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Mental health and ADHD diagnosis can cause harm, says official review
Government-commissioned report calls for more opportunities to work and socialise for young people and rejects claims of ‘snowflake’ generation
Letters: Voting rights for those with disabilities | Reject activist judges | No politics in theater reviews
Voting has gotten easier for those with disabilities, but we must continue to ensure that those rights continue to be secured.
Engelbert Humperdinck says he ‘went through hell’ rejecting 'casting couch' advances early in career
PRESIDENT PAZ: Bolivia has rejected socialism and is open for business
Bolivia's leader outlines a shift from socialism to "capitalism for everyone," seeking United States investment in lithium, copper, and natural gas.
Supreme Court rejects appeal over Michigan school ban on ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sweatshirts
The Supreme Court is rejecting an appeal from a Michigan woman challenging a school district’s ban on shirts with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon.” | KNSS Radio
US ends health funding for Zimbabwe after dispute over data-sharing terms
The United States will end funding for Zimbabwe’s health programs at the end of September. This decision follows Zimbabwe's rejection of a U.S.
Other voices: Both parties must reject the politics of resentment
“America does not need more political entertainers profiting from anger. It needs leaders willing to disappoint their own side when principle demands it.”
Wake County GOP wants voters to reject school bond referendum. Others disagree.
Wake County Republican and Democratic parties have taken opposing positions on five county and local bond referenda on Nov. 3 ballot.
Science or strategy? Researchers call for transparency over the Anthropocene rejection
Since its introduction in 2000, the concept of the Anthropocene—the idea that human activities are the major driver of Earth systems—has become highly influential throughout society, including in culture, ...
Tiffani Thiessen said she was ‘questioning my career’ after not landing role in James Bond film
‘Saved by the Bell’ alum Tiffani Thiessen said she was one of the final three candidates in an audition process for a James Bond film and the rejection was ‘one of the hardest’ she endured.
Real conservation efforts don’t ignore areas based on business
'Let us work toward real California 30x30 protections without rejecting key ecosystems for inclusion due to the clout of timber and agribusiness interests,' writes an L.A. Times reader.
Paramount, states reject Booker's call for deeper review of merger deal
Paramount, Warner Bros. Discovery and attorneys general from 12 states are pushing back against Sen. Cory Booker's questions about how their antitrust settlement came about and whether its terms go far enough.
Trump and Johnson meeting with AI executives set for Tuesday
President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) will meet with executives of top AI companies at the White House on Tuesday, the Washington Examiner confirmed. The expected meeting underscores the pressure Republicans are under to regulate the industry ahead of the November midterm elections. Johnson has rejected calls to act quickly on regulating AI models, […]
Trump Rejects Iran’s Cease-Fire Proposal to Reopen Strait of Hormuz
The president said the deal was not “acceptable” and demurred on whether he would restart military strikes after the midterm elections.
Stand Up for Science to Rally Scientists & Academic Leaders Against Trump Administration's Higher Ed Crackdown
Virtual rally comes ahead of 2025 Ed Compact anniversary; calls on university leadership to reject administration’s demands and defend academic freedom.
How Trump Moved Ethical Lines With His Ads, Businesses and Summits
The president’s decision to hold an international summit at his own private golf club, an idea rejected in his first term, illustrates how much he has shattered norms.
Supreme Court rejects Trump-backed Missouri congressional map for third time
The justices halted a federal appeals court ruling that would have revived the Republican-friendly map for the November elections, which will determine control of Congress. There were no noted dissents.
Washington Taxed Its Millionaires. Now the Rich Want It Repealed.
Washington State voters will get a chance to accept or reject the 9.9 percent income tax on millionaires approved by the Legislature, which broke the state’s taboo against levying income taxes.
Johnson vetoes City Council bid to rein in his borrowing power
The mayor rejects an ordinance requiring 30 votes to approve new debt, extending his battle with aldermen over control of city finances.
Maryland Democrats should reject gerrymandering and set a national precedent
Marylanders have a chance in November to turn the tide against one of the worst tactics in American politics.
U.S. Rejects U.N. Declaration on Preparing for Future Pandemics
Most member nations spoke in support of the declaration, but some rich countries had strong objections.
Astrology, homeopathy, vaccine rejectionism, creationism: Why pseudoscience thrives as science advances
Science has never known more, yet pseudoscience keeps gaining ground. Astrology, homeopathy, creationism and vaccine rejectionism all make
Pearland mayor rejects NAACP boycott as political expert says he's handling council tensions smartly
Mayor Wiltz did not support a call for a boycott over his treatment but said questions need to be answered about what he says are restrictions on his authority.
Florida HC Jon Sumrall Shuts Down Ole Miss Hype Quickly
Despite a surprising betting line favoring the Gators, coach Jon Sumrall rejects the underdog narrative, demanding disciplined play to upset the playoff-tested Rebels in Gainesville this Saturday.
