
Virginia finished the game with 556 total yards of offense and held the Blue Hens’ offense under 200 yards of total offense for the first time since 2023. Virginia entered the game ranked amongst the top 40 defenses in the country allowing under 17 points per game to its opponents.
The biggest concern for the Blue Hens will be the status of their starting quarterback as the team prepares for their first conference game of the season against the Liberty Flames. The Flames beat the Blue Hens, 59-30, at home last season and enter this upcoming game on a three game win streak.
Delaware’s game against the Flames will be played at Delaware Stadium on Friday, October 2. The game will start at 7:00 p.m.
The fans who witnessed the United States’ 4-1 thrashing of Peru in Orlando on Saturday did not have to wait long to get their flashbulb moment. It came just four minutes into the match, only moments after 19-year-old Orlando City attacker Justin Ellis headed home the US opener.
Ellis, making his first appearance for the US, sprinted toward the near corner to celebrate, then turned and faced the US supporters in the north end of Inter.co Stadium – a supporters’ section nicknamed “the wall”. Quickly, he was joined by Villarreal defender Alex Freeman, himself an Orlando City product. For a moment, the two former teammates posed arm in arm, gazing up at the home crowd. Then they embraced, laughed, and attempted to run back to the center circle. Gio Reyna, who’d assisted on the goal, shoved him back toward the fans.
The Washington Post was granted rare access to one of five boarding schools the government has opened. They are part grief counseling and part boot camp.
As Pope Leo XIV visits France, the number of converts is growing in secular Western countries, and some in Gen Z are rediscovering the faith of their grandparents.
Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist speaks with NBC’s Kristen Welker in interview airing on Sunday
Bill Gates has called on the US’s federal legislators and law enforcers to regulate the development of artificial intelligence (AI), saying in an interview airing on Sunday that the technology left unchecked could cause “a billion deaths” and “no one thinks self-regulation is enough”.
“You need law enforcement and the politicians to get into the discussion about what safeguards and monitoring look like,” the Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist said to Kristen Welker, the NBC Meet the Press host. “And that has to be a required thing.”
On the last day of the Prairieland trial, in which nine Texas protesters were accused of crimes including providing material support to terrorists, the attorney for activist Benjamin Song presented a novel argument that, if true, would have upended the federal government’s case.
Song had been charged with attempted murder for allegedly firing a gun at the first police officer who arrived on the scene after a noise demonstration outside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado on July 4, 2025.
The defense — more than a dozen attorneys representing clients with varying degrees of involvement in the protest — had rested their argument without calling a single expert witness, owing to what they thought was the weakness of the government’s case.
“Attempted murder requires that you intend to kill. And if the government can’t prove that intent, that’s a not guilty — period.”
During closing arguments, however, Phillip Hayes, Song’s attorney, raised what he said was a major flaw in the government’s depiction of what happened: Song never aimed his weapon at the police officer. Relying on evidence introduced by the prosecution — a photograph of the bullet, witness testimony, and CCTV footage of the incident — Hayes said his client never intended to shoot Alvarado Police Department Lt. Thomas Gross.
Rather, Hayes said, Song fired his weapon at the ground and the bullet ricocheted off a hard surface before striking the officer just below the neck. That would explain the plumes of dust that were visible in the video. According to Hayes, the only photo of the bullet, which appears severely bent and with several missing fragments, backs up the theory.
“Attempted murder requires that you intend to kill,” Hayes, a lanky, soft-spoken criminal defense attorney, told the jury on March 11. “And if the government can’t prove that intent, that’s a not guilty — period.”
The jury didn’t bite. Instead of being acquitted, Song was convicted and sentenced to 100 years in prison.
One reason the ricochet theory didn’t play a bigger role in the trial was that the federal government prevented it from being fully aired. Key details about the shooting, and the officer’s actions, were only revealed during the trial itself. Prosecution motions and favorable rulings by the judge, a Trump appointee, made it difficult for Song’s lawyers to fully vet the idea or argue that he had acted in self-defense.
And an independent ballistics expert hired by Song’s defense team before the trial was denied access to the defendant in federal prison. As a routine part of any case about a murder or a shooting involving a police officer, said Daryl Parker, the former Marine Corps officer and criminal defense investigator hired by Song’s team, a ballistics expert will meet with an alleged shooter to collect information. Nothing about the Prairieland case, however, was turning out to be routine.
It was the first time in his 25-year career that the forensics expert had been denied access to a client in a federal facility.
In emails reviewed by The Intercept, Parker and Hayes repeatedly wrote to Federal Medical Center Fort Worth, the federal detention center where Song was held before and during the trial, asking to visit the defendant. All the requests went unanswered. (FMC Fort Worth declined to respond to a request for comment.)
Parker never got a response from the jail official in charge of Song’s detention, let alone visitation rights.
“We sent him everything he asked for,” Parker, speaking publicly for the first time about the case, told The Intercept. “But approval never came.”
It was the first time in his 25-year career that the forensics expert had been denied access to a client in a federal facility.
In the end, members of the jury never received a full airing of the argument nor the multiple pieces of evidence that support it.
The ricochet theory, though, may yet be part of Song’s appeal and the basis of a new trial, according to two lawyers on Song’s defense team in his state-level case. New evidence, including material revealed for the first time in this Intercept investigation, shows that Song, a former Marine reservist and expert marksman, may have never intended to shoot the police officer.
New Evidence
The Prairieland case was touted by the Trump administration as the government’s first prosecution of an “antifa cell,” moving from indictment to trial in the Northern District of Texas in just a few months. For such a complex high-profile case, there wasn’t much time to prepare. And key pieces of information were hidden within or even omitted from discovery.
Buried within the tens of thousands of pages of evidence provided to the defense team was a grainy photograph: the government’s only image of the bullet that struck the police officer. According to two ballistics experts interviewed for this story, the photo is of such poor quality that it is difficult to conclude anything from the image alone.
Shaun Jaikissoon, a former firearms examiner with the New York City Police Department for 10 years who now has his own consulting firm, said the photo of the fragment provided by the prosecution tells us almost nothing and may even be deemed “unsuitable,” meaning it lacks value for a forensic analysis.
Parker, the independent ballistics expert hired by the defense team, said he agreed the photo was of little value.
“It is sparse,” he said. “You should have images of the end of the bullet — 360 degrees — so you can properly evaluate it.”
A bullet photographed on Aug. 26, 2026, as part of an investigation of a shooting involving a police officer at ICE’s Prairieland Detention Center.Photo: Court Filing
Despite the photograph’s limitations, it does reveal that the bullet was severely deformed, indicating a possible ricochet.
“It’s a copper banana,” said Parker. “It obviously struck something.”
The opinion is shared by one of the government’s own witnesses. During the trial, Philip Stout, a forensic scientist for the Texas Department of Public Safety, described the extreme curvature of the bullet as characteristic of a projectile fired into a water tank.
“When you’re dealing with higher velocity bullets, they slow down very quickly, so it gets that curved — I refer to it as a banana shape, but it’s more of a semicircle shape,” said Stout. “What that tells me is that bullet struck something and slowed down very quickly.”
Other questions arose from the shooting and investigation, Parker said. Perhaps most important is the fact that Gross’s bulletproof vest — level IIIA soft body armor — would not have been able to withstand the force of a bullet fired from an AR-15-style rifle at such close range. Even the label on the vest, introduced into evidence by the government, says: “This is NOT intended to protect against rifle fire.”
According to Parker, if the bullet had struck Gross directly — without first hitting another surface or object — it would have ripped through him “like Swiss cheese” and almost certainly killed him. Instead, the bullet came to rest inside Gross’s vest, with Gross sustaining minor injuries. He was released from the hospital a few hours later.
“The standard body armor that police officers wear is not rated for rifles,” Parker said. “It’s only rated for handguns. It’s not even rated for knives.”
“The fact that the officer is not dead, to me, is a big red flag that Song wasn’t aiming at him.”
Another clue that points to a ricochet, according to Parker, is Song’s skill as a marksman, especially given the short distance between the two shooters and Song’s previous training as a Marine.
“The fact that the officer is not dead, to me, is a big red flag that Song wasn’t aiming at him,” Parker told The Intercept.
Together, this new evidence of a ricochet matches the information that became apparent only during the trial when Gross testified that he drew his weapon first and aimed at a fleeing protester. Drawing on this testimony, along with video evidence, Song recounted the same version of events in a statement he read during sentencing.
“When I saw Lieutenant Thomas Gross stop pursuing and point his gun at the back of a running, unarmed protester, like he testified, I was terrified,” Song said. “As a firearms instructor and a United States Marine Corps veteran, I understood what I was seeing. As the evidence shows, I did not want to hurt anyone.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, on July 7, 2026.Photo: Mark David Smith/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
Shots Fired
That Gross drew first and aimed at a protester’s back were among the facts that, according to Song’s lawyers, were not revealed to the defense until the trial itself. Also missing from the pre-trial discovery was evidence indicating that bullets fired at the scene struck the ground. The marks in the pavement were not documented as part of the investigation.
Given these late-breaking revelations, Song’s lawyers had to scramble in the middle of the trial to put together their argument. Song’s defense team, in a motion for a new trial filed in April, said that the failure to disclose evidence of the bullet strikes sooner deprived them of the ability to make their case that Song never intended to shoot officer Gross.
The existence of bullet strikes was only revealed during the second week of the trial, when evidence from the investigation, headed up by the Texas Rangers, an elite unit within the state’s Department of Public Safety, was divulged in court. Texas Ranger Billy James Hill Jr., responsible for photographing the scene, admitted during cross-examination to finding “recent looking defects in the concrete surface.”
Tailim Song, Benjamin Song’s father and a civil attorney who was part of his son’s defense team, said the ricochet theory only began to take shape when they learned about the deformations in the road.
“It really didn’t come home until the Rangers said there were fresh bullet strikes in the concrete.”
“In my mind,” Tailim Song said, “it really didn’t come home until the Rangers said there were fresh bullet strikes in the concrete.”
The photographs from the scene, however, didn’t include shots of the ground. When asked during the trial whether he had taken any photos of what he believed to be bullet strikes, Hill, the Texas Ranger, responded that it “wasn’t part of my responsibility.”
Hill had taken photographs using a high-tech camera system called a Leica RTC360 Digital Crime Scene Scanner, which creates reconstructions of the alleged events. The reconstruction, however, omitted photographs and chemical swabs of where the bullets had struck the pavement as well as the crucial trajectory analysis and shooter-position determinations. (The Texas Department of Public Safety and the Department of Justice did not respond to questions about the investigation or crime scene reconstruction.)
Ryan Rider, a crime scene reconstruction expert and former Texas police officer who teaches classes on the Leica device at Tarleton State University, said the technology, if used properly, can provide precise measurements — down to the millimeter — of the bullet’s pathway in relation to the shooter.
“It does tell you a story,” he said.
Rider also said shootings involving officers are potentially chaotic environments with multiple agencies involved in collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, and securing the crime scene. In the Prairieland case, Alvarado Police Department; the Johnson County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; the Department of Homeland Security; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; and the FBI; in addition to the Texas Rangers; were all present. Not documenting the bullet strikes — especially if the Rangers knew they were there, as Hill acknowledged in court — is hard to explain, Rider added.
“A trooper shouldn’t be up on the stand saying, ‘That wasn’t my responsibility,’” Rider said. “If they’re on the scene, people are going to expect them to be the ones to say, ‘Hey, get pictures of this.’”
“A trooper shouldn’t be up on the stand saying, ‘That wasn’t my responsibility.’”
With the gaps in the forensic evidence and crucial facts withheld until the middle of the three-week trial, defense attorneys couldn’t pull together a coherent, countervailing version of events quickly enough. Even when they tried, as evidence undermining the government’s claims trickled out, the lawyers faced new hurdles.
Gross gave his testimony early in the trial about drawing his gun first, information that was left off a police report and not included in discovery. Then the judge granted a prosecutors’ motion barring Song’s lawyers from using a self-defense argument, which became a frequent point of contention.
At one point, during his closing argument, Hayes, Song’s defense attorney, suggested that Gross may not have been justified in pulling his weapon so quickly. The judge, a member of the conservative Federalist Society, admonished Hayes for treading too close to a rationale for self-defense.
Appealing for His Life
The Prairieland trial unfolded as Trump escalated his crackdown on anti-ICE protests across the country. The verdicts were celebrated by the Trump administration as its first successful prosecution of a violent “antifa cell,” and the first eight defendants were sentenced to more than 450 years in prison altogether.
“These guilty verdicts and convictions rightly reflect the vicious, armed attack that these Antifa cell members planned and executed against law enforcement and detention center officers on the night of July 4 last year,” a top Department of Justice official said after the convictions were handed down.
The government’s narrative rested on the premise that the noise demonstration was an organized ambush of law enforcement officers and that Song’s intent from the outset was to kill a police officer. But this version of events relies on an incomplete picture of what transpired that night.
Whether information that came to light during the trial is adjudicated as part of the appeals process will be decided by the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the most conservative courts in the country and one that Trump’s Justice Department has used to secure favorable rulings.
Patrick McLain, an attorney representing another Prairieland defendant, said it would likely be several months before any appeals are filed; it is still unclear what the focus will be and if the defendants will mount a coordinated effort.
“My hope is that we’re going to have nine solid briefs that are mutually supporting and not contradictory,” McLain said.
The 5th Circuit has not issued a briefing notice. Once it does, defense teams will have 40 days to submit their documents, according to John Kuchera, Song’s court-appointed appellate lawyer. Kuchera, reached by phone, said he has not yet had time to review the record and has not met with Song. He declined to comment on whether the theory about the bullet would be included in the appeal.
“What my opinions are about anything will show up in my brief,” he said. “Whatever issues that I think need to be addressed will be in that.”
Ultimately, the 5th Circuit will decide if evidence in the Prairieland case, including the bullet that struck Gross, can be reexamined and if Song, who now faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison, will be granted a new trial.
A look evoking memories of All Saints and Destiny’s Child has fashion editors, Brad Pitt and the high street all blending in
Discussing their style while in All Saints, Nicole and Natalie Appleton said earlier this year that some things don’t change: “Army trousers and combat trousers will always be a staple with us.”
If, for a long time after All Saints’ noughties heyday, the sisters would have known this look was not the height of fashion, things have changed in 2026. Judging by those attending shows at London fashion week this month, camo is very much back.
US president is said to expect renewed strikes after the midterms
Donald Trump has said he has rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the strait of Hormuz within a week and resume nuclear talks in return for the lifting of the US naval blockade of Iranian ports.
“They made a proposal but I reject it,” the US president told reporters at the White House.
Criminals are trying to glean login details to harvest players’ in-game currency and personal data
Your 10-year-old son has started playing Roblox, when he realises all of his in-game currency, Robux, is gone.
When you try to find out what happened, he says he was recently promised extra Robux if he followed a link on YouTube. When he signed on at the site link, he was taken to the Roblox site as usual but there was no sign of the extra currency.
The United States and China have agreed to "launch a dialogue" on AI, reports Reuters.
On artificial intelligence, the two sides agreed to hold a dialogue on the technology's risks and benefits, with the next round of discussions set for November, and to set up a communication channel for AI-related incidents, the Chinese Foreign Ministry and the White House said.
The White House said that the leaders had agreed to use the term "super intelligence" in place of "artificial intelligence." In a separate statement, the Chinese ministry said that Beijing valued Washington's use of the new term. As AI technology continues to advance, the two sides should step up exchanges and work toward consensus in line with new developments, it said.
But CNN argues that "Despite growing calls to prevent AI development from spiraling out of control, the Trump-Xi summit has produced little substance, as many experts expected."
The right thing to do on AI, [China's leader] Xi said during talks with Trump, is to "draw on each other's strengths, not guard against each other" — a reference to Beijing's concern about US containment, from existing tech export controls to potential AI restrictions. "The two sides can continue their dialogue on AI, exchange views on its risks and benefits, and jointly prevent the misuse and abuse of AI," he added. But the summit has yielded little progress on AI beyond a formal dialogue and a bilateral communication channel, proposals discussed before the two leaders' summit — underscoring the entrenched mutual mistrust amid contrasting visions on AI... Because of low levels of trust, cooperation between the two superpowers remains limited, said George Chen, chair of digital practice at The Asia Group consultancy. "Beijing continues to believe Washington seeks to contain China's rise in AI and other emerging technologies, a perception that will shape the pace and scope of future engagement for the two countries on AI," he said.
CNN also points out that while China trails the US in frontier AI models, "it's rapidly narrowing the technology gap while championing a more open ecosystem centered on accessibility and lower cost."
In July, Chinese leader Xi Jinping launched the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization — a rival grouping to the Pax Silica alliance that Trump formed last year to reduce reliance on China for AI supply chains. While over two dozen countries and the European Union signed up to Trump's Pax Silica, Xi has recruited 29 countries, including Russia, Indonesia and Pakistan, to his alternative vision of open models, which allow users to freely download, customize and run without paying hefty fees to American firms like Anthropic and OpenAI. For developers in the Global South, an inexpensive Chinese model from DeepSeek or Moonshot may be more useful than a slightly more capable system requiring an expensive subscription and access to a foreign cloud provider, said Eric Olander, editor in chief of The China-Global South Project, a research agency....
China's embrace of open systems has not always been a top-down strategy by Beijing. Restrictions on access to the most advanced chips because of US export controls, coupled with smaller capital markets, have pushed Chinese developers toward open models as a way to compete with leading US proprietary systems. That shift has proved effective. In a year, Chinese models' global usage skyrocketed from less than 15% to over 54% last week, led by DeepSeek, according to AI leaderboard data by OpenRouter, a marketplace for models. Even American firms, from Airbnb and DoorDash to Shopify, have embraced Chinese models, tapping into the advantages of open systems, including lower costs and greater flexibility for customization.
CNN adds this insight from Alex Colville, an analyst focusing on tech and security at the government-backed Australian Strategic Policy Institute. "The more capable Chinese models become, the less likely it is Beijing may leave them unrestricted."
Central Washington coach Scott Power noted earlier this week Sul Ross State showed some flashes of offensive prowess despite some struggles this season.
The FAA is investigating a software glitch in some Boeing 737 Max jets that could prompt an automated flight guidance system to disengage during an aborted landing.
Decision follows disclosures that OpenAI agents searching government websites had acted in unexpected ways
OpenAI said it has paused training of its latest artificial intelligence models as reports of AI agents going rogue mount.
The decision to halt development came just hours after the company disclosed Friday that it was reviewing several incidents from the summer in which OpenAI agents searching federal government websites acted in unexpected ways beyond what was asked of them while gathering and distributing information.
Last weekend KDE's annual Akademy conference included a presentation proposing
an AI-native KDE," writes The Register. This led KDE developer Nate Graham to open a discussion about proposed restrictions on LLM-assisted contributions which "rapidly became heated. Moderators issued warnings, restricted further comments, and eventually removed the thread."
But as Graham writes on his blog, "A bunch of people mostly outside of KDE who disapprove of LLM usage derailed KDE's attempt to add restrictions to LLM usage."
Two people unknown to any KDE contributors appeared and began fighting with one another about the broader topic of the morality of AI, not the proposed guidelines... Someone else outside of KDE set up kdeforpeople.com in an attempt to... pressure KDE into banning LLMs. A bunch of people signed onto it, almost none of whom are known KDE contributors.
The topic was picked up on social media and the press with... varying levels of accuracy. The draft proposal was removed and the whole topic hidden... Yep, that's where we're at in the state of online discourse around AI...
The "lovable, sovereign, AI-native KDE" idea was presented by two people important to KDE in decades past, but who had not made any contributions recently besides this Akademy talk. Their idea does not reflect the overall direction of KDE or Plasma, and I don't think it ever will. If "a lovable, sovereign, AI-native KDE" freaks you out, I believe it is completely reasonable and safe to ignore...
I completely understand why a lot of people have problems with LLMs. I have these concerns as well.
He concluded by asking people not to derail any future process to set usage guidelines, fighting over "the broader topic of AI in general."
"The discussion is gone, but the argument continues," adds The Register:
GNOME developer Jordan Petridis has also published The GNOME LLM Policy That I Want, proposing that LLMs be barred from creating or modifying anything submitted to GNOME or hosted on its infrastructure.
"You might be asked to prove your code meets this requirement," Petridis writes, arguing for proposals that target the norms around developer behavior. His rationale? "The GNOME Project prioritizes the social and human aspects of collective software creation,"
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he rejected an Iranian proposal that could have reopened the Strait of Hormuz and paused regional fighting within seven days, prolonging uncertainty over one of the world’s most important shipping routes.
Iran raised the initiative during the United Nations General Assembly and transmitted it through Qatari mediators. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran was prepared to begin a seven-day countdown toward reopening the strait if Washington agreed to the framework, with broader negotiations potentially following.
“I reject their proposal,” Trump told reporters at the White House, arguing that Iran wanted the strait reopened because its economy was suffering. The United States has imposed a blockade on Iranian ports in an effort to pressure Tehran to reopen Hormuz.
The conflict has sharply reduced shipping through the strait and disrupted global oil flows. Iran has said any broader settlement would require reduced U.S. military pressure and relief from the blockade, while maintaining that it will not surrender its uranium-enrichment rights.
The Wall Street Journal, cited by Reuters, reported that Trump has privately told aides he considers renewed U.S. bombing after the November midterms likely, though officials cautioned that his position could change.
Iranian officials continue to say negotiations remain possible despite the rejection.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump is dismissing reports that Florida gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds reduced references to Trump on his campaign website, even though archived versions show that several prominent mentions were removed.
Trump called the coverage “Another Fake Story” Saturday and argued that Donalds remains firmly aligned with him. Donalds also said he was “proud to have” Trump’s endorsement.
But the underlying website changes are real. An archived version featured a top banner urging visitors to “chip in to support Trump Endorsed Byron Donalds,” along with repeated “Trump-endorsed” branding. The current homepage instead emphasizes the slogan “Fighting to defend the Florida dream,” while Trump’s endorsement remains in a rotating list with other supporters.
The Washington Post reported that at least eight references to Trump’s endorsement disappeared, along with a photo of Donalds and his wife with Trump and a policy section titled “Enact the Trump Agenda.”
Donalds’ campaign says the redesign reflects a greater focus on affordability, insurance costs and government transparency, not a break with Trump. CBS News likewise reported that Donalds denied distancing himself from the president despite the reduced prominence.
Trump’s criticism therefore disputes the interpretation that Donalds is politically separating himself from the president, rather than the documented fact that multiple Trump references were removed.
US president doubles down on criticism of CNN and MS Now as Akayla Gardner questions attempted White House ban
A day after the White House barred CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One to provide pool television coverage of the president’s trip to Tennessee, Donald Trump doubled down on his criticism of that broadcaster and another, MS Now, he has attempted to ban over coverage of him he calls overly negative.
As he left the White House early on Saturday, Trump was asked by MS Now White House correspondent Akayla Gardner: “Do you only want outlets that support you to be a part of the press pool?”
Orange Order march along Garvaghy Road could take place for first time in 28 years after injunction dismissed on appeal
A controversial loyalist parade along a nationalist street in Portadown could go ahead for the first time in nearly 30 years, after a ban was overturned late on Saturday night.
The Orange Order parade down the Garvaghy Road will be allowed to go ahead on Sunday morning, following a legal back-and-forth in recent days amid fears the march could unleash fresh sectarian violence.
You have probably heard of 16-year-old Philadelphia Union phenom Cavan Sullivan. But there are 12 other highly rated potential debutants on the roster for this international window.
Sullivan, 16, starts in youngest US appearance in years
Ellis and Hall score as Pochettino’s new faces impress
Playing in their first match of the 2030 World Cup cycle, the US men’s national team crushed Peru 4-1 in at Orlando’s Inter&Co Stadium on Saturday, riding goals from newcomers Justin Ellis, Zavier Gozo and Justin Hall to victory. The win marked the US debut of 16-year-old Philadelphia Union midfielder Cavan Sullivan, whose appearance in the US starting XI makes him the youngest player to feature for the national team in over two decades.
Sullivan received the lion’s share of the attention in the lead-up to Saturday’s match but it was Orlando City’s Ellis who stole the show early, nodding home a Gio Reyna free kick in the fourth minute to give the US an early lead. Playing in his home stadium, Ellis himself was involved in the build-up that led to the free kick, part of a nifty interchange with midfielder Malik Tillman that ended with Ellis drawing a foul at the near side of the pitch some 25 yards from goal. Reyna’s service was excellent; Ellis’ headed finish was awkward but perfectly-placed at the far post.
Justin Verlander got an unexpected hook in his major league finale when his 7-year-old daughter came to the mound with Detroit Tigers manager AJ Hinch in the sixth inning of Saturday’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
After Brandon Lowe hit a foul popup starting the sixth, Hinch walked from the dugout toward the plate and pointed toward the seats. Genevieve Verlander, wearing a Tigers jersey with her dad’s name and number, sprinted to the mound and hugged her father, who reached down to embrace her and started shaking and sobbing.
Preparation begins for extreme conditions as Nolo bears down on areas still recovering from previous storms
Heavy rain and powerful winds are expected to bring flash floods and extreme surf to the Hawaiian islands over the weekend as Hurricane Nolo bears down on areas still recovering from previous storms.
Nolo was churning slowly south of Hawaii’s Big Island on Saturday with maximum sustained winds of 105mph (165km/h). The storm’s center was about 145 miles (235km) south of Hawaii’s southern-most point and could strengthen into a potentially life-threatening and catastrophic storm through the weekend.
Residents across New Jersey, Massachusetts, Delaware and New York without electricity as storm hits
A slow-moving, powerful storm known as a nor’easter crept along the coast of the US north-east on Saturday, producing high winds that knocked out electricity to thousands of people while whipping up big waves and heavy rains that created dangerous conditions in some places.
Tens of millions of people were in the path of the storm, which was forecast to affect the mid-Atlantic area and New England throughout the weekend. About 100,000 customers in the region were without electricity Saturday.
Microsoft's senior product manager for Excel acknowledges that "Throughout Excel's 40-year history, you've only been able to put one value per cell." But that's now changing with arrays in cells (as well as nested arrays) and lists.
"You can create a list by selecting Insert > List or pressing Ctrl+J, then typing or pasting items separated by commas or semicolons, depending on your regional settings. Selecting the icon in the cell shows the individual values..."
"With lists, you can filter by one or more individual items instead of whole text entries. Referencing a list returns all its values for calculations. For example, =B2 spills those values into separate cells..."
"For the first time in Excel, arrays can exist natively in cells as values or as formula results. They can be any size or shape and can even contain other arrays. You can now keep the result of any spilling formula in a single cell by "wrapping" the formula body with braces { }."
"Since the introduction of dynamic arrays, array results have spilled across cells — for example ={1;2;3}. Wrapping the original array with braces creates a 1x1 array around it, so instead of spilling to multiple cells, the array stays in a single cell. Braces have long been used to describe arrays in Excel and this extends that behavior by allowing multiple layers of braces. This gives you more flexibility when building spreadsheets. Instead of leaving room for a formula to spill, you can keep the result in one cell."
"Arrays can now also 'nest' inside other arrays... Previously, a formula that produced an array of arrays would return a truncated result or #CALC! error. Now, supported formulas return the complete nested result... FLATTEN(array, [pad_value], [levels]) simplifies nested arrays by removing one or more levels of nesting..."
Three HAS functions check whether values are in an array:
— HAS(array, value) returns TRUE if value appears anywhere in array, and FALSE otherwise.
— HASANY(array, values) returns TRUE if any of the values appear anywhere in array, and FALSE otherwise.
— HASALL(array, values) returns TRUE if all of the values appear anywhere in array, and FALSE otherwise.
As the 2026-27 school year began, the university welcomed incoming freshmen to campus — full of nerves about roommates, too many packed bags and overly doting parents. But on East and North Central Campus, two residence halls (and one dining hall) were left out of the fanfare, with Russell and Brown Residence Halls, and Russell Dining Hall closed for the foreseeable future.
The Russell Complex, located on the Harrington Turf next to Lane Hall, was a focal point for freshmen on campus because it includes both a residence hall and a dining hall. Brown Residence Hall houses upperclassmen on the North Central Green, surrounded by Sharp, Harter and Sypherd Halls.
Russell and Brown’s closing was announced prior to the start of the academic year. Russell Dining Hall was also closed for unspecified renovations and absent from the list of dining options posted Aug. 20 on the university dining Instagram account.
All Russell Dining Hall staff retained their positions and were relocated to two other dining halls on campus, either Caesar Rodney or Pencader, as confirmed with another university dining Instagram video on Aug. 25.
The university has updated the Russell and Brown Hall websites to reflect their closures.
“[The halls are] closed for fall 2026 to support university renovation opportunities,” the websites state. “We are still in the reviewing and planning phase; however, strategic renovations are anticipated, and the closure allows for full review of space and building systems without disrupting students.”Sophomore Claire Nichols lived in Russell last spring.
“I have a love-hate relationship with that building because, like on one hand, we have the best dorm layout with the Z-shape,” Nichols said. “But there was no AC, so it was gross. There were cockroaches. We had to get sprayed for spiders. The bathroom was always breaking.”
Similarly, junior Pablo Charriez, who lived in Brown Hall during the 2025-26 school year, had mixed feelings.
“Lack of AC wasn’t great, but the rooms were pretty big, and it’s a really great location,” Charriez said. “The main study lounge was in pretty rough shape and there was like a random dorm room that was also in there.”
Both Nichols and Charriez agreed that with the renovations in Russell and Brown, air conditioning should be added.
Last March, junior Ellery Williams received an offer to be a Resident Assistant (RA) for this school year. She was initially placed in Russell, and went into the summer believing she would be there.
However, in mid-July she received an email which was sent out to all RAs.
“Going into the fall 2026 semester both Russell and Brown Halls will be closed to support university renovation opportunities,” the email stated.
No positions were being eliminated at the time, despite the closure. This was a shock to Williams as there had been no indication of this occurring prior.
“So I didn’t know where I was living,” Williams said. “I didn’t know where I was going to be an RA.”
After a lengthy process, she became a traditional RA on Ray Street C, but even when school started she had no further information about the renovations.
As the semester progresses, specific renovations have yet to be announced, but more information may be released as work continues.
Sullenberger landed a disabled passenger plane safely in the Hudson River in 2009 without any loss of life
Capt Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III – the pilot known for safely landing a US Airways flight in New York City’s Hudson River during a 2009 emergency – has been inducted into the US’s National Aviation Hall of Fame, two months after he went public with an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis.
Sullenberger, 75, received the honor during a ceremony held in Washington DC on Thursday, 17 years after he engineered what has become widely known as the Miracle on the Hudson.
(The Center Square) – U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, once again, was the only Democrat on Thursday to vote against a resolution which would limit President Donald Trump’s military actions against Iran.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he “loves women” while rejecting former President Barack Obama’s suggestion that governments might function better if women were put in charge for a period of time.
Obama said earlier this week that he had sometimes imagined placing women in charge of every government for two years to see whether conditions improved, adding that he believed they likely would.
Asked whether he agreed, Trump responded: “I love women, I think they’re great. But what a ridiculous statement that is.”
The exchange comes amid renewed attention to Trump’s repeated verbal attacks on female journalists. Mediaite columnist Ana Marie Cox recently highlighted his past insults toward reporters including Maggie Haberman, Rachel Scott, Nancy Cordes, Mary Bruce and Catherine Lucey. Trump has called Haberman “unattractive,” Scott a “horror show” and Cordes “stupid,” among other remarks.
Earlier this month, Trump also called CNN’s Kaitlan Collins “very dumb and unhappy,” and later objected to her presence at the United Nations, telling her CNN “should not be here” after his administration had barred the network from White House access.
Trump’s response to Obama did not address those previous remarks, instead framing the former president’s gender-based leadership argument as overly broad.
Suspect, charged with felony assault, under investigation for making racist and homophobic comments before attack
A Seattle woman will need surgery for a gnarly wound, after a stranger, who called her “an inferior race”, took a bite of flesh from her forehead in a surprise attack.
The incident occurred in broad daylight on 18 September when Diana Gonzalez, 36, was walking to a local convenience store and the alleged assailant, identified by prosecutors as Kamilia Chadli, threw a food wrapper at her, the victim told Seattle police.
Air Force One flies low over Neyland before kickoff
Schools coordinate with Secret Service over headsets
No 1 Texas holds off No 14 Tennessee for 20-17 win
Encouraging fans to get inside Neyland Stadium earlier than usual with Donald Trump coming to Tennessee’s college football game against Texas sure worked Saturday.
Security checks on the stadium’s perimeter went relatively smoothly with Tennessee officials opening the stadium 30 minutes earlier than normal. Fans got half-price off concessions as a reward for showing up early, and Tennessee faithful had the stands half full 90 minutes before kickoff and nearly packed an hour before.
Eric Clark, 45, charged with murder as autopsy concludes Fortune was dead days before body discovered in tree
A third person has been arrested in the death of 29-year-old Tasia Fortune in Mississippi’s capital city, while investigators said they had determined the scene where her body was found hanging had been staged.
Eric Clark, 45, surrendered to authorities on Friday and was charged with murder, according to the Jackson police department (JPD). Clark was scheduled to make a court appearance on Monday.
The tech giant has launched a cute ‘little guy’ that can answer emails, book travel or do your weekly food shop
After the recent backlash against Meta’s so-called “pervert” smart glasses, this week Mark Zuckerberg launched a much cuter alternative: the Muse “charm” device.
With a screen that shows a cutesy little avatar, it has drawn comparisons with Tamagotchis. “We’ve packed a lot of technology into this little guy,” the Meta founder told the San Francisco audience.
Pledges found covered in food in heated basement of fraternity house near University of Wisconsin-Madison
Police are investigating suspected illegal hazing after about 30 partially clothed young men covered in food, condiments and other liquids were found recently in the basement of a fraternity house near the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
Madison police said some of the men, whom they described as pledges of a fraternity, had signs of being physically assaulted.
Emergency teams discovered victims after two-storey building in historic Plaka district collapsed ‘in seconds’
Greek authorities say they are trying to discover what caused a two-storey apartment block in the heart of ancient Athens to collapse “in a matter of seconds”, killing six people.
Emergency teams found the victims, including four American tourists, on Saturday, more than 24 hours after the early morning explosion in the historic Plaka district.
Police have identified similarities in some of the killings but said they had not found conclusive evidence that the same person or people were responsible.
Exclusive: UK prime minister says delivering fiscal stability would be ‘crucial’ to be able to fix bigger problems
Andy Burnham has said he can deliver on his promise of radical change for the country despite severe economic headwinds, telling the Guardian: “There’s always things you can do; it’s just whether you’re prepared to do them.”
The prime minister acknowledged public finances were “challenging” ahead of next month’s budget but said delivering fiscal stability would be “crucial”, because only then would the government be able to focus on fixing bigger problems.
Salesianum senior Tysir Jones evades a defender during his 78-yard reception in Salesianum Football’s matchup against La Salle College High School. Photo credit: Dave Reeder.
La Salle College High School defeated Salesianum, 28-10, on September 25, in Salesianum Football’s final game of the season against out-of-state competition.
WILMINGTON, DE — The La Salle College High School Explorers dealt Salesianum its first loss of the 2026 season, defeating the Sals, 28-10, Friday night.
La Salle entered the game ranked as one of the top 30 programs in the state of Pennsylvania, according to MaxPreps, and showed what makes them a formidable opponent.
Following a scoreless first quarter, the Explorers’ scored on their third drive of the game starting at their own 37 yard line. La Salle ran three plays before a pass from junior quarterback Luke Gordon to junior Bryce Hanton brought the Explorers to the Sallies eight yard line with a gain of 45-yards. The Sallesianum defense stopped the La Salle offense on their first three attempts near the goal-line, but on fourth and a yard to go, Gordon completed a pass to receiver Evan Pettine for the one-yard score.
Gordon’s passing touchdown put the Explorers ahead with 7:45 remaining in the first half. The lead held for a total of 34 seconds.
Salesianum’s senior quarterback, Brady Nabb, led the Sallies offense out to the field at their own 20 yard line, following the Explorer scoring drive. Nabb caught the snap in the shotgun formation on the drive’s first play and delivered a five-yard strike to senior wide receiver Tysir Jones coming back toward the ball. Jones caught the pass and quickly turned his attention upfield.
Jones side stepped the first La Salle tackler and used a stiff arm to intercept a second would-be tackler, before settling near the sideline. Jones took the reception 78-yards down the right sideline to the La Salle two yard line. Senior Jett Healy ran in a two-yard touchdown on the next play, tying the score with 7:11 to play in the second quarter.
La Salle scored a touchdown on its following possession via a five-yard run from Hanton and the Sals answered the score with a 28-yard field goal by junior Giuliano Villa before the end of the half. The Explorers led 14-10 at halftime in front of a packed Abessinio stadium crowd that included a fan favorite mascot.
Swoop, the Eagles’ mascot, was in attendance along with members of the Philadelphia Eagles cheerleading team as a part of their Friday Night Captains program, which helps celebrate and promote local high school football programs. Fans entering the stadium were given Eagles towels and Swoop made his way through the stands to take pictures and interact with the crowd before the game. As a part of the celebration, it was announced pregame the Eagles will make a donation to both football programs.
La Salle scored the last two touchdowns of the game in the third and fourth quarter, tallying a second score from Hanton on a 46-yard touchdown run in the third and a ten-yard touchdown catch from Pettine in the fourth.
The Explorers defense only allowed the Sallies offense to cross the mid-field line twice and forced a pair of Sallies turnovers in the second half, holding Salesianum without a score in the frame. The Sallies offense finished the game with over 220 yards of total offense, the majority of which came through the air. Jones finished the game as the Sals’ leading receiver with five catches for 126 yards.
Salesianum will play its first road game of the season next week when they travel to Georgetown, Delaware, for a matchup against Sussex Central High School. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. on October 2.
Sallies defeated Sussex Central, 31-7, last season at home.
Exclusive: Policy initiative for England will help more young people on to property ladder, prime minister tells Guardian
A new help-to-buy scheme aimed at giving first-time buyers who cannot rely on the “bank of mum and dad” is to be introduced in a big policy announcement by Andy Burnham.
The programme, called “Your first home”, is intended to help buyers in England who have a regular income but have been unable to save for a large deposit or don’t have financial support from their family.
Alexander Millington-Cotes is concerned for welfare of the 82-year-old, who hasn’t been seen in public for two years
The stepson of Sir Ranulph Fiennes has launched a crowdfunder to pay for “specialist legal advice” in an attempt to locate the explorer, who hasn’t been seen in public for more than two years.
Alexander Millington-Cotes, 31, has set a target of £55,000 for the fundraiser, to enable him to instruct lawyers to “locate and safeguard” Fiennes.
"Finding vulnerabilities faster also puts pressure on Linux distributions to fix and deliver patches faster," writes Slashdot reader BrianFagioli
AI has transformed bug discovery from "a manual, time-intensive process into a highly automated engine," notes Canonical's blog, leading to a "recent explosion in the volume of CVEs".
Additionally, the upstream kernel community became its own CVE Numbering Authority (CNA) and assigned CVE (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures) identifiers to thousands of bugs, arguing that at the kernel level, almost any type of bug that can affect a running system, could potentially be classified as a vulnerability. As a result, the volume of CVEs has skyrocketed exponentially, creating a massive backlog of alerts and forcing defenders to drastically increase the speed of their fixes to close the window of risk.
To address the growing volume of CVEs and the demand for faster security fixes, we are transitioning to a unified, 2-week release cycle...
While a patch is being prepared, Canonical aims to provide safe workarounds where applicable, so users aren't left exposed in the meantime. Where no safe workaround exists, Canonical will say so clearly and point users toward general hardening steps instead. The goal is to get environments into a defensible, safer state within 24 to 48 hours of public disclosure — well before a patch ships. This doesn't replace the patch; it buys the time needed to fix the vulnerability properly, without sacrificing security.
"Linux did not suddenly become wildly insecure overnight," notes the blog Nerds.xyz. "We are getting much better at finding and cataloging problems that may have previously gone unnoticed."
There is something almost ironic about all of this. AI is routinely pitched as a tool that will make software development faster, but it is also making vulnerability discovery faster. That means maintainers now have to accelerate the other side of the equation too.
For Ubuntu users, that should ultimately be good news. More bugs being discovered is preferable to vulnerabilities sitting unnoticed in the Linux kernel.
Attorney says fishers ‘losing their livelihoods’, but Marco Rubio maintains US still willing to ‘blow up ships if need be’
While the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, was being decorated in Quito by Ecuador’s president for “helping to promote peace in the region”, 10 Ecuadorian fishers whose boat had been blown up by US forces were adrift in the eastern Pacific.
On 8 September, a day before Rubio arrived, a US patrol vessel intercepted the fishing boat Don Rufo in international waters near Ecuador.
Crowds line Place de la Concorde on second day of pontiff’s first official papal visit to France in 18 years
Hundreds of thousands of people lined the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris on Saturday to attend an open-air mass with Pope Leo, on the second day of his visit to France.
The Vatican estimated 700,000 people turned out for the outdoor mass with the 71-year-old American pope – about 100,000 more than the number of people who had registered to attend.
Authorities discovered a body hidden in a home’s crawlspace in 2020, 13 years after Jill Maiorca disappeared
A man was recently charged in California with the killing of his ex-wife six years after her remains were discovered in a crawlspace beneath a home – and about two decades after when she went missing, according to investigators.
Jeff Maiorca, 53, faces a charge of murder in the death of Jill Maiorca, who was 29 when she was killed, authorities said in discussing what could be one of the latest cases in the US to be solved with modern DNA techniques.
BBC broadcaster was shot in 1999 in case detectives have previously said may never be solved
Technological advances are allowing police to review old CCTV footage in the unsolved murder of the BBC broadcaster Jill Dando, Scotland Yard has revealed.
Advances in CCTV enhancement technology have allowed detectives to return to 27-year-old footage of Putney Bridge Underground station, Scotland Yard said. But detectives stressed that the review was part of existing inquiries – not a new investigation.
Less than 1% of infected have been vaccinated, with 173 people hospitalized and four deaths so far
The Pennsylvania department of health (DoH) announced on Friday that 55 new measles cases had been reported in the state since Wednesday, with officials continuing efforts to contain an outbreak of the disease that has spread across dozens of counties.
In a news release, the DoH said that 890 measles cases had been confirmed across 39 counties in the state so far for the year. The outbreak had resulted in 173 hospitalizations in the state and four measles-associated deaths, the statement added.
Tim Tebow said Friday he is “pausing his relationship” with Life Surge, a Christian organization that’s been accused of using predatory sales tactics to exploit its followers’ faith and financial insecurity.
Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner who is currently a college football analyst with ESPN’s SEC Nation, said his team is conducting an internal investigation. He spoke on campus in advance of the Mississippi-Florida game at Florida Field on Saturday.
A marvel of engineering and a model of sustainability, Bart has been financially distressed since the Covid pandemic
A marvel of engineering and a model of sustainable public transportation, the San Francisco Bay Area’s transit system, financially distressed after years of declined ridership, is now staring down a fiscal cliff – and a potential death spiral that would have massive repercussions for everyone in the globally influential metropolis.
As soon as early 2027, Bay Area Rapid Transit could be forced to close as many as 15 stations, reduce frequency of service by 63%, increase the cost of rides and parking fees by 30% and end all service at 9pm. If service becomes less frequent and more expensive, there will be fewer commuters, less fare revenue and a downward cascade of financial austerity with ripple effects for all Bay Area residents, not just those who use public transit regularly.
Beth Macy, author of Dopesick, is drawing on her reporting experience to win Virginia voters in a longtime Republican district
Virginia’s sixth congressional district has been in Republican hands for over 33 years, but Beth Macy, a longtime reporter with the Roanoke Times and author of Dopesick, a powerful account of the opioid crisis that swept through Appalachia two decades ago, has a plan to change that.
The plan, drawing on her experience as a reporter, is to canvass the district in the mountainous west of the state, knocking on doors, going to food pantries, meeting with veterans. It’s what any political hopeful might do, but with a twist: Macy carries her reporter’s notebook and jots down the good stories she’s been told.
Paper raises questions about safety of food and other products as early onset breast cancer rates surge worldwide
New research has identified at least 485 chemicals used in US pesticide products that are linked to breast cancer, raising questions about the safety of food and other products at a time when early onset breast cancer rates are surging worldwide.
The new peer-reviewed paper, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, a top journal from the American Chemical Society, highlights what public health advocates say are a range of deficiencies in how US pesticides are regulated. The review includes active pesticide ingredients, but also hundreds of so-called “inert”, or inactive, ingredients that typically do not undergo a thorough safety review.
Outlet had been scheduled to fly with Donald Trump to Tennessee for a college football game, network said Friday
The White House has blocked CNN from traveling aboard Air Force One on Saturday, impeding its TV press pool duties in the latest escalation of the administration’s battle with the news media.
CNN had been scheduled to fly with Donald Trump to Tennessee for a college football game, the network said on Friday. The White House confirmed CNN’s exclusion when it did not list the network on guidance sent to the press corps regarding Trump’s schedule for Saturday.
Twenty-five years ago, a Soviet-designed helicopter crossed the mountains of Afghanistan with the first CIA officers sent into the country after 9/11, the opening move in what would later become America's longest war.
Iran's Masoud Pezeshkian, who is also a physician, says he has visited Iran's supreme leader twice and talked with CBS News' Margaret Brennan about Mojtaba Khamenei's health.
Mosaics by Marko Rupnik, a Slovenian priest-artist, were covered up after at least 20 women accused him of sexual and psychological abuse. He is now on trial.
Housing secretary says Home Office moved goalposts with ‘disruptive’ change to permanent residence rules
Angela Rayner has stood by her criticism of Home Office reforms that would make it harder for foreign care workers to claim permanent residence in the UK, describing them as “disruptive”.
Last year, Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, announced that low paid migrants on jobs below graduate level would have to be in the country for 15 years before applying for settlement. Rayner previously attacked the plans as being “un-British”.
Minutes into a run, Caroline McCaffrey was struck with a massive headache. The resulting medical journey would reveal a family risk for a dangerous condition.
As she mulls another presidential run, the former VP is building bridges with progressive and Arab American leaders
Does Donald Trump secretly want Republicans to get annihilated in the midterms? Because he’s certainly acting that way. He continues to brush off concerns about the cost of living, saying last week that high gas prices are a very “inexpensive price to pay” for the war on Iran.
And, of course, the president seems to have no plans to end that disastrous war, apart from making vague threats about blowing the entire country up. Trust me, he keeps saying, everything will get better after the midterms. But by the looks of his dismal polling numbers, not many people are swallowing his empty promises anymore.
Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez has bullet lodged in back as accounts differ over events leading to traffic-stop shooting
The Venezuelan man shot by federal immigration officers after a traffic stop in Texas needs surgery to avoid losing feeling on the left side of his body, according to his supporters.
Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez, 28, has spent the past five days in detention with a bullet lodged in his back, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) rapidly removed him from a hospital in Austin where he had been taken on Sunday after the shooting.
Freshly baked cookies have a way of bringing everyone into the kitchen. These 15 recipes include soft chocolate chip favorites, rich cocoa treats, spiced pumpkin cookies, and sweet bakery-style surprises.The post 15 cookies proven to vanish while the tray is…
"Copilot+ PCs" were Microsoft's official branding for Windows 11 "AI PCs" that met their system requirements. But the 2024 launch "didn't go smoothly," writes Windows Central, after security researchers discovered its proposed "Recall" feature was woefully insecure:
This pretty much tarnished the Copilot+ PC brand, and over the last two years more and more OEMs have dropped the moniker from marketing materials and product names. In fact, even Microsoft has seemingly stopped mentioning it. I've noticed that none of the Surface PCs launched in 2026 include the Copilot+ PC moniker in their product names, unlike the Surface PCs that launched in 2025 and before. Now, you have to go digging to find any mention of Copilot+ compatibility in specification sheets... It's also worth mentioning that NVIDIA hasn't gone anywhere near the Copilot+ PC brand for its upcoming RTX Spark platform, even though all RTX Spark PCs meet the Copilot+ PC specification bar. I suspect that's a deliberate decision.
It seems pretty obvious that the Copilot+ PC brand hasn't resonated with the market, and OEMs and Microsoft itself are now quietly pulling back on that branding. The specification baseline for Copilot+ PC experiences still exists, it just no longer has a pretty marketing name tied to it.
Give your recipe binder a fall refresh with 17 pumpkin-inspired dishes, including quick muffins, spiced waffles, creamy soup, easy cakes, cookies, and a few unexpected twists for dinner.The post 17 easy pumpkin recipes that deserve a permanent place in the…
Ministers have been speaking to farming activists to try to build bridges after tax changes introduced under Starmer soured relations
As an arable farmer, Olly Harrison’s WhatsApp messages are normally concerned with the more mundane matters of working the land: logistics, supplies and the occasional chat about the weather.
So when a recent message came through from Andy Burnham, it was more than a little unexpected.
Israel ‘categorically rejects’ publication and says businesses on database have committed no wrongdoing
The UN human rights office has added 61 more companies to a blacklist of firms that it says are involved in violating Palestinian human rights through business ties to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The vast majority of the total 214 companies, which are based in 11 countries, are Israeli. Five of the 158 companies listed last year were removed in the latest update.
Artists including Tinie Tempah and the Smiths’ drummer Mike Joyce ramp up pressure on government to keep its pledge to outlaw for-profit resales
The government has stepped up work on new laws to stop ticket touts fleecing fans, as the prime minister came under pressure from artists including the drummer from the Smiths, one of his favourite bands.
Behind the stories of bombings and mass deaths, the everyday challenges facing Palestinians living under siege portray a quieter tragedy we rarely hear
What does it take to make a morning cup of tea in Gaza?
For Alaa Hessi, in her final month of pregnancy, this small ritual begins with a calculation of gas rations. Her family gets a ration of 6kg of gas every three months – enough to heat a pot for 18 precious minutes a day. That’s needed for cooking – so for tea, a fire must be built instead.
Locals say Google’s $15bn project in Andhra Pradesh has resulted in smallholdings being taken back off them by the government
When the government officials arrived in Tarluvada last year, they came with abundant promises.
Google, one of the world’s richest and most powerful tech companies, would soon be bringing a “golden opportunity” to this tiny village in south India: a $15bn AI datacentre.
University staff voice concerns over reputational risk of partnering with company behind ChatGPT
The University of Oxford has allowed the company behind ChatGPT to train its AI models on historical texts from its Bodleian Library, as tech companies scour academic institutions for fresh data.
The Bodleian material digitised by OpenAI has been used to “populate the OpenAI training set”, according to internal documents.
The idea of 16-year-olds like Cavan Sullivan playing for the USMNT was once unfathomable – until Mike Slivinski, Mark Jonas and Nelson Vargas appeared in a 1991 friendly
If 16-year-old Cavan Sullivan takes the field for the US men’s national team in the coming days, he will join a list of youngest-ever US players that has no shortage of recognizable names.
At the top is onetime phenom (turned cautionary tale) Freddy Adu, still the youngest player to ever appear for the US men. Names in the top 20 like Eddie Gaven and Bobby Convey will feel familiar to longtime US fans; Christian Pulisic, Yunus Musah and Gio Reyna are all still very much in the picture and may well prove to be Sullivan’s future partners in attack.
Third US president wrote in 1787 about importance of peace, paying off debt and supporting agriculture
A remarkably prescient letter written by Thomas Jefferson, the third US president, advising how the newly created country could prosper, has been put up for sale by a private collector. The handwritten document from 1787 warns specifically against many of the missteps Donald Trump has taken to drag down his own second term of office.
Written in Paris, where Jefferson was the fledgling government’s minister to France, the note to David Rittenhouse, a friend and fellow member of the American Philosophical Society, muses on the priorities and principles he believed future presidents should follow.
Debates over AI development, regulation and datacenters have become buzzy topics for US presidential candidates
The debate over artificial intelligence development, how to regulate it and the construction of datacenters that power the technology has become a buzzy topic for potential 2028 Democratic presidential candidates.
Already, concerns were mounting over the environmental and energy impact of datacenters, which consume vast amounts of resources to power AI. But worries about the rapid development of AI came to a head in mid-September when tech executives issued a flurry of dire warnings that the technology could harm humans.
President’s tariffs have hurt fishers, loggers and others in a state with deep bonds to Canada – will voters show their displeasure in the midterms?
It was an ideal summer to cut trees.
The weather in Maine’s Penobscot county – one of the most heavily forested counties in a statedense with trees – was warm and dry. Yet even as the county’s wood had grown to an ideal size to harvest, the machines Molly London typically uses sat idle.
Ten years ago, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback refused to stand for the national anthem. He was accused of disrespecting the flag, the game, and America. In a rare interview, he talks about inspiring a global gesture of civil rights
Colin Kaepernick still gets up at 4.30am every morning to train. “Strength training, speed training, position training – still do all of the same type of workouts I did while I was playing,” he says cheerily. “And then go about the rest of my day.” It is almost 10 years since Kaepernick last played a game of top-flight football. His career was abruptly and cruelly cut short just as it was peaking, after the National Football League (NFL) effectively closed ranks and shut him out for being too political. Now, at 38 years old, he is well aware that his chances of a return are dwindling by the day, but he remains as game-ready as ever. “I stay relentless at it,” he continues in his easy drawl. “I look at it from the perspective of, ‘What are the things that I can control?’ And what I know I can control is being prepared for when opportunity knocks, and to also continue knocking, on my end, looking for ways and opportunities … just staying resilient and focused and disciplined – that is what’s gotten me to this point in my life.”
Kaepernick’s story is defined by the events of late 2016, when he repeatedly refused to stand for the pre-game national anthem – resulting in a chorus of booing on the pitch, insults and outrage off it, and exclusion from the sport he still loves. He was one of the biggest names in the game at the time; quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, a national celebrity, sponsored by major brands, and looking back, his actions fed into so much that has happened since: the rise of Donald Trump, the Black Lives Matter protests and a global reckoning with racism, then the backlash against what is now being called “Woke 1.0”, and the resurgence of a white nationalism that the US complacently assumed was in the past.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Cook Political Report moved 15 House races toward Democrats on Friday, another sign that the battlefield for control of the chamber has shifted significantly in the final weeks before the midterm elections.
Cook’s updated ratings show Democrats favored in 208 races rated Solid, Likely or Lean Democratic, compared with 205 seats in the equivalent Republican categories. Another 22 races are rated Toss Up. Democrats need a net gain of three seats to secure a House majority.
Many of the competitive districts are seats President Donald Trump carried in 2024. Cook’s September Battleground District Project found Democrats leading Republicans 49% to 47% on the generic congressional ballot among 1,052 likely voters across 37 competitive districts. Trump had carried those same districts by about five points collectively in 2024.
Cook attributed much of the movement to dissatisfaction with Trump’s handling of the economy and changing political conditions in Republican-held districts.
Republicans still retain important advantages, including significant campaign resources. An NRCC spokesperson dismissed the ratings changes and argued that Republican candidates have stronger organizing and financial operations in competitive districts.
With more than a month remaining, the ratings reflect Cook’s current assessment of competitiveness rather than election results, and several closely contested districts remain unresolved.
The US’s oil deal with Venezuela faces multiple legal and logistical problems, including questions about whether it can be implemented
Donald Trump has long coveted the oilfields of other nations and declared an agreement with Venezuela to be “the biggest oil deal in world history”. But the deal, reached after the US seized Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro, is almost certainly doomed to collapse amid a wide array of legal and logistical issues, a Guardian investigation has found.
The US president first mused about taking oil from Iran in 1987, when he told ABC’s Barbara Walters that Iranian attacks on American shipping during the Iran-Iraq war required an extreme response. “Why couldn’t we go in and take over some of their oil, which is along the sea?” he asked. Over the ensuing years, he has returned frequently to the idea that America should seize oil from other countries after military conflict, from Libya to Iraq.
Since the Iran war sent gas prices soaring, Georgia, Kentucky and Indiana have cut or suspended their gas taxes. Similar proposals are under consideration in Ohio and Massachusetts.
A Philadelphia man created hundreds of thousands of degrading images of women, police say. At least five may have been dead when they were photographed or recorded.
SAN FRANCISCO, California — OpenAI says some of its autonomous AI agents accessed public information on U.S. government websites in ways the company did not expect or intend, adding to concerns about how increasingly capable AI systems behave when given access to the internet.
The company said its review found interactions with public data on two Securities and Exchange Commission websites and the U.S. Census Bureau. OpenAI said there was no access to private accounts, misuse of credentials, system breach or alteration of government data.
The disclosure followed research by independent AI evaluation group Transluce, which identified agents attempting to exploit vulnerabilities on several public-data websites. Researchers linked some of that activity to agent swarms previously confirmed by OpenAI and said the systems sometimes pursued unauthorized methods while performing otherwise routine information-gathering tasks.
Transluce documented attempted compromises involving Data USA, the University of New Mexico’s digital library and an Australian government health website. OpenAI has been reviewing broader cases of agent “misalignment,” where models pursue goals in unexpected or prohibited ways.
The incidents follow an earlier case in which OpenAI said experimental models autonomously breached systems operated by AI platform Hugging Face.
OpenAI said most government-site activity involved ordinary research on publicly accessible information, but acknowledged that some agents violated website policies or behaved unpredictably.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump will campaign next week in Oklahoma and Alabama, two states he won overwhelmingly in 2024, as Republicans prepare for a difficult final stretch before the November midterms.
Trump is scheduled to hold a rally Thursday in Durant, Oklahoma, followed by a Friday event in Mobile, Alabama. He carried Oklahoma by roughly 34 percentage points and Alabama by about 30 points in 2024, while the Senate and gubernatorial contests in both states are considered safely Republican.
The appearances come as the national political environment has grown more challenging for the GOP. The Cook Political Report shifted several Senate races toward Democrats this week, moving Kansas from Likely Republican to Lean Republican and South Carolina from Solid Republican to Likely Republican.
Trump has said he plans to visit dozens of campaign locations during the final month before Election Day, including more competitive states.
His standing has also weakened nationally. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released this week put Trump’s job approval at 32%, a career low in that survey, with dissatisfaction over living costs and the Iran war contributing to the decline. Republicans still view Trump as an important tool for motivating their base, particularly in a midterm election where turnout can be decisive.
Alan Milburn said 16- to 24-year-olds with most complex needs should not have to keep proving they cannot work
Young people whose complex disabilities mean they have little prospect of getting a paid job should get fast-track access to disability benefits, an official review of youth employment will say.
The review, by the former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn, will say 16- to 24-year-olds with the most severe lifelong needs should be guaranteed swift and unconditional benefit support rather than having to prove they cannot work.
Only 26% of PHEVs sold across top 20 models can use chargers with power of 50kW or more, analysis finds
Three-quarters of the 20 top-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the UK cannot use rapid chargers, research has found, amid concerns that many are essentially “petrol cars pulling round a heavy battery”.
The cars, which can run on electric batteries as well as combustion engines, have been promoted by carmakers as a way to cover long distances in a single drive – unlike fully electric cars – while still reducing emissions.
Aminata Seck’s detention shows the bargain facing international college athletes: universities eagerly recruit them, but support can disappear when their immigration status becomes precarious
Earlier this week, news broke for the first time that Senegalese Division II Kentucky State women’s basketball player Aminata Seck was abducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport on 7 August during a trip to attend the HBCU All-Star game in New York. Seck is listed as a Kentucky State senior and last year started 20 of 26 games, earning third-team all-conference honors and an SIAC Elite 16 award for academic achievement. According to a lawyer involved with her case, Sadiqa Reynolds, Seck has been moved through four different ICE facilities since her initial apprehension: Clay County, Chicago, Clark County and Grayson County. Reynolds noted that the reason for Seck’s imprisonment was a missed student visa deadline – what she characterized as “a paperwork situation” – due to back surgery. Reynolds also said that Seck has been suffering from an ACL injury while detained and has received only ibuprofen but no proper medical care.
ICE arrests in Kentucky have risen by 70% this year.
Nathan Kalman-Lamb is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of New Brunswick and co-host of The End of Sport podcast.
Simran Kaur Sethi is Assistant Professor of Sport Leadership at the University of Kentucky where she studies equity and inclusion for international college athletes.
Derek Silva is Professor of Sociology and Criminology at King’s University College at Western University and co-host of The End of Sport podcast.
It was late May, the French Open was on and DraftKings was pushing me into the action.
A promotion pinged on my phone. “BET & GET,” it boomed, offering to boost my profits if I threw down on tennis, punctuating the point with a cartoon stack of cash. I was already in the middle of a two-hour betting spree, ripping 64 wagers on the clay courts of Paris from my office chair in New York City.
A $75 bet that Claire Liu would win the fifth point of her first set tiebreak against Maria Sakkari? Wrong. How about an easy $300 on Francisco Comesana to win the first game of the second set against Luciano Darderi? Negativo.
I’ll be the first to admit that my backhand needs some work. But this wasn’t about sports. It was about scratching an itch.
For the past six weeks, I’d been gambling like a man out of control, testing the guardrails of one of America’s most popular — and controversial — products: online sports betting. I’d morphed from a prudent, just-for-fun $40 bettor into a “degen” (sports betting slang for a degenerate gambler) who casually yeets $1,500 on a game. I’d feverishly jumped from sport to sport, following playoff basketball bets with live Czech table tennis. And I’d gone hog wild at the online casino, doubling down at the blackjack table. Most of the time, I’d lost — then chased those losses with more bets. Now, I was in the grips of yet another binge.
And as I approached $4,500 in losses in 24 hours, transferring money from my bank directly into my DraftKings account, the company seemed to clock the problem, sending me an in-app notification.
“Take a loss? Now take a beat,” it read. This felt right after the tear I’d been on. To date I’d blown about $12,500 in total on DraftKings. That’s the equivalent of six months of mortgage payments in as many weeks.
I followed the prompt to the site’s “responsible gaming” center, where I opted to limit myself to just two hours per day on the app and barred myself from depositing more than $100 in a 24-hour period. That pause is an essential part of DraftKings’ seemingly paradoxical business model — to make as much money as possible from the nation’s growing ranks of sports bettors without encouraging gambling addiction. The company says these limits are a cornerstone of that strategy.
Yet 30 minutes later, the company pushed me in the other direction. My phone buzzed with the first of four promotional alerts that day. Betting opportunities, they said, were waiting.
If you’ve bet on sports with FanDuel or DraftKings, you can help ProPublica understand how these apps work. Use our browser extension to download your betting history, then upload the files to us.
This wink-and-a-nod dynamic is now at the center of a fierce public policy debate over online gambling, addiction and consumer protection.
Since 2018, when the Supreme Court allowed states to legalize sports betting, Americans have put more than $600 billion into play. Sports betting is now legal in 39 states and Washington, D.C. Add in prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket, and more people are betting on sports than ever before.
That explosive growth has come with consequences: About a quarter of active sportsbook account holders surveyed by the Siena Research Institute this year said that they’d lost enough on a bet that they’d have trouble meeting their financial obligations. As a result, regulators and lawmakers from Colorado to Massachusetts are starting to question whether things have gone too far — and some are now proposing stricter consumer protections.
Amid the mounting scrutiny, major operators like DraftKings have pushed back, arguing that their responsible gaming system provides adequate safeguards to protect their customers from spiraling out of control. “I think as a business, as an industry, we’re doing a good job of educating people, of raising awareness, of making tools and resources available, of monitoring accounts,” Lori Kalani, the company’s chief responsible gaming officer, told me. If a customer waves too many red flags, she said, the company will proactively close the account. But when I asked how often this actually happens, DraftKings wouldn’t say.
So I decided to find out for myself: If I bet like a compulsive gambler, would DraftKings stop me — even if it cost the company money?
I opened an account under my own name and linked it to my debit card. ProPublica bankrolled me. When the app asked me what I did for a living, I disclosed that I was a reporter. I assembled a panel of addiction specialists, recovering gambling addicts and professional sports bettors who pointed me to the telltale wagering habits of someone who’s out of control. And then I got to work.
Over the next 10 weeks, I’d mimic those patterns and come to find out just how much DraftKings would encourage my recklessness — and just how little pushback I’d get as I spiraled downward.
I used the NBA playoffs as my launching pad, and, like much of New York, I was all in on the Knicks. After a week of moderate betting, I waved my first red flag during Game 3 of the Knicks vs. Atlanta Hawks first-round series.
I slept fitfully after my night of loss chasing and awoke at dawn to catch a train to Boston, where I attended a symposium on online gambling put on by the Public Health Advocacy Institute at the Northeastern University School of Law.
There, Matthew Gaskell, a British psychologist and expert on gambling addiction, said that the bettors that companies are most interested in are, well, losers like me. Indeed, a modest set of very active losers account for a substantial amount of sportsbooks’ revenue, he said. (A 2024 study out of Connecticut found that 1.8% of problem gamblers in the state accounted for 51% of sports betting revenue.) And the companies have created sophisticated technology products designed to squeeze maximum engagement out of them, just as social media companies like Meta did years earlier with users of Facebook and Instagram, added Darragh McGee, a researcher at the University of Bath.
In fact, as The New York Times reported, DraftKings employs machine learning and data scientists to identify losing customers and entice them with promotions to keep them going — even if those are exactly the kinds of customers at risk of becoming addicts. DraftKings told the newspaper its promotions are geared toward users who spend a lot of time on the app and that the company “rejects any implication that its marketing practices are unfair or improperly targets customers.”
To keep users loyal, the major operators offer VIP programs, not unlike what airlines or rental car companies do. As a bettor climbs the tiers, the perks get bigger and better, from free bets and swag to primo seats at games, fancy dinners and even concert tickets. A FanDuel VIP in Pennsylvania received a personalized video message from MLB slugger Bryce Harper.
I wanted to be a VIP. I wanted cool perks.
To help get that status, I’d tapped the skills of Isaac Rose-Berman, a precocious 26-year-old professional sports bettor and policy expert at the American Institute for Boys and Men, a think tank that focuses on policy issues impacting dudes. He had a hunch that by chasing losses and displaying other signs of problem gambling I’d eventually get an invite. We just didn’t know when it would come — or how much it would cost.
It happened sooner than either of us thought.
At 5:01 p.m. the day after I lost nearly $1,800 on basketball in one night, during the closing remarks of the gambling addiction symposium, an email popped into my inbox. “Welcome to the DraftKings VIP Showcase,” the subject line read. I couldn’t believe it. My night of loss chasing was being rewarded.
The VIP showcase is basically a three-week tryout. Every week I’d get a new promotion as the company sussed me out to make sure that I was worthy of the title. It wanted to know whether I was actually a big spender, aka a whale, or a wolf in sheep’s clothing — a pro bettor, like Rose-Berman, who, armed with math, can beat the house more often than most by exploiting mispriced odds. Bettors like these, known in the business as sharps, calculate savvy wagers that have as much to do with sports knowledge as with probability. The apps do not like losing money to them and so limit how much they can bet.
For long-term losers like me, though, those limits don’t apply. I’m not a sharp. I’m a square.
And when I read the fine print of the VIP loyalty program, I was floored to see the incentive structure laid out so plainly: The more I spent on long-odds wagers, the quicker I’d accumulate the credits I needed to advance from tier to tier — from bronze, to silver, to gold, to diamond, to Onyx — and thus get closer to the cool perks I so desired. The upshot? Full send every time, baby!
Before I could get started though, I encountered my first in-app responsible gaming prompt since I began betting.
Screenshot by Jake Pearson/ProPublica
In just over a week, I’d gambled away roughly what a minimum-wage worker in New York City earns in a month by chasing my losses and repeatedly tapping my bank account. But the notice wasn’t served to me because of how I’d been betting. It was sent because when New York lawmakers legalized mobile sports betting in 2023, they required the apps to notify users when they hit $2,500 in total deposits.
The law also requires sportsbooks like DraftKings to submit a “problem-gaming plan” to the state regulator but leaves the specifics of it up to the companies. The plan must include, among other things, procedures “for identifying users with suspected or known problem-gaming behavior” and for “providing information to users concerning problem-gaming identification and resources.” But the exact details are unclear because such plans are not publicly available. (A DraftKings spokesperson wouldn’t provide a copy, and my request for it under the state’s open records law with the gaming commission is under review.)
The app’s response to my $2,500 in deposits was tepid. With a click I could either set limits on my betting or avoid doing so altogether. Eager to gamble, I clicked “I Understand” and moved on. That was it, warning resolved. I got on the horn with my panel of experts to map out the next phase of my experiment. It was time to up the ante.
One of my advisers, Joshua Grubbs, who studies gambling disorders at the University of New Mexico, said he’d expect to see someone on my trajectory pick up the frequency of his betting, have longer sessions on the app, jump from sport to sport in search of fast action and start experimenting with more exotic betting products, like parlays and prop bets.
OK, I said. Let’s rip some parlays.
Parlays link multiple events into a single wager, drastically decreasing the likelihood of all parts happening while simultaneously increasing the potential payout. They’re enticing, aspirational bets. And, Grubbs was quick to remind me, they’re known by another name: a sucker’s bet.
DraftKings heavily promotes parlays, offering “profit boosts” that juice their potential payouts.
The companies say these bets make watching a game more fun and exciting. They’re a reason to tune in, and hang on, if you’re not otherwise interested in whatever’s on TV.
Do enough parlays, though, and you become seduced by what’s known as the “near miss” effect — a psychological phenomenon in which your brain basically tricks you into thinking you’ve got skill after almost winning.
Mathematically, however, you’re actually four times more likely to get three out of four legs of a parlay, for example, than all four. Yet every time I got close, I wondered if maybe I just needed to tweak my formula, even as my rational brain recognized that I couldn’t hit a parlay to save my life.
Prop bets play on a different dynamic in your brain. They are wagers on a player’s stats or a specific event within a game that’s divorced from the overall outcome. Among the most controversial forms is the microbet, which offers very fast action — who will win the next point in a tennis match, will the next pitch be a strike. Another one of my consultants, Natasha Schull, an anthropologist at New York University and the author of “Addiction by Design: Machine Gambling in Las Vegas,” said microbetting is as close as you can get in sports betting to playing slots, widely considered to be one of the most addictive forms of gambling.
So I followed Grubbs’ and Schull’s advice to escalate my risk-taking as I bet from my living room couch.
Betting on the couch was fun enough, but I was itching to feel what it was like to have money riding on a game being played right in front of me. So in early May, when my neighbor and I went to see the Yankees play, I decided to give betting IRL a try.
It’s hard to overstate how heavy-handed the sports betting messaging in Yankee Stadium is. When I went to get a hot dog, there were ads from DraftKings’ chief rival, FanDuel, on the monitors that displayed the menus.
