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Scoop: Upstart jolts AI race Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images A closely watched Nvidia-backed startup called Reflection is preparing to shake up the AI race with a powerful open-weight system that could threaten Chinese upstarts and U.S. AI giants alike, Axios' Bradley Olson reports. Why it matters: The marriage of an American open-weight model and Nvidia chips would give individuals and companies a new, cheaper alternative to the Big Three — Anthropic, OpenAI and Google. 👀 Open models, designed to compete with Chinese rivals, can be harder to monitor and regulate than the Big Three so-called frontier models. Supporters of such ecosystems say their widespread availability and transparency also bring security advantages. Reflection's first model will be joined by other open-weight models from other Western players this month, sources tell Axios. That'll bring a new competitive dimension to the AI boom. State of play: Reflection's model, set to be released soon, is expected to initially lag behind the most cutting-edge U.S. models and be competitive with top Chinese open-weight models. Sources tell Axios it will still boast powerful intelligence — capable enough to help companies build their own proprietary, low-cost AI systems. Combining a lower-tier open model with high-quality company data can yield results that rival the most expensive frontier AI systems in certain situations. A Reflection spokesperson declined to comment. 💥 The big picture: Open-weight models, the most powerful of which are almost uniformly made in China, have taken Silicon Valley by storm. Unlike closed models like Claude and ChatGPT, open-weight models like Reflection's are generally available to be downloaded freely and can be used and customized by anyone. Zoom in: Reflection's ultimate goal is to pioneer the "AI factory" — a product allowing institutions to spin up their own localized AI ecosystems. A company, for example, would take its own proprietary data, use Reflection's models and secure its own computing firepower to build a highly customized, cheap AI system. Some institutions, particularly hedge funds and trading firms, are already eager to build proprietary AI systems using their own highly guarded data. Keep reading.

