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Recent Articles
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Pope Leo not afraid of Trump and we should not be either
This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. “I’m not afraid.” With these three words Sunday morning, Pope Leo XIV offered as powerful a rebuke of President Trump and everything he has wrought on the world as anyone ever has. Three words to inspire all good people to fight against Trump — because if a mild-mannered man of God such as Leo isn’t afraid, no one should be. Pope Leo’s words thrilled me as an American—becauseially as a Catholic. His quiet, confident witness since becoming pontiff in May had already reignited a spiritual light in me to adhere closer to the faith I was brought up in. Rather than cower before a despot who makes the Pharaoh in … |
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How OC Innovators Are Winning the Last Mile of Artificial Intelligence
For years, the artificial intelligence conversation was dominated by a handful of technology giants investing billions into massive data centers, specialized chips and large language models. But a different story is unfolding in Orange County, where a growing wave of “AI-native” startups is proving that innovation doesn’t always require building the foundation models themselves. Instead, local entrepreneurs are focusing on what many industry observers call the “last mile” of AI: applying increasingly accessible open-source and commercial AI models to solve highly specific business problems. The result is a surge in enterprise workflow automation and industry-specific AI applications that are… |
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Why Are Cereal Boxes Only Half Full
Consumer Investigative The first time you notice it, you assume you’re imagining things. You open a familiar cereal box — the same brand you’ve bought since childhood — and it feels oddly light. You shake it. You peer inside. Half the box is empty. You tell yourself it must be settling. That’s what we’ve been trained to think. Gravity, transport, crumbs falling into gaps. Physics, not profit. But physics doesn’t explain why the box itself hasn’t gotten any smaller. This is not an accident. It is a business strategy, and it has a name: shrinkflation. Companies quietly reduce the amount of product while keeping the packaging, branding, and price largely the same. The goal is simple: preserve p… |
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A series of mistakes caused a tragic fire in Hong Kong
An independent committee looking into the origin of Hong Kong's worst fire in decades heard testimony on Thursday about how a number of mistakes led to the 2025 inferno that destroyed seven buildings and killed 168 people. The hearings in the case began. Since the fire destroyed the close-knit neighborhood of Wang Fuk Court in November 2025, former inhabitants and family members of the dead have been waiting for answers. The community was home to thousands of individuals in the suburban area of Tai Po. Victor Dawes, the chief lawyer for the committee, stated in his opening remarks that the most likely cause of the fire was cigarettes that ignited other things on fire on a platform in an air … |
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AI Cameras Are Watching School Children
The camera in the corner of the classroom used to be a rumor, something whispered about after a substitute teacher mentioned “district policy” and nobody quite believed it. Now it’s not just real—it’s multiplying, quietly, efficiently, and with almost no resistance. Across the United States, school districts are installing AI-powered surveillance systems that track student behavior, monitor facial expressions, flag “suspicious” movement, and in some cases analyze tone of voice or written language. The stated goal is always the same: safety. Prevent violence. Identify threats early. Protect children. And here’s the uncomfortable truth: it sounds reasonable. That’s exactly why it’s dangerous. … |
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Dangerous Emergency Powers Are Addictive
Editorial | Feature Democracies borrow power in crises but rarely return it. Without safeguards, emergencies become permanent, eroding freedom. The Siren and the Decree It begins with a siren. A coastal city braces for a storm surge, and within hours the government issues a decree: curfews, restricted movement, suspension of normal legislative debate. Citizens line up for aid, but they also face checkpoints. The justification is clear — safety demands speed. Yet beneath the urgency lies a deeper question: when power is borrowed in the name of emergency, will it ever be returned? Part I: The Logic of Emergency Democracies are designed for deliberation. They thrive on debate, compromise, and p… |
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Jordan Jones shot dead
Local police reported that a security officer at a Georgia club was shot and murdered while trying to break up a quarrel between a guy and a woman. The Acworth Police Department reported in a news statement that Jordan Alexander Jones, 28, of Lawrenceville, Ga., was shot and killed approximately 2:42 a.m. local time while trying to break up the altercation. According to the news release, when APD officers got to the site, they "found a victim with a gunshot wound." "As soon as they got there, officers started helping until Cobb County Fire and Metro EMS arrived. The APD said, "The victim was taken to Kennestone Hospital, where he later died from his injuries." The police agency stated it got… |
