The top photos of the week by AP's photojournalists | AP News
| An activist blocks a highway during a protest demanding the immediate release of hostages held by Hamas and calling for the Israeli government to reverse its decision to take over Gaza City and other areas in the Gaza Strip, near the city of Lod, Israel, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) |
A wave of swatting and active shooter hoaxes at universities brings panic and turmoil to the start of the school year | CNN (Thanks to Finn for this one)
Related: Minneapolis Shooting Live Updates: Police Seek Answers in Fatal Church Attack - The New York Times
KYW Newstudies Student Reporter Program (information and application)
2024 Newstudies student reports
interested in learning about the inner workings of one of the country’s most respected news radio stations?
Who: High school sophomores, juniors and seniors
What: KYW Newstudies Program 2025
Since 1968 KYW Newsradio has given high school students the opportunity to learn what it’s like behind the curtain of a major market radio station with the Newstudies student reporter program. Over the course of four Saturdays in the fall, students will learn reporting, news writing, editing, ethics and interviewing skills from KYW Newsradio managers, editors and reporters. At the end of the Newstudies program there will be a graduation ceremony. To graduate from the program, students must research, write and record a news report about something in their school or community. The student’s report will air on KYW Newsradio and a digital version of the report will be posted online.
Reports from the 2024 class can be heard HERE:
Several students will receive special awards for their accomplishments, including a cash scholarship.
Why: We hope this program will help students explore broadcasting as a career choice and help them decide if it’s something they’d like to pursue as they enter college and adulthood. Many successful careers in broadcasting have started with the KYW Newstudies Program, and we are ready to introduce a new crop of journalism-minded students to this exciting industry.
Program Dates:
Saturdays 9:00AM - Noon
Week 1: October 11th
Week 2: October 18th
Week 3: October 25th
Week 4: November 15th (Recording Session)
Week 5: December Day & Time TBD (Graduation at Temple University)
Where:
Audacy/KYW Newsradio
2400 Market Street, Floor 4
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Applications: Use the link below to submit a maximum of two students to the KYW Newstudies Program. The application deadline is Friday, September 26th.
Past program participants will not be accepted. To keep class sizes small, KYW Newsradio may not be able to accept every student who submits their name by the deadline. By October 10th accepted students will receive details about the program (ex. program schedule, consent form and expectations) via email. After the application deadline, school contacts will be notified of the application status of their submitted students.
Application Link: kywnewsradio.com/learn
Requirements: Grades: 10-12
Email Account: During the program students will be receiving program related correspondence from myself and their Newstudies instructor. The student is asked to provide an email account that accepts attachments and does not block emails from outside their domain. School email accounts are not recommended for use.
An Evening With the Central Park Coyotes - The New York Times
Romeo and Juliet are shy and graceful, leaping over fences, hunting for rodents and catching at least one Canada goose.
Ryan Reynolds reacts to Neil Patrick Harris stealing his Deadpool role (Thanks to Sebastian for this funny one)
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| Ryan Reynolds in 'Doogie Howser M.D.' spoof; Neil Patrick Harris in a 1989 photo from the real thing. Ryan Reynolds/YouTube; ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty |
Six Uplifting Stories of Hope in 2025
According to the latest Global Electricity Review 2025 by Ember, clean energy sources accounted for 40.9% of global electricity generation in 2024. This milestone was driven by significant growth in renewable energy, particularly solar power.
Historic Malaria Vaccine Rollout: Seventeen African countries have introduced malaria vaccines through routine childhood immunization programs, reducing childhood mortality by 13% in pilot areas.
Breakthrough in Lab-Grown Meat: Researchers in Japan developed a method to grow thicker, structured pieces of lab-grown meat, producing an 11-gram piece of chicken meat with a recognizable texture.
Reunions of Families Separated by Chile’s Dictatorship: Five U.S. adoptees, stolen as babies during Chile's dictatorship, reunited with their biological families after nearly 40 years.
106-Year-Old's Dream Trip: Cretora Bickerstaff, a 106-year-old from Texas, fulfilled her dream of visiting Italy thanks to the generosity of strangers.
Gene Therapy for Sickle Cell Disease: A groundbreaking gene therapy cured sickle cell anemia in a 21-year-old patient, marking a historic medical milestone.
Apple’s New Software Focuses on Design Aesthetics Over A.I.
The company also introduced artificial intelligence in its devices in the opening presentation of a company conference.
Bill Atkinson, Who Made Computers Easier to Use, Is Dead at 74
A designer for Apple, he created software that made it possible to display shapes, images and text on the screen and present a simulated “desktop.”
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| Bill Atkinson in 1987. Among other things, he is credited with inventing computer screen “pull down” menus and the “double-click” gesture of a mouse.Michel Baret/Gamma-Rapho, via Getty |
Kennedy Removes All C.D.C. Vaccine Panel Experts
The U.S. health secretary chose to “retire” members of a committee that makes significant decisions about who receives immunizations, including the vaccines for children.
Of course, now the fear is that the ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion. I’ve just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I’ll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case.https://t.co/iXjTDieAwY
— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) June 9, 2025
A DNA Technique Is Finding Women Who Left Their Babies for Dead (Thanks to Valerie for this one)
Genetic genealogy is identifying the mothers of deceased newborns found abandoned, shedding light on crimes that went unsolved for years. Women now may face lengthy prison sentences for decades-old chapters of their pasts.
In 1993, a 22-year-old woman named Gail Eastwood gave birth alone in a suburb of Cleveland. She later told the police she did not recall seeing the baby move or make any noise. She put the baby in a garbage bag, left the bag in the woods, and never told anyone what had happened, including her boyfriend, whom she married the next year.
