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Trump names national intelligence director Jay Clayton to lead a new federal AI task force
The announcement comes after Trump hosted top executives of AI companies at the White House last week and said they had signed a voluntary accord that would effectively self-police the development of the technology.
Petra Eyes Potential Sale of Business Amid Financial Struggles
Petra Diamonds is considering selling its assets to secure enough funding to pay creditors as it struggles with the industry downturn.
Novak Djokovic Stuns Alexander Zverev to Reach Beijing Open Semifinals
In one of his best performances this year, Novak Djokovic is once again in the semifinals at the Beijing Open after overcoming World No. 2 Alexander Zverev in a tight three-set match 4-6 6-4 6-4. The Serbian, now 32-0 at the tournament, came from a set down to secure his joint-best win of the season …
NLDS Game 1 notes: Tarik Skubal, Teoscar Hernández, Max Muncy
The Dodgers secured their first postseason game of the year on Saturday, powering three home runs to back a strong start from Tarik Skubal in a 5-3 win over the Atlanta Braves. It was the first time that Skubal was able to pitch at home in a postseason starts, as all of his four playoff […]
Healthcare Privacy Leaders Look to AI to Improve Monitoring and Data Breach Investigations
At a recent symposium on privacy, experts discussed how AI supports a faster and oftentimes more insightful approach to data security, while identifying which privacy risks healthcare organizations must monitor.
How Americans’ Financial Health Is Faring In The “K-Shaped” Economy
Hey all, Jason here. Money20/20 is still two weeks away, but I’ve already started packing (not procrastinating for once!). My calendar is already filling up with various sessions I want to catch, meetings, and of course happy hours, dinners, and other side events. If you’ll be in Vegas and want to catch up, let me know by replying to this email, and we can try to find a time amidst the chaos of the Venetian. A big if not totally unexpected piece of news dropped on Friday: the Independent Community Bankers of America, a trade group that represents smaller U.S. banks, filed a lawsuit against the OCC and Comptroller Jonathan Gould, arguing that the regulator’s move to grant trust bank charters to firms seeking to use them to conduct substantial non-fiduciary activities exceeds the authorities granted to the OCC by Congress. I haven’t had time to fully digest the legal filing or speak to folks in my network about it, but you can expect to see coverage and analysis on it in next week’s newsletter. Subscribe or Support by Upgrading The NerdCon agenda just dropped. It’s stacked. Partner content: Nubank built an AI-first bank. Chime built its own banking core. Figure and Valon are rebuilding the mortgage stack. At NerdCon, you’ll hear from the people behind those bets: what they chose, what they learned, and what they’re still figuring out. The agenda is live, with leaders from Nubank, Chime, OpenAI, Remitly, Mercury, Figure, Valon and more. Follow the mainstage conversations, bring the problem your team is wrestling with to a hands-on workshop, or pull up a chair at a roundtable. Pick your quests. Meet us in San Diego, November 18–20. Fintech Business Weekly readers save 20% with code FBW20. Explore the Agenda Things To Know & Other Good Reads Federal Reserve Board finalizes changes to enhance the transparency and public accountability of its stress test and reduce volatility in its stress test-related capital requirements (Federal Reserve Board of Governors) FDIC Announces Conclusion of Independent Monitorship (FDIC) Modernizing Financial Regulation: Initial Observations from eSLR (Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman) The Data Version of Godzilla versus Kong: FRED Takes on AI (Fed Governor Christopher Waller) Financing the AI buildout (Brookings) Q3’26: Rules for Banks but Not for Crypto (Fintech Takes Banking) The Inevitability of Local Stablecoins (Lombard Notes) Delusions of AI Governance: The Human-in-the-Loop Comfort Blanket (Fintech Snark Tank) Stripe agrees to acquire Parafin to expand revenue opportunities for platforms and help small businesses grow (Stripe) Listen: Fighting Fraud in the Age of AI, with SEON’s Tamas Kadar (Fintech Business Weekly) How Americans’ Financial Health Is Faring In The “K-Shaped” Economy If there is one overarching theme across the economy and politics in the U.S. at the moment, it’s “affordability.” The term is vague enough to encompass a panoply of factors shaping Americans’ day-to-day lives: rising costs for the hallmarks of being “middle class,” including healthcare, housing, childcare, and education, inflation and rising interest rates, and a job market with the specter of AI hovering over it. At the same time, policy shifts under the Trump administration have resulted in reduced subsidies to those who get health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and new restrictions on qualifying for Medicaid and SNAP, the impacts of which have yet to be fully felt. These factors are contributing to declining consumer confidence and general dissatisfaction with the economy, despite continuing GDP growth and stock market records. This divergence is encapsulated in the idea of the “K-shaped” economy, in which a small proportion of Americans have seen their wealth balloon, while the majority of American households struggle to preserve the lifestyle they have. Perhaps the greatest