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Mark Cuban warns of AI threats at Reuters NEXT event
Mark Cuban compared AI agents to cockroaches that exploit weaknesses at scale, but said defenders can fight back using just as much AI.
The Violent Cost of Being a Woman in Politics Spans Continents
Weekend Reading on Women’s Representation is a compilation of stories about women’s representation in politics, on boards, in sports and entertainment, in judicial offices and in the private sector in the U.S. and around the world ... with a little gardening and goodwill mixed in for refreshment. This week: —There is not (yet) the political will in the U.S. to talk about gender quotas ... but 35 nations in Europe have either been mandated or volunteered to implement them. —Weeks after the brutal rape of Arizona congressional candidate Bernadette Greene-Placentia, Australian independent member of Parliament Helen Haines is in hospital in a critical condition after she was struck by a car outside her office in what Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said appears to have been "a deliberate act." —"Politicians are no longer treated like we’re human,” says Arizona state legislator Alma Hernandez, who is facing rising harassment and threats. —Federal agents searched the Washington-area home of Rep. Ilhan Omar, a frequent critic of Republican President Donald Trump. —If elected governor of Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms would become the first Black woman governor in U.S. history. ... and more.
Demichelis Plans Leipzig Shakeup After Bayern And Madrid Defeats
Fresh from conceding ten goals in a brutal week, Martín Demichelis will rotate his squad to combat fatigue and neutralize Elversberg’s high-intensity threat on Saturday.
Colorado Football Receives Near Failing Midseason Grade from CBS Sports
Recruiting failures, and locker room dysfunction threaten the "Prime Effect" as Deion Sanders struggles to steer the Buffaloes away from the Big 12 basement.
European border crisis and high taxes fuel political extremism, Forbes warns
Steve Forbes discusses how the European border crisis and high taxes fuel political extremism. Forbes warns that government spending and unfettered immigration in Europe lead to economic stagnation and security threats.
Pope hope, that’s entertainment, and getting ahead in the CIA
Happy Friday friends, I want to start by just breathing for all of us a big long collective sigh of relief at the news this week that the pope’s doctors have basically blown the all clear for Leo’s health. Going from knowing nothing to him declaring to the world he needed surgery, to a cancer diagnosis, to bouncing out of the hospital in barely even days, to ringing the bell in less than two weeks is whiplash inducing. But in the best possible way. We are living in a world in which the Roman pontiff, by dint of history, biography and circumstance, is once more at the epicenter of global affairs. Not just conversations about religion, or Christian and post-Christian values, but the bleeding edge of the most pressing issues of human affairs. Think I am exaggerating a touch? Consider the images of the crowds who greeted Leo in Paris just weeks ago, and juxtapose them with the absolute photo negative scenes unfolding there recently. Ask yourself how many world leaders are talking about AI right now and directly citing the pope as they do so. Try to name a country who has had as many top-ranked diplomats in and out of both Russia and Ukraine in the last three years as the Vatican has in the last three months. It has been fascinating to watch Leo XIV emerge as not just a kind of pop culture reference point or totem to be cited (Francis was often name-checked this way) but as a kinetic force in global conversation. Given the state of things, we need global figures of gravitas and values, even better if they have real wisdom behind what they are saying. So news of Leo’s illness was, it seemed to me, a tremor with potentially Richter Scale implications. That not only has the worst not come to pass but instead we’ve had the best of outcomes announced is something to really be grateful for. Humanity, it seems to me, is entering one of its irregular but cyclical phases where the pace of change — technological, social, and geopolitical — outstrips the ability of previously settled norms and received wisdom to cope. Such periods – and I think the first decades of the last century were a similar such time – throw into question the viability of all kinds of institutions. And many of ours have been straining to breaking point for a few years now. The papacy has the power and the potential to be a steadying pole in all of this. That’s my hope, anyway. It’s a lot to freight the office with, though it is arguably its ultimate purpose from its founding, to be a steadying rock on which all that matters can be anchored. It’s also, of course, an intolerable weight of responsibility to place on a single man. But I am encouraged to have hope in – and for – Leo. The apostle whom he succeeds, after all, was famously unequal to some moments, failed some tests of faith, and resiled from taking the road which led ultimately to the circus on Vatican hill. Human frailty and limitations, of health, of character, of temper, can open us to Christ, whose strength