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Rangers Drop Series Opener to Diamondbacks
The Texas Rangers fell 9-1 in their series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on Friday night in Phoenix.
Bills news: Previewing the Texans
Josh Allen and the Bills have never won in Houston. Buffalo needs better pass protection and a pass rush to change that.
Former Lions Starter Visits AFC Foe for Tryout
Detroit Lions former starter Colby Sorsdal visited the Houston Texans on Friday. The post Former Lions Starter Visits AFC Foe for Tryout appeared first on HEAVY.
Keys For Texas Tech's Defense At Oregon State
Texas Tech’s defense gets its first road challenge at Oregon State, where pressure on Braden Atkinson and another dominant night up front could decide the game.
Mike Evans Scores First 49ers Touchdown in Rout of Rams
Mike Evans made an immediate impact in his San Francisco debut, catching six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown as the 49ers rolled past the Rams.
Bills at Texans: Final injury reports for both teams
Here are the final injury reports for the Bills and Texans ahead of their Week 1 game.
Scientists announce discovery of a hidden solar process
An international team of scientists have announced the discovery of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) in the form of small,
Trump can’t stop insulting his own candidate in Texas. Why?
Republicans’ hopes of holding their Senate majority might hinge on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton more than anyone else.
Kaia Castle delivers career night for Texas A&M volleyball
Aggie middle blocker Kaia Castle hit .576 without an attack error across 33 attempts in the Aggies' five-set loss to No. 6 Wisconsin.
Mike Elko is 'excited' about transfer Ryan Henderson's emergence
After recording a sack and forced fumble in just four snaps, transfer Ryan Henderson is turning heads at Texas A&M.
Which Aggies landed on NFL IR, PUP and practice squads?
Texas A&M has several players on NFL injured reserve, PUP and practice squads entering the 2026 season.
The politics and possibilities of ‘AI could kill us all’
I found myself fielding a lot of questions from folks who don’t usually talk much about AI this week. They were mostly along the lines of “do you think AI is going to kill us all?” or “how worried should I be about this human extinction stuff?” Motivating this wave of existential anxiety was the highly dramatic resignation of now-former Anthropic employee Jacob Coxon, who quit his job while publicly sharing his concerns about safety practices at the leading AI companies. More specifically, he declared that almost everyone at OpenAI and Anthropic, the leading AI labs, believes that there’s a decent chance the AI systems they’re producing could “kill us all” by the end of the decade, and the companies aren’t “acting responsibly.” Other AI safety researchers, including those still employed at Anthropic and OpenAI, all confirmed that yes, Coxon is correct, they’re all worried that their company’s products might prove fatal for the entire human race as well. Two more AI employees quit and joined the chorus. Now, the warning shot has been covered everywhere from the Wall Street Journal to Fox News to WIRED to the Guardian. I understand why all this sounds scary, but my response to those who have asked, has generally been: No, you don’t need to worry that AI will kill go rogue and kill us all. But that does not mean we shouldn’t worry, period. Far from it. The companies building AI products are now among the wealthiest and most powerful entities in the world. And they very much are building enormous engines of mass surveillance, extraction, and automation. They can and have allowed their AI systems to carry out felony hacks of other companies, provided the government with autonomously generated kill lists, and sold enterprise technology to firms around the world that is explicitly intended to replace jobs. But “AI” has done these things not because they have all-powerful minds of their own but, ultimately, because people have programmed, calibrated, and directed them to. In other words, it’s not AI we need to worry the most about. It’s the people and corporations working to profit from and gain power by deploying it. The technology is sophisticated, sure, and, especially in cybersecurity contexts, potentially disruptive to plenty of existing systems. But if we want to stop this predatory, profiteering, and extractive form of AI—and it’s worth noting that at this point, most people do—we absolutely can. A quick note/plea: I can only do all of this with the support of readers like you, so if you find value in independent, critical tech journalism and analysis, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. I want to keep as much of this un-paywalled as absolutely possible, and I need your support to do so. Many thanks to all who continue to chip in, it’s very much appreciated. Onward. Subscribe First, some context: AI industry folks like Coxon have been discussing the prospect that AI will destroy humanity for years. Even before the beginning of the AI boom, many working in the industry, from the executive staff to the rank and file researchers, have obsessed over ‘x-risk’, or the possibility that AI will become sentient or semi-sentient and move one way or another to exterminate humanity. This is ostensibly why Elon Musk bankrolled OpenAI in the first place, and is the grounds for his lawsuit alleging OpenAI betrayed its charter by abandoning its nonprofit status to become a commercial enterprise. Many AI engineers and startup founders have calculated their own personal p(doom), or the probability that the tech product they are working on will initiate an actual humanity-extinguishing apocalypse. 10-25% p(doom)s are pretty common. (I wrote about a long weekend I spent among these folks at one of their top conferences here, to give you an idea of their ideas and belief systems.) Sam Altman himself drove the narrative of the imminent rise of a super-powerful AI, or artificial general intelligence, to prominence by declaring that the technology he was building posed an existential risk to humanity. This idea is in other words baked into the DNA of modern AI companies and into the products they engineer. It’s also why the industry is routinely accused, by myself and others, of “doom marketing,” ie, using such proclamations and framings to impart the sheer power of the technology behind your product onto investors, partners, consumers, and the state. Some ambient understanding of this tendency may have helped prevent the press from repeating the claim every time one of the x-risk folks made it over the years, including when they quit their jobs at AI companies while doing so. Yet Coxon’s AI x-risk alarm has broken containment, as they say, and has exposed the idea to the mainstream media once again. This has happened, I think, for a number of reasons. First, when AI CEOs were going around saying AI might kill everyone in 2023, their companies were well-capitalized, but not nearly to the extent they are today. They were more easily dismissed as eccentric geeks of the sort that Silicon Valley is supposed to produce. Now, not only do their products have much greater market saturation, but people are more aware of a) the often unethical ways the executives and companies comport themselves b) the other adverse impacts of AI that have already arrived, and c) the physical cost of building these systems, particularly when it comes to data centers. Finally, toss in the constant stream of headlines in 2026 about AI models going rogue or potentially upending the world’s infrastructure. [ ](https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/with-the-backlash-to-data-centers) [ With the backlash to data centers, Flock and AI glasses, a mass opposition to big tech is underway. Silicon Valley is in denial. ](https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/with-the-backlash-to-data-centers) Brian Merchant · Aug 27 [ Read full story ](https://www.bloodinthemachine.com/p/with-the-backlash-to-data-centers) As a result, general sentiment was already overwhelmingly skeptical of AI and its overlords, so