determinant of which branch of the “K” a household is on is whether their wealth and income are primarily derived from employment vs. from assets. Nearly two decades of low interest rates and, more recently, elevated rates of inflation have benefited asset owners, while those whose income is primarily or solely derived from labor have largely seen real purchasing power stagnate or decline. This is reflected in recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that labor share of U.S. GDP — the fraction of economic output that accrues to workers as compensation in exchange for their labor — dropped to just 52.8% in Q2 2026, the lowest since the BLS began keeping records. In 1947, approximately 2/3rds of economic output accrued to workers; even as recently as 2001, labor’s share of GDP was 64.1%. Against this backdrop, we’ve seen the rise of more credit and credit-like products: cash advance apps, “no-fee” overdraft, earned wage access, and buy now pay later, which are often used as small-dollar short-term borrowing mechanisms to meet immediate consumption needs or pay other bills (eg utilities, cell phone, other debt payments). With the markers of a middle class existence and, increasingly, basic financial stability seemingly out of reach for many, it should be no surprise there’s been an increase in “financial nihilism,” something industry peers like Alex Johnson and Frank Rotman have discussed and analyzed the roots of. The explosion of gambling and gambling-adjacent products and services — often marketed under the guise of being an “investment” — is inextricably intertwined with the rise of financial nihilism. Crypto, sports betting, and, more recently, prediction markets offer an escape or even hope of sorts, like a contemporary, digital version of a scratch-off lottery ticket, while leaving the overwhelming number of people who use such products worse off. Share of Households That Are Financially “Vulnerable” Ticks Up The Financial Health Network’s 2026 Financial Health Pulse® report adds context on how American households are faring. (I linked to this report in last week’s newsletter, but wanted to take time to further unpack the data in the report this week.) The Financial Health Network publishes the report annually, providing insight into how Americans’ financial circumstances are changing over time. The 2026 report is derived from a survey fielded in April and May 2026. The report leverages survey responses to assess indicators of financial health across spending, saving, borrowing, and planning/protecting and to determine a zero to 100 “FinHealth” score. Those with scores between 0 and 39 are considered “Financially Vulnerable,” consumers with scores ranging between 40 and 79 are defined as “Financially Coping,” and those with scores of 80 to 100 are “Financially Healthy.” The report found that moderate improvements in 2025 were reversed, with the share of respondents considered financially “vulnerable” rebounding to 17%. The longitudinal data reflect the impact of pandemic-era programs, like expanded unemployment, cash stimulus payments, and pauses of federal student loan payments. The positive impacts of those programs, as reflected in the Financial Health Pulse reports, had largely disappeared by 2023. While pandemic-era inflation — to be fair, in part caused by the various support and stimulus measures — had come down from as high as 9% in 2022, it has rebounded since the start of Trump’s second term, with tariffs and energy market disruptions owing to the war in Iran pushing prices back up. Specific indicators in the survey that deteriorated from 2025 to 2026 include the share of respondents spending less than their income over the past 12 months, the share paying all bills on time over the past 12 months, the share that have a manageable amount or no debt, the share that are “moderately” or “very” confident their insurance is adequate to cover them in an emergency, and the share that “somewhat” or “strongly” agree that their household plans ahead financially. Unsurprisingly, lower- and moderate-income households are more likely to struggle to pay their bills on time and have any funds leftover to save. The share of low-income households whose income exceeded their spending dropped from 35% in 2025 to 31% in 2026, while the share of upper-income households whose income exceeded expenses remained unchanged at 63%. Households with student loans or revolving credit card debt reported having “a bit more” or “far more” debt than was manageable at rates far higher than those not carrying these types of debts. The share of those with student loan debt indicating their debt load was too high to manage increased from 50% in 2025 to 55% in 2026, while the share of those with revolving credit card debt saying the same ticked up from 51% in 2025 to 54% in 2026. Households that had student loans were markedly more likely to be financially “coping” or “vulnerable” vs. those without student loans. In 2026, 27% of households with student loans were considered financially vulnerable, a jump of 6% points vs. 2025. Households without student loans saw just a 1% point increase (not statistically significant) in those considered financially vulnerable. Households’ perception of the affordability of categories of goods and services paints a stark picture, with less than one-fourth considering higher education affordable, about a third deeming childcare affordable, and less than half viewing healthcare as affordable. Fintech Business Weekly is made possible by the generous