is greatest in our weakness, so St. Paul learned. That gives me hope, and I am sure it consoles Leo, too. And so I will continue to pray for him. Because we need apostles of rock right now. Here’s the news. Subscribe The News The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued yesterday a new document “Venite ad me: Considerations on the Transmission of the Faith in an Epochal Change.” It’s not a short document, and it is at pains to stress this isn’t a doctrinal note from the dicastery, either. Rather, it brings together reflections on an important issue from the Church around the world. Some of it I actually found really rather powerful. It is, however, 25,000, which is a lot for a busy reader to get through on a weekday. So, you can read our busy reader’s summary right here. — News broke yesterday of an Oct. 22 meeting of U.S. bishops with President Donald Trump. The meeting was organized by an official at the Heritage Foundation, according to several sources close to the meeting. Video of several U.S. bishops praying in the Oval Office over President Trump was posted on social media Thursday afternoon, first by White House Communications Advisor Margo Martin, and then by the official twitter.com account of the Archdiocese of Denver. The meeting has drawn sharp criticism because of its proximity to the upcoming midterm Congressional elections, in which Democrats are widely expected to win control of the House of Representatives, while control of the Senate remains closely contested. Sources close to the bishops’ conference told The Pillar that some USCCB senior officials were surprised by the existence of the meeting when video of it first emerged online. And a source close to conference president Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City told The Pillar that the archbishop was “deeply frustrated” by the occasion of the meeting. An official conference spokesperson told The Pillar that the meeting was “not organized with or by the USCCB” and was “not affiliated with the conference.” You can read the whole story here. — The next National Eucharistic Congress will be held in Indianapolis in 2029, a return to the city that hosted the last gathering in 2024. You read it here first. By here, I don’t mean this newsletter, I mean at The Pillar. We broke the story this week. It’s a big deal, in as much as the last congress was a roaring success and the next installment has the potential to be a real focal point for evangelizing efforts in the coming years. Read all about it here. — As Pope Leo prepares for the longest trip of his pontificate, Church leaders in Uruguay say the pontiff will encounter a highly secularized culture, in a country with a very different Catholic history than many of its South American neighbors. The nation has not had a papal visit since 1988, and leaders who spoke with The Pillar say it has a dire need for evangelization, even amid the prospect of a small revival in faith. This is real reporting on the Church in the country, and frankly a story you simply are not going to be able to read anywhere else. Read the whole thing. — The Archdiocese of Detroit announced this week a plan that would see the vast majority of its parish priests reassigned next summer, amid a restructuring process expected to dramatically shrink the number of parishes in the archdiocese. Archbishop Edward Weisenburger said this week that the plan “asks much of our priests,” but is a “sacrifice they are making as brothers of one, unified presbyterate.” The thing is, as JD pointed out in an analysis yesterday, pastors of parishes have a legal right to stability in office, so the only way this kind of wholesale reassignment goes ahead is if all of the archdiocesan clergy agree to resign. That creates its own kind of legal issues, though, and re-raises longstanding questions about the effectiveness of canonical due process protections for priests when dealing with coercive exercises in authority. Read the whole thing here. — More than three months after the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith issued its decree declaring the excommunication of the leadership of the Society of St. Pius X, questions remain about the full effects of the society’s schism. Specifically, the DDF’s July claim that marriages witnessed and confessions heard by SSPX priests are now invalid remains contested — and it emerged this week it appears that the Vatican’s own legal experts don’t agree. You can read my whole analysis of the situation and what it means here. All I would add is that the DDF’s undeveloped, some would say unsubstantiated, claim about the invalidity of some SSPX sacraments came in their July Explanatory Note on the schismatic consecrations by the society that month. It touches directly on both papal acts of governance — indeed it purports to nullify them — and the most intimate pastoral encounters possible in a parish setting. If there is one aspect of the Francis-era style of governance I would like the curia to finally cut out, root and branch, it would be these attempts to try to effect extraordinarily sensitive legislative acts via a note. — At least a dozen French bishops have spoken out following an eruption of violence on the country’s streets Oct. 17. Not surprisingly, they unanimously condemned the violence, but the length and