the table was pretty well set for someone to come along and say ‘just a reminder, the companies that are building the product that promises to take your job and leave a data center in your neighborhood also think that it might exterminate the human race’ and get a strong reaction from the media and the public. The question is: Should we understand this stuff as hype, strategically fanned to feed already swelling valuations? Is it doom marketing? Genuine cause for alarm that the infrastructure that undergirds modern life is facing a novel threat vector? Or reason to be sincerely worried that AI companies are amassing too much power, and that their products are genuinely dangerous? The answer, I’m afraid, is “yes.” Let me try to untangle all of this a bit, because arguments over how to navigate this moment are extremely heated right now, as they are essentially arguments over how to approach the politics of AI at a moment where there may be a unique opening for action. Those sympathetic to AI alignment concerns and x risk arguments—which increasingly includes a faction on the left who want to shut down AI over safety concerns—argue that people who dismiss AI as all hype have their heads in the sand. Meanwhile, critics of the x-risk narrative—which I might note includes a cadre of investors and tech folks on the right, too—argue that it is hype and can be used to further inflate valuations or for pursuing regulatory capture. The challenge is that many feel that dismissing AI as just hype or purely marketing also diminishes the urgency of taking on the AI industry as the novel and threat to labor, civil society, and the public sphere it is; others that by accepting the industry’s own terms, we imbue it with undue power and enable it. But let’s be clear: Declarations that AI is so powerful it might end the world are a kind of marketing, and anyone who says otherwise is just as off base as those who say that’s all that it is. If you don’t think that these sub-trillion dollar companies have higher-ups who noticed that when their founders talked about super-powerful dangerous AI they got spikes in media interest and phone calls from investors, or that those founders didn’t notice that themselves, and lean into certain narratives to advantage their products, then I don’t know what to tell you. Not all marketing is a Pepsi ad campaign with a celebrity spokesperson. Yet confronting the AI industry should certainly be considered an urgent project. Do I share the x-riskers’ fear that out-of-control, super-intelligent AI agents might end the world? I do not. I’ve read a good deal of AI extinction literature over the last couple of years and I have not come across a credible, step-by-step documentation of how exactly AI might move from self-recursively improving AI to killing every single human on the planet. Most of what I’ve read seems predicated on a sort of reverse Ian Malcolmian logic: Eventually, it becomes smart enough and AI, uh, finds a way (to exterminate humanity). Are the AI companies also overstating and dramatizing what their products can do? Yes, pretty much all the time. They’re in a knife fight for market share and are trying to win customers and government contracts before their investors come knocking. And yet. They have concentrated enormous amounts of compute, have extensive data collection and surveillance capacities, have inserted themselves into the state in numerous capacities, including military kill chains, and they are being run by egomaniacal billionaires who are rushing to monopolize an entire new market. The way I think about their most recent frightening-seeming exploits is not as a “swarm of rogue AI agents building a new civilization” or whatever, but as corporations with a hitherto-unimaginable amount of compute at their disposal recklessly experimenting with automation programs, completely unafraid of any repercussions because we have been unwilling or unable to impose any on them. So I think we should welcome any newfound imperative to hold them accountable. I also think that ultimately, the AI critics, Pause AI folks, leftists, doomers, effective altruists, and, honestly, most of the public, want a lot of the same things: legitimate checks and limits on AI companies’ power, actual transparency into what the companies are doing, and for more of AI to be under public control. (Ultimately, a lot of what animates the x-risk fears are rooted in just that: a fear of losing control.) How we move towards all this, exactly, is the question of the day, and while there’s much to be argued over in terms of building a viable political platform to challenge the AI industry’s power, I do want to cast a vote against one particular approach. Not to pick on Chris here, as there are a lot of folks out there proposing stuff like this, and the policy ideas actually stem from AI safety groups. But not only would this be challenging to land politically (I can already hear the ‘China will beat us to AGI’ calls) and all but unworkable in practice, this approach is a) far too limiting, b) fails to address the current harms caused by AI and c) would likely only wind up serving Anthropic and OpenAI; it’s what regulatory capture looks like in action. Full model transparency is the floor for what should be on offer here. If these companies believe their products will kill us, the very least we deserve is to know how. It’s in the public interest. I would also argue we might get a lot of the way to stopping any currently envisioned robot apocalypse simply by forcing AI companies to assume liability, and to submit to the full brunt of the law. If Sam Altman were liable to be charged with a felony for approving the hack on Hugging Face1, if Google was forced to pay defamation fines each time it published a false and injurious AI Overviews, these companies might suddenly find cause to restrain their models’ output, and we might hear less about rogue AI. We would need to introduce new frameworks and available tools for tracking automated lawbreaking, to be sure, but I’d wager that little would frighten the AI companies more than actually being held accountable for what their products enable. To that end, Illinois has passed an AI liability law, which the industry fought tooth and nail, and Florida is considering one. The next steps would be towards moving AI under public control; again, it’s only reasonable, since everyone, not just AI insiders, should get a say over how a technology whose developers say might kill us is developed and deployed. Dismantling the whole industrial project as currently structured should be on the table, too, pending democratic input. But that’s for another post. For now, suffice to say that while I won’t be losing any sleep about an AI-enabled extinction event, Mr. Coxon and co. have given us an opportunity to underscore the urgency of the clear and present damage AI companies are doing, the extreme power they wield and the extent to which they hold themselves unaccountable, and the abundance of political capital there is out there for taking them on. Subscribe 1 Purely speculative! I do not know if he did or not.
Week 3: Texas high school football scores and highlights
West Mesquite 31, Texas High 14 Kilgore 50, Gilmer 64 Liberty-Eylau 15, Pleasant Grove 29 Mabank 14, Spring Hill 57 Waskom 24, Lakeside 14 Overton 20, Carlisle 49 Jonesboro 14, Union Hill 70 Tenaha 42, Big Sandy 41 (Thursday) Longview 22, Ruston 36 Athens 50, Pine Tree 48 Gladewater 7, West Rusk 28 Coach’s Corner […]
HIGHLIGHTS: Reagan County vs. Miles
MILES, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Reagan County Owls went on the road and spoiled the homecoming of the Miles Bulldogs in overtime with a 45-43 victory. With the win the Owls improved to 2-1. Next week, the Owls are at home taking on McCamey. Watch the video above for the highlights.
HIGHLIGHTS: Coahoma vs. Kermit
KERMIT, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – Coahoma went on the road to Kermit and got the 34-20 victory. The Bulldogs win their second straight game while the Yellow Jackets drop to 0-3. In week four, Coahoma is at home against Abernathy, and Kermit is at home against Alpine. Watch the video above for the highlights.
