5 Stoic quotes to help you through difficult times
Tuesday, September 23
Headlines
Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Jimmy Kimmel returns to the air tonight. Nearly a week after Disney yanked Jimmy Kimmel Live off the air indefinitely amid backlash over the host’s comments about Charlie Kirk’s accused murderer, the late-night show will return to ABC tonight. The company said yesterday it had made the decision to pull the show “because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive,” and that it had “spent the last days having thoughtful conversations with Jimmy” before deciding to bring the show back. While President Trump and some conservatives praised Disney’s choice to remove the show after the head of the FCC and affiliate station owners took issue with Kimmel’s remarks, many in the entertainment business, Democrats, and even some Republicans criticized it as censorship, especially given the pressure from the FCC. ABC affiliate-owner Sinclair said yesterday it would continue to preempt the program amid “ongoing” discussions with ABC about the show’s return.
Nvidia to invest $100 billion in OpenAI for data centers. Talk about customer service: The chipmaker has agreed to sink up to $100 billion into the ChatGPT-maker to help it expand its AI infrastructure. But Nvidia is not just looking out for a fellow AI giant; the deal also ensures that Nvidia is a “preferred” supplier for OpenAI for chips and networking gear, the companies said. The investment will happen progressively as the infrastructure gets built, with the intention of OpenAI setting up data centers with a capacity of 10 gigawatts of power (which is more than it takes to power 8 million homes, per the Wall Street Journal) and using Nvidia’s advanced chips for OpenAI’s models. “This is a giant project,” Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told CNBC.
SCOTUS will mull the president’s power to fire independent agency officials. For now, the Supreme Court ruled that President Trump can fire the Federal Trade Commission’s sole remaining Democratic commissioner, Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, while it considers her legal challenge to her ouster (the liberal justices dissented). In weighing the case, the high court will hear arguments in December over whether a 90-year-old precedent barring the president from axing agency officials without cause should be overturned for infringing on the executive branch’s power.—AR
Robert Reich
The real reason Disney restored Kimmel’s late-night show
Friends,
ABC says “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” will return to the airwaves Tuesday — less than a week after Trump henchman Brendan Carr, chair of the Federal Communications Commission, said on a podcast that Kimmel’s remarks were part of a “concerted effort to lie to the American people” and that the FCC would have “do this the easy way or the hard way” — suggesting that either ABC and its parent company, Walt Disney, remove Kimmel, or the FCC would revoke ABC’s broadcast license.
Why Walt Disney Company’s turnaround? It limply explained today:
“Last Wednesday, we made the decision to suspend production on the show to avoid further inflaming a tense situation at an emotional moment for our country. It is a decision we made because we felt some of the comments were ill-timed and thus insensitive.”
At A Glance
American history, culture, and progress in 25 charts.
Where does the US get its goods, from perfume to oil? (w/quiz)
Why most cartoon characters only have four fingers.
The longest airplane route will be 29 hours.
We've entered dragonfly migration season.
Young people want wealth before marriage.
The semicolon is dying.
Why you can't break spaghetti into two pieces. (via YouTube)
Clickbait: Scientists made a new tomato called the Scarlet Sunrise.
