Print Mode Video Only Audio Only Channel A Channel B

News chronological

10 items before 1130598

AXIOS (Holly Otterbein) - Pollsters missed again in Wisconsin. Here's why.

Pollsters appeared to blow another high-stakes Midwest election Tuesday, as center-left Democrat David Crowley stunned socialist Francesca Hong in Wisconsin's primary for governor. - But on Wednesday, the reasons for the miss seemed clear: Surveys a week before the primary captured only a hint of a rapidly changing roller coaster of a race in which Crowley was gaining fast, and Hong was playing defense. Driving the news: Two polls had shown Hong up by about 20 points over Crowley. But Crowley wound up winning by half a percentage point in an upset that interrupted a run of primary wins by left-wing Democrats this spring. - Just a week earlier, polls also had overestimated progressive Abdul El-Sayed's strength in the Michigan Senate…

Pollsters appeared to blow another high-stakes Midwest election Tuesday, as center-left Democrat David Crowley stunned socialist Francesca Hong in Wisconsin's primary for governor. - But on Wednesday, the reasons for the miss seemed clear: Surveys a week before the primary captured only a hint of a rapidly changing roller coaster of a race in which Crowley was gaining fast, and Hong was playing defense. Driving the news: Two polls had shown Hong up by about 20 points over Crowley. But Crowley wound up winning by half a percentage point in an upset that interrupted a run of primary wins by left-wing Democrats this spring. - Just a week earlier, polls also had overestimated progressive Abdul El-Sayed's strength in the Michigan Senate…Open

AXIOS (Madison Mills) - Musk and Zuckerberg claw back into AI race with new model momentum

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have muscled their way back into AI's elite ranks, defying early obituaries to close the gap on a new generation of Silicon Valley startups. Why it matters: Recent gains by tech giants SpaceX and Meta — long stuck in AI's second tier — are putting new pressure on a hierarchy dominated by OpenAI and Anthropic. State of play: Both companies released models this week featuring a combination of performance and price that would have been hard to imagine from either lab a year ago. - SpaceX's Grok 4.6 scored essentially even with OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol Max on the closely watched Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index , and just behind Anthropic's Fable 5 Max. - Promising "something special," Musk said Grok…

Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have muscled their way back into AI's elite ranks, defying early obituaries to close the gap on a new generation of Silicon Valley startups. Why it matters: Recent gains by tech giants SpaceX and Meta — long stuck in AI's second tier — are putting new pressure on a hierarchy dominated by OpenAI and Anthropic. State of play: Both companies released models this week featuring a combination of performance and price that would have been hard to imagine from either lab a year ago. - SpaceX's Grok 4.6 scored essentially even with OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol Max on the closely watched Artificial Analysis Intelligence Index , and just behind Anthropic's Fable 5 Max. - Promising "something special," Musk said Grok…Open

NPR (The Associated Press) - U.S. ambassador calls settler siege of Palestinian homes a 'horrific act of terror'

The U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned the actions of Jewish settlers who are besieging the home of an American Palestinian family in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee condemned the actions of Jewish settlers who are besieging the home of an American Palestinian family in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.Open

NYTIMES (Dana Rubinstein and Claire Fahy) - Outdoor Dining Is Expected to Resume Year-Round in New York City

The City Council is poised to approve a package of bills loosening some restrictions on roadway dining structures, which became ubiquitous during the pandemic.

NYTIMES (Danielle Dowling) - How to Catch the ‘Eclipse of the Century’ in 2027, When Spain, Egypt and More Go Dark

On Aug. 2, Southern Europe, North Africa and the Middle East will witness a solar blockbuster with extra-long totality. If you want to see it, book soon.

NYTIMES (Brian X. Chen) - I Tested a Popular A.I. Slop Detector. It Felt Empowering.

Pangram excels at distinguishing chatbot-generated words from human writing. But it’s not reliable for spotting artificial images.

NYTIMES (Meaghan Tobin and Amir Hamja) - America Wants to Make Its Own Humanoid Robots. That Won’t Be Easy.

China already manufactures humanoid robots by the thousands. A new generation of U.S. start-ups is betting that there is still time to compete.

NYTIMES (Reggie Ugwu) - So You Want to Build an A.I. Star?

Designers at a new crop of creative studios create fake personas they hope real people will love. Are they distorting culture or mirroring it?

NYTIMES (Chris Buckley) - How China Remembers Zhu Rongji, the Premier Who Spoke His Mind

Tributes to the former premier recalled his spirited style and his efforts to integrate China into global commerce, in contrast with the rigidity of the Xi era.

NYTIMES (David W. Chen and Will Warasila) - In Wyoming, a Primary Fight Between the Right and the Far Right

One of the most conservative states has a legislature divided between a hard-right House and a merely right Senate. Ultraconservatives want a complete takeover in the Aug. 18 primaries.