HIGHLIGHTS: Compass vs. Wink
WINK, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Wink Wildcats hosted Compass for their homecoming game and got the 42-13 victory, improving to 3-0. With the loss the Cougars drop to 0-3. Next week, the Wildcats are on the road facing New Home, and the Cougars are on the road to face Merkel. Watch the video above for […]
HIGHLIGHTS: Greenwood vs. Lubbock Cooper Liberty
LUBBOCK, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Greenwood Rangers went on the road to face one of the top teams in 4A in the Lubbock Cooper-Liberty Patriots and things didn’t go as planned. After beating the Patriots in the last two matchups, the Rangers fell 56-25, dropping their first game of the season. Next week, the Rangers […]
HIGHLIGHTS: Monahans vs. Lovington
MONAHANS, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Monahans Loboes have surpassed their win total from last season after defeating Lovington 35-7. With the win the Loboes improved to 2-1. In week four, Monahans is on the road taking on Shallowater. Watch the video above for the highlights.
HIGHLIGHTS: Iraan vs. Crane
CRANE, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – The Iraan Braves got the upper hand for the third straight year over the Crane Golden Cranes with a final score of 60-21. Both teams are now 2-1. Next week, the Golden Cranes are back at home hosting Lamesa, and Iraan is at home facing Stanton. Watch the video above for […]
Week 3 Texas high school football scores
Check out high school football scores from across Texas for Week 3 of the 2026 season.
Texas high school football: Friday's scores from Week 3
Friday's Houston-area and statewide scores from Week 3 of the Texas high school football season.
Union Hill dominates Jonesboro, 3rd blowout of the season
UNION HILL, Texas (KETK) — The Union Hill Bulldogs dominated the Jonesboro Eagles on Friday night to go 3-0 on the season. FINAL: Union Hill 70 – Jonesboro 14 Union Hill will play the East Texas Homeschool Sports Chargers next Friday in Longview. Jonesboro will face Calvert on the road next Friday. You can now […]
Union Grove beats Elkhart at home
GILMER, Texas (KETK) — The Union Grove Lions took on the Elkhart Elks at home on Friday night to start their first run of the season. FINAL: Union Grove 30 – Elkhart 6 Union Grove will face Tenaha at Tenaha on Sept. 18 for their last non-district game of the season. Elkhart will face Winona […]
Central drops Homecoming game vs Abilene Cooper 28-21
SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — The Central Bobcats entered week three of the high school football season 1-1 and hosted Abilene Cooper for their Homecoming. Bobcats were coming off a 40-35 week two loss in which they played catchup the whole game and looked to rebound tonight. Bobcats took on the Cougars for […]
Celebrating the legacy of Dr. Barbara Van de Wiele
Announcement celebrating the retirement of Dr. Barbara Van de Wiele from UCLA Health.
Game 148 Game Day Thread – Texas Rangers @ Arizona Diamondbacks
It’s been 1045 calendar days since Nov 1, 2023
EAST TEXAS POLITICS: Former ATF agent, now Smith Co. sheriff, remembers 9/11 Pentagon response
25 YEARS LATER: Smith County sheriff Larry Smith remembers responding to the Pentagon after 9/11
EAST TEXAS POLITICS: Former ATF agent, now Smith Co. sheriff, remembers 9/11 Pentagon response
Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith joins us for a special edition of East Texas Politics on East Texas Now to remember that day.
Week 1 injury report for Texans
Houston Texans OT Trent Brown and LB Wade Woodaz have no designation for Week 1
Who has the edge in Texas hosting Ohio State?
AUSTIN (KXAN) — Looking through the college football slate for Week 2, one matchup sticks out like a thumb that’s beyond sore. That is the showdown between two iconic programs ranked in the top five with Ohio State traveling to Texas. The game appears to most experts as a toss-up with plenty of NFL talent […]
Friday Night Lights: Midland Lee vs. Eastlake
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Are you ready for week 3 of high school football? Catch all the action from the Midland Lee vs. Eastlake game on KTSM+, livestreamed by the El Paso Broadcast Company and color comantary done by Mando “The Monster” Medina. The game is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, […]
Politics Needs More Pragmatism
To the Editor: It’s no secret that our political climate has grown wildly polarized and shockingly partisan. I recall growing up in a time when the hot topics for debate […]
North Carolina U.S. Senate Candidates ramp up campaign efforts as midterm nears
With the midterm elections around the corner, North Carolina's U.S. Senate candidates, Republican Michael Whatley and Democrat Roy Cooper are continuing campaign efforts in North Carolina and Texas.
Elon Musk's PAC adds Maine 2nd District race to electioneering bid
Musk's America PAC is already spending on the high-profile Maine U.S. Senate race. Now it's sending text and phone messages hoping to boost Republican Paul LePage in his contest against Democrat Matt Dunlap.
Three Bills Questionable For Week 1 Against The Texans
Buffalo faces a depth test in Houston as three players across the roster battle injuries, potentially forcing the team to elevate practice squad talent for Sunday's opener.
Texas health agency asks lawmakers for additional funding to address growing Medicaid, SNAP backlogs
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission, or HHSC, asked state lawmakers for additional funding to address a growing backlog of applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP,
Gov. Greg Abbott, Gina Hinojosa argue gender politics in governor race
Gov. Greg Abbott releases attack on Gina Hinojosa calling her a "gender bender" regarding Texas children ahead of the Texas governor race.
Heckler at GOP convention says of Abdul El-Sayed: 'He should be shot'
An attendee at the GOP midterm convention called for Democratic Senate candidates Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan and James Talorico of Texas to be shot.
Democrats rally with endorsement party in Harker Heights
The Bell County Texas Democratic Women celebrated five local candidates at the local political club’s 2026 Endorsement Party on Thursday night at The Art Space of Central Texas in Harker
TiVo Bows AI-Powered 'Agent TiVo' Entertainment Guide
TiVo Platform Technologies has launched “Agent TiVo,” a new conversational AI-powered entertainment software designed to transform how operators and entertainment platforms help consumers discover and engage with content across television and streaming environments. The platform, unveiled at IBC 2026 in Holland, lets viewers interact naturally by voice or text, helping them find content in the … Continue reading "TiVo Bows AI-Powered ‘Agent TiVo’ Entertainment Guide"
‘Lioness’ alum Michael Kelly joins ‘Landman’ cast for Season 3
FORT WORTH, Texas — Taylor Sheridan is roping one of his longtime “Lioness” actors into “Landman.” Paramount+ announced Wednesday, Sept. 9, that Michael Kelly is joining the oil drama as
PHI Air Medical expand partnership with Alliance Mobile Health in Texas -
PHI Air Medical and Alligance Mobile Health have oened their third Texas base in less than a year with a new facility at Livingston
NYSE president touts Texas' 'pro-business environment' as stock exchange competition grows
NYSE President Lynn Martin credits Governor Abbott's pro-business environment as the exchange officially opens its NYSE Texas headquarters in Dallas.
His Retiree Health Plan Kept Paying After 65. It Paid Only What Medicare Would Have Left Over, and He Had Never Enrolled
His former employer's retiree plan kept paying claims for three years, and every explanation of benefits looked fine until a hospital stay produced a bill worth thousands of dollars that no one had warned him was coming.