For third time, Supreme Court rejects Missouri's bid for another GOP-leaning House district
The GOP wanted to redraw a district in Kansas City that had elected a Black Democrat. Six of the state's eight congressional districts favor Republicans.
Newsom vetoes insurance-claim bills: Is it ‘petty’ politics?
California governor rejects legislation sponsored by LA fire victims, who had spoken out against his wildfire-liability effort.
Supreme Court for the third time rejects Republican redistricting push in Missouri
A Republican effort to use a new congressional map that would eliminate one of the two Democratic-held districts in the state has again failed in court.
Trump calls Iranian plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz not 'acceptable'
President Trump said he was rejecting an Iranian plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian proposal is similar to a memorandum of understanding agreed upon by the U.S. and Iran back in June.
EuroLeague teams reportedly reject initial offer to merge with NBA Europe: 'It didn't sit well'
Supreme Court rejects appeal over Michigan school's ban on ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ sweatshirts
The Supreme Court is rejecting an appeal from a Michigan woman challenging a school district’s ban on shirts with the phrase “Let’s Go Brandon.” | 830 WCCO
Both parties must reject the politics of resentment (Editorial)
America does not need more political entertainers, like Hasan Piker, who profit from anger. It needs leaders willing to disappoint their own side when principle demands it. The soul of both parties is at stake. More importantly, so is the…
What a way to reject a lawsuit
The company managing Dolly Parton’s estate alleges the late singer’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, used barbed wire and yellow caution tape to help keep a process server at bay, according to Rolling Stone.
Fox Tells DC Circ. Worker Wasn't Fired Over Leave, Politics
Fox News urged the D.C. Circuit to reject a former Capitol Hill producer's bid to revive claims that he was fired over his political views and use of sick leave, arguing he was terminated instead for insubordination and unprofessional conduct.
Sunderland Penalty Against Arsenal Ruled Wrong by Premier League Panel
The KMI Panel unanimously rejected the penalty awarded against Ezri Konsa, while backing the other major decisions from Arsenal's 2-0 win at Sunderland.
Trump administration lowers fuel economy standards, critics say at a significant environmental cost
The new rules were released shortly after President Donald Trump rejected an Iranian proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz, sending oil prices soaring.
Justice Kagan rejects surrogate’s request for intervention in custody dispute
The baby’s biological parents said that high court intervention would only cause chaos and confusion.
Pleasant View rejects changes regarding data centers and adult-themed business, passes adoption of new roads and rules regarding decorative street signs
The Town of Pleasant View Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted not to approve two zoning amendments on first reading at their Sept. 14 meeting, sending proposals on data centers and adult-oriented businesses back to the drawing board for more work and consideration. Ordinance 26-08 would have restricted data centers to areas zoned C4, which
Didier Deschamps rejects Turkiye approach
France will get their UEFA Nations League campaign underway against Turkiye on Friday night. For the first time in 14 years, Les Bleus will compete in a game in which Didier Deschamps is not their man...
Missouri’s embattled, Trump-backed congressional map returns to Supreme Court for a third time
A quixotic legal battle over whether Missouri may use a GOP-friendly congressional redistricting plan for November’s election returned to the Supreme Court for the third time late Tuesday night, forcing the justices to once again review an effort the court unanimously rejected less than two weeks ago.
Trump calls Iranian plan to reopen Strait of Hormuz not 'acceptable'
President Trump said he was rejecting an Iranian plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian proposal is similar to a memorandum of understanding agreed upon by the U.S. and Iran back in June.
Romanian political crisis deepens as parliament rejects PM nominee
A snap election is now possible but centrist President Nicușor Dan does not want a vote that would risk handing power to the far right.
'I want to serve my country but I was rejected on health grounds'
Some 114,000 Army application were rejected on medical grounds in the past five years, Freedom of Information figures show.
Andrich Vows To Fight For His Leverkusen Place
After losing his armband and starting role under Carles Martínez, the German midfielder rejects transfer rumors to battle for his place in a new-look Leverkusen hierarchy.
Supreme Court rejects GOP’s third effort to capture Democratic House seat in Missouri
The third time was not the charm.
Issa Rae Says HBO 'Rejected' Some of Her Show Titles
The creator of 'Insecure' and 'Rap Sh!t' denies being "mad at the rejections."
