All Activity

Trump’s Cabinet Is the Worst in U.S. History—Every Single One of Them Even after less than two years in office, all the president’s men (and yes, they are nearly all men at this point) are making powerful cases that they are the very bottom of their respective barrels. The hottest competition in Washington, D.C. these days is not any political race nor is it the ridiculous “grand prix” that bumped its way across the city’s potholed streets this week as the latest entertainment to soothe Mr. Harp, our president. No, it’s the ongoing contest among Trump’s Cabinet members to demonstrate who is the worst among them. When Trump spoke of “the worst of the worst” during his campaign, not everyone was clear on the fact that he was referring to his future stable of advisors. Those in hot pursuit of the “distinction” of being the most corrupt, most incompetent, and most dangerous can be comforted by one fact: No matter where they finish among a group that seems dedicated to finishing off this country, each will very likely end up being the worst ever to hold their particular post. That is no small distinction. We have had some bad Cabinet secretaries in our history. Remember Don Rumsfeld? Remember Nixon’s Attorney General John Mitchell? What about former Secretary of the Interior Albert Fall, who was at the center of the Teapot Dome Scandal? He was the first Cabinet secretary ever to be convicted of a crime and sent to prison. How about A. Mitchell Palmer, Woodrow Wilson’s atrocious attorney general who drummed up Steven Miller-like hatred for foreigners and oversaw mass arrests and deportations during one of America’s first Red Scare eras? Let’s go back further? Grant’s Secretary of War William Belknap resigned just before he was impeached for receiving kickbacks. Bad as all these guys were, their scandals and failures were merely a prelude to Team Trump’s disastrous tenure. When they stole, they stole less. When they hate-mongered, they did it at a smaller scale. When they sought to obstruct justice, they were just setting the stage for the real wholesale debasement of our justice system that we are seeing today. Before we go on, I want to make it clear: I’m not drawing these conclusions lightly. I’m not making a big bold statement for dramatic effect. I’ve written many books and articles about presidents and their cabinets. I’ve studied them for years. I’m sure that other historians, over time, will validate my conclusion. Just as they already recognize Trump as the worst president in our history, they will see his Cabinet as the worst ever. This is not a mere matter of my not liking their politics, although candidly, championing fascist white nationalist authoritarian corruptionalism (and make no mistake, even if it is not a word, the biggest “ism” that defines their “movement” is “corruptionalism”) is not so great. Further, it is not a condemnation merely of their oligarchic distance from and contempt for the American people—even though with something like 15 billionaires and nearly 60 centimillionaires it is quite clear they are, collectively, the most out-of-touch leadership of the executive branch in our history. No, these guys are earning their bad reputations the old-fashioned way. Let’s start with the most senior Cabinet post, Secretary of State. Here we have Marco Rubio, who has overseen the most disastrous collapse in American standing ever. He has gutted the State Department and overseen the shutdown of USAID that has eviscerated U.S. soft power and will result in the deaths of millions upon millions of people worldwide in the next several years. Perhaps 750,000 have already died, most of them children. Diplomacy on his watch? A catastrophe from Ukraine to Iran. Alliances are crumbling. Our enemies are beaming. That record also reflects terribly on the rest of Trump’s national security officials, including notably his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. But even without sharing the blame on those counts, Hegseth is surely the worst ever at the Pentagon (or the War Department) given his record of gross mismanagement, losing a war to a much lesser power, depleting our most important military assets, lying about casualties, shutting down departmental transparency, firing top generals and admirals for racist and sexist reasons, violating international law, overseeing war crimes, and wasting hundreds of billions on ill-considered projects that will actually make us weaker. But wait, you say, what about Scott Bessent? Under his “leadership” we have just seen the national debt pass $40 trillion—by the end of this term, Trump’s contribution to that debt will undeniably be the greatest of any U.S. president. The dollar is weakening and its time as the world’s reserve currency may be coming to an end. Bond markets are howling, and his interventions are not helping. And his mismanagement of the IRS has included efforts to cut a corrupt sweetheart deal with Trump. Can Attorney General Todd Blanche be worse than Mitchell or Palmer? At a trot, ladies and gentlemen. He has already made it clear that the Department of Justice serves only one American, the president. He has overseen the cover-up of the Epstein scandal (and cut a deal with Ghislaine Maxwell), the negotiation of Trump’s tax amnesty, efforts to offer payouts to insurrectionists, vindictive prosecutions against Trump’s enemies… and he’s just getting started. Just wait until you see what he does to tamper with election outcomes. