Thursday, October 9
Headlines
Gaza City yesterday. Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea/
Anadolu via Getty Images
Israel and Hamas agree to hostage release, “first phase” of peace plan. President Trump said last night that Israel and Hamas had agreed on the initial phase of a deal to end the war in Gaza. That includes the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners from Israel, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli troops to an agreed-upon area. Israel and Hamas both subsequently said a deal was reached, with Hamas saying the agreement also called for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. The Associated Press reports that Hamas would free the 20 living hostages this weekend, and Israel would also begin its withdrawal. However, more details, including whether Hamas will agree to disarm, likely still need to be worked out for additional phases of the agreement, which could have the potential to completely end the devastating two-year war.
Former FBI Director James Comey pleads not guilty. Comey appeared in court yesterday and pleaded not guilty to charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding that stem from testimony he gave in 2020. The case was brought after President Trump publicly called for the prosecution of his perceived political enemies, including Comey, and following the replacement of a prosecutor who declined to bring it with one who had previously represented Trump personally. Comey’s attorneys said yesterday that they will seek a dismissal of the case as vindictive and selective prosecution based on Trump’s public demand for charges. The judge set a Jan. 5 trial date.
Authorities arrest man accused of starting destructive Palisades Fire. A 29-year-old Uber driver was arrested and charged with intentionally starting a fire that grew into the wildfire that killed a dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles. Authorities claim Jonathan Rinderknecht sparked the fire on a hiking trail during the early morning on New Year’s Day after watching a rap video featuring someone setting things on fire. Though firefighters initially contained the blaze, it remained underground and reignited, growing amid high winds to become one of two massive fires that ravaged LA in January.—AR
Israel and Hamas agree to hostage release, “first phase” of peace plan. President Trump said last night that Israel and Hamas had agreed on the initial phase of a deal to end the war in Gaza. That includes the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners from Israel, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli troops to an agreed-upon area. Israel and Hamas both subsequently said a deal was reached, with Hamas saying the agreement also called for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza. The Associated Press reports that Hamas would free the 20 living hostages this weekend, and Israel would also begin its withdrawal. However, more details, including whether Hamas will agree to disarm, likely still need to be worked out for additional phases of the agreement, which could have the potential to completely end the devastating two-year war. Former FBI Director James Comey pleads not guilty. Comey appeared in court yesterday and pleaded not guilty to charges of making a false statement to Congress and obstructing a congressional proceeding that stem from testimony he gave in 2020. The case was brought after President Trump publicly called for the prosecution of his perceived political enemies, including Comey, and following the replacement of a prosecutor who declined to bring it with one who had previously represented Trump personally. Comey’s attorneys said yesterday that they will seek a dismissal of the case as vindictive and selective prosecution based on Trump’s public demand for charges. The judge set a Jan. 5 trial date. Authorities arrest man accused of starting destructive Palisades Fire. A 29-year-old Uber driver was arrested and charged with intentionally starting a fire that grew into the wildfire that killed a dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes in Los Angeles. Authorities claim Jonathan Rinderknecht sparked the fire on a hiking trail during the early morning on New Year’s Day after watching a rap video featuring someone setting things on fire. Though firefighters initially contained the blaze, it remained underground and reignited, growing amid high winds to become one of two massive fires that ravaged LA in January.—AR
Robert Reich
Even after Disney's reversal on Jimmy Kimmel, the vulnerability remains — unless we change the rules.
Friends,
Jimmy Kimmel returned to the airwaves just two weeks and two days ago (although in Trump time, it seems far longer).
Disney’s decision to allow Kimmel back on was a victory for freedom of the press and a setback for Trump’s authoritarianism.
Nonetheless, today’s media ecosystem is far more vulnerable to authoritarianism than it was decades ago.
Today I want to explore three structural changes in our political economy that have made it so, and suggest what must be done to strengthen media independence.
1. Media concentration has facilitated censorship.
After Paramount’s CBS settled Trump’s frivolous $16 million lawsuit against them and canceled Stephen Colbert, much to Trump’s delight, the FCC swiftly approved Paramount’s merger with Skydance.
At A Glance
Breaking down how TikTok keeps you scrolling. (free w/email)
How parents are managing screen time for kids.
The parents dropping big bucks to get their kids into high school.
Illinois is by far America's pumpkin-growing king.
... and the pumpkin's shady history.
Have we passed peak social media?
Why dolls, like Chucky, creep us out.
A good night's sleep does wonders for your mental health.
Are you making these five common tax mistakes?*
Clickbait: Halloween decorations so real, neighbors are calling 911.