Arizona prison health care issue heads to U.S. Supreme Court
PHOENIX - Attorneys for inmates in Arizona prison are telling the U.S. Supreme Court it should reject a last-ditch bid by the state to delay wresting away control of its health care system. In a …
Good science requires much more than evidence
Empiricists believe that scientific theories are true only if they make correct empirical predictions: if we can't verify these predictions, then there is no reason to expect that they tell us anything about reality. However, Professor of Philosophy at King's College David Kyle Johnson argues that this is mistaken. In response to Bas van Fraassen, who has written on this subject for the IAI, he argues that we have many reasons for believing a theory to be true, such as it being parsimonious and having large scope — qualities which have been used throughout the history of science as criteria for judging theories. In 2024, Princeton philosopher Bas van Fraassen wrote a short article for IAI News entitled “Science Does not Describe Reality: The Limits and Benefits of Explanation.” At the time, I was working on two projects (a science book and a Great Course) that, when completed, would (among other things) defend science’s ability to describe reality. I wanted to write a response to van Fraassen, but the projects demanded too much of my attention. But now that those projects are complete, I am in a position to explain the objections to van Fraassen’s thesis. Summarizing van Fraassen’s argumentIn a nutshell, his argument is this: What scientists do is make predictions based on theories and then invite others to test to see whether those predictions are borne out. “If theory T is right, result R should happen in experimental condition C.” Many think that running an experiment that shows that R happens in condition C is proof that theory T is true (and should be believed). But, van Fraassen argues, that R happened in condition C is only a reason to think that R happens in condition C. That’s the only observable, or empirical, result we can actually see, so that is all that we are really justified in believing. (The underlying theory that made that prediction still may or may not be true.) That is why he calls those who accept his position “empiricists.”Before I explain what is wrong with this position, let me explain what it gets right. What van Fraassen Gets RightFirst, a theory correctly predicting the results of an experiment is not, strictly speaking, “proof” that the theory is correct. The basic line of reasoning is this:If the theory T is true, result R should happen. Result R did happen. Thus, theory T is true.In other words:“If T then R. R. Thus, T.”This is a deductively invalid, fallacious mode of reasoning, called “affirming the consequent.” Those premises do not guarantee that the conclusion follows. “If I am in Pennsylvania, then I am in the USA. I am in the USA. Thus, I am in Pennsylvania.” Clearly that argument doesn’t guarantee its conclusion; neither does the above argument.However, science is not a deductive method of reasoning; it is an inductive one. And inductive arguments merely try to raise the probability of their conclusion, not “prove” them for certain. Thus, the fact that an experimental result doesn’t prove a theory is true is irrelevant; it’s not supposed to. That is not what scientific reasoning is about.___If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational.___Second, it’s also true that a single experimental result doesn’t provide enough justification to believe that a theory is true. Scientists do not come to a consensus about whether a theory is true by looking at a single experiment; they look at all the evidence to determine where the preponderance of evidence points. The mere fact that I am in the USA raises the probability that I am in Pennsylvania, but not nearly enough to conclude that I am in Pennsylvania. However, if I am also regularly encountering people wearing Eagles and Phillies hats and seeing advertisements for Founding Father tours, I probably am. In the same way, a theory successfully predicting the outcome of one experiment is not enough to conclude that it is true; but if a theory makes a wide variety of predictions that are all vindicated by multiple experiments, performed by many different groups and people, all actively trying to prove the theory false (which is what good scientific experiments are designed to do)—that is a good reason to conclude that the theory is true. In other words, if you repeatedly try to prove something false but can’t, that is a very good indication that it isn’t. The problem of underdeterminationIn reply, those whom van Fraassen calls “empiricists” often point to the “problem of underdetermination.” For any given theory that makes successful predictions about what happens in experimental conditions, there are countless other possible theories that make exactly the same predictions—and since they do, the experimental evidence in question is just as much reason to accept any of those theories as it is to accept our original one. Thus, the argument goes, we have no way of knowing whether our original theory is true, or one of the other “predictively equivalent” theories is true. SUGGESTED VIEWING How Occam's Razor changed the world With Johnjoe McFadden As an example of underdetermination, philosophers often offer this example. The evidence of fossils seems to provide reason to conclude that the universe is quite old; ancient fossils are what the “ancient universe” hypothesis predicts. But it’s also possible that God created an ancient-looking universe 200 years ago, complete with a “fake” fossil record for us to find, to make it look old. The existence of fossils is what that theory predicts too. So, the argument goes, the fossil record can’t be used as evidence that the universe is ancient; the fossil record supports the “200-year-old ancient-looking universe” theory just as much. The problem of underdetermination points out that, for any theory with supporting evidence, we could invent another completely different theory that predicts exactly the same evidence, and thus undermine that evidence’s ability to support the original theory.But this “argument from underdetermination” betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of what scientific reasoning is and how it works. To explain, let me use another rather strange (but very real and commonly discussed) philosophical thought experiment called “The Grue Problem.” The “Grue” ProblemSuppose I want to know what color emeralds are, so I observe a few, see that they all appear green, and form the theory that “all emeralds are green.” I thus predict that the next 100 emeralds I find will also appear to be green. And let’s say that happens, and so I thus conclude that my theory that all emeralds are green is true. Now, one might rightly point out that I don’t know for sure that all emeralds are green—I have not seen them all. Maybe some I haven’t found yet are blue. Fair enough. After all, we