Good morning. Here’s your editor’s brief:
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- Profound Risks: President Joe Biden used a key portion of his final speech before the United Nations General Assembly to warn the world about the danger of unchecked development of artificial intelligence.
- Monopoly Charges: The Justice Department sued Visa for allegedly stifling competition in the market for debit card payments.
- Crypto Reckoning: A federal judge sentenced former crypto executive Caroline Ellison to two years in prisonand ordered her to forfeit around $11 billion for her role in the FTX fraud scandal.
- Manufacturing Ambassador: Former President Donald Trump promised to appoint an ambassador dedicated to courting overseas manufacturers to make their products in America.
- Filibuster Backlash: Two Senate Democrats openly opposed a plan by Vice President Kamala Harris to end the legislative filibuster in order to enshrine Roe v. Wade.
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Written by Ivan Pentchoukov,
U.S. National Editor
P.S. I’d love to know what you think of our newsletter format. Send me your feedback here.
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President Joe Biden waves as he leaves the stage during the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on Sept. 24, 2024. Michael Santiago/Getty Images
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President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned world leaders of the profound dangers stemming from the development of artificial intelligence (AI).
Biden delivered a keynote address on Sep. 24 to the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, where he said that governments hold “a responsibility to prepare our citizens for the future.”
“We’ll see more technological change, I argue, in the next two to 10 years [than] we have in the last 50 years,” Biden said.
“Artificial intelligence is going to change our ways of life, our ways of work, and our ways of war.”
Biden’s warning was made at a time of heightened international tension, with wars raging in eastern Europe and the Middle East, while tensions in the Indo-Pacific heighten.
He warned of AI’s use in creating “profound risks, from deepfakes to disinformation to novel pathogens to bioweapons.”
What’s more, authoritarian countries such as China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia have all sought to leverage AI to augment their efforts to destabilize the United States and its allies in the cyber realm.
China-based hackers, for example, have used AI to impersonate American voters and organize networks of semi-automated social media accounts in order to amplify disinformation apparently aimed at increasing distrust and enmity among Americans.
Malign foreign election interference is just one of the dangers of AI.
The technology is also being deployed at a never-before-seen scale by militaries around the world. Both China and the United States are seeking to deploy AI, automation, and robotics across their militaries.
Senior U.S. military leadership envisions a predominantly robotic Army within the next decade. China, meanwhile, has begun to deploy wholly automated and uncrewed ships,including some with the capability of launching drones.
The United States has struggled to develop a robust policy framework to govern the development of AI, with some lawmakers expressing dismay that high-profile hearings and briefings have not resulted in tangible progress within the legislative sphere.
Domestically, there are fears that AI may destroy white-collar jobs on a large scale.
Speaking to Congress last year, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said that AI will likely destabilize society and eventually lay waste to many jobs that currently exist.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) also said at the time, citing classified security briefings, that the mass loss of white-collar jobs would likely trigger increased destabilization and societal unrest.
Still, Biden said that the threats posed by AI now are likely only “the tip of the iceberg” of what’s to come, but that “nothing is certain.”
To prepare for the mass disruptions to societies and economies the world over, he said, nations must act “to ensure AI safety, security, and trustworthiness” and “ensure that AI supports, rather than undermines, the core principles that human life has value and all humans deserve dignity.”
“As AI grows more powerful, it … must grow more responsive to our collective needs and values,” Biden said.
“We must make certain that the awesome capabilities of AI will be used to uplift and empower everyday people, not to give dictators more powerful shackles on the human spirit.”
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Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
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The filibuster allows senators to prolong debates and prevent legislation from moving along in the upper Congressional chamber.
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- “I’ve been very clear. I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe, and get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom,” Vice President Kamala Harris told Wisconsin Public Radio on Tuesday.
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Ending the filibuster is what is known as the “nuclear option.”
Were Democrats to control the Senate, House, and White House next year, codifying Roe v. Wade would be likely, and would mean that states could not outright ban abortion.
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Why this matters: The Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation dinner—the “Al Smith dinner”—is an annual fundraiser hosted by the Catholic Archdiocese of New York, and traditionally attended by both major presidential candidates. In addition to raising millions every year, the chic fundraiser has come to symbolize underlying unity and the ability to put aside political differences for one night, in the name of good cheer.
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- A Harris campaign official confirmed she will skip the dinner to focus on campaigning in battleground states.
- “This hasn’t happened in 40 years since Walter Mondale turned down the invitation, and remember, he lost 49 out of 50 states,” said New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan.
- “We hope she’s here,” he added. “It’s a grand evening, and it’s an evening of fun and friendship with an extraordinarily noble goal.”
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Not just Catholic: Dolan said that while the event is sponsored by the New York Archdiocese, it is attended by people of various faiths, and “people who say they don’t belong to any religion whatsoever,” and the causes that it supports are not exclusively Catholic.
