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Inside a Philadelphia barbershop, Black men debate their political past and future
Political strategist Khalil Thompson is on a mission to understand why some Black men leaned Republican in recent elections.
Inside a Philadelphia barbershop, Black men debate their political past and future
Political strategist Khalil Thompson is on a mission to understand why some Black men leaned Republican in recent elections.
Will Black representation in Congress fall after redistricting? See what Troy Carter, Cleo Fields say
A Supreme Court case about Louisiana’s congressional map opened the door for a wave of redistricting that could have major implications for Congress.
Was there ever a Colorado city that required racial segregation by law?
The answer is “yes.” The Black Racial Equity Study Commission, led by Colorado Senate President James Coleman, has learned the city of Fruita had laws forbidding black people from being on the city streets at night and from being buried in the all-white local cemetery. Fruita is a small city located to the west of […]
Command the Old Gods in Reign of the Black Empire, Hearthstone's Next Expansion
Return to the age of the Black Empire, command the most powerful Old Gods Hearthstone has ever seen, and create custom minions with the new Assemble keyword.
Apple Says iPhone 18 Pro Max Sold in U.S. Differs in One Way
As noted by Nicolas Lellouche, who writes for the French tech website Numerama, Apple has updated its tech specs pages for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max to clarify which models are equipped with its new C2 cellular modem and where. Apple now says the iPhone 18 Pro has a C2 modem worldwide, while the iPhone 18 Pro Max uses the chip in every country except for the U.S.
Physicists Just Turned The Entire Planet Into a Dark Matter Detector – And Strange Signals Kept Turning Up
Just axion questions.
MC Lyte is taking the long way to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fa...
BLACKPRESSUSA—Long before hip-hop was old enough to have a Hall of Fame generation, MC Lyte came out of Brooklyn with a voice too enormous to belong to a teenag...
Hearthstone To Get Its First New Class In Four Years Next Spring
And even sooner, we'll see the next expansion: Reign of the Black Empire
Arsenal at Sunderland match thread: tricky traveling test
Arsenal travel to the Stadium of Light to take on Sunderland on Premier League MD4. The Gunners owe the Black Cats one from last season. Regis Le Bris’ side pegged ‘em back in the 94th minute to snatch a draw. Ultimately, it didn’t matter — Arsenal still won the league — but I’d bet the […]
Atlanta Beltline expands small-business incubator with 13 businesses
The Atlanta Beltline expanded its marketplace incubator to 13 businesses across four locations, including many Black-owned shops.
Dortmund and Freiburg keep up 100% records in the Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund made it three wins from three in the Bundesliga this season thanks to Fabio Silva's early goal and Felix Nmecha's double in a 3-0 victory at home to promoted Paderborn on Saturday. Freiburg, leaders on goal difference, hammered ten-man bottom side Borussia Mönchengladbach 5-0 in the Black Forest to seal a club record sixth victory out of six games across all competitions this term.
Didn't Pre-Order iPhone 18 Pro Yet? Here's How Long the Wait is Now
iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max pre-orders began today in the U.S. and many other countries. If you have yet to place a pre-order on Apple's online store, you might face a longer wait now, depending on your desired configuration. The first customers who pre-ordered right when pre-orders began at 5 a.m. Pacific Time today will have their device delivered on Friday, September 18 launch day. As of 6:45 a.m.
Game thread: Iowa State football versus No. 21 Iowa
Date: Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026 Time: 6:30 or 6:36 p.m. CDT Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City Capacity: 61,500 Line: Iowa -14 Television: NBC Play-by-Play: Paul Burmeister Analyst: Todd Blackledge Sideline: Kathryn Tappen Radio: Cyclone Radio Network Play-by-Play: John Walters Analyst: Eric Heft Sideline: Ryan Harklau Head coach Jimmy Rogers makes his Cy-Hawk Series debut as […]
We've never seen a black hole – so can we ever really know what they are? | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
We’ve detected their influence, tracked their collisions and even imaged their shadows. But can we ever really know what black holes are?
Steelers Super Bowl Champions Challenge Rising 2nd Year Defender
Former Pittsburgh Steelers tackle Max Starks challenged defensive lineman Yahya Black ahead of the season opener. The post Steelers Super Bowl Champions Challenge Rising 2nd Year Defender appeared first on HEAVY.
'Black Swan' investor says to guard against disaster, take risks too
Universa's Mark Spitznagel said it's crucial to take risks and protect yourself against huge losses, and spoke fondly of his best investment.
After questions about Black support, Black leaders surge to boost David Jolly
'This team is stacked with talent and wisdom, and it’s connected to every part of Florida.'
Skilled Nursing Dealbook: Norbert Health Raises $14M to Scale Robotic Care; Black Pearl Completes Tender Offer for Selectis
Investment group Black Pearl completed a tender offer for Selectis Health. Meanwhile, Norbert Health raised $14M in Series A funding to expand robotic
A crisis of political maturity: How Black leadership in Memphis is mismanaging the moment
There is a crisis in Memphis's Black leadership, as recent demonstrated in the appointment to fill Joe Towns's state House seat.
