Five weeks before Election Day, Democratic enthusiasm is reaching a fever pitch. With Republicans struggling to overcome President Donald Trump's low standing, Democrats are on the offensive in Republican strongholds like Texas and Florida, and even eyeing contests in deeper-red Kansas and Mississippi. Many Democratic leaders predict that the House majority is all but theirs, and that the Senate majority, almost unthinkable a year ago, is nearly in their grasp as well.
A fifth, unvaccinated person has died of measles in Pennsylvania, the state's health department announced Wednesday. The department identified the deceased as a resident of Lancaster County, which is the epicenter of a raging outbreak that began in late April. The updated case count as of Wednesday is 943 across 39 counties, including 119 cases reported in just the last seven days. At least 176 people have been hospitalized.
President Trump on Wednesday went after Fox News over hosting Democrats on its network, with the president saying "MAGA, and REAL Patriots will never like Fox!" read more
The US economy grew at a solid clip in the second quarter, driven by robust consumer spending and business investment related to the buildout of AI infrastructure. read more
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has long been charged with defending America's elections. With that agency gutted, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instructed the Pentagon to do that job. read more
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Melting Permafrost Is Poisoning Rivers With Metal Levels 70 Times Higher Than Normal
www.sciencealert.com
... Over the past decade, a network of usually pristine blue rivers and lakes that winds through Alaska's breathtaking Brooks Range mountains has been starting to look a little ... rusty.
Scientists first noticed the unusual orange plumes flowing into the water back in 2018. They began to investigate, collecting water samples from various sites so remote they can only be accessed by helicopter -- but at the time, they were only able to get a snapshot of what was going on.
"The more we flew around, we started noticing more and more orange rivers and streams," said ecologist Jon O'Donnell, of the US National Park Service. "There are certain sites that look almost like a milky orange juice." ...
The new study is published in AGU Advances.
The rust, Evinger and colleagues say, can be attributed to thawing Arctic permafrost. As water seeps through once-frozen soils, it encounters bedrock minerals that have been locked away for potentially thousands of years.
When these minerals are oxidized, they release metals " iron, aluminum, manganese, zinc, nickel, cadmium, and rare earth elements " that can then seep into waterways, hence the rivers' rusty appearances. ...
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RFK Jr. thinks AI will free us from the "tyranny" of medical facts, expertise
arstechnica.com
... At a Make America Healthy Again event Tuesday, anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy opened a "fireside chat" with Vice President JD Vance on the topic of artificial intelligence. While MAHA generally coalesces around things like healthy lifestyles and mistrust of drugmakers, Kennedy quickly turned to extolling the potential of artificial intelligence, surprising Vance, who said he was expecting to discuss "weight loss and acid, not AI."
Kennedy boasted that the Trump administration is "making it easy for every American to use AI," which he claimed would free us from the "medical tyranny" of doctors and health experts. He suggested Americans should start using AI to get second opinions about medical recommendations, saying AI is "better informed than any doctor in the country." He also suggested that the technology would confirm his misinformation about vaccines and contrarian views on public health guidance. ...
Trump's campaign against noncitizen voting demonstrates it's rare and not enough to swing elections
apnews.com
... The Trump administration's campaign to root out noncitizen voting is demonstrating what critics of President Donald Trump's election conspiracy theories have long argued -- that it's incredibly rare, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of elections.
The administration has dedicated enormous resources to what election experts and administrators characterize as a comparatively small issue " noncitizens who, often due to misunderstanding the law, add their votes to the tens of millions of ballots cast during national elections.
On Wednesday, Attorney General Todd Blanche announced federal charges against 10 people in Minnesota alleged to have voted illegally over the last three elections, a period in which more than 8 million ballots were cast in the state.
"We're focused on providing accountability and restoring trust in our elections," Blanche said, lamenting that the media did not take seriously the charges for voter fraud his office has brought.
He said those added up to 90 for various types of election misconduct, including 50 against people who are alleged to have voted as noncitizens.
Even the 90 cases, which conflate voter fraud cases involving citizens of both political parties with those alleging noncitizen voting, are nominal in terms of the number of votes cast during presidential elections. It's nowhere near enough votes to swing any significant federal or even state election.
