“A judge on Thursday dismissed the criminal case accusing former U.S. Olympic canoeist David Hearn of vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and permanently barred prosecutors from refiling the same charges. District of Columbia Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman, in his order tossing the case ‘with prejudice,’ cited the ‘exceptional circumstances’ of the risk that President Donald Trump would pressure prosecutors to re-charge Hearn. A dismissal with prejudice prevents a case from being refiled.” (10/01/26)
“If such [a ‘self-sovereign’ AI] agent existed, how would it find its way around an economy? It cannot read the minds of the millions of strangers whose choices determine what is valuable. It does not automatically know that a mine flooded yesterday, that a restaurant has empty tables tonight, or that a particular programmer suddenly has three free hours. What can it see? The answer, I think, is the same thing you and I look at: prices.” (10/01/26)
“A series of blasts were heard across the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Wednesday night, hours after the government banned the use of drones and as fighting continued in the northern region of the country. An intelligence service official, who was not authorized to speak to the media, confirmed that there had been three blasts in three different locations but declined to provide further details. A diplomatic source who requested anonymity for his safety described hearing a blast at 7 p.m. near the defense headquarters, followed by a siren. Residents near the defense headquarters also said they heard a blast near a factory in the area past midnight. It remains unclear whether the blasts were related to an attack or were part of training exercises at the defense headquarters.” (10/01/26)
“On Tuesday, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to deport immigrants to countries where they have no ties, with little or no notice and no meaningful chance to object. In a 6-3 decision, the Court’s conservative majority put on hold U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy’s ruling that the policy is unlawful until the justices consider the case, with arguments set for December. It is the third time the administration has asked the Supreme Court to block Murphy’s rulings, and the third time the Roberts Court has shamefully obliged. To see what that means in practice, consider what happened the first time the Court let these removals go forward.” (10/01/26)
“Japan hiked its permanent residency fee for foreigners living in the country on Thursday to $1,266, a 2,000% rise, along with new minimum requirements covering income, pensions and Japanese-language ability. The changes, in line with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s immigration reforms in response to the country’s rapidly expanding community of non-Japanese, saw long lines at immigration offices in recent days of people trying to get in their applications before the higher charges — first rise in 50 years — kicked in. … other changes, including income above Japan’s average annual household income, proficiency in Japanese on a par with an ‘independent user’ and a pension with projected benefits similar to a 30-year employee pension on an equivalent income are scheduled to come into force next April, with the earnings requirement back-dated to applications made from April 2026.” (10/01/26)
“To argue in good faith—the literal translation of the Latin—means assuming that the person on the other side is saying what he actually believes and that disagreement is not itself evidence of corruption, cowardice, or deceit. And vice versa. The assumption and practice of good faith makes intellectual debate possible. And yet it feels increasingly rare. Tell someone you favor free trade and you will quickly learn you are really serving the interests of multinational corporations. Defend immigration and you are importing voters. Oppose a war and you are carrying water for the enemy. Politics, in particular, seems to bring out this line of reasoning.” (10/01/26)