content of their interventions varied significantly. Several sought to distinguish between the actions of rioters and what they suggested were the legitimate concerns of peaceful young protesters. Many also evoked Pope Leo XIV’s Sept. 25-28 visit to France, suggesting it offered a powerful counter-image to the scenes of looting and destruction. A number of bishops also stressed their solidarity with law enforcement officials who struggled to contain the disorder, as well as the owners of the roughly 3,000 damaged or looted businesses. What’s the background to the nationwide unrest that the French media calls “les violences du 17 octobre”? And what exactly are the bishops saying? Read all about it here. — A Polish bishop called for the firm defense of unborn children as well as compassion for their mothers this week, as the lower house of Poland’s parliament passed two bills seeking to liberalize the country’s abortion laws. The bill on decriminalizing assistance in an abortion passed by 217 votes to 213, while the abortion in cases of fetal abnormality bill passed by 233 to 203, thanks to the government’s majority in the lower house. Both bills will now move to the Polish Senate, the upper house of parliament, where the ruling coalition has a larger majority. The fetal abnormality bill is symbolically significant because if it became law, it would effectively overturn a 2020 ruling by Poland’s Constitutional Tribunal that a 1993 law permitting abortion for a severe and irreversible disability or a life-threatening incurable disease was unconstitutional. Read the whole story here. Subscribe **[The St. Paul Center App | Bible Study On-The-Go Read and understand the Bible with St. Paul Center’s new app! With today’s leading Catholic Scripture scholars as your guides, the St. Paul Center app empowers you to read the Bible](https://stpaulcenter.com/app?utm_source=pillar&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=applaunch)** from the heart of the Church. Download the app for free at either the Apple or the Google app stores. https://stpaulcenter.com/app That’s entertainment I have written before about my deep and sincere reservations about the celebrity exorcist subculture which has taken root in American Catholicism. And, because I am very ill at ease with the entire thing, I try to keep a weather eye on the phenomenon without being drawn into the kind of online back-and-forth which these figures sometimes generate. Earlier this week, JD noted that one such celebrity exorcist type, Fr. Chad Ripperger, has undertaken, on the request of his bishop, a year’s fast from interviews and public speaking. I’m sure that will be salutary for him, if for no other reason than that receiving with docility requests from one’s rightful ecclesiastical superiors always comes with graces. Then a second thing happened this week which caught my eye. Apparently, another fixture in the celebrity exorcist world, Fr. Carlos Martins, has initiated a lawsuit against two lay men — apparently associates of Rippenger, though I am unclear in what way, exactly — for allegedly defaming him and his ministry on a podcast. It seems the suit was initiated nearly a year ago and is now pending. At issue, I read, is that the two men described Martins on a podcast as “not who he says he is” with regard to his exorcism ministry and that he “doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” These statements Martins considers to be false and defamatory and, his suit claims, “directly affected the sale and reception of [his] The Exorcist Files book that was newly released at the time these episodes aired.” I don’t want to get too into the weeds of the details here, but a couple of things struck me about all this.
Will Pitt's Defense Contain Miami Hurricanes' Malachi Toney From Igniting?
Senior cornerback Raion Strader and the Pitt Panthers' secondary aim to stifle Miami Hurricanes elite playmaker Malachi Toney, testing whether a disciplined scheme can ground the versatile offensive threat.
Republican gerrymanders in Texas threaten to fall flat, poll finds
Democrats have strong chances in two key congressional seats, new Post-Schar School poll finds.
Government won’t put together ‘shopping list’ for public to stockpile for emergency
Ministers have repeated several warnings in the last 18 months about the threat of hybrid attacks from overseas
Smart people react to a growing wave of threats to the internet
Execs and analysts are warning that major cybersecurity threats could leave critical systems — from energy and water to healthcare — especially exposed.
World Snow Leopard Day: Community action and new science foster coexistence with humans
Snow leopards range across Asia’s rugged mountains, where they face mounting threats from climate change, declining wild prey, and retaliatory killings from local herders. Today, on Oct. 23, International Snow Leopard Day, we look back at recent Mongabay reporting highlighting how innovative science, climate-ready habitat, and community-centered conservation are helping these big cats share mountain […]
The Tricky Convergence of Democratic Socialism and Civil Rights
Some worry that a new generation of progressives threatens the coalitions that opened government to historically excluded communities. But there’s plenty for them to learn from each other.