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum has overseen widespread attacks on our national parks and, through his championing of fossil fuels, on our environment and that of the planet as a whole. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins is presiding over the most sweeping food safety crisis in our history at the same time as food prices are skyrocketing and the president is turning to foreign beef suppliers to make up for a shortage caused in part by a screwworm outbreak that the USDA should and could have prevented. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick has the distinction of having just been called out by Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney for being particularly unhelpful in the failed U.S.-Canada negotiations that have led to the current trade war with our former friends to the north. Lutnick has also championed Trump’s disastrous tariffs (along with the worst USTR of all time, Jamieson Greer, whose terrible trade policies will be studied for years to come) while he and his sons are seen as tightly wrapped up in the efforts by top administration officials to cash in on their high offices. Over at the Department of Labor, we have only an Acting Secretary in Keith Sonderling, but the department has, unsurprisingly, been battered by the anti-labor policies of the administration and new questions that have arisen concerning the output of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, once a bastion of credible economic data reporting. RFK Jr.? Need we say more? He is the anti-HHS Secretary, waging an active war against science and health while promoting crazy crackpot quackery. Vaccine science is being set back by two centuries in some parts of America, and the results are mounting as diseases like measles and tuberculosis spread and available cures or measures to prevent flu or COVID or other diseases are being kicked to the curb. At Scott Turner’s Housing and Urban Development department, they are doing less and less for fewer and fewer Americans. They have systematically weakened civil rights enforcement, cut fair housing programs and budgets, and undercut reasonable programs to help the homeless. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is a laughing stock, overseeing decaying air traffic systems, cutting back on infrastructure investments, fighting common sense fixes for mass transit, fear-mongering about urban transit systems, and all the while spewing idiocies and filming reality TV projects. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, despite catering to the needs of the fossil fuel industry, has been one of the masterminds behind our current national energy crisis—spiking prices, failed measures to offset the consequences of the Iran War, depletion of the national petroleum reserves to historically low levels and attacks on the clean energy sources of tomorrow that the world is embracing, thus ensuring foreign companies own wind and solar and battery markets for decades to come. All this to support Trump’s crazy anti-windmill fetish. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, a woman who is on the record confusing AI with A1 steak sauce, is working to shutter her entire department. But along the way she is offering up choice ideas like, just the weekend, suggesting that more kids in elementary school need to be put on the track to trade schools. Meanwhile, Veterans Secretary Doug Collins has presided over massive cutbacks at VA hospitals and has made it harder and harder for veterans to get the care they need and deserve. (No surprise, given how badly Hegseth treats the troops or how often Trump derogates them.) And last, but not least, we have Markwayne Mullin—and before him Kristi Noem—at the Department of Homeland Security. They have overseen the creation of a national Gestapo, serial violations of due process and the law in the mistreatment of both American citizens and immigrants. They have overseen the murder of Americans and the deaths of many in their concentration camp-like detention centers. They have cut deals to deport people, innocent and otherwise, to foreign countries they have nothing to do with. The Cabinet, of course, cannot do it all alone. Prime Minister Stephen Miller is widely viewed as a candidate for the Hague. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is often cited alongside Miller as one of the principal architects of the administration’s destruction of U.S. institutions. Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton has none of the requisite experience for his job. The list goes on and on: Witkoff, Kushner, Natalie Harp… remember DOGE and Elon? Everywhere you look, you see previously unimaginable incompetence, bad governance, malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance. Of course, none of this would be possible without President Trump and Vice President Vance. You don’t get a Cabinet like this by accident. You don’t do this much damage by accident. You must wage a careful campaign to destroy what is best about America, to pillage the ruins of the government you’re destroying for cash to line the pockets of high officials, and to put in place the kind of scumbags and goons that will oversee, as this Cabinet has, rendering the MAGA agenda into one of the darkest chapters in American history. No, it’s no accident. But it’s a disaster. https://www.thedailybeast.com/trumps-cabinet-is-the-worst-in-historyevery-single-one-of-them/?