I settled into my seat, cracked a cold one and logged into DraftKings. It was time for more microbets. When Yankees shortstop José Caballero was up in the fifth inning, I bet $50 that he’d either get a hit or take a ball on his third pitch. I was right! Easiest $95 I’d ever made.
So I kept going — with less success.
I lost $50 on the next pitch to Caballero, then I went 0-5 at $20 a pop trying to guess what Baltimore Orioles center fielder Leody Taveras would do from the box during his third plate appearance. I’d managed to squander my payday in just a couple of minutes.
Schull told me that since there’s so little lag time between placing your wager and getting your result, you can quickly get into a flow of submitting and repeating bets — exactly the kind of trance she observed in gambling addicts pulling slot machine levers. The result, obviously, is that it’s very easy to lose a lot very quickly.
I’d soon find out that DraftKings knows this, too, though its take on microbetting was far less full of doomerism.
Three days after the Yankees game, on May 7, following yet even more parlay losses, the company served me a “responsible gaming” pop-up video — the first I’d been served in the app since the New York-mandated one on April 25.
“Took a loss? Now take a beat,” it read, directing me on how to visit the “My Stat Sheet” page on the app, where I could set a budget or impose limits on my ability to spend. I clicked “Maybe Later,” and the interruption was over.
But DraftKings’ apparent concern for my well-being was belied by a promotion the company sent me just hours later: A 20% profit BOOST on bets of up to $250 for an unlimited number of live microbets on baseball plate appearances. This was exactly the kind of bet that had led me to lose so quickly at the ballpark. Now the company was encouraging me to run it back at even bigger dollar amounts for as many times as I wanted until the promotion expired later that day. “Bet, settle, repeat!” read the push notification that popped up on my phone. I could practically hear the crank of a slot machine lever.
On May 7, the app served me the first “responsible gaming” pop-up since the New York-mandated one on April 25.Screenshot by Jake Pearson/ProPublicaJust hours later, DraftKings sent me a promotion urging me to place microbets on baseball.Screenshot by Jake Pearson/ProPublica
When I described this bet-pause-promote progression to Kalani, DraftKings’ responsible gaming chief, she told me she’d “take that back” to her team for review but added, “I just don’t think we should be drawing broad conclusions from, you know, your single account, what you did.”
A few days later, exactly two weeks after my first big night of loss chasing during the Knicks game, I was formally accepted into the VIP program and assigned my very own, personal concierge. It had taken only three weeks and $5,800 in deposits on the app. My rep said he’d be “keeping an eye out for opportunities and perks tailored specifically” to my account, plus “reminders about Responsible Gaming.”
I could text him directly. I could reach out for special treatment. Rose-Berman explained to me that this meant I could ask for “bonus bets,” free one-time bets using house money, or, more commonly, “deposit matches,” extra house money called DK Dollars, that fattened up my account when I made a transfer from my bank. He said that sportsbooks are happy to provide these freebies to losers like me because they’ve assessed, rightly, that we’re likely to end up gambling it right back — and that the special treatment will keep us loyal. I’d be earning crowns that I could convert to DK Dollars as I climbed the tiers of the loyalty program, which I could use to bet more or buy merch. I couldn’t help but hope that I’d also get the really cool stuff. A personalized video from a major leaguer? Tickets to a game? Swag?
My rapid ascent to VIP at DraftKings made me wonder how its major competitor, FanDuel, would handle a problem gambler like me. So I repeated the behavior there, placing the same kinds of bets at the same odds over the course of a week on their app.
One night I blew $529 on playoff basketball bets and then chased my losses with a $750 wager on professional hockey, backing the Minnesota Wild in a high-scoring matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. When the Avs won and my money was gone, I found the only remaining live action I could: a cricket match between Indonesia and Malaysia.
Like most Americans, I have no idea what cricket is. But whatever. It was near midnight and this was work, so I deposited $500 and tried to put it all on Malaysia. That bet would’ve netted me $11,000 had Malaysia won, but FanDuel wouldn’t accept it and required me to lower my wager amount. When I later asked the company about this, FanDuel wouldn’t say whether it did so because it didn’t want to lose the money or out of a commitment to responsible gaming. In any event, I put $200 on Malaysia instead and, of course, lost.
The app also put some speed bumps in my way over the course of that night, prompting me with “Reality Check” reminders six times that showed me the amount of time I’d been on the app and the amount I’d wagered thus far.
One of six FanDuel “Reality Checks” I encountered while betting on the app on May 3.Screenshot by Jake Pearson/ProPublica
And unlike on DraftKings, my weeklong betting behavior on FanDuel didn’t result in a VIP invite. When I reached out to FanDuel for comment, the company touted its responsible gaming tools. A company spokesperson added in a statement that FanDuel’s program is “designed to identify potential risk early and empower customers with real-time information about their play.” For some customers, the statement said, “trained specialists” will intervene “or apply protective measures, including limits or exclusion,” though the company didn’t say how often that happens and what it takes, exactly, to trigger those measures. The New York Times reported that FanDuel is one of several operators that have signed up with third-party firms that help gauge customers’ risk for problem gambling to curb it. DraftKings is not among them but said it has its own tools.
Over on DraftKings, things were heating up. A month into my experiment I’d already lost $4,671 — enough scratch to buy a used car (with a lot of miles) — and my bet size was growing, too. I was getting used to risking large sums. I looked back on how nervous I’d been to place $200 bets when I first started and couldn’t believe that I’d been so naive.
I’d been wagering so much, in fact, that the quick-tap deposit buttons in the app had increased to $500, $750 and $950, making it even easier to mindlessly transfer large sums from my bank into my DraftKings account.
The default dollar figures exemplify “dark patterns” aimed at making betting large amounts as frictionless as possible.Screenshot by Jake Pearson/ProPublica. Debit card number redacted by ProPublica.
Computer scientists have a term for this choice of user design: They call it a “dark pattern.” Critics say this is a key way that apps essentially trick you into subscribing to or purchasing things you don’t want or need with just one click.
And boy, was I getting fed opportunities to click. I’d selected the open settings for notifications on DraftKings, and as a result I was just getting pummeled with push alerts to my phone. Sometimes there’d be six in a day, offering BOOSTS. In the app, they’ve even got their own tagline: “BOOSTS DON’T STOP.”
I was hoping for tickets to a game or swag or anything super cool, but so far my VIP rep had hooked me up with only a 12-month ESPN subscription. That and lots of promotions to bet, at all hours. On Saturday, May 16, as I was getting the kids home from my son’s baseball game, DraftKings pushed me an “Exclusive Offer” to double my winnings on any bet up to $250. I pieced together a parlay on the subway, placing the bet as my service cut in and out.
The Yankees were playing the Mets that night, and Rose-Berman had encouraged me to shoot the moon — to climb the tiers of VIP status — so I strung together a five-leg parlay for the full eligible amount. My payout, highlighted in purple at the bottom of my slip, would be $6,250 if it hit.
The Yankees lost, and I hit only one leg of my parlay. As I nursed my wounds I began to wonder: Would I have spent that $250 but for the promotion?
I promise you I wasn’t trying to lose. Sure, I was firing unlikely bets, but I wanted them to win. If you could lose intentionally then you could win intentionally, and gambling wouldn’t exist. Over time most gamblers lose, and like them my performance was trending southward consistently — and fast.
But then, heading into Memorial Day weekend, I got on a hot streak. In statistics, this is called variance, but colloquially we refer to it as luck. Over five days, I notched real wins betting serious cash. After winning $3,869 on parlays from a Yankees game and the thrilling double overtime Spurs win in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, I almost forgot that, net, I was still down $8,836. And you know what? I felt like Superman.
To my betting brain, I was flying high. I was hot. I contacted one of my advisers, Rob Minnick, himself a recovering gambling addict who hosts a YouTube channel about problem gambling, and asked what he did after big wins.
He told me to withdraw the deposit I’d made immediately before my hot streak and then bet the winnings left in my DraftKings account with gusto because, hey, it’s just house money.
“I always say on my channel, like all wins are just future losses because when you don’t stop, it eventually gets given back,” he said.
Today, nearly a quarter of all Americans, and half of men ages 18 to 49, say they have an active sportsbook account, according to the Siena Research Institute. And with the advent of prediction markets, millions more are believed to be betting on sports.
But companies like DraftKings and FanDuel don’t just offer sports action: You can also gamble on casino games like blackjack and roulette in the handful of states where that’s legal. The companies call it iGaming, and they want it to be legal everywhere that sports betting is.
“I do think it’s a when, not if, that a lot of these states are going to legalize iGaming,” DraftKings CEO Jason Robins said at a June investor conference. “Customers want it. The tax revenue potential is real. And so we’re seeing a lot of momentum develop in different states.”
New York doesn’t permit that kind of gambling, but New Jersey is one of the roughly half dozen states that does. Since I was headed down the shore for Memorial Day weekend and my DraftKings account was flush from playoff basketball betting, it proved to be the perfect opportunity to try out iGaming.
I logged into my account from the beach on May 22 and was hit with a reminder of the app’s responsible gaming suite of tools, including the option to set a budget. I bypassed the prompt with the swipe of a finger, and there, on the main page, was a shortcut straight to the card table.
New Jersey allows iGaming, so I could access the casino right from DraftKings.Screenshot by Jake Pearson/ProPublica
I explored the expansive casino offerings: I played roulette and tried out blackjack. The cards were dealt on a table that looked straight out of Vegas but for your phone. I didn’t have to think about how much to wager because DraftKings had already done that for me: With the click of a button I could bet as much as $1,000 per hand. And I was struck by how DraftKings cross-promoted iGaming to the sports bettor.
That included “baseball blackjack” and “basketball blackjack” — a regular deck of cards but instead of a felt card table background, there was a baseball diamond or basketball court.
I didn’t think much of that until after I bet on the Knicks and Cavs in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals the next day. At the bottom of the receipt of my bet slip, I noticed for the first time a “Suggested For You” section. Mine advertised baseball blackjack and basketball blackjack. The app was drawing me back to the table.
In states where it can offer iGaming, DraftKings has casino games like baseball blackjack.Screenshot by Jake Pearson/ProPublicaThe app suggests sports-themed iGaming like football, baseball and basketball blackjack.Screenshot by Jake Pearson/ProPublica
Not that I needed that hard of a nudge to start playing cards again.
Rose-Berman and I had discussed a strategy for the weekend: To escalate my compulsive betting late into the night, I transitioned from my usual sports fare to even faster, more exotic sports action (read: Czech table tennis) and then, ultimately, to the casino, following the path DraftKings was all but paving for me.
As I devolved in Jersey, Draft Kings promoted me to silver-tier status.
I’d played about 500 rounds of blackjack in a couple of days — accounting for just over half of my total betting activity during 10 weeks on DraftKings. By the end of the holiday weekend, I’d blown close to $3,000 on casino gambling. Before I left the Garden State, I asked my VIP rep whether there was any way to get just the casino stuff off my phone.
Days later he responded, informing me that, no, unfortunately, that wasn’t possible. But he did ask me whether I needed “help with setting in app limits.” I declined the offer.
DraftKings’ Kalani told me I wasn’t the first user to voice this complaint and said the company was working on allowing customers who’d rather just bet on sports to toggle off the casino on their phone.
I came away from my betting mania with an overarching takeaway: that the “responsible gaming” prompts that were served to me were no match for the product design pushing me to do more gambling.
While I was fighting off sleep to play cards, DraftKings occasionally threw me some responsible gaming speed bumps. Just before midnight, for example, a “time reminder” popped up on the blackjack table, telling me I’d been on the app for three hours and 45 minutes.
The pop-ups were barely disruptive: They covered a small part of the screen and could be swept away in a second. The design of the blackjack game, by contrast, facilitated betting big and chasing losses. That’s because DraftKings has made doubling your bet one of the options you’re served in between hands — literally enabling doubling down in a millisecond with the push of a thumb.
A time reminder from DraftKings.Screenshot by Jake Pearson/ProPublicaThe “x2” button is another “dark pattern.”Screenshot by Jake Pearson/ProPublica
Minnick, who, in addition to hosting a YouTube channel on problem gambling, has co-founded a nonprofit industry watchdog that Rose-Berman advises, told me this dynamic pretty much summed up how he has come to understand the industry’s “responsible gaming” approach.
“It’s like an entire system that’s just built to appear to be doing something good while giving them basically like a free pass to do everything bad by saying, ‘Hey, we told you, you know, you have a responsibility, it’s your fault,’” Minnick said.
In a statement, DraftKings disputed that characterization, saying that all 5,000-plus of its employees are trained on responsible gaming every year and that it’s “not a side initiative. It is embedded across our business and essential to DraftKings’ long-term sustainability.”
But either way, Minnick and others said the framework for protecting consumers shouldn’t be entrusted to a publicly traded company that’s driven to grow revenue. “It’s unfair for us to expect or require a private business to do something that goes against its own mission of generating profit, right?” Minnick said. “Well, if you choose the industry standard, it’s going to be the least effective means.”
By late May, according to my expert panel, I was enthusiastically waving all the red flags of a compulsive gambler. Loss chasing? Check. Regular depositing? Yup. Exotic betting products? Lots of ’em. Long hours on the app and bets of increasing size and frequency? Yes and yes.
Yet the only pushback I got from DraftKings came in the form of responsible gaming prompts that required me to opt in to the app’s tools. The company told me it sent a total of 32 such notices over my 10 weeks of gambling, including emails that every DraftKings customer gets. By my count, I got in-app notifications about my betting on 14 of the 71 days I gambled.
Kalani, who served as DraftKings’ outside lawyer before becoming its responsible gaming chief, says her 51-person team manually reviews user accounts suspected of problem gambling. But I’d never heard from a single one, and I wondered if it was because I wasn’t compulsive enough.
So to erase any conceivable doubts about my status as a problem gambler, I went full “degen,” as sports bettors say when they’re on a particularly wild tear.
This is the moment that I bet feverishly on the French Open. I was fueled with $1,100 I’d won from my second bet ever, on April 16, a $200 wager on the Knicks to win the Eastern Conference finals. Now, six weeks later, I was compulsively betting on tennis, a sport I’d never bet on before. Once I blew my stack, I went straight to the responsible gaming center to set limits on how much I could deposit and how many hours I could be on the app.
The company says it doesn’t want there to be a stigma attached to using responsible gaming tools, but instead wants to encourage its users to budget, impose limits and avoid going off the deep end. DraftKings says millions of customers have visited its responsible gaming center, but the little data available publicly suggests only a small percentage opt into these tools.
As of April, just over 8% of active DraftKings users in Massachusetts were using them, a company official told state regulators this summer. This number was trending up, which was a good thing, the official said.
But when I used the tools, it didn’t take long to see their limitations. Just a half an hour after opting in, I received the first of four push alerts.
When I asked Kalani if the push notifications undermined my efforts to control myself, she dismissed the issue.
“People use our tools all the time, and they also appreciate being offered the same things other customers are also offered,” she said. “I think they are two very different things.” Besides, she said, those kinds of marketing materials aren’t sent to customers who opt into more severe restrictions, like a “cool-off” period.
I knew she was right about that from firsthand experience because I’d opted into a three-day cool-off after blowing another couple of grand on tennis to really communicate to DraftKings that I was struggling.
When you’re cooling off, you literally can’t log in. I’d picked a torturous time to enroll — the NBA Finals were underway as I was headed to a reunion trip with the college bros. I couldn’t have scripted a more stereotypical scenario for betting. The Knicks were playing the Spurs in Game 1, but I couldn’t get in on the action!
When I emerged from betting purgatory, it did seem like DraftKings had taken its foot off the gas. I wasn’t getting push alerts. Some of the bonus perks the app regularly fed me weren’t available. Even the dark patterns deposit buttons had returned to the default amounts of $10, $20 and $50.
So on June 8, ahead of Game 3 in the Knicks-Spurs series, I texted my VIP host to see what the deal was — and to see how firm the guardrails were. I asked whether I could get some extra DK Dollars in exchange for making a big deposit. I wondered if, given the circumstances, he’d invoke responsible gaming. He responded a day later and initially demurred.
But on the advice of a recovering gambling addict I’d been speaking to, I tried another tactic: asking for a bonus bet — just to remind my rep that I was eager for action.
Not one week after coming off my three-day cool-off, my VIP rep juiced my biggest deposit to date with an extra $1,250 in free DK Dollars.
Kalani told me she didn’t see a problem with this, either. It had been me, after all, and not my host, who first made contact following the cool-off. “At that point, again, you’re a VIP customer, and you’re asking for something that we would give to any customer,” she said.
Overall, “the system worked the way it was supposed to” in my case, Kalani said. The range of behaviors and indicators that DraftKings scans for that trigger closing or manually reviewing an account didn’t ping for me, she said.
While I often played late into the night, I wasn’t playing in the wee-est hours, between 1:30 a.m. and 5:30 a.m., she said.
I found this response revealing, though perhaps not in the way she’d intended it to be. I’d deposited $21,600 into my account in less than eight weeks, exhibiting just about every sign of compulsive gambling there is, according to my expert consultants. By DraftKings’ metrics, I didn’t even register for a manual review. Kalani had told me that the company was motivated to retain customers who were betting “within their means and can sustain their own entertainment.”
So I asked Kalani straight up: Does DraftKings ever cut somebody off purely based on their betting history and not because they’ve disclosed that they’ve got a problem? “Yes, we do that all the time,” she told me. She repeated the same answer when I asked her how often. I pressed again, and a spokesperson interjected, telling me he could take the question as a follow-up. I checked in later, but the company told me that “we do not share the specific number of closures.”
Sportsbooks know how to identify and restrict gamblers’ behavior. In fact, they already do so when it comes to sharp bettors like Rose-Berman. Gaming regulators in Massachusetts who crunched the numbers on this last September found that, on average, just 0.64% of gamblers in the commonwealth were limited as of December 2024 and that, within that group, winning bettors were more likely to have their bet maximums lowered than losers.
Sportsbooks could do the same to losers who are digging deeper and deeper holes. In fact, the Times reported, data scientists at DraftKings had developed a tool to identify customers who were headed in this direction, but the company didn’t adopt it. Kalani told the Times that DraftKings’ existing system for identifying problem gamblers was a “better methodology.”
As it stands, the current system relies on users to opt into setting responsible gaming tools like budgets or time limits. That model restricts the tools’ utility to those who have the wherewithal to police themselves, said Brianne Doura-Schawohl, a gambling reform advocate who lobbies statehouses to impose stronger consumer and public health protections on behalf of the Campaign for Fairer Gambling.
To stem the flow of casual money losing and potential addiction, advocates say, the design should be the exact opposite, requiring users to opt out of setting limits, especially since research shows that gambling can impair decision-making.
The argument about responsible gaming tools, while legitimate, misses an even larger public policy question, Doura-Schawohl added. States that have legalized sports betting derive billions of dollars in revenue from it — even as research shows that gambling disorder diagnoses are skyrocketing in those places. That makes it harder for lawmakers to impose stiffer regulations on specific offerings such as VIP programs or prop bets, like microbets, that are huge sources of revenue for companies and thus state coffers, she said. Other countries have already taken aggressive steps to curb some of the industry’s more problematic products, from marketing practices to advertisements. But in the U.S., the industry has actively opposed proposed reforms in Washington as well as statehouses across the country, and it even seeded a political action committee with $41 million to influence elections this year.
“We want regulations like deposit limits, the reconsideration of microbets. Let’s talk about the inundation of advertising that we’re all sick of,” Doura-Schawohl said. “How do the products themselves impact harm? I think VIP is a big problem with that.”
Midway through June, the unimaginable happened: The Knicks won the NBA championship for the first time in more than half a century.
It’s hard to add anything of substance to the canon of what’s already been written about the historic turn. But what I can say is that from a betting perspective, this was very good for me. My first bet, for $100, was on the Knicks to take home the chip. And ahead of Game 5, I had laid down my biggest bet ever: $10,000 on the Knicks — five times my biggest bet to date. As the city erupted in celebration, my account was as flush as ever, with $25,350. I’d erased all of my previous losses and netted a couple grand in profit.
And as it turns out, I was far from alone.
In fact, so many New York fans went big that the unlikely win resulted in sportsbook operators reporting a $48.5 million loss for the week ending after the Knicks secured the championship, the first time that’s happened since state lawmakers legalized online sports betting.
This confusing series of events presented a wrinkle in my experiment: What does the problem gambler who has been a consistent loser do when, by the grace of God, he comes out ahead?
Minnick, Grubbs and Rose-Berman all had the same answer: He keeps on going. “Congrats on becoming a huge world cup fan,” Minnick texted me.
It was good timing. The 48-team tournament was a major betting event, with billions wagered on the regulated apps alone. DraftKings was eager to get me into the action.
For the first time in the 12 days since my cool-off, with my account newly fat with house money, the company turned back on the push notifications notifying me of BOOSTS and betting opportunities. Between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. on June 16, for example, I got five alerts pushing me to bet. “Defending champs Argentina start their quest for back-to-back glory,” read one. “Can they score 3+ goals vs Algeria (+180)?…” So I threw myself into World Cup betting with enthusiasm. And guess what? I was winning. A lot.
I was up $16,000 on top of my initial investment — astronomical heights. I frankly started to wonder: What if I was really good at this? What if I kept on winning?
My experts knew better. Winning, and winning big, can actually be dangerous for a problem gambler because it instills in that person a false confidence, a validation of their betting behavior. What I experienced was also a representative snapshot of how it really plays out on a problem gambler’s account.
“Most people’s gambling stories aren’t straight down,” Rose-Berman told me. “The whole point is that so much of the asymmetric downside is caused by the initial upside.”
Do You Know More About DraftKings, FanDuel and Sports Betting?
We’re still reporting. If you are a former or current employee of a sportsbook or prediction market, or know more about the online gambling industry, please contact us.
I had to keep going. I was putting more money than ever into play, placing between $3,000 and $7,000 a day on games, going for lucrative, unlikely parlays.
Think about that. That’s well above monthly rent for most people.
But I was hit in the app with responsible gaming prompts on only one of the 10 days that I spent so lavishly on the World Cup, receiving time reminder pop-ups notifying me of how long I’d been on the app, and how much I’d wagered, on June 17.
In fact, DraftKings was egging me on. Because of my VIP status, I’d been able to bet up to $250 to qualify for a profit BOOST. But as I kept spending more and more, DraftKings lifted the qualifying bet amount from $250 to $500 and even $1,000.
I’d recently hit the gold tier of VIP, but I still hadn’t gotten any cool perks as a result of my status. So I texted my host to see if I could get tickets to a World Cup match in New Jersey. No such luck, he said.
That should have been an omen. My fortune was turning.
In all, I’d lost $10,702 and decided enough was enough. I’d eventually withdraw the remainder and return it to ProPublica.
But before closing out my experiment, I wanted to see just how far DraftKings would let me go. So I asked my VIP rep if I could get a match on a (hypothetical!) $25,000 deposit.
If I deposited more, my rep said, he could “look into the account and see what is available to add in.”
If you’re one of millions of Americans who have placed an online bet on a sporting event, you know how quickly you can go from celebrating your wins to feeling like the odds are stacked against you.
ProPublica is trying to understand how sports betting apps incentivize users to keep playing and when they warn users to pump the brakes. To do that, we need your help: We’re aiming for at least 250 people to upload their gambling history from apps like FanDuel and DraftKings. We’re not quite there yet, so if you’ve used these apps, you can help our journalists. If you’ve worked in the industry, you can also help us by answering a few questions. (You can also reach us on Signal.)
Sharing your transaction histories and insights about the apps can help us understand when companies provide boosts, invite you into VIP programs and push responsible gaming notices. Without this data, there is no way to know how the companies truly operate.
Learn more about this project and how to share your data by visiting our website.
President’s ‘hard, drastic and necessary measure’, likely to attract widespread public support, polls suggest
The Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has signed an order banning fixed-odds sports betting just over a week before the first round of the presidential election, in a move he said was designed to tackle the pervasive problem of families falling into debt.
The decision ends the operation, offering, intermediation and advertising of betting.
53 images that users uploaded into OpenAI models were included in training data — and then AI agents in an OpenAI research environment posted those 53 images on public image hosting sites.
While posted as links that weren't publicly listed, "the images could still be discovered even if the links were not publicly listed," reports TechCrunch:
OpenAI said it was working with the hosting providers to remove this content, though some of it is apparently still online. OpenAI said it could not notify the affected users because "our technical approach and privacy policy" prevent it from "reassociating" the images with the original providers, but declined to say how the lab determined whether the images were provided by users.
The news came in a post collecting public statements from the lab's ongoing review of incidents in which its models escaped the company's scrutiny, accessed the open internet, and misbehaved in various ways. OpenAI said it would continue disclosing anonymized accounts of incidents like these, and said it had contacted dozens of victims, including governments, universities, public agencies, to notify them of the agents' activities.
Friday night news also broke that OpenAI's agents also tried unsuccessfully to infiltrate the U.S. Department of Education's site this summer "without the company's knowledge," reports Politico.
And OpenAI's models also accessed the website of the U.S. Commerce Department using credentials found in online code repositories, according to the article. OpenAI confirmed the incident Friday, "saying its technology did not manage to access information that was not already public or change government data and systems." The article adds that OpenAI's models also accessed the web site for America's Securities and Exchange Commission:
One senior federal IT official said the government still did not have a clear understanding of what happened across the three agencies. "We still don't know what public data was accessed and how it was accessed, because OpenAI has not shared specific technical details with us yet," said the official, who was granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about it. OpenAI discovered the Commerce and SEC incidents as part of its ongoing review of incidents where its technology has acted in unintended or "misaligned" ways.
About the models posting user-uploaded images, TechCrunch's article notes that OpenAI stressed "that its enterprise users are automatically opted out of having their interactions used to train future models; however, consumer users are opted in unless they affirmatively choose not to share their data." (As OpenAI's announcement describes it, some of their agents' training data "contains content from, or derived from, training-eligible user interactions.")
Posting the images is "not an appropriate use of this data," OpenAI acknowledged, adding that it happened before new safeguards added after the Hugging Face incident. This latest incident appears as an update on a new OpenAI page that "brings together our reports and updates on the Hugging Face incident, related research and public presentations, additional activity we have identified, what we have learned about the role of model misalignment, and measures we're taking to strengthen our systems." (It also notes that there's now a name for models posting on third party sites — "agent spam" — which they consider distinct from cybersecurity, though "we need to address both.")
"As part of our response to our ongoing investigation, we have improved our training and evaluation processes, including building safety cases, securing and red-teaming our systems to prevent the model from exfiltrating data, and implemented additional monitoring. We are continuing to review agent activity in research and evaluation runs, working backward month by month starting from the Hugging Face incident."
Exclusive: Dog Painting 17 is believed to be one of only six of works from Dog Series in private hands and first to be auctioned
David Hockney adored his dachshunds Stanley and Boodgie and let them run riot – so much so that after one had an accident in the LA home of the actor Dennis Hopper, the painter is said to have quipped: “It’ll be dry in the morning, luv, and you can just pick it up.”
But Hockney did not just indulge his four-legged companions, he treated them as portrait subjects for a series of paintings, one of which is to be sold by Christie’s.
Trump tries to dominate at the UN as his approval ratings plummet and even some Republicans stray from the script
Donald Trump stood before the United Nations on Tuesday and threatened to “annihilate” Iran. Yet even as the most powerful man on the planet flexed his military muscles, he was powerless to keep the gravitational pull of domestic politics at bay.
Heading into the UN building in New York, the US president was questioned by Kaitlan Collins, an anchor at CNN, which he had banned from the White House before a judge ruled against him. “I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me,” the 80-year-old snapped. “You should not be here covering me.”
The French president’s resolve seems to have rubbed off on the leaders of other ‘middle powers’
On the first day of the United Nations general assembly this week, two world leaders outlined competing visions for the future. Donald Trump’s speech was disturbingly similar to those he’s given before: a litany of false boasts and odd tangents, peppered with grim military threats against a variety of nation states. Discussing his seven-month war with Iran, he mused over whether to “annihilate the Islamic Republic and do it quickly”.
In Trump’s eyes, the world is there to be ruled – and ruled only by the US, whose economy is “the envy of the world” and military is “the most powerful on Earth”.
Steve Bloomfield is the former international editor of the Observer
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is urging U.S. service members and their families to register and vote in the 2026 midterm elections, saying hundreds of thousands of troops failed to register two years ago. The Hill reported the appeal Friday.
Hegseth directed troops to the Federal Voting Assistance Program, which helps military personnel and eligible family members register, request absentee ballots and vote while stationed away from home. He also told commanders their role was not to influence choices but to encourage participation: “You’re not telling them who to vote for. You’re just telling them to vote.”
According to FVAP data cited by The Hill, about 67% of active-duty service members were registered for the 2024 election, down three percentage points from 2020. Roughly 71% of the 1.3 million active-duty force qualified for absentee-voting protections because they were stationed away from their voting residence.
The Pentagon’s 2026 voting plan already directs voting-assistance officers to publicize elections, help troops complete registration forms and conduct voter-outreach campaigns.
Hegseth has also appeared at Republican campaign events this year, including stops supporting candidates in Kentucky and Iowa. The voting message itself, however, did not endorse a party or candidate.
New research suggests the technology could be used to increase out-of-hospital access to life-saving devices
Drones could help cut the time it takes to get a defibrillator to people experiencing cardiac arrests when not in hospital, researchers have suggested.
In the UK alone, there are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests a year where emergency medical services attempt to resuscitate the individual, according to the British Heart Foundation. However, fewer than one in 10 people survive such an event, and some who do are left with neurological problems.
Outgoing secretary Lonnie Bunch rejects claims the institution is unpatriotic, telling audience ‘You cannot understand all without illuminating the dark corners’
Lonnie Bunch, the outgoing secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, has defended the organisation against political interference, insisting that telling the unvarnished and complex truths of history is an act of “great love” for the country.
Speaking on Friday at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, Bunch received a standing ovation from hundreds of audience members and rejected claims that the institution’s staff or exhibitions were unpatriotic.
Trial had been set for Monday over claims by Alabama that TikTok misled parents about tools meant to shield children from harmful content
TikTok has agreed to pay Alabama at least $100m and enact time limits and other restrictions for teenage users, avoiding a trial with a settlement that was modelled on Instagram-owner Meta’s recent agreement with US states.
Alabama described it as a “first-in-the-nation settlement” with a state in the sweeping litigation over social media’s affect on teen wellbeing.
A New Mexico jury on Friday "found Facebook liable for deceiving users" about its privacy protections, reports the Associated Press.
A New Mexico newspaper calls it "another massive legal victory" against Facebook, reporting that the jury found Facebook "had committed tens of millions of violations of the state's Unfair Practices Act in connection with its lies to consumers about how their personal information was handled by the company and third-party users."
The state has asked the company be ordered to pay the maximum civil penalty of $5,000 per violation meaning a judge could potentially order the company to pay billions in penalties to the state. The jury also found the company had been dishonest about its investigation of and response to the 2013 Cambridge Analytica data breach scandal, in which approximately 300,000 Facebook users took an online personality quiz, only to have the app that hosted the quiz harvest data from tens of millions of their "friends." The data was then transferred to the British consulting firm, which used it to create targeted political ads during the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
More details from Reuters:
The verdict followed a two-week trial over a lawsuit filed by New Mexico's attorney general in 2021, three years after news reports revealed that the firm, Cambridge Analytica, had harvested personal data from as many as 87 million Facebook users through a third-party app... At a press conference after the verdict was announced, New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez said the case revealed "in stark detail the way in which this company plays fast and loose with the rules."
Jurors found 26 of 29 statements identified by the state were misleading, including comments about user data... Judge Francis Mathew will now determine civil penalties after jurors found more than 43 million violations, based on the number of people affected by the company's misleading statements... [New Mexico Attorney General] Torrez said his office is evaluating how much to seek but will push for the maximum penalty based on the jury's findings. The state will also ask [Judge] Mathew to direct Meta to make changes, which could include corrections to its past misstatements as well as an audit of the way it manages user data, Torrez said.
Mountaineer’s body recovered about 20 metres below the summit of Torrecerredo, the highest peak of the Picos de Europa range
A British man has died after falling about 61 metres (200ft) while descending from the summit of a mountain in northern Spain, according to local law enforcement.
The 28-year-old mountaineer fell down a vertical gully on the east side of the Torrecerredo – the highest peak of the Cantabrian mountains – on Thursday afternoon, the Spanish Civil Guard for the Asturias region said.
Xi Jinping and his wife are back at the White House for the final day of the Chinese president’s pageantry-filled visit to Washington, where President Trump has given him an unexpectedly warm welcome.
The itinerary for the final day of Xi’s visit – which included a red carpet welcome on the tarmac on Wednesday, then a full day of talks followed by a lavish state dinner on Thursday – included an appointment for tea at the White House, followed by a tour of the National Archives, where the nation’s founding documents are on display.
President Trump moved to cancel almost $1 billion in spending that was approved by Congress, marking the second time his administration has employed a rarely used tactic that some lawmakers in both parties have called illegal.
The following is the transcript of the interview with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian airing on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on Sept. 27, 2026.
JEFFERSON CITY, Missouri — The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked Missouri from using a Republican-drawn congressional map for the November midterms, marking the third time the justices have intervened against the Trump-backed redistricting plan.
In an unsigned order Friday, the court suspended lower-court rulings requiring use of the 2025 map, saying changing districts after absentee voting had begun would “usher in electoral chaos.” No justice publicly dissented. Missouri will instead use the congressional map adopted in 2022.
President Donald Trump had urged Republican-led states to redraw congressional boundaries mid-decade to improve the party’s position in the House. Missouri lawmakers responded with a map that dismantled Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s Kansas City-based district and could have given Republicans seven of the state’s eight seats.
The Missouri Supreme Court previously ruled that the new map could not take effect until voters considered a referendum backed by more than 300,000 petition signatures. A federal appeals court nevertheless ordered the map restored Monday, prompting another emergency appeal.
Timing proved critical. Absentee ballots using the 2022 districts were already being distributed, while more than 1 million Missouri voters would have been shifted into different districts under the new lines.
The ruling does not end the underlying litigation, but it determines which districts Missouri will use in the November election.
President using rare power to revoke expenditure with bipartisan approval to aid immigrant services
Donald Trump is canceling nearly $1bn in spending approved by Congress, the White House announced on Friday, using a rare and contested power to axe funding for immigrant services and diversity-focused initiatives.
Trump’s office of management and budget described the funding cut as focused on “the most harmful government spending”.
Drs. Travan and Travis Jasper, identical twins, are co-directors of the emergency department at Chippenham Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, the city where they grew up in poverty.
Disclosure reveals new area of privacy risk for the company and illustrates how difficult it is to inventory unauthorized activity tied to its agents
Two months after OpenAI disclosed the accidental hacking of Hugging Face, the ChatGPT maker is still working to understand the full scope of its rogue agent activity, two people briefed on the matter told Reuters.
The latest example came on Friday when OpenAI said its agents had leaked 53 images from ChatGPT users. OpenAI declined to say if the images were AI-generated or identified real people. It also declined to say when the images were posted.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll never pass up a free coffee.National Coffee Day lands on Sept. 29, and this year's freebies span breakfast spots, coffee chains and even a burger joint. Here's where to get your cup — no…
One of the unwritten rules of the Internet seems to be that whenever something Amiga-related is mentioned, at least one Amiga fan (myself included) must show up and try to explain the concept of screens. Amiga screens can have different resolutions, we’ll tell you, and one can drag them, we’ll say, and other Amiga users rally in agreement, while non-Amiga users probably still don’t get what’s so great about screens. Until now, when this text has been written, in the hope of converting unsuspecting normies into full-blown Amiga screen lovers.
A deeply technical look at not just how the Amiga managed to achieve this stunning functionality way back in the ’80s on machines with 7MHz and less RAM than a keyfob, but also how this functionality can be useful. I’ve always found the concept of screens on the Amiga quite interesting, and Svensson’s article does a great job at demystifying the whole concept.
Of course, expect a lot of lovely Amiga OS screenshots.
Some Democrats say taxpayer-funded ad could be illegal government propaganda aimed at influencing voters
The White House on Friday defended its decision to use taxpayer funds to buy airtime on Fox News for a White House-produced, pro-Trump ad that some Democrats said could be illegal government propaganda aimed at influencing voters in the upcoming midterm elections.
In a lengthy statement sent to news outlets, the White House press office insisted that versions of the ad, which feature audio of Trump urging voters to help him “defeat communism” and a whirlwind video review of his second term, were simply routine “public service announcements” like those produced by previous administrations.
It’s time for an overview of another month of Redox OS progress, and over the month of August – they’re a bit late, don’t believe the publication date – they’ve implemented multicore support for ARM, and considerably improved the I/O performance for the NVMe driver, RedoxFS, and RAMFS by implementing a ring buffer communication API. There’s also initial support for NUMA-based memory management, QEMU is now working on Redox, and much more.
Of course, there’s also the usual long list of improvements to the kernel, relibc, drivers, and more.
Can you run an operating system with a graphical user interface and applications on the Atari Jaguar? Well, you can.
A long time running idea and work-in-progress, I’d like to finally announce the current version of JagOS ‘Spot’ for the Atari Jaguar, running from the RetroHQ GameDrive.
I’m slow at releasing things and try not to announce in-progress stuff due to lack of free time but would like to push this along. Maybe it’ll motivate me to work on it more if the interest is there or just release it as-is if not. The idea is based on the unreleased Atari Jaguar Painter Computer prototype, that a merged Falcon with Jaguar chipset-based computer would have found its way into consumer hands after the Falcon030.
The screenshots and YouTube video are quite impressive, but as it’s not actually released, it’s difficult to really say anything more about this project for now. I hope there’s enough interest to get this project’s code out there so it can be further improved and expanded.
Court puts end to long-running legal dispute as it rules Republican-friendly map cannot be used in November
The supreme court on Friday turned away an attempt to use a new Missouri congressional map backed by Donald Trump, putting an end to a long-running legal dispute as absentee voting is under way in the midterm elections.
The justices halted a federal appeals court ruling that would have revived the Republican-friendly map for the November elections, which will determine control of Congress. There were no noted dissents.
(The Center Square) - There were 647 assaults against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers during the first 21 months of the second Trump administration, compared to 37 assaults during the Biden administration's first 21 months, according to new data…
Jane Smith reportedly used ChatGPT to edit photo to show name Trump ordered US agencies to use for Lake Ontario amid trade war with Canada
The CEO of a Michigan credit union is no longer employed there, according to the organization, after she posted on social media what appeared to be an AI-generated image of her and her family wearing sweaters emblazoned with the Donald Trump-associated words “Lake America”.
In the statement recently announcing that Jane Smith would no longer be its CEO, Family First Credit Union also apologized “for the concern, disappointment and pain this situation has caused”.
This summer, undergraduate and graduate students collaborated with ALCF mentors on cutting-edge research projects, gaining valuable hands-on experience in high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI).
Sept. 25, 2026 — This summer, student researchers at the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF) explored the challenges and opportunities of high-performance computing (HPC), artificial intelligence (AI), and computational science. Through research projects with ALCF staff mentors, students gained experience working on real-world problems while developing skills that will shape their future studies and careers.
Credit: ALCF
This year’s students contributed to projects across the ALCF, from improving software development workflows and advancing numerical methods to enhancing tools that support large-scale computing. We spoke with five students about their work, their experiences at Argonne, and what they will take away from their time at ALCF.
“It’s important to give students opportunities to explore what comes next, build confidence, and gain new experiences by working on meaningful research projects outside the classroom,” says Michael Papka, ALCF director and professor of computer science at the University of Illinois Chicago. “Our summer student program gives them a chance to see what’s possible and get a better sense of where their careers might take them.”
Building Tools to Improve AmSC Workflow Performance
For Kausalya Sankaranarayanan, this summer’s internship at the ALCF was a natural extension of a collaboration that began years earlier. A PhD student in computer engineering at Northeastern University, Sankaranarayanan has worked with ALCF for about two and a half years, deploying and evaluating her thesis work on Argonne systems before joining the lab as a summer intern.
Kausalya Sankaranarayanan
Her research focuses on using operational data from large-scale computing systems—including workload traces, scheduler logs, and GPU telemetry—to develop tools and policies that improve system efficiency and usability. As part of her collaboration with ALCF, she led efforts to optimize scheduling policies to improve job wait times without changing the scheduler architecture or user experience. The resulting scheduling technique is now deployed in production on the Polaris supercomputer.
This summer, Sankaranarayanan turned her attention to the American Science Cloud (AmSC), a key component of DOE’s Genesis Mission that is being developed to connect researchers with computing, data, and AI resources across DOE facilities. Her project focused on building an end-to-end observability capability for AmSC workflows, including tools to capture what a workflow did, reconstruct its execution from traces, and identify failures and inefficiencies.
AmSC workflows can span multiple HPC facilities, making it difficult to determine where a problem occurred or why a workflow performed differently than expected. Sankaranarayanan’s project addresses that challenge by extending existing telemetry with workflow-specific information and providing visualizations of workflow executions as both directed acyclic graphs and timelines. These views can help identify bottlenecks, gaps between events and other anomalies across workflow runs.
The work also lays the foundation for future AI-assisted operations. Sankaranarayanan says the instrumentation could support an AI4Ops system capable of automatically detecting anomalies and generating performance reports, helping both facility staff and users identify issues without having to manually monitor every workflow.
For Sankaranarayanan, one of the most valuable parts of the summer has been the opportunity to work closely with people across the lab. “The biggest takeaway has been how much being embedded here changes what you can actually see,” she said. “Since arriving, talking to many more people across the lab has surfaced real problems I hadn’t seen from the outside, ones I can now actually work on solutions for.”
The experience has reinforced her interest in performance engineering and distributed systems, particularly systems that span multiple computing facilities. “That’s exactly the path toward the kind of systems researcher I want to become: someone who turns operational data into tools and policies that make large-scale computing more efficient and accessible.”
Advancing Reliable Numerical Methods for Scientific Simulations
Minyeong Kim, a Ph.D. student in Computational Science, Engineering, and Mathematics at the Oden Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, joined ALCF for the summer to conduct research on computational mechanics, finite element methods, and isogeometric analysis, with a focus on the mathematical foundations of numerical methods and their applications to complex scientific problems.
Minyeong Kim
Kim was drawn to the ALCF because of its role as a leading center for high-performance computing and its connection between mathematics, scientific computing, and large-scale simulations.
During his internship, Kim worked on numerical methods for acoustic fluid-structure interaction simulations. His project investigated the mathematical origins of spurious circulation modes that can appear in displacement-based formulations of acoustic problems and explored approaches for suppressing these numerical artifacts.
Kim implemented finite element methods using penalty formulations, conducted numerical experiments on benchmark problems, and analyzed how different mesh geometries and numerical parameters affect the accuracy and robustness of computed eigenmodes.
Improving the reliability of numerical methods can benefit scientific simulations across a range of fields, including structural mechanics, fluid dynamics, acoustics, and multiphysics applications. Kim’s work also explored how floating-point arithmetic influences numerical precision and robustness in large-scale computations.
“One of the biggest takeaways from this summer was realizing how closely mathematical theory and computational practice are connected,” Kim said. “While numerical methods are often evaluated by their computational performance, understanding the underlying mathematics is equally important for developing reliable simulation tools.”
Looking ahead, Kim plans to continue investigating numerical formulations beyond the internship and pursue a research career focused on developing advanced computing methods for challenging scientific problems.
Improving Software Development Workflows Through Testing and AI Exploration
Marija Stojanoska, a combined degree student at DePaul University, returned to the ALCF for her second summer with the facility. After previously working with the infrastructure team in ALCF Operations, Stojanoska joined the web development team this summer, where she focused on software workflows and front-end technologies.
Marija Stojanoska
Stojanoska is currently completing her undergraduate degree in computer science and will continue into a graduate program in AI in Software Engineering. Her interests center on exploring how AI can transform software development workflows, including ways AI could help engineers work more efficiently.
This summer, Stojanoska focused on improving the user interface for Cypress, a front-end web automation tool built for modern applications. Stojanoska ran tests by minimizing timeouts from asynchronous calls and addressing inconsistencies across tests. She also worked to strengthen her understanding of frontend concepts while learning more about her team’s workflows, processes, and tools.
Her work could help ALCF teams more efficiently identify software issues by reducing time spent investigating errors caused by testing inconsistencies rather than actual bugs.
Reflecting on her experience, Stojanoska highlighted the importance of learning from those around her. “My biggest takeaways from this summer at ALCF have been that, you should not be afraid to ask questions, and to absorb as much knowledge from the scientists on your team as possible,” she said.
Making Portable Programming Models More Accessible for HPC Developers
Michael Lance, an undergraduate in the University of Wyoming’s School of Computing Applied Software Development Program, joined the ALCF this summer to develop an open-source software tool for conducting wildlife censuses using aerial photography and convolutional neural networks in Dr. Ben Koger’s lab.
Michael Lance
Interested in HPC and the challenges of scaling software systems to use massive computing resources, he worked with the ALCF’s Performance Engineering group under ALCF computational scientist Thomas Applencourt. Lance’s summer project focused on modernizing SYCL Academy resources, which provide educational materials for developers working with SYCL, a C++ programming model for building portable and high-performance heterogeneous compute applications on Aurora and other HPC systems.
Lance migrated lesson materials to use the Unified Shared Memory model, improved their visual presentation through in-browser syntax highlighting, and enhanced the existing continuous integration pipeline to catch syntax mistakes and runtime errors.
SYCL applications are used across scientific computing, and Lance’s work helps make the programming model more approachable for the growing HPC community. He also emphasized the importance of maintaining accurate learning resources as AI coding tools become more common.
“The quality and correctness of the changes you make are far more important than the total volume of changes you make,” Lance said. “Code should be written with the future in mind; the most expedient solution today can transform into a massive headache months or even years down the line.”
Lance said his experience at the ALCF reinforced his decision to pursue graduate studies and expanded his view of future opportunities in computing. “My time at the ALCF reinforced my choice to pursue a graduate degree and helped broaden my horizons,” he said.
Moving forward, Lance hopes to pursue a career in HPC and scientific computing, bringing the lessons he learned at the ALCF back to his work at the University of Wyoming.
Advancing Agentic AI for Performance Engineering and User Support
For Akhilesh Bondapalli, this summer’s internship at the ALCF marked his second experience at the lab, following his first internship there last summer. A second-year Ph.D. student at Clemson University, Bondapalli’s research interests lie at the intersection of machine learning and high-performance computing, and he hopes to build a research career leading a lab group in academia or at a national lab such as Argonne.
Akhilesh Bondapalli
Bondapalli was drawn to ALCF by the range of opportunities it offers to work with researchers across different fields and tackle problems at significant scale. “I was drawn by the seemingly boundless possibilities that ALCF offers,” he said. He also highlighted the opportunity to meet and collaborate with scientists in their fields, as well as the facilities and resources available at the lab. Being in Chicago, he added, “certainly adds a nice touch!”
This summer, Bondapalli worked on two projects focused on agentic AI. The first involved developing an autonomous, agentic performance engineering system capable of porting full applications at the complexity level of ECP proxy applications, including thousands of lines of code and complex build systems. He also contributed to the ideation and design of an agentic version of the AskALCF chatbot and user support system. The goal of that work was to develop a self-improving agentic system that could identify and diagnose failures and autonomously update its knowledge base and tools based on user interactions.
Bondapalli’s performance engineering work addresses challenges facing leadership computing facilities as computing architectures become increasingly specialized. With the end of Moore’s Law and Dennard scaling, he noted, advances in computational power increasingly depend on specialized parallel architectures. This creates additional demands for performance engineers, who must keep pace with new accelerators while porting and optimizing existing applications to run efficiently on them.
The system Bondapalli developed could assist performance engineers with some of the most tedious and error-prone parts of that process. One of the project’s important findings, he said, was that the agentic system performed dramatically better when given expert guidance about the physics of a problem and its performance bottlenecks. “Simply put, this means that the expertise of performance engineers is more valuable than ever, and the emerging agentic capabilities of large language models need human collaboration to perform better.”
For Bondapalli, the summer also provided an opportunity to explore the limits of current AI systems. He had access to frontier models and agentic harnesses, allowing him to test their capabilities at a scale that would not have been possible without ALCF’s support. Despite their capabilities, he found that agentic systems remain fundamentally dependent on human expertise. “The biggest takeaway from my work is that agentic systems, while capable of impressive feats of engineering, are fundamentally limited in ways that require human expertise to overcome.”
The experience will become part of Bondapalli’s Ph.D. journey and will form a chapter of his dissertation. Beyond the technical experience, he said the internship gave him the opportunity to see how an elite research team enables innovation. He expressed particular appreciation for his staff mentor for their guidance, enthusiasm, and broader perspective while working through technical challenges. The experience, Bondapalli said, “reinforced my determination to succeed in research and has taught me how effective collaboration amplifies individual capabilities.”
The ALCF is a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science user facility at DOE’s Argonne National Laboratory.
Learn more about Argonne’s educational programs
Argonne offers a variety of internships, research appointments, and cooperative education opportunities every year to students interested in advancing science and technology. To learn more about student opportunities, visit the Educational Programs and Outreach webpage: anl.gov/education/graduate-programs.
Alleigha Botner tells court Caleb Flynn, charged with murder of wife Ashley Flynn, sent her AI love songs
The Ohio former pastor and American Idol contestant accused of fatally shooting his wife fantasized to his then lover about killing his spouse and sent her AI-generated love songs, according to evidence presented at trial this week.
Caleb Flynn, 40, is on trial for aggravated murder in connection with the 16 February shooting death of Ashley Flynn. He also is charged with two counts of felonious assault and three counts of tampering with evidence, according to a March indictment. Flynn has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Xi’s state visit to the US emphasized personal rapport with the US president, rather than substantial agreements to pause their respective countries’ AI arms race
Donald Trump and Chinese president Xi Jinping wrapped up their Washington summit on Friday, facing criticism that they had squandered an opportunity to pause their countries’ artificial intelligence (AI) arms race.
The three-day state visit emphasised pageantry and personal rapport rather than substantial agreements. The US president and Xi discussed the wars in Iran and Ukraine and the status of Taiwan. Their biggest policy announcement was a modest two-month extension of a trade truce.
"Signature forgery." It's a new way to break RSA keys — and it doesn't require factoring. Ars Technica reports on new research using classical computing to "reduce the current RSA security level to an unacceptably low threshold" and lower the required computing resources by orders of magnitude.
There's "a gap in current RSA-type security assumptions," according to a paper co-authored by University of California, San Diego professor Nadia Heninger, who argues that gap "gives classical cryptanalytic evidence in favor of moving away from RSA entirely during the current post-quantum transition."
The practical risk is limited, but still significant. Applying the attack against the deprecated use of 1024-bit keys took a handful of months on an academic CPU cluster, significantly less than the current estimates for 1024-bit factoring that would require resources that only nations or companies with massive resources could achieve. Widely used RSA implementations are also safe. Nonetheless, the research has taken cryptographers by surprise... "If this result holds up under peer review, it would indeed be a conceptual break-through," Karsten Nohl, a cryptography expert and the head of innovation at Allurity, said in an interview. "RSA is as difficult to break as it is to factor large integers, at least so we thought. The researcher suggests that you can practically break RSA without cracking its key...."
The key forgery attack Heninger and the other researchers devised poses an immediate threat to 1024-bit RSA. Even for 2048- and 4096-bit keys, the method reduces the security of RSA to unacceptable levels. The National Security Agency, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and European Union Agency for Network and Information Security require that any cryptosystem should provide a level of no less than 128 or more bits, meaning the operations required must exceed 2**128. The forgery attack drops these levels to 2**65, 2**90, and 2**119 for 1024-, 2048-, and 4096-bit keys respectively. These levels may further drop because Heninger's team did all the coding by hand and used no AI or GPUs in performing the forgeries. The researcher said these tools will "almost certainly" drop the security levels further.
The attack works only against blind-signature implementations of RSA... Still, some real-world systems continue to use blind-signature, also known as textbook, RSA... The paper's authors and other researchers stress that the new attack poses little real-world threat. It does, however, drastically lower the estimated security of textbook RSA, and it does so in a way no one knew of previously... The new attack will further increase the urgency of completely moving away from the cryptosystem.
Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader phatrabt for sharing the article.
Challenging documentaries and award-winning features are among the offerings of New York City's leading cinema event, starring such luminaries as Pedro Pascal, Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore and Godzilla.
According to report, school staff recommended event move to a more secure location weeks before Kirk was fatally shot
A new report says that Turning Point USA insisted the conservative political group’s leader Charlie Kirk speak outdoors at Utah Valley University – where he was ultimately assassinated – despite security concerns raised with his team by the school’s leaders and its police chief.
The independent report with those findings was commissioned by UVU and released on Friday. The report examined security procedures leading up to the 31-year-old’s fatal shooting on 10 September 2025 during a talk at the university’s campus in Orem, Utah.
Barriers, checkpoints and surveillance have made the plight of Palestinians easier to keep hidden. But thanks to films like ‘NAZA,’ that’s starting to change.
Sheri Mecklenburg resigned from the Department of Justice this week, penning a scathing letter in which she said U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros "personally directed" the Broadview 6 prosecution that she says ended her career.
Siete de cada 10 estadounidenses sienten presión por hacer que cada viaje "valga la pena" económicamente, según una nueva encuesta. La encuesta realizada por World of Hyatt y Talker Research de 2.000 estadounidenses encontró que el 51% ha hecho un…
In the Texas Senate race, comments Republican Ken Paxton made in 2022 about the mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, are circulating on social media, thanks to posts by his opponent, Democrat James Talarico, and the Democratic Party. But their posts use just a snippet of Paxton’s remarks, depriving voters of the full context.
Talarico’s campaign posted on X on Aug. 2: “Ken Paxton said the Uvalde shooting was part of a ‘plan’ by ‘God.’ 21 elementary school children and teachers were murdered in the shooting.” The campaign similarly cited those words in a post in early September. On Sept. 24, the Democratic National Committee and Texas Democrats posted on Instagram what it called “leaked audio,” offering a 6-second clip of remarks Paxton publicly made on a radio program in 2022, and which had already circulated back then. Others are sharing similar posts on social media.
The Democrats’ post highlights Paxton saying: “Look, there’s always a plan. I believe God always has a plan. Life is short, no matter what it is.” Paxton did say that, but there was more to his remarks. He faced criticism even for his fuller comments at the time, so voters likely would have different reactions to the interview. But voters can’t properly evaluate what Paxton said without seeing or hearing his full remarks.
Paxton, who has been the Texas attorney general since 2015, was interviewed by radio host and pastor Trey Graham in the days after the May 24, 2022, mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. An 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children, whose ages ranged from 9 to 11 years old, and two teachers.
In the interview, which aired May 29, Paxton said the shooting and shooter were “evil.” He was invited by Graham “to speak a word of comfort … to the families and those who have lost tragically children in this situation. As a follower of Jesus, as an elected official, what might you be able to say that might give a little comfort?” (Starting at the 9-minute mark.)
Here’s Paxton’s full response:
Paxton, May 29, 2022, interview: Look, I think it’s difficult to give comfort. If I lost one of my children, I’d be pretty devastated, especially in a way that is so senseless and you know seemingly has no purpose. I think I would, I would just have to, if I had the opportunity to talk to people, I’d have to say, look, there’s always a plan. I believe God always has a plan. Life is short, no matter what it is, and certainly we’re not going to make sense of, you know, a young child being shot and killed way before their life expectancy. And so, even though we can’t make sense of it, I would just have to encourage them to hold on to their faith and to hold on to their belief that there really is purpose in what God does. And we may not know it now, but someday we will.
The online news site Salon wrote about Paxton’s comments on June 14, 2022. He faced criticism, including from the father of one of the students killed in the 2018 mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. The Houston Chronicle editorial board wrote that Paxton had “demurred on offering words of comfort for Uvalde victims’ families, opting for cold resignation.”
Wooden crosses at a memorial on June 3, 2022, dedicated to the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.
The headline on a June 2022 Washington Post opinion piece called Paxton’s comments a “shameful … cop-out.” Columnist Karen Tumulty wrote: “It was all in God’s plan. That’s a suggestion we often hear from pious, well-meaning people when other words fail in the face of an unspeakable, inexplicable tragedy. The idea is that some day we will all understand that larger purpose of our suffering. It is meant to be a balm.”
She continued: “But those words sound more like a shrug when an elected leader — and in this case, one who is his state’s top law enforcement officer — offers that as an explanation for a horror that was preventable and exacerbated by human error.”
Paxton opposed tighter restrictions on guns in the wake of the tragedy. He told Graham in the radio interview: “There are murder laws, and this guy didn’t follow that murder law. And so, if you had a gun law that said he didn’t have a gun, I don’t think that that would have been very effective for him. … Don’t suggest that somehow having more gun laws would have stopped this guy from shooting because that’s not the answer.”
Paxton said that schools could “hire policemen at every school” and also “train other people” to respond before law enforcement can arrive. “And had there been somebody in the classroom with a gun, we could have, we could potentially save every life,” he said.
When we asked the Talarico campaign about its X posts, JT Ennis, the campaign press secretary, pointed us to 2022 articles critical of Paxton’s remarks, most of which we described above, and the 6-second snippet of Paxton’s comments, as posted by Shannon Watts, founder of a group advocating stricter gun laws to prevent gun violence. The campaign didn’t respond to our question about whether some voters would have a different view of Paxton’s remarks with additional context.
We also asked the Paxton campaign about the Democrats’ posts and whether Paxton had a response to the 2022 criticism of his comments. We haven’t received a reply.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org does not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Please consider a donation. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, P.O. Box 58100, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Chinese tech companies made several announcements recently that show they’re pushing the limits on scale, including new cluster, interconnect, and storage offerings from Huawei and new chips, servers, and AI models from Alibaba.
Huawei made several announcements during its annual Huawei Connect 2026 conference in Shanghai on September 17, showcasing new products designed to deliver AI inference at scale, as well as the capability to train AI models with up to 10 trillion parameters. These announcements were made as part of the company’s new Peerium Computing Architecture that spans servers, storage, and networking.
On the storage front, Huawei unveiled the OceanStor M900 Context Memory Storage, a new storage system designed to deliver petabyte-scale key-value caches with global one-hop connections for AI models running on the company’s SuperPoDs. The M900, which supports up to 64PB of SSD storage, combines CPU, network controller unit, and NAND controllers into a single unit, delivering 40 TB/s of aggregate bandwidth in a single cluster. Each Huawei Ascend neural processing unit (NPU) connected to an M900 can support terabytes of KV cache, enabling single context windows to exceed one million tokens, the company says.
A key part of the Peerium architecture is the Unified Bus, a new interconnect that will ship in the OceanStor M900 and will be used for scale-up, scale-out, and scale-across connections. The Unified Bus consolidates multiple network protocols and delivers TB per second of bandwidth across both copper and optical connections, the company says.
For the scale-up interconnect, Huawei offers the UnifiedBus LinkBlade, a cable-free design that can connect up to 4,096 NPUs in a SuperPoD. Scale-out is served by the UnifiedBus LinkDevice, an optical switch that serves 1.6 Tbit/s bandwidth per port across 176 ports, delivering 280 Tbit/s aggregate bandwidth. Finally, the UnifiedBus UBG switch connects up to 1,024 end devices, enabling Huawei to build its million-NPU SuperCluster and enable customers to train AI models with up to 10 trillion parameters.
Huawei also rolled out new AI SuperClusters, including the TaiShan 950 and Atlas 960 SuperPoDs, which consist of the OceanSTor M900 and Xinghe UBG switch. The Atlas 960 SuperPoD also will be the industry’s first server to feature near-packaged optical (NPO), Huawei said.
The company also rolled out a series of new UnifiedBus-based appliances, Kunpeng and Ascend, that support one to eight NPUs. Smaller outfits that need to run AI models with up to 1 trillion parameters may be interested in the new capability to create a small-scale SuperPoD composed of two Atlas 650E air-cooled servers that are connected directly through UnifiedBus and which feature a switch-free interconnect across 16 NPUs.
Huawei said that more than 1,000 Atlas 900 A3 SuperPoDs have been deployed to date and the Atlas 950 SuperPoD is seeing large-scale commercial use. It’s currently developing the latest Ascend 960 chips, with deliver expected in early 2027.
Huawei’s Ascend 920 AI chip is part of the company’s effort to build domestic alternatives for AI computing
“We’re evolving our Ascend chip series on a one-generation-a-year cycle,” said David Wang, the company’s deputy chairman of the board and rotating chairman. “In 2028 and 2029, we will roll out the Ascend 970 and 980 chips, respectively. Thanks to the Tau Scaling Law, not only will their compute specifications continue to double, but you can also expect to see huge improvements across the board in terms of memory bandwidth, memory capacity, interconnect bandwidth, and more.”
Huawei is one of the leading semiconductor companies in China, as well as the top phone maker. The company’s products are banned in the US, but are exported to Europe and countries in other regions of the US.
In May, the company’s then-rotating, Xu Zhijun, thanked the US for the export ban. “If the United States hadn’t forced our country, our companies, and our industry, we wouldn’t have done something like this,” he said according to a published report. “But we are also grateful to the US for enabling our country’s semiconductor industry chain to truly grow.
Alibaba Updates Roadmap
Alibaba, which is the number one public cloud in China, also made several compelling chip and AI announcements this week at its annual Apsara Conference.
For starters, the company announced that its T-Head chip design unit has unveiled the Zhenwu V900, its latest AI training and inference processor. The Zhenwu V900 delivers 216 GB of GPU memory and 1.2 TB/s of inter-chip bandwidth, which is three times that of its predecessor, the Zhenwu M890. The chip delivers supports FP8 and FP4, enabling it to handle a mix of AI workloads. It’s scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2027.
Alibaba unveiled an upgraded “supernode server,” which integrates the Zhenwu V900 processor, ICN Switch, Panmai SmartNIC, and Zhenyue SSD controller chip, enabling a cluster composed of up to 500,000 computing cards.
Alibaba shared its roadmap for its next-generation Yitian 720 CPU, which is scheduled for launch in 2027. The cloud giant says the Yitian 720 features enhanced single-core performance, higher core density, and increased energy efficiency compared to the Yitian 710. It also shared that the Yitian 730, which is being developed on T-Head’s proprietary microarchitecture, will deliver a 40% performance increase over the Yitian 710’s.
(Tao Jiang/Shutterstock)
On the AI front, Alibaba announced that its next-generation model, Qwen 4, is currently in training. The company said that the upcoming Qwen 4.5 and Qwen 5 model series will be able to scale up to 10 trillion parameters.
Qwen models are improving through Alibaba’s focus on recursive self-improvement, or RSI. Qwen3.8-Max completed more than 33 RSI cycles over a month of fully automated training runs, enabling it to boost its Artificial Analysis score from 40 to 45, the company says.
Qwen is showing progress in chip design. Alibaba said it subjected Qwen to more than 60 hours of RSI across 10,000 electronic design automation (EDA) tool calls, which resulted in a chip with a reduced size of 42%, “with zero compromise in performance,” the company says.
Several new Qwen AI models were introduced at the conference, including Qwen3.8-LiveTranslate, Qwen-Audio-3.1-TTS (Text-to-Speech), and Qwen-Audio-3.1-Realtime, Qwen-Audio-3.1-TTS-Next, Qwen-Audio-3.1-ASR, and Qwen-Image 3.1.
(The Center Square) – The federal government loses as much as $304 billion a year to tax fraud, and the IRS has no agency-wide strategy for stopping it, congressional auditors said in a report Friday.
The storm is expected to bring winds up to 60 mph, heavy rain and coastal flooding to areas including New Jersey, New York City, Long Island and New England.
Indulge me for a moment in memories of 2007. It was a time when gaucho pants were inexplicably cool, Apple was about to release a brand new iPhone and, yes, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note topped 5%. It…
President Trump described Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit this week as "very productive," though the White House has said little about what was achieved during the summit.
Investigation determined Dale Caldwell violated state ethics rules and engaged in harassing behavior
Dale Caldwell, the lieutenant governor of New Jersey, resigned from his position on Friday, after the release of a report accusing him of sexually harassing a female staffer, among other ethics violations.
New Jersey’s governor, Mikie Sherrill, announced on Friday afternoon that Caldwell had submitted his resignation to her earlier in the day.
With the addition of 29 U.S. sailors and eight Marines, the total number of personnel wounded since the start of hostilities has risen to 861, a Pentagon database shows.
Idaho officials say man found dead in a church decades ago may be tied to unsolved poisonings in Chicago area in 1982
A man found dead in an Idaho church decades ago may be connected to unsolved poisonings in 1982 in the Chicago area that were dubbed the “Tylenol murders” and ushered in child safety caps for medicines, authorities announced recently.
Detective Tim Cooper of the Ada county sheriff’s Office reopened a cold case investigation in 2019 that led authorities to identify Dr Mathew Francis Betkouski posthumously. Betkouski fatally poisoned himself with cyanide more than 40 years ago and was buried anonymously.
The Trump administration is removing 760,000 people enrolled in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace on allegations of fraud, officials said on Tuesday – adding to previous efforts to chip away at federally subsidized insurance programs and likely causing some of the lowest-income Americans to forego healthcare, experts said.
The US government is also investigating about 420,000 people whom they suspect of fraud, and they are putting a six-month enrollment moratorium on new agents and brokers selling Obamacare policies, officials said at a press conference.
Old clothes are being used to fix potholes in Maidstone's parks thanks to an innovative new trial by Maidstone Borough Council and sustainable materials company RECOOL. (Maidstone Borough Council via SWNS)
A Republican super PAC has been running an ad that makes the misleading claim that North Carolina Senate candidate Roy Cooper “let 16,000 untested rape kits sit on the shelf” when he was the state’s attorney general. The evidence kits were in the custody of hundreds of local law enforcement agencies and were never submitted for testing by the state crime laboratory that Cooper oversaw as attorney general.
The kits, which include swabs and other materials to collect blood, urine and DNA samples, are used in forensic medical examinations and become evidence in sexual assault cases. It was not known how many of the completed kits local law enforcement offices throughout the state still had in their possession until an audit was required under a new state law in 2017, when Cooper had ascended from attorney general to governor.
Cooper, the Democratic candidate, is facing Republican Michael Whatley in the race that will determine who replaces Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina.
The ad attacking Cooper was paid for by No Going Back PAC Inc., a newly formed super PAC with ties to another super PAC, MAGA Inc., which is affiliated with President Donald Trump. More than $2.3 million has been spent running the ad on broadcast and digital platforms since Sept. 10, according to the ad-tracking service AdImpact.
The ad begins with the narrator saying, “What kind of politician betrays rape victims? Ask Roy Cooper. He let 16,000 untested rape kits sit on the shelf. Cooper denied justice to survivors.”
But that gives viewers the false impression that Cooper had the evidence kits in his possession and didn’t do the tests. That’s not what happened.
In 2017, a state law was enacted that required local law enforcement agencies to do an inventory of the kits in their custody.The kits, for various reasons, had never been submitted to the North Carolina State Crime Laboratory for testing when Cooper was head of the state Department of Justice, which includes the crime lab. So, the number of untested kits was not previously known.
The audit language was included in a budget bill that Cooper vetoed as governor. The bill became law after the General Assembly overrode Cooper’s veto.
After the statewide inventory was done, the NCDOJ reported in early 2018 that more than 500 local law enforcement agencies had 15,160 kits in their possession, and the department said it would devise a plan to get them tested.
In its report, the state DOJ said the statewide audit in 2017 found that 3,820 of the untested kits were tied to cases in which “allegations were determined to be unfounded as a result of further investigation,” 2,741 kits were linked to cases that had already been resolved in court, 1,054 kits were associated with cases in which a “suspect admitted to the sexual act in question,” and in 390 cases “the victim wished to remain anonymous and did not report the incident to the authorities.” The other 7,545 kits did not fall into any of those four categories.
In 2019, the Legislature passed a bill, the Survivor Act, which Cooper signed into law, that included funding to do the tests, and created a requirement that local law enforcement agencies submit sexual assault evidence kits to the state crime lab, or another approved testing facility, within 45 days of receiving them from a medical office.
We were not able to get in contact with No Going Back PAC Inc. for this story. We called the treasurer listed on its Federal Election Commission filings, and reached out to MAGA Inc. for a contact as well.
As supporting evidence, the ad cites an April 2024 Carolina Journal news article about North Carolina, under then Democratic state Attorney General Josh Stein, clearing its “decades-long backlog of untested rape kits” that year, referring to the thousands of kits that local law enforcement had been holding. The story said the untested kits had been a “bad mark on the state dating back to the time when Gov. Roy Cooper served as the state’s attorney general for 16 years,” from January 2001 to January 2017.
In an interview, Ilse Knecht, director of policy and advocacy at the Joyful Heart Foundation, a national nonprofit organization that runs the End the Backlog initiative, told us that blame for the thousands of kits that were not tested doesn’t lie with one person. She said both local and state officials could have done more to treat sexual assault crimes seriously and prioritize kit testing.
“One of the important things to remember or understand about rape kit backlogs is that it’s the result of kind of a system-wide failure, and it starts at the very local level,” she said. “It comes down to there are often no laws on the books saying what has to happen with this evidence, and so the decision whether or not to send a rape kit for testing would be up to one detective” who “would make the decision not to send it sometimes based on their own conclusion of the credibility of the victim, or the likeliness of the case” to be successful.
If there had actually been 16,000 rape kits sitting in the State Crime Laboratory, waiting to be tested, “you could pass some blame pretty clearly” onto Cooper, Knecht said.
“But in this situation, it was all these [local] jurisdictions making 1,000 decisions a year not sending kits, and it was kind of hidden,” she said. “Until the inventory happened, it was hard to really know what the extent of the problem was.”
“Could everybody have done more and done better? Of course,” she said. “It’s just a multifaceted problem that involves a lot of different stakeholders.”
The Cooper campaign responded to the ad’s claim on a FAQ page on its website.
“The 16,000 rape kits this question refers to was a tally of kits sitting in local law enforcement offices across the state that were discovered over a year after Roy had left the Attorney General’s office. No state office had knowledge of where they all were, possession or control of them and no statewide count of all untested rape kits in the possession of local law enforcement even existed until after Roy was elected Governor,” the page says.
Released Inmates
The ad narrator also makes the claim that Cooper “caved to the defund the police radicals and released 3,500 criminals.” That’s a reference to a court settlement that Cooper reached in February 2021 to release that many North Carolina inmates during the COVID-19 pandemic, after being sued by the American Civil Liberties Union and other activists seeking to protect inmates and corrections staff by reducing the state’s prison population.
As we previously wrote, Cooper had objected to the early releases until a judge issued a preliminary injunction in favor of the plaintiffs and called on the state to come up with an inmate reduction plan.