BlackRidge Capital launches to fund the “first cheque” for business buyers
Backed by the Carling family office and run by experienced dealmakers, the new finance house specialises in initial-consideration and acquisitio...
Newtown Music Festival: A toast to free music, local business and the Athens community
Starting at 4 p.m. this Saturday, the Newtown Music Festival will host eight musical artists for an evening of live music, community and entertainment.
Athletic Club forward Williams retires from Ghana duty
Inaki Williams says the time has come to bring his journey with the Black Stars to an end four years after making his international debut.
Blackstone (BX) Eyes $2 Billion ZO Skin Health Exit
Blackstone Inc. (NYSE:BX) is exploring a possible sale of ZO Skin Health, the medical-grade skincare company founded by dermatologist Dr. Zein Obagi. Reuters reported that the business could be valued at around $2 billion. The process is still in the early stages, and Blackstone is working with Citigroup and Raymond James on the potential sale. […]
“Harry Potter” star reveals ‘most extraordinary’ act of kindness Alan Rickman did on set before his death
“He was such a darling like that,” said Sirius Black actor Gary Oldman at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Health Toll of WTC Attacks Still Unfolding 25 Years Later
Overview: Nearly 3,000 people died from the attack on the World Trade Center. But the lingering physical and mental health effects have reached far beyond that number. As the nation commemorates the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center’s twin towers, the health fallout from the attack still affects […]
(BPRW) NASA Postdoctoral Program Seeks Early Career and Senior Scientists for Prestigious Fellowships at Its Locations Across the U.S.
(Black PR Wire) OAK RIDGE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NASA invites both early-career and senior scientists to explore fellowship opportunities in its postdoctoral program and share in NASA's mission to develop advancements in science, te...
Black and minority business owners press NC leaders for new state contracting goals
Black and minority buisness owners push back after North Carolina lawmakers eliminated the state's HUB Office.
3 burning Blackhawks questions entering 2026-27 NHL season
The Chicago Blackhawks once again missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2026. The Blackhawks did not reach the highs that similar teams such as the San Jose Sharks reached a year ago. But Connor Bedard and his teammates still made progress as a team in 2025-26. The Blackhawks want to turn the corner sooner rather than later. Chicago has some very […] The post 3 burning Blackhawks questions entering 2026-27 NHL season appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The haka, and the cultural battleground over sport’s most famous pre-match ritual
The All Blacks' ceremonial pre-game dance will be showcased in Baltimore tomorrow, and comes freighted with history - and controversy
Steelers open season with familiar faces in new place
PITTSBURGH (BLACK AND GOLD NATION) — The Pittsburgh Steelers are opening their 2026 season at home against the Atlanta Falcons, the first time they have opened at home since 2023. While the team has not played the Falcons since 2023, the Steelers will recognize some familiar faces donning the red and black. Atlanta had a […]
'Tyrant Lizard Queen' offers a nuanced look at T. rex
Paleontologist Riley Black’s latest book explores how this misunderstood carnivore might have lived.
Politics, The Vote And The Black Church - The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint
Today, the Black Church is a key stop on the agenda of every political candidate seeking a sure vote. This is why so many of them race to the church to be seen and smiled at, the Sunday before every election.
Nike Reveals Pistons Dramatic New Alternate Uniform
The Detroit Pistons have revealed their new Nike Specter Edition uniform, featuring a black base, teal trim and bold heritage-inspired graphics.
Sandy Williams annual black business expo this Saturday
4 News Now's Alexandra Coenjaerts reports
Do black holes have hidden hair? Scientists are searching
If black holes have extra matter around them – aka hidden hair – astronomers could find it by measuring the different characteristics of these ripples.
Luminis Health cyberattack delays cancer treatment and test results
The cybersecurity attack affecting Anne Arundel Medical Center and Luminis Health Care remains unsolved almost a week after it was first reported the hospital system was under a Code Black.
Blackstone is breaking up with Bumble
Bumble's stock is down 96% from its all-time highs, but Blackstone doubled its money by selling out of the company early.
Harvey Higgins - who is breakthrough Rovers striker?
After losing Igor Tyjon to Arsenal, Blackburn have promoted striker Harvey Higgins as their next young forward in line.
2026 Rising Stars: Devin Mecham
Devin Mecham, 39, is the vice president and commercial sales manager at Spokane-based NAI Black, a role he was promoted to in 2021.
“What's your purpose?” New resource for Black mental health offers community healing
Bruh’s Healing Brothers is a new event series meant to connect Black male therapists with community members seeking mental health support.