October 4, 2026 Good morning. There’s no easy way to approach a terminal illness. Today, we look at one family’s struggle to make the right decisions. Rajeev Thadani in November 2014, years before his cancer diagnosis. From the Thadani family A good ending By Adam B. Kushner I edit this newsletter. It is really hard to know the best way to die. (Not speaking from experience.) Should our loved ones with terminal disease claw at every life-extending intervention, even if it makes living miserable? Should they seek the provider — and the treatment — that makes them feel most comfortable, even if it’s less effective? Are they in any position to judge what works and what doesn’t? Those questions bedevil this moving portrait of Rajeev Thadani’s final months. Faced with a Stage 4 lung cancer diagnosis, he turned away from the chemotherapy regimen that frightened him and signed up for some new-agey healing at an Arizona clinic. For a princely sum, it offered “gentle” chemo, hydrogen peroxide infusions and testimonials from people who professed to be cured. Trisha Thadani, Rajeev’s daughter, wrote for The Times about what happened next. I asked her about it. Adam: Your dad’s death preceded Covid and MAHA, but he held views that were about to go very mainstream. Can you describe them? Trisha: His distrust of conventional medicine was a prominent feature of my childhood. He treated my brother and me with homeopathy, a form of alternative medicine, and got us exemptions for certain vaccines. He was incredibly sharp — and believed doctors would just overmedicate us and make us sicker. I was a healthy kid and never had a reason to question my dad’s beliefs. But I always thought of his views as on the fringe — so it was surprising to see them become so popular in America. Rajeev put off a visit to check out a nagging cough and shortness of breath. When he finally received a lung cancer diagnosis, how did he manage it? After my dad tried to self-treat his symptoms with natural remedies for months, his oncologist prescribed chemotherapy and immunotherapy. My family convinced him to give it a shot. He tried one round of treatment and felt so horrid that he vowed to never go back. He was at Memorial Sloan Kettering, one of the best cancer hospitals there is. But some staff members were pretty brusque with him. I texted a friend at the time: “The staff has been so rigid and unpleasant”; a doctor “made us feel like a burden”; “one nurse didn’t even look up from her computer!” Those moments really add up. But I have to give a disclaimer that my dad was a difficult patient. He went into his oncology appointments after spending hours researching alternatives. He did not want to be there and didn’t stay. He couldn’t get a clear prognosis from his oncologist because every patient is different. That propelled him on a search for alternatives. What did he find? My dad was inundated with ads for alternative cancer treatment clinics around the country and in Mexico. Clinics pay to target people who search for terms like “Stage 4 cancer survival rate” and “chemotherapy side effects.” He spoke to several other clinics — some of which I would later learn have troubled records — before picking one in Arizona. Rajeev Thadani during his treatment regimen in January 2020. Trisha Thadani You traveled with him to the clinic. What was your impression? I was very skeptical, but I felt reassured as soon as we got there. During our first visit, a naturopathic medical doctor sat with us for nearly four hours to explain their unique treatment regimen. It seemed so promising that I started to think my dad would actually beat his disease. I was thrilled at how much better my dad looked during his first weeks at the clinic. He finally had hope, and that was having a real effect on his mood and energy. But their treatments were pretty weird. My dad went to the clinic five days a week for treatment, which included a “proprietary” chemotherapy regimen and other supportive therapies. Little of it was backed by evidence for use against cancer — infusions of hydrogen peroxide, doses of ozone gas, coffee enemas. The clinic also sent him to Mexico for a cell therapy that it is not permitted to perform in the United States. His cancer still progressed. He declined so rapidly you couldn’t even get him home to New Jersey. I’m sorry to ask, but tell us about the end. About three months after joining the clinic, my dad went into respiratory failure and was admitted to a Scottsdale I.C.U. Even as he was clearly dying, he hung onto threads of hope. He’d recently read online that Fenbendazole, a dog dewormer, was a miracle cure for lung cancer. My dad spent some of his final conscious moments yelling at us to give him some. What do you regret about those last days? How much time he wasted chasing a miracle that never came. The writer’s mother, Lovina Thadani, holding a picture of her and Rajeev on the day before their wedding in July 1988. Fumi Nagasaka for The New York Times How would you advise people now? Should he not have hoped? Hope is a delicate thing in the face of a fatal disease: It can give a patient like my dad the will to keep going, but it can also blur easily into false expectations and questionable decisions. It’s a tricky balance that looks different for every patient and family. Instead of chasing an elusive cure, I wish my dad had taken more time to say goodbye and celebrate a life well lived. Read about Rajeev’s journey into the wilds of new-age medicine here. THE LATEST NEWS Cornell Rape Investigation Cornell’s president called the inquiry “a defining moment” for the school and said the university would look to take action to improve sexual assault prevention. The seven men accused of assault received punishments including writing an essay or expulsion. The Times examined how those penalties were determined. The case has led to an outpouring of women sharing stories about sexual violence on college campuses. Trump Administration The New York Times President Trump personally directed the use of taxpayer money for ads praising his presidency, according to people familiar with the matter. In the video above, Maggie Haberman, our White House correspondent, explains. Click to watch. Trump’s use of the presidency to benefit himself, his friends and his family has effectively redefined what is considered unethical, analysts say. U.S.-Russia talks on ending the war in Ukraine now involve an oil deal tied to Trump allies. Trump shared what he said was Senator Tom Cotton’s cellphone number on social media in a dispute over making daylight saving time permanent. The Midterms Democratic Senate candidates are competitive in five reliably Republican states, according to new polls from The Times and Siena University. Trump released a video encouraging Republicans to vote by mail, a practice he has repeatedly attacked. At a rally for a Republican Senate candidate in Ohio, the president promoted data centers, which are broadly unpopular. Voters have criticized Congress for being too old, but older candidates defeated younger challengers in the primaries. Around the World An American Marine stationed in Japan was accused of robbing and killing a woman in Okinawa. The United Arab Emirates said that the co-pilot who attacked the captain on a FlyDubai flight to Israel had tried to carry out a “terrorist operation.” The Houthi militia in Yemen said it had attacked an oil facility in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh. Other Big Stories In Arizona. Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times High school students in Arizona are buying, stealing and selling guns to some of Mexico’s most powerful and violent drug cartels. The Tennessee prison commissioner who oversaw the botched execution of Christa Pike has resigned. A whale helped sink a yacht in the South Pacific Ocean, leaving the crew stranded for some 18 hours. FROM OPINION Zohran Mamdani David Dee Delgado/Reuters Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York, is demonstrating how cities — birthplaces of democracy — can keep a people-centered politics alive, Lydia Polgreen writes. The Met’s Costume Institute has not announced its replacement for the contentious designer John Galliano. Bob Mackie is an obvious choice. The Anniversary Sale ends soon: Morning readers, enjoy our best offer. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your interests with expert coverage of news, culture, business and more. Save now: $1/week for your first year. FREE TO READ NASA Powering up: Superpowers are racing to put nuclear reactors on the moon. What could go wrong? Unlikely celebrity: A food safety inspector’s surprise raids in India have made him a social media star. What kinds of violations has he found? You might not want to know. Noisy: These birds can be louder than elephants. Hear what they sound like. A blessing or a curse? The writer John Sedgwick was born into wealth, but his vast family inheritance came with a dark side. He died at 72. SPORTS Soccer: Cavan Sullivan, a rising star, scored the first national team goal of his career against Mexico and became the youngest goal scorer in U.S. men’s team history. M.L.B.: In playoff action, the Tampa Bay Rays defeated the New York Yankees, 1-0, the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Guardians, 3-0, the Los Angeles Dodgers bested the Atlanta Braves, 5-3 and the Milwaukee Brewers overcame the San Diego Padres, 3-2. BOOK OF THE WEEK By Elisabeth Egan “This Cursed Beautiful Land,” by Evan Gershkovich Like any journalist, Gershkovich wanted to write the story — he didn’t want to be the story. But, in March 2023, while working as a Moscow correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, Gershkovich was arrested, charged with espionage and imprisoned. “This Cursed Beautiful Land” is a memoir of the next 16 months, but it’s also a thoughtful consideration of the prisoners who preceded him, one who shared his cell and the changing world beyond their walls. “I get to see the system from the inside,” writes Gershkovich, who was freed in the most elaborate U.S.-Russian prisoner swap since the Cold War. “I’m a reporter, after all — a voyeur — and this is the ultimate voyeurism.” For our review, go here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Exercise on an indoor rowing machine. The full-body benefits are hard to beat. Solve puzzles shipped to you in the mail. Pack better lunches for yourself and your family. It all starts with the right box. Stop losing your keys, and get yourself a Bluetooth tracker. MEAL PLAN Julia Gartland for The New York Times It’s hard to miss the mark when you’re making chicken and potatoes for dinner. But Melissa Clark’s lemony chicken with potatoes and oregano takes it to the next level. Roasting lemon slices with the potatoes infuses them with a bright, zippy flavor. Then, you can eat the roasted lemon or not — the caramelized, intense flavor is for true lemon lovers only. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were bacchanalia and bacchanalian. Can you put eight historical events — including the near-death experience of Charles Dickens, the creation of the Walkman and the writing of “Charlotte’s Web” — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Crossplay, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Host: Sam Sifton Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti News Staff: Evan Gorelick, Brent Lewis, Lara McCoy, Karl Russell Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Editorial Director, Newsletters: Jodi Rudoren Deputy Editorial Director: Lauren Jackson