Historybook: John Lennon born (1940); Landslide in Italy kills more than 2,000 (1963); Cuban Revolution figure Che Guevara is executed (1967); Women and girls' education activist Malala Yousafzai survives assassination attempt (2012).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> Twenty-five finalists for the 2025 National Book Awards announced; winners in each of the five categories will be announced Nov. 19 (More)
> Thirty original paintings by TV host Bob Ross to be auctioned off to raise funds for public television stations (More) | Ross' landscape paintings had been notoriously difficult to find on the open market (Watch)
> WNBA Finals continue tonight (8 pm ET, ESPN) with the Las Vegas Aces taking on the Phoenix Mercury in Game 3 (More) | ... and MLB Division Series continues; see latest schedule and bracket (More)
Science & Technology
> Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to trio of US-based scientists for 1980s quantum mechanics discoveries that laid the groundwork for digital communications and advanced computing (More) | Nobel Prize in Chemistry to be announced this morning at 5:45 am ET (More)
> Engineers develop 3D-printed aluminum alloy five times stronger than traditionally manufactured aluminum, potentially enabling lighter aircraft parts; machine learning accelerated search for optimal compositions (More)
> Chinese chipmakers bought nearly $40B in chipmaking gear from the US and its allies last year—66% jump from 2022—despite US efforts to restrict access (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close down (S&P 500 -0.4%, Dow -0.2%, Nasdaq -0.7%) (More) | Gold soars past $4K per ounce for first time, signaling investor anxiety; precious metal has gained more than 50% this year (More)
> Intercontinental Exchange, owner of the New York Stock Exchange, to invest up to $2B in Polymarket, a crypto-based predictive markets platform valued at roughly $8B (More)
> Tesla unveils two cheaper car models—both with starting price tags below $40K—amid faltering sales; shares fall 4.5% (More) | Ford Motor shares fall 6.1% on news aluminum plant fire will likely disrupt production for months (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Attorney General Pam Bondi testifies before Senate Judiciary Committee in oversight hearing on Justice Department; topics covered include Epstein files, DOJ probes (More)
> US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner to arrive in Egypt today as indirect peace talks between Israel and Hamas continue; Israel marked second anniversary of Oct. 7, 2023, attacks yesterday (More)
> First National Guard troops from Texas arrive in Illinois a day after Chicago and Illinois sued the Trump administration for deploying federalized troops (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Kill or be Killed
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We live in a society marked by violence and by the rhetoric of violence... and while Americans are very familiar with violence, especially in the larger cities, today's violence is altogether different.
Politicians are wishing their opponents should be shot and killed along with their spouse and children.
We expect this kind of rhetoric from criminals but not from politicians. I am sure this was meant figuratively but the fact remains, it was stated and shared, and the spotlight is now on the person and party who thought this kind of language was fine.
I am old enough to remember the assassination of JFK and how that shocked the country, especially when his brother Bobby was shot and then MLK Jr.
Our country mourned the death of all three and when we finally put that behind us and thought we were living in a country that had more respect for human life, we come to find out that AMERICANS are just as vile and evil as everyone else...
The difference is, we try to HIDE that side of our personality and/or control it from going wild...
But not anymore.
It seems we live in a society where it is kill or be killed and whatever side you are one, does not seem to matter in 2025.
We Emit a Visible Light That Vanishes When We Die, Says Surprising Study
Life truly is radiant, according to an experiment conducted by researchers from the University of Calgary and the National Research Council of Canada.
An extraordinary experiment on mice and leaves from two different plant species has uncovered direct physical evidence of an eerie 'biophoton' phenomenon ceasing on death, suggesting all living things – including humans – could literally glow with health, until we don't.
The findings might seem a little fringe at first glance. It's hard not to associate scientific investigations into biological electromagnetic emissions with debunked and paranormal claims of auras and discharges surrounding living organisms.
Wednesday, October 8
Wonderings 5
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By any stretch of the imagination that is a frigging big distance to imagine or even conceive in our minds. Just one light year is a frigging ton of miles...
Now,
imagine that human beings are the only living entities in this vast universe...
OR,
imagine that EARTH is the only planet with a breathable atmosphere...
With all this on paper, we know the universe is expanding an ever-increasing amount of spacetime that is created as it is needed.
Religion teaches us that there is only one set of God's creatures in the universe He made, and that of those creatures, the Jews were/are His chosen people. This implies that God has favorites. Why did the Bible not share with its readers that God created an expanding universe?
Man was created in God's image and yet the Kingdom of Jesus is not of this world as stated by him when talking with Pilot.
Is Jesus an extraterrestrial?
Is God?
Where is this Kingdom of which Jesus spoke?
Why did God create such a large universe?
Is it logical that in such a large universe that only one species of Human Beings exists?
Should there not be others?
One light year is 6 trillion miles.
The US is 3000 miles from east to west.
The circumference of earth is 24,901 miles,
The circumference of the Earth is approximately 0.00000043% of a light-year, or roughly 1/236,000,000th of the total distance of a light year in miles.
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