A Step Closer.
An armada of civilian ships.
“News Items gives you in minutes the most important news of the day, with the bonus of clear reports on the latest research and breakthroughs in science and technology that go broader and deeper than anything you see in news summaries from other leading publications.” — Robert Delamater, Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell.
1. A breakthrough experiment led by a team from the University of Stuttgart in Germany brings a quantum internet a step closer, with physicists teleporting a quantum state between photons produced by separate light sources for the first time. The achievement allows engineers to bounce quantum information through repeating stations consisting of ‘quantum dots’ over long distances without loss or disruption. The research paper is here. (Sources: sciencealert.com, news.uchicago.edu, nature.com)
2. Financial Times:
OpenAI said its latest artificial intelligence model GPT-5 is accelerating research in mathematics, biology and physics, as AI groups race to produce tools for scientists in the hunt for new revenue streams.
The $500 billion start-up on Thursday published a paper that showed its large language model helped a mathematician at Columbia University crack an unsolved and notoriously difficult maths equation called the Erdős number theory problem.
OpenAI said GPT-5 also identified a change in human immune cells within minutes, which scientists had spent months trying to solve. The model suggested an experiment that researchers were able to test and confirm to be correct.
“If we can build these tools and put them in the hands of scientists all over the world, that can help them do the next 25 years of scientific research in five years instead,” said Kevin Weil, OpenAI’s vice-president of science. (Source: ft.com)
3. President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Ukraine would engage “constructively, honestly and operationally” on a peace plan that the Trump administration proposed after consulting with Russia — but not with Ukraine. The 28-point settlement plan echoes long-held Russian demands, including that Ukraine surrender territory, limit the size of its army and forgo any role for a Western peacekeeping force after a cease-fire, according to officials familiar with the proposal. Mr. Zelensky’s comments came after a meeting with the U.S. Army secretary, Dan Driscoll, whom the Trump administration had sent to Ukraine to help restart peace talks. (Source: nytimes.com)
4. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW):
There are no provisions in the reported peace plan in which Russia makes any concessions, and ISW continues to assess that accepting Russian demands would set conditions for renewed Russian aggression against Ukraine. Many of the provisions in the full text of the reported plan align with the Kremlin’s original 2022 Istanbul demands, which amount to Ukraine’s full capitulation, even though the battlefield situation has changed markedly in the years since and has forced Russia to resort to grinding, foot-pace offensives to make marginal tactical advances. The Kremlin has continuously reiterated that it intends to achieve all of its war goals either diplomatically or militarily, setting informational conditions to justify renewed aggression against Ukraine at a later date. Russian officials have also set informational conditions to justify the aggression for the occupation of Ukraine beyond the five regions it has illegally annexed. This reported plan would capitulate to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s theory of victory, which is predicated on the assumption that Russia’s military and economy can outlast Western support to Ukraine, and would reinforce the Kremlin’s belief that the Kremlin can achieve its maximalist objectives against Ukraine and elsewhere with minimal international consequences. Russia would therefore be likely to launch renewed aggression against Ukraine with a blooded, rested, and reconstituted military at a time of its choosing on battle lines in Ukraine that would heavily favor Russia. (Source: understandingwar.org)
5. China is mobilizing an armada of civilian ships that could help in an invasion of Taiwan – a mission that could surpass the Second World War’s Normandy landings. Reuters used ship tracking data and satellite images to monitor the role civilian vessels played in Chinese maritime exercises this summer. The drills revealed that China is devising concrete invasion plans, naval warfare experts say, and rehearsing new techniques aimed at speeding up beach landings of troops and equipment in a bid to overwhelm Taiwan’s defenders. (Source: reuters.com)