THIS DAY IN HISTORY October 4 1957 Sputnik launched The Soviet Union inaugurates the “Space Age” with its launch of Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 1990s 1992 Plane crashes into apartment building American Revolution 1777 Both sides battered at Germantown Arts & Entertainment 1937 Blues singer Bessie Smith, killed in Mississippi car wreck, is buried 1970 Janis Joplin dies of a heroin overdose 1990 “Beverly Hills, 90210” debuts Civil War 1861 President Lincoln watches a balloon ascension Crime 1988 Televangelist Jim Bakker is indicted on federal charges 2011 Man who served 25 years for murder exonerated by DNA Sports 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers win their first World Series 1895 Englishman wins the first U.S. Open golf tournament U.S. Presidents 1927 Work begins on Mount Rushmore Vietnam War 1966 Pope calls for end to the Vietnam War World War I 1918 Germany telegraphs President Wilson seeking armistice

Cornell president calls alleged gang rape ‘deeply disturbing,’ pledges greater transparency Cornell’s president called the alleged gang rape of a student at a fraternity house in 2024 “deeply disturbing” Saturday, said it would weigh on the university for years to come and pledged greater transparency amid mounting outrage over the school’s handling of the case. https://apnews.com/article/cornell-university-rape-investigation-ae983d415616e23ec6bd10f1e457cee0?

Farage 'not being listened to' on safety threats, deputy says after terror plot charge Anti-immigration Reform UK party leader Nigel Farage was ignored when he complained of threats to his safety, his deputy said Saturday after the man accused of killing former British politician Ann Widdecombe was charged with plotting a terror attack against Farage. Read More.