support of paying subscribers — bringing you independent analysis of banking, fintech, and crypto without fear or favor. You can support my work by becoming a paying subscriber if you aren’t already. Paying subscribers enjoy: access to the entire archive of nearly six years of newsletters extended versions of the weekly newsletter, with additional content and analysis and (for founding member tier) quarterly personal 1:1 fintech Q&A / strategy calls with me, tapping into my unparalleled knowledge of the intersection of banking and fintech and experience working in the sector, including helping to launch Goldman Sachs’ retail bank Marcus Support Fintech Business Weekly You can also support Fintech Business Weekly by sponsoring a newsletter or podcast, putting you in front of 93,000+ of the most influential decision makers in banking, fintech, and crypto. Learn more about sponsor opportunities or request a media kit by dropping me an email. Democratic Senate Report Highlights How Iran Uses Tether to Evade U.S. Sanctions Iran uses stablecoins, specifically Tether, to evade sanctions, fund regional proxies, and to purchase military drones, a report released last week by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations says. The report was authored by committee ranking member Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and the minority staff. Crypto and stablecoin proponents will often push back on criticism that criminals make use of these assets by arguing that, on an absolute dollar basis, far more illicit funds flow through traditional banking systems and payment rails than via crypto and stablecoins. And while that is likely true, it elides the reality presented in news story after news story: whether state actors — Russia, Iran, North Korea — or criminal groups, those looking to engage in illicit transactions increasingly favor stablecoins and, specifically, Tether (USDT). The report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released last week adds context to how Iran uses Tether has a lynchpin in its shadow banking system. The report analyzed 846 wallets that have been sanctioned or targeted for seizure, finding that 84% of them transacted exclusively or primarily in Tether. The ability to create near limitless, anonymous wallets and to move funds effectively instantaneously and irreversibly have made crypto a favored financial mechanism for bad actors. Stablecoins solved key drawbacks of bitcoin, namely, the original cryptocurrency’s highly volatile value in dollars. And while Tether (the company) has the technical ability to “freeze” or destroy funds, the company is often limited and reactive in its approach to doing so, the Senate report argues. Tether, which is nominally based in crypto-friendly El Salvador, “has stated that its compliance with OFAC sanctions is ‘voluntary’ and that it follows ‘OFAC guidelines,’” the Senate report says. Owing to these favorable attributes, Tether “became a primary cryptocurrency for Iran, Hamas, Hizballah, and the Houthis beginning in 2023 and has expanded in scale since,” according to the report. Tether’s role in Iran’s shadow banking system, the report says, is enhanced by crypto exchanges like Bybit, Kyrrex, OKX, Gate, and Binance, and through “over the counter” exchanges and hawala networks. The consequences of these financial flows aren’t hypothetical. The Senate report links Tether as a funds transfer mechanism to Iranian proxies in the region, including Hizballah, the Houthis, and Hamas. Tether has also been used to make payments to secure components necessary to manufacture drones, the report says. The report concludes by arguing that “[s]tablecoin issuers with a significant nexus to the United States, particularly those that offer dollar-denominated stablecoins, should be subject to American sanctions law rather than being allowed to hide behind foreign jurisdictions.” Stablecoin issuers like Tether must be held accountable for repeated failures to prevent illicit finance and sanctions violations by law enforcement, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and OFAC, the report argues. [Paying Subscriber Exclusive] OUSD Goes Live, Make Your Own Neobank, U.S. Sanctions Russia’s A7 Network As “Transnational Criminal Organization” OpenUSD, the stablecoin issued by the Open Standard consortium that includes Stripe, Visa, Mastercard, core providers, crypto firms, and numerous banks, went live last week. Social commerce platform Whop raised eyebrows in fintech by offering creators on its platform the ability to launch their own neobanks, which the company describes as “great businesses that are easy to run,” in just 15 minutes. And OFAC and FinCEN target Russia’s “shadow banking” A7 Network — more on these stories after the paywall.
Inside Democrats’ efforts to secure Election Day and respond to fears of Trump interference
Ahead of the November midterm elections, top Democrats are planning for doomsday scenarios for how President Donald Trump and his administration could intervene in the voting process and laying the groundwork for a forceful response.
Beshear teases 2028 run, shares message of healing at Nashville stop
Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear fueled speculation of a 2028 presidential bid while visiting Nashville for a fundraiser and book event.
How Democrats hope to reverse Trump’s changes to the presidency
As the midterms approach, some of the president’s foes are working to ensure his aggressive approach to executive power doesn’t outlast him.
