Friday, September 26
Headlines
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Amazon settled with FTC for $2.5 billion over “deceptive” Prime practices. Just a few days into the trial, Amazon agreed to pay the historic sum to resolve allegations that it tricked consumers into signing up for Prime subscriptions and then made it hard for them to cancel. The FTC said it was the largest civil penalty for a rule violation in the agency’s history. Filed under the Biden administration in 2023 and continued under President Trump, the lawsuit accused Amazon of using “sophisticated subscription traps designed to manipulate consumers into enrolling in Prime.” Amazon denied tricking customers and did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement.
President Trump plans 100% tariff on drugs. The steep new import tax will be imposed as of Oct. 1 on “any branded or patented Pharmaceutical Product, unless a Company IS BUILDING their Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant in America,” the president posted on Truth Social yesterday. The tariffs would not apply to imports from companies that have either broken ground on new plants in the US or have them under construction, the post said. Trump also said he’d impose other new tariffs on the same date, including 50% on kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 30% on upholstered furniture, and 25% on heavy trucks.
Microsoft cut off some cloud services for the Israeli military. The tech giant disabled certain services for a division of Israel’s Ministry of Defense after it said it found evidence that the unit was using its Azure cloud platform to surveil Palestinians. The internal Microsoft investigation follows an August report in The Guardian that the Israeli Defense Forces were using Microsoft infrastructure to track Palestinians’ phone calls. Last month, Microsoft fired five employees who were protesting the company’s relationship with Israel after some of them broke into and occupied Microsoft President Brad Smith’s office in Redmond, Washington.—AE
Robert Reich
Confronting the longer-term erosion
Friends,
It’s too easy to accept the conventional view that the widening polarization of our society, and the decline of democracy, are due to the demagogue in the Oval Office.
That conventional view is way too simple. Follow the money. The underlying cause is the tsunami of legal bribes flowing from huge, wealthy corporations (and their oligarchic CEOs and major investors) into American politics.
That tsunami has grown dramatically over the last forty years. It underlies the crisis of democracy. It is fueling polarization. Democracy and social cohesion are impossible to sustain when big money is dictating political outcomes.
Over the last four decades, corporate political spending has more than quadrupled, adjusted for inflation.
At A Glance
(9/2/25) Nine common traits of people raised by helicopter parents.
(9/3/25) "Magic phrases" that make kids listen to their parents.
(9/10/25) Researchers say "kissing bug" has become endemic in the US.
(9/24/25) Why some people thought the world was ending yesterday.
(9/18/25) North America's best airports, ranked by travelers.
(9/3/25) Why some say you can't wear white after Labor Day.
(9/11/25) Ranking the happiest states in the US.
(9/4/25) Ranking the best US cities for retirees.
(9/8/25) See photos from yesterday's total lunar eclipse.
(9/23/25) Why most cartoon characters only have four fingers.
(9/19/25) How to cut down on ultraprocessed foods.
Clickbait: What drink is healthier: alcohol or THC?
Historybook: Thomas Jefferson is appointed the first US secretary of state (1789); Albert Einstein publishes paper on the special theory of relativity (1905); Last recorded album by The Beatles, "Abbey Road," is released (1969); Serena Williams born (1981); Actor Paul Newman dies (2008).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Sean "Diddy" Combs accused in lawsuit of sexual assault and battery by a former personal stylist; Combs is due to be sentenced next week in a separate criminal case (More)
> Claudia Cardinale, Italian film star known for starring roles in "Pink Panther" and "Once Upon a Time in the West," dies at age 87 (More)
> YouTube to allow reinstatement of content creators previously banned by the streaming platform for spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and the 2020 election (More)
Science & Technology
> Seven-year study shows people at risk for rheumatoid arthritis experience immune system changes years before feeling symptoms; finding could enable more targeted monitoring and earlier intervention (More) | What's arthritis? (1440 Topics)
> Mathematical modeling reveals spirals in human umbilical cords facilitate an oxygen and heat exchange that keeps babies cool before birth; research suggests abnormal cord structures contribute to pregnancy complications (More)
> Researchers develop gene therapy treatment that slowed the progression of Huntington's disease—a fatal, progressive brain disorder—by 75% in a clinical trial; biotech company uniQure aims to offer the therapy in the US next year (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close down (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow -0.4%, Nasdaq -0.3%) as investors eye release of Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge on Friday (More)
> US new-home sales rise 20.5% month over month in August, an unexpected increase and the fastest pace since 2022 (More)
> Lithium Americas shares close up 96% after the Trump administration proposes an equity stake of up to 10% in the Canadian miner (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Widow of victim in January helicopter-plane collision near Reagan National Airport files first federal lawsuit against American Airlines, its regional partner, the US Army, and the FAA; at least 60 more lawsuits expected (More)
> Chinese President Xi Jinping pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 7% to 10% by 2035, marking the first time the world's largest emitter has set a firm reduction target (More)
> Denmark's prime minister publicly apologizes to Greenlandic Indigenous girls and women who were given invasive contraception against their will by Danish health authorities in the 1960s and 1970s (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Not a Man of Faith
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I was raised United Methodist and my parents made me attend Sunday School and Church every Sunday (even on vacation-minus Sunday School) until I graduated from High School. Consequently, I have heard every major story and/or parable the Bible has to offer several times. I have also read the Bible from cover to cover and took notes, copying passages I thought were important.