Understanding Illicit Political Finance to Counter State Threats
In 2024, Western governments warned that Russia was actively interfering in Moldova’s elections, seeking to prevent the re-election of pro-European Union politicians. This interference targeted Moldova’s political system from multiple angles, including covertly funding political actors and protest movements. There were widespread reports of vote-buying, including cash payments of up to €100 to voters. Reports […]
Florida resident arrested after threatening US Rep. Jared Moskowitz
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Boca Raton resident was arrested Thursday after making an alleged threat against U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, the congressman announced. Just after 2:30 p.m., Moskowitz wrote
Refusal of Care Laws: A Threat to Both Patient Health and States’ Protection of Abortion Access
What You Can Do To Put Patients First In Your State Across the country, people are being denied the health care they want or need, not for medical or professional reasons, but because of the personal beliefs of the health care provider or the institution’s affiliation. Denials range from abortion care (including miscarriage care), to […]
OPINION: Miami Heat Should Target Free Agent Shooting Guard
Following a dismal long-range shooting performance on opening night, the Miami Heat could look for a veteran marksman to restore the team's perimeter threat.
Slotkin's viral 'threat' to conservatives takes new twist as student moves to hold her accountable: 'Shocking'
Michael Bicksell, the University of Chicago student who broke the story, filed the ethics complaint arguing Elissa Slotkin's remarks targeted students.
Latest threat to democracy: Politicians bullying journalists
When officials refuse to answer questions they aren’t simply disrespecting journalists. They are disrespecting the citizens those journalists serve.
In Turbulent Times For Commercial Art, LightBox Expo Still Shines
The unique show focusing on commercial art provides much-needed community and opportunity for creative professionals as their industry is under threat.
Destruction of water systems directly threatens global public health
Water scarcity seldom starts wars, but wars increasingly degrade vital water systems on which health and recovery depend, creating a cycle that reinforces ongoing fragility and violence, warn experts in The BMJ's climate issue today.
US pulls diplomats from Saudi as Houthi and Iran tensions worsen
The U.S. ordered some diplomats and their families to leave Saudi Arabia because of the threat from Houthi militants, as the Iran-backed group carried out more strikes from Yemen. At
Have scientists finally found a way to save the banana from disaster?
With the climate crisis and diseases threatening one of the world’s most popular fruits, researchers are hoping a breakthrough in breeding techniques could give the Cavendish banana a certain future
OCPS delays health insurance decision amid legal threats from unions
With a potential legal liability looming over the School Board, it ended with a unanimous vote to postpone a hearing until Nov. 13.
Reviewing Rockies Season: Hunter Goodman
Once Colorado Rockies catcher Hunter Goodman solidified his position as the team's top home run threat, he really thrived throughout a tough season.
Vanderbilt Health-led team maps gene variants that can cause sudden death
Vanderbilt Health researchers have created a “map” of 1,757 genetic variations that can trigger a life-threatening heart rhythm disorder called long QT syndrome.
Childhood lead exposure remains a preventable health threat in the Americas
Lead exposure affects up to 815 million children worldwide. During International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week, PAHO highlights the need to identify sources of exposure, strengthen surveillance, and protect children from the harmful effects of lead.
Ohio bettor banned for alleged threats to Blue Jays manager
Ohio gaming regulators banned a man who allegedly made violent threats against Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider during the 2025 World Series.
Rep. Andy Biggs says he's been threatened: 'We're going to Charlie Kirk you'
Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs called for an end to threats against politicians and revealed that he has been targeted during his run for governor.
Top Democrats join California immigrant, Nevada group to sue over federal election probes
The lawsuit accuses Trump and his administration of using “shoddily compiled lists of supposed noncitizens” and “coercive threats" against state officials to assert federal control over the midterms.
Preparing for cascading climate risks
Arizona communities already understand that climate hazards rarely occur in isolation. Extreme heat can drive up electricity demand, drought can increase wildfire risk, and flooding can disrupt transportation, water systems, housing and local economies. Because these systems are connected, a disruption in one can quickly threaten public health and safety.
WA hospitals face $6B threat, new report says
Hospitals in WA could lose nearly $6 billion by 2033 due to HR 1 cuts to Medicaid, according to a new report from Sen. Maria Cantwell’s office.
A train was delayed by a solar storm. But something didn't add up.
Scientists have cracked a 178-year-old mystery surrounding a train delayed by a solar storm, revealing that the famous incident happened in 1848 rather than 1841. The discovery rewrites the early history of space weather and highlights a threat that still endangers modern power grids, satellites, and communication systems.