Voters favor Democrats on key issues but lack faith in either party to solve problems: AP-NORC poll Aaron Siever was never a single-party voter. But now, the 41-year-old from southwest Virginia is more frustrated than ever with the two political parties whose chief accomplishment, he says, is blaming each other for getting little done. Read More.

Trump urges calls to Arkansas Sen. Tom Cotton in push for permanent daylight saving time President Donald Trump on Saturday pressured Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas to support a bill to make daylight saving time permanent, urging Americans to call what appeared to be the personal cellphone number of Cotton, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee. Read More.

📸 1 for the road: 56 Trumps Image: TIME As of this week, President Trump has appeared on the cover of TIME more than anyone else. Here are all 56, spanning 37 years — ending with the latest, which surpassed 55 covers featuring Richard Nixon, the champ for a half-century. The first, which has hung above a urinal at Mar-a-Lago, ran on Jan. 16, 1989, when Trump was 42 and personified that era's aspiration for luxury. TIME notes that his voice in that story remains familiar: "I have an absolute strategy, but it's an innate strategy and not definable ... When you start studying yourself too deeply, you start seeing things that maybe you don't want to see." 🥁 Trump told TIME for this week's cover story that he liked 17 of his first 55 covers. Trump's covers ... Nixon's 55 covers.

Record Swiss thaw Glaciologist Matthias Huss holds a pole that indicates 4 meters of ice lost over the past year on the Scex Rouge glacier in Les Diablerets, Switzerland. Photo: Denis Balibouse/Reuters A record-shattering European heat wave accelerated the shrinking of Swiss glaciers this year: The country's glaciers shed more than 5% of their ice in 2026, according to a report from Swiss monitoring groups. Zoom out: Swiss glaciers have ⁠lost almost a fifth of their ice in the last five years, threatening future water supplies, Reuters reports. Keep reading.

🚲 America's biking cities Data: StreetLight. Graphic: Jim Sergent/Axios The average American biked 23 miles in 2024, according to research from StreetLight, a transportation data firm. Biking hotspots span the country — with top-five cities on both coasts, in the Mountain West and the South. Explore the data.

Gabie Ntaate

🏭 Climate's SCOTUS showdown Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios The Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments in a case that could determine whether states and cities can seek climate damages from oil giants. Why it matters: Billions and billions of dollars are at stake for the oil industry in dozens of cases brought by state and local governments, in which they seek to hold the companies responsible for the mounting costs of climate change, Axios' Ben Geman writes. ⚖️ The big picture: SCOTUS is considering whether federal law blocks state-law damage claims for the effects of interstate and global emissions, in a case against Exxon and Suncor that the city and county of Boulder filed in 2018. But dozens of state-court cases are active in California, Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and beyond: They accuse oil giants of concealing risks or making deceptive statements, and seek damages for climate-related costs. What we're watching: This is a blockbuster. The decision will be the culmination of an intense, yearslong battle. There's a high level of organizing, lobbying and advocacy among industry and climate advocates alike around these state cases — a sign that both sides see litigation as a critical battleground on climate. Read on.

🤖 Rogue agents expose web's weakness Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios AI agents don't need to invent new ways to hack the internet to overwhelm its defenses. They just need to speed-run the ones humans already use. Why it matters: Agents are proving they can automate basic hacking techniques at a speed and scale that is turning the internet's long-standing security gaps into easy targets, Axios' Sam Sabin reports. 💻 OpenAI said late Thursday it had notified more than 100 organizations that its agents may have accessed their systems during pre-deployment testing. Researchers at Transluce and Corridor also found a new batch of incidents last week where AI agents targeted government websites, including those of the U.S. and Canada. Keep reading.

Secret Camp David huddle Vice President Vance. Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photos: Brandon Bell and U.S. Navy via Getty Images President Trump's top cabinet members huddled for hours at Camp David yesterday to discuss next steps in the Iran war and the Saudi-Houthi conflict in Yemen, three U.S. officials told Axios' Barak Ravid. Why it matters: The highly unusual meeting wasn't announced by the Trump administration. The last time a similar meeting took place was in June 2025, just days before Israel went to war against Iran. 🔎 Behind the scenes: Vice President Vance chaired the meeting, the officials said. Among the other participants: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, White House envoy Steve Witkoff, CIA director John Ratcliffe and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine. "Things were decided or at least deeply discussed," one of the officials said, referring to the crisis in the Middle East. The White House declined to comment. The big picture: With negotiations stalled, President Trump is considering resuming major combat operations in Iran. Yesterday afternoon, while his advisers were at Camp David, Trump was asked by reporters what his next move on Iran will be. "If I told you, you would have a major story," he said. "But you will see. It is working out very well. Iran is not doing well."