Workers are 'loud working' to try to have job security
Quiet quitting is out. Some workers are now "loud working," making sure bosses and recruiters notice their accomplishments.
CXO Summit: Only Days Left to Secure Your Tickets
The CXO Summit brings together 500+ C-suite leaders in London on 7-8 October. With registrations doubling, tickets are selling fast – secure yours now
‘And I beat them:’ Former U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston on ‘a politically motivated prosecution’
The former top leader in the U.S. House talks about his new book, Trump, and partisanship in Congress.
‘And I beat them:’ Former U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston on ‘a politically motivated prosecution’
The former top leader in the U.S. House talks about his new book, Trump, and partisanship in Congress.
‘And I beat them:’ Former U.S. Rep. Bob Livingston on ‘a politically motivated prosecution’
The former top leader in the U.S. House talks about his new book, Trump, and partisanship in Congress.
FEC questions thousands of recurring online donations to Eric Schmitt
Thirteen donors flagged in federal letters appear nearly 5,700 times in Schmitt’s reports, highlighting issues with recurring online contributions.
Is Hims & Hers Health (HIMS) A Bargain After The Fraud Lawsuit Claims?
Hims & Hers Health (HIMS) is back in focus after a proposed securities fraud class action accused the telehealth provider of misleading investors about data sharing practices and prescription billing workflows. Recent price action for Hims & Hers Health has been choppy, with the share price slipping about 1% over the past day and week, climbing 4.7% over the past month, yet falling 24.2% across 90 days. The 1-year total shareholder return is down 44.8%, despite a very large 3-year gain that...
ETSU reclaims rail with 14-3 rivalry win over Chattanooga.
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL)— ETSU football reclaimed the Rail for the first time since 2018 on Saturday, defeating SoCon rival Chattanooga 14-3. The Buccaneers improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in SoCon play while snapping a six-game losing streak to the Mocs. ETSU has now won six consecutive conference games dating back to last season. […]
Italy 1-1 France – Bastoni Delivers at Both Ends
Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni scored Italy’s equaliser in a 1-1 Nations League draw with France in Paris, then made a vital late intervention to help secure the result.According to Football Ital...
Boston Celtics Draw High Praise in Poll of Executives
Besides the Knicks, are the Celtics the team that's most likely to come out of the Eastern Conference?
Government Business Review names Whiteside County’s Camarano Economic Development Director of the Year
Whiteside County Economic Development Director Gary Camarano, who is also the executive director of the Northwest Illinois Film Office, has been named Economic Development Director of the Year 2026 by Government Business Review.
New York Islanders vs. New Jersey Devils: Home opener thread
The Islanders host the Devils for their 2026-27 home opener Saturday night. They’re on a 7-0-1 run against the Devils so expect a certain loss. Here are the tweaked lines as Pete DeBoer searches for chemistry, whether or not he has the elements and molecules to find it: mil Heineman – Bo Horvat – Kyle […]
Reporting on the science of saunas
For centuries people have sought out saunas and hot springs for their supposed healing properties. But the science behind those claims can be quite vague. So NPR science correspondent Will Stone headed to the International Sauna Congress in Norway to find out just what we know about the health benefits of saunas. This episode was produced by Gabriel Sanchez, with engineering by Eowyn Fain. Our director is Elena Burnett.It was edited by Adam Raney.Our interim executive producer is Courtney Dorning.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
HHS cuts minority health budget for RFK Jr.’s security
HHS cut $12 million from its Office of Minority Health as Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s security costs rose, prompting criticism from congressional caucus l...
Plymouth business leaders come together to create 'Blessing Baskets' for families facing food insecurity
Two Plymouth business leaders are coming together for the third year to provide a Thanksgiving dinner for families of kids facing food insecurity who attend Livonia elementary schools.
ECU Health joins effort to explore electric flight in rural health care
ECU Health is joining an initiative to use electric aircraft to bolster rural health care.
Ted Cruz blasts JD Vance as ‘insecure,’ says he’s focused on helping GOP win midterms
A clash between two potential candidates for the 2028 Republican presidential nomination spilled into public this week.
Corey Day On Pole at Las Vegas; Full Focused Health 302 Starting Lineup
Corey Day may have seen his championship outlook become cloudier after a run-in with William Sawalich a few weeks ago, but on Saturday, the Hendrick Motorsports driver secured a significant track position advantage ahead of Saturday night’s NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Day took his second career […] The post Corey Day On Pole at Las Vegas; Full Focused Health 302 Starting Lineup appeared first on TobyChristie.com.