A 1960 Science Paper Set Doomsday for Friday, Nov. 13, 2026, and Its Population Math Held Up for Three Decades
A 1960 Science paper predicted doomsday on Nov. 13, 2026. There is no threat, but its population equation beat most forecasts until about 1993.
Darryn Peterson Could Unlock Lauri Markkanen’s Most Dangerous Role Yet
By drawing defensive gravity and facilitating as a playmaker, the dynamic rookie guard can transform Utah’s All-Star forward into a lethal, off-ball threat who punishes scrambled defenses.
Powder mailed to Arizona officials reflects surge in political threats
Suspicious letters containing white powder have targeted Arizona lawmakers and the state’s elections chief, as experts warn that threats and intimidation against public officials are rising.
Researchers warn of growing threats to sleep health across Europe
A new paper from the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Early Career Network of the European Sleep Research Society warns that sleep health is becoming a growing public health challenge ...
From Our Partners: The Hidden Devices Putting Your Small Business at Risk
During Small Business Month 2026 alone, Comcast Business detected and blocked 230 cyber threats targeting small businesses per second. That finding carries added weight across the Eastside.
United misses estimates, squeezed by soaring jet fuel costs
High fuel costs threaten to overwhelm the benefits for U.S. airlines of higher fares and robust spending by wealthier travelers.
WA leaders push back as federal health cuts threaten millions
Washington lawmakers warn that federal health cuts could cost hospitals billions and hike premiums, drawing debate ahead of the midterms.
Bayern Announce Fresh Injury Concerns Ahead Of Arsenal Clash
Vincent Kompany faces a selection crisis at the Allianz Arena as fitness doubts over Manuel Neuer and Jamal Musiala threaten to derail Bayern’s clash against record-chasing Arsenal.
Trump takes transactional politics to a new level at latest campaign rally
Trump effectively told Kansans he’s prepared to hurt the state on purpose if he dislikes an election result, which is every bit as remarkable as it sounds.
‘These risks are real’: the threat of AI bioweapons
In his annual speech on threats to the nation, Sir Ken McCallum, the head of the UK’s intelligence service, MI5, warned that AI had the potential to ‘change the stakes’ on existing and even new bioweapons. To find out why, and how, Ian Sample speaks to Dr Tom Inglesby, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security and the Bloomberg School of Public Health. He explains what has governments so worried and what measures could be put in place to reduce the risks
United CEO Scott Kirby calls for wealth tax and a near-100% inheritance tax
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says wealth inequality threatens society and calls for a national wealth tax and steep inheritance taxes.
Scientists get funding to tackle 'biosecurity threat'
A University of Surrey team is helping develop a vaccine against a bacteria affecting poultry.
Water shortages will threaten growth within five years, say over half of European industrial leaders
Water stress is already hitting operating costs, supply chains and infrastructure across European industryWater shortages now rank as high as cybe...
Threats of political violence soar in Australia’s ‘online echo chamber’
Independent lawmaker Helen Haines was in critical condition after being struck deliberately by a car.
AI Cloning Threatens To End Public Playtests For Video Games
Moonlighter dev Digital Sun has cancelled plans for a public playtest of its next game, for fears of Claude clones
Super El Niño forces dramatic color shift in the Pacific — as record-breaking temperatures threaten marine life
Does Florida, Jon Sumrall Have a Midseason Quarterback Battle?
Sophomore Tramell Jones Jr. sparked a massive upset over Texas, leaving Jon Sumrall with a high-stakes decision between his dynamic dual-threat backup and returning starter Aaron Philo.
Elissa Slotkin Wants to scare, threaten Young Republicans Away from Politics! Robby Soave
Unbiased Politics News
Real Madrid’s 4-1 win yielded little from set pieces
Real Madrid beat Sevilla 4-1 at the Santiago Bernabéu on Sunday, October 18, but the set-piece analysis published by Managing Madrid found little threat from either side’s dead-ball situations. Kyl...
McPherson lifts Auburn to historic victory after miraculous health recovery
Just a couple of years ago, Auburn kicker Alex McPherson battled through life-threatening health conditions. Now, he is fully healthy this season and kicked the game-winning field goal to defeat No. 1 Georgia on Saturday evening at Sanford Stadium.