used to think that all swans were white, until we found some black ones. But let’s say that I go on a quest and collect every emerald in the universe—and, for the sake of the argument, let’s say I can do this, and can even know that I have every one of them. So, I collect them all, look at them all, and verify that they all appear green. Can’t I now rightly conclude that all emeralds are green?Inspired by the problem of underdetermination, a friend might argue that I cannot.Sure, they all appear green now—but there could be another kind of color called “grue.” Something is grue if it is green up to a certain point in time, but then spontaneously turns blue. And there could be an infinite number of “shades” of grue. Something that is one shade of grue will turn blue at noon today, but something that is another shade of grue will turn blue at noon tomorrow, etc. So yes, the emeralds appear green now; and since they haven’t turned blue yet, they are not some “past” shade of grue. But they might be some “future” shade of grue (e.g., they may turn blue at noon tomorrow). And since all future shades of grue are consistent with “being green up to this point in time,” the evidence you have is completely consistent with the notion that all emeralds are some future shade of grue, rather than green. Indeed, that they would appear green until now is what the “some future shade of grue” hypothesis predicts. So, we have just as much reason to conclude that all emeralds are some shade of grue as we do to conclude that they are green.You’re probably thinking “It’s not equally possible that the emeralds are grue; they are obviously green.” You are right! But explaining why your instinctive reaction to my friend’s argument is correct will help inform why van Fraassen’s “empiricist” is wrong and science actually does describe reality.The main mistake my friend makes is in thinking that the “empirical evidence” (of all the emeralds appearing green) is (or even should be) all I am using to draw the conclusion that all emeralds are green. It is not. I am also considering known facts about how colors typically work; things don’t usually change color, and when they do, they don’t do so suddenly, without cause, and all at once. So, even though the simple evidence of the emeralds all appearing green up to this point is consistent with them being some future shade of grue—that is even what the grue hypothesis “predicts”—it is still exceedingly unlikely that they are. The hypothesis that they are green is much more likely. Understanding science refutes the problem of underdetermination The misunderstanding about science that the “empiricist” pointing to “the problem of underdetermination” makes is similar to the one that my friend made. Science is not just about considering experimental evidence; in fact, it’s not even just about considering empirical evidence. As Ernan McMullin and many other philosophers of science have pointed out, the inference that makes science is “inference to the best explanation” (sometimes called “abduction” or “retroduction” by McMullin). While, depending on the circumstances, scientists use many different kinds of reasoning, science as a whole is, simply put, the process of considering multiple competing explanations and comparing them to certain criteria—explanatory criteria (the kinds of things explanations must be and do, by definition, to be a good explanation)—to see which explanation is the best.And these criteria do not deal only with empirical results. Yes, successful predictions raise the probability of a hypothesis, but it’s also the case that the more new assumptions a theory makes, the less likely it is to be true; every new assumption presents an opportunity for the theory to be false. (The fewer assumptions a theory makes, the simpler or “more parsimonious” it is said to be.) Likewise, the more existing evidence a theory contradicts, the less likely it is, because in order for a theory to be true, every piece of evidence it contradicts has to be somehow faulty. (The fewer established theories a new theory contradicts, the more “conservative” it is said to be.) And, obviously, the more something explains, the better explanation it is. (This is called having “scope.”) If a theory raises unanswerable questions, it’s not expanding our understanding, and thus is not wide-scoping. Scientists consider all these things when deciding which theory to accept, because the theory that adheres best to these explanatory criteria is most likely to be true.___the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth.___The reason the grue hypothesis is no good is because it invents an entirely new kind of color—not just a new shade, but an entirely different category of color (a different way colors work)—and thus is not parsimonious. It raises unanswerable questions about how and why emeralds would just spontaneously change from green to blue (and thus does not have wide scope). And it contradicts what is already well established about how color works (and thus is unconservative).The theories that the problem of underdetermination points to do the same thing. Yes, the theory that God created an “ancient-looking universe” (complete with an ancient-looking fossil record) two hundred years ago is also consistent with the empirical evidence (of a fossil record) that presently exists; but that theory is monumentally unparsimonious (it requires many extra assumptions about infinite entities) and not wide-scoping (it raises unanswerable questions about why God would do such a thing). So, I can rationally conclude that it is false.Indeed, the history of science includes many examples of theories that were rejected because they lacked parsimony and/or scope, even before their falsity (and the truth of their competing theory) was confirmed by observation. As I point out in my book, geocentrism was rejected by the scientific community because it lacked parsimony, almost 200 years before the observation of parallax confirmed that the Earth moves around the sun. And the continuum theory of matter was completely rejected by 1860, because it couldn’t explain chemical reactions or organize matter into a periodic table, even though the experiments that eventually confirmed atomic theory weren’t even proposed until the 1870s. Solving the best of a bad lot problemIn response, the “empiricists” are likely to object, this time pointing to the “best of a bad lot” problem. “We have no reason to conclude that an explanation that has been shown to be better than others is true because we have no guarantee that the true theory was among those that we were considering.” If you have a “lot” (a collection) of poor explanations, even the best one is not true.The responses to this problem, however, are numerous. Peter Lipton argues that the set of hypotheses that scientists consider are not just randomly selected and thus unlikely to contain a theory that is true; they use existing knowledge to home in on what is most likely to be true. A doctor trying to explain