Secret Oval Office Warning That Trump Ignored Is Leaked The president’s error could define his entire second term. Donald Trump ignored several intelligence warnings about the potentially disastrous consequences of launching a war against Iran, according to a report. Details of an Oval Office meeting in February, leaked to the Wall Street Journal, reveal that the president sought advice on whether an all-out attack to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program and force regime change could work. During the meeting, then-Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard told Trump that a Middle East conflict would see Iran close the crucial Strait of Hormuz shipping route, cause oil and energy chaos across the world, and that killing Iran’s supreme leader would result in a replacement who would push harder for Tehran to acquire nuclear weapons. Trump had also received similar warnings from top military leaders that a war on Iran would result in multiple deaths and a severe dwindling of U.S. munition stockpiles. Despite this, Trump joined Israel in launching an attack on Iran on Feb. 28, with each of the predictions surrounding the conflict coming true. Trump started the deeply unpopular war believing that it could be resolved in a matter of weeks. Instead, the conflict has dragged on for nearly six months with no real end in sight. “This was all predictable and predicted,” Eric Brewer, a deputy vice president at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, told the Journal. “You can draw a straight line from the fact that the war was launched without any clear political objective to the mishandled diplomacy in trying to end it.” Trump was reportedly buoyed at the very start of the conflict after one of its main objectives was achieved. During a Feb. 28 fundraiser at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Central Intelligence Agency Director John Ratcliffe and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff informed the president that Israel had killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Trump wanted Ratcliffe and Witkoff to share the news with those at the fundraiser, prompting a round of applause. The 80-year-old president is then said to have “crossed his arms and puffed out his chest” while soaking in the praise, sources told the Journal. However, the praise was short-lived. As the war dragged on, with the Strait of Hormuz closed, leaders from Gulf nations such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar contacted the White House urging an end to the war. Several Republicans also warned Trump that the Middle East conflict, which has sent gas prices soaring and resulted in the deaths of 18 U.S. servicemembers, could severely damage the GOP’s chances in the midterms. Officials revealed that Trump was privately furious at the backlash and asked his aides why Iran wasn’t folding as the bombardment of the country continued. Even a friend of Trump urged the president to end the war. Trump then asked if he should “bomb the s--t out of Iran” in order to bring an end to the conflict, the Journal reported. The friend advised that this would not be a good idea and would only pull the U.S. further into another forever war in the Middle East. The White House defended the war in Iran as a success, stating that Trump has severely damaged Iran’s military and nuclear facilities and is preparing to target Tehran’s economy with a naval blockade and sanctions. “He will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon,” White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said in a statement. “It would be wise for Iran to reach a deal. Otherwise, they know what could happen.” The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for further comment. https://www.thedailybeast.com/secret-oval-office-iran-war-warning-that-trump-ignored-is-leaked/?

Canada will announce retaliatory tariffs on US today Canada will announce retaliatory tariffs against the United States on Tuesday after relations deteriorated sharply Monday, with President Donald Trump telling Canadian leaders to “fall in line” or face consequences “far WORSE” than existing tariffs. Read more. Why this matters: Canada and the United States share one of the world’s largest trading relationships, making a prolonged trade fight potentially costly for businesses and workers on both sides of the border. Trump also threatened new 50% tariffs on Canadian vehicles, auto parts and steel, while Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said U.S. trade demands showed Washington wanted to “destroy our major industries,” including autos, steel and aluminum.