Enbridge nears $2 billion deal for Blackstone's Pony Express crude pipeline, Bloomberg News reports
Enbridge is in advanced talks to buy the major crude oil pipeline Pony Express Pipeline in the U.S. from Blackstone-owned Tallgrass Energy for about $2 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Journey tribute band at Blackmon on Saturday
Area residents wanting some high-powered musical entertainment should journey to the Blackmon Amphitheatre for the latest Surry Arts Council Summer Concert Series show.
George Birge Signs With Black River Entertainment
George Birge has inked with Black River Entertainment. Currently boasting over 400 million [...]
Apple Announces Apple Watch Series 12 With S11 Chip, Upgraded Health Sensors and Ceramic Models
Apple today announced the Apple Watch Ultra 4, featuring a new S11 chip, a redesigned health sensing system, and a larger battery that Apple says delivers two days of battery life. With improved power efficiency, Ultra 4 offers up to 18 hours of workout tracking with full GPS and heart rate monitoring, or 45 hours in its maximum extended workout mode. It comes in Black and Natural titanium, alongside new band colors and a new titanium Hermès band.
See the highest-resolution footage of a black hole jet ever taken, thanks to AI and 27 years of observations
Researchers combined 100-plus images of a single black hole into an AI-powered video to chart the activity of a mighty blazar's jet.
Apple Reveals iPhone 18 Pro Models Will Be Available in Four New Colors
Apple at its annual fall iPhone event has revealed that the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max models will be available in four new colors. Apple describes the new colors as a Deep Black, a refined Silver, a new Glacier Blue, and Burgundy – calling the latter a "sophisticated and unique new color" that's obviously meant to be a successor to the iPhone 17 Pro's Cosmic Orange.
All New iPhone 18 Pro and 'iPhone Duo' Colors Leaked
Ahead of Apple's annual iPhone event at 10 a.m. Pacific Time today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman has leaked all of the color options for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the first-ever foldable iPhone named the iPhone Duo. iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max color options:Black Light Blue Burgundy Silver Burgundy has also been described as Dark Red or Dark Cherry.
How a fight to save Wisconsin's Black babies keeps hitting a dead end
Black Caucus members Shelia Stubbs, LaTonya Johnson, Margaret Arney, Sequanna Taylor and Dora Drake are on a mission to end the infant mortality crisis.
Editorial | Black infant mortality rate is a public health crisis
Editorial: Despite a mortality rate three times higher than white infants, Republicans like Tom Tiffany have opposed efforts to address race-based inequities in healthcare.
Akron Art Museum unveils $12.5M renovation aimed at doubling attendance
Backed by a capital campaign and $2M in state funds, the Akron Art Museum's $12M expansion opens Sept. 23 with new galleries, a black box and expanded education space.
The Gothard Sisters kick off Blackstone River Theatre's fall season
CUMBERLAND – Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad St., will present an evening of contemporary Celtic music featuring The Gothard Sisters on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m.
Revealed: New Warhammer 40,000 novels
New Black Library fiction inbound featuring the Astra Militarum and Adeptus Astartes.
The Nonlinear Science Behind Large Language Models
LLMs are black boxes, but the principles that govern them are not. Read this article for a detailed introduction to chaos and complexity theory applied to LLMs.
Drone debris falls on business grounds in Russia's Novorossiysk, mayor says
Drone debris fell on the premises of a number of businesses and close to an inhabited building in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk late on Tuesday, Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said on the Telegram messaging app.
Arkansas Black Hall of Fame announces 2026 inductees
The Arkansas Black Hall of Fame (ABHOF) announced Tuesday (Sept. 8) the Class of 2026 inductees and details of its 32nd annual induction ceremony. Six Arkansans will be honored for...
Blackstone explores sale of ZO Skin Health, sources say
Investment firm Blackstone is looking to sell medical-grade skincare company ZO Skin Health, which could be valued at around $2 billion in any deal, according to people familiar with the matter.
Jeff Blackburn Talks Chasing More Slam Coverage
Jeff Blackburn on Tennis Channel's record ratings and its Grand Slam ambitions.
David Oyelowo is the first Black Long John Silver in exclusive ‘Treasure Island’ first look
David Oyelowo was excited to be the first Black actor to play Long John Silver in an adaptation of ‘Treasure Island’: ‘You almost never see that on screen.’
Sunderland 'deserved more' at Brentford
Marco Gabbiadini says Sunderland deserved to win at Brentford after taking the game to their opponents on Saturday. The former Sunderland striker, speaking to Radio Newcastle, believes the Black Cats' attacking approach could have earned them all three points and suggested the result could prove significant when looking back at the end of the season. "If you finish the season in a similar position to what we finished last season and you look back over it, you might look back and think this is one that could have taken us another place up the table," said Gabbiadini.
Kit Leak: Germany’s first Nike away kit could be green
Nike turns to German football tradition with a striking green and black colorway for the DFB men's national team.