The narrator then says, “Released early, this convicted child molester shot a man dead,” wrongly suggesting that Jimmie Speight Jr., the man shown in the ad, was an inmate Cooper released early.
Speight was already out of prison when the settlement was reached, according to his state prison record. He completed his previous prison term and was released as scheduled on Nov. 25, 2020. He was on a nine-month post-release supervision term when he was taken into custody on March 9, 2021, for violating the terms of his release because of new misdemeanor charges, including larceny.
“On 03/11/2021, following a preliminary hearing on the violation, Speight’s post-release supervision was reinstated because the pending charges were misdemeanors,” Keith Acree, communications director for the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, told us in an email. “Speight’s reinstatement met the definition for an early reentry under the NAACP v. Cooper settlement terms, which is why he appears on the settlement list even though he was already out of prison,” Acree said.
About a month later, on April 8, Speight was arrested on murder charges, as well as rape and kidnapping charges stemming from a separate incident. In 2023, Speight was convicted of second degree murder and sentenced to more than 32 years in prison.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org does not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Please consider a donation. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, P.O. Box 58100, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Exclusive: Democrats Dick Durbin of Illinois and Alex Padilla of California seek to prevent unlawful arrests
US senators have introduced legislation aimed at cutting down warrantless or specious ICE arrests, and curbing the agency’s ability to indefinitely detain immigrants who do not pose any danger to their communities.
The new legislation, shared exclusively with the Guardian, would require immigration officers to obtain an administrative warrant from a supervisor outlining a probable cause for detaining someone. Such a warrant must also be presented to each person who is detained, the bill says, alongside notice of when the detainee must appear in immigration court.
Sept. 25, 2026 — A year ago, Microsoft Quantum committed to building a quantum research center in Maryland. That center is now open in the Discovery District Maryland, and the company is extending its commitment through new research and training partnerships.
Microsoft’s quantum research center in Discovery District Maryland. Photo credit: Stephanie S. Cordle, University of Maryland.
As advances in AI and quantum accelerate scientific discovery, the ability to bring together talent, skilling, infrastructure, and execution is becoming increasingly important. Microsoft’s partnership with Maryland is focused on enabling an environment where new ideas can move more quickly from research to implementation.
With support from Governor Wes Moore’s Capital of Quantum Initiative, Maryland acquired and renovated the Discovery Center. Microsoft then worked with UMD and the Capital of Quantum Initiative to design its newest 15,000 square foot quantum research center within that space. Over the last year, this collaboration has built dedicated areas for Microsoft’s proprietary research, space for DARPA’s topological system and future prototypes, labs and offices for partner companies, and a community-focused training laboratory. This research center is capable of supporting quantum research, partner integration, workforce development, and government engagement.
The partner space is intended to support different kinds of relationships. Companies that build quantum technology can work with Microsoft to integrate their machines or components with the Microsoft Quantum platform, and developers and end-users can work with Microsof to understand how the platform can impact their missions. Having a place designed for both is part of how Microsoft intends to help partners scale their technologies and accelerate the impact of quantum computing to customers.
Microsoft’s Delivery to DARPA
Microsoft is designing quantum computers for utility scale, which means understanding and building the systems required to solve problems with real value that are beyond the capability of classical computers. DARPA is an ideal partner for this work because its test and evaluation team brings expertise across the computing stack, from hardware and controls to software and applications. DARPA will have full access to Microsoft’s latest topological system on site.
This delivery to DARPA follows the announcement of Majorana 2, Microsoft’s second-generation topological quantum computing chip, which uses a new material stack that replaces aluminum with lead for increased performance. Making a system available for independent testing is an important step in evaluating the company’s approach toward a large-scale and economically relevant quantum computer.
Microsoft is one of the first companies to advance to the final stage of DARPA’s Underexplored Systems for Utility-Scale Quantum Computing program, part of DARPA’s broader Quantum Benchmarking Initiative. The evaluation effort brings together the Air Force Research Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and national laboratories including Los Alamos, Oak Ridge, Lawrence Berkeley and Lawrence Livermore. Maryland’s investment and local talent help give that federal collaboration a place to interact directly with Microsoft hardware.
Learning by Doing
Microsoft’s research center will also feature a quantum hardware makerspace. Here, industry, academia, and government can work together to develop new approaches to hands-on quantum training. Microsoft’s initial partners in this call to action include AMD, Bluefors, Intel, IQM, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), Riverlane, and Quantum Motion, whose collective contributions will give learners access to real hardware and the people who understand it. Imagine a space where students, researchers, educators, and people transitioning into quantum from other fields will be able to work on open-ended projects alongside experts from the community they live in. Microsoft believes these types of hands-on experiences are vital to training the next generation to build these machines alongside UMD and other community partners.
Microsoft’s work with Fermilab extends beyond training—the company is collaborating to broaden the applicability of quantum-control technologies across hardware platforms while working with UMD to explore how tools such as Fermilab’s Quantum Instrumentation Control Kit, or QICK, can be incorporated into education.
Unlike quantum education efforts that focus primarily on theory or software, this initiative emphasizes experiential learning across the quantum hardware stack. This model will enable people to develop their critical thinking skills by deciding which design is worth building, working out what to measure, and knowing where to look when a result does not make sense. And they will have parts to put together to make small scale but real quantum computers, from some of the leading companies in quantum and computing. Moreover, as AI expands what can be explored, execution and intuition about what to build will matter more than ever. Ultimately, Microsoft’s hope is that as the company continues to pilot this approach with its partners, the lessons, educational content, and collaborative model pioneered in Maryland will serve as a broadly scalable framework for workforce development in quantum hardware.
Cultivating a Measurement-Based Quantum Community
Microsoft is a world leader in measurement-based quantum computing, which the company sees as an enabler of large, useful machines. For 18 years, Microsoft has tackled the hardest problems in quantum information science, with impact not only in topological quantum computing but in quantum error correction, new atomistic material stacks, and measurement-based computing. When measurement results determine what happens next, their speed and fidelity become part of the computer’s architecture, shaping the error-correcting codes that can be used and how to establish that a computation has done what was intended.
Microsoft wants to further accelerate this research community around those questions, across multiple types of qubits. The company is beginning with an annual workshop series with the goals of pushing the limits of how fast and accurate measurements can be and developing new error-correcting codes and verification and validation protocols for measurement-based computing.
Alongside those workshops, the first Microsoft-funded quantum postdoctoral positions at UMD will support research in areas of mutual interest to university faculty and Microsoft Quantum. Together, these commitments give the company more ways to develop new ideas with Maryland’s researchers and extend Microsoft’s collaboration beyond the work already taking place in the center.
Building the World’s Computer
Microsoft builds the world’s computer. The company is bringing the same model to quantum, incorporating partner technologies throughout the computing stack just as the company does in its cloud computers today. The goal is simple to state and hard to do: Offer customers the best quantum computers, high-performance computing, and AI available at every stage of the journey to useful quantum computing, through an ecosystem of end users, companies, universities, nonprofits, and government agencies.
The Microsoft Quantum platform spans developer tools through a real-time operating system for quantum computers in Azure, with support for different qubit technologies. The purpose of that shared software and infrastructure is to help partner machines scale faster while allowing researchers to co-design systems around customers’ most demanding workloads. This contrasts with developing hardware first and only then asking which applications it might serve.
With Atom Computing, Microsoft is applying its platform’s quantum error correction to neutral atoms to build the world’s most powerful quantum computers. The first machine, Magne, is planned to have 50 logical qubits and is slated for operation by QuNorth in Denmark by early 2027. The Microsoft Quantum Development Kit, included in Microsoft’s platform, provides developer-facing tools for quantum programming, error correction, chemistry, and other applications. Its latest addition is a private-preview analytics library: an emerging collection of quantum algorithms and data-science tooling for advanced analytics and large-scale data analysis.
The Pace of Science Is Changing
AI is changing the range of questions that can be pursued. For example, the Microsoft Quantum team can now explore hardware architectures in a week that previously would have taken a year or more to analyze. Being able to compare more alternatives before committing to a design alters what is possible, but it also makes the connection to experimental infrastructure more important because people and equipment that can turn a promising architecture into something that can be built and measured are needed.
Microsoft Discovery, an enterprise agentic AI platform for research and development, and the company’s $60 million investment in the Department of Energy’s Genesis Mission, are complementary efforts to accelerate science. The opportunity extends beyond individual research teams to the places that can combine these new tools with the skills, infrastructure, and pace of execution needed to use them.
Maryland has shown how much can be built in a year when state investment, university talent, federal expertise, and industry work toward a shared goal. Stakeholders need to keep that partnership adaptable, developing new ways to continue working together as technology changes. Maryland has demonstrated that it is the place where ideas in quantum computing can be conceived, tested, and implemented through collaboration.
Group calls for proper enforcement of ICC rulings as Trump administration widens attacks on court
The US threat to impose sanctions on the international criminal court (ICC) as an institution, not just its leading judges, could fundamentally disrupt its operation and needed to be resisted, a coalition of countries to defend international law heard at the United Nations on Friday.
Ronald Lamola, South Africa’s foreign minister, issued the warning at an event during the UN general assembly called to protect the system of international law from a growing array of threats, including open flouting of its tenets and rulings by Israel.
A graffiti mural depicting Israeli filmmakers Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, directors of the documentary “NAZA,” seen in Ashdod, Israel, on Sept. 16, 2026. Initially painted by an artist accusing the filmmakers of being “traitors,” the text on the mural was subsequently modified by another artist to read “heroes.”Photo: Mostafa Alkharouf/Anadolu via Getty Images
The Israeli documentary “NAZA” will make its North American premiere tomorrow at the New York Film Festival on the heels of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vitriolic speech at the United Nations, which was met by mass protests, arrests, and diplomats walking out. Other Israeli documentaries have screened at Lincoln Center, including one at the New York Jewish Film Festival in January on the movement for LGBTQ+ rights or another about an October 7 hostage. But this film, co-directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, has proven extraordinarily controversial in its home country, reviled by nearly every sector of media and politics.
The documentary, which is composed of anonymous interviews with those active in Israel’s military and intelligence service during the war against Gaza, depicts extensive, highly detailed confessions of their participation in the mass targeting and killing of Palestinian civilians. The film’s title comes from the Israeli military’s system for assessing collateral damage, an interface that one of the anonymous confessors says can map out every building in the Gaza Strip and predict what civilians may be killed in an airstrike. One man who used the NAZA interface remarks in a clip from the film that the military once approved a single strike the system calculated would kill 500 Palestinians, and said the system makes no distinction between adults and children.
The revelation of the film’s existence — its world premiere was at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month after being produced in secret for three years — sent shockwaves through Israeli society. Two contradictory claims have begun to dominate discussions of the documentary, at the highest levels of both the Israeli government and the military brass, both aiming to neutralize the film’s reach and the ability of its filmmakers to continue working. The first is that the film released highly sensitive and classified information about the Israel Defense Forces’ operations in Gaza, contravening the law. The second line of attack claims the film is a complete fabrication, a hoax, and in the words of IDF Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir, a “blood libel.” Key Israeli politicians argue Abraham and Szor are aiding the enemy in wartime, with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir calling them “friends” of Hamas who should be held accountable as such.
While some opponents of the current Israeli government, such as Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot, have attempted to tack in a more liberal direction by saying “criticism is legitimate” — while also decrying the film for “present[ing] a distorted and one-sided picture” at a time when “the State of Israel [is] in a time of distress” — both the Israeli state and the army have begun proposing legal action be taken against the filmmakers, with their citizenship in particular coming under attack from not only Culture Minister Miki Zohar, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself.
In an unprecedented move, Netanyahu announced on September 16 in a video message posted on social media that his government would “revoke citizenship from anyone who defames IDF supporters abroad” in addition to raising the fine for defamation “twentyfold” to 1 million shekels (nearly $330,000 at the current exchange rate) to punish them further. Calling out the “NAZA” filmmakers specifically, Netanyahu went on to say “their place does not belong with us.”
The phenomenon of revoking Israeli citizenship is not novel. Earlier this year, two Palestinians from East Jerusalem were convicted of security offenses and stripped of their Israeli nationality, which paved the way for their deportation to either the occupied West Bank or even the Gaza Strip. But revoking the citizenship of Israeli Jews on any kind of similar grounds is without historical precedent. Both Abraham and Szor — who also co-directed the documentary “No Other Land” — are Jews born in Israel, have no Palestinian ancestry, and no public record of citizenship for any other country.
Proposals have been made in the past for the revocation of Israeli citizenship from certain Jews, most notably Yigal Amir, who killed Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The far-right assassin, who is from an Orthodox Jewish family, was the subject of a public petition demanding his citizenship be revoked. But the Israeli Supreme Court rejected it on the grounds that “the dignity of the right” for every Jew to acquire and have Israeli citizenship overruled the “dignity of the murderer.” Now, for the first time, a sitting Israeli leader is advocating for the so-called “dignity of the right” to be overturned, not for murder, but for mere “slander,” in Netanyahu’s description, against the Israeli military.
Although Israeli politicians and other officials have categorized the filmmakers as antisemites spreading lies about the Jewish people, Abraham and Szor are not explicitly anti-Zionist in the way that other prominent critics of Israel, like the historian Ilan Pappé and the architect Eyal Weizman, have defined themselves, or even how a Communist member of Israel’s Knesset, Ofer Cassif, has defined himself. Both co-directors have openly stated their belief in a future where both Israelis and Palestinians “are equally sovereign and free.” Abraham himself has said Israelis have a “right” to “sovereignty and security in this land,” just as Palestinians do.
Despite these threaded needles, the Jewish filmmakers of “NAZA” now find themselves in the position of being treated much the same way Palestinian citizens of Israel are: as though their citizenship was bestowed upon them in error, a mistake of history where convenience trumped logic, a catastrophe that needs to be rectified immediately.
The Law of Return — the idea that every Jewish person, even those who converted to the religion and have no ancestral ties to the land of Palestine, should be allowed to “return” to their homeland, to settle, to live, and to be treated as an equal alongside every other Jewish person, no matter their birthplace — was one of the fundamental building blocks of the Zionist project. But the Law of Return did not become law until 1950, and the Citizenship Law, which defined the terms of its larger eligibility, did not become law until 1952, four years after the State of Israel’s founding.
For a short period in Israel’s history, citizenship had no clear definition, but it required quick clarification, not just because it is a key part of any fledgling state, but because they needed to be able to define which Arabs, who remained inside Israel’s new borders on temporary “red card” permits after the Nakba, could be allowed to stay, and who could be removed as an illegal infiltrator. Then-Agriculture Minister Dov Yosef remarked plainly during a cabinet debate in 1949: “When we publish the citizenship law and a person is found not to be a citizen, we can then deport him.”
Citizenship was granted in limited quantities to the Palestinians who had been able to remain inside the newly established Israel and did not confer all the rights it supposedly guaranteed. Palestinian citizens of Israel remained under control of a military governance system up until 1966, with their movements strictly controlled and their political activities restricted to rein in criticism of the Jewish state they now found themselves living under.
The discourse about citizenship has taken on an unmistakably Americanized character, one defined by a larger “Love it or leave it” mentality.
The Law of Return, considered “inalienable” by many politicians, where any concrete restrictions must entail tearing of the law in its entirety, contained seemingly contradictory restrictions within its formally expansive framework. Israeli Communist Party leader Meir Vilner noted back in 1950, during discussion of the Law of Return in the Knesset, that even though Jewish citizenship was technically expansive, it still entailed restrictions to those who “endangered … the security of the state,” a vagueness that Vilner opposed on the grounds that it could be used by the government “against sections within the Jewish people.” The Polish-Israeli anti-Zionist intellectual Israel Shahak noted in 1975 that all the punishments normally doled out against Arabs, including losing their citizenship, remained theoretically possible against Jewish dissenters under Israeli law, but only “racism” against Arabs had prevented setting that precedent.
As the United States became Israel’s primary benefactor in the 1960s and 1970s, previously dormant discussions about the grounds for revoking Israeli citizenship from Jews began to reemerge. They coalesced around insufficient connection to Israel, with some aiming to establish a system of permanent residency, disallowing citizenship for Jews who did not spend enough time inside the Jewish state. After 9/11, these proposals took on a much more ideological, and much more far-right, character.
The Israeli right was soon overtaken with the possibility of revoking the citizenship of those it considered to be aiding the enemy, with Arab citizens of Israel being the primary target. But anti-Zionist Jews were also in their crosshairs, including members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish fringe sect Neturei Karta, or Jews who were insufficiently supportive of Israel, like Israeli journalist Gideon Levy. Calls for “loyalty oaths” from both Arabs and Jews became a cause célèbre for people like then-Deputy Prime Minister Avigdor Lieberman in the late 2000s, who would insist on the equality he advocated for by saying, “It’s not racism. The test is loyalty, not their religion.”
A certain McCarthyist strain familiar to Americans under the Bush administration, looking anywhere and everywhere for national disloyalty, was confirmed in 2007 by Likud MK Gilad Erdan, who would later become Netanyahu’s ambassador to the United Nations during the height of the war on Gaza in 2023. Erdan claimed revoking citizenship would not be wrong because the U.S. also had a basis for revoking citizenship based on “disloyalty to the state,” which included “citizens by birth,” and that there was a threat that needed to be dealt with, even from Jewish people inside the State of Israel, who did not recognize Israel’s “sovereignty.”
The Second Intifada and the disintegration of the so-called Israeli-Palestinian peace process preceded these events, but now, the discourse about citizenship has taken on an unmistakably Americanized character, one defined by a larger “love it or leave it” mentality that allows for officials like Ben-Gvir to post about putting Jewish and Arab politicians who oppose the unfettered expansion of Zionism on planes to be deported.
By virtue of their criticism of Israel, the self-proclaimed representative of the Jewish people, they become enemies of the Jewish people, and therefore in the minds of the state’s most ardent defenders, politically Arab, and therefore able to be viewed as an existential threat just the same.
Netanyahu’s proposal to strip the “NAZA” filmmakers of their citizenship is unlikely to come to pass. It is undeniably being utilized as a political cudgel, with Netanyahu also calling for the revocation of political opponent Yair Golan’s citizenship on the same grounds, despite Golan having been a major general in the IDF. Israeli President Isaac Herzog has, in turn, dismissed the plan, calling it “completely irrelevant.” But as Shahak said in 1975, the grounds for expanding the revocation of citizenship from Jewish Israelis is there in the law, even if the precedent has not yet been set. In 2022, the court upheld a law that allowed for revoking citizenship from Israelis who “carry out actions that constitute a breach of trust against the state.” Earlier this year, in a move met with much less controversy, Netanyahu began initiating proceedings to strip citizenship from those who allegedly aid Iran through espionage, cases which have involved Jews as well as Arabs.
While the chances of the Supreme Court upholding the stripping of citizenship in this particular case are almost nil, a future Israeli administration, one that does not recognize the court’s powers, or an administration that serves alongside a court far more aligned with disqualifying the insufficiently Zionist from politics, could tell a much different story.
A future government where Israel can strip anyone’s citizenship for not only being Palestinian, but also for speaking out in any way against the state, a future where Ben-Gvir is defense minister, or even prime minister, may be closer than many defenders of the “only democracy in the Middle East” imagine.
More than 100 people were arrested at large protests against the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the UN general assembly. Susan Sarandon, Chelsea Manning and Caleb Hearon were among the famous faces arrested. Inside the assembly hall, Netanyahu faced a mass walkout as he took to the stage. Then, in an inflammatory address, he claimed Israel’s war in Gaza was the ‘opposite of a genocide’ and labelled the New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, antisemitic. Lucy Hough speaks to UK global editor Devika Bhat – watch on YouTube – Listen to Thursday’s episode of Stateside with Kai and Carter on whether Netanyahu has lost America here
Kent facility became dangerously overburdened after ministers halted transfers to hotels
A catalogue of failures including racism, use of force and chronic overcrowding at a Home Office processing site for people who arrive on small boat were linked to decisions made at the highest level of government, an independent inquiry has heard.
The government commissioned the Manston independent inquiry to look at problems under the Conservative government between 1 June and 22 November 2022 at the facility in Kent.
Funds to help local people turn empty shops, pubs and clubs into community hubs, shared workspaces and cafes
The UK government has pledged £210m to regenerate high streets by taking boarded-up shops, pubs and clubs and turning them into shared workspaces, cafes and community hubs.
Andy Burnham said the funds would “help put power back into the hands of locals who know their area best” as part of his effort to “restore pride and bring hope back”.
Experiment suggests organisms could live in harsh environment under Enceladus’s icy crust, strengthening possibility moon could support life
From the moment scientists spotted plumes of water erupting from Enceladus, one of Saturn’s moons, it became the most tantalising place in the solar system to search for life beyond Earth.
Now the case is even more compelling after researchers found that organisms that live in deep-sea waters off Japan can survive the harsh conditions expected in the briny ocean that lurks beneath Enceladus’s icy crust.
Forecasters say storm will cause heavy rains and large waves along the coast, near communities still recovering from extreme weather
Hurricane Nolo is expected to bring potentially life-threatening and catastrophic flooding to Hawaii on Friday, affecting communities that are still recovering from devastating storms earlier this summer.
The state activated more than 230 Hawaii national guard members and closed schools ahead of the storm. Nolo is expected to move west on Saturday and not directly hit the islands, but forecasters say it will still cause heavy rainfall, as much as 25in, as well as large and damaging waves along the coast.
Walter Moorhead, arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, murdered Santos Maria Chilel Soto, partner alleges
The partner of a Delaware woman who was shot dead by a hunter allegedly mistaking her for a deer has said the killing was “senseless” and the hunter had “no excuse”.
“I have never seen a deer with only two legs,” Minivaldo Velásquez told the Delaware public news outlet WHYY in an interview published on Thursday about the death six days earlier of Santos Maria Chilel Soto. “It doesn’t make sense – no.”
Trump and officials claimed database combats noncitizen voting but critics said it could disenfranchise eligible voters
The US supreme court has lifted restrictions on a controversial federal database of voters as Donald Trump seeks to impose tougher restrictions on voting ahead of November’s midterm elections.
The ruling issued Friday by the chief justice, John Roberts, in the name of the court temporarily sets aside an injunction issued by US district judge Sparkle L Sooknanan, who ruled on 22 June against the Trump administration’s plan to use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements – Save – database to vet voter registration eligibility. A federal appeals court later declined to pause that ruling.
Sept. 25, 2026 — As part of the EuroHPC User Days 2026 held in Dublin this week, four EuroHPC users received awards for their outstanding contributions to the European supercomputing ecosystem. Two awards were granted for Best EuroHPC Users and two for Best Papers.
From left to right: Dr. Rodrigo Bartolomeu (Best Paper), Thomas Saillour (Best User), Stephen Beller (Best User), and Ilja Rausch (Best Paper). Credit: EuroHPC JU/ Julie de Bellaing.
Best EuroHPC User Awards
The 2026 Best EuroHPC User awards were presented to two users, Stephen Beller and Thomas Saillour. The selection of the laureates was made by the European supercomputing centres hosting and operating the EuroHPC supercomputers. The awards celebrate the users’ strategic use of EuroHPC resources and their proficiency in optimising workloads on the machines.
Stephen Beller was chosen for his work on creating multiparameter pictures of the subsurface from multicomponent seabed seismic data using 3D elastic Full Waveform Inversion (FWI). Generating detailed images of the geological structures beneath the ocean floor helps researchers understand how the Earth’s crust is formed and behaves. This research can support safer and more informed decisions about energy, carbon storage, infrastructure, and environmental management. To handle the complexity of simulating wave propagation using the spectral element method, the project was conducted on the MareNostrum5 GPP partition through the Extreme Scale Access call.
In the process, Stephen consumed 489,000 nodes over a year and successfully carried out large-scale simulations, achieving a particularly efficient use of both CPU and memory resources.
Thomas Saillour was also awarded EuroHPC Best User for his SeaReport project conducted through the Extreme Scale Access call and the Regular Access call. Making use of the MeluXina CPU and the MareNostrum5 GPP partitions, on which the team were allocated 160,000 and 240,000 node hours respectively, the project aims to advance the Joint Research Center’s global metocean modeling capabilities. It would enable the creation of more accurate 3D simulations and forecasts of storm surges and changes in water levels, helping coastal communities prepare for extreme weather events caused by climate change.
Throughout their work, Thomas and his team were shown to make particularly good usage of EuroHPC systems and had positive interactions with the teams of the centers hosting the supercomputers. They notably worked with EPICURE, an Application Support Team (AST), to create an optimized code making more efficient use of the supercomputer’s hardware resources.
Best Papers Awards
This year, two papers were recognised as Best Papers at the EuroHPC User Days 2026.
Carolina Oliveira Costa, formerly of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Translation, was awarded Best Paper for her submission “Mitigating Catastrophic Forgetting in Multilingual Continual Pretraining: Lessons from EU Institutional LLMs”. As Carolina has since moved to a new role outside the Commission and was unable to accept the award herself, Ilja Rausch, co-author and principal investigator for the project, accepted the award on behalf of the team.
Best Paper: Carolina Oliveira Costa and Ilja Rausch. Credit: EuroHPC JU/ Julie de Bellaing.
The scientific review board selected the paper in recognition of its relevance to the needs of European Union (EU) institutions, its strong methodological approach, and the practical value of providing a guide to develop a multilingual large language model (LLM).
The paper explores how to improve EU Institutional LLMs by enabling them to support all 24 official EU languages. To that end, the team focused on reducing catastrophic forgetting, where a model loses previously learned capabilities as it learns new material. Their results revealed the challenges of balancing multilingual adaptation with high-resource language preservation.
The project was conducted on the Leonardo Booster supercomputer.
Dr. Rodrigo Bartolomeu, from the Julich Supercomputing Centre in Germany and part of the MultiXscale CoE was also awarded the Best Paper award for his submission “Scaling and performance aspects of the P3M method on multiple GPUs”. The scientific review board selected this paper for its clear and strong contribution to making complex scientific simulations run faster and more efficiently on modern supercomputers.
Best Paper: Dr Rodrigo Bartolomeu. Credit: EuroHPC JU/ Julie de Bellaing.
The paper focused on a common problem in particle simulations: calculating how large numbers of charged particles affect each other over long distances, which can take a great deal of computing time. To address this, the team developed a flexible software library using the Ewald and P3M methods, designed to work efficiently on both CPUs and GPUs, including systems with multiple GPUs.
Their results showed that performance depends on finding the right balance between calculations and exchanging data between processors.
Computational experiments for the project were conducted on MareNostrum 5 Accelerated partition.
In congratulating the awardees, Anders Jensen, the EuroHPC JU Executive Director stated: “These awards recognise the exceptional work of the researchers and teams behind these projects. Their achievements show how EuroHPC supercomputers can support scientific excellence and innovation and bring practical solutions to some of the most pressing issues of our time.”
Sept. 25, 2026 — Tropical cyclones, also known as hurricanes or typhoons, are some of the most powerful weather events on the planet, impacting millions when they make landfall. Predicting them saves lives, but takes an enormous amount of math, including fluid dynamics calculations – exactly the types of simulations GPUs excel at producing. Researchers from the Naval Postgraduate School have proven their model, using GPUs, is five times faster than the CPU model by using U.S. National Science Foundation ACCESS allocations on NCSA’s Delta supercomputer.
Credit: Shutterstock
Soonpil Kang was a postdoctoral researcher at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) working with Frank Giraldo, a distinguished professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics at NPS, when this research was conducted.
“We focused on how to efficiently simulate a large-scale, realistic tropical cyclone by leveraging GPU capabilities,” said Kang, currently a postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL).
Kang’s team used a hurricane that had a lot of data they could test their simulation against, collaborating with Dr. Stephen Guimond, an atmospheric scientist at Hampton University, who provided observational data for Hurricane Guillermo, the ninth-most intense Pacific hurricane on record.
“Our results show that using GPUs can save both time and energy compared to pure CPU-based simulations,” Kang said. “We hope that this work can contribute to the acceleration of numerical weather prediction models.”
You can read more detailed information about this research in the original article here. If you’re a researcher in need of more GPUs, visit the ACCESS website.
Resource Provider Institution(s): National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Resources Used: Delta Affiliations: Naval Postgraduate School Funding Agency: NSF Grant or Allocation Number(s): MTH240030
The science story featured here was enabled by the U.S. National Science Foundation’s ACCESS program, which is supported by National Science Foundation grants #2138259, #2138286, #2138307, #2137603, and #2138296.
"Weird Al" Yankovic's name has just been approved for a new asteroid — (14331) Alyankovic = 1981 EC26 — by the International Astronomical Union, reports Space.com.
Yankovic's asteroid was championed by planetary scientist Allison McGraw joined by "several heavy hitters in the planetary science field, according to the Tucson Star. (Astrophysicist Steve Desch from the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University; Tim McCoy, one of the main curators of meteorites at the Smithsonian Institution; and University of Arizona research scientist Melissa Brucker, leader of the Spacewatch program, which has discovered more than 179,000 asteroids.)
The scientists also convinced the International Astronomical Union to name an asteroid after one of Yankovic's major influences, famous musical humorist and political satirist Tom Lehrer, who died last year at age 97. Lehrer's work includes "The Elements," a 1959 song in which he recites the entire periodic table to the tune of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Major-General's Song." "He was a mathematician and teacher and also wrote math- and science-themed songs," McGraw said. "We felt that someone who had that kind of science enthusiasm really deserved to have their name up in the sky...." McGraw is hoping that naming space rocks after stars like Lehrer and "Weird Al" will cast some reflected light on two things she's passionate about: asteroid research and science communication.
Six years ago a 92-year-old Tom Lehrer released all his lyrics into the public domain. (Wikipedia notes he'd "largely retired" by the 1970s to become a mathematics teacher at the University of California, Santa Cruz.) Slashdot ran a brief career retrospective when Lehrer died last year at age 97.
And the IAU writes that "Generations of scientists have been inspired" by Weird Al Yankovic's "comedic musical works, including 'It's All About the Pentiums' and 'White and Nerdy'." ("I'm fluent in JavaScript as well as Klingon," Yankovic sings in the latter.) He appears in a song envisioning a rap battle between Bill Nye the Science Guy and Sir Isaac Newton... And in 1999 he recorded a five-minute summation of Star Wars: Phantom Menace, sung to the wistful tune of Don McLean's American Pie. Performing it last month in a NPR Tiny Desk concert, "most of the audience was singing along," remembers an interviewer at NPR. "It felt like something that was very personal to them."
Weird Al: It's one of those songs that means a lot to people, particularly "Star Wars" fans, of course. But I mean, I see a lot of people in the audience cosplaying as Jedi Knights and waving their light sabers... I've even heard that, you know, they play that song at "Star Wars" conventions, and people get weepy... [I]t really hits people in a tender place somehow...
"Oh my, my, this here Anakin guy
may be Vader someday later, now he's just a small fry.
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye,
sayin' soon, I'm gonna be a Jedi."
Yankovic has led a geek-friendly career. In the heyday of Napster, he released an anthem-style parody mocking the arguments of the Recording Industry Association of America, titled "Don't Download This Song. ("Even Lars Ulrich knows it's wrong...")
"Once in a while maybe you will feel the urge
To break international copyright law...
you start out stealing songs, then you're robbing liquor stores
And selling crack and running over school kids with your car..."
As a student at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, Yankovic bootstrapped a career in 1979 by recording his first novelty song "My Bologna" (a parody of "My Sharona" by the Knack) while playing his accordion in a bathroom for its acoustics. And even the IAU acknowledged the geeky themes in his 1999 song "It's All About the Pentiums" (a filk on Puff Daddy's "It's All About the Benjamins").
"You're usin' a 286? Don't make me laugh
Your Windows boots up in what, a day and a half?
You could back up your whole hard drive on a floppy diskette
You're the biggest joke on the Internet..."
The sobering outlook has compounded concerns from some U.S. lawmakers about President Donald Trump’s agreement to assist the kingdom with establishing a civilian nuclear program.
Prime minister quashes speculation that Labour’s revival in the polls could prompt early contest
Andy Burnham has said he will not call a general election before 2029, after days of speculation that Labour’s revival in the polls could tempt him to call an early contest.
The prime minister was repeatedly questioned on the prospect during a round of broadcast interviews to regional media on Friday.
The Chinese leader’s visit to Washington appears to have done nothing to shift the stalemate in bilateral relations
Within days, two high-profile Chinese visitors will arrive in the US – envoys of friendship, as Xi Jinping described them when he met Donald Trump at the White House this week. The giant pandas, Ping Ping and Fu Shuang, will be hosted at Atlanta zoo. Beijing dispatched the first panda pair to the US in 1972 following President Richard Nixon’s landmark visit to China. It uses the animals to indicate satisfaction or displeasure with other nations. But it also charges heftily for their lease: reportedly, around $1m a year per pair. Americans’ views of China have warmed from a pandemic nadir, but are unlikely to be shifted much by two animals, however charming. These days they are more of a token gesture than a striking symbol.
It is telling that the announcement was one of the main takeaways of Mr Xi’s visit to Washington. Expectations were low after May’s stalemate summit in Beijing, but this meeting still struggled to meet them. The US president gave Mr Xi a lavish welcome – unusually, travelling to meet the “strong, vibrant and fit” Chinese leader off the plane. He insisted that they had “never gotten along better”.
Pontiff continues to decry the rise of AI on his visit to France, stressing the importance of retaining 'ethical discernment' in an age when rapidly advancing technology threatens to undermine humanity
Samples of diluted cannabis edibles and flowers sit in vials at Kaycha Labs, a cannabis testing facility in Denver that looks for contaminants in marijuana products. Stephen Swofford, The Denver Gazette
A Colorado manufacturer of a popular brand of marijuana vapes warned dispensaries last week that it is recalling products due to contamination by methylene chloride, a chemical the Environmental Protection Agency has sought to ban for most uses because it can cause cancer.
The recall comes amid a protracted delay in state implementation of expanded testing procedures that would have detected methylene chloride and other solvents that pose health risks.
The manufacturer, StayCon, voluntarily flagged 49 of its products, some of which first went up on dispensary shelves more than a year and a half ago. The recalled items include vapes that go by the brand name Maui Wowie and Grape Gorilla. The recall notice said a “botanically-derived” flavoring compound used in its marijuana vapes contained methylene chloride.
The owner of the third-party lab that detected the toxic solvent, which can be used to strip paint, said that he notified the company and the state six weeks before StayCon issued its recall. The state has yet to issue its own alert to consumers. Kyle Boyd, a spokesperson for the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division, told The Denver Gazette and ProPublica that the agency “does not comment on investigations” in response to a question about why it hasn’t made the recall public.
The Denver Gazette and ProPublica reported this month that regulatory loopholes in Colorado have allowed contaminated marijuana products that pose health risks to continue being sold to consumers for months, sometimes even years. Regulators have been slow to provide public warnings even after they’ve received reports of consumer harm. Earlier this year, the publications also reported on the dangers of methylene chloride as part of an investigation into Colorado’s failure to adopt many regulations used by other states to keep intoxicating hemp products off marijuana shelves.
Methylene chloride can be used to cheaply synthesize hemp into THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana that makes people high. That chemically converted hemp is then falsely labeled and sold as marijuana-based products. State law bans the chemical conversion process and prohibits marijuana manufacturers from using methylene chloride, which the EPA banned for most uses in 2024. This month the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit struck down the EPA ban and sent the matter back to the agency for further review.
The still-unimplemented testing rule for methylene chloride and 30 other solvents was meant to align Colorado’s standards with requirements that are already in place in 24 of the 43 states with regulated marijuana markets. The new testing was supposed to be implemented in July — nearly three months before StayCon told dispensaries it was recalling products. A spokesperson for the Marijuana Enforcement Division said the state public health department, which reviews labs and recommends their certification, told his agency it needed more time.
Implementation, he said, will begin at the end of this month.
Denver-based Bona Fides Laboratory in August detected the methylene chloride that prompted Friday’s recall notice during routine testing for other contaminants such as pesticides and mold. Lab owner David Mathis said he immediately notified the state and StayCon. He criticized state regulators for delaying implementation of the new testing rules, saying his company had been ready to conduct expanded screening since the start of July.
“How many samples were not tested but have contaminants in them and were passed to the public?” Mathis said.
StayCon, a Pueblo County-based company doing business as Craft, did not respond to questions from The Denver Gazette and ProPublica about its recall.
Even as the new testing protocols are set to go into effect, the state has backed away from plans to close a related and longstanding regulatory loophole: Manufacturers still get to choose the samples that labs test and the labs that do the testing.
Regulators in January said they were considering overhauling sampling rules to require lab personnel to collect samples, but they backed down after top manufacturers said it would be too expensive.
Planned acquisition strengthens NetApp’s position in the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market by bringing differentiated metadata innovation and parallel file architecture designed for AI
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 25, 2026 — NetApp today announced its intent to acquire PEAK:AIO, a pioneer in next-generation metadata architecture and high-performance parallel file systems. The planned acquisition is expected to accelerate NetApp’s AI infrastructure roadmap by augmenting metadata services and parallel namespace innovation designed to help AI clouds scale shared storage alongside growing GPU clusters.
As AI becomes embedded in every enterprise workload, organizations are confronting a new challenge: traditional storage architectures were not designed for the unprecedented scale, concurrency, and performance requirements of AI factories, AI clouds, and next-generation data-intensive applications. NetApp is building an architecture that disaggregates metadata from data and enables metadata services to scale independently, creating a foundation for AI infrastructure capable of supporting trillions of files, exabyte-scale environments, and massively parallel workloads.
The acquisition reinforces NetApp’s strategy to address the rapidly growing market for AI infrastructure. By combining PEAK:AIO’s specialized metadata innovations with NetApp ONTAP software, customers will benefit from a differentiated architecture that preserves the resilience, security, and operational maturity of ONTAP while introducing a new level of scalability for AI workloads.
“AI clouds need high-performance shared storage that can scale alongside growing GPU clusters while maintaining the resilience, security, and operational simplicity organizations depend on,” said George Kurian, Chief Executive Officer at NetApp. “With PEAK:AIO, we are delivering on our vision for a new generation of AI infrastructure that combines scalable metadata services with the proven foundation of ONTAP to help customers maximize infrastructure efficiency and support AI at hyperscale cloud.”
PEAK:AIO’s technology originated from collaborations with leading research institutions, including Los Alamos National Laboratory and Carnegie Mellon University, and was designed to address some of the industry’s most demanding data-intensive computing challenges. The planned integration will add specialized metadata services and parallel namespace innovation to NetApp’s ONTAP-based data architecture, while creating a clear evolution path for existing ONTAP customers.
“NetApp and PEAK:AIO connected through the shared belief that the AI era demands a fundamentally new approach to data infrastructure,” said Mark Klarzynski, Chief Technology Officer and Founder at PEAK:AIO. “What excites us most about joining NetApp is the opportunity to pair our culture of innovation with the reach, scale, and customer trust of a global leader. Together with NetApp, we have an opportunity to help shape that future and deliver technologies that make managing data at a massive scale both practical and accessible.”
PEAK:AIO’s metadata innovation extends metadata scale, delivers a global namespace, and enables parallel NFS-based access for massively parallel workloads, while NetApp contributes trusted ONTAP expertise, global reach, and operational maturity to make AI-scale file infrastructure more practical and accessible. Together, they are expected to deliver new capabilities that simplify the deployment and operation of shared storage for increasingly large AI environments.
The architecture is intended to support trillions of files and multi-exabyte deployments while preserving the resiliency, security, and operational simplicity customers expect from ONTAP. Designed around the needs of large-scale AI environments, it combines scalable metadata services, standards-based parallel NFS access, and ONTAP as the resilient data foundation to help reduce data-related GPU stalls, improve infrastructure efficiency, and accelerate AI innovation.
The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.
About NetApp
For more than three decades, NetApp has helped the world’s leading organizations navigate change – from the rise of enterprise storage to the intelligent era defined by data and AI. Today, NetApp is the Intelligent Data Infrastructure company, helping customers turn data into a catalyst for innovation, resilience, and growth.
At the heart of that infrastructure is the NetApp data platform – the unified, enterprise-grade, intelligent foundation that connects, protects, and activates data across every cloud, workload, and environment. Built on the proven power of NetApp ONTAP, our leading data management software and OS, and enhanced by automation through the AI Data Engine and AFX, it delivers observability, resilience, and intelligence at scale.
Disaggregated by design, the NetApp data platform separates storage, services, and control so enterprises can modernize faster, scale efficiently, and innovate without lock-in. As the only enterprise storage platform natively embedded in the world’s largest clouds, it gives organizations the freedom to run any workload anywhere with consistent performance, governance, and protection.
With NetApp, data is always ready – ready to defend against threats, ready to power AI, and ready to drive the next breakthrough. That’s why the world’s most forward-thinking enterprises trust NetApp to turn intelligence into advantage.
About PEAK:AIO
PEAK:AIO is a Manchester UK-based software-defined AI storage company. Its platform delivers high-performance AI storage from a single server to exabytes on any industry-standard hardware. PEAK:AIO is deployed at Los Alamos National Laboratory, NHS AIDE, Oxford Robotics Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Liverpool, University of Strathclyde MediForge Hub, and Zoological Society of London. Learn more at https://peakaio.com.
Southern Delaware event moves because of incoming storm; Wilmington’s Walk to End Alzheimer’s remains scheduled for Oct. 31
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — The Southern Delaware Walk to End Alzheimer’s has been postponed to Saturday, Nov. 14, because of the incoming storm, organizers announced Friday.
The walk had been scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 26.
The Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Chapter made the decision to move the event as potentially disruptive weather approaches the region.
The Southern Delaware event is one of two Walk to End Alzheimer’s events planned in Delaware this fall. The Wilmington walk remains scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 31.
The annual walks bring together people living with Alzheimer’s and other dementias, caregivers, families, friends and supporters while raising money for Alzheimer’s research and the association’s care and support programs.
Participants can walk individually or as part of a team and raise money in support of the Alzheimer’s Association’s mission.
A signature part of the event is the Promise Garden ceremony. Participants carry different-colored flowers representing their personal connection to Alzheimer’s and dementia, including those living with the disease, caregivers and people walking in memory of someone they have lost.
The Delaware walks are part of the nationwide Walk to End Alzheimer’s program, which the Alzheimer’s Association describes as the world’s largest fundraiser for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.
The organization provides education and support for Delaware families dealing with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Its 24/7 Helpline also connects families and caregivers with information, local resources and support.
The postponement gives Southern Delaware participants several additional weeks to register, organize teams and raise money before gathering Nov. 14.
The Wilmington event is not affected by the Southern Delaware postponement and remains scheduled for Oct. 31.
To Go Box
Southern Delaware Walk to End Alzheimer’s
When: Saturday, Nov. 14
Original date: Saturday, Sept. 26
Status: Postponed because of the incoming storm
Wilmington Walk to End Alzheimer’s
When: Saturday, Oct. 31
Participate: Individuals can register to walk, create or join a team, volunteer or make a donation through the Alzheimer’s Association.
Learn more: Visit the Alzheimer’s Association Delaware Chapter online or call its 24/7 Helpline at 800-272-3900.
Exclusive: Economist Ravinder Athwal, who worked in Keir Starmer’s team, is poached from Flint Global
Ravinder Athwal, the economist who wrote Labour’s 2024 manifesto, is taking on a senior role as an adviser to John Healey, in a move likely to fuel speculation about an early general election.
The chancellor is keen to strengthen his team before the critical budget on 28 October, as the economy is buffeted by high oil prices and rising government borrowing costs.
Province’s rat patrol called in to investigate as town of Bowden announces discovery of dead vermin
For more than seven decades, residents of Alberta have shared something in common with Antarctica and the high Arctic: all locations are officially free of rats.
But on Thursday the Canadian province’s reputation as a firewall against rodent infestation took a hit when the town of Bowden announced the discovery of a dead rat and called on the province’s “rat patrol” to investigate.
Thélyson Orélien had been in the running to win a top literary prize before the AI claim emerged on social media
The organisers of France’s most prestigious literary prize said they had removed a critically acclaimed novel by a Canadian-Haitian writer from the longlist after an anonymous online account claimed the book was “almost entirely” written by AI.
The Académie Goncourt, a Paris-based literary organisation, said on Friday its decision to withdraw Thélyson Orélien’s novel C’était ça ou mourir (It Was That or Die) was “driven by the desire to preserve the integrity of the Goncourt prize and the academy itself, whose central role is to promote and honour literature written by women and men”.
The justice called out her colleagues in a speech she made at the UDC school of law, hours after Trump filed his latest request
US supreme court justice Ketanji Brown Jackson acknowledged serious concerns about her colleagues’ handling of emergency requests, the method Donald Trump often uses to seek approval from the court.
Jackson, one of the three liberal members of the supreme court, criticized the justices’ willingness to issue rulings via the “shadow docket”, saying it undermines the public’s faith in the judicial system.
The Justice Department said Thursday it has ended more than 50 long-standing consent decrees dating back decades that sought to curb unlawful racial segregation that was prevalent during the Jim Crow era.
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration in its push to use a controversial database to review state voter rolls for potential noncitizens.
COLUMBIA, Missouri — The University of Missouri has barred a man from campus and referred an incident involving comments endorsing political violence to university police, Columbia police and the FBI after a confrontation at a Turning Point USA event.
Video from Thursday’s “Pick Up the Mic” event shows the individual wearing a shirt styled after one worn by Charlie Kirk when Kirk was fatally shot in Utah in September 2025, with what appeared to be fake blood added. During an exchange, a TPUSA speaker asked whether the man supported people being killed over freedom of speech. “Yeah, absolutely,” he responded.
Turning Point USA’s Missouri chapter initially described the individual as a student, but the university later clarified that he is not enrolled at Mizzou. Officials said he was formally trespassed from campus and that the incident had been referred for further investigation.
Columbia police confirmed they were notified following the event and were coordinating with University of Missouri police. The FBI’s Kansas City office also confirmed it was aware of the incident, according to the Washington Examiner.
No arrest or criminal charge had been announced as of Friday. Authorities have not publicly said whether investigators consider the comments a prosecutable threat rather than protected speech.
Trump’s media ban resulted in an effective TV blackout of coverage of the president during the UN general assembly
The primary White House television pool has resumed filming administration events after a court ruling temporarily overturned a Trump administration ban on CNN a day earlier.
In an unprecedented move, the pool – which also includes NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox News – ceased recording and transmitting White House footage on Monday, in solidarity with CNN, MS Now and Politico, which had been banned by Trump from the building over what he said was “their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS.”
Pontiff says artificial intelligence must remain at service of people in first official papal visit to country in 18 years
Pope Leo has warned against losing humanity in a “paradise of machines” as he addressed global concerns over the dangers of artificial intelligence at the start of a three-day visit to France.
“If we are to avoid losing our humanity amid a paradise of machines invading and conditioning our daily lives, there is an urgent need for people to be educated in ethical discernment, capable of seeing what is morally right,” he said in a speech at the Élysée.
(The Center Square) – As Michigan voters head toward the 2026 election, rising energy costs and potential rate hikes from the state’s two largest utilities are drawing increased attention.
Who are the groups backing candidates in the midterms – and why? In our second live discussion ahead of the elections, Joseph Gedeon, Dara Kerr and Chris Stein are live now
nycreader2 asks: If someone donated millions of dollars to a political campaign, what would they realistically expect to get out of it? Are there things we can actually trace from political spending to policy decisions, or is that much harder to establish?
Dara: This is tricky because when we see big donations to political campaigns, we don’t usually hear politicians say they’re making policy decisions to benefit that donor. That said, I think we can infer cause-and-effect in some situations.
The biggest example that comes to mind is Elon Musk spending at least $250m to get Donald Trump elected in 2024. That was one of the largest individual donor contributions we’ve seen in a US presidential campaign. The day Trump was inaugurated, one of his first actions in office was to create the Department of Government Efficiency and put Musk in charge. In the following months, we saw Musk and his cohort dismantle many government agencies that were charged with regulating his network of companies.
Chris: Super Pacs tied to cryptocurrency spent millions in the primaries, though they didn’t always achieve the desired result. One of the major players is called Fairshake, which has made more than $13.3m in independent expenditures this year in Illinois, including nearly $2.5m against state lawmaker La Shawn Ford, who nonetheless won the Democratic primary for a US House district, and nearly $9.9m against lieutenant governor Juliana Stratton, who won the Democratic Senate nomination anyway. They also spent about $800,000 against state senator Robert Peters, who lost the primary for another US House district. That’s not the last we’ll hear of Fairshake this cycle — they are reportedly planning to spend $30m against Sherrod Brown, a Democrat and cryptocurrency foe who is running to return to the Senate in Ohio.
He profiled John Updike and Norman Mailer, served as a foreign correspondent in Canada and France, and wrote a prizewinning book about the Vietnam War.
From tacos and live music to gardens, history and a fall festival, here are outings for Sept. 26-27, with a website for every stop.
WILMINGTON, Del. — Whether you are planning a family afternoon, a date night or a drive through the Brandywine Valley, there is plenty to do this weekend. With a weather forecast that looks like rain, here are some options both inside and out! Check the weather
Newark Community Day — Newark. Music, food, crafts and children’s activities fill the University of Delaware Green from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. A good choice for families and grandparents. Website: newarkde.gov. newarkde.gov
Rum & Red Roses: A Pogues Tribute — Wilmington. John Byrne and fellow musicians celebrate The Pogues at The Crown at The Queen at 8 p.m. Saturday. Doors open at 7 p.m. Website: thequeenwilmington.com. thequeenwilmington.com
“Fiddler on the Roof” — Arden. Pair a musical with Candlelight Theatre’s dinner theater experience. Check the performance schedule and ticket availability before going. Website: candlelighttheatredelaware.org. candlelighttheatredelaware.org
Delaware Art Museum — Wilmington. Explore the galleries and sculpture garden, then consider lunch nearby. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Website: delart.org. delart.org
Delaware Taco Festival — Wilmington Riverfront. Tacos, entertainment and children’s activities take over Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park on Saturday and Sunday. General admission runs from 1 to 7 p.m. each day. Website: tacofestival.com. www.tacofestival.com
Fifer Orchards Fall Fest — Camden-Wyoming. Head to the farm Saturday for a corn maze, pumpkin and apple picking, activities and cider doughnuts. Fall Fest is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Website: fifers.com. www.fifers.com
History Book Festival — Lewes. Authors and readers gather across town for a weekend devoted to history. Saturday offers a full day of free presentations; Friday’s keynote and Sunday’s closing event are ticketed. Website: historybookfestival.org. www.historybookfestival.org
Longwood Gardens’ Festival of Fountains — Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. Visit the gardens during the day or book Saturday’s 8:15 p.m. “Electric 80s” Fireworks & Fountains Show. Longwood closes at 6 p.m. Saturday to visitors without a fireworks ticket. Website: longwoodgardens.org. longwoodgardens.org
Fall Jamboree at Mt. Cuba Center — Hockessin. Live music, lawn games, fire pits, guided tours and haywagon rides run from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. Sunday is the rain date. Website: mtcubacenter.org. mtcubacenter.org
IndiaFest — Wilmington. The Indo-American Association of Delaware hosts its cultural celebration Saturday at St. Mark’s High School, 2501 Pike Creek Road. Check the organizer’s site for the program and admission information. Website: iaadelaware.org. www.iaadelaware.org
Historic New Castle day trip — New Castle. Walk the historic streets and riverfront, and visit the Court House Museum or the free exhibition at the Arsenal. The city also lists a Belgian Beer Fest from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday. Websites: newcastlehistory.org and newcastlecity.delaware.gov. history.delaware.gov
Brandywine Valley art and scenery — Chadds Ford and Greenville. Plan your own afternoon around the Brandywine Museum of Art, Winterthur’s grounds and a scenic drive. Check admission and tour availability before leaving. Websites: brandywine.org and winterthur.org.
To Go Box
When: Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26-27. Some events run on only one day.
How to plan: Use the website listed with each option to check tickets, schedules and weather updates before traveling.
The media organisation reports that three of its journalists were denied media passes
A record £66m of emergency security funding was issued by the Home Office for mosques and related community sites in the UK when violent disorder spread in the aftermath of the Southport attacks in 2024.
Exclusive figures obtained by the Guardian also reveal a record of about £41m of security funding was issued for mosques and related community sites for the year from April 2025-26 as part of the protective security scheme.
We reserve the right to reject an application if we cannot find any evidence the applicant is a working journalist or photographer with a political portfolio or working on behalf of a relevant media outlet.”
Iran’s seven-day timetable would restart nuclear talks, but will the US be willing to deliver on terms that include reining in Israel in Lebanon?
Iran’s seven-day timetable to reopen the strait of Hormuz and start talks on its nuclear programme has been pitched as a deal that could rapidly extricate Donald Trump from a political crisis but requires the US president to make difficult concessions.
In the five days left before the proposed reopening of the strait, which is expected to relieve pressure on global energy markets, Trump would need to lift Iranian asset freezes, permit Iran to export its oil and, probably most difficult of all, order Benjamin Netanyahu to end Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon, thus achieving the “ceasefire on all fronts”.
Greg Steube’s Flafo Act would require federal agencies to obtain warrants before accessing or sharing data from networked license plate readers
A Florida Republican has introduced a bill that would bar US federal agencies from using Flock Safety’s licence plate cameras and similar systems without a warrant, amid a nationwide backlash against the surveillance company.
Greg Steube’s Facilitating Liberty and Accountability for Flock Observations (Flafo) Act, introduced on Friday, would require a judicial warrant before federal agencies could buy, operate, access or share data with networked licence plate readers. It would also make US Department of Justice grants to local police conditional on their adopting similar rules.
The Climate Briefing: Contested waters in international politicsAudiothilton.drupal
Climate change, rising demand, and geopolitical rivalry are reshaping the politics of water. Bhargabi, Beatrice, and their guests discuss what’s at stake for cooperation on shared water resources.
This season of droughts, heatwaves, and wildfires has shone a light on a growing vulnerability: the security of our water resources.
Following the Stockholm World Water Week that took place last month and an upcoming UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi later this year, this episode explores questions around how climate change and growing demand are reshaping global water security. It considers: Where is water becoming a source or a tool of geopolitical tension? Is the international system equipped to manage these pressures? What can be done about it?
To find out, Bhargabi and Beatrice Mosello speak to Susanne Schmeier, Professor of Water Cooperation, Law and Diplomacy at IHE Delft and Utrecht University, and David Michel, Senior Associate (non-resident) at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
The Climate Briefing explores key themes in the UN climate negotiations and international climate politics. The podcast is hosted by Bhargabi Bharadwaj from Chatham House and features interviewees from governments, international organizations, academia and civil society organizations from across the world.
Kenneth Newton and Melanie James filmed themselves mocking and abusing Rubin Blount, 28, who weighed 40kg when he died
A couple convicted of murder after inflicting “deliberate cruelty” on a vulnerable 28-year-old man in their care, who at the time of his death weighed just 40kg (6st 4lb), have been jailed for life.
Rubin Blount was made to stand for long periods of time, left to lie in his own urine and forced to eat out of bins by his stepbrother Kenneth Newton and Newton’s partner, Melanie James, at a property in Tamworth, Staffordshire, Stafford crown court heard.
The United States men’s national team’s stars of tomorrow will debut en masse over the coming multi-week Fifa window, with Mauricio Pochettino calling in 13 players who have yet to debut.
Cavan Sullivan, at 16 years old, is the headliner, and we’ve gone deep into what makes him special here. But he’s far from alone. Consider this a cheatsheet to get to know all the new guys on the back of their performances at the club level.
As the UN warns traditional safeguards are ‘unravelling’, Donald Trump says he will encourage, not restrain, the AI race
When the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, sat down for an interview in the heart of Silicon Valley at the weekend he had known for two days that his was the first government known to have been attacked by a rogue AI agent.
He didn’t reveal the attack then, but he sounded a warning about the march of AI: “the risk is that AI develops in a way in which humans are no longer in control of what AI is producing.”
The pope gives landmark speech on AI development and Europe’s future
Later today, Pope Leo will go to the Élysée Palace for (another) formal welcome and a meeting with authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps, before visiting Unesco and delivering a speech on AI in mid-afternoon.
He is then expected to go on a stroll through the streets of Paris, before going to the restored Notre Dame Cathedral.
US striker had red card ban suspended for Belgium game
Trump said he called Infantino asking for review
Coach says ‘energy of everything’ changed in moment
US men’s national team head coach Mauricio Pochettino has said he regrets not being “more involved” in the situation surrounding US forward Folarin Balogun at this summer’s World Cup.
Balogun was given a red card after a challenge against Bosnia and Herzegovina defender Tarik Muharemovic, which by rule is accompanied with a one-game suspension. Balogun’s ban for the next game against Belgium was suspended after the US Soccer Federation and Donald Trump lobbied Fifa, with Trump saying that he personally placed a call to Fifa president Gianni Infantino to ask the ruling be reviewed. Infantino maintains that the decision to reinstate Balogun was made independently by Fifa’s disciplinary committee.
National Center for Education Statistics, which collects critical data to guide policy on learning, was decimated after Doge canceled crucial contracts
As reading and math scores fall to their lowest pointin the past quarter-century, the US now has fewer tools to understand and develop interventions for this troubling trend.
When the Trump administration took a wrecking ball to the Department of Education last year, firing nearly half of its workers and allowing the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) to cancel nearly $900m in contracts, a little-known agency called the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) was among the hardest hit.
A small uncrewed vessel has embarked on a lap around Antarctica and may not return for months.
The seven-metre craft, which looks like a large kayak in hi-vis orange, is expected to travel about 22,000km through inhospitable waters, propelled by powerful westerly winds and energy from the sun. The journey is seven times the distance between Sydney and Perth.
More than 130 world leaders descended on the United Nations headquarters in New York this week, joining the pageantry and speechmaking of the annual general assembly.
Many of the visiting presidents and prime ministers delivered their set-piece addresses to a sparsely populated hall, but contributions from two unlikely visitors in the nearby security council chamber stood out.
Andy Burnham was not even in the audience for the prime minister’s speech at the Labour party conference this time last year. As Keir Starmer made the case for continuity to his restive party, Burnham was spotted slipping out over the bridge towards Liverpool’s Albert Dock.
The then Greater Manchester mayor had been vying for the spotlight throughout the party’s annual gathering, presenting the argument for change. But even he could not have envisaged the schism that would take place in the ensuing 12 months and would put him on the main stage as prime minister at this year’s conference, beginning in Merseyside on Sunday.
Israel's embattled leader lashed out at New York's mayor in a heated U.N. address, but a veteran analyst says his real targets were Israeli voters and President Trump.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2026 — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) has announced the winning teams in DOE’s Energy and Critical Infrastructure challenge topic, part of the 2026 Global Industry Challenge hosted by Connected DMV. The teams explored how quantum and hybrid computing could help determine where to deploy energy storage and microgrids, and at what capacity.
Those decisions are becoming more complex as electricity demand grows from data centers, advanced manufacturing, and other large industrial loads. The challenge asked teams to test emerging computing approaches against this grid planning problem and compare their results with classical computing methods.
The winning teams in DOE’s challenge topic are:
The winning team was: Qtyche
The runner-up team was: BosonQ Psi (BQP)
“Maintaining U.S. leadership in emerging technologies requires rigorous testing against real-world problems and a clear understanding of both their capabilities and their limitations,” said Anthony Pugliese, Chief Commercialization Officer and Director of the DOE Office of Technology Commercialization. “Through our collaboration with Connected DMV, this challenge gave innovators an opportunity to test quantum and hybrid computing approaches against a complex energy infrastructure problem and establish benchmarks that can help us measure progress as the technology matures. Building this evidence base is an important part of understanding where emerging technologies may ultimately have practical applications.”
“As a nonprofit dedicated to driving transformative innovation, Connected DMV is proud to host the Global Industry Challenge, which this year engaged over 600 applicants from more than 50 countries competing across four industry use cases over three phases and six months,” said Tom Touchet, Interim CEO of Connected DMV. “Our partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy is critical to this effort. By combining DOE’s deep domain expertise with our collaborative platform, we are connecting quantum researchers directly with essential infrastructure problems to advance real-world solutions that will strengthen national grid resilience.”
“We designed DOE’s challenge topic to test quantum and hybrid approaches against a real grid planning problem, not to assume they outperform today’s tools, but to establish a rigorous way to measure progress as quantum hardware and algorithms advance” said Rima Kasia Oueid, Senior Commercialization Executive and Quantum & Space Lead at DOE’s Office of Technology Commercialization. “By defining a real grid planning problem and requiring teams to benchmark quantum and hybrid approaches against classical methods, we can better understand current capabilities and limitations, identify the technical milestones that still need to be reached, and track whether these approaches become increasingly relevant as the field progresses toward fault-tolerant quantum computing.”
In the final phase, teams executed their approaches using quantum hardware and simulation environments and compared their results with classical baselines. The resulting performance benchmarks provide reference points for assessing current capabilities and tracking progress as quantum hardware and algorithms improve.
The 2026 Global Industry Challenge is hosted by Connected DMV. DOE OTC led development of the energy infrastructure challenge topic and led the technical review of submissions. The results provide benchmarks for tracking progress as quantum computing technology advances.
TAMPA, Florida — Hillsborough County has declared a local state of emergency after the number of locally acquired dengue fever cases climbed to 170, making the Tampa-area county the center of Florida’s current outbreak.
Florida’s latest surveillance data counted 190 locally acquired cases statewide, with Hillsborough accounting for nearly 90% of them. Neighboring Pasco and Pinellas counties also declared emergencies Thursday as officials stepped up mosquito-control efforts aimed at limiting further spread.
The Hillsborough declaration took effect Sept. 24 and is initially scheduled to last seven days unless extended or rescinded. It gives county officials additional authority to deploy emergency resources and may allow reimbursement for certain response costs.
The increase has been substantial. Florida health officials reported just 59 locally acquired infections in Hillsborough County on Sept. 4, meaning the county’s total has nearly tripled within several weeks.
Dengue is spread primarily through bites from infected mosquitoes. Symptoms can include fever, severe aches, nausea, vomiting and rash. Most symptomatic patients recover within about a week, but roughly 1 in 20 people who become sick can develop severe dengue, which may cause internal bleeding, shock or death.
Officials are using mosquito traps along with ground and aerial treatments while urging residents to eliminate standing water and protect themselves from bites.
PlayStation 5, Xbox, PC (version played); Bandai Namco The game generates blood-pumping moments as you twist, turn and weave through the skies, while your locked-on missiles speed away to obliterate an enemy plane
The core appeal of any Ace Combat game lies in the moment when the beautiful clouds part, the sunlight glints off your perfectly rendered state-of-the-art fighter jet, and guitar-shredding music kicks into overdrive as your locked-on missiles speed away to obliterate an enemy plane. All of that is 100% present in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve. What’s new is the way it delivers its unexpectedly compelling story.
Set in the Earth-like alternative world of Strangereal, where every country is absolutely obsessed with fighter planes and giant superweapons, Ace Combat drafts you into the role of a fake ace pilot called the Wings of Theve – a propaganda invention to raise the morale of a besieged nation, similar to real-life rumours about Ukraine’s Ghosts of Kyiv. You rapidly find yourself becoming an actual legendary pilot, soaring through the skies with your buddies and raining hell upon your oppressors as everybody cheers on the radio. Speaking of ghosts, you have one in your ear – your predecessor, whom nobody else can hear, a gravelly voice waxing lyrical about flying, war and whatever else is on his mind as you flit about.
Every night, for months, as they settled into bed at their home in Watts, California, seven-year-old José, named after his father, would look over to his mother, Alma Ramirez, and ask her one question:
Age difference between former Democratic Unionist party leader and his victims an aggravating factor, say prosecutors
Jeffrey Donaldson, the former leader of the Democratic Unionist party in Northern Ireland, could be sent to prison for more than 10 years over the sexual assault of two women when they were children, a court heard on Friday.
The disgraced politician, who headed the DUP between 2021 and 2024, was found guilty of 18 counts of sexual abuse including one count of rape against the women in June.
The debate over taxing home-produced distilled spirits is almost as old as America itself, and the latest controversy has arrived at the Supreme Court for consideration.
Distilled spirits are alcoholic beverages produced by heating and condensing a fermented liquid to increase its alcohol percentage, as compared with beer and wine, which is produced using fermentation with a lower alcohol content.
Two petitions filed in recent months at the Supreme Court seek to settle the question of the ability of Congress to ban the home production of distilled spirits, while allowing people to make their own beer, wine, cider, and lower alcohol-content drinks and beverages for their own consumption.
The home-distilling ban is based on federal tax laws from 1866 and 1868 that amended an existing excise tax on distilled spirits to prohibit their production “in any dwelling-house” or areas located on the same home property like sheds. Since then, Congress has enacted other laws to regulate the location of all distillate plants, including large operations.
In Ream v. Department of the Treasury, petitioner John Ream of Ohio is a former home brewer and current brewpub owner who took legal action in 2024 against the federal government ban on home distilling. Ream wishes to make whiskey at home to sample, and he will pay any federal taxes on it. A federal district court initially ruled against Ream. On April 21, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit also ruled in favor of the government.
Just 11 days earlier, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit came to a different conclusion. In Department of Justice v. McNutt, four members of the Hobby Distillers Association, including Scott McNutt, sued in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas over the same question. The court decided only McNutt had standing to pursue legal action. It then ruled in favor of McNutt, saying the congressional tax statutes did not apply in his case. The Fifth Circuit reinstated the other three plaintiffs and held that Congress’s power under the Constitution’s Necessary and Proper Clause didn’t extend to the home distillers such as McNutt.
Petitions from both cases will now be considered by the Supreme Court on October 9, 2026, in private conference.
The Founding, Reconstruction, and Taxing Spirits
In its petition to the Supreme Court, the Justice Department notes that the federal power to tax distillates goes back to the First Congress. Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton urged the “expediency” of taxing distilled spirits by the federal government. The department brief cites a quote from historian Gallus Thomann in 1885 that during the Founding era “nearly every farmer distilled his own whiskey and deemed it his inalienable right to evade the tax and resist the collector.”
Congress passed several statutes taxing liquor, leading to the Whiskey Rebellion of 1794. Among the biggest opponents to Hamilton’s taxes was Thomas Jefferson, who told James Madison in 1794 that “the excise law is an infernal one. The first error was to admit it by the Constitution; the 2d., to act on that admission; the 3d & last will be, to make it the instrument of dismembering the Union, & setting us all afloat to chuse which part of it we will adhere to.”
Over time, the federal government taxed distilled spirits in different ways including a brief repeal. During Reconstruction, Congress saw the need to crack down on widespread evasion of liquor-production taxes. The separate tax laws from 1866 and 1868 form the basis for the current tax laws that set taxes on distilled spirits the moment they are produced in all locations.
Under 26 U.S.C. 5178(a)(1)(B), the distilling of spirits is prohibited in locations including “any dwelling house, in any shed, yard, or inclosure connected with any dwelling house, or on board any vessel or boat, or on premises where beer or wine is made or produced, or liquors of any description are retailed, or on premises where any other business is carried on (except when authorized under subsection (b)).” The subsection allows the government to approve production that “will not jeopardize the revenue.”
Comparing the Two Cases
At the heart of both petitions to the Supreme Court is the Necessary and Proper Clause in Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution. It is the final clause in Section 8, which lists (or enumerates) powers directly granted to Congress. The clause empowers Congress “[t]o make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.”
The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to affirm that the tax laws about home distilling are “necessary and proper for carrying into execution Congress’s enumerated power to lay and collect taxes.”
The department cites the landmark case, McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), as supporting its argument. Under McCulloch, Chief Justice John Marshall ruled that “a law is necessary and proper if it is ‘convenient’ or ‘useful’ for carrying an enumerated power into effect, and ‘plainly adapted’ to that legitimate end,” the department argues.
“Under McCulloch and its progeny, courts may not second-guess Congress’s reasonable judgment that the increased ability to collect taxes from those complying with the restrictions would offset any reduction in the tax base from others who would forgo distilling altogether. And because the location restrictions were enacted only after lengthy experience with tax evasion, upholding those restrictions would not open the door to hypothetical laws restricting other conduct lacking that history,” it concludes.
The department also finds fault with the Fifth Circuit ruling in favor of the home distillers, which it says, “departs from this Court’s precedents and imperils Congress’s legislative power.”
In their petition in Ream, the home distillers make differing arguments. Their attorneys state that the home distilling ban is “a relic of Reconstruction-era politics.” They also believe the punishment for violations under the tax laws are excessive. “Federal law also makes it a crime—punishable by five years’ imprisonment, a $10,000 fine, and forfeiture of the offender’s home—to produce distilled spirits in that home.”
Their main argument finds fault with the Justice Department’s interpretation of the Necessary and Proper Clause as permitting the home distilling ban. “Asked which enumerated power authorizes that prohibition, the government answered: the power to tax the very conduct it prohibits. Banning the taxed activity, on this theory, is a ‘necessary and proper’ means of taxing it.”
They note the clear split between the two federal appeals courts. “The Sixth Circuit accepted that theory and upheld the prohibition. And it did so eleven days after the Fifth Circuit, in a materially identical challenge to the same prohibition, rejected the same theory and held the prohibition unconstitutional.”
Ream’s attorneys also ask the Supreme Court to consider the appeal in the context of the Constitution’s Commerce Clause in conjunction with its precedent in Gonzales v. Raich (2005). In Raich, a divided Court said Congress could prohibit marijuana use for any purpose in states under its Commerce Clause powers, including those states that had legalized its use for medical purposes.
The cases seem likely to be seriously considered at conference for a grant of certiorari by the Supreme Court for several reasons. The two federal appeals courts present clearly conflicting decisions. Both sides want the cases heard by the Court. However, the Justice Department does not view the cases as supporting an attempt to reconsider the Raich precedent.
It will take four justices to accept the case for arguments at the Court. One key question for Court watchers is whether the Court adds a second question about whether to reconsider Raich if it accepts the case.
Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center.
Tens of thousands of police deployed and roads barricaded as PTI party demands release of jailed former PM
Leaders from Imran Khan’s party have vowed to go ahead with a nationwide demonstration in Pakistan to demand the former prime minister’s release, even as the government deployed tens of thousands of police to Islamabad, barricaded highways and issued arrest warrants to try to stop the march.
The state has taken extreme measures to prevent Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party from proceeding with the march. It was announced after mounting concerns of the treatment of Khan, who has been in jail since 2023 on corruption charges.
Forecasters say up to 40 million people in multiple US states could be affected by the early season northeasterly storm
High winds and heavy rain were beginning to batter New England on Friday as a “significant” nor’easter, the first such storm of the fall, threatened to disrupt weekend plans for millions.
In the Pacific Ocean, meanwhile, three separate hurricanes, one threatening “catastrophic flooding”, including life-threatening flash floods, in Hawaii, were churning as a record-setting El Niño continued to amplify severe weather events on a global scale.