US set for largest mass visa revocation in history Unless challenged or revised, the Trump administration is preparing to announce the revocations of up to 200,000 business and tourism visas for foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States, according to State Department documents obtained by The Associated Press and two U.S. officials. Read more. Why this matters: “We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently,” said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott. The revocations would not necessarily result in their immediate deportation, the officials said. Most of those with asylum cases currently pending would be recategorized but would lose their status as business or tourism travelers, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the revocations are not final yet. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ Deportees who refused to exit a US flight in Liberia are sent to Equatorial Guinea Wife of active-duty Army sergeant is deported to Honduras under Trump’s immigration crackdown Trump’s trade war with Canada could rattle economies in states with key Senate races What to know about Trump’s tariffs The long list of goods affected Trump moves toward levying new tariff on China, AP sources say Economists don’t expect reopening the US to Mexican cattle imports to reduce high beef prices Trump’s ‘economic D-Day’ threats become warnings for countries to sever financial ties with Iran Photos of daily life in Tehran as Iran braces for new US sanctions

Supreme Court sides with Trump administration on mail voting restrictions ahead of midterms The Supreme Court’s conservative majority didn’t decide the legality over President Donald Trump’s executive order restricting mail-in voting. The ruling says that states who sued did not have the legal right to challenge the order. Read more. Why this matters: It remains unclear how much can be implemented before the fast-approaching midterm elections. The decision leaves room for additional court challenges that could further slow Trump’s order, and other similar cases have already been filed. The U.S. Postal Service laid out how it would implement the order last week, but time is running short to impose major changes. While the emergency order is not final, it does have the potential to create chaos around voting across the country. RELATED COVERAGE ➤ What the court’s order actually means US Postal Service issues new rule for mail ballots, but its impact on the midterms is uncertain California Supreme Court hears arguments over sheriff’s seizure of ballots Darline Graham, Ralph Norman go head-to-head in South Carolina’s GOP Senate runoff Trump-backed businessman Mike Mazzei looks to secure GOP nomination for Oklahoma governor El-Sayed distances himself from popular streamer’s comments on Israel and Jewish Americans

A bright spot for young Americans While millions across the US are hurting from high prices and low hiring, new research suggests the finances of younger generations are displaying surprising resilience at a high level. Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 have higher credit scores today than they did just before Covid-19, according to FICO research shared first with CNN. Their average score has jumped 17 points since 2019 — the biggest gain of any age group measured — while Millennials saw the second-largest increase. Experts say younger Americans may be benefiting from better financial education, including an earlier understanding that a good credit score can make big purchases cheaper down the road. + Read more: Young Americans have higher credit scores today than before Covid

Two elections to watch Georgia voters will cast their ballots today in a special election that will further narrow Republicans’ already slim majority in the House. Democrats Marcye Scott and Everton Blair are vying to serve out the term of Scott’s father, the late Rep. David Scott, who died in April. Separately, Republican voters in South Carolina will decide a closely watched Senate runoff between Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman. Graham was appointed to fill the seat of her brother, Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died in July, and she has President Trump’s endorsement. The winner will face Democrat Annie Andrews in November. + Read more: Darline Graham’s race in South Carolina is a test of Trump’s chutzpah + Video: Trump to GOP: ‘Pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot’

Trump’s theory of global power faces a reckoning President Trump has reshaped US foreign policy around the idea that American strength can compel both adversaries and allies to fall in line. That approach is facing major tests with Iran and Canada as tensions with the two countries deepen. The US has been at war with Iran for six months, with no end to the conflict yet in sight. Trump on Monday also said that the US “will always be far bigger, richer, and stronger than Canada” after threatening steep tariffs. His rhetoric comes as a growing number of experts have warned that a prolonged effort against Canada, Iran and third-party countries targeted by sanctions could invite retaliation, potentially raising US energy and food prices and rattling financial markets. + Analysis: Trump’s foreign policy faces its most critical test in Iran and Canada + Plus: Trump is threatening 50% tariffs on Canadian cars. Here’s what else he’s targeting + USAFacts: Who does the US trade with? See top trading partners when combining total imports and exports Editor’s note: CNN has partnered with the not-for-profit USAFacts to share government data and insights that we believe are relevant to our audience. ps:What policies? He makes things up as he goes along!!!!!

