Pollster Ivan Moore predicts that Republican Senator Ted Cruz will lose his Texas Senate seat to Democrat Representative Colin Allred in the upcoming election. The close race could determine which party controls the Senate. Though some recent polls show Cruz leading by between one and seven points, others suggest Allred could outperform him. The Dallas Morning News, the state’s top newspaper by daily circulation, endorsed Allred in a front-page editorial last month, and state politics has been influenced by Democrats in recent electoral cycles. Moore made the bold prediction via Twitter.
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A recent poll prediction showing Vice President Kamala Harris ahead of Donald Trump in Iowa has sparked a dramatic shift in election prediction markets. The Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa poll, conducted by highly respected pollster Ann Selzer, found Harris three points up on Trump among likely voters. Consequently, markets such as Kalshi, Polymarket, and PredictIt, which had previously favored Trump, saw a decrease in his winning probability. Over $174 million has been traded on Kalshi alone related to the election, and Harris’s chances of victory have increased almost 10 points within the span of a week. Despite another favorable poll for Trump, analysts consider the Selzer survey significant due to the accuracy and credibility of previous results.
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Simone and Malcolm Collins, prominent advocates of the pronatalist movement, have proposed a “pronatalist” city-state to counter an anticipated demographic collapse. The couple, who have four children, proposed a dystopian-like model city-state where human reproductive biology is modified, the value of voting rights is determined by an individual’s perceived societal value, and the city-state is run by an executor or “dictoar”. Immersed in the rejection of traditional conservatism, the Collinses’ proposal was formulated for a supposed wealthy investor, who later turned out to be an undercover researcher from the UK-based anti-racism group, Hope Not Hate. Despite the proposal not being pitched, Simone and Malcolm Collins have said they stand by its core tenets. Their views align closely with those expressed by political figures like J.D. Vance and entrepreneur Elon Musk.
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Former US President Donald Trump has made a potentially dangerous statement at a rally in Pennsylvania, suggesting he wouldn’t mind if an attempt to assassinate him involved shooting through members of the media. Both Trump and current Vice President Kamala Harris have been speaking behind panels of bulletproof glass as a security measure following an assassination attempt against Trump in July. After pointing out the glass in front of him, Trump mentioned that there was no glass between him and the media, stating someone would have to “shoot through the fake news” to get him. This comment sparked concerns about it being a potential call for violence.
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That time Trump said we captured the airports during the Revolutionary War sticks out vividly in my mind, not just as a moment of absurdity but as a profound testament to how historical narratives can be warped or misunderstood in broader public discourse. As a nation built on the principles of curiosity and inquiry, the statement felt jarring, like a stumble on level ground. Airports? In the 18th century? It’s a fascinating thought that leads one to reflect on the interplay between history, rhetoric, and the absurdities that can sometimes dominate our conversations.
In this remarkable era of tweet-sized impressions, the blurring of fact and fiction seems almost commonplace, yet it’s crucial to deliberate the implications of such declarations.… Continue reading
IKEA will pay €6m ($6.5m) to a German government fund set up to compensate victims of forced labour under the country’s communist regime. Political and criminal prisoners during the Cold War era were forced to build flatpack furniture for IKEA, which was aware that political prisoners were being used, according to an investigation by Ernst & Young. IKEA Germany said the payment was the result of a long-term discussion with the Union of Victims’ Associations of Communist Dictatorship. This is the first payment of its type and has been welcomed by advocacy groups who hope this will prompt other companies to follow. Germany’s parliament will vote on the establishment of the fund in the coming weeks.
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Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, is calling for preemptive strikes on North Korean troops located in Russia. His request is based on his contention that North Korean soldiers are readying to join the war in support of Russia. Zelenskyy’s proposal contemplates the use of long-range weapons to preemptively target these troops. He believes the decision is dependent on the support of western partners. While the UK and France seem inclined towards approval, the US and Germany are hesitant due to concerns of provoking Russia.
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Subway surfing, a dangerous trend of riding on top of moving subway cars popularized on social media, has resulted in six deaths and 181 arrests in New York City this year, according to the New York Police Department. In response, the city’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority is working with social media platforms including YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram to remove related content and discourage the practice. The NYPD is also using drone technology to apprehend and deter subway surfers. Social media platforms’ policies forbid dangerous content, but the spread of such challenges is often driven by peer pressure and attention-seeking behavior. Lawsuits have been filed against some platforms, alleging they encourage dangerous behavior among young users.
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Chinese hackers have once again thrown the spotlight on national security, and it’s alarming to consider that sensitive phone audio from both the Kamala Harris and Donald Trump campaigns was stolen. The fact that such a breach is feasible indicates profound vulnerabilities in our cybersecurity framework. When I first heard about this, it was difficult to process—how could this happen in our current age when we’re supposed to be more vigilant? The implications of this theft reverberate far beyond the immediate political consequences.
The language used to describe these stolen communications raises questions. Stolen audio? Voicemails perhaps? The ambiguity around the specifics only adds to the sense of unease.… Continue reading
Generation Z is participating in a trend of ‘cancelling out’ the votes of family members who are voting differently in the upcoming 2024 US election, showcasing their decision through TikTok videos. Several women posted videos of themselves going to vote for the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, intending to cancel their fathers’ or husbands’ votes for Donald Trump. The trend sees individuals documenting their journey to the polls with a piece of paper (presumably their ballot) in hand. A September poll of roughly 2,600 registered voters aged 18-29 revealed that half would vote for Harris, a third for Trump, 10% would not vote, and 6% would vote for another candidate. The 2024 election in four days’ time has already seen over 47 million votes cast.
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John Q. Hosedrinker 
Matt Underwood