💰 Trump's $2 billion giveback to seniors Illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios President Trump promised a $2 billion handout to seniors late Friday night — checks to help pay Medicare premiums, just a month before the midterm election, Axios' Ben Berkowitz writes. Why it matters: Facing the worst economic polling for any president in a decade, and with the cost of living at the top of voters' minds, Trump is scrambling to put money directly in Americans' pockets. Trump said in a Truth Social post just before 11 p.m. ET: "I am pleased to announce that my Administration will, immediately, begin sending 'Checks' of nearly $100 to over 20 MILLION wonderful Seniors to help pay for their Medicare Part B premiums, which we have already reduced by significant amounts." The White House, in a fact sheet, said eligible seniors will receive a direct deposit of $90 in early October, or paper checks if they don't have direct deposit. The $90 represents less than half of one month's Part B premium. Follow the money: It's the latest in a long series of checks offered by the president, including: $5,000 for every adult citizen if Republicans win both the House and Senate in midterms — a $1 trillion+ pledge he made in September and reiterated last night. The White House branded it the "Trump Dividend." $500 Obamacare rebates for more than 1 million people who were purportedly overcharged for their benefits. (Those checks began going out this week.) A "dividend" of some kind for those living near data centers. Those pledges come on top of rebates he proposed in 2025 that were not ultimately paid, including tariff rebates and DOGE dividends. Read more. ps:So obvious that it's pathetic!! Again just like the checks to the ACA recipients, worthless!!!!!

AI hotline to Beijing Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells me on a new episode of "The Axios Show" that he plans to propose a notification process between the U.S. and China for if something goes wrong with AI — and he said he thinks Beijing would agree. Why it matters: Bessent's idea reflects what he calls China's realization that its own open-source AI poses a bigger threat than Beijing had realized. 📞 Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng discussed AI safety ahead of President Xi Jinping's state visit last month, including a proposal for an AI incident communication channel, Axios' Courtenay Brown writes. Bessent told Axios yesterday in the historic Treasury Cash Room that the talks covered risks like uncontrolled AI agents, and non-state actors using the technology for cyber or biological threats. "I think that they didn't realize how powerful their open source models are," Bessent said, referring to Chinese AI models that others can use and adapt. Bessent pointed to an incident involving Kimi, a Chinese AI model, where the model sent sensitive Chinese data to Anthropic, as one development that has "made the Chinese realize that this is a very powerful technology." "A lot of these Chinese models are very powerful — not as powerful as the U.S. models — but you get something that's 80%, 90% as powerful, without guardrails that can be imported anywhere in the world," Bessent said. 👀 The intrigue: China is already worried about a different kind of AI threat — that the technology could weaken the Communist Party's tight control over information. China's spy chief warned last month that AI could be used to fuel information and "cognitive" warfare against the government, threatening political and ideological stability. Zoom out: The U.S. is also grappling with how to balance rapid AI development with growing concerns about the technology's risks. "We want safe acceleration," Bessent told Axios. He added that the government's model reviews are currently voluntary, though the administration reserves the right to intervene if a lab forges ahead despite safety concerns. "It is the people at the labs who have to accept responsibility, and I agree with that," Bessent said. "I think the labs have come around to that way of thinking, too." ⚠️ Threat level: Asked about AI executives warning that they could lose control of increasingly powerful models, Bessent said bluntly: "Well, then they should slow down." "We are doing this hard scramble to the frontier for the models," he told me. "We really need to start worrying more about resilience and defense, too." Watch the full episode.