The U.S. had nearly 228 million registered voters for the 2024 presidential election, with more than 152 million ballots cast.
"They're incredibly low numbers no matter how you slice it," said Aaron Blacksberg of the Institute for Responsive Government, who was on a panel of election officials and experts on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., just before Blanche's announcement. ...
@#3
Another view ...
Russia makes nuclear weapons threat to NATO over Kaliningrad
www.newsnationnow.com
... NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance had responded to Russia's message by declaring: "We are a defensive alliance. And stop the nuclear threats. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful."
In its written response, seen by Reuters, NATO also said that none of its "exercises or activities pose a threat to the territory of the Russian Federation". ...
"We call upon the Russian Federation to end its unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We urge the Russian Federation to refrain from increasingly reckless behaviour towards the Allies and to cease its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric," it said.
Asked if the risk of nuclear weapons being used against the Baltics was now real, Rutte told a defense conference in Brussels hosted by broadcaster Euronews: "No, it's not. Putin knows that he can never win (against) NATO, so I don't take this that seriously."
Risk of miscalculation
Nikolai Sokov, a Vienna-based nuclear analyst and former Russian diplomat, said it was becoming increasingly hard for Western countries to keep stepping up their support for Ukraine without tipping into direct confrontation with Moscow.
He said the Russian warning may indicate that hardliners are gaining influence in a debate over how to respond to Western actions that include arms supplies to Kyiv, new sanctions on Moscow, interceptions of Russian ships, frequent military exercises and intelligence flights near Kaliningrad. ...
Another view ...
Venezuelan man shot by ICE agent in Texas charged with assaulting an officer
www.theguardian.com
... The accusations against Garces Perez were reminiscent of previous claims made by immigration agents after high-profile shootings, in which officers have similarly accused drivers of weaponizing their vehicles. In a handful of cases, those allegations have been undermined or walked back after the release of body-worn camera footage, and have renewed scrutiny about the DHS's reliance on vehicular stops to execute arrests. ...
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US Goods Trade Deficit Unexpectedly Widens
tradingeconomics.com
... The US goods trade deficit widened to $132.6 billion in August 2026 from $118.9 billion in July, according to preliminary data.
It was the largest deficit since March 2025, when the gap reached a record $158.7 billion, and came well above market expectations of a $115 billion shortfall.
Imports rose 5.5% from the prior month to a 17-month high of $336.1 billion, driven by a 16.6% surge if inbound shipments of industrial supplies (16.6%), while capital goods, which include computers, semiconductors and telecommunications equipment, also rose 4%.
Meanwhile, exports increased 1.9% to $203.4 billion, ending three consecutive months of declines, also picking up in outbound shipments of industrial supplies (8.3%) and capital goods (2%).
However, exports of automotive vehicles fell 6.9%. ...
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NATO condemns Russian 'nuclear rhetoric' after Kaliningrad threat
www.bssnews.net
... NATO on Tuesday condemned "irresponsible nuclear rhetoric" by Russia, after Moscow warned it would "deploy its entire arsenal" if the alliance threatens its exclave Kaliningrad.
"I can confirm that Russia sent a non-paper to NATO and that we have sent a response, noting that NATO is a defensive Alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia," NATO spokeswoman Allison Hart said.
"We strongly denounce the threat of force, including any irresponsible nuclear rhetoric. We call on Russia to end its unprovoked war in Ukraine."
The NATO statement came after Russia's embassy in Belgium said it had contacted the alliance to complain about "the provocative statements and actions of the North Atlantic Alliance's leadership and NATO member states with respect to the Kaliningrad Region".
"We have warned that the aforementioned reckless and irresponsible course of action sharply increases the risks of a direct armed conflict with our country," the embassy said in a statement released Monday.
"We have emphasised that Russia possesses the necessary means to repel any potential aggression and is prepared to deploy its entire arsenal to defend its territory should NATO countries attempt to isolate the Kaliningrad region from the rest of our country."
The warning from Moscow came as NATO accused the Kremlin of stepping up a campaign of sabotage and interference against Ukraine's backers to try to put them off supporting Kyiv. ...
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Swiss glaciers lose more than 5% of ice after record heatwave
www.reuters.com