6. For years, authorities have battled an illicit black market for US dollars fueled by strict Chinese government restrictions on its citizens. Affluent Chinese nationals looking to bypass those rules pay middlemen to procure millions in cash – often sourced from Mexican cartels looking to rinse clean their illicit profits from fentanyl and other drug sales. Now, a CNN investigation that included a review of hundreds of pages of court documents and interviews with more than half a dozen law enforcement sources reveals new details about a little recognized participant in this booming market: American casinos. At one high-profile casino, some of the staff were even in on the scheme. (Source: cnn.com)
7. Somalia is at risk of becoming a jihadist state. Somalia is embroiled in a deepening crisis involving an ascendant jihadist insurgency, a faltering peace support operation, domestic political polarization, and regional geopolitical competition. The federal government’s de facto sphere of control is confined to Mogadishu and a few satellite towns: essentially a metropolis with a diplomatic corps and a demoralized, ineffectual army. Absent a dramatic change in direction, likely near-term scenarios include collapse of the federal government and an al Shabaab takeover of the national capital, with profound consequences for regional stability and security. Such an outcome would empower a militant Islamist alliance with global ties, profoundly reshaping the international fight against terrorist groups. (Source: africacenter.org)
8. Pakistani security forces raided two Pakistani Taliban hideouts in the country’s northwest near the Afghan border, triggering intense shootouts that left 23 militants dead, the military said Thursday. There were no details on any casualties among the military. The raids took place on Wednesday in Kurram, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, according to a military statement. The operation followed raids earlier this week across northwestern Pakistan that the army said killed 38 militants. The military identified the killed militants as “Khawarij,” a term authorities use for militants they allege are backed by Afghanistan and India, including those linked to the banned Pakistani Taliban, a charge Kabul and New Delhi deny. (Source: apnews.com)
9. The cryptocurrency market extended a more than a month-long retreat during Asia trading on Friday. Market bellwether Bitcoin dropped as much as 2.1% to below $86,000 for the first time since April, as the market struggled to find new buyers and the momentum that had supported prices earlier in the year evaporated. The pullback comes after weeks of unwinding among fast-moving traders and lingering positioning from October’s record run-up, which has left the market more vulnerable to selling pressure and sharp swings. (Source: bloomberg.com)
10. The Trump administration on Thursday announced plans to open the Pacific Ocean to new oil and gas leases for the first time in more than four decades. The draft plan released by the U.S. Department of the Interior confirms rumors that have been swirling for weeks. The proposal would see as many as 34 offshore lease sales across 1.27 billion acres of federal waters in the Outer Continental Shelf through 2031, including six areas along the Pacific Coast, 21 off the coast of Alaska and seven in the Gulf of Mexico. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced the plan with an order titled “Unleashing American Offshore Energy,” which directs the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to terminate former President Biden’s much more limited plan, which called for only three new oil and gas leases through 2029, the lowest number ever and only in the Gulf of Mexico. (Source: latimes.com)
11. A plan backed by Donald Trump to restrict US states from regulating AI companies has provoked a backlash from prominent Republicans and Maga supporters, and accusations that he has caved to Big Tech donors. The US president on Tuesday called for “one Federal Standard instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes” to support the sector’s growth, despite vehement opposition from some Republican senators and governors. The White House is even considering an executive order that would potentially withhold federal funds from states who attempt to pass AI laws, according to a person familiar with the matter. Trump’s backing of a federal framework — a priority for Silicon Valley lobbyists who fear restrictions on AI from some states — came two weeks after a group backed by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz and an OpenAI co-founder was formed in Washington in part to fight state-led legislation. (Source: ft.com)
12. New research shows that, as insurance has sharply pushed up the cost of owning a home, the price shock is starting to reverberate through the broader real estate market. Rising insurance costs are eating into household budgets. In Plymouth County (MA), home insurance accounts for 11 percent, on average, of total home payments, which also includes the mortgage and property taxes. On the high end, insurance represented over 19 percent. In some areas of the country that are exposed to disasters, homes are not selling because prospective buyers can’t afford both the mortgage and the insurance. (Source: nytimes.com)