Stanley Black & Decker to sell $300M mower business
Stanley says the sale is an effort to focus on growing its biggest brands, and it will continue to make and market lawn-mowing equipment.
Black business conference urges unified statewide economic action
The Illinois State Black Chamber of Commerce will bring Black business owners, contractors, financial leaders, executives and civic organizations together
Six decades of politics (but little government)
The first aired episode of “Star Trek,” entitled “The Man Trap,” premiered on September 8, 1966 — 60 years ago today. I’m actually editing a political science fiction issue of The Forum right now, and it’s prompted to me think a lot about the ways that Trek deals with politics and government and what it’s offered us as commentary. The @smotus report is a reader-supported publication. To support this work, please become a paid subscriber. Subscribe The original TV series ran from 1966 to 1969. It had a loyal but modest following, but the audience grew substantially with the series in syndication for years after that. The franchise developed its first motion picture in 1979, followed by five sequels, and then a whole other series of films built around the “Next Generation” series that first aired in 1987. In recent decades, several more TV series have built up around it, including the current “Strange New Worlds,” now in its fourth season. Throughout the past six decades, the franchise has offered us a good many insights into US politics and international relations, although often disguised as science fiction yarns. The original series was largely a Cold War fable, with the United Federation of Planets (a stand-in for the US) perpetually at odds with the Klingon Empire (a stand-in for the USSR). The “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” episode (1969) posited a planet divided into two races, largely indistinguishable to outsiders, but nonetheless constituting a brutal racial hierarchy. “Patterns of Force” (1968) showed a struggling planet where the leader had attempted to construct a benevolent dictatorship — literally Nazism without bigotry — and found that authoritarianism could not exist apart from hierarchy and oppression. (Relatedly, I’d put “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” high on a list of dad films about the end of the Cold War, near “The Hunt for Red October.”) Get 20% off for 1 year Indeed, the original series itself was something of a political statement, with a multi-racial crew running the Enterprise, a diverse and largely peaceful Federation mostly free from want and oppression, and protected by Starfleet, an armed force whose scientific mission was at least as important as its military one. Famously, when Nichelle Nichols wanted to walk away from the role of Uhura on the original series, none other than Martin Luther King, Jr. met with her and urged her to remain on the show, discussing the importance of viewers seeing an intelligent Black woman as part of the command team three centuries hence. Later series in the Trek franchise offered a good deal of political commentary on their own, but probably none as explicitly and incisively as “Deep Space Nine,” which ran from 1993 to 1999. The episodes surrounding the Dominion War, especially the “In The Pale Moonlight” (1998), showed the compromises, sacrifices, and moral rot associated with winning even a just war — probably better than any series would until “Andor” (2022-25). In “Far Beyond The Stars” (1998), Captain Benjamin Sisko is somehow transplanted to the role of a science fiction writer in 1950s New York. The writer is frequently sidelined and his ideas stolen because publishers don’t want to credit a Black writer. Several series have depicted the secretive Section 31 — an unacknowledged black ops security force operating within Starfleet. These episodes often end up using Section 31 as a foil to show the dangers of a lawless group within a lawful society, even (especially) when that group posits itself as essential for everyone else’s freedom to continue. The current “Strange New Worlds” has played with a few political themes. I found the first two seasons of this show among the best that the Trek franchise has produced in decades, but this season and the last have really been struggling for ideas. Yet one interesting thread is the idea that the diplomatic and enlightened leadership style of Captain Christopher Pike will not work in all situations. “A Quality of Mercy” (2022), which I wrote about here, puts Pike in the middle of a battle with a Romulan vessel in an alternate timeline, and finds that Pike’s conciliatory style would actually make a lengthy and deadly war more likely, while a quick and more violent approach might have prevented the war. This season’s opener, “Valles Marineris,” shows a pre-lightspeed civilization locked in a war to the death with a neighboring planet. The idea of an alliance or a federation hasn’t even occurred to them — their ship’s commander is curious but doesn’t see it as an option. For a franchise as political as “Star Trek,” one thing we almost never see is the government. We get occasional glimpses of Starfleet’s council — mostly uniformed people at a rectangular table — but almost no sense of how the Federation is governed. Are there elections? Who is in the legislature? How much power does the president have? What kind of factional divisions do they wrestle with and how? The shows and films are pretty silent on this. We’ve seen a few military tribunals within Starfleet, but little about how civilians deal with crime and injustice. With recent years seeing some of the franchise’s more interesting plot lines and casts, it seems clear that Star Trek is still full of energy and ideas. Given the erosion of American democracy and the reshuffling of the international order, there’s no shortage of material for future shows to comment on. I’m not sure we should toast to 60 more years, but cheers to a show that continues to teach us about ourselves. Share
If the Saints win/lose vs. Lions
What either outcome means for the black and gold in Week 1.
