The Source - Texans to decide on Prop 14 to fund research on Alzheimer’s

About half a million Texans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Another million Texans serve as unpaid caregivers, managing the daily needs for loved ones. This November, Texas voters will consider Proposition 14, which would direct $3 billion over 10 years to create the Dementia Prevention and Research Institute of Texas. If approved, it would be the largest state-funded Alzheimer’s and dementia research program in the nation.array(3) { [0]=> string(20) "https://www.tpr.org/" [1]=> string(0) "" [2]=> string(1) "0" }

Lost Debate - Why AI Kisses Your Ass

Ravi Gupta sits down with The Atlantic’s Matteo Wong to dig into why AI chatbots act like digital yes-men—and the risks that come with it. They explore how reinforcement learning fuels this sycophancy, why companies shape bot “personalities,” and what it means for safety. Along the way, they cover teen harms, Musk’s Grok pushing conspiracies, Google’s Gemini edge, and OpenAI’s massive reach. The episode asks the big question: can anyone break the OpenAI–Google–Anthropic monopoly, or is the future of AI already locked in?


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1A - Checking In On The Federal Workforce As The Government Shuts Down

The White House is continuing its mission to hollow out the federal workforce.

The Trump administration has signaled that it will use the government shutdown to prompt and encourage mass resignations and layoffs.

More than 150,000 federal employees plan to leave the U.S. government payroll this week. It’s the largest single-year exodus of federal workers since World War II.

For workers who opted into the deferred exit program, those resignations began on Tuesday. Workers who didn’t take the buyouts were recently threatened with dismissal.

We check in on the state of the federal workforce.

What happens now that tens of thousands of these employees are leaving? And what’s life like for those who remain?

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. 

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Time To Say Goodbye - Why are Hobbies So Damn Expensive Now?

Hello!

Today we take a break from politics and talk about hobbies and a thing that Tyler coined “hobby inflation” where everything from clay pigeons to green fees to surfboards to knitting tools have all skyrocketed in price since the pandemic. What does this mean to the future of “doing fun s**t” and how does it dovetail with the never-ending rise in the amount of time we spend on our phones?

Enjoy!



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The Bulwark Podcast - Ken Burns: You Have To Be A Bulwark

A government shutdown begins, as a standoff over spending enters what could be a painful phase. And President Trump kicks off the week warning his military leaders about facing an invasion from within. Ken Burns joins Tim Miller to talk about his new documentary, “The American Revolution,” what lessons from history he tries to apply our current politics and how the country has navigated unrest in the past.

Show Notes:

  • Bulwark Live in DC (10/8) and NYC (10/11) with Sarah, Tim and JVL are on sale now at TheBulwark.com/events.

The Bulwark Podcast - Ken Burns: You Have To Be A Bulwark

A government shutdown begins, as a standoff over spending enters what could be a painful phase. And President Trump kicks off the week warning his military leaders about facing an invasion from within. Ken Burns joins Tim Miller to talk about his new documentary, “The American Revolution,” what lessons from history he tries to apply our current politics and how the country has navigated unrest in the past.

Show Notes:

  • Bulwark Live in DC (10/8) and NYC (10/11) with Sarah, Tim and JVL are on sale now at TheBulwark.com/events.

Federalist Radio Hour - ‘You’re Wrong’ With Mollie Hemingway And David Harsanyi, Ep. 169: Shutdown

Join Washington Examiner Senior Writer David Harsanyi and Federalist Editor-In-Chief Mollie Hemingway as they discuss what the latest government shutdown means for Republicans and Democrats, analyze the indictment of former FBI Director James Comey, and share their thoughts on President Donald Trump's Gaza peace plan. Mollie and David also review the NFL's pick for the Super Bowl halftime show, House of Guinness, and Slow Horses. 

If you care about combating the corrupt media that continue to inflict devastating damage, please give a gift to help The Federalist do the real journalism America needs.

The Commentary Magazine Podcast - The Shutdown Comedy

So the federal government has "shut down," which it really hasn't, actually, and here we go again. Or will this really be a huge showdown, given that three Democrats have already voted against it and show they don't want to play this game (another six and the shutdown ends). Also: what is this ludicrous "scoop" from human dreidel Barak Ravid about how Trump had to yell at Netanyahu to get Bibi to agree to a deal that gives Bibi everything he wants? Give a listen.


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The Daily - The Democrats’ Big Shutdown Gamble

The U.S. government shut down on Wednesday morning. For the Democrats, it is an act of resistance against President Trump’s second-term agenda. The question is now whether their gamble will pay off or backfire.

In an episode recorded from the Capitol, Catie Edmondson and Carl Hulse, New York Times reporters who cover Congress, tell us what the decision-making looked like inside the building before the shutdown.

Then, we have an interview with Senator Chuck Schumer. He explains why he pursued the shutdown in the moments before the vote.

Guest:

  • Catie Edmondson, a congressional correspondent for The New York Times.
  • Carl Hulse, the chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times.
  • Senator Chuck Schumer, minority leader of the United States Senate.

Background reading: 

Photo: Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

What Could Go Right? - Whatever Happened to Civics? with Nick Capodice

It’s time for a lesson in civics! Zachary and Emma are joined by Nick Capodice, co-host of the Civics 101 podcast where he gets into the basics of how the U.S. government works and also helps teachers design lesson plans to pair with the show. Nick highlights how our collective grasp on how things work in Washington is slipping, the decrease of civics education funding since the 1950s, and the recent rise of deep divisions in American politics. He focuses on the importance of civic participation and voting and how to reclaim your voice beyond the ballot box.
What Could Go Right? is produced by The Progress Network and The Podglomerate.
For transcripts, to join the newsletter, and for more information, visit: theprogressnetwork.org
Watch the podcast on YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/theprogressnetwork⁠⁠⁠
And follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok: @progressntwrk

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