Sen. Kennedy rails against AI developers as ‘high IQ stupid people’
The Louisiana Republican’s comments come as both Democrats and Republicans have been forced to find ways to address the backlash against data centers.
Today's Liberal News
Israeli Elections to Global Movements: Tariq Ali, Rashid Khalidi on New Book “The Neck and the Sword”
We get analysis of the Israeli elections, the upcoming U.S. midterms, the pro-Palestine movement and more from Palestinian American scholar Rashid Khalidi and Pakistani British writer Tariq Ali. They are co-authors of the new book The Neck and the Sword: Palestine’s Unfinished Struggle.
A Harmless Act of Halloween Rebellion
This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present. Sign up here.
Last Halloween, I answered a knock on the door to find a young trick-or-treater dressed as a toilet. Not just any toilet—Skibidi Toilet, a disembodied head that pops out of a toilet and is a villain of the eponymous YouTube miniseries about an army of such creatures conquering Earth. I was visibly puzzled and asked him a series of questions.
Photos: Preparing for the Day of the Dead
Ulises Ruiz / AFP / Getty
Children with their faces painted pose in a field of cempasuchil (marigold) flowers during preparations for the Day of the Dead celebration at Rancho San Juan Diego, in Tlajomulco de Zuniga, Jalisco, Mexico, on October 24, 2026. On November 2, Mexico will celebrate the Day of the Dead to pay tribute to deceased family members and friends.
Democrats Are Ready to Run Hegseth ‘Out of Town’
Many Democrats have a post-midterm dream that goes something like this: Pete Hegseth, the push-up-loving, beardo-mocking former Fox News host who has led the Pentagon for almost two years with bombast and theatrics, is either fired or hauled before their new majority in the House to face impeachment—which would make him just the third Cabinet secretary in history to face such a sanction.
The Rise of the Sexy-Cozy Autumn Read
Unto every season is given a certain kind of book. When the new year beckons a new you, self-help thrives. Breezy beach reads rule the summer. Cookbook recommendations abound in the lead-up to Thanksgiving. Curiously, publishers told me, Easter is big for picture books (which are easy to stick in a basket next to the chocolate bunny). And Halloween is for horror. Time to bust out some Shirley Jackson (or perhaps some Stephen King or Edgar Allan Poe).
The Variety Bag Has Ruined Halloween
All Halloween candy is the same now. Nothing stands out, apart from the quantity of candy dumped out on the floor back home. Every house seems to buy a variety bag of seemingly random candy, and consequently every stop metes out a little more of the same treats as the previous one did or the next one will. A harvesttime holiday that evolved from traditional reflections on death is now merely another household chore to carry out on the way to mortal life’s certain end.
‘Contrary to law’: Judge strikes down Trump admin’s definition of ‘medically frail’ in Medicaid work requirements
The judge sided with a coalition of 25 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia in a lawsuit challenging the requirement that states force chronically ill people to prove they can’t work.
Meet AI Engineer Who Resigned from DeepMind over “Google’s Complicity in the Gaza Genocide”
Several tech workers at Google’s AI unit DeepMind have resigned in protest over the tech giant’s work with the U.S. and Israeli militaries. Last week, DeepMind research engineer Sofia Liguori announced her resignation in a letter to her colleagues titled “Stay Human.” She denounced what she called “Google’s complicity in the Gaza genocide” and the increasing integration of Google’s technology into military and surveillance systems.
“She Was a Fighter”: Dolores Huerta, Legendary Farmworker Organizer & Activist, Dies at 96
Immigrant rights and labor icon Dolores Huerta died Wednesday at the age of 96. Huerta co-founded the National Farm Workers Association in 1962 and then the United Farm Workers of America, working with Cesar Chavez. From 1965 to 1970, the union organized the historic Delano grape strike, which ended in major gains for farmworkers’ labor rights.
Unfortunately, I Must Hand It to the Trump Administration in This One Instance
A monopoly on mortgages is finally loosening. Homebuyers aren’t the only ones who stand to benefit.
Money Talks: The Real Threats of Artificial Intelligence
What’s alarmist and what’s real about artificial intelligence. Plus, how lawmakers are dealing with a situation they don’t really understand.
