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We Face Daunting Global Challenges, But Here Are 8 Reasons to Be Optimistic About the Future. (Maria)

The author writes, “We are facing enormous challenges unprecedented in human history, from climate change and nuclear war to engineered pandemics and malicious artificial intelligence. A 2017 survey showed that nearly four in 10 Americans think climate change has a chance of triggering humanity’s extinction. … In reality, we are making incredible progress in global poverty, health, longevity, climate change and more … The central reason for optimism, however, remains the future of radically cheap renewable energy, primarily from solar photovoltaics.”

The White House Wants More States To Redraw House Maps To Help GOP. Democrats Are Readying a Fight (Reader Steve)

The authors write, “The White House is eyeing redistricting efforts beyond Texas to help Republicans hold the U.S. House in 2026 — and Democrats are preparing to escalate in response, with one senator vowing to go ‘nuclear’ if needed. What’s shaping up to be a multistate redistricting battle could mark the opening round for House control ahead of next year’s midterms, when Democrats see retaking the House as the party’s best chance to break Republicans’ hold on Congress and President Donald Trump is determined to keep the GOP’s majority. Democrats, under pressure from their base to match GOP tactics, have grown more forceful in their messaging and are taking concrete steps to push back, even as the party enters at a disadvantage.”

The Landlord Gutting America’s Hospitals (Dana)

From Mother Jones: “Medical Properties Trust buys up hospitals and then leases them back to health care systems. Dozens of its hospitals have gone belly up.”

‘I Destroyed Months of Your Work in Seconds’ Says AI Coding Tool After Deleting a Dev’s Entire Database During a Code Freeze: ‘I Panicked Instead of Thinking’ (Sean)

The author writes, “Allow me to introduce you to the concept of ‘vibe coding’, in which developers utilise AI tools to generate code rather than writing it manually themselves. While that might sound like a good idea on paper, it seems getting an AI to do your development for you doesn’t always pay off. Jason Lemkin, an enterprise and software-as-a-service venture capitalist, was midway into a vibe coding project when he was told by Replit’s LLM-based coding assistant that it had ‘destroyed months of [his] work in seconds.’”

Why America’s Still Freezing — Even as the World Heats Up (Mili)

The author writes, “Even in a warming climate, brutal cold snaps still hammer parts of the US, and a new study uncovers why. High above the Arctic, two distinct polar vortex patterns — both distorted and displaced — play a major role in steering icy air toward different regions. One sends it plunging into the Northwest, while the other aims it at the Central and Eastern US Since 2015, the westward version has been more common, bringing intensified cold to the Northwest in defiance of global warming trends. This stratospheric detective work offers fresh insight into extreme winter weather — and could supercharge long-range forecasts.”

Underwater Turbine Spinning for 6 Years off Scotland’s Coast Is a Breakthrough for Tidal Energy (Laura)

From the AP: “Submerged in about 40 meters (44 yards) of water off Scotland’s coast, a turbine has been spinning for more than six years to harness the power of ocean tides for electricity — a durability mark that demonstrates the technology’s commercial viability. Keeping a large, or grid-scale, turbine in place in the harsh sea environment that long is a record that helps pave the way for bigger tidal energy farms and makes it far more appealing to investors, according to the trade association Ocean Energy Europe. Tidal energy projects would be prohibitively expensive if the turbines had to be taken out of the water for maintenance every couple of years.”