abdominal pain is not going to bother wondering whether demons are causing it; they are going to stick with things like appendicitis and kidney stones, because they are most likely. Further, despite its name, inference to the best explanation is not just the process of comparing hypotheses and accepting the best one; we also want one that is a good explanation in its own right. If it’s not, we are going to keep looking until we find an explanation that is. And while that process does not guarantee that we will come across the exact truth, it’s very likely that the theory that emerges as the best will be at least approximately true, and thus we will be justified in believing it. And lastly, as I point out in my book, although many theories not based in scientific evidence (like geocentrism and continuum theory) have been completely overturned, science almost always progresses by the refinement of scientifically established theories—not their replacement. (Although our sun is not the center of the universe, heliocentrism was our first step in understanding the Earth’s true place in the universe.) So even if a theory we accept today may not be completely right, accepting it is a step on the journey toward the complete truth. The example of atomic theoryNow, it’s worth pointing out that most empiricists are not skeptical of all scientific theories; they are only skeptical of the ones that hypothesize the existence of “unobservables.” It’s not like they think that round Earth, heliocentrism, and germ theory are just useful (but untrue) “instruments” for making predictions about how to most efficiently navigate the seas, predict planetary motion, and treat diseases. They admit that the Earth actually is round, that the planets revolve around the sun, and that germs exist and cause disease. These facts and entities can be observed; the theories that suggest they exist are true. It’s only when theories start hypothesizing the existence of unobservables—like electrons, or quantum fields—that can’t be observed directly, that we should start doubting the theories’ truth. And to be fair to van Fraassen, in this published work, he doesn’t really say that we should doubt the truth of such theories. Only that scientific reasoning does not rationally force us to accept them as true. Skepticism, or agnosticism, he argues, is warranted. SUGGESTED READING Science is based in metaphor By Andrew Reynolds But the history of atomic theory throws a monkey wrench into that argument. Atoms used to be unobservable; again, scientists first accepted the theory that they exist because it had such grandiose explanatory power. But then atoms were seen with electron microscopes. They thus moved into the category of the observable. But this didn’t substantially change anything about what scientists were justified in believing; it certainly didn’t change any “atomic skeptics’” minds. It just confirmed what everyone already knew! If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational. The fact that the thing itself is not technically observable does not make doubting its existence rational.What’s more, the atoms were seen with an electron microscope. But electrons are themselves unobservable. How can an electron microscope reveal an atom if electrons are not real? This leads us to what is famously known as Hilary Putnam’s “miracle argument.” It’s (not) a miraclePhilosopher Hilary Putnam’s miracle argument is somewhat famous. Basically, he argued that a scientific theory being able to repeatedly make successful predictions—even about unobservables—without being at least approximately true would require a “miracle.” In other words, it would be such an improbable occurrence that it could not rationally be believed—the better explanation for why scientific theories about unobservables make the right predictions is because the unobservable entities and structures they hypothesize exist.Van Fraassen has addressed this argument. Indeed, in his original article, where he references Alison Gopnik’s point about orgasms not being “necessary for procreation” even though the desire for orgasm “drives the creation of progeny,” he is pointing to his own argument about how organisms are not naturally selected by evolution to get true beliefs; to the extent that belief-forming processes are selected for, the ones that are selected are the ones that are useful for survival—not the ones that produce true beliefs. In the same way, van Fraassen argues, scientific theories are accepted, not because they are true, but because they aren’t falsified; they make successful predictions; that’s what makes them “stick around.” So, the fact that they make successful predictions (and thus became accepted) is not a reason to think they are true.This argument is similar to C. S. Lewis’s “argument from reason,” which he used to argue against evolution: “The truth of evolution undercuts our ability to know that it is true.” Lewis’ argument famously failed; Elizabeth Anscombe, by Lewis’s own admission, demolished Lewis in a debate on the topic, and I have explained elsewhere why modified versions of the argument fail as well. In short, it’s because it fails to recognize that a belief-forming process can make an organism more likely to survive because it reliably produces true beliefs. It is therefore not the case that beliefs generated by naturally selected belief-forming processes are automatically false or unjustified.In the same way, the reason a theory “sticks around” could be because it’s not falsified, because it “makes correct predictions.” But the reason it makes correct predictions is most likely because it is true. (In pointing this out, I am echoing the arguments of Musgrave, Lipton, Psillos, and Kitcher, who refuted van Fraassen’s argument and analogy long before his 2024 article.) It would be a huge coincidence that it could do so without being true. And that is the point of Putnam’s miracle argument. Thus, contrary to van Fraassen’s suggestion, the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth. ConclusionLet me close by saying something about the fact that empiricists don’t doubt the truth of all scientific theories, just the ones that hypothesize unobservables. In today’s society, this theory is dangerous to espouse publicly. The nuance between being skeptical about all of science, and just the highly technical theories about unobservables, is guaranteed to be lost to the average reader. And there is so much unjustified skepticism and doubt about the findings of science and experts that a headline like “Science Does Not Describe Reality” could easily fuel the anti-science movement, worsen climate change denial and cause the next pandemic.This is why I believe it was important to still respond to van Fraassen’s article, a full two years after he wrote it. Not only, as I have argued, does it represent a philosophically inaccurate view of how scientific reasoning works and what scientific reasoning can do, but it is a dangerous view to boot. It should thus be rejected.