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“For years, we watched other countries steal our jobs,” former President Donald Trump told a capacity crowd during a campaign speech in the battleground state of Georgia on Tuesday.
The manufacturing ambassador would help maximize the results of his pro-business policies, Trump said, while contrasting his policies with those of his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
Special tax zones: “We will set up special zones of federal land with ultra-low taxes and regulations for American producers. These will be ideal spots for relocating entire industries that we’ve taken in from other countries,” Trump said.
Tied polls: In Georgia, Trump was holding a 2 percent lead over Harris in the RealClearPolitics average of opinion polls on Sept. 24. Nationwide, Harris was leading by a similar margin. Both results are within the margin of error for most opinion polls, leaving the race a statistical tie.
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Economic pessimism: U.S. consumer confidence took a sharp dive in September, driven by rising concerns over job security and a softening labor market.
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- Consumer confidence index fell from 105.6 in August to 98.7 this month, marking the steepest drop in just over three years.
- The sharpest decline in confidence was seen among consumers aged 35 to 54, who are typically in their peak earning years and most sensitive to labor market shifts.
- Confidence also fell across income groups, particularly among households earning less than $50,000 annually.
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Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said a strike “will have devastating impacts on the U.S. economy and negatively impact 25,000 longshoremen and the thousands of other port and freight workers who work at or move goods from the ports to businesses.”
What the union wants: The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) is demanding significantly higher wages and a total ban on the automation of cranes, gates, and container movements that are used in the loading or loading of freight at 36 U.S. ports. Whenever and however the dispute is resolved, it’s likely to affect how freight moves in and out of the United States for years to come.
“Worst-case scenario”: The ports affected by a potential strike stretch from Maine to Texas and handle about half of U.S. imports through facilities in cities such as New York and New Jersey, Houston, Texas, and Savannah, Georgia
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- “In the worst-case scenario—a strike that lasts for more than a few weeks or even months—could create massive risks for the U.S. economy. Rerouted shipments could overwhelm West Coast ports, creating container pile-ups, chassis shortages, skyrocketing transport costs, rail congestion, and an air freight market that’s already stretched thin,” Ryan Petersen, the CEO of logistics company Flexport, wrote on social media.
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Nearly 60 percent of the foreign parts found in Russian weapons come via China, Ukrainian presidential adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk said during a briefing in Brussels on Tuesday.
Funneled tech: Vlasiuk showed reporters a list of technology found on the battlefield, which included advanced chips made by U.S. companies such as Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, AMD-owned Xilinx, and Intel’s Altera, as well as Germany-based Infineon’s Cypress Semiconductor. Some of the chips were made as recently as last year, while others were manufactured over a decade ago.
Strategic alignment: “China supplies weapons and parts, while Russia provides support in developing China’s military capabilities,” said U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell earlier this month.
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- Russia is training the Chinese military in key areas including submarines, aeronautical design, stealth technology, and missile capabilities, which would have “an important, negative and concerning impact” on other nations in the Indo-Pacific region, he added.
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A complaint filed in the Southern District of New York on Tuesday alleged that the credit card giant violated Sections 1 and 2 of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Former CFO: The complaint quoted Visa’s former chief financial officer saying: “Everybody is a friend and partner. Nobody is a competitor.”
$7B: “More than 60% of debit transactions run on Visa’s debit network, allowing it to charge $7 billion in fees each year,” the complaint stated.
“The price of nearly everything”: “We allege that Visa has unlawfully amassed the power to extract fees that far exceed what it could charge in a competitive market,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. “Merchants and banks pass along those costs to consumers, either by raising prices or reducing quality or service. As a result, Visa’s unlawful conduct affects not just the price of one thing – but the price of nearly everything.”
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- Visa General Counsel Julie Rottenberg described the lawsuit as “meritless.”
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Lawsuits everywhere: the DOJ together with the Federal Trade Commission have intensified their antitrust crackdowns in recent years.
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- Major corporations such as Google, Apple, Live Nation-Ticketmaster, and real estate software firm RealPage are knee-deep battling the alleged monopoly violations.
- Garland was asked on Tuesday during a press conference whether there was any concern that the antitrust division was stretching itself too thin in pursuing so many cases. Garland said “no.”
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End goal: Antitrust remedies can involve large-scale changes, such as forcing companies to break up sections of their businesses.
More on Big Tech:
FTX Fraud Scandal: Former crypto executive Caroline Ellison, a key witness in the fraud and conspiracy case involving the Sam Bankman-Fried-led FTX platform, has been sentenced to two years in prison and ordered to forfeit around $11 billion for her role in the scandal.
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Live long, like the dolphins. Caitlyn Nieblas
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By Emma Suttie, D.Ac, AP — health reporter for The Epoch Times, covering Eastern medicine, nutrition, trauma, and lifestyle medicine.
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In 2001, Dr. Stephanie Venn-Watson began a journey that led to an unexpected discovery—she did it by studying dolphins.
