Democrats in the wilderness
The Democratic Party isn’t just unpopular. It’s adrift, unsure if its path forward is through centrism or a sharp turn left
At a Brooklyn street festival in August, Zohran Mamdani failed to bench-press 135 pounds. Why he was even subjecting himself to such a stunt is a good question. Call it a sign of the times. The likely next mayor of New York — a trim 34-year-old socialist who wants to freeze rents and open government-run grocery stores — grimaced through two attempts, the bar quivering inches above his chest before a spotter stepped in.
https://www.deseret.com/magazine/2025/10/24/democrats-identity-crisis-populism-zohran-mamdani/
Elon Musk to build the biggest building in the world — spanning a colossal 100M square feet
Elon Musk is about to build something so big it will make the Pentagon look like a strip mall.
Tesla and SpaceX confirmed Thursday that Terafab, their jointly built semiconductor megafactory, will rise in Grimes County, Texas, just outside Houston, with a first phase price tag of $16.8 billion.
The finished complex is slated to top 100 million square feet, a footprint that would blow past every structure ever built and instantly become the largest building in the world.
Musk, who runs both companies, called the facility “the largest and most valuable building on Earth by far.”
https://nypost.com/2026/08/07/real-estate/elon-musk-set-to-build-the-largest-building-on-earth/
Nuclear Proliferation Risks, New and Old
During the past decade, the United States and Russia have joined in a number of efforts to reduce the danger posed by the enormous quantity of weapons-usable material withdrawn from nuclear weapons. Other countries and various private groups have assisted in this task. But many impediments have prevented effective results, and most of the dangers still remain. Even more troubling, this threat is only one of several risks imposed on humanity by the existence of nuclear weapons.
https://issues.org/panofsky-nuclear-proliferation-risks/
The Great Grift: How billions in COVID-19 relief aid was stolen or wasted
Fraudsters used the Social Security numbers of dead people and federal prisoners to get unemployment checks. Cheaters collected those benefits in multiple states. And federal loan applicants weren’t cross-checked against a Treasury Department database that would have raised red flags about sketchy borrowers.
Vice President JD Vance touts up to $160B in fraud busted by feds
US Government Losing Half a Trillion Dollars a Year to Fraud
https://www.newsweek.com/us-government-fraud-gao-report-11837253