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Thursday, October 2
Headlines
Araya Doheny/Getty Images
Robert Reich
Here’s what’s at stake, and why Dems must hold the line.
Friends,
I’ve been directly involved in government shutdowns, one when I was secretary of labor. It’s hard for me to describe the fear, frustration, and chaos that ensued. I recall spending the first day consoling employees — many in tears as they headed out the door.
In some ways, this shutdown is similar to others. Agencies and departments designed to protect consumers, workers, and investors are now officially closed, as are national parks and museums.
Most federal workers are not being paid — as many as 750,000 could be furloughed — including those who are required to remain on the job, like air-traffic controllers or members of the U.S. military.
So-called “mandatory” spending, including Social Security and Medicare payments, are continuing, although checks could be delayed. (Trump has made sure that construction of his new White House ballroom won’t be affected.)
At A Glance
The most popular Halloween costumes this year.
McDonald’s Monopoly game returns after 10 years.
Inside the hypercompetitive world of becoming a K-pop star. (w/video)
Ranking the longest MLB postseason home runs.
Stephen King tops list of banned authors in US schools.
Strawberries trace back to an 18th-century secret spy mission.
Imagining retirement for the cast of "Friends."
The best train rides in the US for fall foliage.
Clickbait: Crowning the fattest bear of all the bears.
Historybook: Mahatma Gandhi born (1869); Fashion designer Donna Karan born (1948); Thurgood Marshall sworn in as first Black Supreme Court justice (1967); Rock Hudson is first major US celebrity to die from AIDS-related complications (1985); Tom Petty dies (2017).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> "KPop Demon Hunters" becomes first English-language film to make Netflix's Top 10 chart for 15 straight weeks (More) | "Reading Rainbow" to return to PBS after nearly 20 years; former librarian Mychal Threets is tapped to host (More)
> Prosecutors are seeking an 11-year prison sentence for Sean "Diddy" Combs over prostitution-related charges; Combs' sentencing is set for Friday (More)
> WNBA signs 11-year deal with new media company Versant to broadcast games on USA Network (More) | Minnesota Wild sign Kirill Kaprizov to an NHL-record eight-year, $136M contract extension (More)
Science & Technology
> OpenAI launches social media app for sharing AI-generated videos, positioning the company to compete with TikTok and YouTube Shorts (More) | OpenAI's revenue reaches $4.3B in the first half of 2025, 16% more than its total 2024 revenue (More)
> Scientists create early-stage human embryos by fertilizing modified DNA from skin cells with sperm; technique could help people overcome infertility or allow same-sex couples to have genetically related children (More) | Watch 1440 explainer (More)
> Archaeologists discover life-sized animal carvings etched into Arabian desert rocks between 12,800 and 11,400 years ago, revealing human activity in the arid desert roughly 2,000 years earlier than previously thought (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.4%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.3%); S&P 500, Nasdaq cap off their best third quarter since 2020 while Dow hits new record (More)
> Nvidia's market cap tops $4.5T following string of AI infrastructure deals; chipmaker's stock is up roughly 35% for the year (More) | CoreWeave shares rise above 11% after signing $14.2B AI cloud infrastructure deal with Meta (More)
> Spotify founder Daniel Ek steps down as CEO to become executive chairman; chief business officer and chief product and technology officer to become co-CEOs (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speak to gathering of high-ranking generals and admirals; call for higher standards for physical fitness and grooming, crackdown on US cities (More) | See full speeches (More, w/video)
> The US deports at least 120 Iranians accused of entering the country illegally in rare coordinated action announced by Iran; the US has not commented as of this writing (More)
> President Donald Trump says he has reached a deal with Harvard University to reinstate $2.4B in federal funding (More) | Federal judge rules deportations of pro-Palestinian noncitizen students violated their First Amendment rights (More)
Violence in AMERICA
It seems that every time I turn around (metaphorically speaking there has been another shooting and one or more people have been killed and/or one or more people have been wounded. The shooter is then killed by police or shoots himself. However, there are exceptions to the shooter dying at the scene or afterwards.
Why seems to be the problem?
Why are so many Americans shooting other innocent Americans?
Is this being done because:
- we have easy access to weapons
- Americans cannot control their aggressive nature
- the shooter is mentally disturbed
- the bible teaches revenge
- liberals are turning violent
- other
- Liberals versus Conservatives
- Religious versus Atheists
- Christians versus Muslims
James Webb Spots Intense Auroras on Nearby Rogue Planet
What can auroras on a rogue planet teach astronomers about planetary formation and evolution? This is what a recent study published in Astronomy & Astrophysics hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated the atmospheric composition of a nearby rogue planet, including its atmospheric temperature and auroras.
For the study, the researchers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to examine SIMP-0136, which is a rogue planet located approximately 20 light-years from Earth while being approximately 12.7 times the mass and approximately 1.2 times the radius of Jupiter.
