Tuesday, September 30
Headlines
ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS
AFP via Getty Images
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s plan to end Gaza war. But it remained unclear yesterday whether Hamas would accept the 20-point plan, which would require major concessions from the group, including disarming and giving up the administration of Gaza, while leaving the possibility of a Palestinian state potentially open—but likely only in a distant future. Trump’s plan calls for the war to end immediately and for Hamas to release all remaining hostages within 72 hours. It would put postwar Gaza’s reconstruction in the hands of an international “Board of Peace” headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Trump said that if Hamas did not agree to the plan, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu would have the “full backing” of the US “to do what you would have to do.”
The government will probably shut down at midnight. With the shutdown deadline looming, a meeting yesterday between President Trump and congressional leaders from both parties yielded no breakthrough on a deal to keep the government running once its current funding runs out. Democrats are demanding a budget that extends key Obamacare subsidies, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that “large differences” remained between the parties after the meeting. Both sides are blaming the other for the stalemate: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would not support a budget that “continues to gut the health care of everyday Americans,” while Vice President JD Vance said, “We’re headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing.”
Frank founder Charlie Javice gets 7 years for not being frank with JPMorgan. Javice—who was convicted of fraud in March for using fake data on how many users her college financing startup had to convince the world’s biggest bank to buy it for $175 million—was sentenced yesterday to 85 months in prison. Javice expressed remorse for her actions, something the judge seemed to accept while still saying punishment was necessary, albeit less than the 12 years prosecutors had asked for. During sentencing, the judge told the former “Forbes 30 Under 30” honoree that she is a “good person,” but that “others need to be deterred.”—AR
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s plan to end Gaza war. But it remained unclear yesterday whether Hamas would accept the 20-point plan, which would require major concessions from the group, including disarming and giving up the administration of Gaza, while leaving the possibility of a Palestinian state potentially open—but likely only in a distant future. Trump’s plan calls for the war to end immediately and for Hamas to release all remaining hostages within 72 hours. It would put postwar Gaza’s reconstruction in the hands of an international “Board of Peace” headed by Trump and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Trump said that if Hamas did not agree to the plan, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu would have the “full backing” of the US “to do what you would have to do.” The government will probably shut down at midnight. With the shutdown deadline looming, a meeting yesterday between President Trump and congressional leaders from both parties yielded no breakthrough on a deal to keep the government running once its current funding runs out. Democrats are demanding a budget that extends key Obamacare subsidies, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that “large differences” remained between the parties after the meeting. Both sides are blaming the other for the stalemate: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would not support a budget that “continues to gut the health care of everyday Americans,” while Vice President JD Vance said, “We’re headed to a shutdown because the Democrats won’t do the right thing.” Frank founder Charlie Javice gets 7 years for not being frank with JPMorgan. Javice—who was convicted of fraud in March for using fake data on how many users her college financing startup had to convince the world’s biggest bank to buy it for $175 million—was sentenced yesterday to 85 months in prison. Javice expressed remorse for her actions, something the judge seemed to accept while still saying punishment was necessary, albeit less than the 12 years prosecutors had asked for. During sentencing, the judge told the former “Forbes 30 Under 30” honoree that she is a “good person,” but that “others need to be deterred.”—AR
Robert Reich
What elected Dems REALLY need is the courage to stop taking big money and raise taxes on the wealthy to finance what most Americans need
Friends,
I recall participating in heated debates in late 1968 and early 1969 about why Democrats lost the presidency to “tricky Dick” Nixon. And another set of debates in the early 1980s about why Democrats lost to smooth-talking right-winger Ronald Reagan.
And then, after the disastrous midterm elections of 1994, why they lost both houses of Congress. And then in 2000 and again in 2004, why they lost to the insipid George W. Bush. And, worst of all, in 2016 and then again in 2024, to the monstrous Trump.
These debates usually occur within the rarified precincts of Democratic think tanks located in well-appointed offices in Washington, D.C.
At A Glance
What was going on the day you were born?
Barbecue dynasty feud has a Texas town divided.
An in-depth look at whether burritos are sandwiches.
Remembering a deadly craze for radioactive "miracle water."
