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Trump Makes Anti-Trans Attacks Central to His Presidential Campaign
Source: U.S. News and World ReportDonald Trump has made his opposition to transgender rights central to his campaign, using demeaning language and misrepresentations to paint an exceedingly narrow slice of the U.S. population as a threat to national identity. "We will get... transgender insanity the hell out of our schools, and we will keep men out of women's sports," Trump said at his recent Madison Square Garden rally, drawing an approving roar from the crowd of 20,000-plus.
Inside a 1760 Schoolhouse, a History of Slavery and Resilience
Source: U.S. News and World ReportA Virginia museum is nearly done restoring the nation's oldest surviving schoolhouse for Black children, where hundreds of mostly enslaved students learned to read through a curriculum that justified slavery. The museum, Colonial Williamsburg, has identified more than 80 children who lined its pinewood benches, including Aberdeen, 5, who was enslaved by a saddle maker, and Bristol, 7, "owned" by a doctor. Yet the museum also tells a story of...
More Than Half of U.S. Votes Cast Before Election Day
Source: United Press International - Health NewsResults of a new Gallup poll show that 54% of registered voters in the United States have already cast their ballots, and that enthusiasm is high among both parties, but especially strong among Democrats. While more than half have cast ballots ahead of the official November 5th Election Day, the number is down from 64% during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Democrats are more likely to vote early than Republicans, according to the new poll.
Low-Level Lead Poisoning Is Still Pervasive in the U.S. and Globally
Source: Science DailyChronic, low-level lead poisoning is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adults and cognitive deficits in children, even at levels previously thought to be safe, according to a new report in New England Journal of Medicine. Lead exposure is responsible for an annual loss of some 765 million IQ points in children globally and is a risk factor for adults, which can result in chronic kidney failure, hypertension, and cardiovascular...
Art Created by AI Robot Valued at $120-180,000 in Sotheby's Auction
Source: United Press International - Health NewsA robot powered by artificial intelligence created an abstract portrait of Alan Turing valued at $120-180,000. The robot, named "Ai-Da," used AI algorithms, cameras, and robotic arms to paint the "first-ever artwork made by a humanoid robot," Smithsonian Magazine reported Wednesday. The abstract portrait is called "A.I. God. Portrait of Alan Turing," who is credited with being the first person to work on AI, which he called "intelligent...
Second Japanese High Court Rules Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
Source: United Press International - Health NewsThe Tokyo High Court on Wednesday ruled that the government's refusal to recognize same-sex marriage was against the country's constitution, marking the second court to do so. The court said the Japanese government's failure to protect same-sex marriage had "no rational basis" and has become a form of "legal discrimination based on sexual orientation." Wednesday's ruling follows another by the Sapporo High Court in March.
Scientists Convene for Inaugural APS Global Psychological Science Summit
Source: Association for Psychological ScienceMore than 400 scientists from 34 countries gathered October 23-24 to share their latest research and discuss the future of global psychological science at APS's inaugural Global Psychological Science Summit. Presenters discussed emerging issues facing global communities, such as climate change impacts, mental health support, and pathways toward more inclusive and representative research. The virtual event was designed to foster scientific...
Downey Threatens to Sue If Execs Recreate Him with AI, Even After Death
Source: Canadian Broadcasting Company - Top Stories NewsRobert Downey Jr. doesn't think Marvel executives would ever recreate his portrayal of Tony Stark using artificial intelligence. But if they did, he would lawyer up—even posthumously. On a recent episode of the On With Kara Swisher podcast, the Oscar-winning actor said he intends to "sue all future executives" who allow an AI-created version of him. Speaking about his role as Iron Man, Downey said he does not want his likeness recreated by AI...
Longtime Music Director at Michigan Church Fired for Same-Sex Marriage
Source: U.S. News and World ReportThe longtime music director at a Michigan church said he was fired a few months before retirement after officials learned that he was in a same-sex marriage, a dismissal that led choir members on October 20 to wear black, leave their seats empty, and refuse to sing. "People are sad. In a time where there is so much controversy in the world, the church needs to be a place of peace, and instead it's turmoil after turmoil," church member Toni...
South Africa Files Main Legal Claim Accusing Israel of Genocide
Source: U.S. News and World ReportSouth Africa delivered a nearly 5,000-page document to the United Nations' top court on Monday, the latest step in a case the country filed accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The document, which the International Court of Justice will not make public until a later stage in the proceedings, puts forth the "main case" that Israel has a "special intent to commit genocide," according to a statement from South...