How Rangers Are Planning to Attack Offseason
The Texas Rangers will have an interesting offseason ahead after failing to qualify for the postseason for the third consecutive season since winning the title.
HX Expeditions Closes Arctic Season, Largest-Ever Science Data Collection
The Arctic’s largest expedition cruise operator reports 26,491 citizen science contributions, new use of science AI for whales and announces extension...
Olympiacos Eye Contract Renewal for Midfielder Amid Juventus Interest
Olympiacos are moving swiftly to secure Santiago Hezze's future, fighting off European heavyweights Juventus and Villarreal following his pivotal role in their historic continental and domestic success.
Usher posts golf video ahead of El Paso stop. Will he tee off here?
Usher shared an Instagram video on Oct. 2 showing himself golfing in the rain, prompting some speculation that he may already be in the El Paso area.
Your gut may be making a molecule that raises Alzheimer’s risk
Scientists have linked a gut bacterial compound called ImP to greater Alzheimer’s risk, harmful brain protein buildup, and faster cognitive decline. The finding raises the possibility that reducing ImP in the blood could one day help slow or prevent dementia.
ChatGPT Health Wants You To Upload Your Medical Records — Cybersecurity Experts Are Begging You Not To Do That
Columbine Brutal Reminder on Epidemic of School Violence
Colorado Politics looks back at Ken Salazar’s reflections on the Columbine shooting and a landmark court ruling that reshaped election security standards for Colorado voting machines.
NLDS is not David vs. Goliath: Shohei Ohtani injuries among Dodgers' problems
The health of Shohei Ohtani is just one of the issues facing the Dodgers as they begin their quest for a third consecutive World Series championship.
In Texas, Talarico Inspires a Recurring Blue-Tinted Dream
After a dry spell of more than three decades, Democrats are daring (yet again) to believe they can win one or more top-of-the-ballot races in a vast and stubbornly red state.
Willi Orbán Helps Hungary Secure First Nations League Win
Milos Kerkez’s maiden international goal and a resolute defensive masterclass led by Willi Orbán silenced Georgia’s stars, revitalizing the Magyars’ promotion hopes with a crucial clean sheet.
Juventus keeping tabs on Brentford defender Michael Kayode
Juventus are keeping tabs on Brentford defender Michael Kayode as the Serie A giants look to bring more Italian talent into their squad, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.Bianconeri chief executive...
Dodgers World Series Hero Klein Makes Final NLDS Roster Push
Reliever Will Klein battles back from right elbow surgery to secure a last-minute spot in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ postseason bullpen this year.
Will Brazil Betting Ban Change Flutter Entertainment's (FLUT) Narrative
Flutter Entertainment reported that Don Liu resigned as Chief Legal Officer effective September 30, 2026, with Group Company Secretary Edward Traynor stepping in as interim Chief Legal Officer from October 1, 2026. Brazil's recent ban on online betting removes a previously important market opportunity for Flutter Entertainment, placing greater emphasis on execution in existing regulated regions and any remaining expansion plans. We will now look at how Flutter Entertainment's investment...
BC Roma taps former Mavs executive as president of global business
George Killebrew will bring his extensive sports business experience to Italian team BC Roma.
Lawmakers probe allegations that NC health officials used false information to secure Medicaid funds
GOP lawmakers in NC say they are looking into allegations that state health officials used false information to secure federal funding for a Medicaid technology overhaul. The claims were made in a lawsuit that has since been dismissed. The state auditor has revived an audit into the project.
Record 12th consecutive month of $500 million in sports bets
Advocates and counselors said more funding is needed to address sports gambling in North Carolina.
Record 12th consecutive month of $500 million in sports bets
Advocates and counselors said more funding is needed to address sports gambling in North Carolina.
Secretary of state candidates boast business experience but differ on election oversight
All three said they want to ensure no fraud is happening amid Wyoming’s booming rate of new business filings. When it came to voting, they shared different visions for what constitutes fair access and ballot security.
Disney cuts 300 workers, offers executives early retirement
Another round of job cuts comes as CEO Josh D'Amaro aims to consolidate the company's sprawling operations around a "One Disney" theme.
DOE Opens $400M Office of Science Funding Call for FY 2027
The annual solicitation covers seven research programs, from fusion energy sciences to nuclear physics.
Dasha Smith, one of the highest-ranking female executives in sports, is leaving NFL
Smith was the only woman of color in the NFL’s C-suite.
Politics Unusual: Governor's race, NY consent laws
In this episode of Politics Unusual, FOX 5 NY's political reporter Morgan McKay speaks with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman about his campaign for the governor's office. Also, a conversation with NYS Assemblymember Catalina Cruz about New York's consent laws.