Historybook: American civil rights activist Victoria Woodhull born (1838); Nintendo is founded as a playing card company (1889); Musician Ray Charles born (1930); Neurologist Sigmund Freud dies (1939); Hurricane Jeanne kills more than 3,000 people in Haiti (2004).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Las Vegas Aces' A'ja Wilson becomes first player to be named WNBA MVP four times (More) | WNBA playoff semifinals kick off; see latest bracket and schedule (More)
> Bernie Parent, Hockey Hall of Fame goalie, dies at age 80 (More) | Brett James, Grammy-winning songwriter, dies in plane crash at age 57 (More) | Sonny Curtis, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame singer-songwriter, dies at age 88 (More)
> Team USA women and men win 4x100m relays to break record for most national gold medals (16) at a World Track and Field Championships (More) | Cal Raleigh hits 58th home run to pass Ken Griffey Jr. for the Seattle Mariners franchise record (More)
Science & Technology
> US health regulators green light accelerated approval for the first treatment for Barth syndrome, an ultrarare condition affecting cells' ability to produce energy (More)
> New study finds pancreatic alpha cells naturally produce GLP-1, the hormone mimicked by new weight loss drugs (More) | How semaglutides work (1440 Topics)
> Archaeologists uncover 1,600-year-old copper coin stash in underground tunnels in northern Israel, dating to the last Jewish rebellion under Roman rule (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher Friday (S&P 500 +0.5%, Dow +0.4%, Nasdaq +0.7%) with all three indexes reaching all-time highs (More)
> President Donald Trump announces $100K fees for new H-1B applicants, up from $2K to $5K per applicant; Amazon, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, and other finance and technology companies use the visa to recruit workers from abroad (More)
> Rupert Murdoch, Larry Ellison, and Michael Dell are part of the group interested in buying TikTok, President Donald Trump reveals; Ellison's Oracle would handle data and security, Americans will sit on six out of seven board seats (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signs law banning the use of face masks by most law enforcement officers, including federal immigration agents (More)
> US naval forces lethally strike a fourth vessel accused of smuggling drugs from the Caribbean (More) | President Donald Trump says he ousted the US prosecutor investigating New York Attorney General Letitia James (D), nominates a White House aide to replace him (More)
> A cyberattack targeting check-in systems at European airports causes dozens of flight delays in the UK, Germany, and Belgium (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
The Amazing Democrats
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What amazes me about what is going on in this country is hearing the Democrats tell people who will listen to them that the economy is worse off today than it was during the Biden administration.
It also bothers me that the Democrats care more about the illegal immigrants than they do about their own voting constituents, when they say there is little to no crime in the big cities and that illegal immigrants should have the same rights as Americans.
What I think that is going on is the Democrats are still basing their future on HATING TRUMP and every single program that he supports. HATING TRUMP is not government policy that will move this country forward.
The Democrats have become a group of people who accuse the other party of doing what they are doing and since the MAINSTREAM MEDIA leans liberal, they too are supporting this effort.
The Democrats NEED A PLATFORM that offers more than hating Trump or opposing whatever Trump wants.
If Trump wants low taxes, then the Democrats must want higher taxes.
- If Trump wants a strong military, then the Democrats must want a weak military.
- If Trump wants promotions based upon MERIT, then the Democrats must want promotions based upon color or ethnicity.
- If Trump wants to stimulate businesses for investment and growth, then the Democrats must not want to invest or grow.
- If Trump wants to remove all illegal immigrants, then the Democrats must want illegal immigrants to enter the USA.
Even though they have not stated it, think about what the Democrats might want just because they oppose Trump...
Webb Telescope Spots Possible Signs of Atmosphere on “Goldilocks” Exoplanet
This artist’s concept portrays the seven rocky exoplanets within the TRAPPIST-1 system, located 40 light-years
from Earth. Credit: NASA and JPL/Caltech
JWST data hints that Trappist-1e may have an atmosphere. More transits will test if this world could support liquid water.
Recent observations with NASA’s advanced JWST telescope have revealed a planet located 41 light-years from Earth that may possess an atmosphere. This planet orbits within the “habitable zone,” the region around a star where temperatures allow liquid water to remain on the surface of a rocky body. Water is essential because it is one of the fundamental requirements for sustaining life.
If upcoming observations verify these results, this would represent the first time a rocky planet in a star’s habitable zone has been confirmed to hold an atmosphere. The research is detailed in two studies published in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Monday, September 22
Headlines
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
More than 100,000, including many Trump admin officials, turned out for Charlie Kirk Memorial. The State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, with 63,400 seats and a maximum capacity of 73,000, filled up completely within hours of opening at 8am local time. Thousands more mourners occupied an overflow venue and stood outside it. Speakers at the service included White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump Jr., Tucker Carlson, Charlie’s widow, Erika Kirk, and Vice President JD Vance. President Donald Trump was the last to take the podium. The event also reunited President Trump and Elon Musk publicly for the first time since May.