While I do believe that the universe has a creator, I am not convinced that God is that creator, given the immensity of the universe and the belief that life (Human Beings) was created and put on earth ONLY. Plus, the Bible is full of scientific errors, the least of which is that the universe is only 6,000 years old, when science says otherwise.
But the clincher for me was when churches in the USA portrayed Jesus as Caucasian.
There are 12 major, recognized, religions in the world today, so why do ministers, pastors, and priests believe that ONLY CHRISTIANITY is the correct one... and, of the Christian Churches, why do Baptists believe that their denomination is the only correct one?
This, to me, is narrow minded thinking...
However, and this comment is directed only at Americans and those illegals who are living in America, why is there NO TOLERANCE for people who publicly demonstrate their religious beliefs.
I don't believe in what you believe, but it is your right to think and believe any way that you desire, in fact, it is actually none of my business.
But, here in America, we are killing people who do not believe like we do...
And, it is my opinion, that the Democrats are the ones who are pushing that belief...
I will never trust, nor will I vote for anyone who thinks I am wrong because I don't agree with them. And, I see no reason to debate you to try to change your POV nor will you change my POV. I accept you and that is as far as it needs to go.
NASA announces "groundbreaking discovery" of life on Mars
A recent analysis of the Sapphire Canyon mudstone core, drilled by NASA’s Perseverance rover in July 2024, adds new and convincing evidence to the ongoing search for life on Mars.
The study describes minerals and textures that – on Earth – are often linked to microbial activity. At the same time, the authors stress that some unknown, nonbiological chemistry could also explain the signals.
“This finding by Perseverance is the closest we have ever come to discovering life on Mars. The identification of a potential biosignature on the Red Planet is a groundbreaking discovery, and one that will advance our understanding of Mars,” said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy.
Thursday, September 25
Headlines
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Detainees killed and injured in shooting at ICE facility in Dallas. One detainee was killed and two were left in critical condition after a shooter fired on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Dallas from a nearby rooftop, the Department of Homeland Security said yesterday. DHS said the shooter fired “indiscriminately” at the building, and the FBI said it was investigating the shooting as “an act of targeted violence.” No law enforcement personnel were injured in the shooting. The shooter was also found dead of a self-inflicted wound, officials said. Although the investigation is ongoing, FBI Director Kash Patel posted an image on X of unused ammunition that he said belonged to the shooter with “ANTI-ICE” written on it. Local officials cautioned against drawing conclusions about the shooter’s motivation until more is known. Prosecutors said to be about to try to bring charges against James Comey. Federal prosecutors will seek a criminal indictment of James Comey, who led the FBI during President Trump’s first term but has since become a critic of the president, multiple news outlets reported yesterday. The deadline for the Justice Department to ask a grand jury to allow charges based on allegations that Comey lied during testimony to Congress in 2020 about about a possible connection between the Trump campaign and Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election (which Trump has called a hoax) is next week. Grand juries side with prosecutors more often than not, but there are reportedly some within the DOJ who do not believe the case is strong enough to meet the standard. The push for an indictment comes after Trump publicly questioned why the department had not swiftly brought cases against several people he considers foes.
New home sales spiked 20% in August. Sales of newly built homes in the US unexpectedly jumped last month to the highest level since January 2022, with sales up 20.5% compared to July and up 15.4% compared to last August. That was before mortgage rates started falling, so it could be a sign that price cuts and other incentives used by homebuilders to lure buyers amid an oversupply of new homes had their desired effect. But the surprising uptick could also be a quirk of the data: “Always important to remember the margin of error for new home sales is large,” the chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders told CNBC. The National Association of Realtors will report numbers for previously owned homes today.—AR
Robert Reich
None of us is safe when Trump acts as judge and jury.
Friends,
Actions now being taken by Trump and his regime may seem far-removed from your daily life or the lives of people you care about. But they’re not.
The U.S. military has attacked three boats in the Caribbean Sea suspected of smuggling drugs, killing at least 17 people.
Why should you worry?
Because Trump’s claims that the Constitution gives him the right to kill anyone he believes to be transporting drugs into the United States could be used to justify murdering you or your loved ones.
No judge or jury found that these 17 people did anything illegal. We’re taking Trump’s word for it that they were smuggling drugs into the United States.
At A Glance
Sororities across the country are rushing to go viral.Ranking the coolest neighborhoods in the world.
Captain America's 1940 debut sparked outrage ... for punching Hitler.
Self-pollinating thymeleaf wins microscopic video awards.
AI can pass the hardest level of CFA exam in minutes.
... but study finds AI "workslop" is destroying productivity.
A fork's journey from scandalous utensil to everyday item.
Khaki is Sherwin-Williams' 2026 color of the year.
Clickbait: You are literally glowing.
Historybook: US Congress passes the Bill of Rights (1789); "Superman" actor Christopher Reeve born (1952); The Little Rock Nine integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas (1957); Catherine Zeta-Jones born (1969); Golfer Arnold Palmer dies (2016).
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