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Democrats fear rising that too many candidates in governor race could lead to a Republican victory
SAN FRANCISCO — Leaders of the California Democratic Party, along with liberal activists and loyal power brokers, are openly expressing fear that their crowded field of candidates running for governor may splinter the vote and open the door to a surprise Republican victory in November. Because of those concerns, the Democrats lagging at the bottom of the pack are being urged to drop out of the race to ensure that the party’s political dominance in statewide elections survives the 2026 election. “California Democrats are prepared to do what’s required,” state party chairman Rusty Hicks told reporters at the California Democratic Party’s annual convention on Friday. “We are ready and willing a… |
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US Olympic medalist Jenny Simpson rushed to hospital after collapsing during North Carolina race
Jenny Simpson collapsed at an event in North Carolina on Tuesday night Removed from bookmarks I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice Olympic bronze medalist and world champion runner Jenny Simpson suffered a medical episode and collapsed while pacing a mile group at a community event in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday night. The 39-year-old 1,500-meter specialist received CPR and an automated external defibrillator (AED) was used at the track before she was transported to a hospital. The incident was first reported by LetsRun. Simpson was participating in a Sir Walter Running event, which encourages runners of all levels … |
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Why is Iran bombing Gulf states while avoiding US naval assets and Israel
As the United States escalates its strikes on Iran, Tehran is hitting back, targeting military and civilian infrastructure across the Gulf states and Jordan while avoiding attacks on US naval assets deployed near its coast and on Israel – a strategy that analysts say is intended to pressure US President Donald Trump without expanding the scope of the war. While Washington has struck railway stations, power facilities, telecommunications networks and drinking-water infrastructure in Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has responded by attacking civilian airports and water and power stations in Kuwait and Bahrain. Military analysts said there’s a logic to this strategy. Targetin… |
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Laura Lynch of the Dixie Chicks killed
Laura Lynch, one of the original members of the singing group that would become famous as the Dixie Chicks, died in an automobile accident in West Texas. She was 65 years old. The Texas Department of Public Safety said that Lynch was in a head-on crash near El Paso on Friday. The trio, now known as the Chicks, announced on Instagram about Lynch's passing. Musical They've taken "Dixie" out of their name and are about to put out their first album in 14 years. It may be the finest record of the Chicks' troubled history. The band announced in a statement, "We are shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Laura Lynch, a founding member of The Chicks." "We have a special place in our hearts … |
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Convicted murderer rearrested after cutting GPS monitor
This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here. Authorities have caught a convicted murderer who they say was on probation and cut off his GPS ankle monitor and disappeared while attending classes at an Orange County community college. Jose Angel Aguilar, 22, was found around 11 p.m. Thursday and taken into custody without incident after Anaheim SWAT officers executed a search warrant at a motel room where the youth had been observed, according to the Orange County Probation Department. Aguilar fled Tuesday from Santiago Canyon College while on a court-approved academic furlough from a juvenile probation facility, according to the Orange County Probation… |
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Father grieves for his teen daughter who died in devastating flood
18-year-old Chloe Childress was one of the 27 kids and staff who lost their lives as a result of the floods that occurred at Camp Mystic in the previous summer. According to a recent article in New York Magazine, hChloe's father identified her battered body. She was the 18-year-old Camp Mystic counselor who was killed in the tragic flood last year. The Guadalupe River rose 20 feet in three hours due to the torrential rains that swept over Central Texas that morning on July 4th. More than 130 individuals lost their lives as the catastrophic flood destroyed structures and devastated the area. Following the tragic murders of 25 kids and two counselors, including Chloe, the century-old Christian… |
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Why Brad Pitt and Jude Law are not as cool as they think they are