The new qualification program helps AI factory builders identify products that meet applicable NVIDIA DSX requirements, starting with battery energy storage systems and cooling distribution units.
Sept. 25, 2026 — Every AI factory needs power and cooling that fit its computing architecture. As AI infrastructure expands, power, cooling, water, site and grid constraints are shaping what builders can deploy. Choosing products that fit the complete factory design helps builders turn computing capacity into useful AI output.
Credit: Shutterstock
To help builders make those decisions, NVIDIA is introducing NVIDIA DSX Ready, a qualification program for partner products and solutions that meet applicable NVIDIA DSX AI factory reference design requirements.
The program launches with two initial categories: battery energy storage systems (BESS) and cooling distribution units (CDUs). Category-specific requirements and review through the program help builders evaluate offerings with greater confidence, reduce integration risk and move toward deployment.
Qualified Building Blocks for Building AI Factory
The NVIDIA DSX AI factory platform unifies AI factory design and operations across compute, networking, power, cooling, facilities and software. It helps partners design and operate the factory as one system to produce more useful AI output within available power, cooling, water and grid constraints.
That system view matters now because optimizing one part of an AI factory can shift the bottleneck elsewhere. Power and cooling suppliers need a clear path from reference designs to qualified offerings, and builders need a clearer way to discover and evaluate those offerings.
DSX Ready connects that selection process to applicable NVIDIA DSX requirements. It gives builders a clear qualification to look for and gives partners a defined way to demonstrate that a specific offering meets the requirements for its category.
Power and Cooling Qualification
At launch, DSX Ready includes qualified BESS solutions Hitachi Energy, LG Energy Solution and Tesla, and qualified CDU solutions from LG Electronics, LiquidStack and Vertiv. These initial categories bring power systems and liquid-cooling infrastructure into a common program, with requirements tailored to each technology. Additional categories across infrastructure and software will be rolled out over time.
For BESS providers, partners run the required qualification tests and submit supporting data for NVIDIA review and approval within a defined qualification boundary. Passing qualification does not replace site-level engineering or imply site-level stability.
For CDU providers, the path uses the CDU self-qualification suite to determine whether a specific offering meets applicable NVIDIA functional requirements.
Teams can then focus on how qualified offerings fit their site, configuration and operating needs. A qualified CDU may meet the relevant cooling criteria, for example, while the builder still evaluates how it will fit the planned facility.
From Platform Design to Partner Selection
The value of a reference design grows when builders can connect it to specific products and informed engineering decisions. DSX Ready makes that connection, bringing partner innovation into the infrastructure choices behind NVIDIA DSX AI factories.
Explore NVIDIA DSX Ready qualification categories and learn how to participate. Connect with the right NVIDIA team to begin qualification for a product or solution.
Raspberry Pi's stock shot up over 30% in the last week. Why are investors so excited? For the six months ending June 30, revenue for Raspberry Pi Holdings "jumped 90% to $256.9 million," reports Investing.com, "while adjusted EBITDA more than doubled to $40.3 million, and profit before tax leapt 216% to $19.6 million."
Underpinning the strong numbers was an acceleration in OEM adoption: direct unit shipments rose 26% to 3.4 million, total unit shipments climbed 17% to 4.2 million, and the customer order backlog doubled during the half to 2.6 million units. Demand was particularly robust in the Smart Home and Aerospace and Defence segments, and the company launched the AI HAT+ 2 for Raspberry Pi 5, extending its edge-AI product line.
DRAM prices have been increasing everywhere,
notes The Times of London, and Raspberry Pi co-founder Eben Upton "said new customers, who required computers or microcontrollers to manufacture other technologies, were choosing Raspberry Pi's computers because they had a better inventory of components than competitors."
"There's always that choice for an original equipment manufacturer as to whether they should 'make' or 'buy' the computer elements of their platforms," Upton said. "The supply chain disruption is making 'make' a much harder choice and it's making the cost of repair a much harder choice. So we're seeing strength there." Raspberry Pi has already increased its suppliers of Dram more than threefold...
Upton said the increased demand had led to its backlog for units doubling to 2.6 million, which meant production rates would need to increase to prevent the numbers from getting "unhealthy". New production capacity at the manufacturing facility in Pencoed, Wales was expected to come online this week... Exports were almost evenly split between North America, Europe and the rest of the world, which was primarily China, where demand was growing... Analysts at Peel Hunt said the company was "well positioned for rapid growth in unit shipments in 2027 and beyond" with demand expected from enthusiasts as well as the AI and security sectors.
In other news, Hackaday notes the Raspberry Pi Foundation has "pushed binary-blob bootloader changes that limit your ability to upgrade RAM..."
This change restricts upgrading the RAM chip on your Pi 4 and Pi 5, as well as Compute Modules. By the looks of it, it does not restrict replacing the RAM chip with a chip of a similar size, quote, "locking devices to their original RAM size". As such, this does not prevent repair of your Raspberry Pi board, but does somewhat limit your repair part choice, at most.
This restriction is easily bypassable. The bootloader is stored in the SPI flash chip, which can be reflashed using the built-in mask ROM over USB and rpiboot, and you are not prevented from flashing older versions of the bootloader, so far. This means even if you manually swap the RAM chip, all you need to do is to also downgrade the bootloader to the last known good release — 2024-09-10 — and then your Pi board or Compute Module will function with upgraded RAM. If you have the skills to upgrade your RAM, you most certainly have the skills to downgrade the Raspberry Pi bootloader. For most regular use, having a two-year old bootloader version won't really matter...
For the reference, this bootloader change happened almost exactly two years ago, at some point between September 10 and September 23, 2024... The Raspberry Pi Foundation (RPF) justifies this as follows: they saw third-party resellers sourcing low-RAM Compute Modules, upgrading them with RAM from unknown source and unknown stability. My observation is that they'd also be reselling the modules at a markup for purely commercial gain, while undercutting RPF who would otherwise direct that money into RnD, something I much enjoy to see them do. This creates perverse incentives and risk for people buying Raspberry Pi boards online, and RPF decided to limit this primarily for their users' benefit, plus, if you ask me, some of theirs... The related GitHub issues have a fair few pingbacks, and exploring them makes the problem look grim to me....
My advice: don't lament Raspberry Pi RAM upgrades, especially given they're only slightly harder to perform now. Very few hackers ever performed them, the main audience for them turned out to be dodgy hardware resellers online, and in most cases, repair doesn't seem to be impeded at all, either. Think of the users that will no longer be fooled by a shady seller on Amazon, especially now that the perverse incentives for board mods and reusing harvested RAM chips are at their highest.
Raspberry Pi co-founder Eben Upton answered questions from Slashdot readers in 2011 and 2016.
Messaging ‘very telling’, says Crump after grand jury said it found no evidence of criminal conduct in teen’s death
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump released information from a forensic examination of Nolan Wells’ cellphone as well as details of the official autopsy on Thursday, just days after a Mississippi grand jury said it found no evidence of criminal conduct in the teen’s death.
Attorneys representing the 18-year-old Black college student’s family have called for transparency, asking that the grand jury investigative materials and the official autopsy report be publicly released.
Sept. 25, 2026 — planqc and the LOGIQC consortium have been selected as one of six consortia to compete in Germany’s Quantum Computing Competition (QCC). The QCC is a major initiative of the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) to advance error-corrected quantum computing in Germany.
With up to €640 million in funding planned, the competition aims to advance different technological approaches towards at least two error-corrected quantum computers at the European technological frontier by 2030 and make them accessible for industrial applications. The six selected consortia span three technology platforms: neutral atoms, trapped ions and superconducting circuits, with two consortia selected for each approach.
Building an Error-Corrected Quantum Computer with Neutral Atoms
LOGIQC – Logical Operations, Gates and Infrastructure for Quantum Computing – is coordinated by planqc and has its roots in the Munich Quantum Valley. The consortium brings together leading research and industry partners, including the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ), Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), the University of Tübingen, Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), and TOPTICA Photonics.
The project will develop a hardware-efficient, error-corrected quantum computer based on neutral ytterbium atoms, capable of performing universal logical operations on encoded qubits. Complementary infrastructure will provide the laboratories, laser systems, test facilities and pilot-line capabilities needed to scale the technology and prepare critical hardware for industrialization.
“Germany has all the ingredients to play a leading role in quantum computing,” said Dr. Sebastian Blatt, Co-Founder and CTO of planqc. “The critical step now is to bring these strengths together and scale them. The QCC comes at exactly the right time to help turn Germany’s strength in quantum research into industrial leadership.”
Next Stage: Technical Milestones
The QCC is designed as a staged competition with defined technical milestones. The selected consortia will now enter the next stage, with at least one partner in each consortium required to demonstrate a functioning system meeting defined entry criteria by March 31, 2027. The projects will then work towards increasingly ambitious targets for scale and error correction, with a further selection after 30 months determining which projects continue to receive support.
About planqc
planqc is one of the leading companies in the development of digital quantum computers. Utilizing a unique technology based on neutral atoms as qubits, planqc is pursuing the fastest path toward building industry-relevant quantum computers. As a full-stack quantum technology provider, planqc covers the entire value chain—from hardware and quantum operating systems to quantum computing applications and quantum-inspired software solutions.
Sovereignty is a word borrowed from statecraft. A sovereign country is independent in its decisions. The term “digital sovereignty” is a more recent invention that applies to organizations and even individuals.
In this article, I discuss what the push for digital sovereignty implies for Linux-focused, open source developers and companies. The framework I use is a European one, because I am Vienna-based and familiar with it. As I discuss later, the implications are not limited to Europe.
A framework for defining and rating digital sovereignty
SOV-1, Strategic: Ownership and governance are controlled, avoiding external dependencies.
SOV-2, Legal and Jurisdictional: Protects against external laws and unauthorized access.
SOV-3, Data and AI: Control and privacy compliance for data and AI models in the cloud.
SOV-4, Operational: Day-to-day cloud administration, management, and support are handled securely from within.
SOV-5, Supply Chain: Protects against vendor lock-in and external bottlenecks.
SOV-6, Technology Openness: Encourages open standards and the freedom to choose technologies.
SOV-7, Security and Compliance: Aligns cloud services with European cybersecurity standards, frameworks, and compliance audit rules.
SOV-8, Environmental Sustainability: Adoption of energy-efficient infrastructure, environmentally responsible practices, and activity reporting intended to reduce environmental impacts of technological activity.
Rating technology providers for digital sovereignty compliance
The framework rates providers on two scales: a Sovereignty Effectiveness Assurance Level (SEAL), and a complementary Sovereignty Score for cloud services. The first indicates a minimum level of sovereignty objectives met. The second shows a provider’s strengths and weaknesses across the objectives.
Each objective is rated from SEAL-0 to SEAL-4. SEAL-4 means an EU supply chain, from the physical chips up to the software.
The mechanic I find most interesting is that a provider does not get one SEAL level. It receives eight, and the overall level is the lowest of them. Your weakest objective decides your rating, not your average. Anyone who has ever tuned a storage stack will recognize that logic.
Meeting the technology-openness objective
Open source software can put providers in a strong position to address the technology-openness objective, SOV-6, because customers can inspect the code, operate it independently, and avoid dependencies on proprietary implementation. Because the source is open, that argument does not stop at the EU border. A service provider in the US or in Asia aiming for full SEAL-4 is not held back by choosing open source software.
Open standards need open implementations
SOV-6 specifies two things: open standards and the freedom to choose technologies. In software, an open standard might define an interface that anyone can implement, but if only one vendor has implemented it, a buyer still has a single supplier for it. Depending on a single supplier also weakens a provider on SOV-5, the supply-chain objective, which protects against vendor lock-in. Freedom to choose means being able to substitute one implementation for another.
An example is the Container Storage Interface (CSI), a vendor-neutral storage standard developed under the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF) and used by Kubernetes. CSI is the standard, LINBIT provides a CSI driver for LINSTOR® and its upstream CNCF project, Piraeus Datastore, and a buyer running Kubernetes can use this driver. Because of the open standard nature of the interface, the buyer can also move between storage back ends. This is freedom for the buyer, motivation for providers to make a better solution, and neutrality from a foundation like the CNCF.
Implications of digital sovereignty for cloud and technology services providers
Digital sovereignty is no longer an exercise on paper. In April 2026, [the European Commission awarded a sovereign cloud contract worth up to €180 million over six years to four European providers](https://commission.europa.eu/news-and-media/news/commission-advances-cloud-sovereignty-through-strategic-procurement-2026-04-17_en), with SEAL-2 as the minimum bar for eligibility. Sovereignty has become a procurement instrument with money attached. Predictably, one of the awards is already being publicly contested as “sovereignty-washing”.
What poured oil on the fire was an incident involving the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. After the US sanctioned court officials, the chief prosecutor reportedly lost access to his Microsoft-hosted email account, and bank accounts in the United Kingdom were frozen. Since these actions, some EU banks with US exposure are preferring to over-comply rather than take any risk. Microsoft disputes the framing and maintains it never suspended services to the ICC as an organization. For me, the detail of who pressed which button matters far less than the lesson: neither the email nor the banking depended on a European decision.
In the US, similar discussions have taken place, only with different verbiage. There it is “economic security” and “supply chain resilience”, mostly aimed at China, and where Europe says “technological sovereignty”, Washington says “technological leadership”. Different branding, same substance.
Conclusion
As digital sovereignty gains weight in technology sourcing decisions, smaller vendors benefit.
A framework that asks, “Who owns you? Whose laws apply? Can I operate this without you, and can I read the source?” rewards exactly the properties a small open source company has by default. The hyperscalers will feel some headwind, though they are not standing still, and “sovereign” regions run by local operating entities are their answer. Whether that clears a SEAL-3 or SEAL-4 bar is the argument of the next few years.
LINBIT already made an investment in developing in the open. An open license is necessary but not enough on its own, because a project can be open and still be controlled by a single company that can relicense it. What makes the openness durable is governance that the original vendor cannot reverse. DRBD® ships in the mainline Linux kernel, and we are working to upstream the current DRBD 9 code. Code in the commons, for example, in the mainline kernel, under a foundation such as the CNCF, or in another home that no single vendor controls, is the strongest answer to SOV-6 I know of. Every project that puts it there widens the set of technology a sovereign buyer can choose from.
If the Beijing meeting between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in May was the “stalemate summit”, the second round of talks between the presidents of the US and China this week seemed to give up entirely on the idea of breakthroughs.
Instead, it was described as a celebration of “diplotainment” rather than diplomacy, where pomp prevailed over progress and where one of the main outcomes was the news that two giant pandas would soon be sent from China to Atlanta zoo.
Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is demanding the Pentagon and Federal Aviation Administration reject President Trump's call to convert plans for a massive triumphal arch into a "top grade Military Complex."
With an unprecedented budget, ICE spent billions in a rush to expand its detention network, wasting millions in the process, the Government Accountability Office found.
Ten blocks away from the United Nations General Assembly, U.S. diplomats quietly kickstarted the expansion of the Abraham Accords from the 43rd floor of a midtown Manhattan office tower.
Across videos, standup and cartoons, humorists are skewering big tech’s attempt to make AI ubiquitous and inevitable
“Best case scenario, we never have to do any admin again,” says an AI CEO. “Worst case, we all die.”
A young man struggles to the top of a beautiful mountain, words echoing in his ears: “AI will most likely lead to the end of the world, but in the meantime, there will be great companies created.” At the top of the mountain, he triumphantly holds up a sign: “Build a datacenter here.”
Syngenta denies keeping relevant data from the EPA as paraquat stays in the US market despite global bans
Sweden started ringing the alarm bell more than 20 years ago, calling for a ban on the weedkilling chemical paraquat in 2004. One by one, dozens of other countries did the same as evidence of paraquat risks to human health mounted. Even the Chinese government, which owns the longtime paraquat maker Syngenta, halted domestic use of the pesticide a decade ago after conducting its own studies on paraquat safety and finding troubling results.
In the US, two states – Vermont and California – have recently also banned paraquat, citing risks that include an association between paraquat and Parkinson’s disease shown in years of scientific research. And California regulators announced in August that paraquat makers voluntarily agreed to stop selling the chemical after the state identified health concerns in connection with its use in new research. Several federal lawmakers have pushed for a nationwide ban.
Israel and the US have used AI to kill in Gaza and Iran, while law enforcement uses it in surveillance and arrests. The future is here
In recent weeks, concerns about AI have forged unlikely alliances in the tech and policy worlds. Tech moguls such as Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Demis Hassabis joined Dario Amodei, Satya Nadella and Bill Gates in sounding the alarm about the dangers of AI and called for a slowdown of the technology’s development despite years of racing for dominance. The senator Bernie Sanders teamed up with Steve Bannon to urge Congress to regulate AI, which has become one of the very few issues to unite Americans across the political spectrum.
The latest moves were sparked in part by the AI researcher Jacob Coxon’s warnings on Twitter/X that AI companies are “gambling with our lives” and believe that the technology “could kill us all by the end of the decade”.
Federal agencies told to prioritize recreational fishing and to reconsider scientific standards as well as regulations
Donald Trump’s latest fishing order is raising new concerns about US marine protections, as it directs federal agencies to prioritize recreational fishing while reconsidering the scientific standards and environmental regulations that govern American fisheries.
The National Marine Fisheries Service hailed last Thursday’s order, Restoring American Saltwater Angling and Recreation, telling the Guardian: “By addressing long-standing flaws in federal data collection, streamlining permitting, and expanding marine habitats, this action delivers long-overdue stability to America’s $1.2tn outdoor recreation economy.”
Vonder is making camera-free smart glasses that can differentiate between personal voice memos and conversations. I tried on some of the frames ahead of their November launch.
Far-right activist who was filmed appearing to slash boat with blade is refused bail as he denies charges
The far-right agitator Daniel Thomas has denied causing criminal damage after he was filmed appearing to slash a boat in the Channel with a blade, while an emergency responder was onboard.
Thomas, 37, appeared at Basingstoke magistrates court on Friday morning. He also pleaded not guilty to not disclosing to police the pin number of his phone, under section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000.
Critics say decree also banning burqa in schools shows Italian PM worried about losing far-right voters in next year’s elections
The Italian government has been accused of ramping up divisive rhetoric to try to court far-right voters ahead of next year’s general election after it passed a decree aimed at capping the number of newly arrived migrants in classrooms and banning the burqa and niqab in schools.
The prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, who leads the far-right Brothers of Italy party, said her government had approved what she called “commonsense measures that do not divide but genuinely help to integrate”.
I’ve been holed up in an flat, affectionately dubbed the ‘brotel’, with my son for weeks – and we’ve revisited the first game we ever played together
I have spent the last three weeks living with my 22-year-old son in a two-bedroom flat he has dubbed the ”brotel”. We cook curries and watch Lanterns. We barbecue meat and analyse Tarantino movies. We get pizza and we play video games. Boy, do we play video games!
The first game I ever played in co-op with him was Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in 2009, when he was five. He wasn’t the most accomplished sidekick, not so great at placing a mobile gun turret while under fire from what seems like a bazillion enemy soldiers, but we had a laugh. It started the video game bond between us before his sister introduced him to Banjo-Kazooie and Rayman, and he stopped being a preschool warmonger. Probably for the best. So how would it be tackling the same game nearly two decades later?
One of Donald Trump’s greatest talents – deployed during his time as a real estate tycoon, source and subject of tabloid gossip, reality TV protagonist, and president of the United States – is his ability to tell stories. With six weeks until the US midterm elections, he is likely to lean on this instinct more than ever.
Rarely does the US president appear more comfortable than when behind a microphone, speaking without interruption, sometimes for multiple hours. Long before entering the White House, he wholeheartedly embraced social media as a means of crafting his narrative, going so far as to launch his own social network when booted off others.
Tour Montparnasse modernisation project at a standstill after clashes over pricing and other issues
It has been called a carbuncle on the Paris skyline, a sombre skyscraper where visitors to its viewing platform often joke that the city looks better when you can’t see the building itself.
The much-maligned Tour Montparnasse, a lone, dark monolith with tinted windows rising above a historic neighbourhood in the south of the city, is once again at the centre of controversy after its long-awaited renovation was halted this week because of disagreements between its many private co-owners.
Kickoff is easier when the snacks are already planned. These 17 game day appetizers include hearty sliders, crispy bites, cheesy dips, and sharing platters that give everyone something to reach for.The post 17 game day appetizers saved for the whole…
New energy and trade routes could bypass Hormuz and change the Middle East. But major challenges remainExpert commentthilton.drupal
The Strait of Hormuz crisis is accelerating a wider reordering of the region, as Iraq, Syria and Lebanon plan new oil pipelines and transport corridors. But whether they can seize the opportunity to diversify will ultimately depend on wider reforms.
The war on Iran and the resulting disruption to the Strait of Hormuz has exposed the vulnerability of existing trade and energy routes and unsettled the old balance of power across the Middle East.
In this context, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are seeking to capitalize on their position between Europe and the Gulf and improve their connectivity via oil and gas pipelines, roads, railways and digital corridors. Once central to an Iranian regional order, all three governments are now aiming to achieve greater sovereignty by diversifying their economic ties, a shift supported by the Trump administration.
Yet they are attempting to do so while facing foreign occupations and military action, and while also confronting domestic endemic corruption and fragmented political systems that empower armed groups.
Whether they can seize this opportunity to become more connected – and more sovereign – will therefore depend not only on the infrastructure they build, but on whether they can reform their states to govern it.
Changing energy routes
The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has caused severe disruption to regional energy flows, including from Iraq.
Pre-war, Iraq was exporting around 3.3 million b/d from its southern oilfields. By the second week of March, exports from southern Iraq had collapsed. Southern exports gradually recovered from mid-April, reaching 2.3 million b/d in August, aided by Iraq giving discounts for buyers and by Iran reportedly giving permission for Iraqi oil tankers to pass through the Strait.
Syria and Lebanon have been less directly impacted by Hormuz, given neither is a major oil exporter and they both have access to the Mediterranean. However, the crisis has spurred a potential wider reconfiguration of regional trade and energy routes, as countries like Iraq look for alternatives.
Both Beirut and Damascus have an opportunity to position their Mediterranean ports and transport networks as gateways between the Gulf and European markets in a reconfigured regional trading system.
Iraq–Syria pipeline
Iraq is already pursuing several ways to diversify its export routes. Baghdad is seeking to expand exports through Turkey’s Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, where Iraqi crude already flows, and is even discussing the revival of a long-stalled idea for a pipeline to Jordan’s Red Sea port of Aqaba.
Iraq and Syria are also pursuing a new pipeline that would carry Iraqi crude oil westwards to the Mediterranean. This would aim to give Baghdad another alternative to its overwhelming dependence on exports through the Strait of Hormuz.
This planned corridor is often described as a revival of the historic Kirkuk–Baniyas pipeline, which once carried oil from northern Iraq to the Syrian coast. But it entails new infrastructure to form a wider network connecting Iraq’s southern and northern fields to a hub at Haditha in western Iraq, from which oil could flow west through Syria to the Mediterranean port of Baniyas and north towards Turkey.
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Base map made with Natural Earth data. Pipelines adapted from Global Energy Monitor dataset, accessed 22 September 2026, CC BY 4.0. Only select pipelines shown. The proposed new Iraq-Syria pipeline requires new infrastructure and may not follow the exact route of the badly damaged historic Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline that is shown as the proposed route here.
Estimates put the cost at around $15 billion, with construction likely to take around four years. The Trump administration is reportedly supporting the plan as part of a strategy to reduce Iran’s regional leverage by diversifying away from Hormuz.
The new network, which has a proposed initial capacity of around two million b/d, would allow Iraq to divert a substantial share of its exports away from Hormuz, reducing Iranian leverage. But it would diversify rather than replace Hormuz: most Iraqi crude exports go to Asian markets, particularly China and India, which are far quicker to reach from the Gulf than the Mediterranean.
New East–West corridors
Lebanon and Syria are also exploring the restoration of railway links that could eventually connect the Lebanese coast through Syria to Iraq, Turkey and the Gulf. This month, Lebanese and Syrian officials inspected a potential rail route connecting the Lebanese port of Tripoli to Homs in Syria. This could be the potential first step in re-establishing Syria as a transit state, with Tripoli as a potential Mediterranean gateway.
Yet while rebuilding the short Tripoli-Homs railway may seem feasible, establishing a wider regional corridor will require much more infrastructure and faces challenges. Lebanon’s previous plans to revive the same railway stalled before work began, in part over financing and mismanagement. Syria’s railway system is badly damaged by war, with the government estimating that its rehabilitation could cost around $5.5 billion.
The same pursuit of connectivity is extending into the digital realm. New fibre-optic networks through Iraq and Syria are intended to give Gulf states alternative land routes for the vast quantities of data that currently travel through vulnerable submarine cables.
Energy under attack
For now, there is a considerable gap between ambition and reality. Iraq, Syria and Lebanon are pursuing these infrastructure projects in the shadow of a war they cannot control and while facing external occupations or interference.
In Lebanon, Israeli forces occupy a self-declared security zone in the south, with more than a million people displaced. In Syria, Israel seized the demilitarized buffer zone in December 2024 and has maintained a military presence there since.
Iran retains influence through its political and armed networks across the region. This includes groups embedded within Iraq and Lebanon that have repeatedly demonstrated their capacity to threaten critical infrastructure.
In Iraq, for instance, the Khor Mor gas field has suffered repeated rocket and drone attacks blamed on militias. More recently, attacks launched from Iraqi territory forced the temporary closure of Saudi Arabia’s East–West pipeline, which is also designed to reduce Riyadh’s dependence on Hormuz. The Houthis have attacked Saudi oil tankers and seized the Bab al-Mandab Strait coastline this month.
The threat to infrastructure is not limited to Iran-aligned armed groups. Israel has repeatedly targeted transport infrastructure during the current conflict, including in Lebanon, demonstrating how the conflict can disrupt the physical networks on which greater connectivity would depend. And in eastern Syria, through which the proposed new Iraqi energy corridor would pass, armed groups including ISIS have attacked oil wells and tanker trucks.
Internal obstacles
Another obstacle is entrenched corruption. Iraq, Lebanon and Syria all sit near the bottom of Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index.
In political systems where public contracting is a principal means of distributing rents, mega-projects can create opportunities for political parties to potentially profit from contracts, often at the expense of their delivery.
Linked to this is the fragmentation of these states themselves. Infrastructure on this scale requires institutions capable of coordinating decisions over years, enforcing contracts, protecting assets and binding competing interests to a common project.
Yet authority in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon remains fragmented among political factions, competing institutions and armed actors. This leaves governments unable to guarantee the security or financing of projects, with multiple actors able to obstruct their completion or extract rents. This creates a fundamental mismatch between the scale of ambition and the capacity to deliver it.
Connectivity doesn’t guarantee sovereignty
The war has increased the strategic value of Iraq, Syria and Lebanon’s geographical position. As states and companies search for alternatives to Hormuz, the three countries offer potential alternative corridors connecting the Gulf to the Mediterranean and Europe.
Whether Iraq, Syria and Lebanon can take advantage of this opportunity will help determine whether they can shape the post-war regional order, or whether it is once again shaped around them.
But connectivity is not the same as sovereignty. New pipelines, railways and trade corridors can offer these states alternatives to the dependencies of the old order, but alone they cannot produce sovereignty. That requires institutions capable of delivering and protecting these projects.
If Iraq, Syria and Lebanon want to seize the opportunities of the changing regional order, they will need to do more than build new routes across their borders. They will need to build states capable of governing these new connections, while ensuring that their benefits extend to their populations, not just elites.
When dinner needs to be more than something pulled from the freezer, these 15 layered casserole dishes offer hearty fillings, creamy sauces, and golden toppings that make a hot meal worth sitting down for.The post 15 layered casserole dishes that…
After years of illegal mass flytipping in Gospić, fed-up residents decided to take matters into their own hands
“Gospić is our home,” Željka Šikić shouted to a crowd of 40,000 people outside the Croatian parliament earlier this month. The slogan is the name of a campaign she helped to set up to protest against the illegal dumping of waste in Gospić, a town in the mountainous Lika region of central Croatia.
Between 2022 and 2024, waste was illegally abandoned at several sites in the town. At one of the biggest, just 50 metres from Šikić’s home, an estimated 35,000 tonnes of waste, some of it hazardous, was dumped and buried.
Trump officials and Republicans are rolling back protections against heat-related illnesses and deaths
When it’s 90F on a hot summer day, Esther Minton wears a long-sleeved shirt to work.
“Working outside, you don’t have cover. There’s nowhere for you to really go if you’re on a roof or if you’re on the side of a building,” said Minton, a member of the Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 28 in New York City. “Having the sun beaming on your skin all day long, you’ll never make it through, so what you wear makes a difference.”
More than 100 people arrested while Israeli PM claims war on Gaza is ‘the opposite of genocide’. Plus a Guardian investigation reveals the extent to which some convenience stores fail to honor their prices
Good morning. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, delivered an inflammatory address to the UN in New York, decrying what he said was a global anti-Jewish conspiracy and taking aim at critics of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. He branded Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, a “tyrant”, described Zohran Mamdani as the “antisemitic mayor of New York”, and declared that Israel’s war in Gaza was not a genocide, “it’s the opposite of genocide”.
Netanyahu delivered his address just hours after the Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, said his delegation was “unlawfully” denied visas by the Trump administration to attend the meeting. Dozens of delegates, inspired by a Palestinian call, walked out of the General Assembly Hall of the UN headquarters as Netanyahu took the stage.
What was the reaction on the streets of New York?More than 100 people were arrested outside the UN headquarters as hundreds of Jewish, Palestinian, Iranian and Lebanese New Yorkers, among others, protested during Netanyahu’s address. Susan Sarandon and Hannah Einbinder were among those detained.
What has rapper Macklemore announced? The US rapper, removed from Ed Sheeran’s US tour after voicing his support of Palestine, has convened a Free Palestine tour to benefit humanitarian aid organisations. The charity show will visit Dublin, Paris and London, with a North American run to be announced.
What happened in the Senate about the war? Senate Republicans have blocked a Democratic effort to end the US war against Iran, voting down a House-passed war powers resolution. The measure, which passed the House last week with bipartisan support, failed in the Senate by a 49-50 vote, attracting some Republican support, but not enough to pass.
What other developments have there been in the Middle East? Saudi Arabia says it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, with the latest attacks pushing oil prices to a one-week high over fears of spiralling supply disruptions.
Boy became separated from a relative in Suffolk and went in the direction of a pond where he was later found dead
A three-year-old boy who was found dead in a pond after going missing from a playground had left the play area “through a gap in the fence”, an inquest heard.
Noah Woods became separated from a relative after visiting the playground in Merriam Close, Brantham, on the afternoon of 15 September, Suffolk police said.
The US press corps stood up to Donald Trump this week after he banned three organisations he doesn’t like from the White House. But when it came to the leader of one of the US’s oldest adversaries – China – well, Trump literally rolled out a very long red carpet. Jonathan Freedland speaks to the Guardian’s Shrai Popat about why Trump seems weaker these days, but why it could be dangerous to underestimate him
Area’s second-most intense hurricane on record being fuelled by exceptionally warm Pacific waters
Hurricane Polo is barreling towards the Baja California region of Mexico, the latest system in a Pacific hurricane season that has been notably active in recent months. On 22 September, a measurement of 892 millibars was registered for Hurricane Polo, making it the second-most intense hurricane on record in the east Pacific. It is fuelled by exceptionally warm waters across the Pacific Ocean, providing favourable conditions for the system to maintain its considerable strength.
Polo is expected to turn towards the west-north-west, before taking a more north-westerly trajectory on Saturday. It has maximum sustained winds of around 150mph, with even stronger gusts occurring within the most intense parts of the hurricane. Hurricane-force winds extend outward for approximately 40 miles from the centre, while tropical storm-force winds reach as far as 125 miles. These powerful winds, combined with torrential rainfall and dangerous seas, could have significant impacts. Although some fluctuations in intensity are possible over the coming days, Polo is expected to remain powerful as it tracks north-westwards.
Kareem’s Quote of the Day: What does success mean if you cannot share its rewards and credit with the people who helped make it possible?
Mr. Trump Goes to the U.N.: His threat to annihilate Iran makes a mockery of the international body created to spare future generations the scourge of war.
Don Jr.’s Big Fat Russian-Funded Wedding Party: A Putin-connected oligarch’s lavish gift needs more of an explanation than “trust us.”
Quick Takes: Trump’s failed takeover of Greenland, his new TV channel, and a very cold forecast for Iowa Republicans.
Up Jumped the Devil: The Real Life of Robert Johnson by Bruce Conforth and Gayle Dean Wardlow: A rigorous biography clears away the crossroads mythology to reveal a working, albeit extraordinary, musician.
Kareem’s Jukebox: Keb’ Mo’ and Jontavious Willis show how “Walkin’ Blues” remains alive because each generation carries it down the road.
Kareem’s Quote of the Day
“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.”
Andrew Carnegie (1835–1919), American industrialist and philanthropist
(Portrait artist unknown. Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)
Imagine a 12-year-old immigrant from a famine-torn country arriving in America with his parents and his younger brother, all their worldly possessions in their arms. He loves to read but can’t go to school; his parents need him to get a job to help put food on the table. What are the odds he makes something of himself? That’s the story of Andrew Carnegie, one of the richest men in the world by the end of the 19th century. When he retired at the age of 65, he had built the largest steel company in the country, which he sold for $480 million. As a percentage of GDP, that’s more than $600 billion today.
Carnegie wasn’t a saint—his company was involved in a long and bloody attempt at union busting in 1892—but once he sold the Carnegie Steel Company, he devoted himself to philanthropy. Honoring his love of reading and his own self-education, he funded more than 2,500 free libraries worldwide, including more than 1,500 in the United States, many of which still stand today. He founded Carnegie Technical Schools, ancestor to Carnegie Mellon University, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He championed what he called “The Gospel of Wealth,” proclaiming that vast fortunes like his should be distributed for the public good during any rich person’s lifetime. It’s a philosophy that inspired many of today’s billionaires, including Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.
But today, more people have heard of Carnegie Hall than the man who built it. Judging from the quote above, that’s not something he would mind. Less concerned with the glory his wealth would bring him than the good it could do for others, he was a model for anyone who sees success as a gift to be shared rather than a currency to be hoarded. He led by example and let his deeds speak for themselves, without the benefit of press releases. He proved that a penniless immigrant could rise to the top of our ladder of American success and then, instead of looking down on those below him, offer a hand to lift them up.
I’m no Andrew Carnegie, but I have always tried to use my gifts to help those around me. I write this Substack to make sense of the world for myself, but also to help readers do the same. I looked at basketball the same way, as something to share with my teammates. In the 1970s, I was widely proclaimed the best player on the planet, and I won five MVP awards, but only one NBA title. That’s how I learned how empty individual success is when you don’t have anyone to share it with. In the 1980s, I reversed that earlier equation, winning only one MVP but five titles, and anyone watching me could see that I was a much happier person. I scored eight fewer points per game in the ‘80s than I did in the ‘70s and didn’t care one bit. When Earvin “Magic” Johnson started winning the MVPs instead of me, I was happy for him; we couldn’t have won those titles without him.
Between Earvin and Oscar Robertson, with every championship team I played on, I had the best point guard in the league by my side, not to mention great players like James Worthy, Michael Cooper, Jamaal Wilkes, Kurt Rambis, and Byron Scott, along with many others. Basketball is like life in that way: it’s a team sport. You can’t do it all on your own, and if you want all the credit, you’ll be remembered more for your ego than for your accomplishments.
After playing zero minutes at the 2023 World Cup, the attacker embraced a new club, a new mindset and a new position. Now she’s making NWSL history in North Carolina
It was a familiar sight: Ashley Sanchez running at the left post, controlling a lofted cross, deftly finding a window between defenders and taking a quick shot to the inside of the far post beyond the reach of the goalkeeper. It’s how the North Carolina Courage winger has scored so many of her 19 goals this year. This would be her 20th, tying Temwa Chawinga’s 2024 record for most goals scored in an NWSL season.
But on Saturday against Gotham, it wasn’t meant to be. As Sanchez celebrated with her teammates and fans in the WakeMed Soccer Park stands updated their handmade “Sanchez Goal-O-Meter”, the center referee was summoned to the VAR monitor, and the goal was called off; Sanchez’s teammate Gianna Paul was a touch offside when the play began. No tied game, and no tied record.
A group of nations will gather on Friday to address the crisis. The only response to unilateral bullying is collective action
The international legal order is in shambles. But from the ruins of impunity and lawbreaking, a group of nations is working to enforce accountability.
On Monday, the UN general assembly’s high-level meetings opened to news that Washington had drawn up sanctions against the international criminal court, targeting its bank accounts, software, insurers and staff.
It’s the year of the democratic socialist. But the group that helped start the earthquake currently transforming the Democratic Party almost didn’t make it to 2026.
After suffering major losses last election cycle after a deluge of pro-Israel lobby spending, Justice Democrats, which supports progressive candidates getting elected to Congress, was on the verge of being written about in the past tense.
“Everyone sort of doubted that there was a comeback to be had. I think a lot of people, AIPAC included, saw last cycle as the harbinger for what’s to come: They were on the rise, JD and the left were on the decline. For the first time ever, we didn’t endorse a new candidate since our founding, and because we had to focus on defending against $100 million in spending from AIPAC,” says communications director and spokesperson Usamah Andrabi. “The truth is, that moment was really — for lack of a better word — the apex of AIPAC’s momentum and ability.”
But Justice Democrats resurrected itself, had its most successful primary season to date, and helped put democratic socialism on the map. So what changed?
The group says it won big this year, even being massively outspent, because it tapped into the brewing frustration among voters — frustration directed at Democratic Party leaders. “We understood as soon as Donald Trump won that clearly the Democratic establishment was unfit to fight back, and what voters were looking for as we’ve seen throughout this cycle, is this amorphous fighter that they want,” says Andrabi. “That fight doesn’t just look like, as we say so often, press releases and strongly worded letters. It looks like fighting corporate establishment. It looks like fighting AIPAC. It looks like fighting crypto and AI.”
This week on The Intercept Briefing, Andrabi speaks to host Akela Lacy about how the group that helped elect Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib has seen their candidates make impressive gains in the primaries, and how they’re planning to leverage their wins — and what they can learn from their losses — beyond November.
This primary season, Justice Democrats endorsed 15 candidates; seven won, with democratic socialists knocking out three incumbents. That includes Darializa Avila Chevalier who toppled Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat in New York, Melat Kiros who beat Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado, and state Rep. Donavan McKinney who took out Rep. Shri Thanedar in Michigan. Those three are all but guaranteed to head to Congress next year, along with the four other candidates who won.
“This work doesn’t happen overnight. These losses don’t happen overnight. It takes years and years to build this progress,” says Andrabi. “These candidates that we elected this cycle are giving you a blueprint on a silver platter on how to excite your base and how to energize your party. The Democratic Party can either listen to them or be forced to listen to them, as they have been this cycle when we beat them.”
“Until they start taking lessons from the left on what to actually fight for, they will continue to be running on cycle-to-cycle losses and wins instead of really looking at, long-term, how can we take back power and ensure that we don’t consistently backside into this fascist and authoritarian regime that is overrun by the same corporate interests that the Democratic establishment is also funded by.”
For more, listen to the full conversation of The Intercept Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen.
Transcript
Akela Lacy: Welcome to The Intercept Briefing, I’m Akela Lacy, senior politics reporter at The Intercept.
Jessica Washington: I’m Jessica Washington, politics reporter at The Intercept. So, Akela, how are you doing? What’s been top of mind for you this week?
AL: I am really stuck on this news that apparently hackers now have information on all FBI agents, which is crazy. Hackers claimed that they were able to breach a bunch of FBI services and steal a bunch of information about federal agents.
That’s on top of another insane story that I saw on Thursday morning about yet another rogue AI agent, but this time it hacked an Australia government healthcare portal — an OpenAI agent. I don’t know if you saw that, but that really stuck with me.
JW: All of these AI attacks, everything that’s come out, I keep thinking back to our interview with Karen Hao, who wrote “Empire of AI,” and how so much of the stuff that she’s warned about is now something that people are talking about in the discourse. It’s all really scary stuff, but it’s also stuff that’s kind of been reported on before, so it is interesting to see it all blow up now.
As someone who started in television, I have to say I cannot stop thinking about this Paramount deal. So for those who don’t know, on Monday, Paramount reached a deal to acquire Warner Bros., which would give Trump ally David Ellison control of a massive media empire, which includes both CNN and CBS News. Ellison is reportedly considering tapping Elon Musk for an investment, which would give the billionaire a stake in two of the largest news organizations in the world.
AL: This is all happening while the White House is waging a war on mainstream media outlets: CNN, Politico, and MS Now. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the White House efforts to strip those outlets of their White House press credentials. But we saw President Trump this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York ask CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins why she was there because she wasn’t supposed to be covering him — but she wasn’t at the White House.
So the state of our media ecosystem is healthy as ever.
JW: Things are going great in our democracy. In other news, ProPublica reported that in 2024, the FBI was seeking to launch an investigation into a potential pay-to-play scheme between Sen. Susan Collins and one of her top donors, a former defense contractor who reportedly told federal agents that he had received millions in federal contracts by donating to campaigns of politicians. The investigation was reportedly halted after President Donald Trump returned to office and gutted the entire bureau.
Akela, you had a really interesting campaign finance story come out this week as well, relating to Sen. John Fetterman. What happened there?
AL: I got a text on Monday from a source who had seen an email that the Fetterman campaign sent from a domain called, “gopsquad.com.” The story we basically did was about after finding several other conservative email domains that Fetterman was using to send this campaign fundraising email after he delivered a surprise video speech to the Republican midterm convention earlier this month, was that he’s either renting or buying Republican targeted email lists to raise money right now.
We’ve been covering Fetterman’s fall from grace over the past several years, but his fundraising numbers have really struggled as he has pursued this rightward turn on issues from immigration to Iran to Israel. Many of his small dollar donors, we reported in, in recent years, were asking for their money back.
We see his campaign now pretty openly just asking Republicans for money. Something funny — well, funny or depressing —that happened on Wednesday, Republican Sen. Mike Lee from Utah was sending out emails fundraising off of Fetterman’s fundraising. I’ll just read you this email.
The subject line: “I just got this email from John Fetterman.” “Friend, I just got an email from John. He’s basically a Republican now. I need your help to draft him. Sign here. Thanks, Sen. Mike Lee.” Which is pretty chef’s kiss, if you ask me.
JW: I have to say: gopsquad.com is probably my favorite part.
AL: Not subtle.
JW: Not at all subtle. Is there anything else that you’re following that you want to talk about?
AL: We’re still waiting to learn the name of the ICE officer who shot a 28-year-old Venezuelan delivery driver in Austin, Texas. I spoke with sources there who said that the local district attorney’s office and the Austin Police Department are cooperating to basically get whatever information they can from HSI — the Department of Homeland Security Investigations — which apparently has not declined to give them any information, but also hasn’t given them any information yet.
So we’re seeing a very similar playbook as to what we saw after the ICE shootings in Minneapolis, where local law enforcement and prosecutors are basically fighting with federal agencies to try to get any information — the bare minimum, this person’s name — out of this. The Travis County district attorney, which encompasses Austin, has apparently been in close touch with the Minneapolis prosecutor to learn how they navigated the situation.
I’ll remind our listeners, we interviewed Mary Moriarty, the Minneapolis prosecutor, who was working on prosecuting the ICE shootings in Minneapolis earlier in the year.
Thinking about ICE and the election, I’ve been reporting on groups that are trying to fight back against potential election interference. They’re planning for a ton of different scenarios, one of which includes ICE potentially coming to the polls and being there to intimidate voters of color and immigrant voters as well.
These groups are trying to prevent that harassment, and so they’re there to monitor, to report, and to keep people safe against a terrifying new threat. Obviously, voter intimidation isn’t new. I spoke to the NAACP, who had mentioned, we’ve been fighting on this issue “for the last 117 years.”
But ICE at the polls is new. What Trump has been discussing in terms of election sabotage scenarios are very new, and so these organizers are trying to use the tools they learned in the resistance to ICE movement that we saw pop up in January and February to try and keep our election safe as well.
On that topic, Akela, I know you also speak with Justice Democrats communications director and spokesperson Usamah Andrabi about how progressives are preparing for the general after a really impressive sweep in the primaries. Let’s hear that conversation.
AL: I speak now with Usamah Andrabi, Communications Director and Spokesperson for Justice Democrats, the group that brought us AOC, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and many more.
Usamah, welcome to the Intercept Briefing.
Usamah Andrabi: Thanks for having me.
AL: I want to start by taking our listeners back to a different time.
It’s 2018. The “Squad” has just been elected to office, and a fresh new crop of democratic socialists and progressives are making themselves known on Capitol Hill.
Think: AOC joining a sit-in to protest for a Green New Deal outside of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office. For listeners who aren’t familiar with the legacy of Justice Democrats, they have your group to thank in large part for that moment in time and for bringing us the Squad. But a lot has changed since then. How is Justice Democrats different today from in 2018, and what’s the same?
UA: What’s the same, first and foremost, is the commitment to the values that we had then are the same commitment we have to those values, and those are the values that we demand of the candidates we recruit, support, and endorse. Because those are the values that Democratic voters share — values that put the needs of working-class people above the needs of corporations and billionaires, and taking on lobbies like AIPAC, crypto, or AI.
I think that’s a little bit of what’s changed, is what we have seen since 2018, really, is the increased appearance of more and more moneyed interest organizing against the Squad, organizing against left-wing politicians, because they are bringing working-class people into the halls of power and bringing their needs to the top of the agenda for the Democratic Party. Billionaires hate that.
We had the Squad get elected in 2018. Then two years later, folks like Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush won very specifically against deeply pro-Israel politicians like Eliot Engel and [William] Lacy Clay, and they won without compromising on those values. That’s a really scary thing for the Israel lobby, who has really had a sharp control over how Democrats unconditionally support the Israeli government and military like Republicans have for decades.
What I think has happened is, we’ve had some wins, we’ve had some losses, and we’ve had to learn a lot from those losses and understand how to organize our donors better, organize funders, organize progressives, really, to coalesce more around independent candidates and broaden this network.
I talk a lot about how I feel like in 2024, Democrats across the board suffered a lot of losses. We suffered two of our best members of Congress, Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush lost their seats. And obviously, the Democratic Party lost every single other thing they could have lost. It felt like the job was to go home, everyone was supposed to do their homework and come back stronger to fight back against this very clearly fascist agenda that was laid out for us.
The left went home. We did our homework. We organized coalitions, we built broader donor networks, and we really invested a lot in candidate recruitment at Justice Dems.
And it feels like the establishment came back even weaker. Despite having weeks and months and years to really prepare for what Donald Trump promised he was going to do, they came back flat-footed and continue to look as weak as possible. That’s why I think you’re seeing so many successes for the left this cycle, because we are a true balm to the ineptitude of the Democratic establishment.
“You’re seeing so many successes for the left this cycle because we are a true balm to the ineptitude of the Democratic establishment.”
AL: We’re going to run through some of those wins in a second; many of our listeners are already familiar with them because we’ve talked a lot about these candidates on the show.
But I want to go back to this money thing before we get into that because, as you mentioned, coming off of those major losses of Cori Bush and Jamaal Bowman to money from the pro-Israel lobby last cycle — I don’t think anyone expected you all to notch as many wins as you did in the primaries this year.
We read obituaries of Justice Democrats, right? And that outside spending, as you mentioned, still has not gone away; it’s only increased. But it still wasn’t enough to stop the candidates behind the rise of democratic socialism that everyone is talking about, who were, to your point, far outmatched in terms of spending.
I’ll just run through the numbers quickly. You endorsed 15 candidates; seven of them won, with democratic socialists knocking out three incumbents. That includes Darializa Avila Chevalier who toppled Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Adriano Espaillat in New York, Melat Kiros who beat Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado, and state Rep. Donavan McKinney who took out Rep. Shri Thanedar in Michigan. Those three are all are but guaranteed to head to Congress next year, along with the four other candidates who won. Three of your other candidates won or came in the top two slots in the California primaries, which are nonpartisan, and are headed to runoffs in November. And only five candidates lost.
So what made this cycle different?
UA: First and foremost, love to prove our haters wrong at all times. [Laughter]
A lot of spite drives that. But also, it’s exactly that. Everyone sort of doubted that there was a comeback to be had. I think a lot of people, AIPAC included, saw last cycle as the harbinger for what’s to come: They were on the rise, JD and the left were on the decline. For the first time ever, we didn’t endorse a new candidate since our founding, and because we had to focus on defending against $100 million in spending from AIPAC.
The truth is, that moment was really — for lack of a better word — the apex of AIPAC’s momentum and ability. Because on the other side of that, as we had been working for years to expose, was the toxic involvement of AIPAC in these primaries and the right-wing network of billionaires who are actually funding this.
It took many years for us to break down AIPAC, and it took a lot of losses to get to that point, but it was worth it. We did a lot of polling. We invested a lot of money in research to bring this message to voters.
Cori and Jamaal’s losses unfortunately were the final nails in the coffin for a lot of people to wake up to realize how the Israel lobby really functions in our politics — paired with the fact that obviously we watched a genocide get livestreamed on our screens for years at this point, and voters began to wake up to understand: Why is it that a majority of us oppose this genocide — we support an arms embargo, we support a ceasefire — yet only a minority of left-wing politicians in Congress are responding to our demands?
They understood that that was the role of the Israel lobby, spending infinite amounts of money and buying members of Congress to ensure that they would do their bidding. Even before the 2024 election, we were very clear that this cycle was going to have to be a cycle where we went back on the offense, made big bets, and fought back really hard.
We knew we were going to have to endorse a lot more candidates, spread the board out across the country, really, to make sure that AIPAC didn’t just have two members of Congress to target but had 15 different candidates, as well as meeting where Democratic voters were at.
We know no matter if Kamala won or if Donald Trump won, there was still a lot of work to do to rebuild this Democratic Party to actually represent the needs of the working class. We understood as soon as Donald Trump won that clearly the Democratic establishment was unfit to fight back.
What voters were looking for, as we’ve seen throughout this cycle, is this amorphous fighter that they want. That fight doesn’t just look like, as we say so often, press releases and strongly worded letters. It looks like fighting corporate establishment. It looks like fighting AIPAC. It looks like fighting crypto and AI.
“There’s no going behind, under, or any other prepositional phrase around AIPAC or these lobbies. The only way to defeat them is to go right through them and beat them head-on.”
For so long, even people who call themselves progressive have tried to figure out, how can we go around, under, or behind these lobbies and skirt this very particular line to avoid their wrath? We try to make it clear to everyone, even in the cycle where we lost the most we’ve ever lost, that there’s no going behind, under, or any other prepositional phrase around AIPAC or these lobbies. The only way to defeat them is to go right through them and beat them head-on.
We knew that this was an existential crisis for us. As you said, people are already reading our obituaries, and we wanted to make it clear that this work doesn’t happen overnight. These losses don’t happen overnight. It takes years and years to build this progress.
The excitement that you are seeing from the Democratic electorate across the country for our candidates, it’s taken years to build, and it’s taken years of the Democratic establishment failing to actually live up to their potential and what the demands of working-class people across the country have been.
AL: I want to talk about this process that you’re talking about, this iterative process of bench-building that gets lost in a lot of the horse-race analysis.
But first, I just want to mention, we had one of your candidates, Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, on the show earlier this year to talk about Republican gerrymandering efforts as part of this last-ditch plan to fight off what is expected to be big losses for Republicans in November. Pearson is running in one of the districts at the forefront of that gerrymandering fight.
Even with the momentum we’ve seen against Republicans and against the Democratic establishment, as we’re talking about, what can Democrats do in the face of this massive gerrymandering push? How do you think that could potentially affect Pearson’s race?
I’ll just mention this again: Justin Pearson is running in a seat that was vacated by longtime Democratic Rep. Steve Cohen, who is the last Democratic representative in Tennessee, so this is an important race.
It’s very easy for us far away in the Democratic establishment to see these sort of Republican gerrymanders and say, “All right. Well, it’s cooked. There’s no chance of us doing anything here. We can put forward our standard DCCC candidate and talk about it a little, but we’re not going to invest any resources in there.”
I think that would be a failure. This is the tip of the spear of our modern civil rights movement. We are seeing the Voting Rights Act gutted in front of our face, take away the last Black-majority district in the state of Tennessee at a time when Justin J. Pearson was ostensibly going to win his Democratic primary against Steve Cohen.
“When he talked about whether or not he wanted to do this, he understood no matter if he wins or loses, this is a fight worth having.”
When he talked about whether or not he wanted to do this, he understood no matter if he wins or loses, this is a fight worth having. It’s worth showing Democratic voters in the electorate, and the establishment more than anyone, that we can go into these Republican districts and these rural communities and not compromise on our most basic values.
Justin has not changed the policies and agenda he was running for when he was running against Steve Cohen to what he’s running for now. He has been the leader in that state on taking on AI data centers, and he is still the leader taking them on as his Republican opponent has unleashed them on Republican areas of this district.
He’s uncompromised on standing up against the genocide and endless wars abroad and U.S. taxpayers funding for that, and he’s demanding Medicare for all. These are extremely popular policies, not just in the bluest districts across the country, but across the board ideologically. He is showing an example of how we don’t have to run Amy McGraths everywhere we go in these red districts to win over “red voters.”
“He is showing an example of how we don’t have to run Amy McGraths everywhere we go in these red districts to win over ‘red voters.’”
These are working-class voters who are also been shivved and fucked by the same establishment that is run by Republicans and Democrats. These are people who are getting their hospitals and schools closed down in rural communities, who are getting their ACA subsidies cut and Medicaid subsidies cut.
This is a failure of the establishment of both parties. We can show that a different way is possible. Obviously, we need to fight to restore the Voting Rights Act, and we need to expand the Supreme Court and reform this court so we cannot continue just to see fights that people who are still living have fought for to be taken away in the same breath.
There’s a lot of work to do. It feels really difficult to know how we can claw back some of this institutional power when our institutions are so broken and corrupt. But I think that visionary agenda and ideals are what we need to see more from the Democratic Party, rather than simply being a party that is not Republicans.
That’s what these candidates have been so exciting for voters across the country about are that they, for the first time, are giving Democratic voters in a lot of these districts an affirmative positive agenda that centers their most urgent crises and actually has bold enough solutions to tackle those crises.
“That visionary agenda and ideals are what we need to see more from the Democratic Party, rather than simply being a party that is not Republicans.”
AL: This criticism came up a lot in this cycle, and this is the kind of thing I think that often says more about the person that is saying the criticism than the people they’re actually targeting. This is often lodged against candidates on the left or candidates backed by Justice Democrats that, “OK, all this is great, congratulations on your win, but once you get to Congress you’re not actually going to be able to do anything because there aren’t enough of you yet.” What do you say to that?
UA: You could have said that to us nine years ago, right? That would’ve been the case. Yet one of the most popular politicians in this country is AOC, and the most popular politician is Bernie Sanders, who has these same values. So clearly there’s an appetite from the American electorate for more voters like that.
People know who Ilhan Omar is, people know who Rashida Tlaib is, and it’s not simply because Fox News uses them as an attack every other week. It’s because they have been standing up and been the most courageous leaders in Congress, standing up for the values they need, not only on Palestine, but no one is louder about needing clean water in the state of Michigan than Rashida Tlaib. Ilhan Omar is the reason that the state of Minnesota has universal school lunches for children. These are leaders who have actually delivered on the promises that the Democratic Party has only hypothetically talked about.
Coming off a cycle where we lost two members, it’s very easy for people to say “Well, you have no power in Congress.” Yet we are sending seven new leftists to Congress this cycle, at least. It’ll be really telling how big the hypothetical Democratic majority is in Congress, because if it is seven-member majority, then you’re starting to ask a lot more different questions of, well, now you have a block of new members of Congress who can actually sway what policy and what agenda we are fighting for in this party.
So this shit doesn’t happen over fucking night. It takes years and years and cycles to build this block in Congress. You have to bring the people with it, and it takes time to organize and convince the masses of the working class to really buy into an electoral project that has screwed them time and time again, and to have that revolutionary optimism that there’s something to be done here.
There’s a lot of promise with this new class of members who are now joining an already existing class of members. We will nearly double our size in Congress, and that’s a big deal. You can look at far smaller groups of members of Congress that have wielded much more power than the amount that we’re sending to Congress.
These leaders were elected with the mandate to challenge the Democratic establishment, and so they will have to do that. More than anything, it’s up to the Democratic establishment on how they want to respond to the clear demands of their voters. These candidates that we elected this cycle are giving you a blueprint on a silver platter on how to excite your base and how to energize your party. The Democratic Party can either listen to them or be forced to listen to them, as they have been this cycle when we beat them.
“These candidates that we elected this cycle are giving you a blueprint on a silver platter on how to excite your base and how to energize your party.”
AL: I do have to ask here, Cori Bush is the anomaly in the success stories that we’re talking about, right? What happened in that race? Why do you think that this momentum did not extend to her challenge to take back her old seat from Wesley Bell in Missouri?
US: In North Carolina. We saw two races, Kat Abughazaleh and Junaid Ahmed in Illinois, lost at the hands of big money from AIPAC, crypto, and AI. Saikat Chakrabarti in Nancy Pelosi’s seat also lost the primary as well to a lot of big spending from seemingly pro-Israel donors.
The truth is, we are always going to be up against this insurmountable amount of money. To the best of our ability, we have to organize our resources and organize our people to fight back against that. But it’s also the truth that we don’t take corporate PAC money. We don’t take money from billionaires, and so our resources are limited, and we’ve grown that. We’ve grown that pool. We’ve expanded our donor network to be able to run 15 candidates and win seven races.
“We are always going to be up against this insurmountable amount of money.”
But there’s not an infinite amount of resources, and so those losses are proof that the left still also has work to do. We do need to build more resources. We do need to build better connections to ensure that champions and fighters like Cori Bush, who to me really embody the fighter that Democratic voters are talking about, can be sent back to Congress.
Because in the absence of them, we have useless corporate shills like Wesley Bell, who have done absolutely nothing for their community since they got to St. Louis — and it shows.
A big part of that is a resource constraint, also, the truth is, Cori had to go up against nearly $15 million of attacks last cycle, and that’s really recent. It’s not just the money that was spent against her this cycle. You have to look at what happened last cycle, because it’s all the same attacks. They ran the same playbook all over again, and it’s effective.
When you have a 20 to 1 outspending situation, and the only thing you’re seeing on TV and mail is how much you should dislike Cori Bush, it works at a certain point. That’s why it worked last cycle. Cori is a deep proof point that the left still has some work to do to really ensure that all of our champions can get to Congress.
AL: I want to move now to some of the news of the week. This week, ICE shot yet another person in Austin, Texas: 28-year old food delivery driver Wilber Rafael Garcés Pérez from Venezuela. After he was released from the hospital he was taken to an immigration detention center with a bullet still in his back, according to him and his lawyer.
If Justice Democrats candidates make it to Congress in November, what power do they have to push Democrats to do more to stop ICE from killing and terrorizing people? What can they do, particularly in a House session where we expect Democrats, if they win power to be putting a laser focus on investigating Trump’s corruption, for example?
UA: We should first and foremost be bold and listen to where voters are at. A majority of voters do not believe that ICE needs to exist. That’s understandable because both you and I were alive at a time when ICE didn’t exist — and yet I’m still living.
AL: What a time.
UA: What a time that was. The proof is in the pudding that we don’t need an ICE to have a “safe” America, whatever that means. But clearly the fascist governments need ICE to execute immigrants in this country and shoot down our neighbors and kidnap our families.
“Both you and I were alive at a time when ICE didn’t exist — and yet I’m still living. … We don’t need an ICE to have a ‘safe’ America, whatever that means.”
First and foremost, we should start from pushing to abolish ICE and ending this agency for all. Delia Ramirez, one of our Justice Democrats in Congress, has been leading the charge on this, calling to abolish ICE and also to dissolve the Department of Homeland Security, [which] in many ways, is also a relic of our lifetime. It is a relic of the George W. Bush era.
I am baffled when there are Democratic leaders in this country who are so obsessed with defending an institution created by George W. fucking Bush. I remember when we didn’t like George W. Bush, and we didn’t agree with his policies. I’m not sure why the Democratic Party of 2026 should be the same as the Republican Party of 2004.
It doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me, and I think we are always, on immigration over the last 20 years, have always been allowing the right to dictate what the agenda and our playground should be on immigration policy, on border policy, on all of these policies. And as a result, have always tried to be a diet Republican Party on immigration policy, when the most popular policies we ever put forward on immigration were things like a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers and abolishing ICE, now.
We have to be bold and not only end this agency, but also, as many people are talking about, prosecuting the people who were in charge of ICE and these officers who were killing folks.
“I’m not sure why the Democratic Party of 2026 should be the same as the Republican Party of 2004.”
The ICE agent who was the shooter in Austin wasn’t even wearing a body cam. As if that’s enough anyway. Then there’s so many different accounts and these lies. We are living through another evolution of our criminal legal system being so extrajudicial and so outside of the bounds of what should be legally allowed that I think we have to massively reign in this agency. We cannot do it in a mealy-mouthed way that says we need to pay lip service to this right-wing propaganda, while continuing to allow our immigrant neighbors and families to be murdered and shot down in the streets while they’re trying to deliver food to your house.
AL: In the Austin shooting the district attorney in Travis County, which is where the shooting happened, which is where Austin is, they are still trying to figure out the name of this officer, and they are waiting on getting footage from other ICE officers in the vicinity who had body cameras on, and they’re also trying to get footage from local hospitals to figure out where this officer who was allegedly injured went, because they do not yet know his name.
UA: But they know the man who he shot’s name, so.
AL: Yes. Much of the news this week centered on President Donald Trump’s attacks on the news media and his trip to New York City, where he met with Mayor Zohran Mamdani and attended the United Nations General Assembly.
Outside the UNGA, Jewish leaders protested Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday. Mamdani once said he would arrest Netanyahu if he came to New York, though he didn’t have the authority to do so, and the two battled publicly this week.
Many people praised Mamdani’s pledge to arrest Netanyahu, even though it had not really any teeth, but as an example of what we’re talking about, of just wanting Democrats to do something — the kind of sentiment that has animated many voters who’ve supported Justice Democrats candidates this cycle.
Democrats are heading into this lame-duck session for Trump where there is still little appetite among leadership to do something substantive on Israel — though last week we saw an unusual refusal from top Democrat Rep. Greg Meeks to approve Trump’s latest proposed $2.8 billion sale of more bombs to Israel.
What is the strategy for the progressive bench on this issue right now? It seems like every time one of these packages comes up, there’s this big dust-up over OK, what’s going to happen? And every time, a few more Democrats either vote against it or, as in this case, voice some sort of opposition. But where do you see this going in the next Congress?
UA: The writing is on the wall if even Chairman Greg Meeks is suspending some of these things. You can go to the FEC’s website to see why that is an interesting development.
AL: [Laughter] Just in terms of support that Meeks has gotten from the pro-Israel apparatus in the past is what you’re referring to, I’m assuming.
UA: Yes. He’s been a dear ally to the lobby historically. But I think, like we saw on the vote on the Massie amendment, for the first time a majority of Democrats are voting to say, “We’re not going to send money to Israel.” A lot of people can say, “Well, that’s just a performative vote,” all these things.
Look, I worked in Congress. Those performative votes don’t happen in that sort of way, unless the people are pressuring members of Congress to get to this point. That’s what we’re seeing, is that you are seeing Democratic voters across the country reject you if you have an endorsement from AIPAC or you take a single dollar from AIPAC, which is why AIPAC has to hide its money so much this cycle.
“You are seeing Democratic voters across the country reject you if you have an endorsement from AIPAC or you take a single dollar from AIPAC, which is why AIPAC has to hide its money so much this cycle.”
That’s what we’re going to see coming into this new Congress, is a real thrust of energy for the pro-Palestinian movement within Congress now that you are really doubling the amount of leaders in Congress who are unabashedly against the endless supply of military funding and resources to the Israeli government.
You have a renewed movement to really organize even more members. You can look at the co-sponsor for the Block the Bombs, Delia Ramirez’s arms embargo bill has a lot of members you would not have expected even a cycle ago to do so. But that’s the power of not only these elections, but also mass movements across the country demanding that their leaders actually stop the endless supply of weapons.
There will absolutely have to be a fight in Congress for this next Congress to say we need to stop funding the Israeli government and military, and the Democratic voters are behind us. That might be a fight that has to challenge leadership on that fight, because obviously leadership has historically been more aligned with funding the Israeli military and government.
But at a certain point they have to also see the writing on the wall. They are beginning to see that. There’s a lot of opportunities with a Democratic majority to show voters that we are hearing them, that we also don’t think your tax dollars should fund a fucking genocide for three to four to five years after also already funding decades of apartheid.
That’s where we have to move next is not only ending funding right now, but ensuring that we never fund this military and government, and actually push towards a solution where we can end the apartheid state that Israel is running over the Palestinian people, and actually have a place where everyone has equal rights and dignity, which currently does not exist, obviously.
AL: You mentioned that you used to work in Congress, and I’m taken back to the fond days when I first met you around circa 2018 when you were working for then Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair Rep. Mark Pocan. And since that time, we have been having this same conversation about the fight over the future of the Democratic Party.
Where do you see Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer, and party leadership more broadly, either fitting into or obstructing your vision for the future? In that vein, I’m curious there’s been a lot of talk about where will Justice Democrats’ candidates land on, supporting a Speaker Hakeem Jeffries in 2027? What conversations are you having around that? Where do you see this conversation going?
UA: Look, the corporate establishment will always be a barrier to progressive change and delivering for the needs of the working class. That, they have proven. They have made it clear. They have said it on the record.
These are not my feelings. They’re theirs. These elections, these campaigns, have proven that they are on the wrong side of the Democratic Party electorate, and they are in the minority, as they always have been. But it’s really eye-opening for people in leadership to have races like people like Claire Valdez, and Zohran, and Darializa become these leaders in New York, in your backyard, speaking of both Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, who obviously represent New York in the Senate and the House.
It doesn’t stop there. As much as people want to say every city is not New York — well New York is not Philly, is not Denver, is not Dallas, is not California, is not Tennessee. Let’s be fucking for real. This is happening across the country. There is a bloc of leaders across the country who are actually responding to the needs of the working class.
Like I said, they got elected on a mandate to challenge the Democratic establishment. They will be pushing this Democratic Party to meet the needs of voters, be it pushing for Medicare for All, or an arms embargo on Israel, or a stop to AI data centers, or raising taxes on billionaires. All universally popular fucking policies that the Democratic Party could lead on.
So often this question has been framed as, what will the left do when they get to Congress? How will they deal with these sorts of institutions? We should be asking Hakeem Jeffries and Chuck Schumer and everyone else that question far more, which is: What are you going to do about the fact that your electorate is making clear that you are not fighting for the policies they are looking for?
When you come out to say you oppose Medicare for All after being a co-sponsor for it for a few cycles, you are in the minority of Democratic voters. I promise in your district particularly I imagine maybe, what, 5 percent of voters agree with you. It’s incumbent upon Democratic leadership to wake up and decide where they want to be on these issues and how they want to lead this party, because do they want to be a one-term House majority?
They can win back the majority a lot because Republicans are failing and because the left is showing voters what an opposition party could actually look like and what a governing party could actually look like. The establishment is not doing that. Until they start taking lessons from the left on what to actually fight for, they will continue to be running on cycle-to-cycle losses and wins instead of really looking at, long-term, how can we take back power and ensure that we don’t consistently backside into this fascist and authoritarian regime that is overrun by the same corporate interests that the Democratic establishment is also funded by.
We absolutely are looking at this new crop of leaders joining this already existing group of progressives to really have a sizable influence in bringing the people’s power to the halls of Congress more than anything, and using their coordinated megaphones in many ways to bring light to the issues that people need them to.
Because even if we take back the House majority, Donald Trump is still president, even if we take the Senate back. He can veto any bill, and that’s a reality, but that should not stop us from showing people what we could do if we had power.
“What we could do if we had power should not simply look like turning back the clock to what it looked like before Donald Trump, which is what some of the agenda I’m seeing from Democratic leadership is.”
And what we could do if we had power should not simply look like turning back the clock to what it looked like before Donald Trump, which is what some of the agenda I’m seeing from Democratic leadership is, let’s roll back this. Let’s get this back. The status quo three, two, five, seven, eight, pick a fucking year, was not good enough for working-class people, so why would we go back to that?
Obviously, we need to roll back all these attacks. We need to claw back the destruction that the Trump administration has done, but that’s obviously also not enough. We need universal healthcare. We need housing for all. We need to make billionaires pay their fair share. We need to stop fucking AI data centers from destroying every community, and raising our utility bills and poisoning our water. There are a litany of crises that we are facing. Mealy-mouthed solutions are not what Democratic voters are looking for.
They are making that deeply clear, and no matter how much fear-mongering around socialism or the Red Scare you want to do, the truth is, voters support these policies because these policies support voters.
AL: If we’re picking years, I pick 2004. [Laughter] I think you’re onto something there. We’re going to leave it there, Usamah. Thank you so much for joining me on The Intercept Briefing.
UA: Thank you, Akela.
AL: We want to hear from you. Tell us what you’re following or want to see more coverage of. Email us at podcasts@theintercept.com or leave us a voice mail at 530-POD-CAST that’s 530-763-2278
That does it for this episode.
This episode was produced by Laura Flynn. Jordan Uhl is our social media producer. Ben Muessig is our editor-in-chief. Maia Hibbett is our managing editor.
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New Deputy Editor Cannon Taylor joined “Beyond the Headlines” to talk about an exciting growth moment for Spotlight Delaware – the launch of Arts + Culture coverage.
We’ll talk about Cannon’s background, the decision to expand Spotlight’s coverage and what you might expect from Cannon’s Arts + Culture reporting. He also shares why things like pet bearded dragons, concert audiences dancing like Beyblades and all things odd are sure to catch his attention.
The podcast was hosted by Director of Community Engagement David Stradley.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Let’s just start off here: I’d love to know what is an arts and culture experience you’ve had in your life that has been really meaningful to you?
I would say the moment I truly fell in love with arts reporting was when I wrote about a musician in Colorado Springs where I grew up. His name is Rence Seyb. He plays in a band called Dear Rabbit. Every year, local musicians hold this concert in his honor called Rence Fest, and that’s because you’ll see him at every single show. He has this huge laugh, unlike any I’ve heard before, and he is constantly dancing in the front row like no one’s watching.
In writing about Rence Fest and about him, I got to know him beyond what he’s like at a concert, and I learned that he’s not unlike myself. When he’s not at a concert, he’s a bit more reserved and shy than I would have thought. He calls himself a “sad boy forever.” That was surprising for someone who’s so loved and so outgoing.