Wednesday, October 1
Headlines
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Robert Reich
What happens next and why?
Friends,
As of 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time today, the United States government is closed. Crucial government services aren’t delivered. Federal employees are furloughed without pay (apart from workers who are deemed “essential”).
Republicans had tried to push a temporary funding bill — a Continuing Resolution, or CR. But the CR had within it all the terrible parts of Trump’s big beautiful (Ugly!) bill, including major cuts in health care, nutrition assistance, and environmental protection, all to fund a huge tax cut mainly for the wealthy.
The only reason the big ugly passed the Senate in early July was a special procedure that required only 51 senators. Republicans bragged at the time that they didn’t need any Democrats (JD Vance was the tiebreaker).
At A Glance
Windowless plane could be the private jet of the future.
Being organized and active may lead to a longer life.
The biggest controversies in NFL history.
How ostriches and emus became flightless birds.
China just opened the world's highest bridge.
Polar bears find refuge in an abandoned village. (w/photos)
How Americans take their coffee.
Meet eight creatures lurking in the deep sea. (w/video)
Clickbait: The ancient tree named "Jolene."
Historybook: Yosemite National Park is established (1890); Bonnie Parker, half of the infamous crime duo Bonnie and Clyde, born (1910); President Jimmy Carter born (1924); Actress Dame Julie Andrews born (1935); Walt Disney World opens (1971); 58 killed, 869 injured in mass shooting in Las Vegas (2017).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Bad Bunny tapped to headline the Super Bowl LX (Feb. 8) halftime show; the Puerto Rican artist is a three-time Grammy winner with multiple Billboard No. 1 albums (More)
> President Donald Trump announces a 100% tariff on films produced outside the US (More) | "The Simpsons" theatrical film set for 2027 release (More)
> WNBA semifinal between the Indiana Fever and Las Vegas Aces (9:30 pm ET, ESPN2) to decide who faces the Phoenix Mercury in the finals (More) | MLB playoffs wild card series kicks off tonight; see complete schedule (More)
Science & Technology
> OpenAI introduces parental controls to ChatGPT following lawsuit linking teenager's death by suicide to the chatbot (More) | Anthropic releases latest Claude Sonnet 4.5 model designed to excel at coding and meet business needs (More)
> High-resolution images and biochemical experiments show for the first time how polymyxin antibiotics infiltrate E. coli cells to treat deadly bacterial infections; finding reveals why antibiotics are ineffective against dormant E. coli (More, w/photos)
> Geochemists unearth over 541-million-year-old chemical fossils suggesting ancestors of modern-day sea sponges were among the first animals on Earth (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close up (S&P 500 +0.3%, Dow +0.2%, Nasdaq +0.5%) (More) | YouTube to pay $24.5M to settle President Donald Trump's lawsuit over his account suspension following the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol (More)
> Charlie Javice sentenced to seven years in prison for defrauding JPMorgan Chase, which bought her financial aid startup, Frank, for $175M in 2021 after she inflated user numbers by millions (More)
> German airline Lufthansa to cut 4,000 jobs—nearly 4% of workforce—by 2030 amid declining profits; cites plans to automate administrative work with AI (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endorses President Donald Trump's 20-point postwar Gaza plan, requiring Hamas to surrender, and for Israel to eventually cede control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority under certain conditions (More) | Read proposal (More)
> Taliban severs fiber optic connections across Afghanistan in its first nationwide internet shutdown amid morality crackdown (More)
> Supreme Court considers whether to take up an appeal by convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, former partner of Jeffrey Epstein; the high court's next term begins Oct. 6 (More)
Technology
I spend a lot of time on the computer since I retired ten years ago, but it is not spent surfing social media sites, although 1-2% of my time is spent on social media; no... my computer time is spent maintaining two blogs daily, doing research for my blogs, and writing novels that also requires some internet research to maintain authenticity.
My wife and I have cell phones and when we go out to eat, once or twice a week, you will find us on our cell phones surfing while we are waiting for our orders to arrive. We do talk during the meal, and leave the restaurant when we're finished, so there is no lingering.
Computers and cell phones have become an integral part of our lives since 1993 when we first got together, although, it was not until 2010/2012 that my wife got hooked on the IPAD and had to have an IPHONE and then an IWATCH.
When we retired in 2015, my wife started spending more and more time on her IPAD on the back deck or back porch and when we moved in the sunroom on her IPAD watching Korean Dramas while I remained inside on my computer writing blogs and novels.
It was perfect for both of us. We were together but separated for most of the day... late morning until early evening from about 10am until 8pm or a good 10 hours. She would come inside to use the bathroom or get something to eat.
This arrangement did not stop her from blaming me for everything wrong that happened to her, whether we were together when it happened or not. This included what she might have done to herself physically before we met. Trying to argue with that kind of logic is as futile as struggling against the BORG.





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