She's 75 and training for the world powerlifting championships.
Jumping spiders go from creepy crawlies to beloved pets.
What you'd receive if the world's top billionaires redistributed their $1.8T.
See the 61 bars added to a Michelin-style cocktails list.
Clickbait: Vicious falcon wins New Zealand's bird election.
Historybook: American novelist and screenwriter Truman Capote born (1924); Babe Ruth is first player to hit 60 home runs in a season (1927); Actor James Dean dies in a car crash (1955); President John F. Kennedy authorizes federal troops to integrate University of Mississippi (1962); Oscar-winning actress Simone Signoret dies (1985).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Europe tops the US to win golf's Ryder Cup for the ninth time in the last 12 matches (More) | Four Top 10 teams upset in college football's Week 5 (More)
> Assata Shakur, Black liberation activist who was convicted of killing a New Jersey state trooper, dies at age 78 after living in Cuba in exile for 40 years (More)
> "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" fully back on the air after network TV giants Nexstar and Sinclair reinstate Kimmel more than a week after suspending his show (More) | Dolly Parton postpones upcoming December shows in Las Vegas, citing health issues (More)
Science & Technology
> Amazon expected to unveil new models of its Kindle reader and Echo speakers, among other products, at its annual fall hardware event tomorrow (More)
> Dual-drug inhaler cuts asthma attacks in children aged 5 to 15 by 45% in clinical trials; approach would replace the commonly used salbutamol inhaler (More)
> Engineers demonstrate micro-robots made from lung cells; devices may enable targeted drug delivery in hard-to-reach areas of the body (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close up Friday (S&P 500 +0.6%, Dow +0.7%, Nasdaq +0.4%) following report core inflation held steady in August, as expected (More)
> Video game company Electronic Arts is reportedly set to go private this week via a $50B acquisition by investment group, including President Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner (More)
> IT consulting firm Accenture warns it will fire workers who cannot be retrained to use AI; firm has laid off 11,000 staff in the past three months (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> New York City Mayor Eric Adams ends his bid for reelection; Adams was running as an independent after winning his first term as a Democrat (More)
> Crowd surge at a rally in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu kills at least 40 people (More) | State Department revokes Colombian President Gustavo Petro’s visa after he joins pro-Palestinian rally in New York (More)
> Tropical Storm Imelda forms in the Atlantic, is expected to bring heavy rains to the Southeast US this week (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
END OF SEPTEMBER
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The official first day of fall 2025 was September 22... but I don't see fall as starting until the beginning of October, which is tomorrow.
When I was an adolescent, the seasons were substantially different, so it is entirely possible that I might have seen fall as starting sometime in September, but never right after LABOR DAY which is the day school resumed... as it was just simply still too hot.
For me, Fall begins with October and extends through November and December with winter beginning in January of the NEW YEAR.
However, the weather does not always support my analysis and it can still feel like spring or early fall in December... however, the unseasonal temperatures do not last that long.
NOW... and before I go any further... I am speaking about the weather patterns in EAST TENNESSEE which may or may not be similar to what you are experiencing, especially if you live in the DEEP SOUTH, or heaven forbid, the HIGH NORTH or even in the MIDWEST or WESTERN section of our country.
East Tennessee weather is always going to be different because on the west we are protected by the CUMBERLAND PLATEAU and on the east, we are protected by the GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS.
East Tennessee is exposed north and south but it is seldom, yet it does happen, that we get adverse weather from those directions.
With the end of September, I expect the see colorful leaves in the mountains, an end to lawn mowing, and the ritual trimming of bushes and trees, and the sowing of grass if need be. Gutters need to be cleaned, furnaces checked, and winterizing of the house, especially around windows.
With the beginning of October, my wife and I exchange out our summer clothes for our winter clothes and making sure that our vehicles have plenty of antifreeze, although, periodic tune-ups and maintenance typically check that for you.
Nothing like being prepared...
First proof of plasma ripples reveals link between nuclear fusion energy and cosmos
Researchers in South Korea have solved a long-standing mystery in plasma physics by experimentally demonstrating how tiny magnetic ripples can trigger large-scale structural changes within plasma.