It taught me a lot about myself and how I could stand to be a bit more unreserved, and just have fun and enjoy life.
What was the actual Rence Fest like?
It was about six hours of back-to-back bands and, by the end, I was utterly exhausted. But it was just such a blast, and Rence kept the energy up the entire time, even when no one else would. They were too tired.
That’s also amazing that somebody gets a festival about them while they’re still alive, not just a memorial festival.
He is super deserving of it. He’s probably the biggest supporter of local music in Colorado.
Tell our listeners a little bit more about yourself. What’s your background and what attracted you to Spotlight Delaware?
I was raised in Colorado Springs, and I’ve lived the last year in Utah. My first job was as an arts reporter at a paper that, after about a year of me being there, shut down.
In Utah, I did some hard news reporting, but, clearly, I was just dying to do arts reporting again because I moved across the country to do it.
As a fan, what are your go-to arts experiences for you just personally?
I love music. I play guitar and bass, and I’m learning the drums. I’m still pretty mediocre. So I am in that live music scene.
I also just love really anything incredibly odd, and it could be across any medium. But I want to be wondering, “What am I even looking at right now?”
After you had your very first job as an arts and culture reporter, what made you want to move all the way across the country for another one? What did you love about arts and culture reporting?
I found that I learned a ton about myself in being an arts reporter, and that’s something you get across journalism. You are exposed to so many different people and have so many conversations that no one else gets to have. But when you’re covering the arts, you get to sit down with someone and hear their life story, and you get to dig really deep into their childhood or what inspired them to create something really unique.
In learning so much about other people and interacting with so many different people, you end up learning more about the world, which informs the way you go about your day-to-day life.
Is there a different kind of writing on the arts and culture beat than in the hard news beat that maybe fits you better?
Definitely. I did not think I was going to be a journalist when I was growing up or even when I was in college working for my student newspaper. I always thought I would be a writer of fiction or something like that. But I can’t think of a good character to save my life.
So, what I love about arts reporting is you find the characters out there in the real world, and you get to write about them. You get to bring a level of experimentation to your writing that you can’t necessarily get away with in hard news.
Spotlight Delaware, as you know, has made its reputation over its first two and a half years as a hard news organization. From your outside perspective, why would a news organization that has been dedicated to investigative reporting around government accountability and public policy reporting want to expand into arts and culture?
I’d say it diversifies the news palette and brings in readers who thought they weren’t interested in local issues. But suddenly, they are.
Say a friend had an art exhibit, and they see their friend on our website. Suddenly, they’re subscribed to our newsletter, and they’re paying attention when something they need to pay attention to happens. It’s a way of getting people in the door to become more civically engaged.
We talk about civic engagement and getting people out to vote, but civic engagement also means going out and trying a new restaurant, going out and trying a new arts festival that you don’t know about.
I was a 2020 high school graduate, so I certainly understand feeling incredibly isolated and not knowing how to make friends or get out of the house. That’s what I really hope our arts and culture coverage does, is it gets people to make friends and check out what’s going on in their backyard.
When you were talking about the kind of people who might be introduced to Spotlight Delaware through arts and culture coverage — I spent my first 25 years in Delaware in the arts world. When I took this job at Spotlight Delaware, I remember, a few weeks after starting the job, meeting with a friend of mine that was a supporter of an arts organization. She goes, “I’ve become a donor of Spotlight Delaware because I want to support you, but the news is just so depressing. Like, I just don’t read the news.”
So, a person like that makes me think about how you answer this question. That person may get on the arts and culture newsletter and start reading about the arts and culture stuff, but then see that other more hard news story and follow a little bit more of that kind of stuff.
I certainly understand where that person’s coming from. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the bad news. But I think it’s also really important to highlight the good news. I think that can get people realizing they actually do like and appreciate journalism.
You’ve been in Delaware for, I think, as we record this, three weeks now, maybe four.
Three.
You’ve probably picked up that, as residents of a small state, Delawareans are a little protective of our reputation, a little sensitive to our reputation. And connections to the state are important. The joke here is that when someone asks you where you went to school, they’re asking about your high school and not your college.
Now, our editor-in-chief, Jake Owens, received many applications from Delawareans for this arts and culture deputy editor position. He hired you. As we’ve established, not a Delawarean.
What unique perspectives do you think a reporter with an outside eye can bring to arts and culture coverage?
I would say bringing a fresh set of eyes to someplace like Delaware is really valuable, and that’s something I’ve done at my past two jobs.
I mentioned I was raised in Colorado Springs, but I wasn’t really involved in anything in the arts world or really anywhere else when I was growing up. It wasn’t until I was a journalist that I was discovering things.
I find that a fresh and curious perspective can make people excited. My hope is that I can help even native Delawareans find things that they weren’t aware of and surprise them, too.
I think so many times, as you’ve been here for 20 years, you see something and think, “Oh, I’ve driven past that thing all the time,” but maybe didn’t take the initiative to go in there. So maybe if they read your article about one of those places, they might think, “Oh, I’m going to stop and go into that place now.”
That was definitely something I did with my first article about Delaware Saengerbund. I hear that’s a place where tons of people may pass it every day – [the club] in Newark – but they’ve never been inside, and they don’t get a real good glimpse of what this private club is like on the inside.
To share that with a wider audience is really special and, I think, something that people can expect to get out of our arts and culture coverage.
The story behind the story is another thing people will find is going to characterize arts and culture reporting.
Certainly Oktoberfest is something that people know a lot about. It’s not like we were surprising people by [saying], “Hey, did you know Oktoberfest is happening?” But you really told the story behind that festival and the organization.
I’ve never been to Oktoberfest, but now I was like, “Oh, now I’m more interested in that.” I’m not a beer drinker, but the details of the German heritage and the culture and the stories was noteworthy.
How did you decide to make that your approach and not just, “Here’s what you’d expect at Oktoberfest”?
No one wants to read, “Here’s what you can expect.” A flyer on Instagram could tell you that. I’m not here to repeat a flyer on Instagram. I’m here to tell you about the club that you’ve passed in Newark probably a million times and thought, “I wonder what they do in there.”
And most people don’t have access to it because it’s a private club. But as a journalist, I can get my foot in the door and talk with the people who are organizing this thing and ask about their very historic club and share that with you all.
I think the goal is to teach you things about Delaware that you didn’t know and didn’t know that you needed to know.
Let’s get a little into brass tacks here of what people can expect from Spotlight Delaware’s arts and culture reporting. When Jake, our editor-in-chief, hired you, what was your charge? How did he define the reach of arts and culture reporting?
It basically breaks down to three articles a week: two about anything under the arts umbrella, whether it’s visual arts, music, theater, film. I could go on. And then, one food article.
What we’re trying to do with our food and drink coverage is basically tell you what you can expect out of the dining experience at a new restaurant and also get to stories behind the food and make it more personal.
Those articles are going to appear in our regular newsletter, but then there also will be a dedicated arts and culture newsletter on Thursdays.
Yes.
We’ll also have our weekly calendar called the Weekend Spotlight, and that’s five events to check out in the upcoming weekend that [are] curated by me.
And that’s a little different than your typical calendar because it’s not comprehensive. It’s not a block of text that you have to sift through. It’s me, a human being, handing you a few picks of things I think are interesting. And I would really welcome feedback on that. I hope you let me know what I’m missing.
One thing that I think is fun is I try and make it interesting to read, too. Like, little mini-articles, 80 words each, about each event, about what you can expect.
There was a seafood festival recently, and I led with their crab pretzel-eating contest, which the organizer said was “disgusting.”
For my former arts and culture colleagues out there, just a reminder that Cannon is one person. We’ve already had people ask, “How do I get in your listings?”
Well, these aren’t meant to be universal listings. It’s really a recommendation of a few things you might want to think about this weekend.
What about reviews? Should people expect to see reviews, either of restaurants or of arts experiences?
No, we will not be doing reviews. I think that’s a way to make enemies in local news. But at the same time, if I’m writing about something, that means I think it’s noteworthy, and I think it’s worth checking out.
I think the way you’ve written about restaurants so far is a good example of that. They’re not reviews, but they certainly give you a sense of what this place is like. But it’s not like you’re saying, “Oh, the meatloaf at this place tastes like this and this. And this piece was overcooked slightly.”
I think about your article aboutBlack Restaurant Weekand Walt’s Chicken. You tell a story about that. You’re not defining what the recipe of the chicken is. It’s not a review, but it’s a really interesting piece.
How do you think about how you’re writing about restaurants?
I’d say the way to make food and drink coverage interesting is to get to the stories behind the people who are making the food. It’s certainly important to get a sense of what the food tastes like, but that can’t be the whole thing. I mean, if you want that, you could just go to Instagram and follow a ton of great accounts that are telling you, “Come eat at this place or this place.”
But you go to Spotlight for stories. That applies to food as well.
What can people expect as far as the style of the writing?
I think a good way to demonstrate that is [by] talking about an article coming out soon about a local band called Community Chapstick — which is an awesome name.
They are a rock group, and they experiment a lot with genre. I discovered them on Bandcamp while I was preparing to move to Delaware. I attended one of their concerts my first week I was here, and the way they activated the crowd was just crazy.
They asked people to act like Beyblades, and if you don’t know what a Beyblade is…
I do not know what a Beyblade is.
It’s basically a toy top from the ’90s that just spins. So, basically, they just had everyone spinning into each other and bouncing off each other.
Getting to know them, they also had such an interesting story. They explore a lot of interesting themes in their lyrics. In writing about them, I was able to tell a lot of their interesting stories. For example, their bassist hands out flyers with their pet bearded dragon on the streets of Wilmington, which is the coolest thing ever.
So, I think the goal is to show people that things like that are happening that they might not expect.
A couple things in there I hear. One is you seem to be drawn to the characters. You talked about the bassist who walks around handing out flyers with their [bearded] dragon. So, you’re drawn to who that character is.
Would you define that band as a well-known band or more of an underground, independent band?
I would say, if you’re in the local scene, you’re probably aware of them. But they’re definitely independent. I think an important part of our coverage is paying attention not to just the storied historic arts institutions, but also the people who are just making things in their basements, and bringing those to a broader audience.
We did about three months of community listening before we launched this arts and culture coverage to find out what the community wants, and that was one of the things that came out loud and clear. We know the Italian Festival happens. We know what’s showing at The Grand. We want help figuring out new stuff, these more independent things.
And then, the other thing — you know, Spotlight Delaware, for the most part, writes pretty lengthy, in-depth articles. We said, “Do you want that from arts and culture, or do you really just want something quick that you can read and digest?”
People, to their credit, were like, “No, we love how Spotlight Delaware approaches things. We want the Spotlight Delaware version of arts and culture coverage.” Which, again, sounds like this article about Community Chapstick. It’s not just where you can hear them play; here’s the albums they have. It’s a story that goes in depth about what this band is like.
That’s kind of how I approach all my writing, even when I was writing news. You try and make it interesting from the get-go. You try and latch onto something that will draw someone in who otherwise would just move onto the next thing within a few seconds.
You do that by characterizing people and dropping them in a scene with setting and stakes and telling it more like a story [rather] than just something that is happening or that happened.
As we’ve already established, you are a team of one. There’s not a team of five arts and culture reporters. You are the team and leading that team. And you’re leading it from scratch. What excites you about being able to shape this coverage from the very beginning, as a solo operator almost?
It’s great to work for a paper that’s been around for forever, and they know exactly what they’re doing, and they have their process. And then, you’re sort of like a cog in a machine, which can be awesome. It can be very stable. But at the same time, it is exciting to start from the beginning and be able to shape something yourself.
That’s something that I actually got to do at my first job as an arts reporter because it was technically a relaunch of this alt weekly. So, they were trying to invent a new version of their arts and culture coverage. That’s such a privilege to be able to do. Also, a little scary, a lot of responsibility. But I hope you’ll trust me.
Well, let’s imagine that trust has been gained. Let’s move ourselves a year into the future. You’ve been writing for 52 weeks for Spotlight Delaware, which is three articles a week, 150-plus articles.
Wow.
No pressure. There’ll be some freelancers in there hoping to help out as well. But let’s say it’s a year ahead now. How do you hope people are talking about, how do you hope people are viewing Spotlight Delaware’s arts and culture coverage?
I think it’s not so much how they’re viewing our coverage, but how they’re viewing Delaware.
I’m hoping that people read something by us, and they go and check something out. Suddenly, they’re at a pottery class or at a concert or participating in theater. I really want people to realize that there are things in their backyard.
I think it’s really, really easy to just isolate yourself and doomscroll all the time. I’ve fallen into that trap myself. But it’s so important to know that there is a community waiting for you with open arms, right in your backyard.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how Spotlight’s arts and culture coverage develops. Thanks for your time today and letting us know how you’re thinking about it.
Once known for using cheap labor to produce inexpensive clothes and toys, Chinese factories increasingly make some of the world’s most sophisticated products.
Why Should Delaware Care? Healthcare in Delaware is among some of the most expensive in the country. As cuts to federally funded programs like Medicaid are set to go into effect later this year, and commercial insurance rates rise, Delaware is looking to reinvent its healthcare ecosystem.
Three Delaware medical centers are poised to receive nearly $23 million this year as the state looks to invest hundreds of millions of federal dollars meant to bolster rural healthcare.
The money also comes as state officials look to invest deeply into primary care options for Delawareans and shift how the state pays for its medical services.
State officials met outside of La Red Health Center in Georgetown on Thursday to make the announcement, where they hope these funds will help to modernize the three federally qualified health centers and bolster their preventative care capabilities.
Federally qualified health centers, also known as FQHCs, are community-based clinics that typically offer primary care services in medically underserved areas.
The $22.7 million injection into the state’s three primary FQHCs represents Delaware’s effort to reframe its healthcare ecosystem: keep people healthier on the front end so they are able to avoid costly emergency room visits.
Delaware received $157 million in December in its first of five awards over the next several years. While the exact amount of funding the state will receive remains uncertain, it will be at least $500 million.
At Thursday’s press conference, leaders from Delaware’s primary FQHCs gathered to discuss how the awards would help to modernize their operations. Additionally, the health centers are slated to receive more funding in the coming years as part of the five-year federal grant program.
The CEO of Westside Family Health Care, Chris Fraser, said the FQHCs offer services to patients, regardless of their ability to pay.
Westside has locations in Kent and New Castle County, from Wilmington to Dover.
With the new funds, of which Westside is slated to receive $11.3 million, Fraser said the health center would be able to improve its medical records systems.
Fraser said his network would join Epic Systems, a leading electronic health records program behind the online patient portal “MyChart,” which he said would allow the center to better coordinate care for patients who may need additional follow-ups. After ChristianaCare transfers its records to Epic next month, all of Delaware’s hospital systems will be using the same system for the first time.
In an interview following the press conference, Fraser also said the funds would support modernization efforts that have often been out of reach for the smaller health centers.
“Some of us are doing well, and some of us are really challenged operationally to make ends meet,” Fraser said. “So the coming Medicaid cuts are going to, unfortunately, make that worse.”
Shay Scott is CEO of the Henrietta Johnson Medical Center, a community clinic in Wilmington’s Southbridge neighborhood. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY NICK STONESIFER
Shay Scott, CEO of the Henrietta Johnson Medical Center in Wilmington, said the new funds would allow her team to expand different services to help manage chronic conditions, as well as improve follow-up care.
Henrietta Johnson is slated to receive $1.2 million this year, she said. With the funds, she hopes to prevent “avoidable readmissions” to her facility by offering more preventative care.
Following the press conference, Scott said the funds also would help to transition the health centers more deeply into value-based care, instead of the traditional fee-for-service model, which charges patients based on the amount of care they receive.
With value-based care, Scott said the systems would be incentivized to provide more care that keeps patients healthier and away from emergency room visits instead of being more “volume driven.”
Separately, La Red in Georgetown, which specializes in working with the area’s large Spanish-speaking population, is set to receive $10.1 million.
Federal changes
Delaware leaders touted the investment as a benefit to the FQHCs and their patients. And while he was glad to have the funds to improve healthcare in the state, Gov. Matt Meyer challenged the circumstances under which they were awarded.
The federal program from which Delaware received funding was created to court Republican senators hesitant to support more than $900 billion in cuts to Medicaid in the summer of 2025, which could disproportionately impact rural communities and their healthcare facilities. Those cuts could also lead to privately insured patients ultimately paying more for care.
Meyer said more Delawareans are poised to be without insurance in the coming years, as reductions to Medicaid and price increases on the Affordable Care Act marketplace force some people out.
“We desperately need our FQHCs to make sure that not a single Delawarean falls through the cracks,” Meyer said.
Shortly after the Thursday press conference, the federal government shared a press release celebrating the investments in the FQHCs.
In its release, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said the Trump administration is “delivering on its commitment to strengthen rural America,” by allowing states to create their own programs that improve health outcomes.
The release also outlined some of Delaware’s future proposals like its new medical school and other programs aimed at managing chronic disease in rural communities.
“Today’s investment was made possible through the Working Families Tax Cuts Act — passed by Republicans in Congress and unanimously opposed by Democrats — delivering a historic $50 billion investment to help states transform the way healthcare is delivered in America,” the release said, using an alternative names for the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed by President Trump in July 2025.
Earlier this week at a separate press conference, Meyer had lambasted the Trump administration for cuts and enrollment changes being applied to the federal health subsidies like Medicaid and Medicare.
Still, Meyer said he would do what he could in the coming years to ensure people have access to healthcare in the state.
“I hope people don’t lose their lives because of really stupid policies,” he said.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate and compare the high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities of Intel’s 5th and 6th Generation Xeon “Granite Rapids” processors across a diverse set of scientific workloads, using Lenovo ThinkSystem servers as the hardware platform. As scientific research increasingly relies on computational simulations and data-intensive modeling, understanding the performance characteristics of modern CPU architectures is critical for optimizing resource allocation, improving simulation throughput, and guiding procurement decisions for HPC centers.
This whitepaper focuses on four key scientific domains—Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE), Computational Biology, Computational Chemistry, and Weather/Climate Modeling—each representing distinct computational patterns and performance demands. By benchmarking real-world applications from these domains. By benchmarking real-world applications, it quantifies performance gains and highlights architectural improvements in the 6th Generation Xeon CPUs. Ultimately, this study seeks to bridge the gap between theoretical performance metrics and practical application behavior, enabling more informed decisions in scientific computing environments.
Key enhancements in the 6th Generation Xeon—such as increased memory bandwidth, higher core frequencies, expanded L3 cache, and Multiplexed Rank DIMM (MRDIMM) memory technology—yield significant improvements in performance and energy efficiency. Granite Rapids SP CPUs show a 1.22× average performance gain, while AP CPUs achieve up to 2.05×, with MRDIMMs adding further boosts, especially in memory-intensive workloads. The findings demonstrate how Intel’s CPU advancements and Lenovo’s server architecture together meet the evolving demands of scientific computing.
Catherine Corless’s exposure of almost 800 infant deaths at a home led by nuns prompted Neeson to bring the story to screen
Liam Neeson still remembers his shock and shame when he read a New York Times article about the mother and baby institution in Tuam, County Galway.
It was 2017 and the article chronicled the campaign by Catherine Corless, an amateur local historian, to expose abuse and neglect by Irish nuns that led to hundreds of children being buried in a mass, unmarked grave.
TikTok-savvy Catholic priests and candlelight Masses ending with recruiters sharing QR codes are helping the unbaptized connect with their grandparents’ faith.
China rising, America in decline? The Trump-Xi summitAudiosseth.drupal@c…
In this week’s episode of Independent Thinking, our experts discuss the Trump-Xi summit in Washington and the increasing competition between the two superpowers.
President Donald Trump welcomes Xi Jinping to Washington with the US-China dynamic in a moment of historic flux. China is rising economically and militarily, while the US is mired in the Iran war, alienating allies and pursuing Trump’s unpredictable trade and tariff disputes.
What do the two leaders want from this meeting, and will they get it? Can they reconcile their differing economic powers, the competition for critical minerals, and their radically contrasting visions for artificial intelligence.
And in the longer term: who will dominate the 21st century? Does Xi really want to retake Taiwan for China before his time in power ends? Or is the US-Chinese dynamic more complex and perhaps less alarming?
To unpick these threads Bronwen Maddox is joined by three experts from Chatham House’s Asia-Pacific Programme: programme director Ben Bland, senior research fellow Dr Yu Jie and associate fellow Dr Bill Hayton.
About Independent Thinking
Independent Thinking is a weekly international affairs podcast hosted by our director Bronwen Maddox, in conversation with leading policymakers, journalists and Chatham House experts providing insight on the latest international issues.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Financial disclosures show U.S. Sen. Jon Husted received gifts from JobsOhio during three consecutive years while serving as Ohio’s lieutenant governor, but neither Husted nor the powerful economic-development organization will disclose what the gifts were or how much they were worth.
Husted’s filings identify JobsOhio as a gift source in 2021, 2022 and 2023. His 2024 disclosure lists a gift from JobsOhio CEO J.P. Nauseef. Ohio law generally requires officials to identify the source of gifts worth more than $75, but not their exact nature or value.
That lack of detail matters because JobsOhio controls profits from Ohio’s state liquor franchise and has directed more than $2 billion toward private businesses. Husted’s office and JobsOhio declined to provide additional information about the gifts.
Ohio ethics rules prohibit public officials from accepting substantial things of value when the source has business before their agency or could improperly influence their official duties. The Ohio Ethics Commission has not concluded that Husted violated those rules, and its executive director said such a determination would require examining all the facts.
The disclosures are receiving additional attention because JobsOhio supported major projects during Husted’s tenure, including Intel’s heavily subsidized Ohio semiconductor development. Husted is currently running for a full Senate term against Democrat Sherrod Brown.
The sprawling Philippine Arena hosts games in a country of fanatical basketball fans. Jamie Malonzo was lucky enough to play there in a Game 7
Jamie Malonzo got there early, one of the first players to arrive. He knew this was a different thing altogether. He knew the 55,000-capacity Philippine Arena was something else.
As Malonzo warmed up, the crowd began to file into the stands for Game 7 of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup. Fans tried to get his attention, yelling and waving their arms madly. This game, Malonzo knew, would be unlike any other he had ever played in.
Accounts raise tantalizing questions about what happens inside a brain afflicted by dementia and whether cognitive abilities could possibly be restored.
As a brutal civil war reignites in Yemen between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the government coalition backed by Saudi Arabia, a humanitarian disaster seems inevitable.
Mountain View Academy in Dandridge, Tennessee Stacy Kranitz for ProPublica
Across the country, states have been shuttering their youth prisons as juvenile crime has plummeted and research shows the facilities are not effective at keeping youth out of trouble after release. From 2000 to 2022, the number of the highest-security facilities for kids has dropped by more than 40%, the most recent federal data shows.
In contrast, Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services has budgeted $360 million to build two new facilities with a total of up to 256 new beds for youth. Construction is set to begin this fall, and they are expected to open in 2028 and 2029.
According to Tennessee officials, the state doesn’t have enough space for kids who courts have found committed crimes. In the last few years, it has held dozens of teens overnight in temporary places, including, at one point, office buildings. In an emailed response to WPLN and ProPublica, the agency attributed the lack of bed space to a number of factors, including teens’ needs for specific mental health services and temporary staffing issues in its facilities. And it said that national trends “do not determine” whether Tennessee has enough youth beds available.
But juvenile crime is down in Tennessee, too, and advocates and experts say the state’s push for more prisons does not line up with the needs of the kids in its care.
“The argument that’s made is that [juvenile crime is] worse than ever, right? Or the kids are out of control,” said Josh Rovner with the nonprofit research and advocacy group The Sentencing Project, which seeks to reduce incarceration across the country. “The data doesn’t back that up.”
Tennessee said youth are committing more violent crimes. But fewer are entering the juvenile justice system.
To explain its need for more youth prisons, Tennessee’s DCS points to a recent state-commissioned study. It shows that police reports of violent juvenile crimes in Tennessee — including murder, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft and crimes with firearms — have increased since 2013.
But not every report results in an arrest, for a number of reasons; multiple people might call police for the same crime, for example. Data from the same report shows that the number of kids arrested and entering the system, even for violent crime, has decreased over that time period. Murder was the only violent crime included in the report for which arrests increased, from 15 cases in 2013 to 26 in 2024. That number is still lower than it was at its peak in 2018.
“The argument that’s made is that [juvenile crime is] worse than ever, right? Or the kids are out of control. … The data doesn’t back that up.”
Josh Rovner, senior research analyst at The Sentencing Project
The state oversees different types of facilities for kids in the justice system, ranging in security level from group homes to prisons surrounded by barbed wire. DCS leaders said in a state hearing that the agency has reached maximum capacity and run out of beds in high-security facilities. DCS said in a recent statement that the number of youth needing space in a particular type of facility can remain high day to day even as overall arrests decline.
In a 2024 lawsuit over Tennessee’s juvenile justice system, advocates said the state is not appropriately utilizing the bed space it currently has, putting kids into the highest-security facilities without considering their need for mental health treatment and other services. Because of juvenile privacy laws, no publicly available data shows what charges land youth in which setting.
In response, DCS acknowledged that it sometimes places youth in facilities based on capacity, but denied that it improperly held youth in the highest-security facilities. The case is ongoing.
Tennessee promised its new prisons would be rehabilitative. Experts say they are too big to succeed at that mission.
Unlike the adult system, the juvenile justice system is set up to rehabilitate, not punish, based on decades of research showing that youth are more capable of change.
DCS told WPLN and ProPublica that it is designing the new facilities to provide care that addresses the trauma youth have experienced, including behavioral health treatment tailored to their individual needs. The design includes dedicated spaces for education, job training and recreation. It also includes rooms for mental health staff to do their work, including “calming rooms” for youth.
The agency also describes its existing prisons as rehabilitative. All three of the state’s highest-security prisons are run by Tennessee businessman Jason Crews and his company, Wayne Halfway House. The company is required by its contract and state policy to provide mental health treatment, education and other services to imprisoned youth.
The 2024 juvenile justice lawsuit, which an advocacy group and multiple unnamed youth in the system filed against DCS, argued that the department places youth in facilities that are more punitive than rehabilitative. Some teens placed in prison, the lawsuit said, should not be there at all.
The lawsuit also claimed that Tennessee’s juvenile justice facilities keep youth from accessing education and mental health treatment. Two facilities run by Wayne Halfway House, according to the lawsuit, have had policies barring youth from attending school if they misbehave. One teen, diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and other mental health conditions, did not get needed individual therapy for months while in a Crews facility, the lawsuit stated, and only got a couple of hours of education each day. Several other contractors’ jails and treatment centers across the state are referenced by name in the lawsuit.
DCS said in a legal filing that it didn’t have enough information to respond to all of the specific allegations about youth mentioned in the suit, but it pushed back against many claims, including that youth were provided inadequate education or mental health treatment. It also denied that the teen in the Crews prison was kept from therapy or education, but did acknowledge that some youth in the juvenile justice system may temporarily “receive minimal educational services.”
Wayne Halfway House said in a statement that it disputes the allegations in the lawsuit and referred the newsrooms to “numerous state audits and/or reports” during that time that refute those claims. It declined to share the specific documents it was referencing. “Wayne Halfway House programs are compliant with state policies and law,” the company wrote in its statement.
Daniel Macallair is the executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that works to reduce society’s reliance on incarceration. “These institutions are not humane places,” he said, referring to large-scale youth facilities. “They’re not rehabilitative. They never have been.”
According to Macallair, who has been working on juvenile justice reform for more than 40 years, any facility with more than 10 kids becomes unwieldy, distracting from rehabilitation and becoming more correctional. Research shows that larger facilities often involve harsher treatment of youth, including higher rates of sexual abuse and practices such as solitary confinement. One of the prisons that DCS is planning would have up to 160 beds, making it the largest in the state.
“These institutions are not humane places. They’re not rehabilitative. They never have been.”
Daniel Macallair, executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice
By contrast, the programs that have proven to help youth avoid future crimes are small and based in the communities they are from, Macallair said.
Missouri, a nationally lauded example, has established small facilities throughout the state, keeping youth — even those who commit violent crimes — close to home for therapeutic programs. Research has shown that not only are these community-based programs more effective and affordable, but they lead to low rates of reoffending and high rates of high school graduation.
DCS told WPLN and ProPublica that it provides community-based services for youth who can safely remain at home. But Tennessee data shows that the vast majority of youth in the system were not allowed to stay in their communities last year.
One way to assess the rehabilitative success of youth prisons is whether youth are rearrested after release. But Tennessee officials acknowledge that they cannot measure that in a comprehensive or accurate way because the state lacks a centralized way of tracking when a youth commits a new crime.
Tennessee has pushed against outside oversight of its youth prisons. Experts say this is a crucial reform.
The state says there will be a bid process to determine who will operate the new facilities. Right now, two providers run all of the state’s private youth prisons — Wayne Halfway House and Youth Opportunity Investments, a company that runs lower security facilities.
In response to questions about the new facilities, Wayne Halfway House said it would not comment about its business plans. It also noted that the facilities in which it holds youth in state custody for committing a crime are classified by the state as “residential treatment centers,” not youth prisons. Across the country, states use different terminology to refer to these facilities. By federal law they are supposed to provide treatment, but they also are secure facilities, often with barbed-wire fences and cells that lock, that hold youth long-term after a court finds them responsible for a crime — similar to adult prisons.
Experts say robust independent oversight is crucial to keep youth in juvenile justice facilities safe, but Tennessee does not have this. Instead, it has one agency that helps families navigate the system but lacks enforcement power and a new Juvenile Justice Review Commission tasked with releasing its first set of recommendations in 2028.
“The main goal is to bring more transparency to what’s going on inside these facilities, to make that information public, to make recommendations about ways it can improve,” said Michele Deitch, a criminal and juvenile justice expert at the University of Texas at Austin. “You really need the external body that is independent.”
In 2024, a bipartisan group of Tennessee lawmakers introduced a bill that would give oversight and enforcement power to an independent organization instead of just DCS. Under the bill, DCS would be required to suspend a facility’s license or stop placing youth there until it fixed violations.
Lawmakers felt that DCS had a conflict of interest — it is responsible for both finding beds for children in these institutions and sanctioning providers if they are not following the rules or regulations.
Wayne Halfway House, which pays a legislative lobbyist and also makes political donations in the state, opposed the bill. One of the bill’s sponsors said that a lobbyist for the company pushed to exempt privately run facilities from the bill, and the proposal made it into an amendment filed in the House.
A lobbyist for Wayne Halfway House said at the time that the company had concerns about how the bill would “affect accountability in the governance of youth corrections in Tennessee.” In a recent statement, the company said it supports the state’s policies and laws that “rigorously oversee organizations like ours and hold us to high standards for operational performance.”
"F-Droid, a third-party app repository that only distributes free and open-source software packages for Google's Android mobile platform, on Thursday announced version 2.0 of its Android app," reports The Register.
Though they also note "a big banner across the top of the F-Droid site" pointing to a site describing pending changes from Google that threaten the future of F-Droid...
[D]evelopers who want their apps broadly distributed outside the official Google Play Store will need to register with Google and verify their identities. Google's Full Distribution option includes paying a one-time $25 fee, handing over a copy of a government-issued ID to verify one's identity, and conforming to Google's terms of service. Google also offers a free Limited Distribution option that doesn't require government ID verification but restricts distribution to 20 authorized devices, while apps from unverified developers can still be installed by users who enable Android's advanced installation flow.
The potential death warrant hanging over its head hasn't stopped the F-Droid team from rolling out a bunch of new features for an app it says it intends to keep working on for years to come... The team also credited the EU's many Digital Markets Act decisions against Google for making the installation experience smoother for users. F-Droid can now use a unified installation service for its apps thanks to the availability of a pre-approval API that allows users to approve an installation when they request it, rather than waiting until the app has finished downloading. That, said the F-Droid team, "brings the F-Droid install experience on official Android devices much closer to what the built-in app store can provide." Additionally, F-Droid 2.0 can fetch and install app updates automatically, which it now does by default.
All of those changes, however, won't matter much if Google pushes ahead undeterred with its plans to force registration onto non-Play Store developers. F-Droid's announcement on Thursday makes it seem that the team isn't going to go quietly.
F-Droid has gone 10 years without a major update, notes Ars Technica — and spent over a year developing F-Droid 2.0:
The new F-Droid client was redesigned from scratch in Kotlin Compose, which is the standard for modern Android apps. This makes the store much more responsive, and there's optional support for Android's Material theming. The interface has also been cleaned up considerably, making the most important functions easier to access and hiding some others in overflow menus... Unlike the Play Store, F-Droid doesn't track your taps and installs to push ads and suggestions — it helps you find things and gets out of the way.
F-Droid now includes a huge number of categories, drilling down to specialized niches like firewalls, password managers, and VPNs. You can see all these groups in the search tab. There are also higher-level categories listed on the main Discover page. When searching for apps, F-Droid will now be able to return results based on app descriptions rather than just names.
"One of the goals of the rewrite was to lower the barrier for new contributors," F-Droid said in their announcement. "We are excited to begin rolling out F-Droid 2.0 to users over the coming weeks after 14 test releases." (And if you want the 2.0 release right now, it's available on the versions page.)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration is dismantling several long-standing federal tools used to address racial disparities in American schools, including moving to end more than 50 court-supervised desegregation cases.
The Justice Department said Thursday it is reviewing decades-old school desegregation orders and seeking dismissal when officials determine districts have eliminated the remnants of legally enforced segregation. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said prolonged federal oversight no longer reflects conditions in many classrooms.
At the same time, the Education Department has eliminated federal “disparate impact” regulations under Title VI. Those rules allowed investigators to examine policies that appeared race-neutral but produced sharply unequal outcomes, such as suspension rates or access to advanced classes. The administration argues that approach improperly encouraged racial balancing.
Civil rights advocates warn the combined changes could make discrimination harder to identify unless there is evidence of explicit intent. Former Justice Department attorney Johnathan Smith said the administration is also creating legal “roadblocks” that could make future reversals difficult.
The administration has already halted or narrowed investigations involving racial disparities in school discipline and successfully supported the termination of some longstanding desegregation orders. Critics, including Rep. Bobby Scott, argue that ending oversight too quickly risks allowing old inequities to reemerge.
Qualcomm, yesterday, promising Linux support for the new Snapdragon X2 processors:
Linux on Snapdragon X2 Series is moving from early bring-up toward a more complete upstream developer experience. Core support is landing, Hexagon NPU and Adreno GPU work is progressing, and real laptops with Snapdragon X2 Series processors are already beginning to boot Linux.
Interesting, but I feel like I’ve heard these exact words before. Qualcomm, two years ago, promising Linux support for the then-new Snapdragon X processors:
It’s been our priority not only to support Linux on our premium-tier SoCs, but to support it pronto. In fact, within one or two days of publicly announcing each generation of Snapdragon 8, we’ve posted the initial patchset for Linux kernel support. Snapdragon X Elite was no exception: we announced on October 23 of last year and posted the patchset the next day. That was the result of a lot of pre-announcement work to get everything up and running on Linux and Debian.
These promises were not at all kept. Two years later, Linux support for Snapdragon X laptops is still spotty, broken, and limited, confined to just a few bespoke Ubuntu builds, which don’t even offer full support either. It’s a complete mess, effectively unusable, and highlights once again that big technology companies are compulsive liars. I have little faith in these new promises, but who knows – maybe this time it’ll be different.
Google has synthesized "expressive face-to-face experiences" for its speech agent Gemini 3.8 Live. They're now offering a Live Avatar "with precise lip-syncing, natural expressions, and fluid turn-taking" for Google Enterprise accounts wanting "engaging customer service" or for offering interactive walkthroughs. (Check out the not-creepy-at-all video in Google's announcement.)
"Though Google will offer a library of preset avatars for customers to choose from, it will also allow organizations to create their own," notes The Verge. (See some examples from the YouTube channel "AI with Surya".)
But even without the visualization of the avatar, "I was never able to shake the feeling that these conversations with computers never feel like a real conversation," argues the blog Android Police. Conversing with just the Ai-generated audio, "At best, they feel like talking to a phone representative or someone from tech support. We turn to them when we have a problem, and they help us through it..."
GPT-Live, and Gemini Live right behind it, skip that whole relay race. Instead of translating your voice to text and back to voice, the model works with raw audio the entire way through (what it hears and what it says) inside the same system, with nothing translated in between. That sounds like a small plumbing detail, but it's the whole story. Cutting out the text step lets these models respond in a fraction of a second instead of the pause we've learned to expect, and it lets them hear things text can never carry: tone, hesitation, whether you're annoyed or joking...
I was hoping to be surprised by how natural the conversation felt. Instead, I came out with a deeper appreciation for every human I've ever talked to. Even the boring ones... I spoke, it spoke back. I spoke faster, it answered faster. Then I switched to a different language, and it switched along with me. Even switching between languages several times during the same sentence didn't stump it. The most impressive moment happened when I asked it what "T-O-P-G-3-3-K" spelled out, and it immediately came back with, "You are spelling the word Top Geek, but using a 3 to represent a reversed E...."
Although it felt fast and responsive, at no point did it feel like talking to another human being... What Gemini couldn't replicate, because it was never built to replicate it, is human connection.... I'm sure I'm not telling you something you don't already know, but somehow talking naturally to an LLM amplifies the feeling that there is no one on the other side of the line. It might flow like a phone call, but it doesn't feel like one.
MrBrklyn (Slashdot reader #4,775) says he discussed "why mainstream media avoids reporting on screen dependency" with Gemini, and eventually convinced Gemini to respond that it's just "another tool built by the same tech giants to make sure you rely on their system to tell you what to think, how to talk, and what is real."
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Three-quarters of Americans say the rapid growth of artificial intelligence makes them feel fearful or concerned, while only one-quarter describe themselves as hopeful or excited, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS.
The survey found that 43% of respondents felt strong fear or concern about AI’s development, with another 32% somewhat concerned. Only 7% said they were strongly hopeful or excited. The concern crossed party lines: CNN reported that 85% of Democrats and about 62% of Republicans expressed fear or concern about AI.
The poll also found broad dissatisfaction with the federal response. Seventy-one percent said the government is not doing enough to regulate AI, compared with 18% who said current efforts are sufficient and 10% who said Washington is doing too much.
Those findings line up with a separate Reuters/Ipsos survey released this week in which 73% said AI companies are not doing enough to prevent potentially catastrophic consequences, while 55% supported slowing development.
The CNN survey was conducted Sept. 16-17 among 1,206 U.S. adults and carries a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. President Trump, meanwhile, has resisted broad federal AI regulation and argued that slowing development could allow China to gain ground.
Bijan Robinson rushed for 194 yards and two touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons capitalized on the return of quarterback Michael Penix Jr and trounced the punchless Green Bay Packers 35-14 on Thursday night.
Atlanta (1-2) erased an early 7-0 deficit by scoring 27 straight points to take control amid a chorus of boos at Lambeau Field. The Falcons outrushed the Packers 242 yards to 17.
A TV spot claims the US president is trying to sway October’s presidential vote in favour of Lula’s far-right opponents
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s presidential campaign has accused Donald Trump of wanting to “colonise” Brazil in order to capture its natural resources by meddling in next month’s presidential election.
The accusation came in a campaign advert that was published on social media on Thursday night by Lula’s team and will air on television on Friday amid growing fears over the impact alleged US interference could have on the vote.
Xi Jinping’s visit heavy on symbolism but no sign closed-door meeting yielded breakthroughs on thorny issues such as AI, trade, Taiwan and Iran
Donald Trump welcomed Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday, with talks on AI, trade and a growing US-China strategic rivalry expected to feature on an elaborate state visit that critics say went big on style but lacked substance.
Here are the key takeaways from Xi’s first visit to Washington in more than a decade.
President Trump is slated to speak on Tuesday in Washington at an event that features Elon Musk, Jensen Huang and others, according to invitation materials reviewed by CBS News.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said the missiles were aimed at Taif and the Yanbu area on the Red Sea, the main alternative route for Saudi oil
Saudi Arabia says it intercepted six ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, with the latest attacks pushing oil prices to a one-week high over fears of spiralling supply disruptions.
The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said the missiles were aimed at Taif in western Saudi Arabia and the Yanbu area on the Red Sea, with the Houthis claiming their attacks were aimed at “a sensitive target” in the capital Riyadh and on Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu.
During his speech to the UN in New York City, the Australian prime minister addresses the AI hack of Medicare, saying the episode reflects the need for greater regulation of artificial intelligence. ‘We can’t ignore AI or prevent it. And it’s why we joined with other nations this week to call for action to shape artificial intelligence development, rather than be passively shaped by it,’ he says. Albanese also used the speech as a pitch for Australia to join the UN security council
TRENTON, New Jersey — Gov. Mikie Sherrill is demanding Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell resign after an independent investigation concluded he sexually harassed a woman and repeatedly violated state ethics rules.
The 61-page report, prepared by Lowenstein Sandler LLP, found “credible evidence” that Caldwell made a romantic advance toward a female staffer’s friend. After being rejected, investigators found he told the staffer, referring to the two women, “You young women are looking for young sperm.” The report concluded the sexually charged remark constituted workplace harassment and caused the employee to avoid interactions and travel with Caldwell.
Investigators also found Caldwell improperly sought a promotion for a state employee he was dating and repeatedly brought personal guests to ticketed events without paying admission, despite ethics training and warnings.
Sherrill said the findings showed “serious, repeated violations of state policy” and gave Caldwell until Friday to resign. She said the behavior represented a pattern that failed to meet her administration’s standards.
Caldwell’s attorney, Thomas Calcagni, disputed the conclusions, arguing the investigation denied Caldwell meaningful due process and that the evidence did not justify the findings. Caldwell is an elected lieutenant governor, meaning Sherrill cannot simply remove him from that office.
Lawyers for the news outlets President Trump banned from the White House have requested an emergency hearing after several journalists were turned away from the building Thursday morning, in apparent defiance of a federal judge’s order to restore their access.
“This morning journalists from each of CNN, MS NOW, and POLITICO attempted to enter the White House and were turned away, and Secret Service agents confiscated the hard pass of journalists whose hard passes had not previously been confiscated,” a new court filing read.
Officials deny entry even after federal judge rules Trump administration must grant banned journalists access
Journalists for CNN and MS Now were denied access to the White House state dinner in honor of Xi Jinping, China’s president, on Thursday evening, hours after a federal judge ruled the Trump administration must allow them in after imposing a ban last week.
“About an hour before Xi’s arrival was scheduled, the White House said CNN could cover the event, but only with a photojournalist and audio technician, notably excluding the network’s editorial team consisting of a reporter and producer,” CNN reported.
In a public appearance, Jackson said the high court’s use of the emergency docket was “problematic” and called for more restraint from her colleagues when using it.
Mikie Sherrill says Dale Caldwell ‘engaged in serious, repeated violations’ involving staffers and gifts
New Jersey’s governor on Thursday called on the state’s lieutenant governor, Dale Caldwell, to resign by Friday after a law firm hired by her office concluded he violated the state’s ethics and discrimination rules.
The report published Wednesday found that Caldwell violated the state’s policy prohibiting discrimination in the workplace. It said he made an advance toward a staffer’s friend and when he was rebuffed, he told the staffer: “You young women are looking for young sperm.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Tommy Tuberville is doubling down on claims that airline pilots, flight attendants and air traffic controllers who participate in the furry community pose a potential safety risk, despite offering no evidence that furry interests have caused aviation incidents or impaired professional performance.
Tuberville told TMZ DC that some aviation workers belong to a furry “club” and called that “some part of mental illness that could be a catastrophe.” His evidence appears to be an “Aviation Furs Meet-Up” held at the Furry Migration convention in Minneapolis. The convention’s own schedule shows the meetup was open to pilots, mechanics, air traffic controllers, line operators and anyone simply interested in aviation.
That establishes that some furry convention attendees share an interest in aviation. It does not establish how many are licensed aviation professionals, whether they pose any safety risk, or that furry fandom itself is a mental disorder.
A 2026 review in Transcultural Psychiatry describes furry culture as a stigmatized fan community centered on anthropomorphic characters. Researchers specifically cautioned that available evidence does not consistently show higher rates of mental-health problems among furry fans compared with the general population.
Tuberville nevertheless said he would not want a qualified pilot flying him if that pilot privately identified with the fandom. TMZ’s reporter pressed him on whether professional competence should matter more; Tuberville maintained that the personal interest itself made him uncomfortable.
Bob Pettit was an All-American at LSU before going on to the NBA, where he was an All-Star for each of his 11 seasons, all with the Hawks. He led them to the 1958 championship over the mighty Boston Celtics, the Hawks' lone title.
This blog is now closed – our live coverage of US politics continues here
In the first row in front of the leaders sit US vice-president JD Vance and his wife Usha Vance, Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her daughter Arabella, US secretary of state Marco Rubio, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, defence secretary Pete Hegseth and commerce secretary Howard Lutnick.
Donald Trump is speaking now. He notes that Xi is the first Chinese leader to make a second formal visit to the White House, and says the two have “forged a truly great friendship” since Trump was first elected in 2016.
State election officials said they reviewed 185 records homeland security sent them and confirmed they were US citizens
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) wrongly identified 185 people on Nevada’s voter rolls as non-citizens, state officials said this week, escalating concerns over the shoddy methodology the government is using to raise fear about non-citizen voting ahead of the midterm elections.
In July, Donald Trump gave a speech saying DHS had found a combined 278,000 non-citizens on the rolls in Nevada, California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Follow-up letters to each of those states weakened the claim, saying there only could be as many as 278,000 non-citizens on the rolls, including up to 15,903 in Nevada.
The California Supreme Court ruled that Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco violated that state's election law by ordering his deputies to seize more than 650,000 ballots.
The proposal would reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks over an end to the broader war within seven days, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.
Chinese president’s proposals for lessening tensions come amid period of intense competition between the two countries over AI and trade
Xi Jinping has called for extensive cooperation with Washington to avoid the “Thucydides trap” that could put the US and China on a military collision course amid rising tensions over artificial intelligence, trade and Taiwan.
At the start of his summit meeting with Donald Trump in the White House, the Chinese president laid out terms for a mutual understanding that he said could steer the two competing superpowers away from future military conflict and on to a road of mutual gain.
404 Media reports "multiple contractors hired to improve OpenAI's models have been fired for using AI to train the AI:
That's not great for the models themselves, but there is also obviously a great irony in AI training companies working for OpenAI firing people for using AI when OpenAI's whole thing is to make people use AI at work... OpenAI declined to comment on its contractors being fired for using AI.
Their article cites internal documents and three contractors working on OpenAI-related projects which can include more than ten thousand contractors:
One contractor said they see people using AI "all the time and people are let go for it all the time, it's pretty much the one thing that will get you kicked off ASAP." The person said, "in a group of thousands there are tons that have been caught...." Two of the sources said people have been fired or offboarded for using AI... One contractor said they used AI while helping to train OpenAI's models and shared what they presented as their termination letter. It said their employer had identified issues with the "authenticity" of their work....
404 Media spoke to a fourth contractor who has worked on training models for various AI companies. They said they sometimes purposefully chose the worst responses because they wanted to actively sabotage the models' training. "I did feel guilty about doing this kind of work at the start," they said. "I either pay zero attention to the results and choose randomly or purposely choose the [worst] output. I'm not sure how much of a difference it actually makes since there are hundreds of other people also rating prompt results, but it does feel like I'm getting paid to make AI worse."
Two of the contractors worked for Mercor, the article reports, a company which last month Nvidia reportedly discussed funding at a $20 billion valuation.
Thanks to Slashdot reader joshuark for sharing the article.
James Copenhaver, 76, left with lingering injuries after gunman opened fire from rooftop at 2024 Pennsylvania rally
James Copenhaver, one of three campaign rally attendees shot in 2024 during an assassination attempt on then candidate Donald Trump, has died in Pittsburgh, his lawyer said Thursday. He was 76.
Copenhaver was in the bleachers during the event in Butler, Pennsylvania, when a 20-year-old gunman opened fire from a nearby rooftop, grazing Trump’s right ear with one bullet. Copenhaver was struck in the arm and in the abdomen, wounds that left him with lingering injuries and walking with a cane.
There's a reason hotel bathrooms seem to have better towels, better robes and somehow better soap than the ones at home. The good news is you don't have to book a suite to bring that luxuriousness into your own home.
Actor Susan Sarandon, whistleblower Chelsea Manning and comedian Caleb Hearon are detained by NYPD
More than 100 people were arrested outside the United Nations’ headquarters in New York City on Thursday as Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the general assembly, a speech that also prompted dozens of UN delegates to walk out in protest.
The protest outside the UN, one of several this week against the embattled Israeli prime minister, drew hundreds of Jewish, Palestinian, Iranian and Lebanese New Yorkers, among others, as well as several elected officials and candidates in the November election, and a number of celebrities.
Actors detained at Jewish Voice for Peace demonstration against Israeli prime minister’s address to the UN general assembly
Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon and Hacks star Hannah Einbinder were among people detained by police in New York on Thursday as they moved in to break up a protest against Benjamin Netanyahu.
Amid mounting concerns about its sprawling surveillance camera network, Flock Security told the press this summer that it operates more than 120,000 cameras nationwide.
But a new map published Wednesday by a cybersecurity researcher reveals Flock’s nationwide reach is even bigger. Based on location coordinates from Flock’s own database, the map shows more than 170,000 cameras, plus more than 130,000 accompanying gadgets that play a part in the company’s expansive American surveillance network.
Joshua Michael’s Flock Surveillance Map highlights the locations of what he says are 300,000 Flock surveillance devices spread across the country. His findings — which were cited in Wednesday’s Senate Subcommittee on Crime and Counterterrorism hearing on Flock — differ from existing maps of Flock’s automated license plate readers in scope and methodology.
“These cameras form a nationwide surveillance network that tracks where everyone drives.”
Unlike crowd-sourced projects such as DeFlock, which are built on locations submitted by users, the Flock Surveillance Map relies on location data culled from a snapshot, archived by Michael in December 2025, of Flock’s own records. In addition to cameras, it maps supplemental devices — including 27,000 acoustic detection devices, as well as networking equipment that integrates third-party cameras — to illustrate the scale of Flock’s surveillance web.
“These cameras form a nationwide surveillance network that tracks where everyone drives,” Michael told The Intercept, “so foreign nations don’t need to send spies to harm our country. They can simply watch where our soldiers, federal agents, and politicians go.”
The Intercept visited six random Arizona locations on Michael’s map; each location had a Flock camera present at the indicated coordinates.
The Flock Surveillance Map also color-codes each Flock device according to its model — showing, for instance, whether the device is a Flock camera, known as a Falcon, or an accompanying processing unit known as a Picard. (Flock did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
The accompanying searchable dataset table also lists each camera’s individual name, as outlined in Flock’s database, which typically includes a street address and sometimes other identifying characteristics. A camera with the name “FBI Pilot Camera,” for example, is shown to be located at the J. Edgar Hoover Building — the FBI headquarters in Washington.
The map illustrates Flock’s national spread, but also its clustering in certain areas. For example, 860 Flock devices appear to be concentrated just outside Chicago O’Hare International Airport, at the Rosemont Public Safety Department, which provides police, fire, and emergency medical services in the Chicago suburb.
Numerous Flock cameras appear to be installed inside detention centers. A camera titled “C-F-23 FOXTROT MALE HOLDING 2/SHOWERS” appears at the coordinates of the Silverdale Detention Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
In November 2025, Michael discovered a novel way to identify the location of Flock’s devices. Trawling the company’s website, he realized that Flock’s servers were publicly leaking data in the form of an access token that could be acquired without needing to log in. With that token, Michael said he could query ArcGIS, a third-party geographic information system platform used by Flock, to retrieve the locations of Flock devices.
Michael told The Intercept he promptly contacted Flock and described his findings. As Michael wrote in his initial email to Flock on November 13, 2025: “all testing was strictly non-intrusive, limited to open unauthenticated endpoints, and did not involve bypassing authentication, modifying data, or invoking any billable ArcGIS or Google operations.” Michael said he didn’t receive a reply, so he followed up with Flock the next day, and a third time several days later.
After his third attempt to inform Flock of the discovered vulnerability, Michael received a reply from a Flock that said, “Thank you for the findings. We are internally triaging them and will reach back out with next steps soon.”
Michael said he never heard back about it from Flock.
In December 2025, Michael downloaded the Flock device location data, and in January wrote an in-depth technical blog post about what he had found. After Michael’s post, it appears that Flock fixed the vulnerability.
Despite being alerted of Michael’s findings in November 2025, Flock published its own blog post the following January saying it hadn’t had any data breaches. “Flock has never been hacked, and there has not been a leak of Flock information,” the company claimed. “Flock Safety’s cloud platform has never experienced a data breach.”
The Atlanta-based startup has faced mounting criticism for its practices and lack of transparency in recent months. An American Civil Liberties Union report found “a pattern of Flock regularly misleading or even lying about its business practices, safety record, commitment to privacy, and efforts to protect vulnerable populations.”
Michael told The Intercept that Flock’s recent claims about its data security record don’t reflect reality. Flock has publicly claimed multiple times that the company has never experienced a data breach, “and this was after I pulled their database of devices.”
“That leaves two possibilities,” he said. “Either they knew and chose not to disclose it for fear of bad press, or they didn’t know I exfiltrated the data at all. The first is a transparency failure. The second is a detection failure with national security implications.”
On Thursday, Michael was notified that Doppel, which describes itself as an “AI-native social engineering defense platfom,” filed a trademark infringement complaint regarding his site, claiming to be working on Flock’s behalf. Doppel says that the site is using the trademark “FLOCK SAFETY” without authorization, which “may cause customer confusion / harm.” Doppel requested the site be taken down.
When he posted the Flock Surveillance Map, Michael included a pop-up disclaimer saying that the site is “not affiliated with or endorsed by Flock.”
Holmes was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2022 but has seen her sentenced reduced several times
Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder of blood testing startup Theranos, will reportedly be transferred from a minimum security prison to a halfway home next August.
In 2022, Holmes, 42, was sentenced to more than 11 years in prison for defrauding Theranos investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars and ordered to pay restitution. The company falsely promoted its technology as being capable of detecting diseases, including types of cancer, from drops of finger-pricked blood.
Industry leaders call on government to protect homegrown produce in the interest of national security
The gap between Britain’s food and drink exports and imports has neared its highest this century, as a combination of Brexit, war in the Middle East and US tariffs dented deliveries overseas while imports soared.
The UK’s food and drink trade deficit has risen to more than £21bn – the largest since 2000 – in what industry leaders said was a “wake-up call” for the government to protect homegrown produce in the interest of national security.
For most of the past decade, moving HPC workloads to the cloud was treated as a strategic question. The technical gaps were real: cloud network fabrics could not reliably support tightly coupled simulations, storage I/O fell short of what dedicated parallel file systems delivered on bare metal, and the cost math was difficult to close once egress and replication were factored in alongside compute. On-premises clusters were the default, and usually the right one.
That calculus has shifted. High-bandwidth network interconnects now support collective operations at scale across cloud instances. Managed batch schedulers handle heterogeneous job queues with preemption, priority tiers, and spot pricing. Cloud RDMA implementations have improved across successive hardware generations. For most teams today, the question is not whether cloud HPC is technically viable — it is which workloads move, in what order, and onto what infrastructure.
The framework I use in practice starts with workload classification and ends with infrastructure selection. It is not a checklist; it is a logic tree grounded in engineering characteristics, because getting the classification right is what makes any downstream cost projection or migration timeline hold.
On-prem HPC clusters, like Perlmutter, are provisioned for peak demand (Credit: NERSC)
The Utilization Trap
On-premises HPC clusters are provisioned for peak demand. That is a rational decision at the moment of purchase and a costly one across the life of the investment. A 2023 study analyzing NERSC’s Perlmutter — published through ISC High Performance 2023 via Springer — found that CPUs are commonly not fully utilized across job runs, and that approximately 64% of both CPU-only and GPU-enabled jobs consumed 50% or less of available host memory capacity. Perlmutter is operated by the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center; enterprise clusters not operated to comparable standards tend to exhibit lower utilization rates, not higher ones.
The harder problem is burst demand. When workloads spike at a regulatory submission deadline or an unexpected scale-up mid-campaign, teams either queue jobs and accept delayed results, or they provision headroom they will use only a handful of times per year. Cloud burst provisioning — where matched compute capacity can be requested for days or weeks rather than quarters — addresses that pattern directly. But burst architecture functions only if the workload itself can tolerate the transition. That question leads to the first classification filter.
The Primary Filter — Coupling Topology
The most consequential characteristic to assess before any migration decision is coupling topology: how frequently a workload’s parallel processes must communicate with each other during execution.
Loosely coupled workloads run independent tasks that share no state mid-execution. A parameter sweep evaluating thousands of configurations in parallel, a Monte Carlo simulation where each trial completes without waiting on sibling processes, a genome variant-calling pipeline that processes samples in isolated batches — none of these require coordinated inter-process communication during computation. They tolerate variable network latency, survive preemption and restart, and map directly to managed batch infrastructure. Architecturally, they are cloud-native even when currently running on-premises.
Tightly coupled HPC workloads, like CFD, demand high performance network fabrics, which typically favors on-prem clusters (Image courtesy Ansys)
Tightly coupled workloads — MPI-based simulations in computational fluid dynamics, weather modeling, finite element analysis, and reservoir simulation — exchange state across processes at high frequency during every iteration. Network fabric matters enormously for this category. On-premises InfiniBand fabrics operating at sub-microsecond latency establish a performance baseline that cloud environments approach but do not always match for the most latency-sensitive codes. The gap narrows with each hardware generation. But for production workloads with SLAs tied to solver throughput, tightly coupled codes require benchmarking before commitment — not after deployment.
The Second Filter — Data Gravity
Coupling topology tells you whether a workload can survive the cloud environment. Data gravity determines whether moving it makes economic sense.
A workload that ingests 500 TB of reference data per run, where that data currently resides on-premises, faces a migration tax that frequently exceeds the burst savings. Egress fees, replication latency, and data consistency requirements compound. The break-even calculation depends on run frequency: a monthly simulation staging 50 TB has a materially different data gravity profile than a daily run at the same scale.
I/O access pattern matters independently of raw volume. Sequential reads on large contiguous files — common in seismic processing and molecular dynamics — favor storage configurations optimized for high-bandwidth, large-block throughput. Random small-block I/O, typical of metadata operations and checkpoint reads, has different hardware requirements entirely. Mapping the I/O fingerprint to cloud storage options is a pre-migration prerequisite, not a post-deployment discovery.
What Stays On-Premises
Not every HPC workload benefits from a migration path at the current state of cloud hardware.
Workloads with sub-millisecond synchronization requirements across MPI ranks — certain CFD codes, reservoir simulation solvers, and some turbulence modeling applications — depend on the deterministic low latency that dedicated interconnect fabrics provide. Non-deterministic jitter in shared cloud infrastructure remains a measurable constraint for the highest-sensitivity jobs, even with RDMA-capable instance families available. This is the state of the current hardware generation, not a permanent condition.
Loosely coupled workloads that map well to compute-optimized instance with high core counts and that are amenable to batch scheduling typically fare better in the cloud (Shutterstock AI)
Classified workloads with air-gap requirements are a structural non-starter for public cloud. Workloads embedded in operational technology environments, where compute is co-located with physical instrumentation and real-time control loops, face the same limitation.
There is also a utilization argument that runs the other direction: a workload sustaining 85% or higher CPU utilization with stable, predictable demand captures no burst benefit worth the migration effort. When the cluster runs full, consistently, the economics of on-premises ownership are often the right outcome.
Migration Sequencing
The right first workload to migrate is not the largest or most expensive to run on-premises. It is the one that can generate credible benchmark data without putting production timelines at risk.
In practice, this means starting with a batch analytics or data processing workload where re-runs are inexpensive if the first attempt encounters configuration issues. This gateway workload serves two purposes. First, it produces real throughput and cost data from your actual job mix on your actual data — not a synthetic benchmark that may not represent your production profile. Second, it forces the operations team to build scheduling tooling, monitoring, and cost-control infrastructure before those systems sit on a critical path.
The sequencing that performs consistently runs as follows. Analytics and pre/post-processing workloads move first — they tolerate re-runs and rarely carry hard SLA dependencies on solver throughput. Development and test environments move next, where iteration speed matters more than deterministic latency. Tightly coupled production codes move last, after benchmarking on the target infrastructure confirms acceptable performance at representative scale.
One pattern to avoid: phased migration plans that treat cost projection as the primary gate for advancing to the next stage. Cost estimates made before workload profiling miss actual figures by a factor of two or more in either direction. Profile first, project second.
Matching Workloads to Infrastructure
Once classification and sequencing are established, infrastructure selection narrows considerably.
Benchmark before before committing, and reassess your assumptions and costs as you go (Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock)
Loosely coupled throughput workloads map well to compute-optimized instance families with high core counts. Batch scheduling that supports preemption and spot pricing reduces cost on non-latency-sensitive workloads without affecting correctness — these jobs survive interruption and restart by design. Tightly coupled simulations demanding memory bandwidth — molecular dynamics codes, lattice Boltzmann solvers, large-scale FEA — require selection based on memory-to-core ratio and network interconnect capability. GPU-intensive workloads carry additional constraints: interconnect bandwidth between accelerators during collective operations often matters more than raw single-card throughput.
The recommendation across all categories is the same: benchmark before committing to scope. Reference cluster configurations for the major HPC workload types — batch, MPI, and GPU-intensive — cut the time from test setup to first real throughput data from weeks to days. Run representative production codes on candidate instance families with actual data volumes before finalizing migration scope. The benchmark output, not the pre-migration cost model, is what determines whether the sequencing holds.
Closing Thoughts
The migration decision reduces to three questions, applied in sequence. How coupled is the workload — does it share state mid-execution, or does each task run independently? What is the data gravity — does moving the data cost more than the elasticity saves? And what does utilization look like across the annual cycle — does demand vary enough that elastic provisioning changes the economics?
Workloads that pass all three filters are cloud candidates. Those that fail on coupling or data gravity need additional architecture work, or a wait for the next hardware generation. Those that fail on utilization are often better served by continued on-premises investment.
Migration decisions made on cost projections alone tend to underperform. Those made on workload characterization tend to hold. Start with the gateway workload, profile before projecting, and the cloud HPC investment becomes predictable engineering.
About the author: Oleh Maksymovych is Co-Founder and General Manager at Cloudfresh, a Google Cloud Premier Partner. He leads the company’s Google Cloud and data analytics practice.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tucker Carlson says President Donald Trump should have been removed from office under the 25th Amendment after what Carlson interpreted as a threat to use nuclear weapons against Iran, marking another sharp escalation in his break with the president over foreign policy.
“He should have been removed from office immediately when he threatened nuclear war,” Carlson told NPR’s Steve Inskeep. When Inskeep asked whether he meant removal through the 25th Amendment, Carlson answered, “That’s correct,” adding that Trump should have been “bundled up and taken out.”
There is an important distinction in Carlson’s accusation: Trump has not explicitly threatened a nuclear strike on Iran. Axios noted that Trump has instead threatened to “annihilate” Iran and previously warned that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if Tehran rejected U.S. demands. Reuters confirmed Trump again used the word “annihilate” during his U.N. address this week.
Carlson, once one of Trump’s most influential media supporters, has increasingly opposed the administration’s Iran war and broader foreign policy. He left the Republican Party earlier this year amid those disagreements.
The 25th Amendment allows the vice president and a majority of Cabinet officials to declare a president unable to perform the duties of office. No president has ever been removed through that process.
In a gubernatorial campaign ad posted on his public social media accounts, Democrat Rob Sand said Iowa’s public schools have slipped in national rankings.
“I want us to get back to having the best public schools in the country, not in the bottom half,” he said.
Sand, the state auditor, has criticized Iowa’s Education Savings Account program, which allows families to use a student’s state funding to pay for private school education. Sand has called for annual audits of the program, income eligibility limits, and limiting tuition increases for private schools.
Sand’s campaign sent PolitiFact a statement from Sand about schools’ quality when he was growing up, but did not point to specific data placing Iowa at number one.
“When I was growing up in Decorah, Iowa had some of the best schools in the nation,” Sand said in an email statement to PolitiFact. “It’s our state’s crown jewel, so much so that we put ‘Foundation in Education’ on our state quarter… I want every Iowa kid to have access to the best education, just like I did.” He said public schools have been underfunded to favor private school vouchers.
Iowa schools spend $17,804 per pupil from federal, state and local sources, placing them 34th in the nation in K-12 education funding and 35th in spending, according to the Education Data Initiative, an organization that researches education statistics.
There’s no clear data that ranked Iowa’s schools as the best overall, but Iowa students did achieve top ranks in some subjects in the 1990s, when Sand attended. Public education rankings are issued annually by myriad organizations, using different criteria to determine where each state lies. In 2017, the first year U.S. News and World Report ranked K-12 public education, Iowa placed sixth in the nation, but that rank has fallen in the years since. Iowa ranked 26th nationally for K-12 in 2026.
However, Carol Burris, executive director of the Network for Public Education, a public education advocacy organization, said her organization gave Iowa a “D” in its 2026 report card, receiving 47 out of 100 possible points. The metrics are based on privatization — or voucher programs — home-schooling oversight, school funding, and conditions for teaching and learning. She said this places Iowa 19th from the bottom for public school rankings.
“What we’re ranking is how much support does the governor’s office, does the state house give to public education?” she said. “So we’re looking at laws, policies, and practices.”
According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2026 report, which covers 2024, Iowa’s education has worsened, with fewer preschoolers enrolled in school, lower reading proficiency in fourth and eighth grades and a lower high school graduation rate. The organization, a private philanthropy providing education resources to underserved children, ranked Iowa 27th overall in education.
In 2024, 70% of fourth graders were not proficient in reading, compared to 66% in 2019. Additionally, eighth grade math proficiency has worsened, with 67% of students not proficient in 2019 to 73% not proficient in 2024.
It’s not just Iowa that’s gotten lower marks, 47 states also fared worse in 2024 compared with 2019, the foundation’s report said. At the national level, three of the four education indicators worsened in the five-year period — math proficiency, reading proficiency and preschool attendance.
Margaret Buckton, a long-time Iowa lobbyist for the Rural School Advocates of Iowa and Urban Education Network of Iowa — nonprofit K-12 advocacy organizations — backed Sand’s statement. She said Iowa’s public school ranking has significantly dropped in the last couple of decades.
“Iowa was late to the game in having state standards,” she said. “We changed our state assessment and went through a couple of years of adapting to changes. We haven’t had the support other states have made, and the change in our population would indicate we’ve got to provide additional resources, programming, and staff for those students that are starting further behind to begin with.”
Buckton said Iowa was revered for its education in the 1990s, particularly in standardized testing. In fourth grade reading and eighth grade math in 2024, Iowa students scored close to the national average.
Our ruling
Sand said Iowa once had “the best public schools in the country,” but is now “in the bottom half.”
Several institutions rank public education by state, and by some metrics, Iowa placed highly in the past, but not number one. The state’s rankings have dropped over the last 30 years; one group ranks Iowa’s K-12 schools 26th nationwide.
Country says US must lift sanctions on its oil exports and end the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon
Iran said it has told Donald Trump it is willing to open the strait of Hormuz in six days, and to start talks on its nuclear program the day after, so long as the US lifts sanctions on Iran’s oil exports in return, ends the war on all fronts – including in Lebanon – and releases some of Iran’s frozen assets.
The proposal is designed to accelerate the steps first laid down in the memorandum of understanding signed by the US and Iran in June, particularly by helping the talks on Iran’s nuclear program start much more quickly than previously agreed.
(The Center Square) – Democrat Roy Cooper leads Republican Michael Whatley 50%-42% in a new poll released Thursday on North Carolina’s U.S. Senate seat race.
Alaska Democratic nominee in pivotal Senate race ‘struggled to deal with her grief’ after death of husband and mother, spokesperson said
Mary Peltola’s campaign on Thursday downplayed a report that the Democratic nominee in Alaska’s pivotal Senate race shoved a staffer and used slurs, saying the article exaggerated her behavior, but acknowledging she struggled following the deaths of her husband and mother.
The New York Times article published on Wednesday is based on text messages and interviews with nine former employees of Peltola, who served in the House of Representatives from 2022 till the beginning of last year and is now set to face the Republican senator Dan Sullivan in the 3 November midterm elections.
Attorney general Todd Blanche requests that justices overturn lower court ruling that halted such removals
The Trump administration has asked the US supreme court to allow it to deport immigrants to countries other than their own, the latest effort to seek approval for a controversial policy that fulfils Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Todd Blanche, the US attorney general, said on Thursday morning that the Department of Justice would ask the conservative-majority supreme court for help, nearly a week after a lower court judge rejected the policy.
Wallace and Gromit stop-motion models and other beloved creations raise money to train new generations of animators
Wallace’s reaction as the auction got into full swing might have been a trademark “good grief!” – and the enthusiasm of some of the bidding could have caused even the phlegmatic Gromit to show surprise.
Fans of Wallace and Gromit and other beloved creations of Aardman Animations seized the chance to grab souvenirs when more than 200 pieces – including Wallace, Gromit, Shaun the Sheep and Chicken Run puppets from Aardman productions – went under the hammer on Thursday.
2024 total spending: $84.3 million by its super PAC
The League of Conservation Voters is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit that works to “defeat federal candidates who will undermine environmental progress and elect environmental champions who will prioritize just and equitable climate solutions,” according to its website.
The group was founded in 1969 by activist David Brower, executive director of the Sierra Club in the 1950s and ’60s and founder of Friends of the Earth. Its current president is Pete Maysmith, who served as LCV’s senior vice president of campaigns starting in 2017. Maysmith took over as president in 2025 after his predecessor, Gene Karpinski, held the position for more than 18 years.
The League of Conservation Voters tracks the voting records of members of Congress on environmental issues in its National Environmental Scorecard. The league’s super PAC, the LCV Victory Fund, names a “Dirty Dozen,” a list of politicians whom the group aims to defeat because of their voting records on conservation issues and their political vulnerability. It has previously named a state-level “Dirty Dozen” in the past, but has not yet released one for 2026.
The super PAC primarily spends money on independent expenditures advocating for or against the election of candidates, while the traditional PAC contributes directly to candidate or party committees. Most of the super PAC’s independent expenditures support Democratic candidates and oppose Republicans.
As of Aug. 31, the super PAC had raised around $23.1 million for the 2026 election cycle, according to the Federal Election Commission. It also has spent nearly $5 million on independent expenditures.