The fight to reshape mail voting An election worker processes mail-in ballots. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) The Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump to move forward with a controversial executive order targeting mail ballots, though it still faces legal hurdles before it can be implemented. At the center of the dispute is the order Trump signed in March, which gives the US Postal Service an unprecedented role in deciding who can vote by mail. It calls for the Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of people it considers eligible to vote. States that send ballots by mail would also have to provide the Postal Service with lists of eligible voters and include information on the envelopes so the ballots can be tracked. The fight itself is nothing new. President Trump has spent years trying to overhaul mail-in voting while making baseless claims of widespread fraud. Now, the White House is touting the decision as a major victory for election security — and it may be creating more uncertainty than clarity ahead of the November midterms. For voters, though, the takeaway is simple: If you’re planning to vote by mail, nothing changes yet. The legal wrangling is just getting started, with plenty more court fights ahead. + Read more: What Trump’s Supreme Court win means for mail ballots + CNN Explains: How secure US elections really are ps:How much more pathetic can this administration be??

THIS DAY IN HISTORY August 25 1944 Paris is liberated after four years of Nazi occupation The French 2nd Armored Division and the U.S. 4th Infantry Division face light German resistance while successfully liberating Paris. German General Dietrich von Choltitz defied an order by Adolf Hitler to blow up Paris’ landmarks and burn the city to the ground before its liberation. read more Sponsored Content by REVCONTENT 19th Century 1835 “The Great Moon Hoax” is published in the “New York Sun” 1896 Outlaw Bill Doolin is killed 1980s 1985 Samantha Smith dies in plane crash 21st Century 2009 Ted Kennedy, “liberal lion of the Senate,” dies at 77 Arts & Entertainment 1939 “The Wizard of Oz” opens in U.S. theaters 1962 Little Eva earns a No. 1 hit with “Loco-Motion” 1984 Truman Capote, author of “In Cold Blood,” dies 2001 Aaliyah dies in plane crash Exploration 1875 Englishman swims the Channel Food 1958 Momofuku Ando creates the first mass-market instant ramen Middle Eastern History 1982 U.S. Marines deployed to Lebanon Natural Disasters & Environment 1931 Yangtze River peaks in Gaoyou, China, killing more than 10,000 1979 Hurricane David forms U.S. Presidents 1950 Truman orders army to seize control of railroads World War I 1914 Germans burn Belgian town of Louvain World War II 1945 John Birch, inspiration to conservatives, killed by Chinese communists

Charted: America's ER waits Data: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Map: Jim Sergent/Axios Americans now spend an average of more than 2.5 hours in hospital emergency departments, Axios' Maya Goldman reports from new federal data. ⏲️ The average time spent in the emergency department was 162 minutes. D.C. had the highest average visit length — 303 minutes. North Dakota had the lowest, with 110 minutes. ‼️ An average of 2% of patients nationwide left the ER before being seen.

🗽 Stat du jour: NYC booms as tech hub Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios New York City is home to more tech workers than San Francisco for the first time in CBRE's annual industry report. New York is the top destination for people who received a tech-related bachelor's degree in 2023. 🍎 What's happening: The Big Apple's tech boom is driven in large part by finance's embrace of AI, CNBC reports. Worth noting: Though NYC leads SF in raw tech jobs, the Bay Area remains much more reliant on the industry overall. 10.7% of SF's workforce is in tech, compared to 4.2% of NYC's.