Kirk’s Christian faith, organizing ability served as dual focuses of memorial. Vice President JD Vance said that members of the administration attended not just because they were personal friends with Kirk, but also because “we know we wouldn’t be here without him. Charlie built an organization that reshaped the balance of our politics,” referring to Turning Point USA, the nonprofit organization Kirk founded in 2012 to advocate for conservative politics on high school and college campuses. Erika Kirk spoke for about 30 minutes. She said her husband died with “unfinished business” and expressed gratitude for being the next CEO of the organization, vowing, “Now his mission is my mission.” And of her husband’s killer, she said, “I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and is what Charlie would do. The answer to hate is not hate.”
Western nations recognize Palestinian statehood. The UK, Canada, and Australia coordinated their formal recognition of a Palestinian state ahead of the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly taking place this week in New York. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in his recorded announcement, “We recognized the state of Israel more than 75 years ago as a homeland for the Jewish people. Today, we join over 150 countries who recognize a Palestinian state also.” Portugal also announced its recognition yesterday, and more countries, including France, are expected to follow suit during the meeting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the move, saying, “A Palestinian state will not be established west of the Jordan River.” Hamas said the newly announced recognition is the “rightful outcome of our people’s struggle, steadfastness, and sacrifices on the path to liberation and return.” The group is sworn to Israel’s destruction. The United States is opposed to the recognition of a Palestinian state, which President Trump reiterated after he met with Starmer in the UK last week, although he said he wanted the war in Gaza to end.—HVL
Robert Reich
In the face of the worst crisis American democracy has faced in living memory, they’re silent or complicit
Friends,
As Trump and his goons strip Americans of our constitutional rights, the silence of the nation’s leadership class is deafening.
I’m old enough to remember when, during the Vietnam War, university presidents utilized their bully pulpits to remind America of its moral center.
Today, university presidents are cowed. One college president recently told me point blank that “university presidents have no business speaking out on public issues.”
The chancellor of my own university, the University of California at Berkeley — the very place where the “free speech movement” began in 1965 — still hasn’t explained why Berkeley last week handed over to the regime the names of 160 students, lecturers, and faculty members who took part in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Some are here on visas and terribly vulnerable. Others lack tenure and are vulnerable in different ways.
At A Glance
Hundreds participate in first Chicago River swim in a century.
Why pregnant teachers were once banned from classrooms.
How to talk with your teenage boy about his online activity.
Study finds longer syllables make for more convincing apologies.
The McIntosh apple, from its 1795 discovery to its decline.
Americans' perception of AI in society.
A breakdown of the $5M American Dream.
Clickbait: Meet our new quasi-moon.
Historybook: President Abraham Lincoln issues preliminary Emancipation Proclamation (1862); Peace Corps formally authorized by Congress (1961); Iraq invades Iran, beginning the Iran-Iraq War (1980); “Friends” debuts on NBC (1994); Baseball great Yogi Berra dies (2015).
In The NEWS
Credit cards, 101
Arguably the biggest financial innovation of the past 100 years, credit cards are familiar pieces of metal or plastic that allow cardholders to borrow funds to pay for goods and services (with roughly $1T owed to credit card companies today).
Unlike debit cards, which draw money from the cardholder’s checking account, credit cards allow the cardholder to borrow a certain amount of money (called a credit line) from the card issuer (typically a bank or other financial institution) based on their creditworthiness (how credit limits are determined).
Credit cards are also the fourth-highest source of US consumer debt. Americans had roughly $1.2T in credit card debt as of Q3 2024—almost as much as they had in auto loans at the time ($1.6T), and significantly more than home equity loan debt.
... Read our full explainer on credit cards here.
Also, check out ...
> How Bank of America first built Visa, the first national credit card network. (More)
> Who actually pays for your credit card rewards? (More)
> Why there are microchips in credit cards. (More)
King of Planets
What is Jupiter?
