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A ‘Teleportation’ Breakthrough for Quantum Computing Is Here (Maria)
The author writes, “Quantum computing has enormous potential, but it faces a scalability problem. For such a machine to be useful in real terms, multiple quantum processors need to be assembled in a single location. This increases a processor’s power but also its size, making it less practical and more delicate. Scientists are working on a solution that sounds like something out of a science fiction series: connecting remote cores to each other through ‘quantum teleportation.’ … The path to such information transmission is beginning to appear. Recently, a team of scientists at the University of Oxford was able to send the first quantum algorithm wirelessly.”
Trump Admin Scrambles to Rehire Hundreds of Nuclear Weapons Workers (Dana)
The author writes, “The Trump administration rescinded firings of hundreds of employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the nation’s arsenal of nuclear weapons, in a reversal that has fueled scrutiny over Elon Musk’s efforts to cut the federal workforce. A spokesman for the Department of Energy, which the semi-autonomous NNSA falls under, told USA Today less than 50 workers had their jobs terminated. About 325 NNSA workers initially received notices late last week that they had been laid off, according to Reuters.”
‘Turned Out the Lights’: Fury Hits Washington Post as It Refuses To Run $115K Anti-Musk Ad (DonkeyHotey)
From Raw Story: “The Washington Post canceled plans to run a front-and back-page advertisement that would have earned the paper $115,000 — and ran straight into fresh fury. The ad, reportedly sponsored by the watchdog group Common Cause, demanded that President Donald Trump fire Elon Musk, who is working as a special government employee endeavoring to slash spending, and purging federal government workers. Now many Washingtonians and political experts are furious with the paper, which Amazon founder and billionaire Jeff Bezos purchased in 2013. It follows recent anger after Bezos announced the newspaper would buck historical precedence by not endorsing a political candidate last year.”
Wisconsin Couple Sues Walgreens and Optum Rx, Saying Son Died After $500 Price Rise for Asthma Meds (Sean)
From the AP: “A Wisconsin couple is suing Walgreens and a pharmacy benefits management company, alleging that their son died because he couldn’t afford a sudden $500 spike in his asthma medication. Shanon and William Schmidtknecht, of Poynette, filed their lawsuit in federal court in Milwaukee on Jan. 21, a year to the day that their son Cole died at age 22. According to the lawsuit, Cole Schmidtknecht suffered from asthma all his life. He managed it with daily inhaler doses of the medication Advair Diskus and its generic equivalents. He stopped at a Walgreens pharmacy in Appleton on Jan. 10, 2024, to refill his prescription and was told the cost had jumped from $66 to $539 out-of-pocket. Unable to afford the new cost, he left the pharmacy without the medication. He tried to manage his condition with his rescue inhaler but suffered a fatal asthma attack days later.”
The Real Reason Trump Has Gone to War With the Associated Press (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “The White House said its ongoing war of words with the Associated Press extends beyond a dispute over President Donald Trump’s controversial rechristening of the Gulf of Mexico. The Trump administration, which blocked AP reporters from media events in recent days, said it has had issues with the news agency even before it refused to adopt the new name of ‘Gulf of America’ for the body of water in its style guide. ‘This isn’t just about the Gulf of America,’ Taylor Budowich, a White House deputy chief of staff, told Axios. ‘This is about AP weaponizing language through their stylebook to push a partisan worldview in contrast with the traditional and deeply held beliefs of many Americans and many people around the world.’”
Climate Change Target of 2C Is ‘Dead’, Says Renowned Climate Scientist (Laura)
From The Guardian: “The pace of global heating has been significantly underestimated, according to renowned climate scientist Prof James Hansen, who said the international 2C target is ‘dead.’ A new analysis by Hansen and colleagues concludes that both the impact of recent cuts in sun-blocking shipping pollution, which has raised temperatures, and the sensitivity of the climate to increasing fossil fuels emissions are greater than thought. The group’s results are at the high end of estimates from mainstream climate science but cannot be ruled out, independent experts said. If correct, they mean even worse extreme weather will come sooner and there is a greater risk of passing global tipping points, such as the collapse of the critical Atlantic ocean currents.”