Musk and Zuck: Can They Have It All?
Meta makes a deal to keep Zuckerberg happy as Musk eyes a power-consolidating merger.
The Trump administration moves to treat millions of mentally ill veterans with psychedelics
No regulator has found the drugs safe or effective, but a VA official says as many as 2.1 million ex-service members could find them helpful.
Exit of RFK Jr. ally widens rift in GOP tent
Calley Means’ departure is the latest sign that Kennedy’s supporters are unhappy with how the White House is treating them.
Biotech investment is the new front in the U.S.-China trade fight
The Treasury Department’s proposed restrictions on U.S. investment in Chinese biopharma collide with Beijing’s new export curbs on cutting edge biotech innovations.
Medicaid cuts haunt Republicans in battleground states
Democrats’ confidence in their health care message is showing up on the airwaves and the debate stage.
RFK Jr. and his allies are standing by Russell Brand as the comedian’s rape trial begins
Tony Lyons, who leads the Make America Healthy Again movement the health secretary started, was in the London courthouse for jury selection.
When Church Was a Queer Space
Outward’s hosts sit down with the host and co-creator of When We All Get to Heaven.
Remembering, with the People of MCC San Francisco, AIDS Still Isn’t Over.
The neighborhood changes, the church moves, people forget and remember “the AIDS years,” but AIDS isn’t over.
What Happens When You Organize Church Around AIDS – and AIDS Changes?
The AIDS cocktail opens new possibilities. And MCC San Francisco tries to use the experience of AIDS to make bigger social change.
The Church’s Pastor Gets Diagnosed with AIDS. And the Church Wonders How Much They Might Lose.
The church’s minister gets sick and everyone knows it.
A Church Romance Between a Hula Dancer and a Lumbersexual Blossoms in a Dangerous Time.
The church’s “it couple” faces AIDS, caregiving, and loss as part of a pair, part of families, and part of a community.
Australian treasurer says opponents want higher inflation for political gain
In a Canberra Playbook Podcast interview Jim Chalmers accused Liberals of wanting Australians to suffer, as their path back to power.
Rising bond yields will add billions to budget pressure: Australian treasurer
Jim Chalmers warns global pressures mean more domestic pain.
Sen. Kennedy rails against AI developers as ‘high IQ stupid people’
The Louisiana Republican’s comments come as both Democrats and Republicans have been forced to find ways to address the backlash against data centers.
“Dark Day for Journalism”: Egypt Shutters Independent News Site Mada Masr, Detains Editor
A court in Cairo has ordered the closure of the independent Egyptian news site Mada Masr. The court also ordered the site’s editor-in-chief, Lina Attalah, to be detained until she pays a fine of over $50,000. She was convicted on charges of managing an unlicensed website. Mada Masr is “the flagship independent media outlet in Egypt and a pillar of independent media in the region,” says Sharif Abdel Kouddous of Drop Site News, who previously worked at Mada Masr.
“Anti-Fascist Economics”: Isabella Weber on How Inequality Fuels Extremism & Erodes Democracy
With the U.S. midterm elections just a week away, the affordability crisis — intensified by President Trump’s tariffs and war on Iran — has emerged as a major campaign issue. Across the country, families are struggling to make ends meet, while oil and gas companies have reported record profits during recent periods of price shocks.
Trump Is Already Undermining Confidence in Midterm Election Results from Alaska to California: ACLU
A competitive Senate race has gripped the once reliably Republican state of Alaska. If Democratic challenger Mary Peltola wins the election against incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan, it could tip the balance of power in Washington. Attorneys for Peltola and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee have submitted a motion to dismiss a Department of Justice lawsuit filed last week that seeks to block the certification of the election results in Alaska if Sullivan loses.
Hegseth Fires a Top General
Earlier this week, the Pentagon’s chief planner, Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, was ousted from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No explanation was given. This comes at an inopportune moment, given that President Trump may be planning to relaunch the war on Iran. Sylvia, the former commander of the 101st Airborne Division, becomes the latest in a long line of senior officers who have been shown the door since Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrived at the Pentagon almost two years ago.