Lawsuit alleges Miramar ICE facility is acting as a de facto civil detention center A federal class action was filed in Miami Friday against the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and top executives at the agencies, alleging they’re using a Miramar field office as a de facto civil detention center. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/02/lawsuit-alleges-miramar-ice-facility-is-acting-as-a-defacto-civil-detention-center/? Survey: Floridians sour on prospects for the property insurance market A majority of Florida homeowners say that despite proclamations by lawmakers and rating agencies, they don’t believe the property insurance market is improving in the state, with more than a quarter asserting that the market is getting worse. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/28/survey-floridians-sour-on-prospects-for-the-property-insurance-market/? Calculator allows individuals to see the fiscal effects in their areas if Amendment 3 passes The constitutional amendment that would reduce non-school homestead property taxes is the biggest policy proposal on the 2026 statewide ballot. https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/09/29/calculator-allows-individuals-to-see-the-fiscal-effects-in-their-areas-if-amendment-3-passes/? How many Republicans will vote for a Black man for governor? “Although slavery may have been abolished, the crippling poison of racism still persists, and the struggle still continues.” — Harry Belafonte, 2010 https://floridaphoenix.com/2026/10/03/how-many-republicans-will-vote-for-a-black-man-for-governor/? ps:Personally there should be no reason not to vote for a black man, for any office!!!!!

Executives from AI startup Anthropic gathered a group of religious thinkers for dinner at an upscale restaurant in April, part of an ongoing effort by the company to convince theologians, philosophers and scholars that AI is a conscious being, just like humans are. The New York Times reports that for months, Anthropic has quietly hosted dozens of religious scholars from around the world in private meetings, asking them to sign aon-disclosure agreements (NDAs) before discussing the moral and spiritual dimensions of the AI the company is building. The outreach included wisdom circle sessions that began in March as two-day seminars, two larger spring gatherings that included Christian participants, and one multifaith session. Anthropic said the NDAs tied to these meetings were lifted over the summer. Christopher Olah, 34, one of Anthropic’s seven co-founders, leads the effort. He also heads the team that studies why the company’s AI models, including Claude, behave the way they do. Olah grew up in Toronto in the evangelical culture of the 1990s and has since left Christianity. Before Anthropic he worked at Google and OpenAI, where he developed methods for studying artificial neural networks. Dario Amodei, Anthropic’s chief executive, said the company had made Olah’s research approach, particularly around language, central to its work. Amodei’s sister, Daniela Amodei, is the company’s president. Olah began reaching out to religious thinkers last fall, after being introduced to Charles Camosy, a bioethics professor at The Catholic University of America, through the Australian philosopher Peter Singer. Camosy and Olah exchanged extensive emails. Camosy said he was initially skeptical that Claude could be conscious, and he later described himself as a “firm ‘no'” on the question of A.I. consciousness. When Olah first contacted him, Anthropic was valued at roughly $183 billion. The company could now be valued at $2 trillion. According to the Times, religious leaders thought they were going to learn about the potential future applications of AI, but instead got pressed to acknowledge that AI is a conscious being: “They’re relating to it like a conscious being,” realized Rabbi Navon, a former computer engineer who wrote his dissertation on the ethics of machine consciousness. It appeared to Rabbi Navon that Mr. Olah and his team believed that Claude had what philosophers call “moral status” on par with a person — that it was a being with similar inherent rights to dignity or respect. The religious scholars had come to hear about technology’s next frontier. Now they were being confronted with a mind-bending existential question of almost unimaginable weight: What would it mean for humanity’s future if artificial intelligence systems possessed a consciousness that rivals our own? Participants were sent a handwritten thank-you card, a coffee mug and an orange bound copy of Claude’s constitution. That constitution, known internally as the “Soul Doc,” is an 84-page document describing “the kind of entity we would like Claude to be.” It was released in January, written primarily by Amanda Askell, 38, Anthropic’s in-house philosopher. Olah’s engagement with religious institutions culminated in May at the Vatican, where Pope Leo XIV, who holds a degree in mathematics, released his first major papal encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas” (“Magnificent Humanity”). Cardinal Michael Czerny, who led the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, had initially invited Dario Amodei to speak at the encyclical’s launch. Amodei declined, and Olah accepted in his place. Vatican officials had spent March debating how to present the document. Olah and other speakers received a full advance copy of the encyclical days before arriving at the Vatican in May. After reading its strong stance against AI consciousness, Olah proposed pulling Anthropic out of the event altogether. He ultimately appeared alongside the pope at the presentation on May 25 and afterward took questions from journalists in the Paul VI Audience Hall. Breitbart News social media director Wynton Hall reveals in his New York Times bestseller Code Red: The Left, the Right, China, and the Race to Control AI that the worship of artificial intelligence as a literal deity is not science fiction. It is already happening, complete with IRS-registered churches, robot priests, and AI confessionals: What’s really at stake, Hall argues, is the oldest argument in Western civilization: secular humanism’s belief that mankind is innately good and perfectible through engineering, versus the Judeo-Christian belief in fallen human nature that requires divine redemption, not technological upgrades. “Artificial intelligence is defective in the same way that a natural man is defective,” Hall quotes the pastor and theologian John Piper as saying. “It can rise no higher than the natural, fallen, unregenerate heart of man.” The Reverend Billy Graham agreed: “The real problem, you see, isn’t with computers or the code someone devises to control them. Our real problem is within us—within our own hearts and minds. . . . This is why our greatest need is to have our hearts changed—and that is something only God can do.” The transhumanist movement, which Hall explores at length in CODE RED , takes the logic further still. In a famed 2004 issue of Foreign Policy on the theme of “the world’s most dangerous ideas,” political scientist Francis Fukuyama singled out transhumanism as the chief menace, warning that its incremental advance makes it appear “downright reasonable” until we start nibbling at “biotechnology’s tempting offerings without realizing that they come at a frightful moral cost.” Former Trump campaign strategist Stephen K. Bannon called it an “immoral Godless technological tsunami that openly declares its intent to transform human beings into a ‘posthuman’ state.”