Attitudes on the death penalty have changed since Christa Pike was convicted. Using the issue for politics hasn’t
When Christa Pike tortured and killed her classmate Colleen Slemmer in 1995, support for the death penalty was near its peak in the United States.
Alex Bregman Wins 2026 Rizzo Award In Closest Finish Ever
Alex Bregman secures the 2026 Rizzo Award for the Cubs with a +26 score, edging out Pete Crow-Armstrong in the tightest race in 13 years.
Apple will limit Mac disk access as AI agents ‘substantially’ increase risk
Apple isn’t taking AI security risks lightly.
O'Neill Institute Announces New Leadership and Two New Centers, Ushering in a Dynamic New Era for Health Law
Bert Brandenburg joins as Executive Director, Liz Stokes as Managing Director, alongside launch of new centers on AI and Women’s Health WASHINGTON, D.C... October 2, 2026 — The O’Neill Institute
Dolly Parton's nephew wants more time to defend himself against restraining order from her estate
Dolly Parton’s nephew, Bryan Seaver, is seeking more time to secure a lawyer in a legal battle involving a restraining order taken out by her estate | Talk 1370
Mamdani's Security Clearance Explained: Foreign Ties, Politics, and a 9-Month Wait
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani got his security clearance after 9 months. Here's how foreign ties and political views affect the clearance process.
Studying Science in an Anti-Scientific Time
This Chronicle Review Deep Cut was first published in 2025. By Julianne Werlin Thanks for reading The Chronicle Review! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe The last two decades have not been kind to science studies. Already bruised and battered by the “science wars” of the 1990s, by the 2000s sociologists of science — who had long argued that science had to be understood in its human context — were encountering the funhouse-mirror version of their own views in right-wing critiques of climate scientists. It was enough to give some prominent scholars pause. “Was I wrong to participate in the invention of this field known as science studies?” asked Bruno Latour, the most famous sociologist of science in the world, in 2003. “Should we apologize for having been wrong all along? Or should we rather bring the sword of criticism to criticism itself and do a bit of soul-searching here: What were we really after when we were so intent on showing the social construction of scientific facts?” In response, Latour proposed a change of method and attitude. Science studies, now chastened and contrite, would no longer seek to strip facts of their authority, but to enrich and enhance them. What this meant in practice was never fully clear. But his diagnosis of problems resonated, even if his solutions did not. Latour’s exercise in public hand-wringing signaled a shift in mood. By 2016, with the first election of Donald Trump, the idea that skepticism of science was a right-wing position, not a left-wing one, had become a commonplace, discussed eagerly in The New York Times. For liberals, vaccine denial during the Covid era and Trump’s second-term attacks on the funding of scientific research, covered extensively in these pages, added a new urgency to the defense of science on both practical and principled grounds. There was little appetite for a sociology or philosophy of science that emphasized the messiness and missteps of the scientific process rather than its integrity and triumphs. The distinguished historian of science Peter Dear’s new book, The World as We Know It: From Natural Philosophy to Modern Science (Princeton University Press, 2025), which seeks to tell the story of 18th- and 19th-century science for a general public, may seem comfortably remote from these bitter contests. In its 16 short chapters, Dear draws swift, sure sketches of major discoveries from Newton to Einstein, ably guiding the reader through debates on stellar nebulae, animal taxonomy, atomic chemistry, evolution, and other flashpoints in the history of science. But though a work of history, Dear’s book must still negotiate our polarized present. In a blurb on its back cover, the historian of biology Lynn K. Nyhart alludes to the “present moment, when scientific knowledge is being swamped by misinformation and its institutions are under siege.” Dear himself, in his conclusion, refers to the “yard signs” and “bumper stickers” that proclaim “Science Is Real.” One antidote to both anti-science propaganda and to reductive slogans in science’s defense is a robust history and philosophy of science: exactly what Dear’s scholarship has long offered. But his new book illustrates how difficult such work has become. Dear, an emeritus professor of history at Cornell University, is best known as a creative and philosophically minded historian of the Scientific Revolution. His edited volume The Literary Structure of Scientific Argument (1991) analyzed the rhetoric of Galileo’s thought experiments to brilliant effect. Discipline and Experience: The Mathematical Way in the Scientific Revolution (1995) was a major contribution to the analysis of scientific experiments in early modern Europe and beyond, while Revolutionizing the Sciences: European Knowledge in Transition, 1500-1700 (2001), now in its third edition, remains one of the best overviews of the profound epistemological upheavals of 16th- and 17th-century science. But Dear has also ventured into later periods. Nearly two decades ago, in The Intelligibility of Nature: How Science Makes Sense of the World (2006), he turned to the 18th and 19th centuries to sketch a history and theory of scientific knowledge. Aimed at a generalist audience, Dear’s simple prose