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Apple Backs Out of Investing in ChatGPT Maker OpenAI: Report (Maria)
The author writes, “A few weeks back, it was reported that Apple was exploring investing in OpenAI, the company that makes ChatGPT, the GPT model, and other popular generative AI products. Now, a new report from The Wall Street Journal claims that Apple has abandoned those plans. The article simply says Apple ‘fell out of the talks to join the round.’ The round is expected to close in a week or so and may raise as much as $6.53 billion for the growing Silicon Valley company. Had Apple gone through with the move, it would have been a rare event … for [it] to invest in another company that size. OpenAI is still expected to raise the funds it seeks from other sources.”
Kamala Harris Is a Woman of Faith. She Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Show It. (Al)
The author writes, “In a close election year, with an opponent who does not appear to have sincere religious convictions of his own, I see an opportunity for Harris to reclaim faith for Democrats. Because of her unique background, I think Harris could talk about her own faith without alienating the big voting bloc of nonreligious Democrats. While white Protestants and Catholics overwhelmingly support Republicans, Black Protestants, Hispanic Catholics and non-Christians are more likely to be Democrats, and getting them excited about voting for Harris matters.”
‘People Should Be Making Their Contingency Plans, Like, Right Away’: America’s Leading Forecaster on the Chances of a Trump Win (Reader Jim)
The author writes, “Nate Silver’s election model is once again being pored over by millions of anxious voters. The gambler turned statistician talks about the race for White House, the risk-takers redefining our culture, and the probability of God.”
Abortion Clinics — And Patients — Are on the Move, as State Laws Keep Shifting (Reader Steve)
From KFF Health News: “America’s abortion patients are traveling around the nation to navigate the patchwork of laws created by the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which left policies on abortion to the states. Since that ruling, 14 states have enacted bans with few exceptions, while other states have limited access. But states that do not have an abortion ban in place have seen an 11% increase in clinician-provided abortions since 2020, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a national nonprofit that supports abortion rights. Over 170,000 people traveled out of their own state to receive abortion care in 2023, according to the institute.”
Top Democrat Backs Lina Khan as Donors Seek Her Ouster (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, one of the most influential Democrats in the country, on Thursday praised Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan’s work, endorsing her continued tenure as the United States’ top antitrust regulator. … Asked about the Democratic megadonors from the business world who have been pushing Vice President Kamala Harris to drop Khan if Harris wins the 2024 White House race, Clyburn described the public pressure as ‘foolishness.’”
What a 160-Year-Old Theory About Coal Predicts About Our Self-Driving Future (Laura)
From The Verge: “As a classic 19th-century theory known as a Jevons paradox explains, even if autonomous vehicles eventually work perfectly — an enormous ‘if’ — they are likely to increase total emissions and crash deaths, simply because people will use them so much.”
Why Space Archaeologists Are Finding More Mayan Ruins Than Ever Before (Dana)
From Space.com: “Satellites are helping scientists spot more ancient Mayan ruins than ever before, which is no small feat considering how thick the forest is in the indigenous group’s ancestral lands. ‘Archeologists have mapped more Mayan sites, buildings and features in the past 10 years than we had in the past — preceding — 150 years,’ Brett Houk, an archaeology professor at Texas Tech University, told attendees at a NASA-led space archaeology conference Sept. 18 to which Space.com received an exclusive invite.”