13. Student achievement has fallen off a cliff. Last winter, the U.S. federal government released the results of its semi-annual reading and math tests of fourth- and eighth-graders, assessments that are considered the most authoritative measure of the state of learning in American elementary and middle schools. In nearly every category, the scores had plunged to levels unseen for decades — or ever. On reading tests, 40 percent of fourth-graders and one-third of eighth-graders performed below “basic,” the lowest threshold. A separate assessment of 12th-graders conducted this past spring — the first since schools were shuttered by the COVID pandemic — yielded similarly crushing results. (Source: nymag.com)
14. Paramount, Comcast and Netflix have submitted bids for Warner Bros. Discovery, owner of the storied Warner Bros. movie and television studio and HBO, according to people familiar with the matter. The bids submitted are nonbinding, and additional rounds are expected, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. Warner Discovery has indicated it would like to have the process concluded by the end of the year. At the same time, Warner Discovery continues to move forward with plans to separate its assets into two companies: one to house its studios and streaming business, and the other comprising its cable networks. Of the three bidders, only Paramount is pursuing all of Warner Discovery, including studios and streaming as well as its portfolio of cable networks like CNN, TNT and Food Network, people familiar with the matter said. NBCUniversal parent Comcast and streamer Netflix are bidding only for the studios, HBO and streaming service HBO Max, the people said. (Source: wsj.com)
15. Laure’s Weekend Movie Pick: “L’Auberge Espagnole” (The Spanish Apartment, 2002) directed by Cedric Klapisch, is an endearing comedy about friendship and love and growing up among friends from all over the world. The film features a terrific ensemble cast, including Audrey Tautou (Amelie), Cécile de France, Kelly Reilly (Yellowstone), and Romain Duris. (Sources: imdb.com, Laure Sudreau)
Quick Links: America’s middle class is buckling under almost five years of persistent inflation. Walmart reported a 4.5% rise in U.S. comparable sales for the quarter ended Oct. 31, driven by consumers seeking value. U.S. job growth in September exceeded expectations with 119,000 payrolls added, the strongest gain since April. Existing home sales increased by 1.2% in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.1 million, an eight-month high. Homicides are down nearly 20 percent this year in the 52 major U.S. cities that report such data monthly. High earners to be eligible for UK settlement within 3 years of arrival. It’s the ‘most important fish in the sea.’ And it’s disappearing. Get out of the sauna and into the hot tub.
Political Links: President Bush’s remarks at the funeral for former Vice President Dick Cheney. President Trump calls for six Democrats to face the death penalty. At the moment, Democrats are ahead in the House redistricting fight. Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, is consolidating power. Venetian heavyweight Luca Zaia spells trouble for Matteo Salvini and the League. For the most recent ‘Alternate Shots’ podcast, featuring Richard Haass and yours truly, click on this link.
Science/Technology Links: Why the time has finally come for geothermal energy. Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: The West can still win the electric car war with China. Great quote: “What OpenAI is engaged in is the most dramatic case of ‘Fake It Until You Make It’ that we have ever seen”. To meld A.I. with supercomputers, national labs are picking up the pace. Scientists around the world are exploring whether harnessing the quantum properties of atoms can help navigate accurately in “contested environments”. A spokesman for China’s crewed space program said the country was “on track” to launch its lunar mission by 2030. A brain implant that could rival Neuralink’s enters clinical trials. FDA approves first cancer drug based on Broad Institute science. “Godmother of AI” Fei-Fei Li: “I did not expect it to be this massive”.
War: Trump’s full 28-point Ukraine-Russia peace plan. Airbus board chair René Obermann: Europe needs tactical nukes to counter Putin. Cease-fires in the Middle East look a lot like war anywhere else. U.S. military aircraft crashes skyrocketed from 2020 to 2024, new data shows.
Ed. Note: Later today, we’ll be posting a podcast interview with Dr. Neal Kassell, the founder and chairman of the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and former Co-Chair of Neurosurgery at the University of Virginia. You’ll be amazed.