Top Stories
TOP STORY
TOP STORY
Threat of political violence looms, poll says
Security experts are raising alarms about the potential for political violence in the weeks following the presidential election.
A Scripps News poll conducted with IPSOS finds that 62% of Americans believe there will be violence related to political outcomes following Election Day. Alarmingly, the poll reveals 8% of respondents would prefer their candidate to win by any means necessary, even if it involves violence.
Robert Pape, a political scientist at the University of Chicago, comments: “This violent populism is becoming our new normal. Violent protests can emerge rapidly and … lone wolf attacks can appear almost out of nowhere.”
A report by the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California Davis revealed that nearly 14% of Americans strongly believe a civil war could occur in the US in the next few years. Almost 8% of respondents say political violence could be justified and expressed intentions to arm themselves.
Experts are calling for a renewed focus on de-escalation strategies and community dialogue to tackle the underlying issues contributing to the rising acceptance of violence in political discourse.
Running Stories
LAW
LAW
Prosecutor backs Menendez brothers’ release
Erik and Lyle Menendez, convicted of murdering their parents, should be resentenced and released on parole, a prosecutor said.
George Gascón, LA County's top prosecutor, said Thursday that new evidence merited a review of their life sentences. The 1989 trial of the murders of Kitty and Jose Menendez centered on motive. They were shot 13 times in their Beverly Hills mansion as the brothers watched TV.
Prosecutors painted the brothers as rich kids who methodically planned the murders to gain access to their parents’ fortune. But their defense attorneys argued the brothers were victims of years of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and only acted out of self-defense.
New evidence comprises a letter from Erik Menendez to a family member in 1988, and details alleged abuse by his father, Jose. Other evidence comes from a then-underage member of the 1980s Puerto Rican boy band Menudo alleging Jose Menendez drugged and raped him during a visit to Menendez’s home.
The Menendez brothers filed a motion in May 2023 detailing the new evidence. Thursday's decision was announced 12 days before Election Day, where Mr Gascón is facing a tough re-election and is down by 30 points in some polls. He denied his announcement was political and said it was a long time coming.
Erik Menendez, 53, and Lyle Menendez, 56, are serving life in prison without possibility of parole in California. A judge will have the final say over whether the brothers should be re-sentenced, and a parole board would have to examine whether they should be released from prison after serving over 30 years.
Bubbling Under
Family killings
Teen charged in killing parents, 3 siblings at Washington state home.US election
Several ballots destroyed in Arizona mailbox arson just before state's deadline to request a replacement.Air taxi
Lilium’s shares plunge 61% after the company says main subsidiaries will file for insolvency.Subscribe to our newsletter
Everything you need to know about today's news — in your inbox each morning.
It’s free
TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
Radio station broadcasts with AI ‘presenters’
A Polish radio station has triggered controversy after dismissing its journalists and relaunching with AI-generated “presenters.”
Weeks after firing its journalists, OFF Radio Krakow relaunched with what it called “the first experiment in Poland in which journalists … are virtual characters created by AI.”
The station in the southern city of Krakow said its three avatars are designed to reach younger listeners by discussing cultural, art and social issues, including the concerns of LGBTQ+ people.
The change got nationwide attention after Mateusz Demski, a journalist and film critic who until recently hosted a show on the station, published an open letter Tuesday protesting “the replacement of employees with artificial intelligence.” Station head Marcin Pulit insisted that no journalists were fired because of AI but because its listenership “was close to zero.”
The new content has fans. The station broadcast an “interview” by an AI-generated presenter with the voice of Wisława Szymborska, a Polish poet and Nobel Prize in Literature winner who died in 2012. The Wisława Szymborska Foundation approved. “The poet had a sense of humor and would have liked it.”
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS
Texas leads revival in manufacturing jobs
Manufacturing jobs have bounced back from the pandemic, but researchers found it wouldn't have been possible without Texas.
The Economic Innovation Group examined manufacturing jobs and how the sector has recovered since the pandemic. The sector primarily offers workers careers in building or assembling products. The group discovered nearly 50,000 manufacturing jobs had been added to Texas since 2019.
Before the pandemic, there were 12.8 million manufacturing jobs nationwide. Last year, that number jumped to 12.9 million. State-wide, apart from Texas, Florida, and Georgia also showed growth.. However, the Midwest and northern states, including New
York and Washington, lost thousands of manufacturing jobs. The reasons cited for Texas’s growth include a big labor pool, training and education programs, and onsite training.
SOCIETY
SOCIETY
Market in correction as big spenders fade
The global art market is poised for its second straight year of decline as demand for the top trophy works wanes.
The Art Basel and UBS Survey of Global Collecting reports auction sales in the first six months at Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Phillips and Bonhams fell 26% from 2023 and 36% from the market peak in 2021. Wealthy collectors planning to purchase art in the next year dropped to 43% from over half in 2023.
The number of people who plan to sell increased to 55%, meaning there are more likely to be sellers than buyers in the market. “For the biggest spenders, there has been a moderating in their spending or slowing of their pace,” said Paul Donovan, chief economist of UBS Global Wealth Management. “They’re taking a more considered approach.”
The survey says Gen X respondents had the highest average spending in 2023 — about $578,000 — and their lead continued in 2024, at over a third higher than millennials and over twice that of boomers and Gen Z respondents.
OTHER NEWS
OTHER NEWS
Calls for slavery reparations grow at summit
King Charles acknowledged “painful aspects” of Britain’s past while sidestepping calls to directly address reparations for slavery.
Charles today addressed the summit of Commonwealth leaders in the Pacific nation of Samoa. “None of us can change the past, but we can commit … to learning its lessons.” The king also discussed the climate crisis and development challenges and paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth.
There have been calls from some African and Caribbean nations for Britain – and other European powers – to pay financial compensation for slavery. Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis said: “The time has come to have a real dialogue about how we address these historical wrongs.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer ruled out paying reparations or apologizing for the UK’s role in the transatlantic slave trade. Still, a Downing Street source indicated the UK could support some forms of reparatory justice, such as restructuring financial institutions and providing debt relief.
St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves pointed out that, while enslavers were compensated with millions at abolition, nothing was given to those who had been enslaved and oppressed. He said the damaging legacy of enslavement and oppression has continued to plague Caribbean nations.
OFFBEAT
OFFBEAT
Painted coconuts spread worldwide
An opal miner turned painter uses coconut husks as his medium, leaving them around beaches for tourists and travelers.
John Pavart, from Australia’s state of New South Wales, has made his coconuts one of the chief charms of Magnetic Island. “I just happened to have a bit of art gear on me and thought I’d pick one up and paint it. I put it down, someone picked it up and seemed to like it, so I just kept doing it.”
John’s coconuts often depict sea life and beachscapes — he reckons he’s painted over 750. “Lots of people have found one, and it puts a smile on someone’s face. I’ve got them in Brazil, Spain, England — they’re all over the world.”
Once painted, he will leave a picture as a clue on a Facebook page he started to trigger a free treasure hunt, which routinely attracts many kids in the island’s town.
Otherweb Editorial Staff
Alex FinkTechie in Chief
David WilliamsEditor in Chief
Angela PalmerContent Manager
Dan KriegerTechnical Director