The phenomenon, known as multiscale coupling, was confirmed for the first time by a research team led by Hwang Yong-Seok, PhD, a professor at the Department of Nuclear Engineering at Seoul National University (SNY).
For the study, Hwang and his team, including Park Jong-Yoon, PhD, an assistant professor at the university, and Yoon Young Dae, PhD, a theoretical physicist at the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (APCTP), integrated fusion experiments and cosmic plasma theory.
Monday, September 29
Headlines
Pacific Press/Getty Images
Eric Adams ends reelection campaign for NYC mayor. It’s five weeks before Election Day, but New Yorkers now know they’ll have a different mayor next year. Yesterday, incumbent Eric Adams dropped a nearly nine-minute video that featured Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” to announce he was leaving the race. Following months of corruption allegations, Adams had been polling in the single digits, so it’s unclear if his departure will shake up the race. He did not endorse another candidate in his announcement, but took veiled swipes at the race’s front-runner, Democrat Zohran Mamdani, saying, “insidious forces” were pushing “divisive agendas” in the city’s politics and “our children are being radicalized to hate our city and our country.” Former NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running for mayor as a third-party candidate, as Adams was, had wanted Adams to drop out of the race to improve his chances against Mamdani.
Portland and state of Oregon sue to block National Guard deployment. On Saturday, President Donald Trump said he authorized National Guard troops to “protect war-ravaged” Portland, OR, including an ICE detention facility there. Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, a Democrat, said she spoke with the president by phone on Saturday, and he told her that he received word of multiple fires in the city and the federal courthouse there being assailed. She said that he may have seen footage from 2020, filmed during riots following the death of George Floyd, that he thought reflected the present day. The Guardian paid a visit to downtown Portland on Saturday and reported “the city is placid, the farmers’ market was packed and…there were just four protesters on the sidewalk near the ICE field office.” The city and state filed the lawsuit yesterday, after the Pentagon called up 200 National Guard members.
Despite Team USA rally, Europe won the Ryder Cup. The Europeans eked out a 15–13 victory this weekend, during which the visiting team endured its fair share of “unacceptable and abusive behavior” from the home crowd. Rory McIlroy’s wife, Erica, was hit by a drink thrown by an American fan on Saturday. While the US team didn’t get accosted by those on the green, it has received criticism for a new pay schema that will see team members receive $300,000 to give to the charity of their choice and $200,000 with no strings attached. European team captain Luke Donald rankled US players when he said during the opening ceremony last week, “We are fueled by something money cannot buy”—purpose, honor, and responsibility. He must have been telling the truth—he is now only the second European captain to win back-to-back Ryder Cups. In all, Europe has won 11 of the last 15.—HVL
Robert Reich
Trump’s increasingly bizarre behavior can no longer be attributed to a calculated “strategy.”
Friends,
Over the weekend, on his Truth Social, Trump shared a video purporting to be a segment on Fox News — it wasn’t — in which an AI-generated, deepfaked version of himself sat in the White House and promised that “every American will soon receive their own MedBed card” that will grant them access to new “MedBed hospitals.”
What?
Believers in the “MedBed” conspiracy theory think certain hospital beds are loaded with futuristic technology that can reverse any disease, regenerate limbs, and de-age people. No one has an actual photo of these beds because they don’t exist.
Trump also posted (again, without any basis in fact) that the FBI “secretly placed … 274 FBI Agents into the Crowd just prior to, and during” the January 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, during which they were “probably acting as Agitators and Insurrectionists.”
At A Glance
The people who eat 100-year-old military rations.
Revisiting the first zeppelin trip around the world.
How Hollywood helped finance World War I.
Several time zone disputes throughout history.
Egyptian wrestler pulls a ship using his teeth.
Why the world's oldest person is often a woman.
... and learning from the DNA of a 117-year-old.
Kindergarten asks parents to pay up for kids' art.
Clickbait: Meet AI actress Tilly Norwood.
Historybook: John D. Rockefeller becomes world’s first billionaire (1916); Pope John Paul II is first pope to visit Ireland (1979); Stacy Allison becomes first American woman to climb Mount Everest (1988); Basketball star Kevin Durant born (1988).