Harris Says She'd Take Cognitive Test; Challenges Trump to Do the Same
Source: CBS News - U.S. NewsVice President Kamala Harris, responding to former President Donald Trump's claims about her IQ, said she would take a cognitive test—and "would challenge him to take the same one." The vice president pointed to a slew of individuals who worked closely with Trump who have spoken out against him in recent weeks as evidence that he is "unfit to be president of the United States." Harris said: "Don't take it from me, listen to the people who know...
Trump NYC Rally Descends Into Racist Insults and Name-Calling
Source: U.S. News and World ReportFormer President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are making very different final pitches in their U.S. presidential campaigns. Trump captured headlines after his Madison Square Garden featured speeches laden with racist and sexist remarks, including one that called Puerto Rico a "floating island of garbage." Meanwhile, the Harris campaign proposed the creation of a task force to foster economic growth and new jobs in Puerto Rico.
World Wildly Off Track From Tackling Climate Change, U.N. Warns
Source: United Press International - Health NewsCountries' national plans to tackle climate change are nowhere near what is needed to prevent global warming from ruining every economy and destroying the lives of their citizens, the United Nations warned in a damning report Monday. To limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, the world needs to cut its CO2 equivalent by 43%, but in reality, it is just 2.6% below 2019 levels. Indeed, greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere reached record...
Russia Behind Disinformation Effort to Help Elect Trump, Official Says
Source: Social Psychology Network NewsGroups in Russia spread viral disinformation targeting Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Tuesday. The content, which includes false accusations about the Minnesota governor's time as a teacher, contains several indications that it was manipulated, said the official with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The effort is also consistent with other Russian efforts to defeat...
Ozempic Shows Potential in Lowering Alzheimer's Risk
Source: Google NewsResearchers have found that, when compared to seven other drugs, a popular diabetes and weight-loss drug, semaglutide, may lower the risk of Alzheimer's disease in people with type 2 diabetes. The study, published today in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association, found diabetic patients taking semaglutide had a significantly lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Nearly 7 million older Americans live with...
Google to Develop AI That Takes Over Computers, Says Report
Source: U.S. News and World ReportGoogle is developing artificial intelligence technology that takes over a web browser for tasks such as research and shopping, The Information reported on Saturday. The product, code-named Project Jarvis, will be part of Google's next release of its flagship Gemini large language model, the report added. Microsoft-backed OpenAI also wants its models to conduct research by browsing the web autonomously with the help of a "CUA," or a...
What Form Could Reparations for Slavery Take?
Source: BBC News - Top HeadlinesCalls for the UK to provide reparations for its historical role in the slave trade have been in the news lately. While Prime Minister Keir Starmer said reparatory justice are not on his agenda, Commonwealth leaders have seek a "meaningful conversation" on the issue. Reparations for slavery can take many forms, from financial to symbolic, but the United Nations says they must be "proportional to the gravity of the violations and the harm...
Where European Countries and U.S. Stand on Slavery Reparations
Source: U.S. News and World ReportDiscussions on reparations for transatlantic slavery and colonialism are gaining momentum, with Caribbean and African nations calling on former colonial powers to engage on the issue. From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported mostly by European merchants and sold into slavery. Here is where some former European colonial powers and the United States stand on reparations.
King Charles Speaks of "Painful Past" But Does Not Endorse Reparations
Source: United Press International - Health NewsKing Charles III acknowledged Thursday a "painful" past of Britain and the royal family's profiting from slavery but did not support financial reparations at a summit of Commonwealth leaders. "The most painful aspects" of the past "continue to resonate," Charles said, and there is a need to "acknowledge where we have come from." According to historians, for 270 years 12 British monarchs sponsored, supported, or profited from Britain's slave...
Biden to Issue Landmark Apology Over Native American Boarding Schools
Source: United Press International - Health NewsPresident Biden is expected to issue a formal apology for the federal government's Native American boarding schools during a visit to Arizona on Friday. Biden's message would be the first public apology from a sitting U.S. president in response to a federal policy that wreaked havoc on tribal communities. "I'm heading to do something that should have been done a long time ago, to make a formal apology to the Indian nations," Biden told reporters...

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