(BPRW) ProcuraFind® and Ally Financial Announce Strategic Initiative to Advance Small Business Growth Through Education, Readiness, and Opportunity
(Black PR Wire) Charlotte, N.C. — ProcuraFind® and Ally Financial announced a strategic, multi-year agreement focused on helping small businesses build stronger companies through education, financial empowerment, supplie...
Blackbird Health Expands into Maryland, Bringing Pediatric Mental Health Care to Frederick and Gaithersburg
Blackbird Health, a leading provider of pediatric mental health care, today announced its expansion into Maryland with new locations in Frederick and Gaithersburg, bringing families across the region greater access to comprehensive mental health services for children, teens, and young adults.
Xbox Game Pass adds Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War today
Xbox Game Pass is adding Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War today, allowing players on the service to check out another entry in this popular shooter series.
New indoor family entertainment center in Mt. Juliet opens for Labor Day weekend
Good Clean Fun! Family Entertainment Center features arcade games, a pirate themed blacklight mini-golf course, a 7D ride and more. It held its grand opening Saturday.
The war on Iran’s energy infrastructure creates rising political risk
When Israel targeted Tehran’s oil storage facilities in the initial days of the war launched on Feb. 28, black smoke blanketed the capital and plunged parts of the city into darkness. Roughly ten days later, strikes hit natural gas facilities at the giant South Pars field, key oil refineries, major steel plants, and petrochemical complexes, impacting thousands of workers. These attacks on vital energy and industrial assets revealed a critical dimension of the conflict: compounding an already acute domestic energy...
Political notes: Ivey co-chairs CBCF, Ausby to Appellate Court, another Haley honored
Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-4th) co-chairs the annual conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation at a challenging time for the caucus, Simon Haley is honored at UMES and Kendra Young Ausby is elevated to an Appellate Court judgeship, in political notes.
What Italian media thinks of the latest Kolo Muani performance
Randal Kolo Muani was again disappointing as he led the line for Juventus in their match against AC Milan, a game that the Old Lady failed to win.The match ended in a 1-1 draw, but the men in black an...
Milik turns down Juventus offer to terminate his contract
Arkadiusz Milik returned to action in pre season, and he even scored a goal for Juventus. He would have been hoping that he would get another chance to wear their black and white shirt this season.How...
Local business owner graduates from Goldman Sachs business cohort
Mara Cunningham founded Youngstown's Yo! Crash--now with national recognition. She was one of 306 female entrepreneurs from around the globe in the 9th Goldman Sachs Black in Business cohort.
Local business owner graduates from Goldman Sachs business cohort
Mara Cunningham founded Youngstown’s Yo! Crash–now with national recognition. She was one of 306 female entrepreneurs from around the globe in the 9th Goldman Sachs Black in Business co…
Supporting mental health from the Statehouse
In Focus host Mike Kallmeyer sits down with State Sen. Willis Blackshear (D-Dayton)
'Rovers will be wondering how they got beat'
Former Blackburn Rovers striker Kevin Gallagher thinks Rovers fans will be pleased with their showing in the Lancashire derby against Preston on Saturday, but small margins decided an unwanted outcome.
Do black holes have hidden hair? Scientists find a new way to check
When two black holes crash together and merge, the newly formed black hole rings like a bell, sending out gravitational waves with specific frequencies that fade over time. This brief, fading pattern ...
Do black holes have hidden hair? Scientists find a new way to check
A team led by researchers from Nagoya University in Japan has found a way to check for black hole hair using changes in ringdown waves. They found that hidden matter does not affect these waves uniformly; the frequency and fade-out speed of the waves respond differently. This difference may show us if hidden matter is present, and how its pressure is arranged around a black hole. For spinning black holes, hidden matter affects ringdown differently, depending on whether the waves move with or against the black hole’s spin. Published in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, the study tells us what pattern in the gravitational wave signal would be a clue that hidden hair is present and may help future observations tell a hairy black hole apart from an ordinary one.
'Lang not thinking about what could be
Former Preston goalkeeper Alan Kelly praises striker Callum Lang's "striker's instinct" to score the first of his two goals against Blackburn.
'Black Swan' investor predicts AI boom ends with crash of a lifetime
Universa Investments' Mark Spitznagel told BI that he expects one more "euphoric rally" followed by a "bigger crash than we've seen in our lifetime."
Factbox-The Nine Midterm Races That Will Decide Control of the US Senate
By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Democrats need to pick up four seats from Republicans to win control of the 100-seat Senate in the midterm elections on November 3. While voters will pick candidates in 35 states, independent analysts only see nine of those races as competitive.
FLEETA by BlackVue to Exhibit at IAA Transportation 2026
HANNOVER, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 7, 2026--
Major CT manufacturer among companies facing consumer lawsuits over tariff refunds
Stanley Black & Decker faces lawsuits alleging it unfairly kept tariff refunds after raising prices, testing a new legal theory in Connecticut.
White Voters Are Twice as Likely as Black Voters to Follow Politics Closely
We asked voters how closely they follow government and current affairs, and we have the answers, visualised just for you.