NBAA-BACE Flight Deck Launches Bizav Expert Sessions
Panels tackle cyberthreats, the MRO crunch, and the C-band auction
OnPoint Helps Small Businesses in Oregon and SW Washington Defend Against Latest Cyber Scams - The Source
Cyber threats are becoming harder for small businesses to detect as criminals use artificial intelligence, stolen credentials, and increasingly sophisticated impersonation tactics. Half of small and midsize businesses reported a cybersecurity incident in the past year, according to the National Cybersecurity Alliance’s 2026 Small Business Cybersecurity Awareness & Practices Survey. OnPoint Community Credit Union is highlighting emerging […]
World leaders must wise up to threat of cyber-attacks or rogue fridges will be least of their worries
Global cooperation seems unlikely despite AI increasing the risk of digital fraud and the need to protect the financial system
AI-Generated Images Threaten Citizen Science Data
AI-Generated Images Threaten Citizen Science Data Experts warn AI manipulation risks distorting biological records, citing manipulated mantis and bird photos on platforms like iNaturalist
Scientists Found Dozens of Hammerhead Sharks Hanging Out Near Swimmers. Here’s Why.
Drone surveys spotted groups of up to 100 young hammerheads near Australian swimming beaches, where shark control measures pose a threat.
Peggy Gossett-Seidman grateful for arrest of man who threatened her life over political mail
The suspect remains in jail pending his next court hearing.
A Reporter Who Saw Covid Coming Has Died
Helen Branswell recognized the threat of the pandemic ahead of the vast majority of journalists and even medical experts. She was 69.
A Reporter Who Saw Covid Coming Has Died
Helen Branswell recognized the threat of the pandemic ahead of the vast majority of journalists and even medical experts. She was 69.
Pro-Palestinian politician threatens Berlin left's election victory over Israel stance
Pro-Palestinian politician Vanessa Emde has plunged Berlin's Die Linke into crisis after rejecting Israel's right to exist, prompting the Social Democrats and Greens to suspend coalition talks and threatening the party's chances of forming a government
Inside Hegseth’s political ambitions — and the risks threatening them
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has rarely shied away from controversy, but his latest spectacle — announcing that the convicted Fort Hood mass shooter’s execution would be livestreamed — proved a bridge too far even for President Donald Trump.
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(ANALYSIS) Political shamelessness threatens democracy by weakening leaders’ respect for ethical principles and the rule of law. Drawing on Plato’s Laws, this article explores reverence as a virtue that encourages humility, self-restraint and recognition of human limitations, arguing that responsibl
Congressional Staff Open Letters Containing Suspicious Substances
The incidents, the first of which was reported on Thursday, came as election officials have reported a growing number of threats directed at them.
Political violence: How justifications influence voter approval
What happens when political violence is presented as a justified response to threat or injustice coming from an out-group? A study by Ursula Daxecker, director at the Max Planck Institute for Politics ...
Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Put In Doubt Kingdom’s Sports and Business Events
The Iran-backed group’s attacks have disrupted sports tournaments and threatened business events that the kingdom has long used to attract investment and raise its profile.
Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Put In Doubt Kingdom’s Sports and Business Events
The Iran-backed group’s attacks have disrupted sports tournaments and threatened business events that the kingdom has long used to attract investment and raise its profile.
Can States Still Protect Public Health? The Risk of a Climate Regulatory Vacuum - Petrie-Flom Center
On Oct. 5, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that has the potential to greatly impact state and local municipalities’ ability to fight widespread threats to public and environmental health.
Science Missed the Giraffe's Only Relative Until 1901
Science ignored the okapi for centuries while Indigenous communities in the Congo knew it well, and even after a skull reached London in 1901, researchers struggled to explain what they were looking at. Today, this elusive giraffe relative faces threats that make it harder than ever to find, count, or protect.
Bill Taft: Road construction shouldn’t drive out local businesses
These road projects threaten to undo millions of dollars and years of economic development efforts.
Plague is stoppable. The next health threat may not be.
