Nation
Postal Service chief says work stopped on computer system key to Trump effort to limit mail voting
WASHINGTON | The top official at the U.S. Postal Service said Thursday that the agency has stopped work on developing a controversial computer system that was central to President Donald Trump’s effort to limit mail voting after the Supreme Court rejected his executive order this week. “There’s an injunction so we’re not doing anything,” postmaster […]
Anthropic says its model Claude is helping to build the next version of itself
Anthropic’s Claude is helping the company develop the next, more intelligent version of the model, the artificial intelligence lab said in an announcement Thursday. Claude is leading 26% of Anthropic’s model research and development, which the company said means it can complete most of a given task “end-to-end from a high-level prompt” while still being […]
US-Canada trade war further taxes small businesses as costs rise during the Iran war
NEW YORK | A trade war between the United States and Canada is making it more difficult and expensive for small businesses in the economically entwined countries to operate, according to business owners caught in the crossfire. Canada imposed reciprocal tariffs on about $20 billion (CA$27.6 billion) worth of U.S. goods last week after President […]
OpenAI flags concerning new AI behavior and vows to track it more closely
OpenAI has disclosed six reports of “unexpected or concerning” behavior in artificial-intelligence models as the debate on AI safety becomes increasingly heated. The AI company also said Wednesday it was introducing a new framework for tracking, probing and disclosing instances of what it called “misalignment,” including cases where AI models acted without authorization, coordinated with […]
The fight over congressional maps put nearly 35 million people into new House districts, report says
WASHINGTON | The unprecedented spate of mid-decade redistricting for the U.S. House has changed the congressional districts for one-tenth of Americans and significantly altered the makeup of at least one-fifth of districts, according to a new study. A report by Protect Democracy found that 34.8 million people — about one in 10 Americans — now […]
Attorney General Blanche’s appearances at political events blur Justice Department boundaries
WASHINGTON | Attorney General Todd Blanche is blurring traditional boundaries between politics and federal law enforcement with recent speeches at political events that mark a sharp departure from norms meant to protect the Justice Department from the appearance of partisan bias. Blanche took the stage this week at an event for a Republican Senate candidate […]
Warren Buffett steps down as Berkshire Hathaway chairman, a post he has held since 1970
Warren Buffett is stepping down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway after serving in the role at the conglomerate for more than 50 years. Buffett, 96, will become chairman emeritus and will take on his new role immediately, the company said Friday. His son, Howard, will become Berkshire Hathaway’s new chairman, part of a long-planned succession. […]
REEL NEWS IN A RUSH: Top headlines in Friday’s NewsMinute video
Read more SENTINEL MUSE: Fall guffaws mix with autumn melodies and memories across the metroplex Read more Struggling US home buyers, and market, face new hurdles as mortgage rates near 7% Read more Movie Review: Ethan Hawke leads a tense, Depression-era thriller in ‘The Weight’
Struggling US home buyers, and market, face new hurdles as mortgage rates near 7%
Home shoppers holding out for relief from rising mortgage rates may be in for a long wait. The weekly average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate home loan has been rising for months and reached its highest level in over 14 months last week at 6.76%, according to mortgage buyer Freddie Mac. This week’s snapshot, due […]
Climate change made deadly Nepal glacier and rock collapse more likely, according to analysis
BENGALURU, India | Human-caused global warming thinned glaciers and thawed mountain permafrost, likely helping to destabilize the Himalayan slope that collapsed last month and unleashed catastrophic flooding across Nepal, according to a report released Thursday. The report by the World Weather Attribution cautioned that climate change was not the sole cause of the Aug. 26 […]