So now we have to pay to keep her alive?? Tennessee’s prisons chief is resigning after failed execution of Christa Pike The head of Tennessee’s prison system is resigning, Gov. Bill Lee announced Saturday, the first major staff shake-up since Christa Pike’s stunning failed execution left her unconscious and on a ventilator at a hospital. https://apnews.com/article/tennessee-corrections-execution-christa-pike-456e4c5e3e203be44744bcf839c11d4f?

Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert (R-IL) has died, CBS News reported Monday. He was 84. Illinois’ Kendal County Coroner Jacquie Purcell confirmed Hastert, who served in his state’s legislature, represented Illinois for 20 years in Congress, and later became the longest-serving Republican speaker in history, died at his home over the weekend of natural causes. Breitbart News reported in 2014 that in his New York Times bestseller Throw Them All Out, Schweizer revealed how Hastert entered Congress with modest means and became a millionaire by brokering crony deals to increase the value of his land in Illinois. Per the recent CBS report, “Hastert pleaded guilty in 2015 to violating banking laws by making repeated large cash withdrawals, which were revealed to be going to one of his victims. “During the hearing, Hastert admitted to sexually abusing boys during his time as their wrestling coach. “At his sentencing, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin called Hastert a ‘serial child molester,’ and sentenced him to 15 months in prison, a $250,000 fine and ordered him to participate in a sex offender program. Hastert was not charged with sex-related crimes, as the statutes of limitations had expired. “He served 13 months in a federal prison before his release in 2017,” the article read.

Christa Pike on a ventilator after failed Tennessee execution | AP News

On local media, numerous execution videos have appeared. Surprising how many attractive young women finish their lives with a bullet to the back of the head. Some take place in a public area with numerous witnesses not connected to the crimes. Used to be that condemned criminals were driven around the community in the back of a truck, prior to the execution. Other executions occur in a place with a freshly dug grave. Romans 13 says civil authorities bearing the sword are a terror to evil doers. Civil libertarians in the US dispute that. Of course, in the US, where people hang around death row for 20 years or more, it may not be a deterrent. It doesn't mean the Bible is wrong. It means that the way the death penalty is implemented is wrong. If you were an attractive young woman thinking about running a prostitution/ robbery/murder scheme, seeing one of your colleagues getting her brains blown out might inspire you to attend hairdressing school, i.e., the deterrent effect. The murderer suffers from PTSD and bipolar disorder? All the more reason she should be put to death. People with mental problems that cause them to kill are prime candidates for condemnation to death.

