Tuesday, September 2
Headlines
Sergey Bobylev/Kremlin Press S./Anadolu via Getty Images
Putin, Modi, and Xi walk into a bar. Well, it was more of a security summit to challenge American dominance. Over the weekend, Chinese President Xi Jinping invited more than 20 foreign leaders, including India’s and Russia’s, to a regional security forum in a flex of economic cooperation to counter the US-led Western system. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi talked up his country’s energy relationship with Russia, which had prompted the US to slap punishing 50% tariffs on India. For decades, the US wooed India as an ally to counter Chinese influence in Asia—but after the surprise tariff hit, India has been increasingly embracing Beijing.
Trump says CDC is being “ripped apart” over Covid vaccines. The president waded into the turmoil at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, urging pharma companies to “justify the success” of their Covid-19 vaccines to quell growing unrest at the agency. Last week, Trump fired CDC Director Susan Monarez following disagreements between her and Health Secretary RFK Jr., resulting in four other top CDC officials to tender their resignations. Then yesterday, nine former CDC directors warned in a NYT essay that RFK Jr.’s meddling was “unlike anything we had ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country had ever experienced.”
Congress returns from summer break with a shutdown on the horizon. Lawmakers get back to work today in Washington, DC, following their August recess, and the No. 1 priority on Capitol Hill is keeping the government open for business. The federal government will shut down at the end of September if Congress doesn’t pass a short-term spending measure, but expect plenty of inter-party bickering since Republicans, who have the majority, still need Democratic votes for any funding bill. The Dems are planning to use that leverage to extract concessions from the GOP.
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Robert Reich
Who should decide what we see, read, and learn?
Friends,
“The Museums throughout Washington, but all over the Country are, essentially, the last remaining segment of ‘WOKE,’” Trump wrote recently on his Truth Social. “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been — Nothing about Success, nothing about Brightness, nothing about the Future.”
So, Trump has ordered that the Smithsonian replace “divisive or ideologically driven language with unifying, historically accurate and constructive descriptions.”
Watching Sports
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When I was growing up with my parents in Alexandria, Virginia, most of the time that we watched any kind of television was when we were watching sports.
My dad was a sports enthusiast and my mom became one too because of my dad's interests. He did not share much about his life in high school, but when he went to college, he had gotten a tennis scholarship but was a walk-on on the football field and that is where he excelled.
We watched just about all the televised professional football games as well as college games there were, plus baseball games and tennis matches. Of course, when the Olympics were televised, we watch them as well.
We were a sports watching family until 1962 when we moved to Cairo, Egypt and the family did not watch television at all for four years. I listened to the Voice of America on the radio.
Maybe it was because of living in Cairo, Egypt but when I returned to the US to attend college, I had no desire to watch sports on the television, nor did I have any desire to watch anything on television.
I did not start watching television until I got married in 1969 and then it was only for a year until I went into the military. After the military, I returned to college and did not have time for television except on the holidays.
My television watching did not begin again until 1974 when I graduated from college and very little time was spent watching sports unless my parents were visiting and I have a football game playing for my dad.
US firm’s first-of-its-kind nuclear reactor gets funding boost to power data centers
Advanced nuclear firm Aalo Atomics announced it has secured $100 million in new capital and regulatory support to complete its first reactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL).
The project, selected for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) new Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, aims to demonstrate a future where dedicated nuclear reactors directly power the massive energy needs of artificial intelligence.
In an announcement on August 19, the Austin-based company detailed its successful Series B funding round led by Valor Equity Partners. The raise, which also included participants like Hitachi Ventures, NRG, and Fine Structure Ventures, brings Aalo’s total capital to over $136 million.
Monday, September 1
LABOR DAY 2025
Labor Day is more than just the unofficial end of summer—it’s a tribute to the grit, sweat, and resilience of American workers. Here's the deeper story behind it:
🔨 Origins and Purpose Labor Day honors the contributions of workers to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of the United States.
- It emerged during the Industrial Revolution, when working conditions were brutal—12-hour days, seven-day weeks, and child labor were common.
- Labor unions began organizing strikes and rallies to demand better wages, hours, and safety. These efforts laid the groundwork for the holiday.
📅 How It Became a Holiday The first Labor Day parade was held on September 5, 1882, in New York City, organized by the Central Labor Union.
