Actor Harrison Ford has endorsed Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the US presidential election, releasing three videos as part of the Harris-Walz campaign. The Star Wars and Indiana Jones actor communicated his frustrations about division in the country and the perceived embracing of global dictators under President Trump. Ford emphasised the important democratic process of disagreement and debate, asserting that “what we need is to work together again.” Although Ford admits to not fully aligning with all of Harris and Walz’s policies, he stands behind their beliefs in science, rule of law and governance for all Americans. He joins a list of celebrities, such as LeBron James and Cardi B, endorsing the vice president and Minnesota governor.
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Chanel’s CEO Leena Nair has criticised the AI model ChatGPT for creating an all-male team when asked to present a leadership group from the brand. ChatGPT’s apparent gender bias contrasts with Chanel’s employee makeup, which is 76% female. Nair, who is the second woman and first Indian CEO of the company, is invested in AI integration for Chanel, but plans to address the biases seen in such technologies. In a statement, an OpenAI spokesperson acknowledged bias as a significant problem in AI, pledging continued work to reduce it. Fortune later reported that ChatGPT generated an image with both men and women present when given the same instructions.
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A 61-year-old man was critically injured in Hawaii when a shark attacked him while he was surfing, severing his leg just below the knee. Emergency services were called to the scene and worked to stem the bleeding before transporting him to Maui Memorial Medical Centre. People have been warned to stay away from the beach park and to avoid the water within a mile in each direction of the incident. Local authorities are patrolling the area using rescue watercraft and drones. There have been no further details regarding the type of shark involved.
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Donald Trump’s prospects in the upcoming election have plummeted dramatically, with Kamala Harris likely to secure victory, according to data scientist Thomas Miller from Northwestern University. This downturn comes after a Trump rally at Madison Square Garden, which was dominated by controversial figures, and led to the alienation of many potential voters. Miller’s model is based on prediction and betting markets, most notably the platform ‘PredictIt’. The prediction shows a significant swing towards Harris. Trump’s lead, which was previously 196 votes, has now reduced to just 80, with further losses anticipated.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on allied nations to take action against the training of North Korean troops in Russia for deployment against Ukrainian forces. Zelenskyy raised the possibility of a preemptive strike on the training camps, but stated Ukraine requires approval to use Western long-range weaponry for the task. Western leaders view this development as a considerable escalation with potential implications for the Indo-Pacific region and possible technology transfers from Moscow to Pyongyang. Meanwhile, Russia has signaled it would interpret such a strike as a significant escalation, with Putin warning of war with the U.S. and NATO. In other news, Russia’s ongoing strikes on Ukraine continue to result in casualties and destruction of infrastructure, even as Ukraine reports a slowing in Russia’s drone campaign.
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Violent crime in Detroit is down 24%, the most substantial decline since 1966, according to the Detroit Police Department. Community Violence Intervention (CVI) teams and new technology have played a crucial role in this reduction in crime. One of the six organizations involved in Detroit’s CVI program, Force Detroit, has achieved a 72% decrease in violence in the Cody, Rouge area. Despite this positive progress, some residents feel the impact has been minimal. Force Detroit attributes the level of violent crime to a lack of social services and is focused on aiding this issue to further reduce crime rates.
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Shares in Donald Trump’s social media outlet, Trump Media, have lost about 41% of their value in just three days, based on slowing expectations about the former president’s re-election prospects. The shares, which trade under the ticker “DJT”, have become a barometer of how traders think the presidential election will turn out. The company’s shares, which quadrupled in value between 23 September and Tuesday’s closing bell, from $10.3bn to $5.9bn, have been extraordinarily volatile all year. Despite a relatively tiny user base, at one point Trump Media was briefly worth more than Twitter. George Kailas, CEO of Prospero.ai, explained that this is typical behaviour for a meme stock.
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In the lead-up to the presidential election, former President Donald Trump has criticised actress Julia Roberts for her endorsement of his political opponent, Kamala Harris. Roberts narrated a Vote Common Good advertisement, urging women to vote for Harris regardless of their partners’ preferences. Trump voiced his disapproval during an appearance on Fox & Friends, calling the ad “stupid” and arguing that it doesn’t reflect how couples typically behave. The commercial features two women casting their votes for Harris and her running mate Tim Walz, while their husbands look on. The backlash from Trump occurs as Harris concludes a $370 million media campaign.
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A UK court has sentenced a man, Piotr Kucharski, to two and a half years in prison for claiming to be part of the terrorist group, Wagner Group, and for his aggressive behaviour. Kucharski attended a Viking battle reenactment event in combat clothing with Wagner Group patches, where he behaved aggressively and claimed he was fighting for the group in Ukraine. He later stated that these claims were attempts to provoke reactions from other participants due to differing views on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. At a hearing, he pleaded guilty to wearing symbols associated with extreme right-wing ideology and white supremacy. The prosecutor’s office reiterated that it would always prosecute those who support terrorism.
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The Trump campaign has filed a Federal Election Commission (FEC) complaint and a $10 billion lawsuit against the Washington Post and CBS respectively, accusing them of election interference. Despite losing over 250,000 subscribers, the Post had chosen not to endorse any presidential candidate, dismissing a prepared endorsement of Kamala Harris due to an order from its owner, Jeff Bezos. The Trump campaign alleges that CBS favorably edited a 60 Minutes interview with Harris, which they claim amounts to election interference. This comes after Trump expressed dissatisfaction with his performance at ABC’s presidential debate with Harris, going as far as calling for ABC’s license to be revoked. In the run up to the election, Trump’s media attacks appear to be strategic attempts to get favorable coverage and undermine faith in political journalism.
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John Q. Hosedrinker