Could Texas Turn Blue? The GOP Faces a New Test
Co-hosts Brandon Rottinghaus and Jeronimo Cortina delve into the latest news in politics
Swiftkey Copies Pixel 11's Awesome Rambler Feature
With the arrival of the Pixel 11 series, it’s clear now that the star of the launch is the new Rambler voice-to-text feature. We’ve talked about it a number of times now, but other new Pixel 11 owners are talking about it just as much. Unfortunately, this is currently a Pixel 11 series feature and...
Bret Baier presses Paxton on Trump $5K dividend payment support
Fox News host Bret Baier questioned Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, the Republican Senate nominee, on Thursday over his support for President Trump’s new controversial “Trump dividend” proposal.…
9/11 Pentagon official remembers his survival 25 years later
For Lt. Col. Brian Birdwell of Texas, the Pentagon is more than a workplace, it’s the spot where his life nearly ended. Twenty-five years later, he’s walking its halls again, carrying with him a story of survival and a connection to the day that changed a generation.
Top Texas Republicans target Islam in GOP midterm convention speeches
Texas Republicans took anti-Muslim remarks to the national stage during speeches at the GOP midterm convention.
Bills at Texans: Thursday injury reports for both teams
Here are the full injury reports for the Bills and Texans on Thursday ahead of their Week 1 game.
Texas health agency asks lawmakers for additional funding to address growing Medicaid, SNAP backlogs
Texas Health and Human Services is asking the state Legislature for the funding to make more than 600 temporary eligibility worker positions into permanent jobs. The ask comes as Texas' backlog of Medicaid and Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, applications continues to grow.
York City v Swindon Town
Follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from York City vs Swindon Town in the League Two
Iran war largely ignored at the Republican midterm convention
Aside from mentions by Trump and top administration officials, speakers at the convention mostly avoided talking about the war.
Fact check: Trump, RFK Jr. and others make false claims on night 2 of GOP convention
President Donald Trump delivered another rapid-fire series of false claims on the second night of Republicans’ midterm convention on Thursday. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did his own barrage of wrongness. And various other speakers uttered statements that were untrue, misleading or missing critical context.
Fact check: Trump, RFK Jr. and others make false claims on night 2 of GOP convention
(CNN) — President Donald Trump delivered another rapid-fire series of false claims on the second night of Republicans’ midterm convention on Thursday. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. did his own barrage of wrongness. And various other speakers uttered statements that were untrue, misleading or missing critical context.Here is a fact check of some of the assertions from the final day of the convention. This is not intended as a comprehensive list of Thursday’s falsehoods.Trump’s many false claimsTrump made numerous false claims, some of which he also made in his longer speech Wednesday.Trump claimed that there were “no empty seats” in the Dallas arena as he spoke Thursday, which was visibly untrue. CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene, who was there, wrote in a live chat right after Trump made the claim that “I’m looking at rows of empty seats” and that “the idea that there are ‘no empty seats’ is just laughably untrue,” though she also said the room was mostly full. Trump has for years made false claims about supposedly never having had an empty seat.Trump further inflated one of his favorite fictional figures, claiming Thursday that “$22 trillion” in investment has come into the US; on Wednesday, he had put it at “over $20 trillion,” and even that lower figure has no apparent basis in reality. As of the time he spoke Thursday, the White House’s own website claimed there had been “$11.2 trillion” in “major investment announcements” this term, not “over $20 trillion,” and the White House figure was itself a major exaggeration of actual investment.Trump, talking about elections, lied that “there’s never been bigger cheaters” than Democrats; there is no basis for broadly describing Democrats as election cheaters. For the second straight night, Trump falsely claimed that the Biden administration allowed “25 million people” to pour into the country, though that number is nowhere close to correct. Trump again falsely claimed that former President Joe Biden and other Democrats “created the worst inflation in American history,” though even peak Biden-era inflation, 9.1% in June 2022, was far from the all-time record of 23.7%; it was a 40-year high, but the rate then fell sharply before Trump returned to office.Trump also baselessly claimed that Democrats would “defund the police” and give “voting rights and welfare to 25 million illegal aliens” if they won the midterms. Republicans will still control the White House in 2027 and 2028 and the president would be in position to veto any such changes if a Democratic-controlled Congress sought to make them, but there is no indication that Democrats want to do so. Also, even groups favoring strict immigration policies estimate that the total undocumented population is far less than “25 million” or even 20 million.As he did Wednesday, Trump claimed the US now has the world’s lowest prescription drug prices. The assertion is so broad that it is unclear what exactly Trump is referencing. But experts told CNN they highly doubt that the prices for brand-name drugs in the US are generally less than they are in other countries, and the Trump administration has not provided details to prove the claim.“It’s tough to claim that you’re getting the lowest prices anywhere in the world and then also not have any evidence to support that,” said Andrew Mulcahy, a senior health economist at RAND, while Diederik Stadig, senior healthcare economist at financial institution ING, said, “To say that the US now has the lowest drug prices in the world is at this moment not true.”And as he did Wednesday, Trump said “more Americans are working today than ever before” – which is true but nearly meaningless, since the number of people working in the US generally rises over time simply because the population rises over time.“There are more Americans working because there are more Americans. That’s the entire analysis,” Justin Wolfers, a University of Michigan professor of public policy and economics, wrote in his newsletter in August.RFK Jr.’s false claims on the pandemic, Trump’s record and moreFalse claim about Democrats and the 2024 electionKennedy unsuccessfully ran for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination before withdrawing to run as an independent and then eventually endorsing Republican candidate Donald Trump. In Kennedy’s Thursday convention speech, he complained of how the Democrats handled the nomination race.At one point, he said, “For the first time in history, they cancelled their own convention. No voter ever cast a primary ballot for Kamala Harris, no elected delegate was ever consulted; the party of ‘No Kings’ simply anointed a queen.”Kennedy is entitled to express unhappiness about how quickly Democratic leaders coalesced around then-Vice President Harris after Biden unexpectedly dropped out of the race in July 2024, after the primaries were over and less than four months from Election Day. But it’s not true that the party canceled its convention or that delegates didn’t get any say.The convention was held; it was a four-day event in Chicago in August 2024. Democratic convention delegates officially nominated Harris in a virtual roll call vote in advance of the convention. It’s true that Harris was the only candidate on the roll call ballot, but that’s because she was the only candidate who gathered enough delegate signatures to appear on the ballot.It’s clear that party elites’ backing of Harris played a key role in the unusual nomination process. But Kennedy’s specific allegations that the convention was abandoned and delegates were cut out of the process are not true.False claim that Democrats closed ‘every church’ during the Covid-19 pandemicWhile attacking Democrats, Kennedy claimed that, during the Covid-19 pandemic, “They closed every church in our country for a year.”It’s not true that every church in the country was closed for a