Nearly 30 years later, genetic genealogy led the police to her front door, and a jury convicted her of murder in 2022. She is now serving a sentence of 15 years to life.
Her husband, Mark Ritchey, who was the baby’s father, learned about what had happened only when his wife was arrested. He said he was frustrated that the jury at her trial was not allowed to hear evidence about what her mental state had been during the delivery.
“I get what happened is tragic, I’m not removing myself from the responsibility of that,” he said in an interview. “But my wife being in prison is not the answer.”
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| Mark Ritchey said he learned only decades later, when his wife was arrested, that she had given birth in 1993. Daniel Lozada for The New York Times |
What to Know About the Immigration Protests in Los Angeles - The New York Times (Thanks to Alana for this one)
Demonstrations against the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown have been largely peaceful, but tensions flared after President Trump ordered National Guard troops to deploy to the city.
Maps and Timeline of the L.A. Immigration Protests and the Federal Response
Trump Pivots From Musk to Newsom
One constant in President Trump’s second term is that the subjects of his quarrels are ever-changing.
How Waymo got caught in the crossfire of Los Angeles ICE protests - Fast Company
Related: How Waymo became a symbol of everything people hate about AI
China’s Grip on an Obscure Rare Earth Metal Threatens the West’s Militaries - The New York Times
China produces the entire world’s supply of samarium, a rare earth metal that the United States and its allies need to rebuild inventories of fighter jets, missiles and other hardware.
U.S. and China Meet at Precarious Moment in Trade War - The New York Times
Justices Grant DOGE Access to Social Security Data and Let the Team Shield Records
As Elon Musk leaves Washington, the team he formed to ferret out waste and abuse won dual victories in the Supreme Court.
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| The Trump administration said the Department of Government Efficiency, formed by Elon Musk, needed sensitive records of the Social Security Administration to root out waste and fraud and to modernize the agency’s operations.Tom Brenner for The New York Times |
First, Snubs. Then Flattery. Now Trump and Musk Are at War.
Buildup to a Meltdown: How the Trump-Musk Alliance Collapsed
President Trump’s decision to pull a close associate of Elon Musk’s out of the running to lead NASA helped doom an extraordinary partnership.
Opinion | Clash of the Bilious Billionaires - The New York Times
Opinion | The Biggest Mystery of Elon Musk - The New York Times
Opinion | A Comprehensive Accounting of Trump’s Culture of Corruption - The New York Times
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| Trump and Musk at their last meeting in the Oval Office where Trump presented Musk with a gold key. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times |
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| Jared Isaacman, a close associate of Mr. Musk’s, had been tapped to lead NASA. Trump decided against it because Isaacman had donated to Democrats in the past. Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times |
Buyer With Ties to Chinese Communist Party Got V.I.P. Treatment at Trump Crypto Dinner
The warm welcome for a technology executive whose purchases of the president’s digital coin won him a White House tour illustrates inconsistencies in the administration’s views toward visitors from China.
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| He Tianying outside the White House on May 23. Mr. He is a member of an advisory body that seeks to broaden the Communist Party’s influence and solicit support from influential people in Chinese society.Jason Andrew for The New York Times |
Trump directs DOJ, White House counsel to investigate Biden’s mental state in office - ABC News (Thanks to Finn R for these)
Trump reinstates US travel ban, bars citizens of 12 countries | Reuters
This App Is Trying to Change How Americans Eat
Yuka, which Kennedy has called “invaluable,” assigns health scores to food. But can it actually help people make better choices?
Touring the Gold Coast Mansions That Inspired ‘The Great Gatsby’
Though only a fraction of its Gilded Age mansions remain, Long Island still offers a glimpse of the opulence that F. Scott Fitzgerald found 100 years ago.
Related:
What Does Ultra Wealth Look Like in 2025?
In HBO’s “Mountainhead,” the “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong uses subtle status symbols — and a secluded $65 million ski chalet — to convey hierarchy among the 0.001 percent.
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| Fitzgerald's Mediterranean-style home on Long Island |
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| Howard Gould's 50,000 square foot Hempstead House |
ICE Detains Family of Suspect in Colorado Attack
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the agency would be investigating whether Mohamed Sabry Soliman’s family had information about his alleged plot.
Judge Halts Effort to Deport Family of Suspect in Colorado Attack
Trump begins new travel ban impacting 12 countries
See the Countries Under Trump’s New Travel Ban: List, Map and Charts - The New York Times
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| The home of Mohamed Sabry Soliman in Colorado Springs on Sunday, the day he is accused of attacking an event honoring Israeli hostages.Jerilee Bennett/The Gazette, via Associated Press |
Republican Policy Bill Would Add $2.4 Trillion to Debt, Budget Office Says
The estimate from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office is all but certain to inflame an already intense debate inside the G.O.P. about the fiscal consequences of its bill to enact President Trump’s agenda.
Republicans Try to Discredit Experts Warning About the Cost of Tax Cuts
President Trump and his allies have united around a new foe: the economists and budget experts who have warned about the costs of Republicans’ tax ambitions.
After Muscling Their Bill Through the House, Some Republicans Have Regrets
The sprawling legislation carrying President Trump’s domestic agenda squeaked through the House with one vote to spare, but some Republicans now say they didn’t realize what they voted for.
Elon Musk Calls Trump Policy Bill a ‘Disgusting Abomination’
The tech executive criticized the president’s legislation in a series of posts on Tuesday, signaling a widening rift with Republicans.
Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia said that she had been unaware that the mega-bill she voted for would block states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade.
