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Standing Against Putin: Europe Strives for Unity Amid Renewed Russian Aggression (Bloomberg)
At this week’s European Political Community summit in Copenhagen, leaders including France’s Emmanuel Macron, the UK’s Keir Starmer, and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy emphasized unity on Ukraine, with Macron calling NATO’s expansion a strategic defeat for Moscow even as disagreements persisted over defense priorities and the use of Russian assets.
The gathering delivered more symbolism than substance — frozen assets remain untouched, the EU’s proposed “drone wall” is still unresolved, and plans to fast-track Ukraine’s EU accession were rejected — leaving key decisions pushed to the next summit, as reported by Politico.
UK Terror Update: British
Police Say Deadly Attack Outside Synagogue Was Terrorism (New York Times)
British police declared the deadly vehicle and knife attack outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur to be an act of terrorism, killing two people and injuring three others.
The counterterrorism police named the assailant as Jihad al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent. The assailant was shot dead by officers after being prevented from entering the synagogue.
Authorities have increased security at synagogues and Jewish sites across the UK, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other leaders condemning the attack and pledging support for the Jewish community.
Rebuilding
Relations: India, China to Start Direct Flights as Bilateral Ties Warm (Bloomberg)
India and China will resume direct passenger flights later this month, over five years after suspensions due to the pandemic and strained diplomatic ties.
The move, starting with IndiGo’s Kolkata–Guangzhou route, reflects warming relations and efforts to strengthen trade and investment amid global economic uncertainties.
Information Control: Trump Admin Uses Government Sites to Blame Democrats for Shutdown (Axios)
The Trump administration has been accused of turning official government websites into partisan tools to push the narrative that Democrats are solely to blame for the government shutdown.
Agencies like
the Small Business Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Justice posted messages that Democrats "shut down the government" — a move Public Citizen calls a “blatant violation” of the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from partisan political activity on the job.
Consumer advocates warn that using taxpayer-funded platforms to push claims such as the “Radical Left” causing the shutdown is electioneering, effectively forcing the Republican narrative on the American public.
Peggy
Noonan: The Embarrassing Pete Hegseth (Wall Street Journal Opinion)
US Defense Secretary Hegseth's unprecedented extravaganza this week, in which he summoned hundreds of generals and admirals from around the world to Virginia's Quantico Marine Base to listen to him speak, shouldn't be lost amid the government shutdown, Peggy writes.
It was, as a former general said by phone,
"just flat-out bizarre." It was embarrassing to watch. He made everyone in the audience look smaller, which made their profession look smaller. How does that help America?
War on Education: Trump Administration Asks Colleges to Sign ‘Compact’ to Get Funding Preference (New York Times)
The White House sent letters urging top universities to sign a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” tying federal research funding to compliance with the Trump administration’s political agenda.
The compact requires tuition freezes, caps on international enrollment, strict gender definitions, and protections for conservative speech, while promising priority funding and looser restrictions for those who agree. This move is part of President Trump’s broader effort to reshape higher education to align with his administration’s priorities.
Letters were sent to
the University of Arizona, Brown, Dartmouth, MIT, the UPenn, the University of Southern California, the University of Texas, Vanderbilt, and UVA, with all nine schools declining or not yet commenting.
Partnership Cut: Kash Patel Cuts FBI Ties with Anti-Defamation League (Axios)
FBI Director Kash Patel ended the bureau’s partnership with the Anti-Defamation League, a leading civil rights group that combats antisemitism and extremism.
Hollywood of Hope: Hundreds of Celebrities Relaunch a McCarthy-era Committee to Defend Free Speech (NPR)
Over 550 celebrities, led by Jane Fonda, relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment, originally formed in the 1940s to oppose the McCarthy-era blacklists, with the goal of defending constitutional rights against what they describe as renewed government efforts to silence dissent.
The group includes prominent actors, filmmakers, musicians, and comedians, all emphasizing that free speech and artistic expression transcend partisan politics.
Use Case: Morgan
Stanley’s Tech Boss Says AI Coding Has ‘Profound’ Impact (Bloomberg)
Morgan Stanley is harnessing artificial intelligence to reshape software development, with AI now able to generate code from natural language prompts and handle routine tasks.
According to global tech chief Mike Pizzi, the technology is driving a “profound impact” by boosting productivity, allowing engineers to focus on higher-level challenges, and enabling the firm to deliver more products to market.
Tech on Climate: Microsoft Expands Clean-Power Deals With Japan’s Shizen Energy (Bloomberg)
Microsoft expanded its clean-energy footprint in Japan by signing three new solar power purchase agreements with Shizen Energy, bringing its total long-term commitment with the developer to 100 megawatts.
The deals align with Microsoft’s goal of becoming carbon negative by 2030 and reflect the broader surge in corporate PPAs across Asia-Pacific, which grew 51% in 2024.
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GOP Losing the Blame Game: Poll Finds More Americans Blame Trump, GOP for Shutdown than Democrats (ABC News)
Americans are already focusing
their frustrations at Capitol Hill over the disarray, with Trump and Republicans getting more of the blame, according to a new Washington Post poll.
Roughly 47% of Americans say President Trump and the GOP are responsible for the shutdown. The survey, which was conducted Wednesday, found that 30% of Americans said Democrats were responsible for the shutdown while 23% said they weren't sure who was to blame.
Discounts and Cheap Eats in DC: Government Shutdown Specials are Everywhere (Axios)
Washington bars and restaurants are rolling out “shutdown specials,” including discounted food, drinks, and perks, offered only to ID-carrying federal workers.
DC is also showing up with free or discounted access to museums, theater shows, yoga classes, and even sports tickets, underscoring how the city is rallying to support feds during the shutdown.
Big
Baseball News: NY
Yankees Beat Boston Red Sox 4-0 to Advance Post Season (Associated Press)
A Weekend in France: The 19 Best Museums in Paris (Time Out Magazine)
Paris’s museum scene stretches well beyond the Louvre, offering more than 100 spaces where heritage and innovation meet.
Among Time Out's list of the 19 best museums in Paris, the Musée d’Orsay, a former Beaux-Arts railway station on the Left Bank, stands out this fall with a blockbuster new exhibition that opened last week: Sargent: The Paris Years (1874–1884), tracing the painter’s formative decade in the French capital alongside the museum’s world-famous Impressionist collection.
Meanwhile, opening today,
the Cité des Sciences et de l’Industrie is debuting an exhibition on artificial intelligence, inviting visitors to explore the future of technology through interactive displays and immersive experiences.
Explore the rest of the list here.
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