The word plague is scary. Centuries ago, the Black Death killed tens of millions of people and changed the course of history. Plague still kills people around the world, and the word still evokes catastrophe. New fears of plague surfaced on October 2, when a lab worker in Irkutsk, Russia, died of pneumonia. Reports suggested that she may have contracted plague through a laboratory exposure. Understandably, people were alarmed. On October 7, the World Health Organization called for the Russian Federation to be transparent about what it knew. WHO issued an update on October 10. Russian authorities told WHO that testing did not identify plague and that investigations found no laboratory release. WHO said confidence in its risk assessment remained limited and that further clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory information was needed. The cause of the woman’s illness remains unknown, and WHO says a laboratory-associated exposure cannot be excluded. As I explained in a recent interview, this incident is very unlikely to lead to a pandemic. Plague is still active, including in the U.S., which sees a handful of cases each year. But it is a disease we can prevent and treat. Plague doesn’t spread readily, and it responds to antibiotics. The standard response—isolate the patient, trace contacts, and administer antibiotics and monitor for symptoms among contacts for seven days—works. We have even planned for antibiotic-resistant plague. At CDC, we developed a playbook for antibiotic-resistant plague and ran exercises on how to find and stop it. CDC guidance anticipates engineered resistance and recommends two different classes of antibiotics if there’s reason to suspect it. There is no evidence that resistance—or even confirmed plague—is involved in this incident. We have thought through how to address plague, but we’re not ready for the next major health threat that emerges from a lab or from animal spillover to humans. What should concern people is how little stands between the world and the next pathogen to get loose. Since peak COVID, epidemic preparedness has fallen off the political agenda, but the risk is greater than ever. More labs handle dangerous pathogens with more ways to make those pathogens deadlier, and more people live and work in close contact with animals. There are actions we can take now: We need better lab safety in every country. The number of labs that work with dangerous pathogens has increased worldwide over two decades, but there’s no enforceable international standard and no inspection regime; the Biological Weapons Convention, fifty years on, still has no verification mechanism. Labs that study dangerous germs need strong safety systems, training, and oversight. We need to reduce spillover events. Three in four emerging human infections start in animals, and there’s a lot we can do to reduce spillover risk, but the world is doing very little of it. Live-animal markets are one place to act. For instance, closing live-bird markets helped control H7N9 influenza in China. Reducing opportunities for people to encounter infected animals can prevent infections before they become outbreaks. In The Formula for Better Health, which is now out in paperback along with the hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook versions, I argue that labs do too many risky experiments with too many dangerous pathogens in too many institutions, and that every experiment should first answer one basic question: Is the likely benefit greater than the risk? Spillover risk can also be reduced: In the book, I discuss how Brazil cut its deforestation rate by 70% from 2004 to 2012 while increasing agricultural production and reducing risky contact between people and forest animals. We need faster detection and response. Delay costs lives. Strong surveillance, good labs, and trained responders can turn a single case into a small cluster of infections instead of an epidemic. Resolve to Save Lives has worked for nearly a decade to help countries find and stop outbreaks faster. The 7-1-7 target, which Resolve to Save Lives developed with partners in Uganda and elsewhere, provides a clear standard: detect within 7 days, notify within 1 day and complete all essential early response actions within 7 days. In Uganda’s Kasese district, for example, a review of a measles outbreak using 7-1-7 identified shortages of accessible funds, fuel, and vehicles that delayed the response. District leaders established funds they could access quickly. When, a few months later, the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever appeared, the district detected it in three days, notified authorities in one, and mounted an effective response in two. Only one case was confirmed, and the patient survived. Because funds were available before the emergency, authorities were prepared and able to act. This kind of preparation can’t wait until the next crisis begins. Plague is an old disease we that know how to stop. The next threat may be harder to recognize, harder to treat, and easier to spread. Safer labs, less risk of spillover, and faster outbreak detection and response need sustained investment now, while we still have time to prevent the next emergency. Share
Lawmakers Demand Menhaden Cuts Before Chesapeake Bay Science Is Complete, Ignoring Already Struggling Workers
Menhaden Fisheries Coalition warns proposed restrictions could threaten hundreds of jobs held by rural Virginia's largely minority, unionized menhaden workforce
New tax proposal raises concerns with business owners in Downtown Merriam
Merriam is proposing a new sales tax to help fund downtown redevelopment and flood protection, but some longtime business owners worry the plans could threaten historic buildings and force them to close.
INTERPOL and WHO sign agreement to strengthen global health and security protection
INTERPOL and the World Health Organization (WHO) have signed a cooperation agreement aimed at tackling some of the most pressing threats at the intersection of public health and security.
Men tell Denton police a stranger threatened them with knife at business park
Two men told Denton police a stranger refused to leave their business property and threatened them with a knife on Wednesday, according to a police report.
Chiefs Should Fear Buffalo Most, Not The Chargers
Arrowhead Pride ranks the AFC threats. The Bills top the list as the only team that can truly challenge Kansas City for the title this season.