🇨🇦 Inflation fears point true north Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios The U.S.–Canada trade fight is shaping up to become an all-out trade war, threatening America's path to lower inflation, Axios' Courtenay Brown and Neil Irwin write. What's going on: Neither side is backing down, with Canada expected to target politically sensitive U.S. sectors — like steel, dairy and agricultural equipment — with tariffs in the run-up to the midterms. Trade talks collapsed Friday night, triggering 50% U.S. tariffs on roughly $20 billion of Canadian goods, including wine, cement and dairy products. Canada's retaliation doesn't take effect until Sept. 8, leaving time for an off-ramp. But for now, neither side sounds interested in restarting talks. The big picture: Economists had growing confidence that the inflation hit from Trump's tariffs was largely in the past. The new Canada tariffs — and any further tit-for-tat actions — threaten to revive those pressures just as the Iran war's energy shock pushes prices higher.

🛂 Mass visa crackdown Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photos: Anna Moneymaker and Win McNamee/Getty Images The Trump administration is preparing to revoke the business and tourism visas of up to 200,000 foreign nationals who have applied for or are seeking asylum in the U.S., AP's Matthew Lee reports. Why it matters: If carried out, the move would be the largest single mass revocation of visas in American history — and would likely face legal challenges. The big picture: The move would target asylum seekers on B1 or B2 visas that the administration argues were used as a pretext to enter the country. B1 visas are generally issued for business trips, and B2 visas are generally issued for tourism, family visits or medical care. Current applicants for the visas are asked to affirm that they won't apply for asylum and prove that they intend to return to their home countries. What's next: The revocations won't necessarily result in immediate deportation, administration officials told AP. Most with pending asylum cases would be recategorized but would lose their status as business or tourism travelers. Keep reading.

🗳️ Mail-in maelstrom Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Stock: Getty Images The Supreme Court cleared the way yesterday for President Trump to implement parts of an executive order restricting mail-in ballots. Why it matters: The decision could complicate the midterms, putting election officials on a tight deadline to comply with potential changes, Axios' Josephine Walker and Avery Lotz write. Catch up quick: Trump's order, issued in March, directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of citizens eligible to vote and, separately, the U.S. Postal Service to craft rules restricting ballots to those on state-submitted lists of eligible voters. A coalition of Democratic state attorneys general challenged it, arguing that states administer elections under the Constitution. 🏛️ SCOTUS didn't decide whether Trump's order was legal, instead finding that states lacked standing to challenge the executive order because it was an "internal directive" that didn't harm the states that sued. The ruling was 6-3, with the three liberal justices dissenting. What's next: The USPS is still blocked from implementing its rule changes for now due to a nationwide injunction in a separate case earlier this month. The ruling ... The potential impact.

Trump's D-Day becomes a waiting game Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Getty Images President Trump's "economic D-Day" for Iran came and went yesterday with little of the shock or awe it promised, amounting instead to yet another extended ultimatum, Axios' Zachary Basu writes. Why it matters: Operation Economic Outcast will unfold not like the Allied invasion of Normandy, but as a sweeping, slow-burn sanctions campaign that could eventually lock Iran's foreign enablers out of the U.S. financial system. Zoom in: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent kicked off the operation by blacklisting more than 60 Iran-linked targets and widening the reach of secondary sanctions. "Every country has a defined timeline to shut down activities we have identified," he said. Bessent declined to name specific countries or deadlines, saying the administration preferred "quiet diplomacy" before resorting to "the hammer of U.S. Treasury actions." "Why would I want to blow up the global financial system?" he told reporters when pressed on the gradual rollout, saying countries deserve a chance to change their behavior. 🇨🇳 Between the lines: The real test will be China, which accounts for roughly 90% of Iran's exported oil and remains one of the regime's most important economic lifelines. If Trump follows through on his threats, secondary sanctions could force Chinese banks, refiners and shippers to choose between Iran and access to dollars, U.S. banks and markets. The intrigue: Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit the White House on Sept. 24, giving Trump another reason to think twice before risking a new confrontation with the world's second-largest economy.