Jackson business, political leaders call on feds to reject baseball park inside Grand Teton
Even a temporary field on already-disturbed land would do damage, letter says.
Romanian lawmakers reject a new center-right Cabinet as political crisis deepens
Romanian lawmakers have rejected a new center-right Cabinet proposed by Siegfried Muresan, deepening the country's political crisis
Stand Up for Science to Rally Scientists and Academic Leaders Against Trump Admin's Higher Ed Crackdown
Virtual rally follows 2025 Ed Compact anniversary; calls on university leadership to reject administration’s demands and defend academic freedom.
NBA Europe plans continue after EuroLeague rejects merger
The NBA is forging ahead with its proposed NBA Europe league. A key vote to merge with the EuroLeague just went down.
Editorial: Both parties must reject the politics of resentment
American politics is being hijacked not by one ideology, one party or one faith but by influential voices who have discovered that resentment attracts attention, outrage builds audiences and division produces political power.
Senate rejects measure to block Trump from ordering more strikes on Iran
The administration ignored passage of a similar resolution in June, arguing that it lacks the force of law.
5 tax measures are on the California ballot. Here’s how to make sense of them all
California voters haven’t had to make so many decisions about tax policy at the ballot since 1994. Our analysis shows voters to reject new taxes.
Current and future RFK Jr. aides criticize his science-rejectionist vaccine views
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has spent years casting doubt on vaccines, but the people lined up to work for him keep saying the opposite. Since
Gavin Newsom paddles to the political right with 3 notable vetoes
Newsom's rejection of pension, work-from-home and environmental bills won points with the right but angered some unions and advocacy groups.
The editors: Make it safe to lose elections
Today’s political rhetoric depicts electoral defeat as apocalyptic. If this leads to a rejection of the rule of law, it places the constitutional order itself at great risk.
Stand Up for Science to Rally Scientists and Academic Leaders Against Trump Admin's Higher Ed Crackdown
Virtual rally follows 2025 Ed Compact anniversary; calls on university leadership to reject administration’s demands and defend academic freedom.
Supreme Court denies Arizona’s bid to delay start of takeover of healthcare in state prisons
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected a bid by Arizona to block the start of a court-ordered takeover of healthcare operations in its prisons after the state was found to have provided inadequate care to incarcerated people and dragged its feet...
Susan Collins can stand up for science by voting against FDA nominee
If the senator values the general health of Mainers, she must reject Dr. Heidi Overton’s nomination.
Former special counsel Jack Smith to testify before Senate on Trump investigations
Smith has rejected assertions he or his prosecutors were motivated by politics.
Resolution Copper project on track after Ninth Circuit decision
A federal appeals court has left in place a ruling allowing the land exchange tied to the Resolution Copper project to move forward, rejecting a request to reconsider the case. The Sept. 29 decision means the Ninth Circuit will not rehear the case after a three-judge panel earlier this year declined to block the exchange. […]
Jackson business, political leaders call on feds to reject baseball park inside Grand Teton
Even a temporary field on already-disturbed land would do damage, letter says.
Arizona appeals court upholds rejection of Marana data center referenda
The Arizona Court of Appeals, Division Two has upheld the rejection of two referendum petitions challenging zoning approvals for a proposed Marana data center project, ruling that the petitions failed to meet Arizona’s strict legal requirements for referenda. The decision affirms an earlier Pima County Superior Court ruling and leaves the Marana Town Council’s January […]
US Supreme Court receives arguments about fate of prison healthcare system
Attorneys for Arizona prison inmates are telling the U.S. Supreme Court to reject a last-ditch bid by the state to delay the takeover of its healthcare system.