year, nor even that every church in a Democratic state was closed for a year.Every state issued some type of guidance or order about social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic, but many states – including some led by Democrats and some led by Republicans – incorporated religious exemptions into those limitations on social interactions.According to a Pew Research Center analysis from April 2020, 15 states allowed religious gatherings to continue without a limit on their size. That set of states included Colorado, Michigan and Pennsylvania, which all had Democratic governors. And at least two states with Republican governors, Alaska and Idaho, were among the states that prohibited religious gatherings at least briefly.False claim that Trump ‘ended nine wars’Trump has repeatedly claimed that he has ended “eight wars.” Kennedy went one higher on Thursday, declaring, “President Trump has ended nine wars.”That’s false. Trump hasn’t even ended eight wars.Trump’s list of eight includes two situations that were never actually wars during his tenure: a diplomatic dispute between Egypt and Ethiopia and a mysterious supposed situation between Serbia and Kosovo. The list also includes a war, involving Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, that hasn’t actually ended despite a peace agreement brokered by the Trump administration.In addition, the list includes the war between Israel and Hamas, but Israel continues to conduct frequent attacks in Gaza despite a US-brokered ceasefire agreement. And it includes the brief 2025 conflict between Israel and Iran, though Israel proceeded to join the US in starting another war against Iran in 2026.Claim about reversing a decline in longevityKennedy speaking of the Trump administration, claimed Thursday: “We have now reversed a 30-year decline in longevity. “Kennedy referenced preliminary data that he said he had received from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week, but it’s unclear what metric of longevity he’s referring to.CDC data shows that US life expectancy had been steadily increasing for decades before a sharp drop during the Covid-19 pandemic. Life expectancy had already started to rebound in 2022, under the Biden administration, and reached a new record high in 2024 before Trump’s second term began.Preliminary data shared by the CDC in July suggests that life expectancy probably hit another record high in 2025.CNN has reached out to HHS for clarification on Kennedy’s comments.Claim that Democrats ‘lost 360,000 children’Speaking about Democrats, Kennedy said: “They somehow lost 360,000 children and they turned our federal government into the biggest child trafficking operation in world history.”Trump and other Republicans have made similar claims. But there’s no basis for the assertion that Democrats “lost” so many children or that the federal government was engaged in human trafficking.A 2024 report from the inspector general for the Department of Homeland Security said Immigration and Customs Enforcement had reported that more than 32,000 unaccompanied migrant children failed to appear as scheduled for immigration court hearings after being released or transferred out of custody between fiscal years 2019 and 2023 – a period that, notably, includes two years and four months under the first Trump administration. The report also said that 291,000 unaccompanied migrant children during this period were not given notices to appear in court.The report said that ICE had “no assurances” these children “are safe from trafficking, exploitation, or forced labor.” But it did not say all the children were actually “lost” and did not definitively assert that any of them were trafficked – let alone that the government was somehow involved in a trafficking operation. And, again, the report spanned parts of both a Republican administration and a Democratic administration.Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, told CNN in 2024: “Long story short, no, there are not 320,000 kids missing. 32,000 kids missed court. That doesn’t mean they’re missing, it means they missed court (either because their sponsor didn’t bring them or they are teenagers who didn’t want to show up). The remaining 291,000 cases mentioned by the (Office of the Inspector General) are cases where ICE hasn’t filed the paperwork to start their immigration court cases.”Vance on inflation, crime and taxes on Social SecurityA false claim about the media and Biden-era inflationVice President JD Vance mocked the media during part of his speech on Thursday. But he made a false claim about Biden-era inflation while lampooning how the media supposedly challenged him over another false claim on that subject.Vance said: “The president and I would go during a campaign, we’d say, ‘You know, inflation is as high as it’s been in 100 years,’ and the fake news would say, ‘No, no, no, it’s as high as it’s been in 68 years.’ That ain’t good, ladies and gentlemen.”Mainstream journalists, at least, wouldn’t say that inflation under Biden was as high as it had been “in 68 years.” Rather, CNN and others noted that peak inflation under the Biden administration, 9.1% in June 2022, was the highest in about 40 years.Vance is entitled to make his general point that this correction still doesn’t make Biden-era inflation sound good, but his specific number was, again, wrong. And he didn’t acknowledge that inflation fell sharply under Biden after hitting the 40-year high, declining to 2.9% in Biden’s last full month in office, December 2024, and 3.0% in January 2025, when Trump and Vance were inaugurated.The rate was 3.4% in July 2026, the most recent month for which data is available.Trump didn’t end taxes on Social SecurityVance claimed, “We’ve ended taxes on Social Security.” Several other convention speakers, including Rep. Lisa McClain of Michigan, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania and Ohio House candidate Derek Merrin, similarly said the administration has achieved “no tax on Social Security.”It hasn’t. The big domestic policy bill Trump signed in 2025 did create an additional, temporary $6,000-per-year tax deduction for individuals age 65 and older (which phases out for individuals earning $75,000 per year or more), but as the White House has implicitly acknowledged, millions of Social Security recipients will continue to pay taxes on their benefits even before the temporary new deduction expires after 2028.The Social Security Administration said in 2025 that “the bill ensures that nearly 90% of Social Security beneficiaries will no longer pay federal income taxes on their benefits.Claim about violent crime rate under BidenWhile criticizing the Biden administration, Vice President JD Vance claimed Thursday that the US “became a country where violent crime exploded, unless, of course, you could afford private security.”But violent crime did not explode under Biden. In fact, as FactCheck.org reported last month, data collected and published by the FBI shows that the national violent crime rate was at a lower level in 2023 and 2024, the last two full calendar years of Biden’s term, than it was in 2020, the last full calendar year of Trump’s first term. The year 2020 was highly unusual in many ways – violent crime jumped amid the Covid-19 pandemic – but Biden nonetheless left office with violent crime lower than it was when he took over. In fact, the 2024 violent crime rate was even lower than the 2019 rate under Trump before the pandemic.There was an increase in violent crime during the earlier part of Biden’s term. But given the subsequent decline, it’s misleading at best to claim violent crime “exploded” with no further context.Asked earlier this month about Trump’s similar previous claims to have reversed a Biden-era upswing in violence, crime data expert Jeff Asher said in an email: “No, crime began dropping significantly in 2023 during the Biden administration. Murder fell at record rates in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and, while 2026 may not feature a record decline nationally, it is still on track to see a sizable double-digit decline this year. Violent crime similarly fell nationally in 2023 and 2024, though the drops were more muted than the decline that was recorded by the FBI in 2025.”Other GOP speakersMike Johnson’s false claim about the inflation Republicans inherited from BidenSome other speakers at the convention took aim at inflation under Biden. House Speaker Mike Johnson claimed that “Republicans inherited from the Biden administration record-high