belied serious philosophical ambitions. Science, Dear argued, has two aspects: “natural philosophy,” the quest to understand the true nature of the universe, and “instrumentality,” the applied skills and technologies that allow us to manipulate the world for human advantage. Both strands are ancient, but the innovation of the phenomenon we call “science” was to yoke them together. As Francis Bacon wrote, “Human knowledge and human power meet in one; for where the cause is not known, the effect cannot be produced,” an insight typically abridged to “knowledge is power.” Or, in Bertrand Russell’s characteristically blunt phrase, science has two functions, “1. to enable us to know things, and 2., to enable us to do things.” So far, so conventional. But Dear took issue with this familiar story in one respect. Bacon’s formula implied that theory and practice could be fused in a single method. In fact, Dear argued, the quest to understand nature and the desire to manipulate it were coupled only loosely. They could come together, but they could also pull apart. Focusing on natural philosophy, the “knowing” half of the scientific circle, he used a series of case studies from cosmology, taxonomy, chemistry, electromagnetism, and quantum theory to show how theories changed over time, in dialogue with practice, but never reducible to it. Take the case of matter, the basic substrate of the physical world. In the 18th and 19th centuries, scientists not only disagreed about what it was, but also about how well it could be known. In 1789, the chemist Antoine Lavoisier dismissed speculation about the atomic composition of chemicals as “discussions entirely of a metaphysical nature,” as he sought to orient chemistry away from philosophical abstraction and toward laboratory results. But in the 19th century, atoms returned with a vengeance in the atomic chemistry of John Dalton, who wanted to explain the underlying structure of nature. It was not just that Dalton and Lavoisier had a different set of experimental results, or even a different theory, Dear showed. What counted as an explanation had changed. In arguing that scientific theories depended on their intelligibility to human beings with complex arrays of beliefs and commitments, Dear was in sympathy with science studies. Key figures such as the sociologist Steven Shapin emphasized the importance of psychological mechanisms like trust in the formation and acceptance of scientific ideas. But in focusing on the scientific pursuit of knowledge, not its politics or economics, Dear resisted the more cynical perspective of some of his colleagues. The Intelligibility of Nature strikes a very different note than Shapin’s collection of a few years later, Never Pure: Historical Studies of Science as If It Was Produced by People With Bodies, Situated in Time, Space, Culture, and Society, and Struggling for Credibility and Authority (2010), to name just one example. Walking a very fine line, Dear depicted science as driven at once by complex social dynamics and by the intellectual power of real discoveries. It was a testament not only to his own acumen but also to the vitality of the field that he was able to do so. Nearly two decades later, The World as We Know It returns to the questions broached in The Intelligibility of Nature. Like Dear’s earlier study, it begins with the Newtonian cosmos and ends with debates between Einstein and Bohr on quantum physics. Beyond its terminal figures, many of the same characters appear in both studies, including the naturalists John Ray and the Comte de Buffon; the chemists Étienne François Geoffroy, Antoine Lavoisier, and John Dalton; as well as Charles Darwin and Michael Faraday, among others. Its subject is nearly identical: As in The Intelligibility of Nature, The World as We Know It considers natural philosophy as opposed to instrumentality, here defined as the “desire to create a picture of what the world is really like — the world as God knows it — rather than simply having instrumental or operational control over it.” The two books also overlap in insights — and sometimes even in language. The reader who has learned in The Intelligibility of Nature that Buffon’s method of classifying animals “reflected his belief in the importance of the senses and empiricism in learning about nature (a doctrine associated with Newton and the philosopher John Locke)” will experience a sense of déjà vu on reading, in The World as We Know It, that the classification “reflects Buffon’s commitment to the epistemological stance of Newton and his philosophical underlaborer John Locke, who stressed the role of the senses in creating natural knowledge.” Later in the passage, we read that, “because of its stress on understanding the ways of life of animals in their environments, Buffon’s approach could almost be labeled (anachronistically) as ‘ecological.’” And again, “an anachronistic way of putting it would be to say that Buffon recommends an ecological mode of understanding.” Likewise, in The Intelligibility of Nature we read of Dalton that he was initially drawn to meteorology, and that: He did a bit of experimental work on these things, especially having to do with the water-holding capacity of gases, but his real interest lay in understanding what, at an underlying natural-philosophical level, was really going on physically.” Whereas, in The World as We Know It: He did experimental work on these things, especially concerning the water-holding capacity of gases — although not at a very refined level quantitatively — but he was continually trying to develop a theoretical conception of what was happening physically. The final full chapter of each book