Thursday, November 13
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House to vote today on deal to end shutdown. One long national nightmare is almost over. After eight Democrats broke with their caucus and joined with Republicans on Monday night to pass a spending package that would reopen the federal government, it’s the House’s turn to vote. The chamber, which has been on recess since September, is expected to approve the package today before it heads to President Trump’s desk to be signed. Many Democrats denounced the deal for not addressing their demand that the government extend federal healthcare subsidies that are set to expire on Jan. 1. Even if the shutdown ends soon, experts say it could take weeks for air travel to get back to normal. Today is the 43rd day of the shutdown.
SoftBank sells entire Nvidia stake to fund investments in OpenAI. The Japanese tech investor said it offloaded its entire $5.83 billion stake in Nvidia in order to bankroll its AI bets—namely, the tens of billions of dollars it’s pouring into OpenAI. Earlier this year, SoftBank agreed to invest $30 billion in the ChatGPT-maker by the end of 2025, and that bet is already paying off. It said its fiscal Q2 profit more than doubled from last year, thanks to OpenAI’s ballooning valuation. The move marks the end of SoftBank’s long saga with Nvidia: In 2016, years before the most recent investment, it bought 5% of the chipmaker, but then sold it all in 2019. That stake would currently be worth $210 billion, per the Wall Street Journal.
Meta’s chief AI scientist is reportedly leaving. According to the Financial Times, Yann LeCun has told associates that he will leave the company “in the coming months” as CEO Mark Zuckerberg overhauls Meta’s AI strategy. Considered one of the “Godfathers of AI,” LeCun joined Meta in 2013 but has reportedly seen his longer-term research deprioritized in favor of launching new AI products to compete with OpenAI and Google, per the FT. Zuckerberg hired Scale AI co-founder Alexandr Wang earlier this year to lead a team developing artificial “superintelligence.”—AE
Robert Reich
The asymmetry explained
Friends,
Chuck Schumer couldn’t hold his senators together at a time when their unity and toughness were essential. Yet Trump cracks the whip and gets all Republicans to do his bidding.
Does this mean Schumer should go? Yes.
But the problem runs deeper — to a fundamental asymmetry at the heart of American politics: Democrats are undisciplined. Republicans are regimented.
For as long as I remember, Democrats have danced to their own separate music while Republicans march to a single drummer.
That was the story in 1994, when Bill Clinton couldn’t get the Democratic Senate to go along with his health care plan, on which Clinton spent almost all his political capital.
And when Al Gore didn’t demand a statewide recount in Florida in 2000.
At A Glance
How we ended up with a 40-hour workweek.
America's best big cities for retirement.
The earliest known mention of time travel. (w/video)
China's newly built 2,500-foot-long bridge partially collapses. (w/video)
The origins of SantaCon—the annual drunk Santas bar crawl.
Toyota unveils crab-like autonomous wheelchair.
"Fedora man" unmasked: the teen behind mystery Louvre photo.
Behold the devil-horned "lucifer" bee.
In partnership: Less than 45 days from Christmas? We've got you.*
Clickbait: The ultimate humblebrag.
Historybook: American suffragist and civil rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton born (1815); Josef Stalin gains undisputed control of the Soviet Union (1927); Actress and Princess of Monaco Grace Kelly born (1929); Actor Ryan Gosling born (1980); Comic book writer Stan Lee dies (2018).
In The NEWS
Sports, Entertainment, & Culture
> President Donald Trump threatens $1B lawsuit against BBC over alleged misleading edits of speech Trump delivered before Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the US Capitol; BBC director and CEO resigned Sunday amid allegations (More)
> Author David Szalay's "Flesh" wins 2025 Booker Prize for best English-language novel published in the United Kingdom or Ireland (More)
> NBA great Lenny Wilkens—one of five men to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a coach and player—dies at age 88 (More) | Giants coach Brian Daboll fired after the New York-based NFL team drops to 2-8 in 2025 season (More)
Science & Technology
> Apple delays release of second-generation iPhone Air amid weak demand for first version of ultra-thin smartphone launched in September (More)
> Researchers use electric fields to move nanoparticles in porous materials, a feat with potential to improve drug delivery and air purification systems (More)
> Drone mapping reveals thousands of mysterious holes in the Andes Mountains may have been ancient marketplaces (More)
Business & Markets
> US stock markets close higher (S&P 500 +1.5%, Dow +0.8%, Nasdaq +2.3%) with federal shutdown deal in sight (More)
> Gamma, AI-generated presentation startup, raises $68M at $2.1B valuation, with investors including Andreessen Horowitz (More) | AI company CoreWeave beats Wall Street estimates, reports 134% year-over-year increase in Q3 revenue (More)
> More than 100 US lawmakers call on Starbucks to resume bargaining talks with union representing baristas ahead of potential strikes in 25 cities Thursday (More)
Politics & World Affairs
> Senate approves government funding bill by vote of 60-40; House to vote as early as tomorrow (More) | Supreme Court rejects appeal challenging legality of same-sex marriage; takes up case challenging legality of mail-in ballot grace periods (More)
> Car explodes in New Delhi, killing at least eight people (More) | Thailand suspends peace deal with Cambodia after land mine explosion wounds two Thai soldiers (More)
> resident Donald Trump pardons former lawyer Rudy Giuliani and 72 other people accused of 2020 election-related charges; pardons viewed as symbolic, as those pardoned did not face federal charges (More)
SOURCE: 1440 NEWS
Memories of an Earlier Time
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Back in the day...
The good old days...
When life was simpler...
Before the world went nuts...
Those of us who are in our SIXTIES or older, understand the implications of these phrases from the standpoint that WE LIVED THEM.
I remember when:
- gasoline was $0.18/gallon
- a hamburger was $0.15
- fries were $0.10
- cigarettes were $0.25/pack
- a six pack of beer was $1.25
Were these what they called the good old days?
- Wages were $0.75/hour
- No cancer drugs were available
- We had air raid practices in school
- No one questioned authority
- No global warming concerns
Life was simpler... there is no doubt about that, but it wasn't actually better when one pulls off the layers.
It is true we grew up in neighborhoods were no front doors were locked; neighbors mowed your lawn when you were on vacation; every home participated in Halloween, and a group of neighbors sang Christmas carols to those who could not leave their home.
We had wooded areas in which to play cops and robbers, army, cowboys and Indians, or build tree houses or dig out underground hideaways. We would gather in yards that were large and play football, or British Bulldog, or shoot at cans with our BB guns.
I am older now obviously, but I still remember the things we did but few details. I remember some names, but most the names are forgotten. It was fun then and very unlike the communities of today. Neighbors no longer care about each other, no longer trust each other, and no longer spend time getting to know each other.
We live inside our homes not outside of them.
New Quantum Battery Could Revolutionize Energy Storage
Scientists have designed a topological quantum battery that can charge efficiently without losing energy, using the unique properties of quantum mechanics and topology. Their research suggests dissipation, long considered harmful, might actually boost power in these next-generation batteries.
Scientists from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing and Huazhong University of Science and Technology have developed a new theoretical model that explains how a “topological quantum battery” could be designed with high efficiency.
This concept combines the topological properties of photonic waveguides with the quantum behavior of two-level atoms to create a device capable of advanced energy storage. T
heir study, published in Physical Review Letters, suggests that such batteries could have major applications in nanoscale power storage, optical quantum communication, and distributed quantum computing networks.
Tuesday, November 11
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