By 1894, after a nationwide railroad strike and growing labor unrest, Congress officially declared Labor Day a federal holiday, observed on the first Monday of September.
🎉 Modern Celebrations Today, it’s celebrated with parades, barbecues, and public events, symbolizing both worker appreciation and the close of summer.
While many countries celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1, the U.S. chose September to distance itself from the more politically charged origins of May Day.
If you’re weaving this into a story or exploring systemic labor dynamics, I can help you dig deeper into the historical tensions, union movements, or even the corporate responses that shaped this tradition.
SOURCE: CoPilot (Artificial Intelligence) is responsible for providing this information
In The NEWS
Workers, United
How do labor unions work?
Although they’re most famous for bringing us the weekend, labor unions help workers organize their labor efforts so they can negotiate as a single entity rather than as individuals. Workers in a particular industry, trade, or company form labor unions to improve aspects of their working conditions, such as pay or benefits (learn more here).
The history of labor unions can be traced back to the 18th century, when the Industrial Revolution brought a surge of newly managed workers into workplaces. In the US today, labor unions are popular among transportation employees (such as the Teamsters), government employees, and other tradespeople like electrical workers (see list).
Critics of labor unions argue that unions not only make it more difficult to discipline low performers, but also drive up the cost of labor. Union advocates, however, believe unions are a great tool for increasing workers' pay and benefits (see pros and cons).
... Read our full explainer on labor unions here.
Also, check out ...
> How Labor Day became a holiday, starting in Oregon. (More)
> What do picket lines do? (More)
> "Right-to-work" laws make it legal for a worker to opt out of a union. (More)
Cosmic Guru
Stephen Hawking, explained
Stephen Hawking was a theoretical physicist and cosmologist known for his research on black holes, computer-generated voice, and cameo appearances in television and film, where he was often depicted in a wheelchair near a board full of equations.
Despite suffering from ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, since the age of 21, Hawking published more than 200 academic research articles in his life, including a seminal paper predicting that black holes would "evaporate" over time, a phenomenon called Hawking radiation.
The progression of the disease and a case of pneumonia resulted in him undergoing a tracheotomy, which left him with no means of verbal communication. A speech synthesizer was added to his wheelchair, and its American voice became Hawking's trademark. Through his appearances on shows like "The Simpsons" and "Star Trek," Hawking gained mainstream popularity (see cameos).
... Read our full overview on Hawking here.
Also, check out ...
> How Hawking literally bet on scientific progress. (More)
> The children's books by Stephen Hawking. (More)
> Stephen Hawking's final interview. (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Money Investments
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One of the biggest concerns that I currently have is making sure that I have enough money so that we can pay our bills until both of us reach the age of 95. Since my wife is five years younger than me, then I would need to live to 100 in order to reach by budgeted goals. I doubt that will happen, but it would be nice to reach 90.
Presently and taking into consideration no more COLA raises, we receive about $3500 from Social Security. Our monthly expenses are right around $5-6000, so we are needing an additional $2500 each month for the next 22 years or $660,000, assuming no interest is earned on money.
In order to generate $2500/month at an interest rate of 4%, one would need $750,000.
The average rate of return for the Stock Market is 10% but the stock market is rather risky.
The average rate of return for Mutual Funds, depends upon the fund...
Equity - 9-12%
Hybrid - 5-8%
Bond - 6-9%
Index - 10%
However, Mutual Funds are a little less risky than the Stock Market.
My wife and I have our money is a very safe Credit Union CD at 4.5% but was in a previous CD at 5.5%.
We are looking at earning interest at half the return of alternative investments but there are no risks.
While the Stock Market generates those average returns over a 20-40 year time frame, my wife and I need to count on our money RIGHT NOW...
So, minimal risks are mandatory for us.
NASA’s Webb Telescope Discovers 300 Mysterious Objects That Shouldn’t Exist
In a recent study, researchers from the University of Missouri examined distant regions of the universe and made a surprising discovery. By analyzing infrared images captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), they detected 300 objects shining more brightly than expected.
“These mysterious objects are candidate galaxies in the early universe, meaning they could be very early galaxies,” said Haojing Yan, an astronomy professor in Mizzou’s College of Arts and Science and co-author on the study.
“If even a few of these objects turn out to be what we think they are, our discovery could challenge current ideas about how galaxies formed in the early universe — the period when the first stars and galaxies began to take shape.”
Sunday, August 31
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