inflation.”That’s not true. The inflation rate was 2.9% in Biden’s last full month in office, December 2024, and 3.0% in January 2025, when Trump took over. That’s lower than the most recent rate, 3.4% in July 2026, and nowhere close to the all-time record of 23.7%, which was reached in 1920, or the highest point of Jimmy Carter’s presidency, 14.8%, which was reached in 1980.Johnson correctly said moments later that inflation reached “a 40-year high of 9.1% inflation” under Biden. But a 40-year high is not an all-time record. More importantly, Johnson didn’t explain that 9.1% was much higher than the rate Trump inherited or that the 9.1% rate occurred in June 2022, with roughly two-and-a-half years left in Biden’s term.The cumulative increase in prices from the beginning of the Biden administration to the end was also not the highest in US history. Federal figures show that beginning-to-end inflation under Biden was less than half of that during Carter’s term.What Johnson left out of his claim about a congressional resolutionWhile attacking Democrats as extreme, Johnson said: “Just last week, nearly every Democrat in the House of Representatives voted against condemning socialism and Marxism. They voted against it.”But the resolution didn’t use the word “Marxism.” And Johnson didn’t mention that the resolution wasn’t only about condemning socialism. Rather, it contained other language that Democratic leadership said was the focus of the party’s opposition to the resolution.The resolution’s first provision said it “condemns and denounces socialism in all its forms, including the Democratic Socialists of America, and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States.” But its fifth provision said it “calls for enactment of the SAVE America Act,” Trump’s favored elections bill, which contains various provisions opposed by many Democrats.So while it’s very possible many Democrats would have opposed the resolution even without its expression of support for the SAVE America Act, the call to pass this elections bill served as a poison pill that ensured most Democrats wouldn’t support it.“House Resolution 1490 explicitly calls for enactment of the so-called SAVE America Act, which is the top legislative priority of far-right extremists,” Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries said in a statement last week.A New Mexico candidate left out key context in an attack on his opponentGreg Cunningham, a Republican House candidate in New Mexico, used some of his Thursday speech to criticize his Democratic opponent, Rep. Gabe Vasquez. Cunningham said of Vasquez: “He even voted against a resolution honoring the sacrifices and service of the brave men and women in law enforcement who protect, every day, our communities.”But Cunningham left out important context about the resolution. While its focus was expressing support for law enforcement, its preamble contained statements praising the Trump administration and criticizing “leftist activists,” “progressive politicians” and “sanctuary city policies” for allegedly making law enforcement less safe.In other words, a House member might vote against such a resolution, as the vast majority of Democrats did, because they disagreed with conservative components of it, not the general expressions of support for law enforcement. (CNN has reached out to Vasquez’s campaign and House office for comment on his vote.) It’s common for parties to write resolutions in a way that would make it difficult for opponents to support but would open those opponents to campaign attacks if they voted “no.”An Ohio candidate’s misleading attack about Democrats and votingMerrin, the Republican candidate running against Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur for a House seat in Ohio, claimed in his speech, “While Democrats talk about letting illegal immigrants vote in our election, Republicans fight for proof of citizenship, photo ID and fair elections.”It’s a big country, so it’s possible some Democrat somewhere is talking about letting undocumented people vote in some election. But Merrin’s claim is misleading at best. There is no proposal from Democrats in Congress to let undocumented people vote in the 2026 midterms – the election Merrin appeared to be referring to when he said “our election” – or vote in future federal elections.CNN has reached out to Merrin’s campaign for an explanation of his claim.House Majority Leader Steve Scalise invoked a similar theme in his speech Wednesday, claiming that Democrats had voted last week “to allow illegals to vote in our federal elections.” But there was no congressional vote on letting undocumented immigrants vote in any elections.Rather, there was a vote on the non-binding Republican resolution that included multiple provisions, including one that “reiterates the notion that American elections are for American citizens only,” one supporting Trump’s favored elections bill and one denouncing socialism.Opposing that multi-clause resolution doesn’t necessarily mean someone supports voting by any non-citizens, let alone non-citizens in the country illegally.This article has been updated with additional items.CNN’s Deja Oliver contributed to this report.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Shouts of ‘he should be shot’ heard during GOP midterm convention speech criticizing Democratic candidates
Shouts of “he should be shot” could be heard multiple times Thursday night at the Republican midterm convention as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz was criticizing prominent Democratic politicians by name.
Fears of a Democratic Wave Push Texas to Center Stage at G.O.P. Convention
A parade of speakers focused on crucial races in the reliably red Texas, where Democrats are running close, or even ahead, of Republican nominees.
Texas Health Resources mental health program integrates faith with therapy care
The program began in Alliance and expanded to Rockwall this year. It aims to go virtual in the coming months.
Kimmel says Talarico interview won't air on TV under regulatory pressure from FCC
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel said the agency that regulates television “threatened” the show and that an interview with James Talarico, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, will not air on television but on YouTube — thus bypassing any control or regulation by the Federal Communications Commission.
Dan Patrick pitches Texas model at Republican midterm convention
At the Republican midterm convention, the lieutenant governor said voters should view the election as a battle for the soul of the U.S.
Gorilla Heavy Hitters hosts Night of Champions in Midland
ODESSA, Texas (KMID/KPEJ) – This weekend, local boxing promotion Gorilla Heavy Hitters will be hosting its “Night of Champions” event. Multiple local boxers will be featured, showcasing West Texas talent, as Big Belt Champion and featherweight contender Conrad Martinez headlines the main event, facing off against the undefeated (15-0 13 KO) Victor “Jalapeno” Hernandez. Night […]
McAllen Fire Department to Host 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony
The McAllen Fire Department will host a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony on Friday, September 11, 2026, at 10 a.m. at McAllen Central Fire Station, located at 201 N. 21st Street in McAllen.
Illinois governor’s race shifts to Texas
Both Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Republican nominee Darren Bailey traveled to Dallas to court supporters in and around the Republican National Convention.
Illinois governor’s race shifts to Texas
Both Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Republican nominee Darren Bailey traveled to Dallas to court supporters in and around the Republican National Convention.
Texas Tech football schedule update — Texas State added
The Texas Tech football team's 2030 schedule is complete with the addition of Texas State. See all future non-conference opponents, game guarantees.
Indiana Looks to Stay Perfect Against Howard
The defending national champions return home Saturday looking to continue their strong start to the 2026 season when No. 5 Indiana hosts Howard at Memorial Stadium. Indiana enters the matchup 1-0 after opening the season with a 52-16 victory over North Texas. Howard comes into the game 1-1 and will face one of the biggest…
Maryland teachers now have new interactive science tool from state Ag officials
Explore Chesapeake Bay watershed education with engaging lessons designed for students in grades three to eight.