Newsom vetoes insurance-claim bills: Is it ‘petty’ politics?
California governor rejects legislation sponsored by LA fire victims, who had spoken out against his wildfire-liability effort.
Supreme Court allows Trump’s ‘third country’ deportation policy
This is the second time the court has rejected lower court rulings that immigrants must be able to object before being sent to countries to which they have no previous connection.
US Congresswoman Joins Fight to Keep Cannabis Legal in Massachusetts
Rep. Ayanna Pressley is urging Massachusetts voters to reject a ballot measure that aims to repeal the state’s adult-use cannabis laws.
Swiss voters reject bid to lock neutrality into Constitution
The country is known for neutrality, but Russia's war in Ukraine reopened questions over its non-engagement in foreign conflicts
Trump to form ‘AI Force,’ name AI czar but rejects calls for constraints
A growing chorus of lawmakers and industry leaders have called for moving more slowly on the technology.
A win for Cheyenne Audubon, city rejects Business Park zoning for parcel near bird habitat
CHEYENNE, Wyo. — An ordinance to rezone a 74-acre parcel in far east Cheyenne to Business Park, controversial to a dedicated group of bird enthusiasts who
Justice Kagan rejects surrogate’s request for intervention in custody dispute
The baby’s biological parents said that high court intervention would only cause chaos and confusion.
The Beclowning of Scott Bessent
One iron law of current politics is that nobody who associates themselves with Donald Trump emerges with a shred of credibility. For some, that’s not a big loss — it’s not as if anyone respected Pete Hegseth even before he decided that the key to military success in an age of drones and AI was more testosterone. For others, however, the costs are real. I’m old enough to remember when Marco Rubio was widely considered a reasonable, thoughtful politician. Right now, however, my candidate for the biggest loser is Scott Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury. Bessent started out with significant reputation to lose: When Trump selected him, this was the headline in the Financial Times: Jason Furman, Barack Obama’s chief economist, described him as a “credible Treasury secretary who has a real understanding of the global economy”. But Bessent has now transformed himself into the Baghdad Bob of bonds. Three weeks ago, after intervening (for reasons that remain somewhat unclear) to support the Japanese yen, Bessent boasted about his ability to move markets and dared investors to bet against his, declaring “I am the house now.” He then tried to push long-term interest rates down, buying 30-year U.S. Treasuries in a move some have compared to paying down part of your mortgage by running up your credit card balance. Here’s how that’s going so far: To get some perspective on how high interest rates have gone, here’s a longer-term perspective: We haven’t seen interest rates this high since the fading days of the dotcom bubble. Why are interest rates hitting new records? The backdrop, as I argued in last Sunday’s primer, is the huge AI-driven investment boom; more on that next week. But the immediate cause of the latest interest rate spike was Trump’s rejection of an Iranian proposal to end the war. This rejection sent crude oil prices, which for a while had fallen considerably, shooting back up: It’s notable, by the way, that oil prices remain high even though a significant amount of oil is now being shuttled through the Strait of Hormuz by night, on smaller vessels. That’s an interesting story, which has a lot to do with the fact that oil from the Hormuz shuttle runs must be transferred to larger vessels before being shipped to markets in Europe and Asia; around 15 percent of the world’s large crude carriers are now parked off the coast of Oman, waiting to be tanked up. This is creating a shipping crunch: But that’s a topic for another day. For now, the point is that with oil still high and refined products, especially diesel, still close to record levels, inflation will remain elevated. And this in turn means that the Federal Reserve will keep short-term interest rates high, an expectation that is feeding into longer-term rates. Hence Bessent’s bond-market humiliation. The truth is that Bessent might not have been able to get interest rates down even in the best of circumstances. But he certainly won’t get anywhere as long as Trump keeps believing that he can somehow convert his Iran debacle into a triumphant victory. And Trump will keep believing that as long as he is surrounded by sycophants who tell him what he wants to hear. Sycophants like, for example, Scott Bessent, who is predicting the imminent collapse of the Iranian economy, possibly within two weeks. Bessent is right to say that the embargo on Iranian oil exports is placing the country under great economic strain. But his implicit prediction that this will quickly produce a deal that Trump can call victory looks no more plausible than his boasts about the bond market. The big question now is, why would anyone with a reputation to lose work for Donald Trump? As the beclowning of Bessent shows, joining the Trump team won’t just damage your reputation; it will utterly destroy it.
Appellate court rejects new rules sought by Brooklyn Democrats
The outgoing chair, Assembly Member Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, unexpectedly bowed out of the race on Monday night.
Browns coach Todd Monken discusses mental process of getting rejected by Jets for Adam Gase in 2019
Business groups urge Trump to reject diesel export ban amid record prices
Key senators reject White House proposal on NIH grants
Sens. Susan Collins and Patty Murray are rejecting efforts by the Trump administration to give the White House control of National Institutes of Health grant funding.