closes on the same resigned note. Intelligibility: These days, most serious work on the natural philosophical underpinnings and implications of quantum mechanics is performed not by physicists but by philosophers of science. Among scientific practitioners themselves, Bohr’s attempt to use instrumentality as sufficient grounds for a respectable science has met with a high degree of success. And again, in The World as We Know It: Bohr’s and Einstein’s concerns are now questions that are mostly discussed by philosophers of science rather than by physicists themselves. The marginalization of these sorts of questions amounts to the demise of natural philosophy, at least in physics, in the 20th century. Quantum mechanics “works,” and that’s good enough for most scientists who encounter it. Examples could be multiplied. When handling the same subject matter, some echoes are inevitable. Scholars should not feel that because they have written “Isaac Newton died in 1727” in one book, in the next they must describe him as perishing, expiring, or meeting his maker. But the repetitions of language and arguments (not to mention six reproduced images) threaded throughout The World as We Know It are more extensive than that. They should have been caught by Princeton University Press or its reviewers, and revised. Because the two books have so much in common, it is easy to see where they diverge. The World as We Know It is a less theoretical work than its predecessor. The sociology of knowledge that organized The Intelligibility of Nature has been reduced in scale and folded into readings and examples. The taut interplay between history and theory, which gave the earlier study so much interest, is there, but it is subtle. In the earlier book, the case studies demonstrated theoretical claims about the character and development of science. In the later work, each narrative of discovery is an end in itself. Insights emerge from the history, but they do not control the organization of the study. With the theory muted, it can be hard to understand the logic uniting Dear’s sprawling history of more than two centuries of scientific knowledge. The 16 brisk chapters cover an enormous amount of material. But the closer the volume edges to comprehensiveness, the more obvious the missing elements become. A chapter on “Institutions and Pedagogy,” describing the birth of the research university, illustrates the problem. Inserted roughly halfway through the book, the unnumbered chapter is designed as an “entr’acte,” in acknowledgement that it does not fit the study’s organization around scientific discoveries. Yet as Dear is well aware, no general history of the development of modern science can bracket its 19th-century institutionalization and professionalization. It was the 19th-century university, after all, that gave us the “scientist,” a term coined by the Cambridge philosopher William Whewell. Dear’s history of scientific discoveries implies a wider social and institutional history, but it remains largely subterranean, only occasionally extruded under the pressure of the narrative. It must be said that the balance is not all on the side of the earlier study. There are some advantages to the more historical, less theoretical organization of The World as We Know It. Dear’s accounts of paradigm shifts are remarkably lucid, no small accomplishment given that they span fields and centuries. He makes excellent use of the wealth of new scholarship on Darwin and his influences, to which he has himself contributed. It is satisfying to see puzzle pieces from Buffon’s natural history, Georges Cuvier’s animal taxonomy, Thomas Robert Malthus’s demography, and Charles Lyell’s geology recombined seamlessly in the Darwinian jigsaw. Likewise, Dear’s discussion of stellar nebulae, divided between chapters two and 15, shows vividly how Newton, Kant, Herschel, and Hubble reimagined insights and observations as they sought to discover whether the diffuse light that filtered through early telescopes was a glowing, gaseous substance or discrete but distant stars. Yet despite such pleasures, the book remains a more modest work than The Intelligibility of Nature. Dear has clearly not changed his views about the history of science. But in the two decades that have elapsed, the discipline and the world around it have changed, making it harder to write a sociologically and philosophically ambitious history of science for the general reader. That is a shame, because in the age of Silicon Valley and biotechnology, both the reciprocity and the tensions Dear identified between the epistemological and instrumental ambitions of science are more evident than ever. In recent years, some of the most exciting new books on the history of science in early modernity have focused precisely on this pressure point. Important studies such as Pamela H. Smith’s From Lived Experience to the Written Word (2022), James Poskett’s Horizons: The Global Origins of Modern Science (2022), and Vera Keller’s The Interlopers: Early Stuart Projects and the Undisciplining of Knowledge (2023) all shed new light on how early modern science negotiated the relationship between its instrumental and epistemological ambitions, or in Russell’s phrase, knowing and doing. There is every opportunity for a philosophically informed approach to draw new insights from this wealth of material. Dear, unfortunately, has not done so in The World as We Know It. But for future scholars of the history of science, his body of work over nearly four decades may provide just the model. Julianne Werlin is an associate professor of English at Duke University. 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