‘Anything is possible if you believe’: New Black-owned business opens in Albany Mall
Raven says that her boutique is an example that dreams do come true.
The core anti-Pangram constituency is phony writers
Welcome to The Closing Argument, our verdict on the news, plus everything The Argument published and appeared in this week. The Verdict, by Kelsey Piper A lot of people hate AI for drowning the internet in slop and displacing human creatives. You might think that these people would be thrilled by a program that can identify and flag AI-generated work. But many people who hate AI also hate Pangram, an impressively accurate AI detector that produces very few false positives, according to high-quality independent research. This loathing found its most recent expression in a bizarre Wired article that amplifies a wide range of false arguments from Pangram skeptics: that AI detectors are racist (they’re not) or ableist (they’re not)1 or don’t work (this one does)2. Rather than starting from the premise that it would be really valuable to have a working AI detector and scrutinizing Pangram to make sure it lives up to that promise, the article starts from the premise that Pangram obviously has bad vibes and sets out to discover why. (One answer: The CEO microwaved lunch during an interview!) Why aren’t writers who resent Pangram more eager to distinguish themselves from posters who are having ChatGPT ghostwrite all their work? There are a few different things at play, but I think one key dynamic is this: These are often the same people. A core constituency for arguments like Wired’s is “writers” who are using AI to write their posts but resent this fact being made public. They stand to lose from AI detectors because AI detectors call them out. Share When Substack announced a partnership with Pangram, a sizable fraction of the platform’s authors rose up in outrage. Some people had experience with other AI detectors that didn’t work, and some felt that AI writing ought to be encouraged — both of which are fair enough. But the fury was fueled by authors passionately insisting that Pangram kept wrongly accusing them on almost every post they published. Pangram can be wrong, especially on short passages. But in the overwhelming majority of cases where Pangram looked at a whole blog post rather than a single paragraph, the program correctly detected work as AI. Even if we can’t be 100% sure in any individual case, we can notice the trend in the aggregate. Wired quotes Sam Illingworth, a professor of critical AI literacy at Edinburgh Napier University, who said, “I don’t think [AI detectors] work. … I think that detectors are prejudiced against certain people.” This spring, he said that he used AI for research and editing; this summer he acknowledged that in addition to research and editing, he also uses it “now and then for a turn of phrase I keep.” Pangram informs us that most of his posts are 100% AI-written (some are mixed AI-and-human) and that 100% AI-written posts started appearing last year. The favorable interpretation is that, as someone whose recent work Pangram consistently mistakes for AI, Illingworth sees Pangram’s flaws firsthand. The unfavorable interpretation is that the tool’s credibility trades off against his own, because its account of who writes his posts is not consistent with his. Illingworth is not alone in insisting the detector does not work. “It’s a Monday night in late July, and I’m pasting my own Substack draft into an AI detector for the first time. Not because I’m worried. Because I’m curious. I wrote every word of it myself, the way I write everything, out loud in my head first, in a rhythm that still carries the accent of a language I learned to think in before I learned to write in this one,” begins one Substack post by an author indignant that Pangram flags her writing as AI. “That’s the part I had to sit with before I could write this.” If you, like me, have worked with AIs a lot, you won’t even need Pangram there. The author of that piece is AI. It is obviously AI! I checked 10 other posts on the blog, and they were also obviously AI! “I have spent 22 years as an award-winning author and essayist. And now this bullshit tool that learned from MY writing is going to accuse me of plagiarism,” popular Substack writer Carlyn Beccia wrote in an anti-Pangram post. “For the last and final time, AI DETECTORS DO NOT WORK.” Here’s what her writing sounded like in 2020: “Most success stories revolve around one person who believed enough in you to say — give it a try. We call these people muses, but they are so much more than that. They are the strong man giants whose shoulders we stand on so we can see the horizon. Throughout the editing process, I am sure my editor felt less like a giant of greatness and more like Atlas with the world on her shoulders.” Pangram says it was 100% human-written. (So were other articles of hers in 2020.) And here’s what it sounds like now: “And then there is the reshuffling, which sounds like paperwork until you remember that empires have always loved paperwork. The Trump regime recently moved special education oversight from the Education Department to HHS. That is not a minor bureaucratic transfer. It changes the frame.”3 Pangram says this is mostly AI. I am not convinced that Pangram is wrong. In my own experience, Pangram is very effective on long texts — if it marks a long essay as AI, the essay was either written by AI or deliberately written to sound like AI. On tweet-length or paragraph-length texts, it’s not perfectly reliable. It seems to work just as well for non-native English speakers as for native speakers. While I have seen dozens of claims of pre-2022 text returning a positive result on Pangram, I have tried repeatedly to corroborate those and have never once succeeded. To be clear, I’m absolutely not saying that complaining about Pangram suggests a writer is a cheat. There are plenty of other concerns. Most are mistakenly