The U.S. Navy invited Venn-Watson, a veterinary epidemiologist and public health scientist, to help improve the health of their aging dolphins.
Just like humans: In her work, she discovered that dolphins age much like humans and are susceptible to the same age-related conditions—like high cholesterol, chronic inflammation, and arthritis.
However, not all the Navy dolphins developed these conditions, and she and a team of scientists set out to discover why.
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- Using metabolomics—the study of metabolites in an organism, tissue, or cell—they identified a specific nutrient present in humans and dolphins that emerged as a key predictor of healthy aging in dolphins called pentadecanoic acid, or C15:0.
- It turned out that this odd-chain saturated fatty acid improved the dolphins’ health and longevity. Intrigued, Venn-Watson became a pioneer in C15:0 research.
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What is C15:0: it’s a fatty acid found primarily in whole-fat dairy and some fish, grass-fed meat, and plants. It is also in the milk that all baby mammals receive from birth—including humans.
Essential acid: increasing evidence suggests that pentadecanoic acid is essential—meaning that we need it to maintain baseline health, but our bodies cannot produce adequate levels.
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- The intake of higher levels of pentadecanoic acid correlates with lower levels of chronic illness.
- Studies also indicate that a deficiency of C15:0 (less than 0.2 percent of total fatty acids) can lead to a condition called cellular fragility syndrome. Venn-Watson says this syndrome causes accelerated aging and subsequent vulnerabilities to metabolic, heart, and liver disease. The syndrome is reversed when dietary and circulating C15:0 levels are restored.
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Longevity: “We’re now understanding that we can push C15:0 further and optimize it to actually help extend our health span and maybe lifespan too,” Venn-Watson said.
How to get more: Douglas Kalman, who has a doctorate in research with an emphasis in exercise and nutritional biochemistry and is a clinical associate professor at Nova Southeastern University, recommends we get pentadecanoic acid from foods, saying full-fat dairy (milk, cheese, and yogurt) and beef, veal, lamb, and mutton are good sources.
Food first: “I would concentrate on taking a food first approach (being aware of serving sizes for overall caloric impacts and health) and make sure that if I’m including food that has pentadecanoic acid, that I’m also including a wide variety of healthy fats in my diet,” he said.
Contraindications: With cooperation from the Navy, Venn-Watson and a team of scientists developed a pure C15:0 ingredient called Fatty15 based on their research with dolphins. She says their supplement has “generally recognized as safe” status. Still, she always recommends that before people begin a supplement regimen, they speak to their physician.
Read the story in full detail here.
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September 25th is National Daughters Day—a wonderful way for parents to show their love and appreciation for their daughters’ contributions to the family and society.
Painting: The Elder Sister by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1869).
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By Mary Hunt — columnist and founder of a frugal living blog, Everyday Cheapskate.
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With billions of dollars pouring into the 2024 House, Senate, and presidential races, I bet you’ve already gotten a few friendly donation requests via texts, email, direct messages—you name it. And it doesn’t matter which side you’re on. Scammers don’t care about your politics; they’re equal opportunity offenders, ready to take a bite out of anyone who looks like lunch.
Consider these tips for keeping both you and your money safe while navigating the murky waters of political contributions.
Assume every contact is a scam: make this contact prove that it’s not. Yes, it’s gotten that bad. Just know that a legitimate organization will be more than happy to offer resources and contact information to put your suspicions to rest.
Do your research: stick to official campaign websites or reputable platforms like WinRed or ActBlue. If you’re unsure, a quick search can save a big headache. “Trust but verify” means you may need to end the call in order to do your own due diligence.
Use credit cards: they offer better fraud protection than debit cards.
Set limits: decide in advance how much you’re willing to give, and stick to it. It’s easy to get swept up in the emotion, but your future self will be grateful that you set some boundaries.
Report suspicious activity: if something feels off, trust your gut. Report suspicious emails, calls, or messages to the Federal Trade Commission or your state’s consumer protection office.
Don’t give in to pressure tactics: scammers thrive on creating a sense of urgency. If you feel rushed or threatened, stop. Take time to do your research. Legit campaigns will welcome your donation tomorrow just as much as today.
Don’t ignore bank statements: make certain your donation was recorded exactly as you instructed. Look out for unauthorized and recurring charges you didn’t sign up for this month and in the coming months. I can promise you that catching fraud early is half the battle.
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Apple cake makes the best breakfast or after-school snack. JeanMarie Brownson/TCA
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Apple walnut cake makes the best breakfast or after-school snack.
This recipe uses a touch of whole wheat flour for flavor and a hearty texture. SweeTango, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, and Cosmic Crisp work well here so the cake sports little nuggets of apple goodness.
Add a scoop of vanilla or cinnamon ice cream and a drizzle of warm caramel sauce for a special dessert. 🍎
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Thanks for reading,
have a wonderful day.
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Today’s Morning Brief was crafted by: Ivan Pentchoukov, Charlotte Cuthbertson and Kenzi Li.
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