The two actors and Oasis man Noel Gallagher have far younger partners and bask in it, thinking that it’s somehow avant-garde. But it’s not, says Charlotte Cripps. It’s just what older men have been doing since the dawn of time In case you’ve been living under a rock, Brad Pitt, 62, has a Swiss jewellery executive girlfriend, who is half his age – Ines de Ramon, 33. The couple graced social media in early July after four years together – on her hairstylist’s Instagram page – looking glamorous in matching black outfits ahead of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding ceremony at Madison Square Garden in NYC. They have since been spotted looking loved-up at the quarter-final World Cup match bet… |
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Trial of Stanford students charged in 2024 pro-Palestinian protests deadlocked
The jury found the defendant guilty of vandalism by a vote of 9 to 3 and guilty of conspiracy to trespass by a vote of 8 to 4. After five days of talking about it, the jurors indicated they couldn't come to a decision. Judge Hanley Chew asked each of them if taking additional time to think would help, and they all said no. There was a mistrial in the case of five current and former Stanford University students who were prosecuted following pro-Palestinian protests in 2024, when they locked themselves inside the executive offices of the university president and provost. Chew remarked, "It looks like this jury is hopelessly deadlocked, so I'm going to declare a mistrial in counts one and two."… |
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Global oil demand to plunge amid disruptions caused by war on Iran
The International Energy Agency (IEA) has sharply cut its forecasts for global oil supply ?and demand growth, saying both are expected to fall from last year’s levels as ?the United States-Israel war on Iran disrupts oil flows and weighs on the global economy. According to its report published on Tuesday, the IEA sees global oil demand falling ?by 80,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year, compared with a projected year-on-year rise of 640,000 bpd in its previous monthly report. The forecast was released after the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and IEA urged countries on Monday to avoid hoarding energy supplies and imposing export controls that could worsen the shock. IEA chief Fatih B… |
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Man who stabbed author Salman Rushdie convicted of terrorism charges
After being found guilty of federal "terrorism" charges, a man who is already serving a jail sentence in New York for attempting to assassinate novelist Salman Rushdie is now facing the risk of spending the rest of his life behind bars. A knife attack on Salman Rushdie in 2022, which took place during a public engagement in New York, led in Rushdie being half blind. Hadi Matar, who is now 28 years old, is currently serving a sentence of 25 years for his crime. In May of the previous year, Matar was given a sentence of twenty-five years in prison. A New York jury found Matar guilty on all charges, including an effort to offer material support to Hezbollah in Lebanon, after deliberating for tw… |
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The Quiet Bravery of the Thai Cave Rescue
In the summer of 2018, while the internet argued itself into exhaustion over everything else, twelve boys and their coach disappeared underground. They were members of the Wild Boars soccer team, ages eleven to sixteen, swallowed by rising floodwaters inside Tham Luang cave. The cave flooded fast, as it always does in monsoon season. What didn’t flood was panic—at least not in the way we’ve come to expect. The world remembers the headlines. What it forgets is the texture of the response. This was not a story driven by billionaires, brand logos, or performative outrage. It was a story powered by farmers diverting irrigation channels, monks opening temples as staging grounds, doctors calculati… |
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The Climate Emergency Governments Still Pretend Is Optional
GENEVA — A coalition of scientists and public health experts this week urged the World Health Organization to formally declare climate change a global public health emergency, escalating pressure on governments as new projections warn 2026 could become one of the hottest and most destructive climate years ever recorded. The demand arrives at a moment of extraordinary contradiction. Governments across Europe, North America, and Asia now openly acknowledge the dangers of climate change while simultaneously approving new fossil fuel projects, subsidizing oil and gas production, and delaying emissions targets that scientists say are already dangerously inadequate. The WHO panel’s argument was bl… |
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Woman Killed by Police After She Stabs Young Boy at Walmart
Omaha police shot and killed a woman on Tuesday after they say she seized a 3-year-old kid at a Walmart and slashed him with a knife. The police named her Noemi Guzman and said she was 31 years old. According to WOWT, police say she stole a big knife from a store, accosted the boy and his guardian, and then had the guardian go ahead as she pushed the cart into the parking lot. Deputy Chief Scott Gray says she "took the child, which is basically kidnapping the child." Police claim the two ladies "talked back and forth" for a few minutes before officers got to the scene after getting a 911 call. Police said that officers told Guzman to drop the knife many times. According to the AP, Gray then … |