premised, such as the false claim that Pangram trains on work you put into it, but others are reasonable: It’s unreliable on sufficiently short text segments; it creates an internet witch-hunt mentality when there are defensible uses of AI; people who are open about their AI use are sometimes blamed, when the only people really doing something wrong are the ones who hide it; and it isn’t perfect, so a single positive result shouldn’t be taken as decisive proof of misconduct. I’m happy to concede that Pangram is imperfect and possible to over-rely on. If an author’s posts are mostly non-AI and one scans as partially AI, this could be a mistake. It’s also possible to defeat Pangram with intentional effort. If you think we need something more robust and more reliable, fine! But if you don’t like AI and don’t like Pangram, your attitude really ought to be that it’s a shame that our existing tools for AI detection are imperfect, and it’s important to invent better ones. If your stance is instead that AI is evil and so is looking for AI, then ultimately you’re contributing to the sloppification of the internet. You’re making it harder for people who write their own text to distinguish themselves, and providing cover for authors who are definitely not writing their own text. Subscribe Top stories this week, by Kobe Yank-Jacobs Commentators often worry that the decline of reading could mean the decline of liberal democracy — but deliberative governance actually predated widespread literacy. This week, Maibritt Henkel pointed out that many liberal cultures thrive on a culture of raucous, interactive debate, which can happen in-person as easily, if not more so, than in text. Read on, dear reader, to learn more. It may actually cheer you up: [ ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/reading-wont-save-liberalism) [ Reading won’t save liberalism ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/reading-wont-save-liberalism) Maibritt Henkel · Sep 1 [ Read full story ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/reading-wont-save-liberalism) It used to be bad to downplay climate change (if we mean denying its reality). Today, it’s actually good to downplay climate change (if we mean keeping the issue out of political fights so we can make real progress). This counterintuitive view is called “climate hushing,” and contributor Alex Trembath argued that it’s the key to enacting good policy going forward. Get up to speed on the latest in climate politics: [ ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/we-wont-stop-climate-change-by-talking) [ We won’t stop climate change by talking about it ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/we-wont-stop-climate-change-by-talking) Alex Trembath · Sep 2 [ Read full story ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/we-wont-stop-climate-change-by-talking) Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney is standing up for the forces of liberalism against Donald Trump’s assault on our closest ally. So, why is one prominent left-wing commenter attacking Carney? Columnist Matthew Yglesias explains: [ ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/when-economic-liberty-means-central) [ When "economic liberty" means central planning ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/when-economic-liberty-means-central) Matthew Yglesias · Aug 31 [ Read full story ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/when-economic-liberty-means-central) 🌟Abundance Wins of the Week🌟 Shout out to my home state of California, whose legislature passed two housing bills this week. One requires a housing density minimum in transit-oriented areas of the state’s most transit-rich cities (Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, San Diego, and Long Beach). Another bill closes two common loopholes used by third parties to delay housing projects, including an opportunity to challenge maps of a given lot created by the developer after a project has been approved. Shout out to our big-state rival, Texas, where pro-housing SB 785 took effect this week. The new state law requires municipalities to have at least one district permitted for manufactured housing without a special permit. This will promote zoning changes in 44% of municipalities. The company Fervo Energy signed a deal with Google for what is set to be the world’s largest enhanced geothermal facility, proving a technology can work at a scale that could be crucial to a decarbonized, energy-abundant economy. Share Worth watching… This week, forecasting legend Nate Silver joined Jerusalem, Matt, and Jeremiah on a crowded episode of the pod. It was a party. And speaking of parties, our round table debated the factional lines within the Democratic Party: Is it possible to be center-left and also anti-establishment? Watch or listen to find out: The Rio Grande Valley in Texas is one of the areas that swung hardest toward Trump in 2024, but musician Bobby Pulido is running to flip it back. Right now, The Argument/Split Ticket’s model has him running 1.1 points behind his Republican opponent in a district Trump won by 18 points. Tune in to find out how he differs from national Democrats and what he thinks he can to do win this seat. On Thursday, Bernie Sanders was among the first politicians to call for a ban on superintelligence. My guest this week, Andrea Miotti, has been lobbying to ban superintelligence for several years, most recently in the U.K., U.S., and Canada. I asked him how he gets legislators to take speculative risks seriously, and we dug into what plans might look like to actually pass a ban. Listen to learn more: What’s News with The Argument The Argument recommends, by Kobe Yank-Jacobs If we ever lose track of Justin Zuckerman, I’ll have the team split up and check all the movie theaters in the city. I’m shocked (and a little jealous) at how often he gets out to see good cinema. This week, he brings us It Ends, a “horror-ish