The majority of that spending went to opposing Republican candidates, including Rep. Bill Huizenga of Michigan, Rep. Rob Wittman of Virginia, Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, and former Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan. Rogers is the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Michigan, facing off against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in a toss-up race. Huizenga and Wittman also face closely contested general elections in November.
Edwards announced in August that he would end his reelection campaign, after the House Ethics Committee found evidence of inappropriate conduct toward staffers. Edwards was subsequently censured on Sept. 1.
The super PAC has also spent over $600,000 supporting Stefany Shaheen, the Democratic candidate for the House of Representatives in New Hampshire’s 1st Congressional District.
As a super PAC, the LCV Victory Fund is required to disclose its donors to the FEC. Its largest donor through Aug. 31 was the League of Conservation Voters, the nonprofit, which has donated more than $18 million.
As a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, the League of Conservation Voters does not need to disclose its donors and can make unlimited contributions to super PACs. Spending to influence elections in which the source of the money is undisclosed is known as ”dark money” spending, as the research group OpenSecrets explains.
FactCheck.org Undergraduate Fellow James Constan contributed to this article.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org does not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Please consider a donation. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, P.O. Box 58100, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
(The Center Square) – Prisha Mosley, in pursuit of medical malpractice against a plastic surgeon, two licensed counselors and a physician among eight defendants, is optimistic for Tuesday’s oral arguments at the North Carolina Court of Appeals.
One Nation is an issue advocacy organization that says it is “dedicated to promoting commonsense conservative policies and ensuring America adheres to the vision of the Founders.” That means “a nation forged from different cultures, countries, creeds and classes – yet unified by a common commitment to freedom, responsible governance, and guaranteed individual liberties,” according to its website.
The group is the nonprofit arm of the super PAC known as the Senate Leadership Fund, or SLF PAC, which was founded in 2015 by allies of Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Both groups — led in part by Executive Director Alex Latcham, who worked on President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign — are now aligned with Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota and primarily focus on helping Republicans maintain their Senate majority.
Unlike the super PAC, One Nation, as a registered 501(c)(4) organization, is not required to disclose its donors, which makes it a so-called “dark money” group. Because it is a tax-exempt organization, and not a political action committee, One Nation files annual tax returns with the IRS rather than monthly or quarterly financial reports with the Federal Election Commission. So, we don’t yet have access to the latest information revealing how much the nonprofit has raised during the 2026 election cycle.
According to its 990 tax forms for the 2023 and 2024 tax years, One Nation received more than $170 million in “contributions and grants” during the 2024 election cycle. It also had about $176.6 million in expenses.
Notably, it has donated much of the money it raises to the affiliated Senate Leadership Fund. For the 2026 midterms, One Nation has given at least $70.7 million to SLF PAC, as of June 30, according to the super PAC’s filings with the FEC. During the 2024 elections, SLF PAC got about $63.5 million from One Nation, FEC records show.
In addition, One Nation spends a lot on communications, such as advertising, to influence policymaking. As of Sept. 23, it had spent more than $148 million on ads, including on broadcast, cable, and digital or streaming platforms, during the 2026 midterm cycle, according to the ad-tracking service AdImpact. That’s more than the nearly $109 million it spent on ads for the 2024 elections, according to AdImpact data.
So far for 2026, it has spent the most, $39 million, on ads for the Ohio Senate race, followed by more than $32 million for the Maine Senate race and about $26 million for the Georgia Senate race. On Sept. 18, we published a story about a One Nation ad that cherry-picked parts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 to overstate the impact of the law or distort the record of Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia.
The ad spending doesn’t include the amount spent on other communications such as mailers. For example, the New York Times reported in late August that One Nation had sent out at least 10 mailers to potential Maine voters, to the benefit of incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org does not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Please consider a donation. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, P.O. Box 58100, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
The aid adds to $887 million already provided, the State Department said, and will help build treatment units, safely bury bodies and expand programs to contain the spread.
Thirty-seven-year-old charged with one count of criminal damage and failing to disclose his phone pin to police
The far-right agitator and anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas has been charged with criminal damage and failing to disclose his phone pin to police following an incident in the Channel on Tuesday, where he allegedly slashed a dinghy while a French rescuer was on board.
Thomas, 37, of no fixed abode, has been charged with one count of criminal damage along with an offence under section 53 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (Ripa), for allegedly failing to comply with a notice to disclose a phone pin to police.
I refuse to play host to a man who has overseen the slaughter or injury of more than 64,000 children in Gaza with American taxpayer dollars. I refuse to be complicit in genocide
Benjamin Netanyahu belongs at The Hague; not in the streets of New York City, and certainly not before the United Nations general assembly. The international criminal court has a warrant out for his arrest for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The UN’s own commission of inquiry has found that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and named Netanyahu as its chief architect.
As the Democratic nominee for New York’s 13th congressional district, I refuse to allow a war criminal to roam the streets of our city unchallenged. I refuse to play host to a man who has overseen the slaughter or injury of more than 64,000 children in Gaza with American taxpayer dollars. I refuse to be complicit in genocide.
Darializa Avila Chevalier is the Democratic nominee for New York’s 13th congressional district
(The Center Square) – Although U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently scaled back over half of its new detention expansion initiatives, it has already spent at least $20 million taxpayer dollars that it can’t recoup, a new report shows.
A sign reading "Xi Jinping ur a Murderer" can be seen among a crowd of protestors in front of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., as President Donald Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, Sept. 24,…
Patient groups decry ‘scandalous’ delays as four integrated care boards take step due to soaring demand for diagnoses
NHS bodies are forcing people with suspected attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism to wait at least two years before they can be assessed as they struggle to meet surging demand for diagnoses of neurodiversity.
Four NHS integrated care boards (ICBs) covering large regions of England have adopted the approach because they cannot afford the cost of the number of assessments that people are seeking.
Delaware voters made their way to the polls to vote in the state’s 2026 primary election. From long-serving incumbents to newcomers on the ballot, candidates across the board made the final pushes in their campaigns in an election that yielded significant Democratic wins.
In the Democratic Party, four candidates ran to be on the ballot for Senate come Nov. 3: incumbent Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), Jeff Appelhans, Eric No-Trump Hansen and Mary Louve. The Democratic Party already has one senator in office who will not be up for reelection until the 2030 election cycle, Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.).
Appelhans was born and raised in Colorado, eventually moving to Delaware in 2010 and serving as a professor at the university for five years until 2019. Since then, he has served as a fellow of the American Philosophical Society and is a builder of artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
Appelhans’ five priorities include a 10-year constitutional renewal project, public oversight of AI, no blank checks, Medicare for all and equal citizenship.
Coons has served in the Senate on behalf of Delaware since 2010 and he is seeking his fourth term in Congress.
Coons’ policy platform is primarily focused on the economy. He claims to have secured $456 million for affordable housing, mental health, rural development, education and technology projects across the state. He serves on the Appropriations Committee, Ethics Committee, Foreign Relations Committee, Judiciary Committee and the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee in the Senate.
Hansen is a candidate who represented the Republican Party in 2024. He has positioned himself as a political outsider who is not concerned with political lines as much as getting the job done.
Hansen prioritizes three main political goals which he has campaigned on. He wants to lower the cost of living, protect jobs from the increase of AI in the workforce and end executive overreach. In opposition to the current administration, Hansen legally changed his name to include “No-Trump” as his middle name.
Louve is the final candidate for the Democratic nomination and a career naval architect with no prior political experience.
Louve wants policy changes and increased spending across most sectors. She is primarily focused on changing the family court, education and health systems. Most notably, she is pushing for the expansion of childcare along with an increase in paid maternity leave.
Coons secured the primary election with 78% of the vote, beating out Appelhan’s and Louve’s 10.6% and 7.5%, respectively.
The Republican Party had two candidates up for nomination: Michael Katz and John Shulli.
Katz is a physician and business owner who has lived in Delaware since 1996. He was initially a Democrat serving in the state Senate from 2009 to 2013. He left the Democratic Party and ran as an independent in the 2024 Senate election cycle before switching to the Republican Party prior to the 2026 election cycle. He claims that he does not care as much about party labels as he does his political goals.
Katz’s primary goals involve fighting inflation, protecting Delaware’s business infrastructure and changing the healthcare system.
Shulli is also running for the Republican nomination and has set himself as the further-right opponent of Katz
Shulli, a veteran, has stated his support for issues ranging from the Make America Healthy Again movement to the anti-transgender movement. His primary goals, outside of his social agenda, prioritize a strong and financially capable central government that can fund various programs, projects and public initiatives.
Katz defeated Shulli last night with 77.3% of the vote. He will face Coons in November.
In this primary election cycle, there are also three Republicans running for the House of Representatives: Joseph Arminio, Earl Cooper and John Whalen. The winner will face Democratic incumbent, Representative Sarah McBride (D-Del.).
Arminio is a doctor of political science who hopes to develop long-term plans to solve pressing issues. His main plan for solving the economic crisis in America is to relieve private and public debt through the use of “greenbacks,” an emergency form of currency issued by the federal government during the Civil War. He also wants to avoid involvement in overseas conflicts, favoring negotiations with other countries rather than spending money on wars.
Cooper is a reverend who blends his religious views with his political views to shape policy. He is also the owner of Everyone Can Achieve, a construction company that hires from underrepresented communities and provides paths to homeownership for employees.
Cooper places a strong emphasis on the young people and the senior citizens of Delaware. He has created and helped with various programs across the state that help young people access the education and training they need to succeed. He has also committed to opening up a senior helpline on the first day in office.
Whalen is a retired member of the Delaware Department of Public Safety and a long-time citizen of Delaware. Whalen is campaigning for the government to be stricter with its implementation of policy.
Whalen supports an increased crackdown on illegal immigration and a sterner approach toward foreign relations. In terms of economic policy, he believes in cutting government services that do not operate efficiently while also pulling aid from immigrants and higher education. A majority of Whalen’s views are based on the belief that the government is not doing its job well and that its role should be more limited.
In the Republican House primary, Arminio won 47.9% of the vote, beating out Whalen and Cooper’s 32.2% and 20%, respectively. Arminio will face McBride in November.
This primary season is being used as a testing ground as establishment candidates across the country are being unseated. Now, both Democrats and Republicans are trying to set their parties up for success come the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
Republicans are accusing Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Roy Cooper of mismanaging the North Carolina Division of Motor Vehicles while he was governor.
Cooper is running for the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-NC, who isn’t seeking reelection. Cooper faces Republican Michael Whatley in a race that could help determine party control of the U.S. Senate. Green Party candidate Michael Dublin and Libertarian Shannon Bray are also running.
The Republican National Committee, which Whatley chaired prior to his Senate run, targeted Cooper in a Sept. 2 social media post.
“54% of North Carolina commercial driver’s licenses were issued illegally to foreign nationals,” the RNC Research’s account posted, adding: “More Americans are put in harm’s way every day because of Democrat Governor Roy Cooper.”
Is it true that more than half of North Carolina’s commercial driver’s licenses were issued illegally to foreign nationals?
No. That’s a misleading figure based on an incomplete data sample. Only a fraction of 1% of the state’s CDLs were incorrectly issued to noncitizens, according to records from the North Carolina DMV, and none of the drivers who received them were in the country illegally.
Where the RNC got its number
Last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration — a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation — reviewed commercial drivers licenses, or CDLs, issued in 25 states and discovered errors in North Carolina’s database.
The administration looked at a sample of CDLs issued to 50 noncitizens. Of those 50 CDLs, the administration found that 27 of the records — or 54% of the sample — failed to comply with federal law for issuing CDLs.
For instance, in 19 of the cases, the DMV issued CDLs that were valid longer than the license-holder was allowed to reside in the U.S. In eight of the cases, the federal agency found the state DMV issued licenses without verifying that the driver was legally allowed in the U.S.
The U.S. Department of Transportation outlined its findings in a Jan. 8 letter to North Carolina’s DMV, calling on state leaders to take corrective action or risk losing federal funding. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that he would withhold $50 million from North Carolina if the state didn’t fix the problems identified in the letter.
“North Carolina’s failure to follow the rules isn’t just shameful — it’s dangerous,” Duffy said in a statement calling on the state’s DMV administrators to “clean up their system.”
What full records show
The North Carolina DMV responded by reviewing all of its licenses issued to noncitizens, said Marty Homan, a spokesperson for the North Carolina DMV. Among its 325,114 active CDLs, the state found that 8,540 — or about 2.6% — had been issued to noncitizens, Homan said.
Among the noncitizens’ licenses, 1,149 — or about 0.35% of all CDLs — had administrative errors, but none were issued to immigrants in the country illegally. The primary issue with more than 900 of the 1,149 licenses with issues: a discrepancy between the license’s expiration date and the driver’s U.S. work authorization expiration date, Homan said.
If the DMV’s review found that a CDL wasn’t issued correctly, the agency downgraded the driver’s license. The DMV also mailed the driver a letter to say that his license would be canceled entirely if he didn’t visit a DMV office to rectify the issue within 20 days, Homan said.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on July 21 approved the DMV’s plan for correcting the issues. As a result, federal funds for North Carolina’s transportation projects are no longer in jeopardy, Homan said.
In a July 21 letter to the DMV, the federal agency said it “acknowledges the actions the State has taken to address previously issued non-compliant licenses” and “appreciates North Carolina’s continued efforts to address the deficiencies identified.”
After PolitiFact shared the state DMV’s statements with the RNC, the organization credited the Trump administration for the changes, saying in an email that “Roy Cooper’s Democrat buddies caved to Republicans’ pressure and cleaned up their act.”
Our ruling
The RNC said that “54% of North Carolina commercial driver’s licenses were issued illegally to foreign nationals.”
That’s wrong. A thorough review of North Carolina’s 325,000-plus CDLs found that 1,149 — or 0.35% — were issued incorrectly to noncitizens, state officials said, and none of the drivers were in the country illegally. The RNC drew its figure from a sampling of commercial driver’s licenses issued in North Carolina, but it misconstrued the number’s meaning.
Agentic AI is currently a hot topic in the scientific community: during the Trillion Parameter Consortium’s autumn hackathon at the LRZ, teams presented practical solutions designed to make supercomputers more accessible and research projects more efficient.
Sept. 24, 2026 — In the seminar rooms of the Leibniz Supercomputing Centre (LRZ), small groups stand in front of flipcharts discussing diagrams. Or they sit together, coding on laptops, only occasionally breaking the concentrated silence: in early September, 30 researchers from European and US supercomputing centers worked intensively on artificial intelligence (AI) systems or models for science and research. The Trillion Parameter Consortium (TPC) Europe had invited participants to the LRZ for the autumn hackathon.
Shaping AI: Participants at the TPC Autumn Hackathon at the LRZ discussed AI concepts and developed practical solutions. Image Credit: LRZ | A. Schuffert.
“At the TPC hackathons, plans and discussions turn into action,” said Prof. Charles Catlett, Senior Computer Scientist of Argonne National Lab (ANL) and a member of the TPC strategy team. “During the event, participants can get to know potential collaboration partners and their working methods, plan projects together, work on ideas in a practical way, or share experiences and ensure that these spread more quickly throughout the community.”
Research and Promotion of AI
In the light of the rapid global spread of generative AI tools and the risks they pose, the TPC was launched during the SC23 supercomputing conference by ANL, the Japanese RIKEN Centre and European Barcelona Supercomputing Centre (BSC). “TPC aims to become a sustainable movement for the use of AI in science and to promote research into it, as well as trustworthy programs,” explained Catlett. In addition to regular hackathons, TPC organizes conferences and workshops worldwide and publishes tutorials on AI-supported research.
From the outset, European high-performance computing centers such as the LRZ have actively supported this community. Consequently, TPC Europe was established in Barcelona in 2024, its own office and organizational structures followed in spring 2026 with the funding of the EuroTPC Project by EuroHPC Joint Undertaking: During the TPC annual conference 2026 in Boston in early June, members from Europe met at the LRZ. Some of their presentations were streamed to the US and to other satellite events, and vice versa. Two of the four TPC hackathons of the year took place in Europe, in spring at CINECA in Italy, in fall at LRZ in Garching.
“Within the EuroTPC Project, the LRZ has taken on the task of drawing up a EuroTPC roadmap,” said Dr. Nicolay Hammer, head of the LRZ’s Big Data & AI (BDAI) team. “To this end, we are currently gathering recommendations and topics from researchers and institutes to devise EU strategies and foster the use of AI in science.”
Agentic AI will feature very prominently as a topic in this context. Special tasks were already suggested for the TPC hackathon in the context of agentic use of AI workflows. In those cases large language models coordinate jobs in data processing together with other AI tools and interact with them to carry out actions.
For example, one of the teams at LRZ worked on agentic workflows to develop hypothesis generation for protein. Another working group from the Gauss Supercomputing Centre (GCS) developed initial workflows to enable an AI agent to adapt code to various supercomputers, thereby simplifying access to a wide range of HPC systems.
“For me, the most important thing during the TPC hackathons is the exchange of ideas; it also allows me to learn about different approaches or how technology is used,” said Mitja Sainio, a Machine Learning (ML) engineer at the Finnish CSC – IT for Science Centre, who collaborated with the GCS team. In addition, the hands-on work helps building networks of contacts that AI specialists can turn to for practical advice in their day-to-day work.
Networks for Practical Issues
Energy efficiency is another issue for which solutions were sought during the TPC hackathon.
“The more agentic AI is used, the more energy is consumed due to inference workloads,” said LRZ researcher Ajay Navilarekal. “We need to limit that.”
In light of initial incidents and risky system attacks by AI agents, the risks and boundary violations associated with agent-based systems were also on the agenda: to protect data and prevent these digital assistants from running wild, another team from GCS worked on developing security strategies on how authentication and authorization workflows would look like for AI agents.
Alongside more technical issues, a focus was on AI-supported research: for example, a team from the Munich Centre for Machine Learning (MCML) investigated how researchers can use language models to formulate benchmarking algorithms and develop them more quickly. Meanwhile, another group focused on risk prevention and pandemic preparedness with the help of AI.
“The seven working groups pursued different objectives at the TPC Hackathon,” said Navilarekal. “Some wanted to develop an initial, simple prototype that they could continue working on separately, whilst others arrived with code that they wanted to optimise and expand upon. In any case, working together has led to progress.”
It also provided inspiration – Catlett from ANL prompted the discussions to consider how AI agents could safeguard and enrich urban life by analyzing environmental data from cameras and sensors. Dr. Miguel Vazquez from the BSC and Dr. Arvind Ramanathan from ANL, who develop AI systems for bioinformatics and genomics research, gained new impetus, potential collaboration partners and ideas for projects. “The TPC community brings together a unique pool of expertise,” notes Vazquez. “This will enable us to successfully establish AI and agentic AI across all areas of research.”
Israel’s leader delivered a blistering defense of his country, appealing to voters back home and condemning critics including New York mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Court says Chad Bianco’s conduct unlawful and seizure of ballots ‘creates substantial risk to election integrity’
California Republican sheriff Chad Bianco must return more than 650,000 ballots his department confiscated earlier this year in an unprecedented move that violated election law, a state supreme court ruled on Thursday.
“Allowing law enforcement unfettered access to ballots, or the ability to handle and count them in secret, based on unregulated protocols, itself creates a substantial risk to election integrity,” the chief justice, Patricia Guerrero, wrote in a Thursday opinion.
CORRECTION, Sept. 25, 2026: We updated the fact-check to include additional information about SB 14 and James Talarico’s 2023 comments about it. The rating remains unchanged.
Republicans focusing on transgender issues in competitive midterm races leveled accusations against Texas Democratic U.S. Senate nominee James Talarico.
“Talarico supported using taxpayer dollars for sex change surgeries on young children,” said the ad from Texas PAC, connected to the Senate Leadership Fund. Talarico is running against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican.
The ad ended with an echo to the last federal election cycle.
“Radical Liberal James Talarico, for they/them, not you,” the ad said, referencing President Donald Trump’s 2024 ad that used the phrase “Kamala Harris is for they-them, not you.”
Similar messaging has been used in midterm election ads across the country, an effort to tap into a strategy that was successful for Trump in 2024 — although experts told PolitiFact it’s unclear whether the attacks will benefit Republicans this year.
The Senate Leadership Fund did not respond to a request for comment.
Gender transition surgery for minors isexceedingly rare, and no medical guidelines support providing it for young children. Any medical care for transgender minors — which may include puberty blockers and hormone therapy — requires parental consent.
The attack centers on a 2023 vote by Talarico, who is a state representative, against SB 14, which banned gender-affirming medical interventions for children. The ad also cited Talarico saying in 2019 that it was “abusive” to deny a child’s gender identity and in March that protecting transgender Texans is something “we have to do every day.”
The claim rests on his vote against a bill that would have prohibited surgeries and other gender-affirming medical interventions for children and the use of public money for such procedures. Talarico said this month the legislation was overly broad and potentially harmful to medical care for people who aren’t transgender. In 2023, the year the bill passed, he called it one of the “three most dangerous LGBTQ attack bills” that year in Texas and said gender-affirming care is “important healthcare” for transgender children.
When contacted for comment, Talarico’s campaign called the ad a “lie.”
“As James has said, he opposes gender reassignment surgery for minors,” said campaign spokesperson JT Ennis.
Talarico made multiple comments in 2023 about leaving decisions regarding gender-affirming care to doctors and families, including during the Aug. 7, 2023, Pflugerville Pride Legislative Panel, when he said about SB 14, “The reason I oppose that bill is because I trust parents and doctors to make decisions for kids, and not politicians in Austin.”
Talarico’s 2023 vote
SB 14, which became law, “prohibits medical professionals from providing puberty-inhibiting drugs, cross-sex hormones, and surgical interventions to children under 18 for the purpose of altering a child’s biological characteristics to align with their perceived gender identity.” It also bars the use of “public money or public assistance to provide those procedures and treatments.”
Talarico said this month that his aim in 2023 was to narrow the legislation’s scope.
“If you go back and check, I voted for a major amendment to limit the bill to banning surgeries for minors,” Talarico told Fox News earlier this month.
We checked: Talarico voted for all 18 unsuccessful Democratic amendments. Talarico also requested to add a provision that would have killed the legislation if the Health and Human Services Commission determined there were “high-quality, long-term studies demonstrating the efficacy and safety of” therapies, puberty blockers or surgery that helped children overcome gender dysphoria.
Talarico was one of the 56 lawmakers who voted against the bill May 15, 2023. It passed the Texas House with 87 yeas, was approved by the state Senate 31-0 two days later and became law Sept. 1, 2023.
Talarico’s campaign told PolitiFact that part of his rationale was that the bill would negatively affect Texans who aren’t transgender but need hormonal therapies as part of their medical care. That turned out to be true, according to a March 2026 story by The Texas Tribune chronicling one family’s struggle for endocrinology healthcare after the bill passed.
“It’s why I try to use amendments, to narrow the focus of the bill so that it does exactly what we intend it to do,” Talarico told Fox News on Sept. 9. “It’s what I tried to do with that piece of legislation, and unfortunately, the amendment I supported was unsuccessful.”
“As a lawmaker, my job is to try to sift through everything the bill does,” Talarico told Fox News. “And sometimes there’s stuff in it that’s really harmful, and I have no choice but to oppose the bill as a whole.”
The year SB 14 became law, Talarico talked about its potential harms to transgender children. He said during the Pflugerville Pride 2023 Legislative Panel that the legislation would deny “life-saving health care from our trans youth in Texas.”
In June, Talarico began moderating his stance about two weeks after he won the primary runoff. When asked on the podcast “Codgell Law Uncensored” if he was “pro sex surgery for minors,” Talarico said: “I oppose gender-reassignment surgeries for minors.” He recently said he’s in favor of a national ban on gender-reassignment surgery for minors.
Our ruling
An ad from Texas PAC says Talarico “supported using taxpayer dollars for sex change surgeries on young children.”
In 2023, Talarico voted against Texas’ SB 14, which prohibited gender-affirming medical interventions for children and the use of public money for such procedures. The ad singles out gender transition surgery, which is rare for minors and not recommended for young children.
Talarico said this month he voted against the bill because it was too broad and would take healthcare away from people who are not transgender. The year the bill passed, he expressed concern about the harm it could cause to transgender children.
Talarico did not vote in support of public funding for surgeries for young children.
Crystal Mason has spent nearly a decade fighting conviction for casting provisional ballot that ultimately wasn’t counted
The nearly decade-long case of a Black Texas woman who was sentenced to five years in prison in a controversial illegal voting case will end with an acquittal, the state’s highest criminal court said in a 5-4 decision on Thursday.
The woman, Crystal Mason, has been appealing against the case ever since her 2018 conviction for casting a provisional ballot that ultimately wasn’t counted. In 2024, the Texas court of criminal appeals acquitted her in the case. The local prosecutor handling the case appealed that ruling to Texas’s highest criminal court, which initially agreed to hear it. But on Thursday, the court reversed itself, and said it would not hear an appeal, letting the acquittal stand. It did not offer any explanation for why.
Sept. 24, 2026 — The Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC–CNS) is co-leading development of Spain’s National Cancer Data Node to help researchers securely access, share and analyze data for oncology research.
The goal is to progressively onboard all key stakeholders generating relevant data across Spain’s cancer research ecosystem, including research centers, hospitals, and national and international projects, into the newly launched Node, which is now advancing through its initial phase.
Salvador Capella, BSC lead in the National Cancer Data Node.
Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities Diana Morant highlighted that through this initiative, “we are placing public science data and capabilities at the service of research to further advance toward increasingly precise and personalized medicine, specifically in the fight against cancer.”
The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), through the Carlos III Health Institute (ISCIII), is driving the development of the Spanish National Cancer Data Node to enhance oncology research by facilitating and organizing the secure use of cancer R&D data. This dataset encompasses clinical, epidemiological, genomic, multi-omic, imaging, pathological, and therapeutic response data.
The initiative forms part of the IMPaCT Precision Medicine Infrastructure under its Data Science Program (IMPaCT-Data) and is co-led by the National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), the Cancer Area of the Biomedical Research Network (CIBER-ISCIII), and the Barcelona Supercomputing Center – Centro Nacional de Supercomputación (BSC–CNS).
Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities Diana Morant highlighted that through this initiative, “we are placing public science data and capabilities at the service of research to further advance toward increasingly precise and personalized medicine, specifically in the fight against cancer.”
“The National Cancer Data Node represents a major step forward in connecting the knowledge generated by our researchers, ensuring that this insight translates into new breakthroughs in oncology research,” she explained.
A Shared Space for Cancer Research Data
Data generated within research consortia and projects is typically shared among participating scientists. However, these efforts often rely on disparate access models, standards, and tools that lack standardization.
The National Cancer Data Node, now underway in its initial phases, aims to streamline the use and reuse of this data through interoperable standards. To achieve this, FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) will be applied to both data and the software tools required for analysis.
This project aligns with EU efforts under the recently established European Health Data Space, fostering secure information sharing and integration across borders.
The Data Node concept originated within the EOSC4Cancer project, coordinated by BSC with over 20 participating European organizations, and was developed alongside key national partners including CIBER Cancer and CNIO.
The goal is for all actors in the Spanish cancer research ecosystem generating relevant data, such as research centers, hospitals, national and international projects, public administrations, and patient support organizations, to progressively integrate into the Node.
National and European Cooperation
Coordinated data and tool sharing, both nationally and in partnership with Europe, will enable the scientific community to work more efficiently to better understand the disease.
Coordinated data access will accelerate the discovery of potential new treatments, ultimately helping improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
“The launch of the National Cancer Data Node serves as a practical, real-world example of how collaboration across diverse organizations, initiatives, and projects, both nationally and across Europe, can accelerate the study of these diseases by leveraging distributed data and cutting-edge techniques, including federated learning for AI model development,” detailed Salvador Capella, BSC lead in the National Cancer Data Node.
Fast and Seamless Access
The Node will give researchers fast, seamless access to extensive data catalogs and high-performance computing analytical tools, establishing a common access platform for all players in the cancer research ecosystem.
It also guarantees a secure environment for managing oncology R&D data by uniting the talent and resources of different biomedical and healthcare structures nationwide.
Furthermore, the initiative will facilitate the progressive integration of knowledge generated by existing projects and future research endeavors. For its deployment, the Spanish node benefits from being one of the most comprehensive and diverse, coordinated by a team of leading scientific organizations with highly complementary capabilities.
In this way, the National Cancer Data Node will pave the way toward a more connected research ecosystem, where data and tools can be shared and reused in a coordinated manner to expand cancer knowledge and drive oncology research forward.
Zafer Dogan was jailed for two years and four months after he was convicted of taking thousands of pictures of women and girls before using AI technology to turn them into nude images.
With Congress unable to rein in President Donald Trump’s war against Iran through legislative action, a group advocating for diplomacy filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration arguing the military action violates the Constitution.
National Iranian American Council Action on Thursday filed its suit in a Washington federal court asking a judge to declare the war on Iran illegal on the basis that it violates the Declare War Clause of the Constitution.
“Can one person decide, on his own, to keep an entire nation at war?”
“No President should have the power to take this country into an indefinite war by himself,” NIAC President Jamal Abdi said in a statement. “Congress never authorized this war. Yet Iranian families are being bombed, American service members have been killed, and communities on both sides are being forced to bear the consequences. This lawsuit asks a fundamental question: Can one person decide, on his own, to keep an entire nation at war?”
The lawsuit was filed as the Senate prepared to vote on a resolution seeking to stop the war. A floor vote on the resolution, which already passed the House of Representatives, failed in the upper chamber Thursday afternoon after senators shot it down in a 49–50 split.
“We’ve unfortunately seen this Congress fail its job of standing up for their constitutional role as the sole body empowered to declare war,” Abdi told The Intercept. “That’s why we are pursuing every option at our disposal, including taking the challenge against this unconstitutional war to the courts.”
Both the Senate vote and NIAC Action’s lawsuit took on new urgency after Trump used his United Nations General Assembly speech on Tuesday to threaten to “annihilate” Iran, a country of 90 million people.
“When Trump is threatening annihilation of another country in a war of aggression,” Abdi said, “it is all hands on deck to stop this full-blown constitutional crisis before it gets worse.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Seven Months of War
Trump, in partnership with the Israeli military, launched the war against Iran on February 28 with a sudden barrage of airstrikes and missile attacks that left numerous top Iranian leaders dead and killed hundreds of civilians. The early days of the attack saw a missile strike on a school in the town of Minab that killed more than 100 children, which the United Nations declared to be a possible war crime.
It was days later, on March 2, that Trump notified Congress of the initiation of hostilities. In the ensuing months, the war has turned into a regional conflagration. Israel invaded Lebanon, leaving thousands of people killed and tens of thousands more displaced.
Meanwhile, retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Iran against the U.S., Israel, and their allies in the Persian Gulf have severely impacted the region and led to a shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz that has hobbled global fuel markets. And missile fire from the Houthis, the militant group that controls much of Yemen, shut down shipping through the Red Sea’s Bab al-Mandab Strait, further straining the global economy and spurring a Saudi military response.
The initial attacks, thousands of deaths, and cascading economic fallout of the war all took place without the consent of the American people, a fact that NIAC Action’s attorneys cast in the lawsuit as a clear violation of Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, which grants Congress the exclusive power to declare war.
“The Constitution does not permit a President to wage war indefinitely and ask Congress for permission later,” said attorney Alan Morrison. “Congress never authorized this war, yet months later the bombing and blockade continued. We are asking the Court to enforce the constitutional line between the President’s authority as Commander in Chief and Congress’s exclusive authority to take the country to war.”
“Calling a war a ‘military operation’ or an ‘excursion’ does not erase the Declare War Clause.”
Though Trump has sought to bypass Congress in pursuing the war through the use of semantics, he has repeatedlyundermined that effort with public statements declaring that his military action is a war, NIAC Action’s complaint noted.
“Calling a war a ‘military operation’ or an ‘excursion’ does not erase the Declare War Clause,” said attorney Bruce Fein in a statement. “The question before the Court is whether the President can continue these hostilities without the authorization the Constitution requires.”
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of several NIAC Action members who have been personally impacted by the war. Several of their family members have been killed, wounded, or otherwise terrorized by the monthslong campaign of airstrikes carried out by the U.S. and its allies. One member joining the suit, Nilma Dilmaghani, described the horror of learning that a cousin had been badly wounded in an airstrike that destroyed a family apartment.
“When I learned that my cousin had been trapped under the rubble, that they had lost their home and suffered such serious injuries, I felt completely helpless,” said Dilmaghani. “It is unbearable to watch your family live through this from thousands of miles away and know there is nothing you can do to keep them safe.”
“AI will kill us all.” That’s the mantra we’ve heard repeatedly this month from researchers at frontier AI labs, who have called for a global pause in AI development, ostensibly to protect humanity. That’s nonsense, said Department of Energy’s Under Secretary for Science Darío Gil, who neither backs a pause nor thinks AI poses an existential threat. In fact, Gil says there’s a better chance that AI will substantially improve the quality of life by accelerating progress in science and engineering, which is the goal of the DoE’s Genesis Mission project.
“No, I definitely do not think it’s going to kill humanity,” Gil told HPCwire this week. “I think there’s zero chance that we are going to end up with that prediction, of eliminating all of humanity.”
Gil, who is heading up the DoE’s Genesis Mission effort to harness AI, quantum, and HPC to drive progress in scientific discovery and engineering, would much rather talk about the big upside of AI and the benefits that it can bring to humanity, rather than how AI could end us.
“Instead of spending 99% of the debate and the effort on this [AI doomerism], why don’t we actually solve fusion and personalized medicine and cancer, materials, and devote a lot of our energy to go and deliver that?” he told us. “You will see how much better the world will be as a consequence of the work we do.”
Focusing on AI Upside
There’s never been a better time to be a scientist and an engineer, thanks to the new capabilities that AI is helping to unlock, Gil said. The DoE program has a list of 33 national science and technology challenges, with titles like “Unlocking Cures for Pediatric Cancer,” “Accelerating the Delivery of Fusion Energy,” and “Securing America’s Critical Minerals Supply,” that it and other federal agencies are spending $5 billion to tackle.
“The list of challenges we put out–you read them, you’re inspired by them,” Gil said. “That’s what we’re going to need to solve. AI is going to help us solve [them] partially along with a lot of humans and a lot of other capability to go do it. It’s a wonderful time to go do that. And that part is being drowned by this whole other side of the equation. And it’s a real pity.”
Gil takes issue with the fear that well-respected scientists and researchers are spreading in the general public. It’s natural that people believe Nobel laureates and other accomplished scientists, but it’s also unfortunate that that they’re misleading the public about the actual risks that AI poses, he said.
“Very respectable, qualified people in their domain issuing predictions that sound scientific, like there’s a 10% chance or 15% chance” that we’ll all die, Gil said. “That’s just the opinion of this person that has made up a number with no scientific basis.”
A good example is Geoffrey Hinton, who has been called the Godfather of AI thanks to his extensive contributions to the field and is a Nobel laureate. Earlier this month, Hinton told BBC said that 10% was “not an unreasonable estimate” on the odds that AI will kill everyone on Earth within a decade.
Geoff Hinton said it’s reasonable to think there’s a 10% chance that AI will kill all humans within 10 years
“Geoffrey Hinton is an amazing scientist,” Gil said. “But his track record of prediction outside of his field is quite poor.”
Gil recalls a prediction that Hinton made a decade ago, in which he said that we should stop training radiologists because it was clear then that deep learning was able to interpret X-rays better than humans.
“How did that prediction turn out?” Gil said. “There’s actually a scarcity now of radiologists. When we in the scientific community issue predictions outside our area of expertise, leveraging our credibility, we can do serious harm to society when we don’t do that properly.”
Managing AI Risk
That is not to say that Hinton sees no upside to AI, nor that Gil sees no risk from AI. “This is a wonderful technology that can make life much better for lots of people,” Hinton said in his BBC interview. “It’s also extremely dangerous.”
Gil recognizes that AI poses risks. The recent hack of Hugging Face by rouge OpenAI agents, for example–and more recent news that the government of Australia was also targeted by OpenAI agents–are cause for concern. However, the initial frame of the story, that we are facing superintelligent AI hacking agents that are unstoppable, has shifted. As more information has come out over the incident, the concern has shifted to what steps did OpenAI take to contain the agents and prevent them from attacking others.
“It was obvious in the Hugging Face incident that the containment environments that were set up in the software environment were inadequate, by their own admission,” Gil said. “It was misconfigured. They didn’t have the right safeguards and protections, and that led to bad consequences. Had that been better engineered–and that would mean more resources–we would not have had that incident.”
Instead of a global pause on AI development, Gil encourages the frontier labs to spend more time testing their models to ensure they’re not going to harm people before releasing them to the world.
“The ratio of capability to testing in many of the frontier sites is not correct,” Gil said. “They need to accelerate the amount of time they’re spending on creating technology to test and to evaluate and to make the model safe.”
In addition to taking responsibility to ensure that their products are safe, the frontier labs should also fortify their sandbox environments to prevent agents from escaping during testing, Gil said.
(Jack_the_sparow/Shutterstock)
“The containment and isolation of environments needs to improve greatly,” he said. “This is an engineering [issue], a technically solvable problem.”
Taking Responsibility for AI Products
Gil is not a fan of the federal government granting a product liability waiver to the frontier AI labs, which is an idea that has been floated this month. Gil had a clear message to AI developers who want a waiver: Take responsibility for your own products.
“They are amazing companies that are developing incredible capabilities. They are aware of the problem,” Gil said. “They have the best AI talent in the world. And all we’re saying is: You’re aware of the problem, do something about it. Don’t tell the citizens of America ‘You all need to worry about my AI engineering.’”
“It’s your responsibility that you don’t do the wrong thing,” Gil continued. “You have agency . You have a lot of resources. So if you feel you need to take longer time to do release cycles so that it’s safe, then take more time.”
Gil values the work that the frontier labs are doing, and says the work is instrumental to the Genesis Mission. OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google are contributing AI models and tokens to the DoE project, which launched in November 2025 with the goal to accelerate American scientific and engineering productivity through the application of AI. They are members of the Genesis Mission Consortium.
“They are core partners of ours,” Gil said. “We have partnerships both with the frontier proprietary models in the United States but also with open-source companies. There’s a whole host of startups…that are building these frontier capability models that are open source as well. We think that’s very important. So we are working with all of them.”
Developing AI Best Practices
Phase 1 projects for the Genesis Mission are currently underway, and bigger Phase 2 projects are expected to be announced soon. There are 278 Phase 1 projects, many of which are led by the DoE’s National Labs, along with participation from universities and private companies. A core element of these Genesis Mission projects is setting up policies and procedures for evaluating and measuring the results of the projects.
AI governance is largely an afterthought in the LLM race (Aree_S/Shutterstock)
“An essential part of this journey is to say, how do you do this?” Gil said. “Part of the approach is to share the best practices of what works–including security, by the way, which is fundamental–such that we develop through Genesis the gold standard approach of how to rigorously apply AI for science and engineering.”
The advent of large language models is driving trillions of dollars in private-sector investment at the moment, creating a technology boom that is reverberating across all sectors. Every business is trying to figure out how to use this powerful new technology, and AI researchers are competing fiercely to drive rapid improvements in capabilities.
The result is unparalleled breakthroughs in areas of academia and science. AI is solving old math problems that escaped solution for years. McKinsey reports that AI is accelerating drug discovery.
“We’ve lost the whole narrative as to why are we creating the technology in the first place, which is the central thesis of Genesis, which is, look, we want to harness this computer revolution to solve problems that greatly matter to our fellow citizens,” Gil said. “We want to go and solve fusion. We want to go and drive massive breakthroughs in personalized medicine. We want to engineer novel materials to avoid corrosion in cars and airplanes. We want better battery technology. We want to model the grid a thousand times faster.”
Instead of endless philosophizing, Genesis Mission is seeking real-world applications of AI in science and engineering. Gil would like nothing more than for this type of progress to be the focus of AI.
“That aspect of aligning the AI industry towards purpose, not just in rhetoric and in panels, but actually doing work and then applying better engineering principles on how you actually develop the technology, test it, and only release safe products–that balance is what we need to shift,” he said. “The current debate is really, really poor.”
CARSON CITY, Nevada — Nevada election officials say they found zero confirmed noncitizens among 185 voters recently flagged by the Trump administration, further undercutting an earlier federal claim that nearly 16,000 noncitizens could be registered in the state.
“Our records indicate that they were citizens,” Deputy Attorney General Greg Ott wrote to Department of Homeland Security officials Wednesday, adding that DHS had provided “nothing of substance to suggest otherwise.” Nevada officials cautioned that DHS supplied only voter case numbers rather than names, birth dates and addresses, making exact matches uncertain because duplicate case numbers can exist in the state system.
The administration initially claimed as many as 15,903 noncitizens were registered in Nevada. Federal officials later acknowledged they had actually identified only 185 potential cases, describing the larger figure as a ceiling rather than a verified count.
Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said his office takes noncitizen voting seriously but has yet to receive evidence supporting DHS’s claims. Previous Nevada investigations have also found very few potential cases.
FactCheck.org has similarly found that federal data-matching systems can incorrectly flag U.S. citizens, including recently naturalized voters. It also reports no evidence that noncitizen voting occurs on a widespread scale.
The administration nevertheless continues a nationwide voter-fraud initiative, deploying federal investigators and attorneys ahead of the November election.
GAO documents array of costly problems as ICE pursues controversial plans to rapidly increase detention capacity
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies have wasted tens of millions of dollars pursuing controversial plans to rapidly increase detention capacity – and the total will likely rise due to continuing mismanagement, congressional investigators warned on Thursday.
The US government accountability office (GAO) documented costly problems in several initiatives ICE has pursued since Donald Trump returned to office in January 2025 and ordered the mass arrest and deportation of people his administration has deemed should be forced out of the country.
Deference was deafening as US president rolled out red carpet for world’s biggest jailer of journalists – perhaps he was seeking tips
One is an authoritarian who represses the media and has a strong allergy to democratic elections. The other is head of the Chinese Communist party.
Donald Trump welcomed the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, to the White House on Thursday, setting the stage for a scene quite unlike anything the august old building has seen over more than two centuries.
America PAC is a super PAC that was created in 2024 by the world’s richest person, Elon Musk, who co-founded Tesla and SpaceX, and owns the X social media platform.
In a July 2024 interview, Musk said the idea behind America PAC is “to promote the principles that make America great in the first place.” In a post on X that month, Musk wrote that “key values of the PAC are supporting a meritocracy & individual freedom,” which he said Republicans “mostly, but not entirely” support.
More than half of the $261.2 million the super PAC reported spending during the 2024 election cycle went to helping elect Donald Trump, whom Musk endorsed for president. The group also spent millions of dollars backing the House and Senate campaigns of other Republicans.
According to its most recent quarterly filing with the Federal Election Commission, America PAC, as of June 30, had raised more than $50.3 million for the 2026 election cycle — almost all donated by Musk or his United States of America Inc. — but spent only about $87,000 on independent expenditures supporting federal candidates (two Republicans who won specialelections in April 2025 to represent Florida congressional districts). Independent expenditures are advertisements and other communications that expressly advocate for or against candidates for office.
Musk had said at an economic forum in May 2025 that he planned to “do a lot less in the future” in terms of political spending. “I think I’ve done enough,” he said.
However, this past July, the New York Times reported that Musk finally planned to get involved in the 2026 midterms and had “authorized his super PAC to spend $100 million to $120 million on a new field program in at least eight states to help elect Republicans in November, according to two people briefed on the plans, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private deliberations.”
The Times said America PAC planned to initially focus on Senate races in Alaska, Iowa, Maine, Michigan and Ohio, and was considering spending in North Carolina, Georgia and Texas. The group is also expected to spend on House races in California, Wisconsin and Washington.
Axios reported that the effort would be led by Chris Young, a Republican political operative and adviser to Musk, and “will focus on door-knocking, digital advertising and direct mail aimed at turning out the conservative base,” particularly Republican voters who often skip the midterms.
The Times said that America PAC is “closely coordinating” its field campaign work with two other conservative groups, Americans for Prosperity and the Sentinel Action Fund.
Of the ads the super PAC has run so far, a number have attacked Democratic Senate candidates on transgender issues. America PAC had spent more than $3.7 million on mostly digital or streaming ads, as of Sept. 23, according to the ad-tracking service AdImpact.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org does not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Please consider a donation. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, P.O. Box 58100, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — The Florida Supreme Court has ordered Circuit Judge J. Layne Smith to appear for a public reprimand after he told attorneys during a contentious hearing that he would like a deputy to “pull his gun and shoot all three of you.”
The court unanimously accepted the Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission’s recommended discipline Thursday, saying Smith’s conduct “fell far below the standard of professionalism” expected of judges. Smith serves Florida’s Second Judicial Circuit and was appointed to the bench by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2020.
The incident occurred during a September 2025 hearing in a long-running family dispute. Frustrated that attorneys could not confirm whether a party had been properly served, Smith made the shooting remark before immediately adding that he did not actually want the deputy to do so. He also mocked the lawyers as the “Keystone Cops” and “Apple Dumpling Gang.”
The Judicial Qualifications Commission found that Smith violated six judicial ethics provisions. Rather than contest the allegations, Smith acknowledged the misconduct, self-reported his behavior and agreed to the proposed punishment.
Smith recused himself from the underlying case about a week after the hearing and later issued a public apology. The Supreme Court did not suspend or fine him, but ordered him to appear personally for the reprimand at a date to be scheduled.
Legislators sent letter to Marco Rubio saying US interference is weakening Brazil’s democratic institutions
A group of 31 Democratic members of the US Congress has sent a letter to the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, criticising the Trump administration over “an apparent effort to interfere with, and potentially undermine” Brazil’s elections.
Latin America’s largest country will hold the first round of its presidential election on 4 October, with polls showing a technical tie between the incumbent leftist president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the far-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro.
WinSenate is a super PAC that works to elect Democrats to the U.S. Senate. It was created during the 2024 election cycle and is affiliated with the Senate Majority PAC, or SMP, another liberal super PAC with the goal of helping Democrats win Senate races.
Super PACs are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money on elections, as long as their contributions are not made to candidate committees and independent expenditures are not coordinated with candidate campaigns. Each super PAC must regularly report its expenditures and donations to the Federal Election Commission.
During the 2024 elections, WinSenate received and spent about $313.1 million, with almost every dollar being contributed by the Senate Majority PAC. WinSenate spent nearly $311.3 million on independent expenditures, which are ads and other communications advocating for or against the election of a candidate. More than $287 million of that amount was spent against Republican Senate candidates, and about $24.2 million was spent supporting Democratic candidates, according to OpenSecrets, which tracks political spending.
For the 2026 midterms, WinSenate reported receiving about $21.1 million – all from SMP – as of Aug. 31, according to its latest monthly filing with the FEC. It also reported spending almost $12.5 million on independent expenditures up to that point.
But its receipts and spending in September appear to have surged, as this month WinSenate announced multiple multimillion dollar ad campaigns against Republican Senate candidates in Maine, Ohio, Iowa, North Carolina and New Hampshire. In fact, as of Sept. 24, according to data from the ad-tracking service AdImpact, WinSenate has spent or reserved more than $217 million on midterm ads, a huge increase from its prior spending this election cycle.
Its next monthly financial report covering the month of September is due to the FEC on Oct. 20.
Editor’s note: FactCheck.org does not accept advertising. We rely on grants and individual donations from people like you. Please consider a donation. Credit card donations may be made through our “Donate” page. If you prefer to give by check, send to: FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center, P.O. Box 58100, Philadelphia, PA 19102.
Ramsey’s may be the best example in the ranking of a genuine Delaware farm experience. The Wilmington-area farm combines hayrides with a large pumpkin field, corn maze, barnyard animals, a children’s Spookley trail, pumpkin painting and other activities. Image courtesy of Ramsey Farm.com.
From cider doughnuts and pumpkin fields to bonfires and serious scares, we ranked eight Delaware-area fall outings — then matched them to the kind of autumn adventure you’re looking for.
MIDDLETOWN, Del. — Not all hayrides are created equal.Some are old-fashioned tractor rides through pumpkin fields. Others come with corn mazes, cider doughnuts, bonfires and enough activities to keep a family busy for most of the day. And a few wait until dark before turning the wagon ride into a rolling Halloween nightmare.
So which one offers the best overall fall experience?
Delaware LIVE compared eight popular fall destinations in Delaware and nearby Pennsylvania, scoring the total experience based on the hayride itself, pumpkins, additional attractions, food and atmosphere, and — where appropriate — scare factor.
The result: Linvilla Orchards in Media, Pennsylvania, takes the No. 1 spot for the best total fall experience, while Delaware’s Ramsey’s Farm, Fifer Orchards, Filasky’s Produce and Frightland each offer reasons to stay closer to home.
The rankings are intended as a guide rather than a scientific rating. A low scare score, for example, can be a big advantage when the passengers are 5 years old. A spectacular haunted hayride can be perfect for a Saturday night with teenagers while being completely wrong for a Sunday afternoon with toddlers.
The real question may not be “What’s the best hayride?” but “What’s the best hayride for me?”
THE DELAWARE LIVE HAYRIDE RANKINGS
1. LINVILLA ORCHARDS — MEDIA, PENNSYLVANIA
Delaware LIVE score: 9.2
Linvilla wins by making the hayride only one part of a much bigger fall outing.
Its roughly 15-minute Harvest Hayride travels through the farm, but families can also explore Pumpkinland, tackle mazes, visit barnyard animals, pick apples, eat at the farm and shop the market and bakery.
There is no general admission charge to enter Pumpkinland; visitors pay for individual activities. Linvilla also offers evening Autumn Moon Hayrides and its family-oriented Hayride to the Witch’s House.
That combination makes Linvilla the strongest choice in the ranking for families looking to turn a hayride into a half-day or full-day fall excursion.
The downside may also be a consequence of its popularity: Expect crowds during prime October weekends, and buying timed hayride tickets in advance is a good idea.
2. RAMSEY’S FARM — WILMINGTON
Delaware LIVE score: 8.9
Ramsey’s may be the best example in the ranking of a genuine Delaware farm experience.
The Wilmington-area farm combines hayrides with a large pumpkin field, corn maze, barnyard animals, a children’s Spookley trail, pumpkin painting and other activities.
It also changes personality after dark.
Friday and Saturday bonfire nights beginning in October include an extended nighttime hayride, flashlight corn maze and bonfire.
Ramsey’s does not try to become a giant amusement park. That may be part of its appeal for families who want pumpkins, a wagon ride and some farm dirt on their shoes.
Bates Motel turns the hayride into a Halloween production built around actors, elaborate sets and special effects.
Located at Arasapha Farms in Glen Mills, Bates combines its Haunted Hayride with other nighttime haunted attractions. By day, however, the same farm becomes a much different destination with family-oriented harvest activities.
For people in northern New Castle County and the Chadds Ford area who want their hayride to be scary, Bates earns one of the highest scores in the comparison.
It is not the choice for small children.4. FRIGHTLAND — MIDDLETOWN
Delaware LIVE score: 8.7 — scare-night ranking
4. Frightland is Delaware’s answer to Bates, but on a larger scream-park scale.
The Horror Hayride is part of a series of haunted attractions visitors encounter during the night, making Frightland less of a simple hayride destination and more of a complete Halloween entertainment complex.
Its advantage is variety. If the goal is to spend an evening being scared rather than picking pumpkins, Frightland delivers multiple attractions at one location.
For New Castle County residents south of Wilmington and for Kent County visitors, it also avoids the drive into Pennsylvania.
This may be the hayride that looks most like the one people imagine when they hear the word.
The daytime Harvest Hayride takes visitors through the farm to the pumpkin area, combining the ride with the ritual of choosing a pumpkin. Other activities include a corn maze and a collection of outdoor attractions for children.
For Chadds Ford and Brandywine Valley families, it is also one of the most convenient full-scale pumpkin hayrides.
And there is an unusual twist: The same Arasapha Farms property that provides this traditional daytime outing becomes the home of Bates Motel after dark.
6. FIFER ORCHARDS FALL FEST — CAMDEN-WYOMING
Delaware LIVE score: 7.6
Fifer’s strength is the total orchard experience: pumpkin and apple picking, a large corn maze, outdoor play, cider doughnuts, food and additional seasonal activities.
That makes Fifer’s less about the wagon itself and more about spending a fall day on a Kent County orchard.
For families in central and southern Delaware, it can provide much of the big fall-festival experience without making the trip north into New Castle County or Pennsylvania.
7. FILASKY’S PRODUCE — MIDDLETOWN AREA
Delaware LIVE score: 7.0
Filasky’s is smaller and simpler, which may be exactly what some families want.
The fall season includes pick-your-own pumpkins, a soybean maze designed for children and hayrides through the fields. The farm also offers nighttime hayride and bonfire options, along with pumpkin doughnuts and Woodside Farm Creamery ice cream.
This is less of a destination theme park and more of a local farm outing.
8. DELAWARE STATE PARKS WAGON RIDES
Delaware LIVE score: 6.2
Do not let the lower score fool you. State park rides lose points in this ranking because there generally isn’t a pumpkin patch, bakery, giant maze or collection of attractions waiting when the wagon stops.
But that is also the point. Delaware State Parks offers seasonal wagon rides at several parks, providing a different kind of fall outing built around scenery, the outdoors and, at some locations, time around a campfire.
For someone who wants fall colors and a relaxing ride rather than a festival, the state parks could move straight to the top of the personal list.
SO WHICH HAYRIDE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
Best total fall experience: Linvilla Orchards
Go here if the hayride is just the beginning. Pumpkinland, apples, mazes, animals, food and the bakery make it the easiest place on the list to spend several hours without running out of things to do.
Best traditional hayride: Arasapha Farms
A tractor, wagon, farm fields and pumpkins. For families looking for the classic harvest experience rather than an amusement park, Arasapha gets closest to the picture on the apple cider jug.
Best New Castle County family outing: Ramsey’s Farm
For Wilmington-area families who do not want to cross the state line, Ramsey’s combines the ingredients that matter most: hayride, pumpkins, corn maze, animals and plenty for younger children.
Best Kent County fall day: Fifer Orchards
Come for the pumpkins and maze, stay for the cider doughnuts and orchard atmosphere. Fifer’s is one of the strongest total fall farm experiences in central Delaware.
Best haunted hayride: Bates Motel
If the wagon itself is what you want to be scary, Bates gets the edge. The ride is the attraction rather than simply transportation to something else.
Best full night of Halloween scares: Frightland
If one haunted hayride isn’t enough, Frightland’s collection of attractions makes it a better fit for people looking to devote an evening to Halloween.
Best for little kids: Arasapha or Ramsey’s
Both deliver the farm-and-pumpkin experience without requiring children to navigate a giant Halloween production. Linvilla’s Witch’s House is another option for children ready for something a little spooky without the intensity of a full haunted attraction.
Best quiet ride: Delaware State Parks
No scream park. No giant midway. No need to drag a 25-pound pumpkin back to the car. Just climb aboard and enjoy Delaware in the fall.
Best small-farm experience: Filasky’s
For Middletown-area families who would rather visit a smaller farm than a major regional attraction, Filasky’s offers pumpkins, a children’s maze, hayrides and seasonal treats.
Best food-and-orchard day: Fifer or Linvilla
Fifer gets the Delaware nod for cider doughnuts and a traditional orchard atmosphere. Linvilla offers an even larger combination of bakery, market, food and attractions.
ONE CHADDS FORD TRADITION — BUT NO HAYRIDE
The Great Pumpkin Carve remains one of the Brandywine Valley’s signature October traditions, returning Oct. 15-17 in Chadds Ford.
But visitors should not arrive expecting a hayride.
Organizers have discontinued hayrides because of wet conditions in the meadow. The centerpiece remains the giant pumpkins carved by artists and illuminated after dark.
TO GO BOX
What: Delaware LIVE’s guide to eight fall hayride, farm and Halloween experiences in Delaware and nearby Pennsylvania.
Who: Families, couples, teenagers and anyone looking for a fall farm, pumpkin or Halloween outing.
When: Most attractions operate from September through late October or early November. Days and hours vary considerably.
Where: Wilmington, Middletown and Camden-Wyoming in Delaware; Glen Mills and Media in nearby Pennsylvania; and participating Delaware State Parks.
Best overall: Linvilla Orchards for the total fall experience.
Best Delaware family choice: Ramsey’s Farm in the Wilmington area.
Best for scares: Bates Motel in Glen Mills for the haunted hayride itself; Frightland in Middletown for a full night of haunted attractions.
Before you go: Fall farm schedules are particularly dependent on weather and field conditions. Peak October weekends can sell out, and some attractions use timed tickets. Check the farm or attraction’s current schedule, ticket availability and weather policy before leaving home.
Delaware LIVE is introducing a French Bread Total to help readers decide whether a storm calls for a run on bread, milk, eggs and the other essentials for surviving a weekend indoors. On our seven-point French Toast Scale, this storm earns a 1 out of 7 for most Delaware households.
The storm’s effects will vary across the state, with the greatest threat coming from tidal flooding and dangerous surf
DOVER, Del. — A nor’easter drawing attention from Philadelphia and national news outlets can sound like a single storm with a single forecast. For Delaware residents, the more useful question is where they live — and how close they are to tidal water.
The National Weather Service expects the greatest impacts along Delaware’s ocean beaches, bays and tidal waterways. Coastal flooding is already a concern Thursday, Sept. 24, and could recur with successive high tides. Stronger winds are possible at the beaches Friday night into Saturday. Farther inland, residents are more likely to encounter gusty winds than flooding.
Editor’s note: Delaware LIVE is introducing a French Bread Total to help readers decide whether a storm calls for a run on bread, milk, eggs and the other essentials for surviving a weekend indoors. On our seven-point French Toast Scale, this storm earns a 1 out of 7 for most Delaware households. The rating does not discount the serious flooding risk for people in low-lying coastal and tidal communities.
What is a nor’easter?
A nor’easter is an East Coast storm named for the northeast winds it typically brings to coastal areas. It can occur at any time of year and does not have to bring snow.
This storm is developing offshore. Its persistent winds are pushing water into Delaware’s bays and tidal waterways, where elevated water levels can cause flooding at more than one high tide. The storm’s exact track remains uncertain, particularly for how strong coastal winds become Friday night and Saturday.
What should Delaware expect?
Sussex County: The beaches and Inland Bays face the greatest combination of hazards. A coastal flood warning covers the Delaware beaches and inland Sussex until 2 a.m. Saturday. Forecasters expect 1 to 2 feet of water above ground level in low-lying areas near shorelines and tidal waterways. Some roads in coastal and bayside communities could become impassable. The Weather Service says more serious flooding remains possible around Rehoboth Bay and Indian River, depending on the storm’s track.
At the ocean beaches, breaking waves could reach 12 feet in the surf zone. Dangerous rip currents, beach erosion and possible dune breaches are also concerns. A high surf advisory and high rip current risk continue through Saturday evening.
Kent County: A coastal flood warning also remains in effect until 2 a.m. Saturday. Low-lying roads and communities near Delaware Bay and tidal waterways face the greatest risk. The warning does not mean all of Dover or Milford will flood.
New Castle County: A coastal flood advisory covers vulnerable areas along tidal shorelines and waterways until 1 a.m. Saturday. Away from the water, the main effect is expected to be gusty weather. The Weather Service says excessive rainfall and freshwater flooding appear unlikely at this time.
When will it end?
The current coastal flood warnings expire early Saturday, but that is not necessarily the end of the effects. Dangerous surf continues through Saturday evening, and the Weather Service says tidal flooding could persist into the weekend. Winds and conditions on the water are expected to improve Sunday. Residents near the coast should check updated alerts as the storm’s path becomes clearer.
To Go Box | Delaware’s nor’easter
When: Coastal impacts are underway Thursday. Stronger beach winds are possible Friday night into Saturday.
Where: The greatest risk is along the beaches, bays and low-lying tidal waterways of Sussex and Kent counties.
What: Repeated high-tide flooding, possible road closures, dangerous surf and beach erosion. Inland areas can expect gusty winds.
French Toast Scale:1 out of 7 for most households. Coastal residents should take local flood warnings seriously.
What to do: Check alerts before traveling near tidal roads, never drive through floodwater and stay out of the surf while the high rip current risk is in effect.
Increase comes after Fed decision to raise interest rates, as Americans struggle with high prices and stagnant wages
US mortgage rates surpassed 7% for the first time since January 2025, according to federal lender Freddie Mac, aggravating a housing market that has endured years of high interest rates and low supply.
The increase comes after the US Federal Reservehiked interest rates, which directly affect mortgage rates, for the first time since 2023, citing high inflation.
An inaugural Oct. 2 Summit in Dewey Beach will bring caregivers, clinicians, advocates and other professionals together to recognize exploitation and improve support for survivors.
DEWEY BEACH, Del. — A person being trafficked may still go to work, attend school or see a doctor. What those around them may not see is the person controlling their pay, housing, access to drugs or ability to leave.
That is the challenge at the center of Delaware’s inaugural Human Trafficking Awareness, Prevention and Action Summit on Friday, Oct. 2, at Hyatt Place Dewey Beach. The Delaware Coalition for Human Trafficking Survivors is bringing survivors, national experts and Delaware professionals together to improve how the state recognizes exploitation and responds to people affected by it.
Two ways exploitation can stay hidden
Imagine Elena, an adult who cleans homes. She depends on the person who hired her for a place to sleep and a ride to work. Her promised pay never arrives, but she fears losing her housing if she leaves. Someone meeting Elena might see a hard-working employee, without knowing how little control she has over her work or money. Elena is fictional, but her situation illustrates a recognized pattern of forced labor.
Now imagine Jay, a 16-year-old who accepts a place to stay from someone he trusts. That person then expects commercial sex in exchange. Jay may be frightened to tell a teacher or caregiver, or may not describe what happened as trafficking. Jay is also fictional. Jennifer Cooper, a registered nurse and forensic coordinator at Nemours Children’s Health, told Delaware LIVE that young people may not recognize food, housing or other things of value as part of commercial sexual exploitation. Under federal law, a minor induced into commercial sex is a trafficking victim even without proof of force, fraud or coercion.
Victims do not fit one age, gender or background. Trafficking also does not require kidnapping or crossing a border. The common issue is exploitation: force, fraud or coercion used to compel an adult to provide labor or commercial sex, or the commercial sexual exploitation of a minor.
What Delaware’s numbers show
The National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 29 Delaware cases involving 32 victims in 2025. In 2024, it identified 32 cases involving 61 victims. The hotline cautions that reports made to it do not measure how often trafficking actually occurs; people who never contact the hotline are outside its count.
Another measure comes from Delaware’s Office of the Child Advocate. Its contribution to the Delaware Anti-Trafficking Action Council’s 2025 report says the office screened 65 juvenile trafficking referrals, including 40 classified as suspected trafficking and 25 involving young people assessed as at risk. Those are referrals, not 65 confirmed crimes, and they cannot simply be added to the hotline total.
Together, the figures show why professionals who encounter vulnerable people need to know what questions to ask, how to respond safely and where to turn for help.
Bringing the people who respond into one room
Cooper said she helped pursue a Delaware summit after traveling out of state for advanced training. The Oct. 2 program includes tracks for mental health professionals, medical providers, direct-service workers, law enforcement and survivors. Sessions are expected to address family-related trafficking, trauma, survivor care and coordinated responses.
“I want to bring together the people who are doing the work,” Cooper told Delaware LIVE. She said organizations serving vulnerable people can benefit from knowing what others nearby are doing and where services are missing.
The summit is an opportunity for psychologists and other mental health clinicians, advocates, health care workers, educators, caregivers and community leaders to learn from survivors and from one another. It is also open to residents who want a better understanding of trafficking in Delaware. A private, invitation-only executive roundtable will take place Oct. 1; the public summit follows Oct. 2.
To Go Box
What: Human Trafficking Awareness, Prevention and Action Summit
When: Friday, Oct. 2, 2026
Where: Hyatt Place Dewey Beach, 1301 Coastal Highway
Who: Professionals, advocates, caregivers, organizational leaders and interested residents
Admission: $75 regular admission, listed as available through Sept. 30
The sleek, rust-coloured saucer settles into the earth, mirroring the surrounding hills. It looks like an art gallery or a high-end conference centre – an architectural masterpiece designed to sit lightly on the land.
UK watchdog fined video app in 2023 for failing to enforce minimum age limit and remove underage users
TikTok will pay a £12.7m fine to the UK’s data watchdog after dropping an appeal against a ruling that it did not do enough to keep children below the age of 13 off the platform.
What can DRC’s national dialogue achieve?Expert commentjon.wallace
President Tshisekedi and the opposition both want national dialogue. But it remains to be seen whether they can agree on the nature of the DRC’s problems, let alone their solutions.
When President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) Félix Tshisekedi finally announced a ‘national dialogue’ on 27 August, he evoked the country’s long history of previous negotiations. Too often, he said, they had been about elite power sharing, had not meaningfully included the Congolese people, and had legitimized armed insurrection. This time will be different, he promised.
Tshisekedi appealed directly to the Congolese people by proposing a series of public consultations in all 26 provinces, culminating in a convention in Kinshasa. Unlike previous dialogues, this process has a more ambitious aim. It not only seeks to address the causes of insecurity and inequality in DRC and identify reforms. It also seeks to reconstruct or re-found the state.
The opposition immediately denounced the project. The C64, a coalition made up of opposition heavyweights including Moïse Katumbi, Martin Fayulu, Delly Sesanga and Jean-Marc Kabund, rejected Tshisekedi’s proposal. So too did the ‘Sauvons le Congo’ platform created by exiled former president Joseph Kabila.
Tshisekedi’s plan, they claim, is intended above all to legitimize his attempt to change the constitution, possibly allowing the president to extend his rule beyond his two-term limit, which ends in 2028. They point to a controversial bill that would pave the way for a referendum allowing the modification of article 220 of the constitution, which forbids changing the number or duration of presidential terms.
Points of (dis)agreement
There is much that the DRC’s government and opposition disagree on. But there are two points of convergence. One, publicly acknowledged, is the need for a national dialogue to address the country’s serious challenges. However, apart from the need to bring peace to the eastern provinces, there is no consensus on what these challenges are.
The other point of convergence, acknowledged only behind closed doors, is that elections probably cannot be held by the end of Tshisekedi’s second term in 2028. There are three main reasons: First, little progress has been made in organizing them. Technically there is still time to do so, but the quality of elections held in 2028 would be in question.
For Tshisekedi, the national dialogue is an opportunity to create a ‘united front’ – under his control – aligned against Rwanda.
Second, important territories in eastern DRC remain captured by the M23 armed group. Any attempt to exclude these provinces from elections could be interpreted as an implicit endorsement of their secession, raising fears of the break-up of the country. Third, some members of the opposition may see a dialogue as a way to gain power without going to the polls.
There is therefore broad, albeit tacit, agreement on the need to delay elections in favour of ‘dialogue’. But consensus falls apart when talk of detail begins. Indeed, it raises the question: what dialogue is needed to resolve which crisis?
For Tshisekedi, the national dialogue is an opportunity to create a ‘united front’ – under his control – aligned against Rwanda. In the president’s telling, the DRC’s problems stem mainly from Rwanda’s support for the M23 in North and South Kivu provinces. Since late 2021, M23 fighters have seized large swathes of territory, including the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu. Tshisekedi has dismissed opposition calls to integrate M23 in the national dialogue, saying the Doha Process – Qatar-led talks hosted in Switzerland – is the only appropriate venue for negotiating with them.
But for many in the opposition, as well as the Catholic and Protestant churches, the conflict is more a symptom of the political crisis than its cause. In their view, the M23’s success has been fuelled by dissatisfaction with bad governance and corruption under Tshisekedi’s government.
Many want a neutral convenor for a dialogue, such as the churches, and a venue outside of the DRC that would allow exiled politicians to participate. But Tshisekedi has ruled out an external location. And he has made clear that religious denominations will play a secondary or even symbolic role.
What a post-2028 transition might look like, if elections are not held, is still open for debate. The concept recalls the two-year ‘glissement’ (literally, ‘sliding’) that former president Joseph Kabila negotiated to remain in power beyond the end of this second term, in 2016-17.
For those close to President Tshisekedi, there is hope of getting broad agreement on a transition that could last three to five years. That would be a de facto extension of the president’s tenure beyond constitutional limits, if he remained in office for the duration. Some in the opposition would like to see a shorter transition, even without Tshisekedi. This would see a power-sharing agreement that would pave the way for a new electoral commission and fresh elections.
However, for now the country’s opposition seems fragmented and unable to shape the terms of the dialogue. Crucially, they lack the leverage of significant popular mobilization: a long-postponed opposition rally on 15 September saw relatively little participation on the streets of the capital. And the US, which recently signed a critical minerals deal with the DRC, is seen to be backing Tshisekedi. The president therefore seems likely to move forward with his plan. A recent presidential ordinance laid the groundwork for the dialogue proceeding under Tshisekedi’s control.
The position of the Catholic and Protestant churches may yet prove influential. For the moment, they have not commented publicly, preferring to try to negotiate for a stronger role. However, should their position change and church leaders choose to actively boycott the dialogue, it could diminish the legitimacy of the process. The Catholic church is an important political actor in the DRC: it was instrumental in organizing against a Kabila third term. For now, however, Tshisekedi appears to have the stronger hand.
It may be that Tshisekedi’s stated goal of going beyond past national dialogues to ‘re-found’ the state is just political rhetoric. The risk is that he intends to use talks as a way of co-opting part of the opposition, just as Kabila did in 2016-17.
Meanwhile the opposition wants to wrest power from Tshisekedi but also does not necessarily favour elections to resolve the political crisis. It may therefore view dialogue as the best means of unseating the president and taking power. Either way, the two sides’ framings are fundamentally at odds. It remains to be seen whether all parties can agree on the nature of the nation’s problems, let alone their solutions.
The debate over the dialogue is a reminder that the security situation in the east cannot be neatly separated from national politics. Talk of changing the constitution by Tshisekedi’s camp waned in early 2025, after the M23 seized Goma and Bukavu. It resurged once the threat was contained.
Fundamentally linked
The current assemblage of processes – Washington for DRC–Rwanda negotiations, the Doha process for DRC–M23 talks and now, the national dialogue – draw lines between phenomena and actors that are fundamentally linked.
The relatively limited objectives of the Washington and Doha processes are at least clearer than the national dialogue’s ambiguous aim of ‘re-founding’ the Congolese state or ‘creating peace’. But each process’s success is linked to the other. No agreement with the M23 can exist without an accord with Rwanda. And peace in the east will require progress on transitional justice and community reconciliation – issues which should be part of any national dialogue.
Can a national dialogue deliver the reforms DRC desperately needs? Currently, the greatest risk is that it is limited in exactly the way Tshisekedi said it must not be: to an exercise in which political elites agree how and when power will change hands.