Bracing for H.R. 1: State and County leaders raise alarm over ongoing threats to safety net programs
The Multnomah County Board of Commissioners was briefed Tuesday, Oct. 13, on the harmful and ongoing effects of House Resolution 1.
Officials warn federal cuts pose critical threat to Juneau healthcare
Bartlett Regional Hospital could lose up to $4 million annually in Medicaid revenue as a result of changes
New Intermountain Health Study Finds Escalating Treatment Earlier for Patients with Life-Threatening Septic Shock Doesn’t Improve Survival or Recovery
A new study from researchers at Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City found that starting an advanced medication earlier for critically ill patients with life-threatening septic shock does not improve their survival, shorten hospital stays, or improve their recovery compared with waiting until their condition potentially worsens.These new resea...
‘The valley has been left behind’: how one of California’s poorest areas became its toughest political battleground
Rising costs and threatened healthcare benefits are testing voters’ loyalty to Trump as Democrat Randy Villegas challenges David Valadao
Climate extremes are the new health threats
Climate change is not only reshaping our weather - it may also be changing the way diseases like malaria spread. And: Prepping for El Niño across Africa.
Purdue’s Ryan Browne Has Turned Into The Quarterback We Needed
Ryan Browne has cut turnovers and improved his game. Purdue's offense is now a real threat with Browne, Fame Ijeboi, and Asaad Waseem leading the charge.
South Korea's stock rout reveals a double threat to the AI boom
Doubts about AI profits and growing reliance on outside funding are prompting investors to rethink how much semiconductor stocks are worth.
Alta businesses prepare for PG&E’s largest planned power shutoff in eight years
Tens of thousands of Pacific Gas & Electric Co. customers could lose power as strong winds and dry conditions increase the threat of wildfires across Northern California.
Aged aircraft exhaust poses a rising threat to human health
Fine particulate matter consists of tiny particles with diameters in the nanometer range. They are produced, for example, by fuel combustion, remain suspended in the air and can penetrate deep into the respiratory tract.
Justice Department threatens California with legal action over claim of noncitizens on voter rolls
The U.S. Department of Justice has threatened California with possible legal action over what it says are noncitizens believed to have received mail ballots for next month’s midterm elections.
Could the Marlins be Pursuing a Power Hitter?
While the Fish are funneling a lot of funds towards free agency, a power threat might be on the shopping list
What healthcare CEO Kate Ryder of Maven is telling her kids every day amid the AI education threat
Kate Ryder's Maven has AI writing all of its code and the CEO sees huge promise for the tech in women's healthcare. But there's one thing she won't cede to AI.
Trump administration escalates voter roll fight with threats against California election officials
The Trump administration threatened to take legal action against California election officials if they did not review a list of alleged noncitizens on Los Angeles’ voter rolls within 48 hours, according to a Tuesday letter from the Justice Department obtained by CNN.
Kennedy Center Appoints Director Role to Entertainment Executive Rick Canny
Donald Trump’s deserted Kennedy Center has given a longtime insider a plum artistic-director job, even as the president threatens to tear down the shuttered landmark. Rick Canny, an entertainment exec...
Businesses could be barred from non-essential water use amid supply threat
Golf clubs, private schools and car washes may face tighter rules from water companies as England’s drought continues
Dolly Parton's nephew denies threatening to harm her estate, pushes back against restraining order
Dolly Parton's nephew, Bryan Seaver, has filed a court response to a restraining order from Parton's longtime manager, Danny Nozell | WBBM Newsradio 780 AM & 105.9 FM
Dolly Parton's nephew denies threatening to harm her estate, pushes back against restraining order
Dolly Parton's nephew, Bryan Seaver, has filed a court response to a restraining order from Parton's longtime manager, Danny Nozell | 104.1 FM KMOX
Bipartisan senators ask national security officials to address AI threats
They said recent AI security threats should serve as a warning
Bipartisan senators ask national security officials to address AI threats
They said recent AI security threats should serve as a warning
2,000-year-old burial found in Russia near a human sacrifice and a cup to ward off magical threats
A human sacrifice was found next to an elite warrior's 2,000-year-old burial in Russia.
University of St. Thomas Launches Master of Science in Emergency and Disaster Management - Newsroom
The University of St. Thomas has launched a master's program in Emergency and Disaster Management to prepare professionals for evolving threats and complex crises.