movie,” which he described as a “Gen Z Waiting for Godot.” I was intrigued before he added that it was “funny, dark and existential” — at which point I was fully locked in. I guess I also had existential themes on the mind this week. One morning, a single line from a poem I read long ago just came to me: “Is death a stretch of time in which a life is just a flash?” The poem is called “From 20,000 Feet” by Heather McHugh. I suggest the version in The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Poetry, which, by tradition, my best friend and I always bring backpacking, extra weight be damned. We’ll stay thematically dark for just one more rec from senior editor John Robert Thomason, whose upcoming trip to Baltimore reminded him to suggest Michael Clune’s memoir White Out (about being addicted to heroin in Baltimore in the 1990s). Ben Lerner’s blurb called it _“_Disturbing, brilliant, hilarious—it’s as if Proust had written Jesus’ Son.” John told me this “seems accurate, with the caveat that I’ve never read Proust.” I, personally, have also shelved Proust until retirement. At this point, I was a little concerned for the team since all of us tossed out such psychologically grim material — maybe we’re all down about the end of summer — but thankfully, at least a few of us were into more upbeat selections. Milan Singh recommended Made In’s 5-quart stainless clad saucier, suggesting he had some fun in the kitchen. Jeremiah Johnson asked if he could recommend yet more Carly Rae Jepsen. Once denied, he offered up Game Changer instead_,_ calling it “the most wildly creative game show, maybe in the entire history of the genre.” Eli Richman mentioned _Lucky, “_a B-tier show with an A-tier cast and an S-tier theme song.” I suppose he was recommending the song, Horns of a Bull. Still, despite these cheerier recs, I couldn’t help but be concerned that we were subconsciously worried about racing toward summer’s end — the end of swim trunks and splashing around. Then a message landed reminding me of the three-day weekend to come. A whole extra day for sunshine. One more swim in the lake. I was grateful this called to mind yet another line from a poem, one by Mary Oliver, the patron saint of every gorgeous summer day (and about whom a documentary is now out). Speaking to God in the poem “Thirst,” she wrote: grant me, in your mercy,a little more time. Love for the earthand love for you are having such a longconversation in my heart. We have merch! We have quarter-zips, keychains, hats, and stickers. Each one is a great conversation starter in its own way. Buy them here. Subscribe More to read: [ The Opening Argument ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/seeing-like-an-elite)[ Seeing like an elite ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/seeing-like-an-elite) Kobe Yank-Jacobs · Sep 4 What do Americans hear when they watch Sen. Bernie Sanders or Vice President JD Vance rail against the elite? Are they thinking of right-wing tech billionaires? Imperious college professors? Liberal magazine writers? [ Read full story ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/seeing-like-an-elite) [ The Weekly Scroll ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/god-is-back-on-the-timeline)[ God is back on the timeline ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/god-is-back-on-the-timeline) Jeremiah Johnson · Sep 5 This week, we’re talking about Substack’s new religious debates, the continuing MAGA influencer scandal, how to retire from YouTube, and aura battles. [ Read full story ](https://www.theargumentmag.com/p/god-is-back-on-the-timeline) 1 This was a legitimate thing to worry about, but doesn’t seem to be a problem given the actual technology: Marijke Van Vlasselaer, Filip Van Droogenbroeck, and Bram Spruyt’s 2026 paper looks at whether Pangram is less accurate when evaluating the work of non-native speakers of English. It isn’t. That’s because Pangram isn’t really looking at how “unusual” a piece of writing is but whether it has the characteristic patterns of LLMs. The Wired article makes an odd gesture at a different Pangram-is-racist argument. There were several controversies this summer during which upcoming books were canceled after being discovered to be AI-written: “The three novels mentioned earlier — Shy Girl, Daggermouth, and Call Me, easily publishing’s biggest AI-detection scandals — were all written by writers of color.” But come on! As Zvi Mowshowitz put it: “They were not primarily written by people of color. They were primarily written by AIs.” That’s the whole problem! And as my colleague Jeremiah Johnson recently observed with respect to Cambridge’s Arday scandal, a community being unwilling to call out fraud if it’s perpetuated by people of color is not an anti-racist tendency; it is ultimately quite racist. 2 Many non-Pangram detectors don’t work, but many possible airplane designs also don’t work, and no one considers this a general argument against aviation; the thing that matters is whether any detection works. 3 The phrase “empires have always loved” mysteriously became all the rage in the last few years. See here, here, here, here and here. Before 2025, the only use of that phrase I have been able to find is a single Tweet. The logic of the sentence, too, is incoherent in an AI-characteristic way. “...sounds like paperwork, until you remember that empires have always loved paperwork”? Does remembering that make it sound less like paperwork? It’s a craft-ful sentence, but what is it actually saying??
The business of educating black parents, teachers and kids
Bolanle Ambonisye knew she had stumbled onto something when parents began using her name to get their children to behave. “Lil’ Johnny was acting up last night. I told him I’m going to tell Mama Bolanle and he straightened right up,” she recalled parents telling her when she was a teacher at the Frederick Douglass […]
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