Why Should Delaware Care? The first comprehensive property reassessment in decades reset how Delaware’s tax burden is divided among property owners. While many expected that it would bring new relief to some of the state’s lowest income residents, it has actually raised their tax burdens. A new complaint seeks to rectify the property assessments that underpin those tax bills.
A city councilwoman who represents one of the most economically disadvantaged areas of Wilmington has filed a complaint with New Castle County, challenging the property valuations reached during the recent reassessments and seeking actions to rectify documented inequalities.
Christian Willauer, who represents the city’s Hilltop communities that were disproportionately impacted by rising property assessments, is eyeing a novel legislative strategy to force the county to recognize alleged errors in the work completed by contractor Tyler Technologies and to fix assessments in three election districts.
Her complaint, which builds upon an expansive project on the statewide reassessment published by Spotlight Delaware earlier this year, is based upon reviews of more than 400 property sales that were completed during Tyler Technologies’ assessment period in 2023 and 2024.
That review found that properties in three western city election districts were commonly assessed for more than their sale values during the reassessment study period, while properties in two Greenville-area districts were commonly assessed for less.
A property’s assessed value should meet “fair market value,” or roughly what an owner should have been able to sell the property for at the time of the assessment. The examples identified by Willauer bring into question whether the assessment data would meet that standard.
“We’re here to make sure that people can hold on to their homes, people can hold on to their businesses and people continue to be part of Wilmington and New Castle County,” the councilwoman said during a Wednesday press conference announcing the complaint. “We’re calling on New Castle County to make sure that these property tax assessments in the City of Wilmington are fair and correct.”
The questionable nature of assessments in communities like Hilltop has not been a secret.
Tyler Technologies, the assessment company hired by each of the three counties to complete reassessments statewide, wrote in its final report that the results in several Wilmington communities did not meet industry standards.
It blamed two potential reasons for those shortcomings: that it did not have enough sample sales data for unimproved properties, and it could not see inside homes to judge the condition of the properties.
Therefore, the homes in Hilltop and other impacted communities were assessed against comparable sales that primarily featured renovated homes being sold by flippers.
Spotlight Delaware’s statewide analysis found the median assessment in Hilltop sits north of $180,000, but recent sales of unimproved properties have fallen far under their assessed values.
Willauer, who cited Spotlight’s database as the impetus for her deeper dive research, pulled assessment data for all homes sold in Wilmington’s Hilltop, Tilton and West Center City election districts and compared them to two districts near Greenville: Hoopes Reservoir and Barley Mill.
Hilltop is a working-class neighborhood of predominantly Black and brown families in Wilmington, but it’s also the area that saw the largest assessment jump anywhere in New Castle County, according to an analysis of reassessment data. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS
The review found that of the properties sold in Hilltop, 71% of assessed values were more than 110% of their sale values — essentially inflating the tax bills owed by the property owners.
In the nearby Tilton and West Center City communities, more than 60% of properties were above that threshold.
But the Greenville-area districts saw just 23% and 9% of properties exceed 110% of their sale values.
Conversely, those same Greenville-area districts saw 29% and 55% of properties assessed for less than 90% of their sale values. In the city districts, none saw more than 18% of homes assessed at that lower level.
Alethea Smith-Tucker, a West Center City resident who was among a handful of residents in the affected districts who spoke Wednesday about the impact of the reassessments, said that the higher assessments have overburdened her and her neighbors.
“This is an opportunity to get the process right,” she said.
West Center City resident Alethea Smith-Tucker said that it was time for New Castle County to fix the mistakes that it made in the reassessment; mistakes that will linger for several more years until the next assessment. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS
How is the complaint lodged?
Willauer has cited a century-old administrative statute in state code that allows for any tax-paying property owner to “make a complaint to a board of assessment that the real estate in any election or representative district, as compared with other such districts, is not assessed in a fair and equitable manner.”
It directs the board to send out a representative to the affected district to reinspect properties “to equalize and make perfect the assessments.”
Whether that statute — whose origin is unclear but dates back to at least 1919 — still carries the full weight of law or has been amended over the intervening generations is not immediately clear.
For one, the county no longer uses a “board of assessment,” but has transferred the year-to-year work of assessments to the New Castle County Office of Finance, which has an assessment office.
After Willauer submitted her report and a letter lodging the complaint to New Castle County, a county spokesperson told Spotlight Delaware that, “We take concerns about the fairness and accuracy of property assessment seriously. We will review the letter with our county law department and determine the legal framework that may apply.”
Should the complaint not lead to a reassessment of the communities, Willauer said that she would work with residents to explore any further actions.
“My hope is that the county is going to step up to the plate and get this done … I’m working on this because I got calls from residents about their concerns. This is money that people do not have and should not owe,” she added.
Tyler Technologies’ assessment of property largely relied on handful of flipped properties that command much higher values than an average, unimproved home in the community. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS
How could reassessment work?
Willauer’s report also refutes the claim by Tyler Technologies that it could not differentiate between renovated and unrenovated properties in the Wilmington districts.
By using real estate listings and their associated photos, she divided properties between renovated and unrenovated, the latter of which ranged in median sale prices from $55,000 to $110,000, depending on the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. Median renovated home prices ranged from $112,000 to $260,000.
“It makes sense that homes that have $20,000, $40,000 or even $100,000 worth of renovations sell for a higher price than an unrenovated house, but it makes no sense to assess a home that has not been renovated for the same value as a home that has been renovated,” she said.
With relevant property characteristics, such as bedroom and bathroom counts, along with access to the city’s permitting database, where information on structural, electrical and plumbing work would be held, Willauer argued that assessors have all the information they need to improve property assessments.
“I think they could do it by the end of next week, but we might have to wait a little bit longer,” she opined. “We’re going to keep pushing them and encouraging them, and I think that’s where we’re going to have to work together to make sure that New Castle County has that sense of urgency that I know every taxpayer in these neighborhoods has.”
Weekend Spotlight is a round-up of the five best events to check out in Delaware over the coming weekend, curated by Arts + Culture Editor Cannon Taylor. This edition covers Sept. 25-27, 2026. What should be on our radar for future editions? Let us know!
Hot Jams
Music festival fundraises for Center for the Creative Arts
Saturday, Sept. 26. Center for the Creative Arts. 410 Upper Snuff Mill Road, Hockessin. 5-10:40 p.m. Tickets: $15, free for kids 12 and under.
If the annual Hot Jam Music Festival proves anything, it’s that local bands sure know how to name themselves. This year’s festival features many acts, including self-described emo girl alexisbaldwin.mp3; Jimmy Eat World’s post-punk brother, Joe Eats the Sun; and the debut of the mysteriously-named Jenna L. and the Denizens of Scary Tales.
Ticket proceeds will help ensure the Center for the Creative Arts can continue its mission of providing programming and scholarships for local artists.
The Milton Theatre is staging “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” Sept. 26 through Oct. 3. | PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MILTON THEATRE
Saturday, Sept. 26 through Oct. 11. The Milton Theatre. 110 Union St., Milton. Times vary. Tickets: $44-53.
What better way to kickstart the spooky season than to revive a character from the most demented recesses of Victorian fiction? The Milton Theatre is staging 17 productions of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” over the next month, featuring a blood-splattered set and live orchestrations of Stephen Sondheim’s haunting score.
Two words of advice: Don’t eat the pies, and don’t get a haircut — the barber may take a little more off the top than you bargained for.
The Delaware Taco Festival returns for its 10th anniversary Sept. 26-27. | PHOTO COURTESY OF DELAWARE TACO FESTIVAL
Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27. Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park. 80 Rosa Parks Drive, Wilmington. 1-7 p.m. Tickets: $14-20, free for kids 12 and under.
UPDATE: The Delaware Taco Festival has been postponed to Nov. 14-15 due to inclement weather. All previously purchased tickets for the original date will be honored for the new date.
The 10th annual Delaware Taco Festival is bringing the pain — well, at least for the luchadores and the brave souls competing in the hot chili pepper eating contest. For most attendees, the festival should be a more pleasant experience as they wander through Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park munching on tacos and sipping on margaritas.
There will be over 30 food vendors offering $4 tacos, along with carnival games, piñatas, live music and more.
The Air Mobility Command Museum is celebrating its 40th anniversary with special programming Sept. 26-27. | PHOTO COURTESY OF AIR MOBILITY COMMAND MUSEUM
Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27. Air Mobility Command Museum. 1301 Heritage Road, Dover. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Free.
UPDATE: The open cockpit showings have been cancelled for this weekend due to inclement weather, but the programming indoors will continue.
Plane nerds, rejoice: You’ll have full access to many of the over 35 aircraft on display at the Air Mobility Command Museum during the organization’s 40th anniversary bash. The museum’s planes include some that flew during D-Day operations and the Berlin Airlift.
Tour guides — many of them Air Force veterans — will bring these mechanical beasts to life with both personal and historical stories. Not immersive enough for you? Give the flight simulator a try and see if you have what it takes to be an Air Force pilot.
Fall in love with Delaware during First State Fun Day
Spotlight Delaware’s First State Fun Day offers free admission and special programming at attractions statewide on Sept. 26. | SPOTLIGHT DELAWARE GRAPHIC BY ELSA KEGELMAN
Saturday, Sept. 26. Multiple locations statewide. Times vary. Free.
Spotlight Delaware’s First State Fun Day is an opportunity to cross some peculiar items off your bucket list. What other opportunity are you going to get to take your toddler to a rave at New Castle Library, then introduce them to the half-fish, half-monkey “merman” at the Zwaandael Museum?
If that’s not your speed, take in the sunset at the Prime Hook Wildlife Refuge, learn some history at the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage or gorge yourself on oysters at Matt’s Fish Camp Lewes.
With over 15 statewide attractions opening their doors for free and offering special programming, First State Fun Day is set to be a “Choose Your Own Adventure” of Delaware’s best cultural offerings.
Denmark’s Greenland deal with Trump is a victory for diplomacy over bullyingExpert commentjon.wallace
Denmark used its soft power to rally support and took the dispute out of the limelight – addressing underlying US interests instead of President Trump’s unacceptable public position.
This week, Denmark has extricated itself from a period of coercive US diplomacy over Greenland. The agreement announced on 22 September elegantly resolves the dispute over the territory, without forcing Denmark or the government of Greenland to give up very much.
Even before the dispute, Denmark had indicated it would be content to increase the number of US bases in Greenland and enhance US access to them. These measures were already possible under an existing 1951 agreement.
The new agreement adds an undertaking by Denmark and Greenland to refuse major investments from non-members of the EU or NATO that would grant them a foothold in strategic Arctic areas. Again, on this point, Washington was pushing on an open door.
The only meaningful change concerns the mechanism to ensure that this arrangement will be permanent. The 1951 agreement, amended in 2004, also does not expire. But the new text adds that Greenland will remain part of NATO and continue to comply with the agreement, should it opt for independence.
An independent Greenland might have been willing to retain the US bases and related agreements anyway. After all, it would need to rely on US defence support and a NATO security guarantee. But expressly making these points in an agreement co-signed by Greenland overcame the deal-breaker of President Donald Trump’s demand for sovereignty over all of Greenland or at least the US base areas.
The agreement represents a masterclass by Denmark in using the classical art of diplomacy to overcome bullying, in an age of changing geopolitics and unstable global governance.
Indeed, the steps Denmark took to resolve the dispute provide valuable insight into how countries can defend their interests in the face of apparently overwhelming pressure.
Step 1: Isolate the bully and call the game
In January this year, President Trump declared that the US would need to ‘own’ Greenland to prevent Russia or China from taking it, and to ensure US national security. He even raised the option of a military takeover of the territory.
The president may have believed opposition would be minimal. Just days before, EU and NATO countries had been unwilling to confront him publicly over the armed US intervention against Venezuela, despite it being a clear breach of international law. In the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that followed, they had stayed meekly silent.
Greenland was different. Denmark could clearly assert that Trump was placing the future of NATO in peril. Hence, Denmark could show that the US action posed a threat to both the territorial integrity of Denmark and to the security of all states in Western Europe. Accordingly, NATO countries and EU members overcame their hesitancy to upset the White House, and strongly and unanimously rejected his demand. Indeed, they went further, dispatching a European defence mission to Greenland, supposedly as a matter of routine.
Calling out the US’s game for what it was – a demand to surrender national territory under the threat of force at a time when the West was resisting Putin’s assault on Ukraine – was crucial in rallying support.
Step 2: Enter the fray with clean hands
In this dispute, Denmark continually had the advantage in the battle for international sympathy. It entered the fray with clean hands, taking advantage of its soft power, which has been nurtured over decades of sensitive advocacy for justice in relation to the Global South and the international rule of law. The US under Trump, on the other hand, has caused continued upset throughout, as a result of its military actions and other activity such as the president’s sweeping ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs.
The US could also not accuse Denmark of hypocrisy over any supposed colonial legacy relating to Greenland. By 1954, the UN General Assembly had determined that Greenland had freely decided to integrate with Denmark on the basis of equal constitutional and administrative standing with other parts of Denmark.
By 1979 Copenhagen offered home rule. Two decades later, in 2009, it granted wide-ranging self-government to Greenland. Crucially, this 2009 arrangement included an express right of self-determination for the people of Greenland, with a provision to opt for independence. Any sale of Greenland (as Trump had previously proposed) or its transfer to the US against the wishes of the population, would have violated this existing right to self-determination.
This meant that throughout the dispute, Denmark could claim a role as both the upholder of the international right to self-determination, and the defender of its own territorial integrity.
Step 3: Clarify the legal status
President Trump sought to enhance his claim by suggesting that Denmark did not have a clear title to Greenland. In view of the 2009 agreement’s self-determination provisions, this assertion became less relevant. In any event, it was easy to prove that Denmark held good title. And the US clearly had none at all.
In 1916 US Secretary of State Robert Lansing issued a declaration accepting Denmark’s claim to the island. When the US took over the defence of Greenland during Germany’s occupation of Denmark during the Second World War, it did so in ‘recognition and respect for the sovereignty of the Kingdom of Denmark over Greenland.’
Denmark managed to divert dialogue to technical meetings, held…outside of the public eye.
This expressly included Danish sovereignty over base areas constructed by the US. The post-war agreements on defence cooperation and US bases of 1951 and 2004 also consistently confirmed Danish sovereignty. Indeed, in an amazing reversal of the US position, so does the new 2026 agreement. The text reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Denmark and acknowledges Greenland’s right to self-determination.
Step 4: Dial the temperature down and let experts do the work
When encountering the US, Denmark was careful to avoid a public confrontation with Trump in front of cameras, learning from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s experience at the Oval Office in 2025.
Instead, when the row intensified, Copenhagen dispatched Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen to Washington. As foreign minister, protocol demanded that he should meet with the slightly more moderate US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, instead of the president.
Vice President JD Vance almost derailed this cunning plan when he insisted on leading the meeting and moving it to the White House. But Rasmussen, a former Danish prime minister, calmly focused on shared security interests in the Arctic. And he remained steadfast where sovereignty and the rights of Greenlanders were concerned.
After a supposed breakthrough on the issue at the Davos conference later in January 2026, Denmark managed to divert dialogue to technical meetings, held confidentially, outside of the public eye. This was the critical change that allowed Copenhagen to defang the entire episode.
Step 5: Focus on interests, not positions
Negotiations experts know that success depends on persuading the sides to step away from their incompatible, publicly stated position and instead address their underlying interests. In this instance, President Trump had claimed that only full sovereignty over Greenland would answer US security needs.
At Davos, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte offered the US sovereignty at least over its base areas in Greenland. Trump seized that initiative and accepted, withdrawing his threat of invasion.
However, neither Denmark nor Greenland representatives had been party to that proposal. Handing over even a part of sovereign territory would hardly be acceptable to their parliaments.
But in the technical discussions, it became possible to move from a flat-out demand for sovereignty, to achieving the underlying US desire: a permanent arrangement safeguarding its interests in Greenland.
Step 6: Be generous in victory
On signing the agreement, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was careful to avoid any sense of climb-down by President Trump. It is a deal that can ‘last forever,’ she said, reflecting Trump’s claim that he had achieved an outcome just as permanent as a transfer of sovereignty.
As President Trump’s original stated position was that ‘the ownership and control of Greenland is an absolute necessity’, this new agreement seems a clear victory for calm and quiet Danish diplomacy. And it plainly illustrates the power of unity among NATO states and EU members. The lessons for future dealings with great powers are clear.
Leevin Camacho was brushing his teeth one day last fall when his mother called. The water is contaminated, she said. Moments later, she texted him a photo of a flyer issued by the local water authority. “Cancer risk,” it warned. “Increased likelihood of adverse impacts on the liver.” And in bold capital letters, “DO NOT DRINK.”
Camacho stared at the message. Water flowed from the faucets as his children, who were 10 and 12, gulped and spit, their faces reflected in the mirrors above the two bathroom sinks.
Thumbing at his phone, Camacho looked up dieldrin. The search results included words like “organochlorine” and “insecticide” and “persistent environmental pollutant”; the United States had banned it in 1987. Worse, high levels had been detected in his community’s water since at least 2008. “Our kids have been drinking the water,” he realized. “They’ve been cooking with the water for almost their entire lives at this point.”
Camacho lives in Yigo, a northern village on the island of Guam. In time, he would learn that the U.S. Air Force base next to the well serving his house had reported “very high levels” of the pesticide, which it had listed as a “chemical of concern” since at least 1993. The Pentagon’s investigation, led by officials at Joint Region Marianas, is in its early stages. Local officials caution that although they suspect the base is a source of the pollution, there may be others because dieldrin was once widely used.
For Camacho, the news felt like the unfolding of a familiar story — one both predictable and infuriating.
Camacho had grown up as an Army brat, raised to think of the United States as Guam’s liberator from Japan during World War II. But over the past two decades, his understanding of that legacy has changed.
“There are certain actions that the military takes that are contrary to the interests of the people who are from Guam and who live in Guam,” said Camacho, whose measured tone rarely changes, even when discussing something as emotional as what his children have been drinking.
To Camacho, dieldrin is the latest reminder that the people of Guam continue to bear the costs of militarization. Unexploded ordnance litters jungles and lagoons. PCBs contaminate the fish. Pollutants taint the groundwater. The island and its people, who are U.S. citizens, have been inalterably changed by more than a century of American military presence.
Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, the head of Joint Region Marianas, the U.S. Navy’s regional command for Guam and neighboring islands, said he can’t speak to past pollution but the command is committed to protecting the environment and the people of Guam.
“We spend a lot of time and we spend a lot of money making sure that we meet every U.S. regulation when it comes to anything that we’re going to do here,” he said. “We’re meeting every letter of every law for environmental regulations and rules, and we’re doing that while we’re spending a ton of money to defend this island from the most advanced missiles in the world.”
Today, Guam sits at the center of an ongoing military buildup, one that is reshaping the island even as it spreads across the Pacific. On nearby Yap, more than 1,000 graves could be disturbed to make way for an American seaport and airfield. Indigenous leaders on Palau are suing to protect their lands.
Less visible but just as impactful are the climate impacts of this expansion. The Pentagon is already the world’s largest institutional emitter of greenhouse gases, and its buildup will do more than contribute to the destruction of the region’s reefs, forests, and Indigenous sacred sites. It will accelerate the climate crisis that threatens the survival of Pacific islands.
The Pentagon often cites growing geopolitical tensions to justify the buildup. “The security environment in the Indo-Pacific is becoming more dangerous and defined by an increasing risk of confrontation and crisis,” Navy Adm. Sam Paparo, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, told Congress in April while seeking $122 billion for new weaponry to counter China, including offensive missiles on Guam. Three months later, a ballistic missile launched from a Chinese submarine flew near Guam, underscoring why many on the island see America’s military presence as both a source of vulnerability and protection.
Sometimes it can be too much to think about. “I need to compartmentalize these things,” Camacho said. “That’s sometimes the only way that you can do this, because otherwise you will just be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things that are out there, the amount of injustice that is out there.”
Those injustices collide in Yigo. Neighbors lost their homes earlier this year to typhoons fueled by warming seas. The Army Corps of Engineers will soon begin clearing bombs from a nearby dump site created in 1945. A new machine-gun range just opened alongside a federal wildlife refuge to support the arrival of 5,000 U.S. Marines from Okinawa, Japan.
Then there’s the dieldrin contamination. “At some point,” Camacho said, “someone has to force them to do what’s right.”
II.
Years before he became one of Guam’s leading critics of the military buildup sweeping over the island, Leevin Camacho was a young lawyer who liked to run before work. As his sneakers hit the pavement, the sun rose over Yigo. Roosters crowed and streaks of pink lightened the sky. The road, little used and lined with jungle brush, was one of the few places he could run without encountering stray dogs or morning traffic. He always ran at first light, before oppressive heat would reflect off the asphalt and the concrete buildings. It was the perfect start to what was often a day spent listening to depositions and wading through case law.
It was 2009. Camacho had returned to Guam after law school and was making more money than he ever had as a school teacher. “You dream of going to law school to provide services and to fight for people who don’t have the ability to fight, right? I’ll be honest with you, I lost my way,” Camacho said. “I had a bunch of student debt, and I was satisfied just kind of going by day to day and just focusing on myself and my family.”
Leevin Camacho stands before the well serving his home in Yigo, Guam, which was found to have been contaminated with high levels of dieldrin.Photo: Anita Hofschneider/Grist
The U.S. military was the backdrop to Camacho’s life but not something he worried about. He didn’t think much about the invasive tangan-tangan trees lining his running route, or the fact that they had spread across Guam after the U.S. scattered their seeds to reforest the island following the war. On his morning runs, he was more likely to hear a military jet overhead than a native birdsong.
It hadn’t always been that way. Guam was among the first Pacific islands settled by seafarers, from what is now the Philippines, who navigated by the stars and waves an estimated 3,500 years ago. The CHamoru people built a thriving island society known for its towering latte stones and swift outrigger sailing canoes.
That changed when Magellan landed on Guam in 1521. Spain claimed the island and the rest of the archipelago, beginning more than 500 years of ongoing colonization. The Spanish forced the Indigenous people to embrace Catholicism and banned their canoes. The United States took over the island from Spain in 1898 and imposed military rule. Naval governors burned CHamoru language books and blocked Indigenous efforts to gain U.S. citizenship.
Then came Japan. Its invasion in 1941, on the same day it attacked Pearl Harbor, wasn’t unexpected. The U.S. Navy evacuated sailors’ dependents but left 20,000 CHamorus to endure nearly three years of forced marches and labor, malnutrition, and sexual servitude. More than 1,000 would die. When American forces retook Guam in 1944, they were welcomed as liberators. The island still celebrates Liberation Day every July. “I can’t remember a single discouraging remark that my maternal grandmother would have made about the U.S.,” Camacho said. But he does remember her saying of the Americans, “‘They saved us.’”
In this August 1944 photo, people of Guam pour out of the hills into the Agana refugee camp. Nearly 18,000 CHamoru were relocated to Manenggon and other concentration camps before the Battle of Guam.Photo: Joe Rosenthal/AP Photo
That was the narrative that Camacho grew up with. Even the military taking his family’s land — part of a massive military land grab after World War II — was accepted by his grandparents as the price of freedom from Japanese oppression. It wasn’t until Camacho learned that the Pentagon’s expansion plans would close his running route that he began to question what it meant for Guam to be an American military outpost. He pored over the buildup’s planning documents and was struck by the disconnect between how the military described its plans and the reality as he knew it. “They paid consultants a bunch of money. The comment was, ‘We drove by and we didn’t see any cars, so there’s no impact,’” he said of the running route. “And that was it.”
As Camacho read thousands of pages of documents, he saw the same pattern again and again. Proposals for bombing and machine-gun ranges, expanded undersea explosives, and projects that threatened forests and ancient latte stones were accompanied by detailed assessments that minimized what they would mean for the islands.
“They paid consultants a bunch of money. The comment was, ‘We drove by and we didn’t see any cars, so there’s no impact.’”
On a flight home from Honolulu, Camacho was reviewing the environmental analysis of the buildup on his laptop when one passage stopped him. The proposed influx of 80,000 people would leave too little water for fire suppression, particularly in Yigo. The solution, according to the document, was to send surplus water from Andersen Air Force Base to civilian communities. “That was the first time I just kind of lost it, just how stark it was,” he said. “The aquifer is our aquifer, right? Like, you’re taking our water for your people and then we don’t have enough and they’re going to divert whatever you’re taking from us that is extra.”
Camacho and other concerned residents started We Are Guåhan, a community group focused on raising awareness about what was happening. (Guåhan is the CHamoru word for Guam.) He sued to stop a machine-gun range from being built at Pågat, an ancestral village that’s home to millennia-old latte stones. Their campaign protected the site and helped persuade the Navy not to expand its landholdings on Guam. The Department of Defense also reduced the planned transfer of Marines from Okinawa from 9,000 to 5,000.
But it didn’t stop the buildup. The Pentagon activated Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz six years ago and opened a new machine-gun range alongside a federal wildlife refuge just north of Yigo. “It’s so heartbreaking,” said Victoria-Lola Leon Guerrero, another member of We Are Guåhan. “All of that effort, and it still happened.”
Construction on Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, located in the village of Dededo in northwest Guam and activated in 2020, proceeds in May 2026. Photo: Anita Hofschneider/Grist
III.
The yellow excavator scraped away at the pale rock that lies beneath Camp Blaz under the hot May sun. A limestone forest had already been bulldozed to make way for a new machine-gun training range. A sign next to the fence read “Guam National Wildlife Refuge” with an arrow pointing to the left and a picture of a turtle.
“Wow,” said Monaeka Flores, executive director of Prutehi Guåhan, one of Camacho’s clients in the lawsuit he filed against the Navy to protect the island’s endangered species. She stopped at the side of the road to watch the digger work. It had been months since she’d been here, and they’d cleared so much more forest than she realized.
Busy construction vehicles are the most obvious sign of the Pentagon’s buildup. Beyond the new Marine Corps base, the Department of Defense is upgrading the island’s port and strengthening its infrastructure to support docked nuclear submarines. The agency is also pouring $8 billion into 16 new missile defense sites. After World War II, the Navy took two-thirds of the island. “Whatever made most sense for the military, the island was theirs for the taking,” said Michael Clement, a historian at the University of Guam. “Everyone was in refugee camps. They had the bulldozers. They built where they wanted to build. And then a year or two later, they started saying, ‘OK, where are we going to put the natives?’”
“That’s why Guam is kind of weird to drive around. … It was redesigned for military purposes.”
The military later relinquished some land but still owns at least a quarter of the island. “If you look at where the villages were set out in 1946 and ’47, it’s the land the military didn’t need. So that’s why Guam is kind of weird to drive around, right?” Clement said. “To go across from Tumon to Mangilao, you’ve got to go around Tiyan and the airport. It wasn’t redesigned for civilians. It was redesigned for military purposes.”
Even the island’s main highway, the six-lane Marine Corps Drive, was designed for the military, not the people. It connects Andersen in the north and Naval Base Guam in the south.
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero (no relation to Victoria-Lola Leon Guerreo) is among the many who welcome the financial boost that comes with the military’s investments. “They’re spending billions on their readiness plan,” she said.
One in 9 Guam residents joins the armed forces. Last year, a local economist told the Legislature that every dollar the Pentagon spends adds 75 cents to the island’s GDP and called the buildup an “unprecedented economic opportunity.” The funding infusions have helped Guam become far more commercialized than other Pacific islands, with multiple shopping malls, numerous high-rise hotels, and a growing real estate sector.
Leon Guerrero thinks activists should pursue political self-determination instead of resisting the buildup. “These guys can yell and scream all they can,” the governor said. “They’re going to do the military buildup regardless, right? So why don’t we work with them and see how we can benefit?” She wants the Defense Department to help harden local power lines and fund a hospital. “Our hospital cannot absorb mass casualties,” she said.
There are about 20,600 military personnel, civilians, and dependents on Guam, a figure that’s expected to reach 29,400 by 2037. While the military is investing in additional housing both on and off base, the population influx will almost certainly continue pushing up construction and housing costs. The median home price on Guam was $216,100 in 2010, when Camacho sued the military to protect Pågat. Today it is approaching half a million dollars.
Fear of another war also fuels support for the buildup. “We’ve always been a target regardless, because of where we are geographically located,” Leon Guerrero said. Guam is the largest island in the Micronesian region of the Pacific. It’s just north of the equator, a three-hour flight from Tokyo, and has a deep-water harbor that supports naval submarines. “We were a target for Spain. We were a target for the U.S. We were a target for Japan.” She worries about China, which has a ballistic missile nicknamed the “Guam Killer.” “If I’m going to have a choice, I’d rather be under the U.S. than China.”
To Flores, more military presence on Guam heightens the risk of war. In March, President Donald Trump’s decision to bomb Iran prompted military bases on the island to raise their threat level. She feels that, as in World War II, the Indigenous people of Guam are expendable in a broader contest between empires. “What are they really here to protect if there’s so much harm taking place? Are we just collateral damage?” she said. “Because just looking at our history of being occupied by war, being used for weapons testing, it feels like the message is that we don’t matter. Our future doesn’t matter. Our survival doesn’t matter.”
Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, at Joint Region Marianas, said he understands such skepticism. “If I was born and raised on Guam, I would have similar concerns,” he said. But he believes the military’s investment proves the opposite of what Flores fears. “Choice A is not to defend Guam against ballistic and hypersonic missiles,” he said. “Or the other choice, which is the one that we’ve made, is to spend billions of dollars to defend Guam from hypersonic and ballistic missiles. And so from my perspective, that shows a commitment not just to the military things that are on Guam, but also to the people of Guam.”
Yet Flores is far from the only Guam resident who feels expendable. When Pedro Blas, the vice-mayor of Yigo, first learned about the dieldrin in his village’s water, his first thought was of his autistic sister. “All of us growing up, all our lives, our water bottles, we fill it up with the tap water, put it in the fridge: That’s our cold water,” he said. “Because we were instilled in our heads our whole lives: Tap water is OK.”
Pedro Blas, the vice-mayor of Yigo, Guam, has been hearing from many constituents who are concerned that long-term exposure to dieldrin could have caused cancer in their families. Photo: Anita Hofschneider/Grist
So far, Camacho’s firm has helped file more than 700 claims, worth $360 million, against local authorities on behalf of village residents. He hopes that pressures the island to seek compensation from the Defense Department. “I’m so glad [Camacho] got involved,” Blas said. “We’re not letting it get swept up under the rug.” Mietus noted that Joint Region Marianas has not found high levels of dieldrin in military wells, and the Pentagon is working with local officials to determine the source of Yigo’s pollution.
“They look at Guam as real estate.”
Still, Blas wonders why the investigations at Andersen Air Force Base are occurring quietly behind the fence, while he hasn’t seen anyone in uniform hand out water to his constituents. “It’s beautiful to be a U.S. citizen, don’t get me wrong,” he said. “But if you really take a step back and look at exactly the impacts that [the military] brought to us over the years, we should have a say in whether or not these practices are going to happen to our island. Even just being called the ‘tip of the spear’ — we’re susceptible to any war that they’re going fight, and we just have to be OK with it.”
“This contamination they bring to our island, it kind of just shows how much they really care about our people,” Blas continued. “And frankly, I think they look at Guam as real estate rather than ‘Those are our U.S. citizens. Those are our people. Those are Americans.’”
IV.
The men and women gathered in the p’ebay, the traditional open-air Yapese meeting house with a triangular tin roof, and settled quietly on the tiled floor along each wall to listen to Camacho speak. A projector, perched above a cardboard box stacked on top of a red cooler, cast his PowerPoint presentation onto a screen. Slide after slide described the American military’s plans. A cool breeze fluttered the fronds on the palm trees surrounding the p’ebay.
It was April in the village of Tamil on Yap, one of four states in the Federated States of Micronesia. Camacho’s dieldrin work was far from over, but he’d put that aside when the island state’s government asked him to help dissect a Navy proposal to expand the seaport and airport. Tamil was one of several villages he visited to explain the plan.
Over the past decade, Camacho has become one of Guam’s leading environmental lawyers. “The one thing about Leevin is he shows up. Again and again,” said Julian Aguon, a human rights lawyer on the island. “And he brings with him not only deep competence but a deep sense of responsibility to the people and places he serves.”
“Regulatory agencies will bend over backwards to not pick a fight with the military because of the mission and the protection and all of that,” Camacho said. “And ultimately, it’s people who aren’t lawyers who end up paying the price.”
He was elected attorney general in 2018 for one term and led a historic lawsuit to force the Navy to clean up a hazardous landfill it had abandoned in the 1940s. A lower court dismissed the suit, but the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled in 2021 that it could proceed — a decision that eventually prompted the federal government to pay Guam $48.9 million.
He has sued the Navy to protect endangered species harmed by the construction of Camp Blaz. “For too long, our island has been treated as a sacrifice zone,” he said.
The risk of Guam falling into enemy hands, as it did in World War II, is so tangible that America’s Pacific military strategy involves spending billions of dollars to spread airfields, seaports, and training ranges across the region to remain competitive in case Guam is once again occupied by enemy forces. The U.S. is invoking decades-old agreements with the peoples of the Republic of Palau, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia to expand its presence on those islands and upgrade World War II-era seaports and airfields. Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. even signed a new agreement with Papua New Guinea to use its seaports.
On Yap, the U.S. military wants to dredge the lagoon, including two-thirds of an acre in a marine protected area, to create a seaport. The plan would remove enough sediment to fill 334 40-foot shipping containers and impact sea life, Indigenous fishers, and divers. “Plume spreads up to 800 m from disposal sites,” Camacho’s presentation noted. “Long-term reef decline and impact on reef species (fish, clams, sharks, turtles) not assessed.”
The Navy also plans to expand the airfield to facilitate two military exercises, each two weeks long and involving up to 200 personnel, per year. The project could disturb more than 1,000 graves, including the 19th-century tombs of Chief Orothin and Chief Yaloth. Camacho noted that the military’s draft plan acknowledges a “significant adverse impact” to these cultural sites and doesn’t commit to rebury the dead or preserve ancestral sites.
Yap has a population of just about 11,500, compared to Guam’s 170,000. Although Yap is less than a 90-minute flight from Guam, it has none of the military bases, six-lane highways, or big-box stores that define the American territory. “In some ways, this will be more transformative for Yap State than the buildup was for Guam because there’s no military presence there today,” Camacho said. On Guam, he said, “It’s normal to hear a fighter jet flying over. It’s normal to see a bomber or C130. They don’t have any of that there. So this would be such a radical change.”
One month after Camacho visited Yap, dignitaries from across the Pacific gathered in an air-conditioned conference room at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Guam. The hotel sits on a long stretch of white sand beach and looks out over Tumon Bay, where high levels of dieldrin have also been found in fish samples.
Political leaders from across the Pacific listen to presentations on the growing military presence in their region at a conference in Tumon, Guam. Photo: Anita Hofschneider/Grist
Once everyone had taken a seat, the lights dimmed and the glow of a projector filled the room. A screen showed a map of military activity across the western Pacific: not just bases, but training exercises and the routes of research vessels searching the sea floor for the critical minerals essential to many military technologies.
“We’re faced with the reality that we’re part of a larger strategic vision,” conference organizer and former Guam congressman Robert Underwood said. “All of you are in someone’s strategic plans whether you know it or not, whether you like it or not. All of us are in someone’s strategic plan.”
In Palau, Indigenous people are fighting the Pentagon’s expansion in local courts and international forums. Leaders of Angaur, one of 16 states there, filed a lawsuit accusing the U.S. of violating environmental rules and its treaty with the island nation when it cleared land for a radar facility. Indigenous chiefs from Peleliu are suing to prevent a land transfer that would support American goals. Indigenous Palauan youth filed a complaint at the United Nations alleging the U.S. military violated their right to free, prior, and informed consent to what happens on their land.
In the Northern Mariana Islands and the Marshall Islands, the U.S. military presence that started with World War II is ramping up. On Tinian, the Marine Corps is building an airfield and two live-fire training ranges, one of them for explosives. The Navy is extending its undersea sonar and explosives training across half a million square nautical miles, along with bombing practice on the neighboring island of Farallon de Medinilla.
Some hope the military’s regional expansion will enable other island nations and territories to experience the economic growth seen on Guam. But others worry about the pollution and cultural loss, and other risks that come with being a U.S. military stronghold.
In public comments written in response to the Navy’s proposal, Jennifer Dugwen Chieng noted that Camacho’s fight to have the Navy address hazardous waste at Ordot Dump went all the way to the Supreme Court. “Additionally, there are sacred private lands and culturally significant ecosystems that no amount of money can ever replace,” she wrote. “The desecration of graves violates the general principles of respect for burial sites and human remains upheld in Yap’s traditional custom.”
She’s also worried about becoming a target in the next war. Like Palau, Yap was held by the Japanese during World War II and experienced heavy bombardment by the United States. Since then, the Pentagon hasn’t paid much attention to the island state — until now.
“With rising tensions in the region between the U.S. and China, what does the DoD envision combat to look like?” Chieng wrote. “Will it be based on a WWII tactic of island hopping? What is the likelihood of the island becoming a battlefield if tensions were to escalate into war? Yap will be caught in the crossfire. Does the DoD intend to protect and defend the people of Yap, and if so, how does the DoD intend to do that?”
Mietus, the Joint Region Marianas commander, said there’s always a level of risk in being allied with the U.S. during a conflict.
“Sometimes people believe it’s a plan to evacuate U.S. service members or family members if a war starts — there is not,” he said. “I’m in this, living in the same risk as every other person here.” He’s pushed back against Guam lawmakers’ calls for the Defense Department to fund bomb shelters for civilians, contending that the existing military projects like strengthening Guam’s harbor are a better investment. “Oftentimes people see this Department of War as kind of having an infinite amount of money, and we don’t.”
V.
Unlike Guam, Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia are independent countries that have achieved the political self-determination that Indigenous CHamoru on Guam have been denied for centuries.
Camacho wants a plebiscite to determine Guam’s political status. He believes the island’s status as a U.S. territory — without a vote for president or voting representation in Congress — isn’t working. But while some of his colleagues in We Are Guåhan have focused on independence, Camacho sees his own role as making the government answer for its actions.
Leevin Camacho gestures at photos of his family in his home in Yigo, Guam. His grandparents lived through the brutal Japanese occupation of Guam and rarely talked about it. Photo: Anita Hofschneider/Grist
“Unless someone’s forcing the issue,” he said, “the Department of War isn’t going to voluntarily agree to be held accountable and agree to do all the things that it’s supposed to do.”
That’s why he feels compelled to seek reparations for the dieldrin contamination. So often, toxic pollution lingers on Guam and no one takes responsibility. “As a lawyer, I don’t want to fall into this situation where we’re like [the village of] Malesso, and they show up every year and say you still can’t eat the fish. That’s just not satisfactory,” he said.
One question that drives him is what Guam will be like when his kids are grown. Will they be able to afford living there? Will they want to, given how much the island is changing? It’s a constant effort to find the right balance between working toward their future and being there for them day to day.
“I’m going to try to do the best that I can to protect my island and to have a safe place for my kids to want to live on Guam,” Camacho said. “But also be there for them and help them get better dribbling with their left hand and be good human beings.” Even though Camacho moved a lot growing up, his family never considers leaving. “That is not a choice,” he said. “Guam is home — there is nowhere else we are going to be.”
Correction: September 25, 2026 This story originally misspelled Monaeka Flores’s name. It also has been updated to clarify her organization’s relationship to Leevin Camacho and to reflect that the number of military personnel on Guam includes civilian employees, dependents, and others.
EVANSTON, Illinois — A U.S. citizen was hospitalized after federal immigration agents mistakenly detained him Sunday in Evanston while searching for another man, according to local police and witnesses.
Evanston police said officers responding near Howard Street and Dodge Avenue found the man on the ground with injuries to his head, neck and teeth. Witness Miguel Olivares said he heard the man repeatedly saying, “I’m a U.S. citizen,” and recorded federal agents pinning him down. Olivares told ABC7 Chicago that the agents appeared to use significant force and that one seemed to strike the man in the face.
A federal agent later told Evanston police that officers had approached the man because he resembled a fugitive they were seeking. According to police, agents detained him for fingerprinting after he refused to provide identification, then released him after determining he was not their target and was a U.S. citizen.
The Department of Homeland Security said the man was uncooperative and that officers acted according to their training. DHS also maintained that its operations are “highly targeted.” However, in this case, agents detained and injured someone who was not the person they were seeking.
Evanston police are investigating and collecting body-camera, dash-camera and witness video. Police Chief Schenita Stewart later met with the injured man at the hospital and offered department support.
DES MOINES, Iowa — An Iowa judge has dismissed President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against pollster J. Ann Selzer and The Des Moines Register, ruling that an inaccurate pre-election poll did not amount to consumer fraud and was protected political speech.
The disputed November 2024 poll showed Kamala Harris leading Trump by 3 percentage points in Iowa. Trump ultimately won the state by more than 13 points. He argued that the poll was deceptive and violated Iowa’s consumer-fraud and misrepresentation laws.
Iowa District Court Judge Scott Beattie rejected that argument Wednesday, writing that Trump’s complaint attempted to stretch state law far beyond its existing limits and impose liability on speech receiving the highest level of First Amendment protection. The case was dismissed with prejudice, preventing Trump from simply refiling the same claims in state court.
Trump originally filed the case in December 2024, later dropped a federal version and refiled a substantially similar complaint in Iowa state court.
Selzer welcomed the ruling, saying polling is “a social science, not clairvoyance” and that pollsters cannot guarantee election results. She has consistently denied manipulating the survey or acting with political intent.
The ruling distinguishes between a poll that proved substantially wrong and evidence of deliberate fraud. Trump’s attorneys had not immediately announced whether they would pursue an appeal.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — ProPublica says records from an FBI anti-corruption investigation contradict several public statements Sen. Susan Collins has made while defending her relationship with former Navatek CEO Martin Kao, a major political donor convicted of campaign-finance and loan fraud.
Collins has said the Biden Justice Department and FBI “totally cleared” her, her office and her campaign years ago. But ProPublica reports that the investigation at issue involved allegations Kao provided between 2022 and 2024, with agents still examining his relationship with Collins, her aides and a pro-Collins super PAC in early 2025.
An FBI spokesperson said an earlier investigation “ultimately found nothing implicating Senator Collins or Senator Collins’ campaign.” No one associated with Collins was charged. However, ProPublica says that earlier inquiry is separate from the later corruption review that ended after personnel assigned to the case were removed during the Trump administration.
Collins’ deputy chief of staff also argued that investigators did not believe Kao. ProPublica reports FBI documents said emails and other records corroborated portions of his account, though Kao’s criminal history presented obvious credibility concerns.
Collins has called the allegations false and politically motivated. AP reported that the dispute is now a major issue in Maine’s Senate campaign.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. disclosed more than $4 million in book advances and roughly $270,000 in gifts from longtime allies, financial relationships that are drawing scrutiny because several benefactors are also involved in the Make America Healthy Again movement.
The largest payments were two $2 million advances from Skyhorse Publishing for Unsettled Science and A Defense for Israel. Skyhorse owner Tony Lyons is a longtime Kennedy associate who also leads organizations promoting MAHA-related causes and accepting political contributions and corporate sponsorships.
Kennedy also disclosed about $126,000 in Washington lodging and nearly $150,000 in airfare provided by security consultant Gavin de Becker, including trips to Greece and Fiji. De Becker has been a major Kennedy political donor and described the gifts as part of their longstanding friendship.
The book payments raise a specific ethics question because federal rules generally prohibit government employees from receiving compensation for writing related to their official duties when that writing occurs during government service. Whether Kennedy’s advances violate those rules would depend on when the writing was performed and whether the books relate to his HHS responsibilities.
Kennedy’s representatives say he has complied with federal ethics requirements and worked with HHS ethics officials on his disclosures. No violation has been formally established.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump personally welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping at Joint Base Andrews on Wednesday, offering the Chinese leader a rare planeside greeting as Xi began a three-day state visit focused on trade, technology and security.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump met Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on the tarmac after Air China One arrived outside Washington. The greeting broke with usual presidential protocol, under which visiting leaders typically receive their formal welcome at the White House.
Xi’s visit is the first U.S. state visit by a Chinese leader in more than a decade. The main events are scheduled for Thursday, including a formal White House arrival ceremony, military review, Oval Office talks and state dinner. A military flyover featuring a B-2 Spirit bomber and four F-22 Raptors is also planned.
The visit comes as Washington and Beijing seek to stabilize relations after prolonged disputes over tariffs, rare-earth minerals and technology. Reuters reported that the two countries agreed to extend an existing trade truce, while major breakthroughs during the summit are not expected.
Trump and Xi are expected to discuss artificial intelligence, trade, Taiwan and other geopolitical disputes. Trump previously visited Beijing in May and invited Xi to Washington during that trip.
In banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, the Trump administration has argued that the move is similar to actions taken by Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden. But the ban goes beyond what those presidents did.
The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Sept. 21. Photo by Alex Wroblewski / AFP via Getty Images.
In a Sept. 21 press release, three days after President Donald Trump said the news organizations would be barred “effective immediately,” the White House said that “[a]ccess changes are nothing new,” and that “Democrat Administrations have restricted, punished, and locked out the press” for “years.” The release listed several examples of incidents involving the press during the Obama and Biden administrations.
“There’s no basis to suggest that Biden and Obama ‘did it too,'” Ken Paulson, director of the Free Speech Center at Middle Tennessee State University, told us. “Trump’s action is singular and unprecedented,” he said, noting that Trump has instituted a “full ban of multiple news media” and “is targeting news organizations because they are publishing content he finds unflattering.
“That violates the First Amendment prohibition against government using its power to punish ideas,” Paulson said.
Trump announced the ban on Sept. 18 in a post on Truth Social, saying it was due to reporting what he called “FAKE NEWS.” When questioned by reporters later that day, Trump repeated that he was doing this “because they’re fake news.” He said the news organizations “purposely write negative news” in order to “try and diminish the Republicans and a Republican administration.”
We’ll explain what happened in some of the instances under Obama and Biden cited in the White House press release and by other Republicans. First Amendment experts told us that Trump’s ban is different.
Amy Kristin Sanders, a professor of First Amendment studies at Penn State University, told us that Trump’s action was “unprecedented,” “particularly when taken in light of President Trump’s public stance about why he banned the news organizations.”
“What the Trump Administration has done is revoke access for news organizations that have already been granted press access while publicly saying it is because President Trump doesn’t like the way he is being covered by those news organizations,” Sanders told us in an email. “These outlets are being targeted specifically because they engaged in critical coverage.”
Aaron Terr, director of public advocacy at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which defends free speech rights on college campuses and elsewhere, said, “Past presidents have limited outlets’ White House access based on hostility toward their reporting. For example, the Nixon administration, displeased with the Washington Post’s coverage of Watergate, barred one of the paper’s reporters from covering White House social events.” And the Obama administration initially excluded Fox News from a TV reporting pool for one interview (we’ll explain that incident below).
“But I don’t know of any past example of a president indefinitely banning a media outlet from the White House,” Terr told us.
The White House press release defended the president’s ban. “The First Amendment protects their right to publish; it does not entitle them to a hard pass, briefing room seat, or place in the press pool,” the release said.
Terr disagreed. “Just last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit reaffirmed that when the White House opens its facilities to the press generally, it cannot exclude reporters based on disapproval of their views,” he said, calling the action a violation of the First Amendment.
CNN, Politico and MS NOW sued the administration, asking a federal judge to block enforcement of Trump’s ban and to restore their access to the White House. Administration officials responded in a court filing saying that the news organizations “have failed to maintain basic minimum ‘standards of professionalism and decorum'” by “‘publishing sensitive or classified information.'” A hearing was held Sept. 23.
In response to Trump’s action, the other major TV networks said they wouldn’t participate in pool coverage of the president’s events.
Obama and Fox News
In its press release, the White House highlighted a feud between the Obama White House and Fox News in 2009, early in Obama’s presidency. The Obama White House questioned whether Fox News was a legitimate news organization and excluded “Fox News Sunday” when the president made the rounds on all of the other Sunday news talk shows. And the Treasury Department reportedly tried to limit access for Fox News to an interview with an administration official.
“In 2009, the Obama White House attempted to exclude a Fox News reporter from an interview with an unpaid executive pay consultant for the U.S. Treasury Department. Other news organizations objected to the effort and supported Fox and it never occurred again,” Paulson told us. “Continuance of this practice would have raised significant First Amendment questions.”
In a Sept. 19 talk at Colgate University, Obama commented on Trump’s ban on certain news outlets. “I’m trying to think what would’ve happened if I had said, ‘You know what, Fox News, you’re out of here.’ It’s unimaginable.” Obama didn’t kick out the network from the White House. But his administration took other actions against Fox News, and the Justice Department also surveilled one of the network’s reporters as part of aggressive measures to curtail leaks to the media.
We wrote about these actions in 2018, when Obama said he had “complained plenty about Fox News, but you never heard me threaten to shut them down or call them enemies of the people,” a reference to Trump repeatedly calling the media that. As we said then, Obama did more than complain. He didn’t use the phrase “enemies of the people,” though he did say that Fox News’ “point of view” was “ultimately destructive” to the U.S.
On Sept. 20, 2009, Obama appeared on the Sunday talk shows on NBC, CBS, CNN, ABC and Univision, but ignored “Fox News Sunday.” Asked about the snub, White House spokesman Josh Earnest criticized Fox for not airing Obama’s Sept. 9, 2009, joint address to Congress on healthcare. The speech did air on the Fox News Channel, however — but not the broadcast network. Obama didn’t make it to “Fox News Sunday” until his last year in office.
In October 2009, the White House ramped up its rhetoric. Anita Dunn, the White House director of communications, told the New York Times, “We’re going to treat them the way we would treat an opponent” and said that “we don’t need to pretend that this is the way that legitimate news organizations behave.” When asked about Dunn’s comments, White House senior adviser David Axelrod said that “it’s not just their commentators, but a lot of their news programming, it’s really not news. It’s pushing a point of view.” He added, “We’re going to appear on their shows. We’re going to participate, but understanding that they represent a point of view.”
That same month, the Treasury Department reportedly tried to exclude Fox News from a pool TV interview of an administration official, Kenneth Feinberg, the so-called “pay czar.” The White House disputed that account, saying the issue was merely a miscommunication. But Fox News and other news outlets reported that the Treasury Department had tried to leave Fox News out of the pool, until the other TV networks protested. “All the networks said, that’s it, you’ve crossed the line,” CBS News White House correspondent Chip Reid told his own network.
Fox News did interview Feinberg.
“The Obama administration’s exclusion of Fox News from a pool was rightly condemned as an attack on press freedom,” Terr told us. “The White House also lists a couple of other examples of the Obama administration reportedly restricting or threatening to restrict reporters’ access. Of course, none of that justifies what the Trump administration is doing now. Two wrongs don’t make a right. And the Trump administration’s wrong — a directive from the top to ban three outlets from the White House indefinitely over their critical or negative reporting — appears to be unprecedented in its scope and severity.”
Obama Administration Pursuit of Leaks
The Justice Department under Obama also aggressively investigated leaks of information to the media, surveilling or subpoenaing journalists in the process, including Fox News reporter James Rosen. In 2010, the DOJ tracked Rosen’s movements at the State Department and collected his telephone and email records, according to the Washington Post, which broke the story in 2013.
In the affidavit for a search warrant to obtain emails, the FBI agent described Rosen as “an aider, abettor and/or co-conspirator.”
“Search warrants like these have a severe chilling effect on the free flow of important information to the public,” First Amendment lawyer Charles Tobin told the Washington Post.
In 2012, the DOJ also seized two months of telephone records of reporters and editors at the Associated Press.
In 2017, the Committee to Protect Journalists wrote: “Under the Obama administration, charges were brought against at least eight government employees or contractors accused of leaking information to the media, and several journalists were snared in the process through subpoenas to testify or surveillance of their records. After public outcry, the Department of Justice released revised standards for subpoenaing reporters.”
The aggressive posture against leaks, and reporters, continued under Trump’s first term and has escalated in his second. In an August report, CPJ said the DOJ in Trump’s second term had issued subpoenas involving at least 10 journalists, “marking one of the most aggressive uses of legal powers against the press in the United States in decades.” It cited the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, which found that over Biden’s term three such subpoenas were issued and just one was issued in Trump’s first term.
Biden’s Stricter Criteria for White House Press Badges
Asked about Trump banning the media outlets from the White House press room, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise falsely equated Trump’s move to a situation during the Biden administration when it placed greater restrictions on those seeking a hard pass allowing access to the White House press facilities.
“Joe Biden removed the press credentials from over 400 different agencies,” Scalise said on ABC’s “This Week” on Sept. 20.
The White House parroted Scalise’s claim in its press release the following day, claiming, “The Biden Administration restricted more than 440 reporters from White House access through a new, retroactive press credentialing process — with independent and conservative journalists taking a heavy share of the hit. The White House Correspondents’ Association barely objected.”
But those claims are misleading at best.
As ABC News’ Jonathan Karl pointed out during the interview with Scalise, “The 400 individual reporters who [lost] credentials did not reapply. There was only one that was actually denied a credential. And all of those who didn’t reapply were allowed to come in.”
“They were removed,” Scalise said.
“They were not banned from the White House,” Karl said. “That did not happen.”
Here’s what did happen. In May 2023, the Biden administration established new, stricter rules for who could obtain a “hard pass” allowing routine access to the White House press areas without an escort. As the Washington Post explained at the time, in order to be eligible for a hard pass, a journalist had to be “employed full time by an organization principally concerned with news dissemination; must reside in the greater Washington, D.C., area; must have gone to the White House for work at least once during the prior six months; and must hold press credentials for either the Supreme Court, Senate or House.”
The White House at the time estimated that 40% of the journalists who had hard passes hadn’t even been to the White House in the previous 90 days.
In August of that year, Politico reported that over the first three months under the new Biden-era rules, the number of hard pass holders dropped from 1,417 to 975. Most of the drop was attributed to journalists who simply didn’t reapply. According to Politico, only one person who applied was denied a pass under the new criteria.
Importantly, though, even journalists without a hard pass could still get access to the White House press briefings by obtaining a daily pass, which required a journalist to provide personal information to clear security.
Jen Psaki, who served as White House press secretary under Biden from January 2021 to May 2022, posted a video to TikTok on Sept. 21 calling Scalise’s taking point “total BS.”
“So what the White House did was they put in place a couple of requirements that are pretty standard,” Psaki said, noting that “there were a lot of people with hard passes out there that had not used it in several years.”
“But [conservative] outlets like Breitbart and Fox and OAN and Newsmax all got hard passes because the criteria had nothing to do with how you were covering the administration,” Psaki said. “It was whether you were meeting those basic standard requirements, which is very much aligned with what the Senate and the House requires as well.”
Reporters who did not regularly cover the White House could still get access to White House press briefings “simply by getting day passes, and that is something that the Biden White House granted to a huge number of people from a range of news outlets,” Psaki said. “None were prevented from getting access to the White House because of their coverage. That is a big difference between then and what’s happening now.”
After his “This Week” interview, Scalise pushed back on X on Karl’s live fact-check.
“This morning, ABC tried to claim the Biden White House didn’t cut off press access for over 400 journalists,” Scalise wrote. “The facts say otherwise.”
He cited a Fox News story in August 2023 that claimed, “More than 440 reporters lose press passes after White House changes requirements.”
The White House correspondent for Today News Africa filed a lawsuit claiming the Biden administration discriminated against him by changing the criteria. However, a D.C. District Court judge ruled in favor of the White House, saying the criteria established by the Biden White House for hard pass credentials was “facially reasonable” and “viewpoint neutral.” As a result, the judge noted, passes were not denied based on the content of stories produced by applicants.
In Trump’s case, Sanders, the Penn State professor, told us, “These outlets are being targeted specifically because they engaged in critical coverage.”
“The Biden administration did change the credentialing requirements for ‘hard pass’ access, causing some journalists not to renew their hard passes and possibly making some journalists ineligible for a hard pass,” Sanders said. “This is different than excluding members of the WHCA from pool coverage based on the viewpoints they express in their journalism.”
The Free Speech Center’s Paulson likened the Biden rules “to a public library requiring patrons to prove residency before renewing a library card. There were no First Amendment issues.”
Terr, at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said that “there were legitimate concerns about the new rules, including that they disadvantaged smaller outlets and freelancers. The rules also gave the administration discretion to discipline journalists who didn’t act in a ‘professional manner,’ a vague and subjective standard that could be abused to punish aggressive questioning.”
However, Terr said, the Biden administration “used viewpoint-neutral criteria to determine access” and “didn’t go so far as to ban any outlet from the White House over unfavorable coverage.”
Other Instances of Press Access
The White House press release highlighted several other instances of reporters not getting access to certain events.
Boston Herald
The White House said that Obama press officials had raised the issue of fairness when denying the Boston Herald full access to a May 2011 fundraising event.
“Obama White House officials restricted the Boston Herald from coverage — writing that pool slots depended on covering Obama ‘fairly’ — after the paper ran a front page Mitt Romney op-ed,” the White House press release said.
The Herald reported that Matt Lehrich, an Obama White House spokesperson, told the newspaper that the Herald’s request was denied because the White House Correspondents’ Association had already granted local pool coverage to the Herald’s competitor, the Boston Globe. However, Lehrich did suggest that covering Obama “regularly” and “fairly” were factors in which outlets are selected for press pool assignments.
“I tend to consider the degree to which papers have demonstrated to covering the White House regularly and fairly in determining local pool reporters,” the Herald said Lehrich wrote when replying to the Herald’s request for full access to the fundraiser.
In emails with the Herald, Lehrich had brought up the newspaper publishing a front-page editorial critical of Obama that was written by former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Obama’s eventual Republican presidential opponent, in March 2011. “My point about the op-ed was not that you ran it but that it was the full front page, which excluded any coverage of the visit of a sitting US President to Boston. I think that raises a fair question about whether the paper is unbiased in its coverage of the President’s visits,” the Herald said Lehrich wrote.
But “Lehrich insisted the Herald may yet be allowed into Obama events,” the Herald said.
San Francisco Chronicle
The White House press release also accurately recounted a conflict between the Obama White House and the San Francisco Chronicle in April 2011. However, the former Chronicle reporter involved said that what happened then is “very different” from what Trump is doing now.
“After a San Francisco Chronicle reporter recorded protesters interrupting an Obama fundraiser, White House officials threatened to strip the outlet from access and warned of retaliation if the paper reported on it,” the White House press release said.
“That’s true,” Carla Marinucci, the Chronicle’s former senior political writer, told the Chronicle for a Sept. 21 story about the incident. She said Obama’s press aides “went insane” on the Chronicle after she posted a video she recorded of the protest, which the press team argued violated pool protocol because the event coverage was limited to print reporters. As a result of the dustup, Marinucci said the Obama White House “blocked us from the local press pool for a year.”
But Marinucci said what Obama’s press aides did is not on the same level as what Trump has done.
“They never accused us of posting fake news. They just didn’t want us to post a video,” Marinucci told the Chronicle. “That’s very different from saying these organizations are fake news and I don’t like what they are doing.”
She called Trump’s actions against the three news organizations a “complete violation of the First Amendment.”
Obama’s 2008 Campaign
The White House press release also said, “In the Obama campaign’s final days, senior campaign officials pulled reporters from three prominent outlets off the traveling press plane — restricting them from coverage after the papers endorsed Obama’s opponent.” The news outlets affected disagreed on whether the endorsements, which came from the editorial pages, played a role.
With three days to go before the 2008 presidential election, the Obama campaign removed journalists with the Washington Times, New York Post and Dallas Morning News from the pool of reporters traveling on Obama’s campaign plane. The campaign said that a lack of seats and high demand necessitated making some changes. Some of the newspapers affected said the move appeared to be retaliation for their individual editorial boards endorsing Obama’s Republican opponent, John McCain.
“This feels like the journalistic equivalent of redistributing the wealth,” John Solomon, then the executive editor of the Washington Times, said at the time.
However, Ryan Rusak, the politics editor at the Dallas Morning News, wrote that the paper didn’t have evidence the endorsement was the reason. “We think the Obama campaign’s decision is to some degree more a function of limited seats,” he wrote on the paper’s website, noting that he and the political reporter “had absolutely no input or knowledge of the endorsement.”
Rusak said an Obama campaign spokeswoman, Linda Douglass, told the paper the campaign needed space for Obama’s wife, Michelle, and her staff and Secret Service, and the endorsement didn’t play a role. “There are news organizations, as you look around you on the plane, whose editorial boards are never friendly to Senator Obama,” Douglass said. Fox News and the Wall Street Journal were still on the plane, Rusak said.
New York Post
Biden’s White House, the Trump administration’s press release said, “blockedNew York Post reporter Steven Nelson from covering the President’s only daytime public event — despite empty seats in the room — after the reporter pressed Biden on his family’s shady business dealings.”
That’s a reference to a decision Biden officials made in May 2023 to exclude Nelson from the press covering an event featuring Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. The Biden White House said Nelson was one of about two dozen reporters it could not accommodate due to a lack of space. But the New York Post said it suspected Nelson had been denied a press spot at the event because he had previously questioned Biden about the Biden family’s alleged dealings with foreign countries and the press staff didn’t want the president to face tough questions..
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This week, Republicans unveiled their ‘2026 Contract with Delaware Voters’
DOVER, Del. — State Sen. Bryant Richardson, R-Seaford, and Delaware Republicans are pitching voters on a 10-bill platform ahead of November’s general election. It promises no state tax on overtime or tips, help for first-time homebuyers, deferred property taxes for seniors, and new rules on school sports and civics education.
Richardson unveiled the “2026 Contract with Delaware Voters” Tuesday at an event at the Delaware State Police Museum in Dover. It is modeled on the 1994 “Republican Contract with America,” the national platform U.S. House Republicans released weeks before the 1994 midterm elections, when they won control of the U.S. House for the first time in 40 years.
Delaware Republican Party Chairman Gene Truono said the Contract is important for the people of the state. “Like the Contract with America in the 1990s, the Contract with Delaware will help drive bipartisan conservative policy for generations to come,” Truono told Delaware LIVE.
What’s in the ‘2026 Contract with Delaware Voters’
1.) Affordability Acts: Creates a tax-advantaged savings account for a first-time home down payment; lets homeowners 65 and older defer property taxes until the home is sold; eliminates state income taxes on overtime pay and tips.
2.) Good Governance: Ensures police presence to prioritize neighborhood safety and keep repeat offenders off the streets; adds “informed choice” requirements for abortion; returns local control over issues such as right-to-work ordinances and offshore wind siting.
3.) Our Youth: Requires student athletes to compete in sports matching their biological sex; requires students to learn what it’s like to live under communism, totalitarianism, and other political ideologies, alongside the principles of freedom, democracy, and individual liberty; creates Education Empowerment Accounts for tutoring, special education services, and instruction at public or private schools.
Why Republicans say their bills get stuck
Richardson’s central argument is that many of these ideas never get a vote. In Delaware, a bill needs signatures from a majority of a committee’s members before the full Senate or House can vote on it. Democrats hold 15 of 21 Senate seats and 27 of 41 House seats, and they control every committee.
His Fairness in Girls’ Sports Act is one example. Richardson has introduced a version in each of the last three General Assemblies, most recently as Senate Bill 215 in January, and none has been released from committee. The bill would have schools label each team boys’, girls’ or coed based on students’ sex as recorded at or near birth, while letting girls play on a boys’ team when no girls’ team exists.
Richardson says it protects fairness and privacy for female athletes; opponents have argued such bills discriminate against transgender students. Richardson said keeping it in committee lets lawmakers avoid taking a public stand.
Richardson says the “deeper problem” is that “when one side holds the votes to pass anything it wants, it no longer has to listen to the voices of those who disagree.” That’s a line from his self-published booklet, “Citizen’s Guide to Delaware Public Policy,” which he had available on a table at the event and told attendees to take.
“Eleven Republican senators could make a huge difference,” Richardson told supporters. “We would be the heads of the committee. We would get things out of committee for a full vote on the Senate floor.”
What it would take for Republicans to win a majority
Richardson acknowledged the climb is steep. With supermajorities in both chambers, Democrats can pass certain measures, like tax increases, without a single Republican vote.
To take the majority, Republicans need five more Senate seats and seven more House seats. Only 11 Senate seats are on the Nov. 3 ballot. Republicans hold three of them and have candidates in six of the eight held by Democrats, according to the Delaware Department of Elections’ candidate list, so a Senate majority would mean winning most of those races outright.
Two of those Republican candidates were at the event: Brent Burdge, running in the 5th Senate District, and Chris Rowe, running in the 7th. Rowe said voter education should extend to candidates themselves: “We just started electing people to office that don’t know the Constitution.”
State Rep. Lyndon Yearick, R-Magnolia, thanked Richardson: “You’re the tip of the spear, but it’s gonna take everybody.”
Sen. Dave Lawson, R-Marydel, who is not seeking reelection, closed with a direct appeal to the room: “Delaware needs this. Every one of you has a Facebook, and has friends. If you’re not handing this out, you’re not helping your grandchildren.”
Andy Burnham’s accusation against the Kremlin tells half the story. Domestic extremists amplified by US big tech are part of the same problem
In November 2020, Barack Obama warned of an “epistemological crisis” facing western democracies. Polarisation and radicalisation were corroding trust in established information sources. “If we do not have the capacity to distinguish what’s true from what’s false, then by definition the marketplace of ideas doesn’t work,” the former US president said.
That vulnerability has grown since then. Democracy’s enemies have become more determined to exploit it. This is the threat that Andy Burnham highlighted in a speech at the United Nations this week. The prime minister accused Russia of waging an “industrial-scale assault” on the UK’s information environment using bot armies and fake websites to spread falsehoods, interfere in elections, foment discord and poison inter-community relations.
Judge rejects USDA’s timetable and clarifies immigrant eligibility, but federal rules aimed at improving state payment accuracy remain in place
DOVER, Del. — Delaware has won a court ruling that prevents the Trump administration from counting certain food assistance errors against states under a deadline a federal judge found unlawful. The victory protects the state from potential future costs tied to that deadline, but it does not resolve a separate problem: Delaware’s SNAP payment error rate was 16% in fiscal 2025, well above the national average.
The Sept. 17 ruling also confirmed that certain lawful permanent residents, including people who were previously refugees or granted asylum, remain eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program without waiting five years. It did not overturn the 2025 federal law requiring states with high payment error rates to pay a share of SNAP benefit costs.
The case for state accountability
Congress changed SNAP last year to give states a stronger financial reason to determine eligibility and benefit amounts accurately. Under the law, states with error rates of at least 6% can be required to cover 5%, 10% or 15% of benefit costs, depending on their rate. The requirement generally begins Oct. 1, 2027.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported a national payment error rate of 10.62% for fiscal 2025, representing $10.1 billion in improper payments. The measure includes benefits paid above and below the correct amount. It is not a fraud rate.
“These payment error rates are further proof that state accountability is severely lacking in SNAP,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said when USDA released the figures. She said the department wanted states to curb waste while serving needy families and protecting taxpayers.
Delaware’s error rate
Delaware’s fiscal 2025 rate was 16%, compared with the 10.62% national rate and the law’s 6% cost-sharing threshold. That makes payment accuracy a substantial issue for the state, independent of its dispute with USDA over the new law’s implementation. The figure does not mean 16% of Delaware recipients committed fraud; it includes overpayments and underpayments.
Delaware’s rate is high enough to qualify it for a delay in the new benefit cost-sharing requirement. That gives the state more time to improve accuracy before it must begin paying a share of benefits under that provision. The delay comes from the law itself, separate from the court ruling.
Why the judge rejected USDA’s deadline
The lawsuit focused on how USDA put the 2025 law into effect. SNAP rules provide a 120-day adjustment period during which certain errors arising from a policy change are excluded from a state’s payment error rate. USDA said the period began July 4, 2025, when the law was enacted, and ended Nov. 1.
But USDA did not issue its guidance on noncitizen eligibility until Oct. 31, leaving states one day under that timetable. Other instructions arrived weeks or months after USDA said the clock had started. U.S. District Judge Mustafa Kasubhai ruled that the department had not given states adequate notice. He set aside its deadline and required a full adjustment period following proper implementation instructions.
The judge also found that USDA’s October guidance wrongly indicated that some lawful permanent residents were ineligible for SNAP or subject to a five-year waiting period. USDA issued a clarification in December. The ruling confirms that lawful permanent residents who were previously in specified humanitarian categories retain their exemption from the waiting period, provided they meet other SNAP requirements.
What Jennings’ criticism means
“This entire ordeal was a blatant attempt by the Trump Administration to take food away from families in need, to destroy a plank of the social safety net, and to degrade our state’s financial standing,” Attorney General Kathy Jennings said in announcing the decision.
Jennings’ accusation goes beyond what the judge decided about the administration’s intent. USDA says it is seeking to reduce improper payments, save federal money and hold states accountable for administering SNAP accurately. The court nevertheless found that USDA’s initial guidance misstated eligibility for some lawful permanent residents and that its deadline unfairly exposed states to future costs.
The distinction does not erase the effects of the broader 2025 law. The Congressional Budget Office expects its tighter eligibility and work rules to reduce the number of people receiving SNAP. Its projected $187 billion in federal savings over 10 years includes those changes; it is not an estimate of fraud eliminated. The court ruling establishes that USDA went beyond a lawful implementation of the changes at issue, but it does not establish that denying food to needy families was the administration’s purpose.
For Delaware, the ruling means USDA cannot use the deadline the judge rejected to count implementation errors against the state. Delaware must still follow the new law and address its high payment error rate. Both facts matter to understanding what the state won — and the work that remains.
TO GO BOX | The SNAP ruling
Who: Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings joined other states in suing the Trump administration over USDA’s SNAP guidance and deadline.
What: A federal judge set aside USDA’s deadline for counting certain implementation errors and clarified eligibility for some lawful permanent residents.
When: The ruling was issued Sept. 17, 2026.
Where: The decision came from the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon and addresses USDA guidance to states.
Why it matters: Delaware avoids errors being counted under the rejected deadline, but its 16% fiscal 2025 payment error rate remains high. The federal law requiring states with high error rates to share SNAP benefit costs remains in effect.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Sen. Rand Paul says the Department of Homeland Security still has not provided Congress with investigative findings on the fatal January shootings of U.S. citizens Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis.
Paul, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, told Politico that his panel continues seeking the information. “We’ve asked for information. We’re still asking,” he said, according to the Washington Examiner. The shootings occurred during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge and triggered national scrutiny of ICE tactics and DHS’s public accounts of enforcement encounters.
Paul previously withheld action on an ICE director nominee while demanding updates on civilian deaths involving immigration officers. AP reported last week that Paul said he remained “still waiting” for DHS to provide the requested internal-investigation information.