In Good Health: The Matter Of Maternal Mental Health Care
The Lindsay Clancy murder trial captivated the American public for weeks.Prosecutors charged Clancy with murdering her three children. They say she then tried to take her own life and that her injuries left her paralyzed from the waist down. Clancy’s lawyers say she was experiencing postpartum psychosis and should not be held criminally responsible. But prosecutors say she planned the deaths.After seven days of deliberation, the jury remained deadlocked and the case ended in a mistrial.The trial has divided the nation and sparked conversations over about maternal mental health, raising questions over gaps in care for parents after giving birth. About one in five expecting or postpartum women in the U.S. experience mental health disorders. And according to a 2025 study, overall maternal mental health has dramatically dropped in the past seven years, with only 25 percent of moms reporting excellent mental health.What do we know – and don’t know – about maternal mental health care? And how can our systems be bolstered to help those who need it most after giving birth?If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or thinking of harming yourself, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by phone and text. The National Maternal Mental Health Hotline is also available 24/7. You can text, call or chat at 1-833-TLC-MAMA. The Postpartum Support International also offers a helpline at 1-800-944-4773 or you can visit postpartum.net.Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a.
Jimmy Kimmel says FCC 'threatened our show' over interview with Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico
The late-night host said the sitdown would instead be posted directly to YouTube.
Kimmel says interview with James Talarico won't air on TV under pressure from the FCC
Jimmy Kimmel says the federal agency regulating television has "threatened" his show. An interview with James Talarico, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, will now air on YouTube instead...
Castillo Emerging as One of Rangers' Most Intriguing Prospects
Yolfran Castillo has taken a major step forward for the Texas Rangers in 2026.
Diego Martinez joins Texas A&M Department of Poultry Science
Diego A. Martinez, Ph.D., joined the Texas A&M Department of Poultry Science in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences as an assistant professor of poultry nutrition on August 1.
Babineaux delivers with first-place finish to start season
Nebraska’s men’s team teed off last week at the New York Harbor Cup, and on Tuesday, the women’s team began their season at The Bruzzy tournament. The two-day, 54-hole, 62-player event that ended Wednesday was hosted by the University of North Texas at Trophy Club Country Club in Trophy Club, Texas. The 11 schools that participated alongside Nebraska and North Texas were Oklahoma, UTSA, Texas A&M, Illinois, Xavier, Texas Tech, BYU, Texas State and ULM.
¡Texas Chivas fans: Chivas Femenil visit Dallas Trinity in October!
Big news, Chivahermanos in Texas! Chivas Femenil is returning to the Lone Star State, where it will play the 2026 State Fair Clasico against Dallas Trinity FC as part of the Tour Rebaño 2026.The roji...
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Week 2026
Across Latin America and the Caribbean, thousands of girls become mothers during adolescence each year. While many face significant challenges, one pregnancy should not determine a girl's future. With access to quality health services, education, social support, and informed reproductive choices, adolescent mothers can continue pursuing their goals, raising healthy children, and contributing to their communities.
Paul Finebaum makes prediction for Saturday’s Ohio State-Texas game
ESPN's Paul Finebaum has his prediction for Saturday's Ohio State-Texas game.
Jimmy Kimmel’s interview with James Talarico won’t air on ABC, will go to YouTube instead
It's the second time this year a late-night interview with the Texas U.S. Senate candidate has been moved online.
NewsWest 9
We are the Star of West Texas, bringing you stories from across West Texas and Southeastern New Mexico. We're relentless in providing breaking news, weather and traffic. Tweet us. Email news@newswest9.com. Call us at 432-567-9999. We’re listening!
WFAA
WFAA (Dallas–Fort Worth) is your source for breaking news, Texas weather, traffic, and live coverage in Dallas, Fort Worth, and across North Texas. Get the latest updates from the WFAA team — from major local headlines and investigations to severe weather, community stories, and the moments everyone’s talking about. Watch live newscasts, stream breaking coverage, and catch up on the top stories shaping Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, and surrounding communities. Subscribe for: • Dallas–Fort Worth breaking news + live updates • Texas weather forecasts, storms, and severe weather alerts • Investigations and accountability reporting • Community stories across North Texas • Major events, sports, and local explainers WFAA — Dallas–Fort Worth news and weather, live and on demand. 🔗 More: https://www.wfaa.com
What to watch: College football Week 2 viewer's guide
No. 1 Ohio State visits No. 4 Texas after beating the Longhorns in 2025.
Mission Historical Museum to Celebrate Día de los Muertos
The Mission Historical Museum will invite the community to celebrate culture, remembrance and tradition during its annual Día de los Muertos Folklife Festival on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026.
Texas governor's race heads into fall closer than any since 1994
Summer polling show Gov. Abbott ahead, but tight margins have Democrats and Gina Hinojosa optimistic entering the final two months before Election Day.
Setting Expectations for Texans Rookies in Their First Game
The rookies enter the spotlight in their debut performance
Thursday Morning Links
Morning, all! Sebastian Walcott has been setting the Texas League on fire but has been limited to DH as he recovers from an internal brace procedure performed in February. The plan is for him to return to the field for the playoffs and then play in the Carrinean this winter. League Nathan Eovaldi is chomping […]
Ella Langley leads Country Music Association Awards nods
Ella Langley leads the 2026 Country Music Association Awards nominations with nine nods, thanks to her hit “Choosin’ Texas.”
Ella Langley leads Country Music Association Awards nods, with mentor Miranda Lambert close behind
Ella Langley leads the 2026 Country Music Association Awards nominations with nine nods, thanks to her hit “Choosin’ Texas.” | WWL
NFL analysts make their picks for Bills vs Texans: 6 early predictions
Will Josh Allen and the Bills win on Sunday? The experts are split.
Walmart Reinvents the Store for a Faster Digital Future
Walmart President and CEO John Furner and Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey pointed to value, faster delivery and digital growth as key factors behind the retailer’s second-quarter performance in a video Furner posted on his personal LinkedIn account following the release of Walmart’s Q2 FY27 financial results.
Josh Allen puts aside past struggles in Houston as Bills prepare to open season
Opening against the Texans presents a challenge for Allen and a Bills team opening a new season with Super Bowl aspirations.
Rangers Going For Series Win Over Rival Mariners
The Texas Rangers have a chance to shake off some of their road struggles as they go for a series win over the Seattle Mariners.
Texas A&M Faces Arizona State Test After Dominant Season Opener
Texas A&M meets Arizona State in a major Week 2 test as Marcel Reed and the Aggies face red-hot quarterback Cutter Boley and the explosive Sun Devils.