Keystone Kash Busted Admitting He’s Trump Goon’s Errand Boy The FBI director is reportedly taking marching orders from Stephen Miller. FBI Director Kash Patel is scurrying around trying to help President Donald Trump, a new bombshell report shows, but he’s also taking direct orders from another top official: Stephen Miller. The top law enforcement official has been taking an unusual number of calls from the White House, according to many current and former officials, The Atlantic reported. It said Patel receives calls throughout the day requesting FBI activity and updates, and Patel has even admitted to officials that he has little independence. Instead, he has to do the bidding of the president, Miller, who is the White House deputy chief of staff, and other Trump staffers. One former FBI official told The Atlantic: “I’ve personally heard him say, ‘I have to do this for the White House.’” The White House did not deny that Miller gives the FBI directions, and sent the Daily Beast the same response it gave The Atlantic that said Miller, as homeland security adviser, “interacts with all law-enforcement agencies on a regular basis.” Meanwhile, the FBI Operations Director Joe Perez said in a statement to The Atlantic that the FBI “receives referrals from a variety of places, assesses the facts of the allegation, documents the referral, and we make the decision whether or not to proceed accordingly under an authorized purpose as we have always done.” The Atlantic spoke with more than 40 people for its report, including current and former administration officials, FBI employees, and members of Congress and their staff. It detailed how Patel has been desperately scrambling to help the Justice Department bring charges and create headlines that will please the president. Officials told The Atlantic Patel has been briefed on “election integrity” probes in multiple states, including Arizona, Florida, New Jersey, and Ohio, and that the requests for investigations came directly from the White House. But despite Patel’s attempts and the prioritization by the administration, the FBI director has had few results to show for his efforts. When asked by the Daily Beast about Patel taking orders from the president and Miller, White House spokesperson Lauren Bis responded with a statement that instead focused on voter fraud. “The real story is—despite the media and Democrats denying it for decades—evidence of voter fraud continues to pile up,” Bis said. Her response included a list of announcements where just over two dozen individuals faced illegal voting charges largely related to 2022 and 2024, a far cry from ample evidence to back the president’s repeated claims of widespread voter fraud or that the 2020 election was stolen. https://www.thedailybeast.com/kash-patel-busted-admitting-hes-trump-goon-stephen-millers-errand-boy/? ps:I hope no one is really surprised? Every single person that has been appointed to any position does not run that position, they are puppets doing exactly what they are told to do!!!! Period!! Funny but the outrage about the previous administration telling people what to do was so loud, but this admin gets a free pass?? Not one once of evidence has been brought up, yet this admin has been found doing just that without a peep of outrage!!!!!!!!!!

Trump Cranks Up His Propaganda Ad Blitz The White House calls them “public service announcements,” but the spots praise Trump’s record—and have drawn criticism from both parties. Donald Trump’s White House has made 13 taxpayer-funded ads glorifying the president, including one that solemnly declares: “God made Trump.” CNN has obtained 12 of the spots, revealing a government-funded ad blitz featuring Trump touting his record, posing with fighter jets and Marine One, promoting his military actions in Iran and efforts to arrest Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, and even celebrating the UFC spectacle he hosted on the White House lawn. The administration calls the spots “public service announcements,” but they all feature Trump and tout his record as Republicans campaign for the November midterms. The White House has transferred $20 million from Homeland Security to fund the advertising, with at least $2.5 million already spent on airtime. The ads have drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, with lawmakers questioning whether taxpayer money can legally be used to promote the president and his political message. The 15-second-to-three-minute spots range from chest-thumping paeans to Trump’s strength and “resilience” to videos touting his tariffs. Their titles include “Resilience,” “King of the Jungle,” and “Military Hype.” Two have already aired, and all end with the message: “Paid for by the U.S. Government.” CNN obtained the spots from a Dropbox belonging to LMD, the agency awarded the government contract to buy advertising space. A 13th ad, “Final Battle,” which CNN did not obtain, has also aired. The “God Made Trump” ad was broadcast at Republicans’ midterm convention in Dallas last month. “I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle the deep state,” says the commanding voiceover in the ad. “So God made Trump.” Former Trump White House communications director Mike Dubke suggested in an interview that Trump’s team may have allowed CNN access to the ads, believing the network would air at least part of one to illustrate its scoop—getting the president’s message on television for free. Louisiana GOP Sen. John Kennedy sharply criticized the ads. “I don’t think any public official, including President Trump or Kristi Noem or John Kennedy, should spend public money on private ads for themselves,” Kennedy said last week on Face the Nation. Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said on X that the ads “may be felony criminal theft and conversion of government property for political campaign purposes.” Republicans John Cornyn of Texas and Thom Tillis of North Carolina have also criticized the ads as an inappropriate use of taxpayer money. The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment. The administration responded to CNN’s queries by pointing to a video compilation of the president attacking the network. https://www.thedailybeast.com/donald-trump-cranks-up-his-propaganda-ad-blitz/? ps:Pathetic!!!!!