Jupiter is the fifth-closest planet to the sun and the largest and oldest planet in the solar system. As with all planets in our solar system, Jupiter formed from what remained of the cloud of gas that collapsed into the sun and protoplanetary disk (see examples).
Named after the king of Roman gods, this gas giant is most easily recognized by its Great Red Spot—a hurricane-like storm larger than Earth that has existed for about 200 years.
Heat from Jupiter’s core moves fluid in convection cells—hot gases rise and cooler ones sink. The planet’s rotation—the fastest in the solar system—spreads these rising and sinking fluids into east-west flows that wrap around it like global jet streams. The coloring of the flows results from differences in convection cell temperature and composition, which vary across three unique cloud layers (see images).
... Read our full overview of the planet here.
Also, check out ...
> Thousands of objects, including 95 moons, orbit Jupiter. (More)
> Jupiter was twice its current size when it was first formed. (More)
> How Jupiter may have helped destroy the dinosaurs. (More)
What is Jupiter?
Jupiter is the fifth-closest planet to the sun and the largest and oldest planet in the solar system. As with all planets in our solar system, Jupiter formed from what remained of the cloud of gas that collapsed into the sun and protoplanetary disk (see examples).
Named after the king of Roman gods, this gas giant is most easily recognized by its Great Red Spot—a hurricane-like storm larger than Earth that has existed for about 200 years.
Heat from Jupiter’s core moves fluid in convection cells—hot gases rise and cooler ones sink. The planet’s rotation—the fastest in the solar system—spreads these rising and sinking fluids into east-west flows that wrap around it like global jet streams. The coloring of the flows results from differences in convection cell temperature and composition, which vary across three unique cloud layers (see images).
... Read our full overview of the planet here.
Also, check out ...
> Thousands of objects, including 95 moons, orbit Jupiter. (More)
> Jupiter was twice its current size when it was first formed. (More)
> How Jupiter may have helped destroy the dinosaurs. (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Myrtle Beach, SC 2025
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We got back from Myrtle Beach at 2pm yesterday, even though we were up at 5:00 am, left at 6:00 am, and should have arrived home at 12:30 pm. REASON: very slow-moving traffic from Asheville, NC to Tennessee, especially where they were fixing the roads due to rockslides.
By the time we unloaded the car, put everything away, turned everything on, plugged everything back in, mowed the yard, updated my two blogs, and ate a TV dinner, it was too late to do much of anything else but sit on the sofa, veg out, and wait until we were tired enough to go to bed.
Our seven nights - six days at South Myrtle Beach went by fairly slowly through Wednesday and it seemed to both of us that this just might be an unexpectedly long week. However, the next three days went by quickly than stink on you know what, and the next thing we knew we were home, apologizing to our three cats for staying gone so long.
Myrtle Beach had not really changed much other than we saw new communities that had been built since we were last there, new restaurants replacing old ones, and not as much traffic as we had anticipated there might be. The weather was damn near perfect for every day except for one and a half days where it was hot but no wind, or very little.
We had taken a large umbrella that we put into the ground beside the one we rented giving us more shade, but it took us a couple of days to realize we got more shade by putting the umbrella on the left rather than the right even though we overlapped the umbrellas. We had enough shade now for three chairs.
Like always, we ate in a few really nice (and expensive for our budget) restaurants and the rest of the nights we ate in more budget friendly ones. The only part of our vacation that bothered us was the condo we rented because it was not being properly maintained by its owners, and the service that the resort used to offer had declined as well.
We always rent a condo with a kitchen and separate bedroom, and we always make sure that condo is ocean facing. We are considering looking for another condo next year, but we are still going to Myrtle Beach.
AI will never be a shortcut to wisdom
The internet and AI have given us almost magical access to knowledge — but it is not “earned.”
Studies on cognitive flexibility suggest we no longer walk through the fog of a complex question — we skip across it, like stones.
AI can amplify intelligence, but it cannot replace wisdom. DeGraff suggests four simple habits to reclaim your mind.
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