In The NEWS
A brief look at recessions
Stemming from the Latin word “recessus” (meaning “a retreat”), recessions are sustained periods of declining activity in a country’s economy. During a recession, unemployment rises while economic output falls across a large swath of industries. Recessions are inevitable in modern economies, with one occurring about every six to seven years.
One common definition of a recession is when a country logs two consecutive quarters of shrinking gross domestic product, but in practice, these economic phenomena are more complex.
The US has been through 34 recessions since 1854, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. But over time, they’ve become both shorter and less frequent. Since 1980, the US has only experienced six recessions.
... Read our full deep dive on recessions here.
Also, check out ...
> Amid market downturns, some let their roots grow out—so-called "recession blondes." (More)
> The eight people who decide whether the US is in a recession. (More)
> Visualizing the trends of recessions and recoveries over 150 years. (More)
Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!
Opera, explained
Opera (derived from the Italian word for “artistic work”) is an art form that shares narratives through singing and music. The style was born in 16th-century Florence at the end of the Italian Renaissance. In the 1600s, it spread to other parts of Europe and took different shapes and styles for centuries (listen to operatic singing).
Operas and musicals are often incorrectly conflated. Operas emphasize music, rather than lyrics and dialogue, to serve the storytelling. The message transcends language in opera, exemplified by how operas are often performed in languages foreign to their audiences.
While cost barriers and a changing cultural landscape have mostly sidelined opera today, it remains culturally relevant in modern television, movies, and sports coverage that continue to use its iconic melodies.
... Read our full deep dive on opera here.
Also, check out ...
> Why Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" was so controversial. (More)
> Everything you need to know about opera etiquette. (More)
> Understanding the economic hardships opera faces. (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
We Have Been Given LIFE
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As we enter the last couple of days of September 2025, I am reminded that time seems to move faster as we get older which is good sometimes like when you have an upset stomach or nothing seems to be going right...
But, each day is a blessing of sorts, in the sense that you are above ground and will soon not be, so regardless of the day being good or bad, one should take advantage of it...
Earlier I read where some billionaires are investing heavily in items they think will extend their lives... while also investing heavily in research that will extend the lives of human beings. Maybe they gain five to ten years of additional life and can use that time to double or triple their net worth... THEY WILL STILL DIE...
For me, money does not provide me with happiness; it provides me with opportunities to have what I never thought I would have or see, but that is not necessarily happiness.
Happiness is illusive to most Americans and Global citizens; the exception being the HINDU MONKS who see happiness as finding enlightenment.
Look at it another way...
Our religious God and Jesus never spoke of wealth is the sense of it being what one should seek during their lives...
WHY???
Do our religious beliefs not see becoming wealthy as something we should strive for?
And yet, lots of wealthy people thank God for giving them the money.
Why do they not thank Jesus too?
For me, I see our religious faith and seeking wealth as being mutually exclusive and one does not beget the other... if it does, it is just coincidence...
None of those wealthy people share their wealth with poor people to the extent they would redistribute 80% of their wealth...
They may share 1-2%...
This posting started out focusing on time and it is time that I want to end with.
Time equals life.
Life is precious.
One should accept the life that one has been given as that gift has been given for a reason that you may never discover in your lifetime.
Use nature as an example as to how you should live your life.
It's just a metaphor.
A New Quest for Consciousness
In the 10 minutes before the official start of class, Professor Anne Harrington (abive) somehow managed to cover descriptions of Gilbert Ryle’s classic “category mistake” critique of mind-body dualism, Richard Feynman’s self-experimentation on falling asleep, and the layout of her course’s Canvas site.
In the 10 minutes before the official start of class, Professor Anne Harrington ’82 somehow managed to cover descriptions of Gilbert Ryle’s classic “category mistake” critique of mind-body dualism, Richard Feynman’s self-experimentation on falling asleep, and the layout of her course’s Canvas site. There was no clear beginning of the class, it seemed, only the seamless transition from casual conversation to formal lecture. Like its subject — consciousness — the boundaries of the class were amorphous.
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