LDF Strongly Opposes Passage of the Protect College Sports Act, Urges House to Reject the Bill
On Sept. 28, the U.S. Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA), an irresponsible piece of legislation that threatens the financial security and success student-athletes, including low-income Black student-athletes, have earned. The Legal Defense Fund previously issued a letter urging all members of Congress to reject the bill. Altogether, the PCSA lacks employment rights […]
Commentary: Politicians continue campaign of dehumanizing trans people as affordability crisis crushes families
Forget about the disastrous war nobody wanted, or your wallet drained by crippling expenses. Instead, be afraid of a small, defenseless community the GOP has scapegoated and reject as extremist any candidate who dares acknowledge their humanity.
German politicians warn of antisemitism on October 7 anniversary
Leading German politicians including Chancellor Merz and President Steinmeier called for people to reject antisemitism.
Trump rejects Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Trump spoke to reporters Saturday outside the White House before leaving for a college football game. His
Supreme Court rejects Michigan woman's appeal over school's ban on 'Let's Go Brandon' sweatshirts
The mother of two boys says their First Amendment rights were violated when they were told to take off the sweatshirts she bought them for Christmas in 2022.
For the first time, Minnesota has K-12 health standards. Here’s what to know
Minnesota’s first statewide K-12 health standards were approved Tuesday after an earlier version was rejected in July. The standards cover topics including sexual health, mental health, nutrition and media literacy.
Senate rejects resolution calling to end the Iran war, as most Republicans stick with Trump
The same resolution passed the House in July as voters say they disapprove of the war and some Republican candidates have distanced themselves from President Donald Trump.
Supreme Court rejects Roy Moore's push to restore $8.2M defamation verdict awarded to him
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected Roy Moore’s push to restore an $8.2 million defamation verdict awarded to him over a 2017 Senate ad | KNSS Radio
Maine Democrat who rejects special interests previously ran PAC that courted them
Troy Jackson is challenging Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a pivotal contest that has been dominated by campaign finance issues.
AIPAC Is Spending Millions to Elect Friends. It’s Also Making Enemies.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has increasingly become a campaign issue unto itself. Some candidates have worn opposition from AIPAC as a badge of honor or made a point of rejecting the group’s support.
Rubio to deliver urgent plea to save Western civilization during speech in its birthplace
Marco Rubio will deliver a major address near the Acropolis calling on Americans and Europeans to reject decline and renew Western civilization.
Taylor Farms and Mexico’s Health Ministry Now Make the Same Cyclospora Argument. The Produce Industry’s Own Association, FDA and CDC Rejected It in September. Here Is a Specific Request to Eight People Before the Industry Meets in Orlando.
I spent four hours Sunday morning taking the deposition of an expert retained by the defense in the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak of November 2024 – the one
9th Circuit rejects arguments Prop. 211 law disclosing political donations is unconstitutional
There's nothing unconstitutional about a 2022 Arizona law requiring people be informed of exactly who is spending money on campaign ads designed to influence their votes, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
Iran says it ‘has no plans to negotiate with US’ despite Trump claims
Trump had told Axios he expected talks to resume a day after he rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the strait of Hormuz
From England: Manchester United monitor Wesley
English sirens are calling for Wesley. Roma already rejected a significant offer from Chelsea for the Brazilian full-back this summer, but another English club could make a move in the near future. As...
Insurance Australia Group, RAC challenge $942M merger rejection
Insurance Australia Group Ltd. and RAC Insurance Pty Ltd. have lodged applications for a tribunal review of their blocked 1.3 billion Australian dollar ($942 million) takeover deal…
JPMorgan Weighs Opening Card Business to Private Credit
J.P. Morgan Chase is reportedly exploring whether other funding sources could approve some of the cards it rejects. That's according to a report late
Chamber of Commerce, oil groups urge Trump to reject diesel export ban
American business, energy and manufacturing groups on Wednesday urged President Trump to reject calls to impose a diesel export ban after the president said he was weighing this move in an effort t…
From Windmills To Ballrooms: Trump’s ‘National Security’ Playbook
Banning journalists from the White House, justifying a triumphal arch, rejecting restrictions on artificial intelligence technology – the positions may be far afield of each other, but they have some commonalities. In addition to being publicly unpopular and legally uncertain, President Donald ...
AMC Entertainment Shareholders Reject Governance Changes, Back Equity Plan
AMC Entertainment (NYSE:AMC) shareholders rejected several corporate-governance amendments at the company’s 2026 annual meeting, while approving an increase in shares available under its equity incentive plan and electing three Class 3 directors. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Adam Aron said
A few noncitizen votes are a scandal. But thousands of rejected ballots are business as usual
One state rejected ballots because some voters failed to include their mother’s maiden name on the back of the return envelope.