Thursday, July 10
Headlines
@realdonaldtrump/Truth Social
Trump unveils 50% tariff on Brazil over prosecution of its ex-president. In his latest round of tariff demand letters, President Trump said he plans to slap a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports as of Aug.1, partly because of its prosecution of its former President Jair Bolsonaro for an alleged coup attempt, which Trump called a “witch hunt.” The president also cited a “very unfair trade relationship” between the countries in opting for a much higher tariff than he initially announced in April. Brazil’s current president said the government would respond with reciprocity. President Trump also sent letters threatening tariffs of between 20% and 40% to at least seven more countries yesterday.
US measles cases have reached a 33-year high. A little more than halfway into 2025, the US has reported 1,288 measles cases, marking the highest yearly total since 1992, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. An outbreak in Texas contributed to both the high number of cases and the first measles-related US deaths in a decade, though cases have been reported in 39 states. The US declared measles eliminated in 2000, but cases have been spiking as vaccination rates have waned. Of the people in the US infected this year, 92% were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status.
Fed officials are divided over when to cut rates. The Federal Reserve released the minutes from its June meeting, and the good news is that the majority of its officials see interest rate cuts coming this year. But other than that, they agree about as much as feuding contestants on Love Island—the minutes show officials have differing opinions over how many times they’ll do it and when they should start, even as the president has ramped up pressure for lower rates. Although some officials remained concerned that tariffs may spur inflation, the tally shows 10 committee members expect two or more cuts, two expect just one, and seven anticipate none.—AR
Robert Reich
Not to reduce the federal debt.
Friends,
“The America Party is needed to fight the Republican/Democrat Uniparty,” Elon Musk posted on X, announcing that he’s forming a third party.
Does America need a third party? Possibly, for a reason I’ll get to in a moment.
But America doesn’t need a third party financed by the richest person in the world, who sank a quarter of a billion dollars into making Trump president and was also among the most prolific Republican donors in 2024 (Trump officials are still awaiting $100 million in pledges Musk made this year).
We need a third party dedicated to just the opposite — getting big money out of politics.
Both major parties are far too dependent on big corporations and the ultra-wealthy, although the GOP is far more dependent than are the Democrats.
At A Glance
Meet the first Barbie with Type 1 diabetes.
The company behind the dire wolf seeks to revive the moa.
New parents are giving their babies serial killer names.
What does a heart attack feel like?
Watch a cucumber squirt out its seeds at ballistic speeds.
MLB catcher makes historic game-ending, inside-the-park home run.
US Army to put most ceremonial horses up for adoption.
Rodeo bull Sauce Boss becomes latest animal escape artist.
Clickbait: The latest chimp fashion trend.
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Former world boxing champ Julio César Chávez Jr. misses court date for 2024 gun charges, lawyer is unaware of his whereabouts; Chávez was detained by ICE last week and was due to be deported to Mexico (More)
> NHL regular season to expand from 82 to 84 games beginning with 2026-27 season as part of new collective bargaining agreement between the league and the players association (More)
> Sean "Diddy" Combs to be sentenced Oct. 3; Combs will remain in jail as he awaits sentencing for prostitution charges (More) | Former "Tiger King" star Bhagavan “Doc” Antle sentenced to a year in prison for trafficking in exotic animals (More)
Science & Technology
> Meta poaches Apple's top AI executive, Ruoming Pang, with a compensation package reportedly worth tens of millions of dollars annually; hire follows Meta's recent hiring surge to fill its new Superintelligence Lab (More)
> NASA's Parker Solar Probe measures first direct evidence of the sun's "helicity barrier;" phenomenon is linked to the superheating of the solar atmosphere and creating supersonic solar wind (More) | NASA explained (1440 Topics)
> Engineers build and test largest-ever steel-framed building built on top of an earthquake simulator; platform may lead to new methods to safely make taller buildings in quake-prone regions (More, w/video)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.1%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq +0.0%) as President Donald Trump's trade policies keep investors on edge (More) | Trump says he will impose a 50% tariff on copper imports, with details on timing unclear; also threatens up to 200% tariff on pharmaceutical imports (More)
> SpaceX reportedly in talks to raise new funding at $400B valuation (More) | Meta invests $3.5B in world's largest eyewear maker, EssilorLuxottica SA, amid push toward AI-powered wearable devices (More)
> WeightWatchers emerges from Chapter 11 bankruptcy after completing financial reorganization; names new medical chief, plans to offer menopause therapy (More) | 1440 Business & Finance: Tomorrow's newsletter explores the history of the mortgage (Sign up here)
Politics & World Affairs
> US Supreme Court lifts a lower court ruling, clearing the way for the Trump administration to fire tens of thousands of federal workers (More)
> State Department warns US diplomats about an impostor using AI to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio in calls to high-level officials, including at least three foreign ministers (More) | Justice Department charges 10 people with attempted murder in failed effort to storm an ICE center in Texas (More)
> At least 161 people known to be missing from flooding, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) says; death toll rises to at least 109 (More) | See previous write-up (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Wondering or not
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Sometimes, I don't...