How geopolitical rifts cut scientific collaboration
Researchers have measured how worsening geopolitical relations hobble scientific collaboration, at last quantifying the impact of rifts between governments on cooperation between labs. Over the last decade, a tenser world has thrown up new barriers to cross-border science. Collaboration between the US and China has dimmed as the two countries have sunk into an ever-deeper rivalry. Links between Russia and Europe have collapsed following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But while a concern, the magnitude of the damage is less than might be expected. For all the geopolitical turmoil of the last decade, international scientific collaborations are near a record high. “Some part of the story is positive,” said Shreyas Gadgin Matha, a social scientist at Harvard University and an author of the new study. “Research collaborations are largely resilient.” Matha and colleagues looked at data on cross-border research papers and patents in the period 2000-23, and analysed how they were impacted by countries’ political relations, as measured by how often states voted together in the United Nations. They found that when states drift apart at the UN by the median difference in votes between all countries, joint scientific papers decline by 3.1% over the next three-year period. To put that in context, over the last decade, the US and China have diverged by around a third of that difference in votes every three years. In other words, on average, it takes quite a significant diplomatic rift even to trigger a small single-digit percentage drop in joint papers. “In the short term, even something like a 3% reduction [in joint papers] is, in some ways, not that big of a number,” said Matha. Research remains more international than ever, according to an analysis extending to 2023 released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2025. We’re still living in an era of unprecedented scientific globalisation, the analysis says, with 27% of papers in OECD countries written across borders. In 1970, just 2% of articles had authors from different countries. Longer-term damage?However, this trend towards increasing international collaboration “has lost momentum and might be partly breaking down,” the OECD analysis says, largely due to a fall in the intensity of US-China joint papers since 2018. Matha and his colleagues stressed they are not complacent about the global science system. For now, “it's pretty resilient,” said co-author Muhammed Yildirim, director of academic research at Harvard’s Growth Lab. But if links are weakened, through the denial of study visas, for example, then this could have a much longer-term effect, cascading through generations of scientists, he added. Related articlesChina becomes Russia’s biggest collaborator after war decimates science ties with the west US scientists prefer German to Chinese collaborators, study finds Horizon Europe is now truly global. But what comes next? Another finding of the study, Burning bridges or bridging divides: Geopolitics and collaboration in research and innovation, is that trust appears easier to destroy than create.The hit to scientific collaboration when countries drift apart is around three times as big as the growth in joint papers when they move closer, the paper finds. “It's far easier to break these ties than to mend them, and that that also perhaps has some larger policy lesson,” said Matha.PatentsThe results around patents were less clear cut. Some methods of analysis found a statistically significant link between a diplomatic rift and a drop in co-patenting, but others did not. According to Yildirim, patents with cross-border inventors are often developed by multinational companies, which may have invested heavily in global R&D facilities, so are less likely to change how they operate simply due to a change in the geopolitical weather. “That's why we might not be seeing the effect immediately in technology,” he said.By contrast, researchers might be more sensitive to geopolitics, because visa policies can quickly affect who meets who at academic conferences, he went on. International collaboration on patents is much lower than for academic articles, the study shows. It peaked at around 10% in 2010, and has since fallen back to around 8%. This could be because China dramatically ramped up domestic patents in the 2010s, said Yildirim, squeezing the international share.
How geopolitical rifts cut scientific collaboration
Researchers have measured how worsening geopolitical relations hobble scientific collaboration, at last quantifying the impact of rifts between governments on cooperation between labs. Over the last decade, a tenser world has thrown up new barriers to cross-border science. Collaboration between the US and China has dimmed as the two countries have sunk into an ever-deeper rivalry. Links between Russia and Europe have collapsed following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. But while a concern, the magnitude of the damage is less than might be expected. For all the geopolitical turmoil of the last decade, international scientific collaborations are near a record high. “Some part of the story is positive,” said Shreyas Gadgin Matha, a social scientist at Harvard University and an author of the new study. “Research collaborations are largely resilient.” Matha and colleagues looked at data on cross-border research papers and patents in the period 2000-23, and analysed how they were impacted by countries’ political relations, as measured by how often states voted together in the United Nations. They found that when states drift apart at the UN by the median difference in votes between all countries, joint scientific papers decline by 3.1% over the next three-year period. To put that in context, over the last decade, the US and China have diverged by around a third of that difference in votes every three years. In other words, on average, it takes quite a significant diplomatic rift even to trigger a small single-digit percentage drop in joint papers. “In the short term, even something like a 3% reduction [in joint papers] is, in some ways, not that big of a number,” said Matha. Research remains more international than ever, according to an analysis extending to 2023 released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in 2025. We’re still living in an era of unprecedented scientific globalisation, the analysis says, with 27% of papers in OECD countries written across borders. In 1970, just 2% of articles had authors from different countries. Longer-term damage?However, this trend towards increasing international collaboration “has lost momentum and might be partly breaking down,” the OECD analysis says, largely due to a fall in the intensity of US-China joint papers since 2018. Matha and his colleagues stressed they are not complacent about the global science system. For now, “it's pretty resilient,” said co-author Muhammed Yildirim, director of academic research at Harvard’s Growth Lab. But if links are weakened, through the denial of study visas, for example, then this could have a much longer-term effect, cascading through generations of scientists, he added. Related articlesChina becomes Russia’s biggest collaborator after war decimates science ties with the west US scientists prefer German to Chinese collaborators, study finds Horizon Europe is now truly global. But what comes next? Another finding of the study, Burning bridges or bridging divides: Geopolitics and collaboration in research and innovation, is that trust appears easier to destroy than create.The hit to scientific collaboration when countries drift apart is around three times as big as the growth in joint papers when they move closer, the paper finds. “It's far easier to break these ties than to mend them, and that that also perhaps has some larger policy lesson,” said Matha.PatentsThe results around patents were less clear cut. Some methods of analysis found a statistically significant link between a diplomatic rift and a drop in co-patenting, but others did not. According to Yildirim, patents with cross-border inventors are often developed by multinational companies, which may have invested heavily in global R&D facilities, so are less likely to change how they operate simply due to a change in the geopolitical weather. “That's why we might not be seeing the effect immediately in technology,” he said.By contrast, researchers might be more sensitive to geopolitics, because visa policies can quickly affect who meets who at academic conferences, he went on. International collaboration on patents is much lower than for academic articles, the study shows. It peaked at around 10% in 2010, and has since fallen back to around 8%. This could be because China dramatically ramped up domestic patents in the 2010s, said Yildirim, squeezing the international share.
Why Ohio State football remains committed to marquee nonconference matchups
Ohio State hasn't added a home-and-home series in years, but remains committed to playing high-profile nonconference games like its latest with Texas.
Bills at Texans: Wednesday injury reports for both teams
Here are the full injury reports for the Bills and Texans on Wednesday ahead of their Week 1 game.
Which Texas college football stadium is toughest on visiting teams?
From deafening crowds to intimidating traditions, tell us which Texas stadium creates the toughest environment for visiting teams.
Houston Texans News: Thursday September 10, 2026
Your one-stop shop for Houston Texans, local sports, and news from around the league for Thursday September 10, 2026.
What public records of local elections meeting texts show + tax limits opposition
Read our Under the Dome politics newsletter to stay up to date, including what public records of elections meeting texts show.