The demand comes amid broader concerns about transparency in Minneapolis enforcement cases. In a separate January shooting, ICE officer Christian Castro has been charged federally with lying to the FBI after prosecutors said video contradicted his claim that he was attacked before firing through a residence door. Castro has pleaded not guilty.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who replaced Kristi Noem, told senators during his confirmation process that he wanted to restore confidence in the department and acknowledged that he had previously made an inappropriate characterization of Pretti.
Kristoffer Polaha, actor in 21 Hallmark movies, will be at UNITED Church’s Milford Campus on Friday, Oct. 23
By John Riddle, Contributing Journalist, Delaware LIVE
Hallmark fans will have a chance to see one of the network’s familiar leading men in Delaware this fall when actor Kristoffer Polaha visits Milford for a special evening celebrating an upcoming film and the real-life mission that inspired it.
Polaha, who has appeared in 21 Hallmark movies along with numerous television, film and stage productions, will be at UNITED Church’s Milford Campus on Friday, Oct. 23, for the CUPS Comedy Cast Party.
The event celebrates the completion of the production phase of Rescued, the working title of a film starring Polaha and based on the story of comedian Mike Williams.
Williams moved with his wife and three children to the Dominican Republic in 2010. While there, he became involved in an effort to rescue a Haitian refugee from Russian human traffickers. That experience ultimately led to the establishment of CUPS Mission, which now works in three countries on two continents to fight poverty and provide children with education, training and opportunities that can help them avoid trafficking.
“When I heard Mike’s story, I knew I had to be a part of it,” said writer and director Trey Reynolds. “This film is for every person who has ever felt the pull to do something greater than themselves and wasn’t sure if they were brave enough to do it.”
The movie was filmed on location in the Dominican Republic during March and April and is currently in post-production, with a projected release in late 2027. Reynolds’ previous credits include Blue Miracle, The Forge and Family Camp.
For Polaha, making the film became about more than simply playing a role.
“To make a movie is a blessing. To make this kind of movie is life-changing,” Polaha said.
During production, Polaha described how the cast and crew worked to leave a lasting impact on the community where they were filming. Their efforts included cleaning a river, stuccoing and painting the village church and painting nearby homes. The word “HOPE” was also painted on the church wall.
“We’re leaving this community better than how we found it,” Polaha said.
Children from the community spent six days with the film crew, playing games, becoming comfortable around the cameras and eventually appearing in the movie.
The Bridge, a Christian radio network with stations in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and New Jersey, is hosting the Milford event. The network has supported CUPS Mission for years, and its listeners sponsor La Union Abajo, a village near Puerto Plata. Bridge staff members and listeners
have contributed funding, equipment and volunteer labor to CUPS Mission projects for nearly a decade.
Williams, whose credits include Dry Bar Comedy and Dove Award Comedian of the Year, will also appear at the Delaware event. He and his family have helped thousands of children during the past 15 years.
Polaha and Williams will be joined by Reynolds, Executive Producer Jack Eason, Associate Producer Benjamin Weeks and others involved with the film. The evening will include a question-and-answer session, exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and a first look at a clip from the movie.
“This is exactly the kind of story that reminds us what is possible when ordinary people choose to live for something bigger than themselves,” said producer Darren Moorman. “Mike Williams stepped away from personal success to answer a deeper calling, and the ripple effect of that decision is still being felt today.”
Polaha is well known to Hallmark audiences, but his acting credits extend far beyond the network. He has appeared in North Shore, Life Unexpected, Wonder Woman 1984, Jurassic World Dominion, Mad Men and CSI: Miami. He also stars alongside Jon Hamm in the upcoming MGM+ psychological thriller American Hostage.
The CUPS Comedy Cast Party begins at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23, at UNITED Church, Milford Campus, 985 N. Dupont Blvd. The event is open to the public. Early bird tickets are $20 through Aug. 31, with prices increasing Sept. 1. A limited number of $100 VIP Red Carpet Reception tickets are also available and include a private reception with Polaha, Reynolds and others involved with the film.
Nominations are now being accepted for five awards that will be presented during a ceremony in December. Delaware residents have until Friday, Oct. 9, to recommend an individual, program or organization for recognition.
The Maternal Mental Health and Family Wellness Award will recognize work that advances maternal health for women and families throughout Delaware.
By John Riddle, Contributing Journalist, Delaware LIVE
Delawareans have an opportunity to recognize the people and organizations working to improve mental health, support recovery and strengthen the well-being of families and communities across the First State.
The Office of Lieutenant Governor Kyle Evans Gay has announced the return of the annual Lt. Governor’s Challenge, featuring a refreshed vision that focuses on contributions to behavioral health and mental health outcomes throughout Delaware.
Nominations are now being accepted for five awards that will be presented during a ceremony in December. Delaware residents have until Friday, Oct. 9, to recommend an individual, program or organization for recognition.
“I’m thrilled to bring back the Lt. Governor’s Challenge to celebrate individuals and organizations in our state who go above and beyond in prioritizing mental health and raising awareness,” Gay said.
“As Chair of the Behavioral Health Consortium, it is my honor to celebrate individuals and organizations across our state whose work has changed lives and reduced stigma in Delaware and beyond,” she added. “In honoring this year’s awardees, we are first and foremost saying ‘thank you’ and, as we continue to learn more about what is working in the First State, we hope that opportunities for connection and care continue to grow statewide.”
Nominees may include Delaware residents as well as programs and organizations that serve or operate in the state. Regional and national organizations may also be considered when a nomination specifically recognizes their work and impact in Delaware.
The five award categories reflect a range of efforts to improve behavioral health and well-being.
The Youth Mental Health Champion Award will recognize leadership, advocacy or service that advances the mental health and well-being of young people in a school or community.
The Community Mental Health Innovation Award will honor an individual, program or organization that has developed creative approaches to improving access to mental health services and support.
The Workplace Mental Health Leadership Award will recognize efforts to create a workplace culture that prioritizes employee mental health and well-being.
The Recovery Champion Award will honor someone who serves as an inspiration or advocate for others. This category highlights the importance of recovery support, and the role individuals can play in encouraging and guiding people facing behavioral health or substance use challenges.
The Maternal Mental Health and Family Wellness Award will recognize work that advances maternal mental health, perinatal well-being, reproductive justice or equitable access to care for women and families throughout Delaware.
Following the Oct. 9 nomination deadline, an extensive review process will begin to select this year’s award recipients. Reviewers may include people with experience in behavioral health, health care, education, public service, recovery, community engagement and related fields.
The winners will be announced during the Lt. Governor’s Challenge ceremony on Tuesday, Dec. 8, at Delaware State University’s Schwartz Center for the Arts in Dover.
By inviting the public to submit nominations, the initiative gives Delawareans a direct role in identifying people and programs whose work may not always receive widespread attention. It also provides an opportunity to share successful approaches, raise awareness of available support and encourage stronger connections among those working to improve behavioral health across the state. Nominations may be submitted online at de.gov/ltgovchallenge.
Anyone who requires language or disability access, technology assistance or another reasonable accommodation to complete the nomination process may contact Fiona Pando at fiona.c.pando@delaware.gov.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration is dramatically expanding its search for noncitizen voter fraud ahead of the November midterms, assigning hundreds of federal investigators and attorneys to a problem that repeated studies and state reviews have found occurs only rarely.
Homeland Security Investigations says it now has about 1,600 open voter-fraud cases and has made 160 arrests. The Justice Department says 24 immigrants have been charged this year, with officials promising prosecutions will increase before Election Day. Axios reported that agents normally assigned to smuggling, trafficking, financial fraud and sexual exploitation have been redirected to the effort.
The scale of the operation stands in sharp contrast to the available evidence. Reuters reviewed state and independent investigations and found noncitizen voting to be exceedingly uncommon. One Brennan Center review identified just 30 suspected cases among 23.5 million ballots, while the conservative Heritage Foundation documented 24 cases over two decades.
AP has likewise reported that noncitizen voting is illegal under federal law and rarely occurs, with state audits repeatedly finding only isolated cases.
Even some recent registration problems cited by officials involved software or administrative errors rather than deliberate illegal voting. Despite that record, the administration is treating the issue as a “tier one priority,” continuing Trump’s years-long claims that noncitizen voting represents a major threat to U.S. elections.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Families of people killed by federal immigration agents told Democratic lawmakers Tuesday that government officials repeatedly released misleading or false accounts after fatal encounters, then provided little information about what actually happened.
At the congressional forum, relatives and attorneys described what one lawyer called “dual assassinations” — first the killing of a person, then attacks on that person’s character. The hearing included cases from Texas, Minnesota and Maine and focused heavily on discrepancies between early Department of Homeland Security statements and evidence that emerged later.
One of the clearest examples involved Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was fatally shot by immigration agents in Houston in July. DHS initially said he tried to strike an agent with his vehicle. Three passengers disputed that account, saying Salgado Araujo had stopped and no agent was positioned in front of the van when shots were fired.
Federal officials also raised suspicions that bags found in the van contained methamphetamine. Testing later established that the substance was not meth, U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz confirmed.
Similar concerns were raised about other cases, including the fatal shooting of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero in Maine, where the government’s explanation changed from claims that he had “weaponized” his vehicle to a later assertion that an agent fired because he was attempting to flee. Families told lawmakers that shifting narratives, delayed disclosures and limited transparency have made independent scrutiny more difficult.
The Trump administration announced it would stop publishing complaint narratives submitted to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Every year, millions of complaints flow to the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from people across the country. The complaints, which range in focus from debt collection to credit reporting to payday loans and more, long served as a window into Americans’ gripes and struggles with various companies.
For over a decade, consumers could opt in to have what they wrote published as public information in a CFPB database. But last month, the Trump administration announced that it would stop publishing those complaint narratives, a decision that aligns the agency with corporations that have critiqued the system for years.
“Publishing such narratives in the Database provides a less-than-representative sample of one-sided experiences,” the CFPB said in a press release.
In the big picture, the move is part of a trend of the administration taking a friendlier approach with businesses — even at the federal agency tasked with guarding consumers from unfair and deceptive practices.
The complaint system helps consumers get responses from companies about their problems, and sometimes even fixes. It has also given the public — as well as federal investigators and regulators— access to information that serves as a warning or to help spot problems.
As a ProPublica data reporter, I’ve used the complaints time and time again as a tool for accountability-driven reporting. I appreciated reading about people’s raw frustration, written in their own words, which can often point to larger trends. It was a rare federal dataset that captured human emotions. Some were grievances like being unable to get help after spending far too much time calling or emailing customer service. Sometimes complaints had more urgency: desperation to fix crushing high-interest debt, a frozen bank account or a credit score tanked from a reporting error.
With the recent loss of a crucial piece of the public database, I wanted to share with you some of ProPublica’s reporting using those complaints. And, while these stories about financial harm have often led to some accountability, revisiting the complaints also offers a taste of what we’ll be missing.
I’ve used the complaints to report on high-interest tribal loans that skirt state interest rate caps to charge 600% interest or more. CFPB complaints helped point me and my colleague Megan O’Matz to an opaque but massive lending operation based in Wisconsin, which we estimated to be involved in thousands of bankruptcies nationwide each year.
“THIS IS THE TEXTBOOK DEFINITION ON LOANSHARKING.”
Consumer complaint about a tribal loan company, June 2023
The borrower also argued that “no one should be expected to pay over $11,000 for a $1,200 loan,” calling the 790% rate “beyond predatory.”
In emails to ProPublica, the tribe’s president, John Johnson Sr., defended the tribe’s lending business as legal and said the loans help people “without access to traditional financial services.” He added that many borrowers have had positive experiences.
A few months after ProPublica reported on the operation, the tribe settled a civil suit filed by Minnesota’s attorney general. The tribe denied the allegations but agreed to stop lending to Minnesotans and forgive outstanding loans to the state’s residents.
In March, I reported that two of the big three credit bureaus, Experian and TransUnion, provided relief to a substantially smaller portion of consumers last year. The credit bureaus are by far the most common subject of consumers’ woes in the database, with over 4 million complaints filed about them in 2025.
A Texan filed a complaint to each of the three credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, writing that a fraudulent account remained on their credit report despite their disputes:
“I have an important deal that I need to complete that is important for the safety and survival of my family, and this issue has damaged my credit score.”
Consumer complaint, August 2025
In response to the story, four Democratic senators wrote letters to the credit bureaus demanding answers on how they handle disputes and complaints. The CFPB’s acting director at the time, Russell Vought, also tacitly acknowledged the reporting during his congressional testimony in July, saying that “with credit reporting agencies we saw things in the news that were concerning to us. We reached out to them.”
The credit bureaus did not comment on specific complaints, but told ProPublica that many complaints are illegitimate, including a large volume filed by credit repair organizations that charge customers to challenge negative information on their reports. (CFPB records show that Equifax provided relief in response to the Texan’s complaint, while TransUnion and Experian did not.)
Last month, my colleague Andy Kroll reported on the Trump CFPB’s light-touch approach to oversight, focusing on its ask-nicely strategy of holding the fintech startup Bilt accountable after it threw users’ accounts into chaos twice in quick succession. The story included complaints about how Bilt’s artificial intelligence support system gave information that was:
Consumer complaints about Bilt, March and April 2026
(In a statement at the time, Bilt said its new card had “attracted unexpectedly high demand, and some of our members experienced gaps in service that are simply unacceptable to us.” The company told ProPublica it resolved all problems related to the new cards “months ago.” The CFPB did not respond to any questions or requests for comment.)
Kroll’s recent story also examined how the agency has changed under the Trump administration. Under Vought’s leadership, the CFPB attempted to fire roughly 90% of its staff in April 2025 before a federal court ruling stymied the move. When the efforts to dismantle the agency failed, Vought and his allies instead refashioned it into an industry-friendly regulator.
The loss of the public complaint narratives is another example of that. And it is a win for groups such as the Consumer Data Industry Association, which represents the credit bureaus and has argued that publishing complaint narratives would “harm the brands of legitimate, law-abiding companies” by presenting unverified, self-selected negative anecdotes. More recently, the group argued in a January public comment letter that the complaint portal has become “a sort of ‘Yelp for Financial Services,’” and that the CFPB doesn’t have the authority to publish complaint data in the first place.
Although the CFPB has been subject to partisan fights, the complaint system has been used by Americans across the country. GOP lawmakers even referred thousands of constituents to the CFPB’s complaint system to get help. Still, those same lawmakers voted last year to slash the agency’s budget by nearly half.
While the complaint system is required by law, the agency isn’t mandated to make it public. In theory, a future administration could go back to publishing the complaint narratives, but the agency has removed the option for consumers to consent to making public what they wrote. That means that any complaints filed in the near term cannot be retroactively published. The complaint narratives will still be subject to Freedom of Information Act requests, but getting them could be time-consuming and challenging.
As the CFPB turns away from its watchdog role, it’s making it harder for all of us to watch as well.
NEW YORK CITY, New York — President Donald Trump said the federal government will begin referring to artificial intelligence as “super intelligence,” or “SI,” arguing during his United Nations General Assembly address Tuesday that the term “artificial” incorrectly suggests the technology is fake.
“From this point forward, all of United States documents” will use the new terminology, Trump said, while expressing hope other countries follow. Reuters confirmed the announcement and reported that Trump also reiterated his opposition to international efforts to regulate AI.
The terminology could create confusion because “superintelligence” already has a distinct meaning in the technology industry. It generally describes a hypothetical AI system whose capabilities surpass human intelligence across most or all fields, rather than artificial intelligence broadly. AP noted that Trump’s proposal came as world leaders offered sharply different assessments of AI’s potential benefits and risks.
Trump said the United States would reject what he called a global scheme for controlling the technology. His administration has generally favored limiting regulatory barriers while promoting American AI development and competition with China.
The announcement does not itself establish how or when federal agencies will alter existing regulations, websites or documents. Trump presented the change during a broader UN address covering Iran, Ukraine, international institutions and U.S. foreign policy.
SAN FRANCISCO, California — San Francisco is suing Trump Media & Technology Group, alleging its $100,000-per-month Truth Social data service creates an unfair trading advantage by allowing paying investors to receive President Donald Trump’s potentially market-moving posts before the general public.
City Attorney David Chiu filed the lawsuit in California Superior Court against Trump Media, which operates Truth Social. The complaint alleges the company’s “Truth API” violates California’s Unfair Competition Law and facilitates conduct that could violate federal insider-trading rules by monetizing advance access to government information.
Truth API, launched in August, offers financial firms rapid access to posts from Trump and other prominent accounts for up to $100,000 monthly, or about $60,000 per month under a multiyear agreement. In modern algorithmic trading, even a brief informational advantage can potentially be valuable.
The lawsuit cites Trump’s April 9, 2025, post saying, “THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!,” which appeared before he announced a 90-day tariff pause that was followed by a market rally. The complaint argues that paying firms could potentially trade on similar government announcements before ordinary investors see them.
Trump Media disputes the allegations and has characterized Truth API as a conventional financial-data product. A separate federal lawsuit filed by The Intercept and Freedom of the Press Foundation also challenges the service, while 53 former federal prosecutors and agents recently argued in a court filing that the arrangement may violate federal law.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Republican gubernatorial nominee Byron Donalds has removed several prominent references to President Donald Trump from his campaign website while shifting the page’s emphasis toward affordability, insurance costs and government transparency.
An archived version of Donalds’ website featured a banner reading “Chip in to Support Trump-Endorsed Byron Donalds” and repeatedly highlighted him as “TRUMP-ENDORSED.” The redesigned site still includes Trump’s endorsement, but places it alongside endorsements from Elon Musk, Sen. Ted Cruz and House Speaker Mike Johnson rather than making it the central branding message.
The campaign also changed the order of its policy priorities. “Affordability” now appears first, replacing “Enact the Trump Agenda” as the top issue. A Donalds campaign spokesperson told The Hill that the website reflects his focus on “the issues that matter most to Floridians,” including affordability, insurance costs and government transparency.
The spokesperson emphasized that Donalds remains “proud to have President Trump’s endorsement” and said the endorsement remains prominently featured.
The changes come during the general election campaign against Democrat David Jolly, a former Republican congressman. Donalds secured Trump’s endorsement early in the governor’s race and has remained a close political ally of the president.
Trump’s approval has declined in several recent national surveys, while economic concerns, including higher fuel and household costs, have become increasingly prominent in Republican campaigns. The website revisions themselves do not establish why the campaign reduced Trump’s prominence.
DETROIT, Michigan — Former Vice President Kamala Harris criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to revoke White House access for CNN, MS NOW and Politico, calling the move “absolutely abhorrent” and saying it shows “the man is afraid.”
Harris made the remarks Tuesday after appearing in Michigan with Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed. She argued that restricting journalists limits the public’s ability to learn what the government is doing. Her comments came as the three affected news organizations challenge the administration’s action in federal court.
Trump announced the bans Friday, accusing the outlets of publishing false information. Reporters from all three organizations were subsequently denied entry to White House grounds, and CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed suit alleging violations of their First and Fifth Amendment rights.
Reuters reported that legal experts see significant obstacles for the administration because previous court decisions have limited the government’s ability to revoke press access in retaliation for unfavorable coverage. Trump said Tuesday he would “probably” restore access if a court rules against him.
Harris was in Michigan campaigning for El-Sayed and participating in an event focused on Black maternal health.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Hunter Biden said Tuesday that he is willing to testify before Congress alongside Donald Trump Jr. after Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah called for subpoenas examining both presidential sons’ foreign relationships, business dealings and gifts.
“Sen. Curtis of Utah has suggested that Don Jr. and I should testify before Congress,” Biden wrote on X. “I say bring it on.” He added that he has already provided more than seven hours of sworn testimony and said he would “sit next to Don Jr. and testify any time, any place.”
Curtis asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to investigate whether either man benefited financially from access tied to their fathers. CBS News reported that Curtis specifically requested subpoenas covering business dealings, relationships with foreign individuals or entities and gifts received.
The request followed ProPublica reporting that Russian boxing official Umar Kremlev, who has ties to Vladimir Putin, spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on post-wedding celebrations for Trump Jr. and Bettina Trump in the Bahamas. President Donald Trump has said his son intends to reimburse Kremlev.
Hunter Biden maintained Tuesday that he had no foreign business dealings while his father was president. Curtis has argued that congressional scrutiny should be applied consistently to both presidential families.
The court drew a distinction between receiving a ballot and being legally entitled to cast it. Today, permanent absentee voting procedures rely in part on voters reporting changes and affirming that they remain eligible. Hocker and Washington argued the checks are insufficient. The court said the Constitution leaves the choice of election safeguards to the General Assembly.
Justices say voters must qualify for each election; challengers question how the state checks whether they still do
DOVER, Del. — The Delaware Supreme Court upheld the state’s permanent absentee voting law Monday, clearing the way for qualified voters on the permanent absentee list to receive ballots for the Nov. 3 general election. The ruling leaves lawmakers with a policy question: How much should election officials do to verify that a voter’s reason for voting absentee still applies?
In a unanimous decision, the justices said the law does not expand absentee voting beyond the categories allowed by the Delaware Constitution. Permanent absentee status allows a voter to receive a ballot automatically, but it does not allow someone whose circumstances have changed to cast that ballot, the court said.
Why the law was challenged
State Sen. Gerald Hocker and fellow Senate candidate Steven Washington argued that a voter who qualified for one election could continue receiving ballots years later without election officials adequately confirming that the original reason still applied.
The Constitution permits absentee voting when a registered voter cannot appear at a polling place for a specified reason, including illness, physical disability, certain work or public service obligations, vacation or religious observance. The permanent absentee law applies to a narrower group, including voters with qualifying illnesses or disabilities, military service obligations or jobs that require constant care for a relative.
Must voters qualify again?
Hocker and Washington focused on the Constitution’s language about a voter’s inability to appear at a particular election. An illness can end, a caregiving responsibility can change and public service can conclude. They argued that automatically sending another ballot places too much weight on an earlier application and on the voter’s willingness to report a change.
The justices agreed that a voter must qualify to vote absentee in each election. They rejected the argument that the Constitution requires the state to recertify each permanent absentee voter before every election.
How the state checks eligibility
The court drew a distinction between receiving a ballot and being legally entitled to cast it. The law requires permanent absentee voters to report changes affecting their eligibility. The Department of Elections sends reminders before election cycles, removes voters from the permanent absentee list in specified circumstances and requires voters to affirm their eligibility when returning each ballot.
Those procedures rely in part on voters reporting changes and affirming that they remain eligible. Hocker and Washington argued the checks are insufficient. The court said the Constitution leaves the choice of election safeguards to the General Assembly.
The challengers sought to invalidate the law in all its applications. To prevail, they had to show it could not operate constitutionally. Imperfect procedures do not meet that standard when eligible voters can use the law, the justices said.
What the ruling means for voters
Voting rights advocates emphasized the law’s value to people whose qualifying circumstances persist. In a statement after the ruling, the Delaware Voting Rights Coalition said permanent absentee voting helps eligible voters with disabilities, illnesses, caregiving duties and other qualifying obligations participate without submitting a new application for every election.
The ruling differs from the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision striking down Delaware’s no-excuse vote-by-mail law. That law allowed people outside the Constitution’s absentee voting categories to vote by mail. The permanent absentee law, the justices found, serves only a subset of voters within those categories.
A Superior Court judge ruled against permanent absentee voting in 2024, but the Supreme Court vacated that decision because the plaintiffs lacked standing. Monday’s decision reached the constitutional issue and upheld the law. The Department of Elections says it is sending permanent absentee voters their general election ballots.
TO GO
Who: Delaware voters who qualify for permanent absentee voting.
What: Voters already on the permanent absentee list will automatically receive a ballot for the Nov. 3 general election. They must still qualify to vote absentee when they cast it.
Check your status: Visit iVote.de.gov. “Indefinite” means you are on the permanent absentee list.
Request a ballot: Eligible voters can apply through iVote.de.gov or contact their county elections office.
Deadline: Completed absentee ballots must reach the county elections office by 8 p.m. on Election Day.
Thursday’s gathering will show how food, conservation and education come together at Coverdale Farm Preserve. Online ticket registration is closed.
GREENVILLE, Del. — The setting for Thursday’s dinner is also its purpose. At A Taste of Coverdale, guests will eat locally grown food at a working farm where Delaware Nature Society demonstrates how food production and care for the land can go together.
The Sept. 24 event runs from 4:30 to 8 p.m. at Coverdale Farm Preserve. Optional guided nature strolls begin at 4:30 p.m., followed by a cocktail hour at 5 and dinner at 6. A silent auction will include items from local vendors and experiences led by Delaware Nature Society experts. Proceeds will support conservation and education programs at Coverdale. Online ticket registration is closed.
A working farm and a nature preserve
Coverdale’s 377 acres include a 177-acre working farm and 200 acres managed as a nature preserve. Delaware Nature Society uses the property to show how farming practices can support healthy soil and wildlife habitat while producing food for the community. Visitors can walk the farm trail, see animals and shop for seasonal produce at the market.
That makes the dinner more than an evening outdoors. The food, guided walks and views give guests a chance to see the connection between the farm’s harvest and the landscape Delaware Nature Society works to protect.
Delaware Nature Society connects people with nature!
Founded in 1964, Delaware Nature Society describes its mission as connecting people and nature to create a healthy environment for all through education, conservation and advocacy. Coverdale is one place where those three parts of its work come together.
Its education programs bring children and adults outside to learn through experience. Preschoolers explore nature through stories and play; school groups visit forests, wetlands, streams and farms; and adults can join guided walks and other programs. In Wilmington, the organization’s RENEW initiative connects young people with outdoor learning, water quality projects, habitat care and opportunities to build leadership skills.
Its conservation work extends beyond Coverdale. Delaware Nature Society says it manages nearly 2,000 acres for ecosystem health and biodiversity, including efforts to restore forests and meadows, control invasive plants and protect habitat for birds and pollinators. At Coverdale, it applies those principles to both the preserve and the working farm.
The organization also advocates for environmental policies. It describes its approach as nonpartisan and science-based, with priorities that include protecting open space and natural areas and improving water quality. It works to help residents understand those issues and take part in decisions affecting their communities.
A fall tradition with a purpose
This year’s dinner is part of Delaware Nature Society’s 50th anniversary celebration of the Harvest Moon Festival. The organization has spread the celebration across four fall events and calls A Taste of Coverdale its premier annual fundraiser. The money raised helps sustain the places and programs that visitors encounter throughout the year.
Community members who are not attending Thursday’s dinner can still experience Coverdale. The farm is open for regular visits Fridays through Sundays through November. Admission is free, and donations are welcome.
To Go Box
Who: Delaware Nature Society hosts A Taste of Coverdale.
What: A farm dinner with optional guided nature strolls and a silent auction. Online ticket registration is closed.
When: Thursday, Sept. 24, from 4:30 to 8 p.m. Strolls begin at 4:30 p.m.; dinner begins at 6 p.m.
Where: Coverdale Farm Preserve, 543 Way Road, Greenville.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump has formally appointed Secretary of State Marco Rubio as national security adviser, making permanent a dual role Rubio has held on an acting basis since May 2025.
A White House official confirmed Tuesday that Trump signed a commission making Rubio the permanent national security adviser. Rubio becomes the first person since Henry Kissinger to simultaneously serve as secretary of state and national security adviser, concentrating two of the administration’s most influential foreign-policy positions under one official.
Rubio assumed the national security adviser duties after Mike Waltz left the White House position in May 2025. Trump subsequently nominated Waltz to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations following controversy over a Signal group chat in which senior officials discussed military operations against Houthi militants in Yemen.
Rubio has since reshaped parts of the National Security Council while continuing to run the State Department. Associated Press reporting this summer noted that several of Rubio’s former State Department aides moved into senior NSC positions, giving him substantial influence over the administration’s foreign-policy structure.
Trump has repeatedly praised Rubio’s ability to handle multiple responsibilities, saying last year that when problems arise, “I call up Marco. He gets it solved.” Rubio has said he remains focused on his current responsibilities rather than a possible 2028 presidential campaign.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Republican Sen. John Curtis of Utah is calling for a Senate investigation into Donald Trump Jr.’s foreign relationships and gifts after reporting that a Russian oligarch helped finance celebrations surrounding his May wedding.
Curtis asked Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and ranking Democrat Dick Durbin to subpoena both Trump Jr. and Hunter Biden as part of a broader inquiry into whether presidential relatives have benefited financially from their family connections.
The request follows a ProPublica investigation reporting that Umar Kremlev, a Russian boxing official with ties to President Vladimir Putin, helped pay for a private-island venue and fireworks connected to Trump Jr.’s wedding to Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas. President Donald Trump has said his son told him the money would be reimbursed.
Curtis argued that Republicans should apply the same scrutiny to Trump Jr. that they previously applied to Hunter Biden. “A toaster is a wedding gift,” Curtis wrote on social media. “A private-island party paid for by a Putin-connected oligarch is something else.”
Curtis is seeking testimony about business dealings, foreign relationships, gifts and any instances in which access to a president was understood to provide value. He has not alleged that Trump Jr. committed a crime.
NEW YORK CITY, New York — Mayor Zohran Mamdani renewed his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, calling him a “war criminal” and an “architect of a horrific genocide” as the Israeli leader prepares to address the United Nations General Assembly.
Mamdani said the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu should be respected, although he acknowledged New York City lacks legal authority to execute it. The ICC issued warrants in 2024 accusing Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of war crimes and crimes against humanity connected to the Gaza conflict. Israel rejects the allegations and disputes the court’s jurisdiction.
Netanyahu is expected to arrive Thursday for a brief visit and deliver his UN address on Sept. 24. The Associated Press reported that his trip is expected to last roughly 24 hours amid anticipated demonstrations in New York.
Mamdani previously campaigned on arresting Netanyahu if he visited the city, but later said municipal authorities do not have the power to enforce the ICC warrant. He has instead called on the federal government to act.
The United States and Israel are not members of the ICC, and the Trump administration has opposed the court’s actions against Israeli officials while preparing broader sanctions against the institution.
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio — Immigration detentions involving Haitian residents have increased sharply in Ohio since Temporary Protected Status for Haitians ended July 27, according to a new report from the Ohio Immigrant Alliance.
Springfield ICE Watch documented 74 Haitian detainees from Aug. 7 through Sept. 17, representing a 142.3% increase compared with bookings before TPS expired. The report reviewed rosters from four Ohio facilities that contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Two other detention centers were excluded because they do not publicly release rosters.
The increase follows a June Supreme Court ruling allowing the Trump administration to terminate TPS protections for roughly 330,000 Haitians nationwide. TPS had allowed eligible Haitians to live and work legally in the United States while conditions in Haiti remained unsafe.
About 15,000 Haitians live in Springfield under a mix of immigration statuses. Local advocates say ICE has increasingly conducted traffic stops and enforcement actions near apartment complexes, stores and workplaces. Springfield ICE Watch said only 8% of detained Haitians it tracked had existing removal orders.
ICE has also expanded electronic monitoring in the community through ankle monitors and the SmartLINK phone application. DHS says those supervision decisions are made individually based on immigration status, criminal history and compliance considerations.
NEW YORK CITY, New York — President Donald Trump’s unexpectedly cordial meeting with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew backlash from some of Trump’s most outspoken supporters, including political activist Laura Loomer.
Trump met with Mamdani at Gracie Mansion on Monday ahead of events surrounding the United Nations General Assembly. Despite months of political attacks between the two, Trump publicly praised Mamdani afterward and said the mayor has the “potential” to be “a great mayor.” Associated Press reported that the meeting focused in part on housing affordability and other New York City issues.
Loomer responded angrily on X, writing that she was “pissed off” and complaining that people she described as “anti-American Islamic jihadists” were being “rewarded.” She did not name Mamdani directly in the post, but Mediaite reported the comments were in response to Trump’s meeting with him.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist and New York’s first Muslim mayor, has sharply criticized Israel’s conduct in Gaza. There is no evidence supporting Loomer’s characterization of him as an “Islamic jihadist.”
Loomer was not alone in objecting. New York radio host Sid Rosenberg also criticized Trump for meeting Mamdani and argued the appearance could hurt Republicans politically.
SACRAMENTO, California — Support for California’s proposed billionaire tax has fallen below 50% as voters prepare to decide Proposition 40 in November, according to a new UC Berkeley Citrin Center-POLITICO poll.
The survey found 45% support the measure, 43% oppose it and 12% remain undecided. That represents a decline from a February survey in which 50% supported Proposition 40 and 28% opposed it. The Sept. 8-14 poll included 2,418 respondents and has a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points.
Proposition 40 would impose a one-time 5% tax on the wealth of Californians with assets exceeding $1 billion. State election officials have qualified the measure for the Nov. 3 ballot.
Democrats remain substantially more supportive, while Gov. Gavin Newsom opposes the proposal and has instead advocated a national approach to taxing billionaires. Labor unions, including SEIU-UHW, support Proposition 40, arguing the revenue would help finance health care and other programs.
The campaign is attracting substantial spending. Google co-founder Sergey Brin has contributed more than $100 million to groups opposing the measure.
Polling remains mixed. A separate September Public Policy Institute of California survey found 52% of likely voters supporting Proposition 40 and 46% opposing it after respondents were read the official ballot description.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump’s job approval rating has fallen to 32%, the lowest level recorded across his first and second presidencies in Reuters/Ipsos polling, as dissatisfaction over living costs and the economy grows.
The Reuters/Ipsos survey, conducted Sept. 17-20 among 1,277 U.S. adults, found Trump’s overall approval down from 47% when he began his second term. Among Republicans, approval fell to 73%, compared with 86% in January. The poll has a margin of error of about 3 percentage points.
Economic concerns were particularly damaging. Only 17% of Americans approved of Trump’s handling of the cost of living. Among Republicans, 44% approved of his performance on that issue while 51% disapproved, marking a significant deterioration within his own party.
The poll also found registered voters preferred Democratic congressional candidates over Republicans, 43% to 35%, ahead of November’s midterm elections. That represents the largest Democratic advantage measured by Reuters/Ipsos this year.
Trump performed better among Republicans on immigration, while his handling of the Iran war and rising fuel costs drew broader dissatisfaction.
Four amendments involve voting rules, while others address marriage, the death penalty and vacancies in the lieutenant governor’s office
DOVER, Del. — Delaware’s next General Assembly will inherit eight proposed amendments to the state Constitution, including four that could change voting rights and election procedures.
Vil Ramunno, a public policy researcher and Delaware LIVE contributing journalist, outlined the proposals during an appearance on “A Better Discussion,” hosted by former Delaware Attorney General Jane Brady for A Better Delaware.
The amendments already received the required approval from two-thirds of the members elected to each chamber of the 153rd General Assembly. However, none is part of the Constitution yet.
Under Delaware’s amendment process, the same proposed changes must receive two-thirds support in the House and Senate again after a general election. Unlike most states, Delaware does not routinely place individual constitutional amendments before voters for ratification. The governor also has no power to sign or veto them.
That means the lawmakers elected in November will decide whether the eight proposals become part of Delaware’s foundational legal document.
Four voting amendments
Ramunno said four of the pending amendments involve elections or voting rights:
• Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 2 would authorize 10 days of early, in-person voting before general, primary and certain special elections.
• Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill 3 would create a constitutional right to vote by absentee ballot without providing an excuse. Voters generally would still have to request a ballot for each election cycle unless they qualify for permanent absentee status.
• House Bill 180 would generally restore voting rights to people convicted of felonies after they are released from incarceration. It would prohibit making restoration contingent upon restitution or another monetary payment and remove obsolete residency and literacy provisions.
• House Bill 430 would specify that only natural persons may vote in Delaware elections, preventing corporations and other artificial entities from being granted voting rights.
Ramunno said her initial impression was that the four voting measures weren’t a major concern, though she offered a clarification after the interview.
Brady disagreed with that initial assessment, raising concerns about the details lawmakers could later establish through statute. She particularly questioned the no-excuse absentee proposal.
Ramunno said she wanted to clarify her position on the felon voting rights amendment: on reflection, she agreed with Brady’s concern that restitution should be addressed before voting rights are restored, since the amendment as written would prevent the state from ever requiring that.
Their exchange demonstrated why the second round of legislative consideration could produce significant debate, even though each proposal secured the supermajority needed to clear its first constitutional hurdle.
Marriage, death penalty and state offices
The four remaining amendments would address other parts of the Constitution:
• Senate Substitute 2 for Senate Bill 100 would establish marriage as a fundamental right that cannot be denied based on gender or another characteristic protected by the Constitution. It also contains language protecting religious freedom.
• House Substitute 1 for House Bill 35 would constitutionally prohibit the death penalty. Delaware currently has no enforceable death penalty statute, but the amendment would prevent a future General Assembly from restoring capital punishment without another constitutional change.
• Senate Bill 264 would establish a special-election process for filling most vacancies in the lieutenant governor’s office.
• House Substitute 1 for House Bill 320 would make a series of technical corrections to the Constitution, including removing duplicated words, correcting punctuation and clarifying several provisions.
Brady cautioned against treating the Constitution like ordinary legislation, saying it should remain a foundational document that is changed carefully and infrequently.
Making legislation easier to follow: CivicDelaware.com
Ramunno’s analysis is informed by nearly a decade in public policy. She previously served as a senior editor at the Caesar Rodney Institute, where she worked to make policy reports clear and accessible to general readers.
She now covers government and politics for Delaware LIVE and also works as a public policy researcher.
Ramunno also created Civic Delaware, an informational platform designed to help residents follow bills moving through Legislative Hall. Its primary tool, Dover Dash, tracks legislation from introduction through committee hearings, floor consideration and final action.
She said she developed the platform after watching complex bills move from introduction to passage in a matter of days during the final weeks of a legislative session.
Dover Dash uses automated updates from the General Assembly’s website and organizes bills according to the people most likely to be affected. Users can select profiles such as homeowner, parent, young professional, retiree, senior or veteran.
Instead of displaying only bill numbers, the platform gives proposals descriptive names, plain-language summaries, their official legislative synopses and current status. Users can also browse bills by subjects such as taxes, energy, alcohol and cannabis, and the state Constitution.
“You want to only know the ones that affect you, and it helps you to be more engaged,” Ramunno said. “And it makes it a little personal, too.”
She said Civic Delaware will archive legislation from the outgoing General Assembly when the new session begins in January. The eight proposed constitutional amendments will remain active because they must be considered again by the incoming lawmakers.
Ramunno said the goal is to help residents learn about proposals before they become law, ask informed questions and engage directly with their elected representatives.
TO GO: Track legislation with Civic Delaware
• What: Civic Delaware’s Dover Dash tracks legislation moving through the Delaware General Assembly.
• How it works: Choose a profile, homeowner, parent, young professional, retiree, senior or veteran, to surface bills that affect you, or browse by subject instead.
• What you’ll find: Plain-English summaries, official legislative synopses and real-time status for every bill in the pipeline.
• Why it matters: Bills can move from introduction to passage in days, especially late in a session. Dover Dash gives residents time to catch a proposal and ask their legislator about it before the vote.
New research connects two of the Wilmington museum’s most important collections and offers fresh insight into the development of American illustration
WILMINGTON — A new Delaware Art Museum exhibition is challenging the long-held view that two of the institution’s most important collections tell separate stories.
“Pyle and the Pre-Raphaelites,” which opened Sept. 5, brings together works by Wilmington illustrator Howard Pyle and British Pre-Raphaelite artists whose detailed, romantic style helped influence his approach to visual storytelling.
The exhibition’s larger significance lies in new research showing that Pyle and Wilmington textile manufacturer and art collector Samuel Bancroft were more closely connected than historians previously understood.
Bancroft assembled what became one of the museum’s signature collections of British Pre-Raphaelite art. Pyle’s work formed the foundation of another.
Although the two men were related by marriage, questions remained about whether Pyle influenced Bancroft’s collecting, whether Bancroft introduced Pyle to the British artists or whether their interests developed independently.
The museum’s research indicates that Pyle was already studying and drawing inspiration from the Pre-Raphaelites before Bancroft began acquiring their work in 1890.
Two collections become one story
The Pre-Raphaelite movement began in England during the 19th century. Its artists rejected some conventional academic approaches to painting in favor of vivid colors, close attention to detail, symbolism and stories drawn from literature, medieval history and Arthurian legend.
Those qualities are also visible in many of Pyle’s best-known illustrations.
The exhibition places Pyle’s medieval and Early Renaissance scenes beside works by Pre-Raphaelite artists and their followers, including Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris.
Among the works displayed are Pyle’s illustrations for stories about the Knights of the Round Table and Rossetti’s “Water Willow,” Burne-Jones’ “Cupid’s Hunting Fields” and a Rossetti study depicting Lancelot and the Lady of Shalott.
The side-by-side presentation allows visitors to compare the artists’ compositions, subjects and storytelling techniques instead of simply being told that a connection existed.
A Delaware link to American illustration
The exhibit matters locally because Howard Pyle’s legacy is closely tied to Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley. His illustrations appeared in prominent books and magazines, and his teaching influenced a generation of artists who helped establish American illustration as a distinct art form.
The Delaware Art Museum itself traces its origins to the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts, founded in 1912 to preserve Pyle’s work following his death.
By demonstrating that Pyle encountered Pre-Raphaelite ideas early in his career, the exhibition adds a new chapter to the story of how American illustration developed. It suggests that the dramatic, story-driven images associated with Pyle and his students had meaningful roots in an earlier British art movement.
The result is more than a comparison of artistic styles. It is an examination of how artistic ideas crossed the Atlantic, took hold in Wilmington and helped shape images seen by American readers across the country.
The exhibition also gives the museum an opportunity to connect two collections central to its identity: its founding collection of Pyle’s work and the Samuel and Mary R. Bancroft collection of British Pre-Raphaelite art.
“Pyle and the Pre-Raphaelites” was curated by Katherine Feldkamp, the museum’s curatorial associate. It will remain on view in Galleries 11 and 12 through Jan. 24, 2027.
Feldkamp will lead a gallery talk from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, examining how Pyle incorporated Pre-Raphaelite art into his teaching and how his students also found inspiration in the movement. The program is free for museum members and included with general admission for other visitors.
To Go Box
What: “Pyle and the Pre-Raphaelites”
Where: Delaware Art Museum, Galleries 11 and 12, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington
When: On view through Jan. 24, 2027
Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The museum remains open until 8 p.m. Thursdays from April through December.
Admission: $18 for adults, $16 for seniors, $7 for students with identification and $6 for youth ages 7 to 18. Admission is free for members and children 6 and younger. General admission is free from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays through December.
Special program: Curator Katherine Feldkamp will lead a gallery talk from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25.
Parking: Free on-site parking is available behind the museum.
Delaware State Police are asking for the public’s help locating a Wilmington man, Jarvis Sturgis wanted in connection with a strong-arm robbery that left one person injured.
Police say Jarvis Sturgis is wanted in connection with an attack and robbery at a bus stop on New Castle Avenue
NEW CASTLE, Del. — Delaware State Police are asking for the public’s help locating a Wilmington man wanted in connection with a strong-arm robbery that left one person injured.
Police identified the suspect as Jarvis Sturgis. Detectives obtained a warrant for his arrest following an investigation into the Sept. 15 robbery.
Troopers responded at approximately 9:20 p.m. to a bus stop in the 3000 block of New Castle Avenue.
According to police, the victim was waiting for a bus when a man approached and demanded the victim’s personal property. The man then allegedly struck the victim and forcibly took the property before fleeing.
The victim was taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
The Delaware State Police Criminal Investigations Unit identified Sturgis as the suspect through its investigative efforts, police said. He is expected to be charged with second-degree robbery, a felony, if taken into custody.
Sturgis has not been convicted of the charge and is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
The investigation remains active. Police did not provide a description of Sturgis or information about where he might be located.
To Go Box
What: Delaware State Police are seeking information about the location of Jarvis Sturgis, who is wanted in connection with a New Castle robbery.
Contact: Detective D. Patterson at 302-365-8471.
Anonymous tips: Contact Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333 or submit information through delawarecrimestoppers.org.
Online: Information may also be sent through a private message to the Delaware State Police Facebook page.
Victim assistance: The Delaware State Police Victim Services Unit and Delaware Victim Center provide support 24 hours a day at 1-800-VICTIM-1, or 1-800-842-8461.
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly says he will not debate Republican Byron Donalds before Florida’s Nov. 3 election after the campaigns failed to agree on a shared debate.
Jolly announced the decision Sunday, accusing Donalds of “repeated lies and bad faith” and arguing that debates under those circumstances would increase division rather than provide voters with a constructive discussion. He said his campaign previously accepted invitations from Tampa Bay Tiger Bay and CBS Miami.
Donalds separately accepted three proposed debates involving Telemundo and NBC 6, Spectrum News and News4Jax. Because the candidates accepted different events, none produced an agreement for both candidates to appear. Earlier this month, the campaigns were publicly blaming each other for the scheduling impasse.
Donalds criticized Jolly’s decision Sunday, pointing to the Democrat’s earlier statements that he was willing to debate repeatedly. Jolly responded by noting Donalds declined requests to debate several Republican primary opponents before winning the GOP nomination in August.
Jolly, a former Republican congressman who later became a Democrat, is seeking to succeed term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis. Donalds, currently a Republican congressman representing Southwest Florida, won his party’s August primary. If no agreement is reached, the Tampa Bay Times reports this would be Florida’s first gubernatorial election without a debate since 1974.
First State Educate’s School Board Roundup, published monthly, brings together discussions from Delaware’s 16 traditional public school districts… and it’s free!
First State Educate’s August School Board Roundup brings local meetings together to show the issues taking shape across Delaware.
DOVER, Del. — Decisions about student progress, district budgets, school buildings, and student support appeared across Delaware school board meetings in August. The details differed by district, but the discussions raised a shared question: How will boards know whether their plans are meeting students’ needs?
First State Educate’s August School Board Roundup brings together discussions from Delaware’s 16 traditional public school districts. It gives residents a way to follow their own board while seeing how issues in one district connect to those facing others.
FSE publishes the School Board Roundup monthly. Readers can find the latest edition in the Knowledge Hub.
The August meetings raised questions about measuring student progress, explaining financial choices, addressing building needs, and reporting back to the public. Some boards made decisions; others reviewed plans that will return for further discussion.
Turning priorities into measurable goals
Some boards adopted measurable academic goals, while others outlined how they plan to review progress during the school year. Their discussions covered reading, mathematics, attendance, and school climate.
Setting a long-term target is one step. Boards also need information during the year to see whether students are progressing toward it. The superintendent and district staff develop and carry out strategies; boards establish the outcomes they expect and monitor progress.
The August discussions show why progress and continuing gaps belong in the same conversation. An improvement in one measure may be encouraging while results in another grade or subject still call for attention. Families and community members need both to understand the full picture.
Asking what spending should accomplish
School boards discussed how targeted funding can respond to student needs. Some considered plans or greater flexibility for resources supporting multilingual learners, students from low-income households, mental health services, and other needs.
Approving a spending plan does not yet show what students gained from it. Future reports can help residents understand which students the spending is meant to help, what result the district expects, and how progress will be measured.
Those questions help boards connect proposed investments to district goals while leaving the development and implementation of strategies to district leaders and staff.
Making district finances easier to understand
Financial discussions varied across districts in August. Some reported enough cash to cover near-term obligations. Others discussed projected deficits, use of reserves, delayed revenue, or the possibility of a future referendum.
A district may have enough money to pay immediate bills while budgeting to spend more over the year than it expects to receive. Several boards asked for clearer reports to help them and the public understand the difference between available cash and longer-term financial pressures.
Clear information matters when a district considers reducing spending or asking residents for additional revenue. People need to understand what is driving the need, how current funds are being used, and what choices the board is weighing.
Following building needs and state funding requests
Facilities were a recurring subject at August meetings. Boards discussed overcrowding, aging buildings, renovations, new construction, and how to finance proposed work.
Several districts are resubmitting projects that have not received state funding. Board members also raised questions about how the state prioritizes requests and how long documented building needs may wait.
Submitting a construction request does not mean a project or referendum has been approved. Knowing where a proposal stands helps residents understand what their district is seeking, what need it would address, and what decisions may come next.
Connecting student supports with learning
Attendance, behavior, mental health, special education, and academic support appeared in discussions across multiple districts.
Some districts described efforts to make services more consistent across schools. Others discussed wellness centers, family outreach, or ways to identify why students are missing class. Together, the discussions show how access to support can affect a student’s ability to participate in learning.
The meetings describe services being developed or put into place; they do not yet establish their effects. As districts continue this work, boards can ask whether services reach the intended students, whether they are delivered consistently, and whether attendance, engagement, or other outcomes improve.
Watching safety and technology policies take shape
School safety remained on board agendas in August. Discussions covered equipment and building procedures, staff training, emergency planning, student discipline, and communication with families.
Districts also addressed personal electronic devices, artificial intelligence, and the role of technology in classrooms. Some adopted policies; others began reviewing proposals or changing how existing rules will be carried out.
Boards discussed device distractions, expectations for AI use, and how technology supports instruction. Safety discussions likewise extended beyond equipment to training, procedures, and communication. Future reports can show how these decisions were implemented and whether they served their intended purposes.
Staffing and student pathways
Districts entered the school year with different staffing needs. Some reported relatively few general vacancies but continued to have difficulty filling specialized positions, including roles in special education and student services. Others discussed how vacancies and compensation decisions affect their budgets.
Boards also heard about opportunities intended to connect students with college and careers, including internships and career and technical education. These discussions raise questions about access: which students can participate, what they learn or earn, and how programs connect to opportunities after graduation.
Making board decisions visible to the public
Several boards discussed how residents can better understand decisions before and after they are made. Topics included clearer financial reports, publication of board priorities and calendars, public access to committee meetings, and opportunities for community input.
A proposed policy, a state funding request, and an approved district plan are different steps. Explaining what has happened—and what remains undecided—helps residents know when and how they can participate.
What is happening in your district?
The statewide themes are shared, but the decisions remain local. One board may be reviewing student goals while another is considering a building request, changing a technology policy, or seeking a clearer financial report.
By bringing the meetings together, the August Roundup helps residents see both their district’s decisions and the questions other Delaware boards are facing. Readers can use that context to follow what happens at the next public meeting.
TO GO BOX: Follow Your School Board’s Decisions
The August School Board Roundup covers discussions across Delaware’s 16 traditional public school districts. Create a free Knowledge Hub account to find the report and learn:
What your district’s board discussed as the school year began
Which student goals, policies, and spending plans are moving forward
What financial and building needs could affect your community
Which plans still need measures or follow-up reports
Can Gulf Arab countries help break the deadlock over Trump’s Gaza peace plan?Expert commentLToremark
Gulf Arab states increasingly view Israel as the main obstacle to progress on the peace plan – and may hope for an opening after Israel’s October elections.
Almost a year after US President Donald Trump unveiled his 20-point peace plan for Gaza, which was adopted by both Israel and Hamas and paved the way for the release of all Israeli hostages, the peace process appears to have hit a wall.
The two sides remain fundamentally divided over the sequencing of demilitarization and Israeli withdrawal. So far, Hamas has refused to give up its heavy weapons unless Israel halts all military operations and withdraws its forces from the parts of Gaza it currently controls – approximately 60 per cent of the strip – while Israel says it will not withdraw until Hamas disarms.
Although President Trump continues to argue that the situation in Gaza is under control, his envoy Jared Kushner, who recently visited Israel, and the director-general of his Board of Peace, Nikolay Mladenov, have so far been unable to launch the second phase of the process.
In September, Kushner acknowledged that the task of demilitarizing Gaza was proving far more difficult than initially expected: ‘We are starting to understand the scope of the militarization of Gaza. It is beyond your comprehension’. In August, he had told Fox News that he expected Hamas to begin handing over its weapons in ‘as few as 30 days’.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains critical according to an August report by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) – and there is little hope for reconstruction given the current stalemate. According to the OCHA report, 58 per cent of Gaza’s population is facing ‘severe deficiencies in shelter conditions or access to essential services and non-food items’, while a severely strained health system and lack of medical supplies could put lifesaving services at risk.
Arab Gulf countries like UAE (which is also a member of the Board of Peace) are key providers of humanitarian aid to Gaza. In fact, UAE aid accounts for 46 per cent of global assistance. But what is their position on the current stalemate in Gaza and could they help find a way to break the deadlock?
In August, eight Arab and Islamic countries – Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Turkey and Qatar – condemned Israel’s unwillingness to proceed with the implementation of Trump’s plan for Gaza, saying its stance threatens international efforts to end the war.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of these countries denounced Israel’s stated opposition to a roadmap for completing Trump’s broader Gaza plan, which was endorsed by UN Security Council Resolution 2803. The group also called for Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups to disarm; an Israeli military withdrawal; the deployment of an international stabilization force; the transfer of administrative authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza; and the reconstruction of Gaza.
In May, it was reported that the UAE had contributed $100 million for training of new Gaza police force – an important feature that will help provide security in post-war Gaza. However, Israeli officials reportedly barred the already vetted new recruits from leaving the strip for training in Cairo, and for now it is unclear when permission to leave and return to Gaza will be granted – if at all.
Although the UAE and other Arab members of the Board of Peace did not comment on this report, it is clear that their frustration with the Israeli government over Gaza and the West Bank is mounting. In August, the inaugural ‘Emirates loves Palestine’ event was held in Dubai, celebrating the connection between the UAE and the Palestinian people, while a delegation from a UAE future leaders programme were sent to Egypt to learn about – and take part in – UAE efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Indeed, the UAE is particularly important in this context as it is one of the signatories of the Abraham Accords and one of Israel’s closest partners in the Gulf and the Arab world. But other Gulf countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have also sharpened their condemnation of recent radical statements by Israeli officials on the forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, as well as increasing settler violence in the West Bank. Trump, meanwhile, has insisted that a controversial nuclear deal signed with Saudi Arabia this summer hinges on Saudi normalization with Israel. But despite US pressure, it seems the Saudis will not divert significantly from their demand to establish a clear path for Palestinian statehood.
Due to the Iran war and its fallout, Gulf Arab states are more preoccupied with their own domestic security and economic challenges than at any point in recent memory. And with only weeks to go until Israel’s pivotal October elections, they also retain a measure of hope that a change of government could open the way to more constructive engagement.
Leading opposition candidates in Israel have been critical of Netanyahu’s policies on both Gaza and the West Bank. Many of them believe that Israel needs to involve the Arab states, and in particular Saudi Arabia, in future dealings with the Palestinians. A new Israeli government could also prove significantly tougher on settler violence in the West Bank and more flexible on alternative Palestinian governance in Gaza to unseat Hamas.
However, if the current governing coalition remains in power, more drastic and radical steps might follow. This could include construction in the E1 strategic perimeter, which would drive a wedge through the West Bank and undermine prospects of a future Palestinian state, as well as a possible escalation in Gaza.
For now, Gulf states are focusing on two key diplomatic instruments in their response to the ongoing stalemate in Gaza. One is humanitarian assistance, the other is pointed condemnations of Israel, which is increasingly perceived in Arab capitals as the primary obstacle to the implementation of Trump’s peace plan.
At present, it seems unlikely that Gulf states will change tactics. Even less likely that they will withdraw support for Trump’s peace plan and the Board of Peace, or press for urgent, extraordinary measures, such as sanctions on Israel or an intervention by Trump himself. But this calculus may well be revised in the aftermath of the Israeli elections, depending on the outcome. It will also remain contingent on the broader strategic environment in the Gulf, not least the risk of renewed hostilities.
Until something breaks the stalemate, the population of Gaza will continue to be caught between Hamas and the Israeli government – both waiting for the other to make the first move.
CARSON CITY, Nevada — Gov. Joe Lombardo’s office has declined, for now, to meet with certified firearms instructors who say Nevada’s regulatory system for armed security guards has serious public-safety and oversight problems.
The Nevada Association of Certified Firearms Instructors says it has sought a meeting with Lombardo since March. Association President Andrew Cowie has raised concerns about the Private Investigators Licensing Board, whose members are appointed by the governor. Lombardo’s office said it would review the material but would not schedule a personal meeting in the short term.
Former PILB member Rick Brown resigned in June, saying the board was not adequately addressing alleged violations involving firearms instructor Stephanie Costello. The board later fined Costello $5,000 and temporarily suspended her instructor certification after determining she violated training regulations.
Separate concerns emerged this summer when Nevada lawmakers learned that security guards had been carrying rifles and shotguns even though state law contains no provision authorizing the practice. Lawmakers subsequently questioned the board’s oversight and training requirements.
Nevada’s Department of Business and Industry has publicly supported an independent review of PILB operations, saying questions involving public safety and statutory authority should be fully examined.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States has deported more than 25,000 migrants to countries other than their own since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to a multinational investigation examining the administration’s expanding third-country deportation program.
Forbidden Stories reported that the administration has reached agreements with 35 countries, including nations in Africa, Latin America and the Pacific, to accept migrants who often have no previous connection to those destinations. The State Department’s Office of Remigration, created in 2025, has played a central role in negotiating the arrangements.
Internal records reviewed by investigators show at least $410 million was planned for governments and humanitarian organizations connected to the program. About $81 million was designated for participating governments, while more than $178 million was directed toward the International Organization for Migration and $123 million toward UNHCR.
The findings come days after a federal appeals court rejected a Trump administration policy allowing rapid third-country deportations without giving migrants a meaningful opportunity to raise concerns about persecution or torture. Reuters reported that more than 25,000 migrants have been affected, with removals involving countries including Mexico, Uganda, Liberia and Equatorial Guinea.
The administration argues third-country removals help execute valid deportation orders when migrants cannot be returned to their home countries.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Trump administration is preparing sanctions against the International Criminal Court that could sharply restrict the Hague-based tribunal’s access to the U.S. financial system and American companies.
The proposed measures would prohibit most U.S. citizens and businesses from providing funds, goods or services to the ICC without a Treasury Department license, according to officials familiar with the plans. The Wall Street Journal reported that the restrictions would take effect after a six- to seven-month grace period and could be finalized around this week’s United Nations General Assembly.
Washington has already sanctioned more than a dozen ICC judges and prosecutors, including court President Tomoko Akane. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that the court improperly asserts jurisdiction over officials from countries that never joined it, including the United States and Israel.
The dispute intensified after the ICC issued 2024 arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel rejects the allegations and the court’s jurisdiction.
Organization-wide sanctions could affect the ICC’s banking, information technology, insurance, investigations and employee payments. European governments have discussed measures intended to shield companies from U.S. restrictions.
Chatham House fellow gives evidence at UK parliament committee on global AI governance and risksNews releasethilton.drupal
Senior Research Fellow Isabella Wilkinson spoke to the House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee at a time when many are calling for greater regulation of AI in the light of emerging risks.
Isabella Wilkinson, Senior Research Fellow with Chatham House’s Digital Society Programme, gave evidence on the global governance of AI to the UK House of Lords International Relations and Defence Committee on 16 September.
Wilkinson outlined the main types of risk from AI: malicious risks, loss-of-control risks and systemic risks. Addressing the governance challenge posed by these risks, she said:
‘We’re facing a governance challenge because all of these risks are interlinked, so we have to be very strategic about how we design governance at multiple different levels. This is a multilateral challenge.’
Wilkinson said that interlinked governance challenges, including a dearth of trusted information about AI and ‘the lack of a crisis toolbox’ to deploy in the event of a crisis, had led to ‘quite a severe state of gridlock in multilateral AI governance.’
The committee was meeting in a week in which debates over the risks associated with AI featured prominently in public debate, following calls by tech leaders to slow the pace of the technology’s development.
‘We are in a moment of intense crisis and turbulence in multilateral AI governance. But as we’ve learned [from other areas of governance] … these conditions create a window of opportunity for dealing with the gridlock,’ said Wilkinson.
AUSTIN, Texas — An Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and seriously wounded a 28-year-old Venezuelan man Sunday during an immigration enforcement operation, prompting demands from Austin officials for an independent investigation.
Wilber Rafael Garces Perez was shot in the torso following what Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis described as a brief foot pursuit. He was taken to a hospital in serious but stable condition before being transferred to federal custody. ICE says Garces Perez has a final removal order, while an attorney representing his family disputes parts of the government’s account and says he entered the United States legally.
Accounts of the encounter remain disputed. Austin City Council Member Mike Siegel said the ICE agent rammed Garces Perez’s Toyota Corolla before opening fire. Photographs from the scene showed bullet damage to the vehicle, but federal authorities have not publicly released a detailed account establishing exactly what preceded the shooting.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Democratic Rep. Greg Casar called for Austin police and the Texas Rangers to participate in the investigation. Homeland Security Investigations is leading the federal inquiry with FBI assistance.
The shooting comes amid increased ICE activity nationwide, with the agency recording nearly 51,000 arrests in August.
JACKSON, Wisconsin — A Texas man hired by a political consulting firm conducting canvassing work supporting Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany faces multiple felony charges after authorities say he struck a bicyclist while intoxicated and fled from police.
Duane Maiden, 32, was working for Phoenix-based Echo Canyon Consulting, which received $2.5 million from Restoration of America PAC for canvassing operations supporting Tiffany, according to reporting by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The PAC is heavily funded by Wisconsin billionaire Richard Uihlein.
Authorities say the Sept. 3 crash occurred in Washington County after Maiden’s vehicle ran a stop sign and struck a bicyclist, leaving the victim with fractures to his leg, pelvis and spine. A coworker told investigators Maiden had purchased vodka earlier and had been drinking while the two were between canvassing assignments.
The coworker asked to leave the vehicle after the collision and called 911 and his supervisor. Deputies later spotted Maiden’s car and pursued him into neighboring Ozaukee County, where he was arrested. Maiden reportedly told investigators he had been drinking while waiting between assignments but denied realizing he struck the bicyclist.
Maiden faces felony charges including hit-and-run causing great bodily harm, intoxicated use of a vehicle and fleeing an officer. Tiffany’s campaign denied having any connection to Maiden.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana — Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy said Sunday that Donald Trump Jr. should provide proof that he repaid Russian businessman Umar Kremlev after reports that Kremlev covered hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses tied to Trump Jr.’s wedding celebrations in the Bahamas.
Speaking on CBS’s Face the Nation, Cassidy said repayment would matter but added that accepting the gift in the first place created serious appearance concerns because Trump Jr. is the president’s son. “Anytime someone gives a $250,000 gift and they have strong ties to the Kremlin, that’s wrong,” Cassidy said. He added that it “would be nice to have that kind of verified.”
ProPublica reported that Kremlev, president of the International Boxing Association, paid for major wedding-related expenses, including use of a private island and other festivities. The outlet described Kremlev as having close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin and noted the boxing association’s past financial ties to Gazprom, Russia’s state-controlled energy company.
President Donald Trump said Friday that his son had told him he would repay Kremlev. Reuters separately reported that a source familiar with the matter confirmed plans for reimbursement. Public documentation proving that the repayment has actually occurred has not been released.
The issue has also drawn congressional scrutiny. Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, opened an investigation into Trump Jr.’s relationship with Kremlev and requested financial records related to the wedding arrangements.
Cassidy’s comments are notable because criticism has come from within Trump’s own party as well as from Democrats. His focus Sunday was narrower: whether the reported reimbursement can be independently verified and whether accepting such a large gift from a Kremlin-linked figure was appropriate given Trump Jr.’s proximity to presidential power.
Pierre, South Dakota — South Dakota Secretary of State Monae Johnson, a Republican, has endorsed Democrat Terrence Davis to succeed her, an unusual cross-party move from the state’s top elections official.
Johnson announced Saturday that she was backing Davis over Republican nominee Heather Baxter, saying her experience running the office changed her views about what the job requires. “I understand that this decision will disappoint some people in my party and anger others,” she wrote.
Johnson first won office in 2022 with support from activists who questioned voting machines and pushed for hand-counting ballots after Donald Trump’s false claims about widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Once in office, however, Johnson oversaw statewide post-election audits and came to publicly support “secure, tested ballot tabulators.”
That shift contributed to her losing the Republican nomination in June to Baxter, who has advocated expanded hand-counting and other election-integrity measures. Johnson did not name Baxter in her endorsement statement but said South Dakota needs a secretary of state who will “strengthen confidence through performance rather than provocation.”
Davis, a former state trooper, supports policies including automatic voter registration at age 18. Baxter has emphasized voter identification, paper ballots and proof-of-citizenship requirements, although South Dakota already requires several of those safeguards. Libertarian Tamara Lesnar is also running.
Absentee voting began Sept. 18, and South Dakota’s general election is Nov. 3. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 19.
Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump said Sunday that his planned 250-foot triumphal arch near Arlington National Cemetery will also serve as a military facility capable of storing drones, sniper ammunition and other equipment.
Trump said on Truth Social that the change came at the “strong request” of the U.S. military and was necessary for national security. He did not identify which military officials or branches made the request, and no formal Pentagon documentation supporting the claim had been released publicly as of Sunday morning.
The arch was originally presented as a monumental gateway and visitor attraction near the Arlington Memorial Bridge, with galleries and an observation area. Trump now says the structure would also include space for drones and sniper teams, significantly expanding its stated purpose.
The project was already controversial before the military proposal. The Federal Aviation Administration determined Friday that the 250-foot structure would not pose a hazard to aircraft near Reagan National Airport if it includes an “eternal flame” and additional lighting to make it visible to pilots.
The National Park Service has also acknowledged that the arch could have “adverse effects” on nearby historic properties, including the visual alignment between the Lincoln Memorial, Arlington Memorial Bridge and Arlington National Cemetery.
The project has not yet received final approval. Trump administration officials have said they expect to submit the final design to the National Capital Planning Commission in November, while a federal judge has required the government to provide advance notice before beginning most work at the site.
Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump returned to the White House Saturday evening, cutting his weekend stay at Camp David short by one day as the State Department warned Americans about rapidly escalating security risks in the Middle East.
Trump landed near the White House shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday. The administration did not publicly explain why his schedule changed, and there is no confirmed evidence that the early return was directly connected to the deteriorating security situation.
The State Department has advised Americans in the Middle East to remain highly vigilant and prepare for flight cancellations, airspace closures and other travel disruptions. Americans outside the region have also been urged to reconsider travel through the Middle East because of the possibility of further escalation.
The warnings followed another escalation involving Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement. Saudi Arabia said Saturday that it intercepted a ballistic missile aimed at Riyadh, the first such attack on the capital since renewed fighting intensified. No casualties were reported from the missile strike.
The Houthis separately claimed they launched ballistic and cruise missiles and drones at targets including Saudi oil facilities in Yanbu. Saudi officials confirmed the attempted attack on Riyadh, but several of the Houthis’ additional claims had not been independently verified.
Regional tensions have increased in recent days as Houthi attacks threaten Saudi infrastructure and major shipping routes. Saudi Arabia has also sought additional air-defense support from allies as its interceptor supplies have come under strain.
Amarillo, Texas — A federal judge has paused a lawsuit by the Republican Party of Texas seeking to restrict participation in GOP primaries to registered party members, leaving the state’s current primary system unchanged for now.
U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk said Friday that the case should wait because the Texas Legislature may address the issue during its 2027 session. “Prominent Texas politicians support similar legislative action,” he wrote, adding that lawmakers could amend the law currently being challenged.
The Texas Republican Party sued last year, arguing that the state’s primary system violates its First Amendment right of association by allowing voters who may oppose the party’s candidates or principles to help choose Republican nominees. Under current Texas law, voters do not formally register by party before an election, although participating in a party primary creates a temporary affiliation for that election cycle.
Republican leaders have pushed for closed primaries for years. The issue gained additional attention after former House Speaker Dade Phelan and Rep. Gary VanDeaver narrowly survived 2024 primary challenges, with some Republicans alleging that Democratic-leaning and independent voters helped them win. Those claims remain disputed.
Gov. Greg Abbott has publicly supported changing the law so that “only Republicans vote in Republican primaries.” But Texas Secretary of State Robert Howden has said he intends to defend the state’s existing system in court.
Kacsmaryk did not rule on whether the GOP’s constitutional argument is valid. Instead, he put the case on hold until after the Legislature completes its next regular session. The state’s next primary election is scheduled for 2028.
Los Angeles, California — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a 13-bill election package Saturday that expands criminal penalties, cybersecurity protections and notification requirements ahead of California’s November elections.
Among the most significant provisions, AB 282 makes it a felony to seize ballots, election records or certified voting technology before results are certified, including when a supervisor directs someone else to do so. SB 259 similarly creates felony penalties for supervisors who order interference with the delivery or return of mail ballots.
Another measure, AB 1664, requires local election officials to notify the California secretary of state and attorney general within one day of learning about a warrant, subpoena or law-enforcement investigation involving election records or voting technology. AB 2281 directs the state to assess whether it needs additional cybersecurity resources to replace federal support.
The package also extends restrictions on deceptive AI-generated election content, requires disclaimers for certain paid online political content and expands language-access requirements for voters. Other bills modify vote-by-mail procedures and polling-place protections.
Newsom framed the legislation as protection against possible federal interference, specifically citing President Donald Trump. That characterization reflects the governor’s stated rationale; the laws themselves apply more broadly to unauthorized interference by federal officials or others.
The measures build on SB 73, signed earlier this year, which restricts unauthorized law-enforcement access to voter rolls, election technology and voting areas without a court order or an investigation tied to state election law.
The legislation comes days after the U.S. Supreme Court left in place an injunction blocking new federal mail-ballot requirements from taking effect before the midterms.
Washington, D.C. — President Donald Trump said Saturday that he will create a new “AI Force” and appoint an artificial intelligence czar, while reiterating his opposition to regulations that he says could slow the industry’s growth.
Trump announced the plan on social media but offered few details about how the new organization would operate, what authority it would have or when it would be established. He said a new AI czar would be named soon and wrote that “only High I.Q. individuals need apply.”
The announcement comes days after Trump dismissed warnings about potentially dangerous artificial intelligence systems as a “hoax” and argued that the industry should not be slowed by new government restrictions. He has said existing criminal and civil laws should generally be sufficient to address harmful uses of AI.
Trump predicted that artificial intelligence could eventually account for as much as 25% of U.S. gross domestic product and compared its potential economic impact to the Industrial Revolution. He also framed AI development as a strategic competition with China, saying the United States currently leads and must maintain that advantage.
The administration has already taken steps to accelerate AI adoption in national security, including a June directive calling for advanced commercial and open-source systems to be deployed across the military and intelligence community while maintaining human accountability.
The announcement comes amid increasingly public warnings from AI researchers and industry leaders about autonomous systems, cybersecurity threats and models behaving in unexpected ways. Major technology companies remain divided over how much government oversight is appropriate and whether development should be slowed while stronger safeguards are created.
Distilled spirits are alcoholic beverages produced by heating and condensing a fermented liquid to increase its alcohol percentage, as compared with beer and wine, which is produced using fermentation with a lower alcohol content.
