El Nio could bring a milder winter, but an early polar vortex breakdown may send Arctic air south. Forecasters say it's too soon to know which will prevail.
When I was a kid, we wanted to grow up to be baseball players, or firemen, or astronauts. What do kids want to grow up to be today? Don't make me say it.
EV owners could soon pay a $130 annual federal fee to help fund roads, since electric vehicle drivers don't pay federal gasoline taxes. read more
Anthropic has introduced Claude to Google Meet with a new product called Claude Meetings. The AI joins video calls, listens to discussions, and helps teams turn conversations into tasks during a meeting. read more
The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that it was halting all departing flights "due to extraordinary circumstances and for reasons of safety." read more
Trump Was Briefed On Alleged China Spy Plot Involving Nvidia's Jensen Huang And Did Nothing, Report Finds (October 29, 2026)
www.forbes.com
... Topline
President Donald Trump received intelligence about a suspected Chinese spy with close ties to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, an ally and top tech advisor to the president, but chose not to act, The New York Times reported Thursday.
Key Facts
Trump was briefed on U.S. intelligence findings about Alice Huang, a Chinese businesswoman whom officials determined was gathering information for Beijing, around a year ago, but chose not to do anything about it, according to The New York Times.
U.S. surveillance unveiled her close professional and social relationship with Jensen Huang, raising concerns that China could gain access to critical information on artificial intelligence development, thwarting U.S. efforts to prevent the country from beating it in the global AI race.
Trump has been concerned about disrupting Nvidia's chip sales"which drive U.S. AI advancement and the entire economy, as the company makes up around 8% of the S&P 500 by market capitalization"as well as further complicating trade relations with China.
Jensen Huang has not received a defense intelligence briefing, which U.S. officials sometimes use to warn Americans that foreign intelligence services may be targeting them, The Times reported, citing people briefed on the surveillance.
Nvidia defended its relationship with Alice Huang's company, Megaspeed, saying its dealings with her were routine and that it shared no sensitive trade secrets or information about national security.
U.S. officials did not believe Jensen Huang knew Alice Huang was gathering information for China when they briefed Trump last year, The Times reported, but some of Trump's senior officials believe Jensen couldn't have remained unaware of this.
...
The U.S. doesn't let companies export Nvidia's most advanced chips to China, but some have illegally smuggled them over the border, and others set up businesses that buy large numbers of chips to build data centers in Southeast Asia, that then serve Chinese firms.
The Trump administration rolled back rules the Biden administration put in place in 2022 to prevent this practice, and Megaspeed is one of the companies that buys chips and then rents computing power to Chinese companies. U.S. investigators also think some Nvidia chips are actually making their way into China through Megaspeed, The Times reported.
...
TANGENT
Jensen Huang has become one of Trump's close tech advisors. In April 2025, Trump was considering banning sales of Nvidia chips to China, which prompted Huang to meet with him and explain why selling to Beijing was crucial. People briefed on that discussion said Trump was very impressed with Huang. ...
Bruce Cockburn - If I Had A Rocket Launcher (2005 concert of a 1984 song)
www.youtube.com
If I Had a Rocket Launcher
en.wikipedia.org
... Background
"If I Had a Rocket Launcher" was inspired by Cockburn's visit, sponsored by Oxfam, to Guatemalan refugee camps in Mexico, where he witnessed helicopters attacking refugees.[1] He said in a 2010 interview that the song was intended to express his dismay over the plight of Guatemalan refugees.[2] Speaking on the song's subject matter, Cockburn said that "one of the most striking things was seeing the strength of people in incredibly desperate situations."[1]
Cockburn was concerned that "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" would be misinterpreted by some listeners as a call to violence and almost decided against recording it for this reason. He ultimately decided to go forward with including the song on Stealing Fire over his belief that listeners would understand the song's intent.[3] ...
Another view ...
The polar vortex just broke a new record but experts aren't sure what it means for this winter's weather
www.bbc.com
... The spiralling winds of the polar vortex high above the Arctic have reversed direction marking the earliest 'major sudden stratospheric warming' on record.
These polar winds usually blow in a westerly direction keeping cold air locked high above the North Pole.
However in recent weeks the polar vortex has weakened and shifted position. Observations have now shown a switch to easterly winds, which experts say defines a 'major sudden stratospheric warming' or SSW.
Similar disruptions can occur during winter and are often linked with colder weather in the UK. But this event happening so early in autumn is unprecedented in modern observations.
What is sudden stratospheric warming?
The polar vortex is a normal feature of our climate in the months around winter. As the North Pole tilts away from the sun, temperatures above the Arctic drop and strong westerly winds form in the stratosphere.
Sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) is when a rapid and dramatic rise in temperature occurs high in the stratosphere, roughly 10 to 30 miles (15-50km) above Earth's surface.
It can happen due to atmospheric disturbences causing a shift in the position or shape of the polar vortex which can make its winds weaken.
This sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) can eventually lead to the strong westerlies reversing into easterly winds.
In the following days and weeks these changes can slowly filter lower down in the atmosphere altering the position of the jet stream which drives what type of weather we experience on the ground. ...
Trump Denied Knowing About Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang's Spy Link. He Was Warned Before China Trip
www.timesnownews.com
... US President Donald Trump was informed in May that American intelligence agencies had obtained sensitive information suggesting Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang was in a relationship with a woman believed to be a Chinese spy, according to people familiar with the matter quoted by The New York Times. The warning was delivered by Secretary of State and national security adviser Marco Rubio aboard Air Force One, shortly before Huang joined Trump's trip to Beijing at the President's invitation, the people said.
It was at least the second time in seven months that Trump had been briefed about intelligence concerning Huang's alleged relationship with the woman, identified as Alice Huang. US officials had concluded that she was working for China's Ministry of State Security, according to the report.
The latest disclosure contradicts Trump's claim on Monday that he had not known about the relationship when he travelled to China to meet President Xi Jinping.
"No, I didn't hear about it then," Trump said when asked whether he knew of Huang's alleged ties to the woman before the trip.
The President also appeared uncertain about whether he had received an earlier briefing on the matter. Asked if intelligence officials had informed him last year, he said he would have to check. ...
CDC reports six measles deaths in 2026 as US battles worst outbreak in 35 years
www.theguardian.com
... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported six measles-related deaths in the US this year, according to figures published on its website on Thursday, as the country faces its most severe resurgence of the disease in decades.
The newly reported total is twice the number of deaths recorded in 2025, highlighting the spread of the highly infectious virus, which was officially declared eliminated in the US in 2000.
The country is currently experiencing its largest measles outbreak since 1991. More than 5,400 cases reported nationwide, according to data from the Johns Hopkins University International Vaccine Access Center tracker.
Pennsylvania has been the state most severely affected by the outbreak, with officials confirming six measles-associated deaths in the state this year. A child also died in New York on election day, followed days later by the death of an infant in Wisconsin. Active outbreaks have been reported in nearly every US state.
The Wisconsin department of health services confirmed the infant's death, while New York recorded its first known measles-related fatality in more than three decades.
The CDC did not identify which states accounted for the six deaths included in its official count. ...
This seems to be raising an issue in NYC, as far as I can tell from NYC media.