> US stock markets close mixed (S&P 500 -0.3%, Dow +0.3%, Nasdaq -0.8%) as the US warns of global sanctions against Iran (More) > FTC settles Zillow and Redfin antitrust case after alleging Zillow paid Redfin $100M to curb competition (More) | California cancels Paramount settlement talks over $111B Warner Bros. merger, alleging Paramount leaked discussions (More) > Taiwanese prosecutors charge nine people, including staffers from Nvidia and Super Micro, over alleged illegal export of AI servers to China (More)

> New smartphone app Mobilio helps people with blindness or low vision navigate faster and avoid obstacles; early testing suggests it can rival a human guide (More, w/video demo) > Language skills appear to stay resilient with age, new brain imaging study shows; the language network seems to remain nearly unchanged in older adults even as other cognitive systems decline (More) > A 20-minute workout may protect memory after a sleepless night as well as a 90-minute nap; new study suggests both preserve cognitive function through different brain pathways (More) | How much deep sleep should you get per night? (More)

From Trash to Treat Researchers have 3D-printed high-protein cookies from crop waste and recycled plastic (w/video). The cookies, dubbed µBites, are part of a NASA-funded project aimed at feeding astronauts on long-duration missions. The team used water, heat, pressure, and oxygen in a 32-step process to break down polyethylene terephthalate, the main component in single-use water bottles. The resulting carbon-rich liquid was combined with yeast engineered to consume it. As the yeast fed, it converted the carbon into proteins, fats, and other nutrients (how yeast works). Researchers combined these nutrients with sweetener, fiber, and starch to create a paste, which they then printed into cookies. Humans are awaiting institutional approval to try the cookies, but the prototypes reportedly smell good. Experts say the technology could also help divert plastic waste while meeting global food demand, which is projected to increase by up to 56% by 2050 with population growth. All the plastic water bottles purchased from 2009 to 2019 would tower over New York’s Manhattan Island (scroll for visuals).

Reno Fire Spreads A fast-spreading wildfire near Reno, Nevada, has injured at least seven people, destroyed more than 30 homes, and burned about 23 square miles of land as of this writing. Officials have called on roughly 63,000 people to evacuate their homes. The Hawk Fire began Saturday near Hawk Meadow Trail, northwest of the city (how do dispatchers name wildfires?). Officials said Sunday the fire was human-caused but did not share additional details. The fire quickly spread, aided by dry vegetation and fast winds, with gusts predicted to reach 25 miles per hour today. The winds can change direction quickly and carry fires to new locations, making the fires especially difficult to contain. Dry thunderstorms risk fueling the spread further. Unlike many other states, Nevada is at especially high risk for wildfires due not only to its dry climate but also to its prevalence of non-native, invasive grasses, including cheatgrass and medusahead (w/videos). Listen to a fire historian explain the phenomenon via "1440 Explores."

Tehran Trade Squeeze The Trump administration expanded secondary sanctions against Iran yesterday, threatening penalties against foreign countries and companies that do business with Tehran. The move could restrict their access to the US financial system. The Treasury also sanctioned nearly 60 people, entities, and vessels that it says are tied to Iran's nuclear and missile programs, oil trade, and cyber operations. The measures add pressure to an economy already strained by previous sanctions and a US naval blockade. The rial hit a record low yesterday, with $1 buying roughly 2.02 million rials, while the IMF projects Iran's economy will shrink more than 5% this year. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent did not specify which countries could face secondary sanctions, but China, Turkey, and the UAE are Iran's largest trading partners (see full list). China buys roughly 80% to 90% of Iran's oil exports. Iranian oil reaches China via intermediaries and ship-to-ship transfers that can obscure its origin. Independent refineries, known as "teapots," are among its major buyers.

I just heard that! Pretty sad, she was a really beautiful person! She will be missed by many!!

I posted many things about Dolly Parton in the obituaries section. It got me thinking. We are different than most people. To me the purpose of this life, is to serve God and go to heaven. By serving Him, I mean following His instruction book, living a life of love with the focus on God and His principles. Children have been important to me, even though I started later in life. Their salvation, and my teaching to them have been important. Evangelism has been a big part of my life. But most people don't feel the way I do.

I think this helps understand her life.