When I do, my wonderings are of a philosophical nature, like:
Why are we here?
What is our purpose here?
Why was I born instead of someone else?
They say that mental activity is great for someone who is increasing in years, but I don't remember what that specific age was.... 60? 70? 80? 90?
Not many of us human beings make it to 100 anymore... after Noah, who lived to 900, I believe... if one can believe what one reads.
I am pretty sure that our purpose is not just to see how wealthy we can become or how technologically advanced our society can evolve... it seems to me to much more than just that.
80-100 years of life is pretty insignificant when one realizes how old the universe is... and when that comparison is made, why do human beings live at all?
Why does our bodies almost always revert back to a child-like state right before we die?
Wondering always poses more questions than it answers which is why most people do not engage in this type of meaningless activity, especially when there is so much fun to be had living life and partying.
Physicists Catch Light in 'Imaginary Time' in Scientific First
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| (agsandrew/Getty Images Pro/Canva) |
For the first time, researchers have seen how light behaves during a mysterious phenomenon called 'imaginary time'.
When you shine light through almost any transparent material, the gridlock of electromagnetic fields that make up the atomic alleys and side streets will add a significant amount of time to each photon's commute.
This delay can tell physicists a lot about how light scatters, revealing details about the matrix of material the photons must navigate. Yet until now, one trick up the theorist's sleeve for measuring light's journey – invoking imaginary time – has not been fully understood in practical terms.
Wednesday, July 9
Headlines
Meta, Apple
Meta poached Apple’s top AI executive. This will make the Sun Valley welcome reception a bit awkward. Ruoming Pang, who led Apple’s foundational models team and was considered the iPhone-maker’s top AI researcher, is leaving to work on Meta’s new AI “superintelligence” team, Bloomberg reported. The loss is a major blow to Apple’s already struggling AI efforts, with the company reportedly now considering outsourcing the model that powers Siri. For Meta, it’s another sign of how serious CEO Mark Zuckerberg is about competing in AI and developing robots that are smarter than humans. According to Bloomberg, Pang was offered a package worth “tens of millions” of dollars per year to defect.
Trump says the US will resume sending weapons to Ukraine. Just days after the White House announced it was pausing military aid to Ukraine while the Pentagon reviewed stockpiles, President Trump said the US would in fact restart shipments to the country to help it defend itself against Russia. The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he was not the one who ordered the pause in deliveries. The reversal comes as Russia intensifies its attacks on Kyiv and Trump grows more publicly frustrated with Vladimir Putin stonewalling attempts at a ceasefire. “He’s very nice to us all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless,” Trump said this week.
The IRS will allow churches to endorse political candidates. In a reversal of a 70-year-old policy, the Internal Revenue Service said yesterday that it will permit churches to make endorsements from the pulpit without losing their tax-exempt status. Previously, the prevailing interpretation of the tax code barred houses of worship from keeping their tax-exempt status if they formally backed political candidates, although the rule was rarely enforced. A group of churches sued the IRS last year, arguing that the rule violated their constitutional rights. First Amendment advocates applauded the news, while some experts warned that it could open the door for political campaigns to funnel money through nonprofits.—AE
Robert Reich
What will it take for most Americans to demand an end to Trump’s dictatorship?
Friends,
I keep asking myself when Trump’s authoritarian fascism will become so intolerable to the vast majority of Americans that they rise up against it — not only massively protest but put enough pressure on Republicans in Congress that they join with Democrats in impeaching and convicting him.
In other words, what’s the tipping point for ridding us of this menace?
I thought we’d reached that tipping point when he went to war with Iran without congressional approval. Or when he sent active military troops into Los Angeles. Or when he imposed tariffs on all products imported to the United States, essentially raising taxes on Americans. Or when he forced out the president of the University of Virginia for insufficiently rooting out DEI. Or when he attacked major law firms for employing lawyers who once tried to hold him legally accountable.
Obviously, we haven’t reached the tipping point yet. So what will it take? Several possibilities come to mind:
At A Glance
Earth is spinning unusually fast today.
What happens when you flush an airplane toilet.
See photos from Spain’s Running of the Bulls festival.
Meet the team of four keeping this Disney art form alive. (w/video)
An up-and-coming Canadian band was an AI hoax.
Woman earns world record for collection of 15,485 egg cups.
Ranking the world’s most colorful destinations.
Hundreds of people just opened the world’s largest time capsule.
Clickbait: Bad Bunny and Adidas are hiring.
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