August 9, 2026

x01 Archives

Mathematicians are closing in on the hidden order inside chaos– www.scientificamerican.com

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

Mathematicians are closing in on the hidden order inside chaos– www.scientificamerican.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

For most of the past century, mathematicians have been exploring the limits of Ramsey theory, the study of order hiding inside chaos—or, more accurately, how much disorder can be packed into a system before order must inevitably emerge. Progress has been frustratingly slow, but now a potential breakthrough result is pointing the way toward more rapid advances—and a clearer view of the still-hazy transition between randomness and structure.

The systems in question are called graphs: mathematical networks made of points connected by lines. These graphs can represent anything interconnected—from friendships to airline routes to molecules. And as any graph grows, sooner or later it will include either a tight-knit group in which everything is connected to everything else—a “clique”—or encompass a large collection of points with no connections between them at all, known as an “independent set.”

In a new proof posted to the preprint server arXiv.org last month, Domagoj Bradač of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne has dramatically tightened key constraints on where this transition can take place, toppling a barrier that has bewildered researchers for decades. A few weeks later, an OpenAI reasoning model unexpectedly improved his result, essentially eliminating what little uncertainty remained on Bradač’s constraints to effectively conclude what had been a 90-year search.

Todd Blanche’s chances of becoming attorney general could hinge on John Cornyn– www.politico.com

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

Todd Blanche’s chances of becoming attorney general could hinge on John Cornyn– www.politico.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

Todd Blanche repeatedly told members of the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday that the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” he helped launch as acting attorney general was now, in fact, “dead.” But one Republican on the panel isn’t sold.

At his confirmation hearing to lead the Justice Department permanently, Todd Blanche had to convince Republican Sens. Thom Tillis of North Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas — two GOP senators the president undermined in their election bids — that they no longer had to worry about the fund. Critics in both parties feared was intended to pad the pockets of President Donald Trump’s supporters.

Assuming all Democrats vote in unison against confirming Blanche in committee, a single Republican “no” on the Judiciary panel would be fatal to Blanche’s chances of getting to the floor. Tillis and Cornyn, who are both leaving Congress at the end of the year, have left the door open to defecting.

Tillis, who retired after Trump attacked him over policy disagreements, wouldn’t promise he would vote for Blanche. But he walked away Wednesday saying Blanche did “a good job” and expressed confidence he might be able to persuade his colleagues to approve a measure declaring the fund “legally moot.”

Gov. Greg Abbott calls for Texas Rangers to conduct investigation into deadly ICE shooting– www.yahoo.com

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

Gov. Greg Abbott calls for Texas Rangers to conduct investigation into deadly ICE shooting– www.yahoo.com
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EXCERPT:

On Wednesday, a week after Lorenzo Salgado Araujo was killed in a shooting involving a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent, the Texas Department of Public Safety Texas Rangers agreed to conduct an investigation into the incident.

According to a release from DPS, the Texas Rangers, who did not have access to the initial scene, will conduct an investigation alongside the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security.

Salgado Araujo was shot and killed the morning of July 7 after he was pursued by federal agents driving unmarked vehicles while he was taking his crew to their latest job site.

“As previously stated, for decades, it has been the standard, established practice of the Texas Rangers to investigate OIS when requested by an involved law enforcement agency – local, state or federal – or a prosecuting entity,” the statement said.

Scientists discover a ‘remarkable’ new monkey species with orange lips and a froglike roar– www.scientificamerican.com

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

Scientists discover a ‘remarkable’ new monkey species with orange lips and a froglike roar– www.scientificamerican.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

A “remarkable” African monkey with a distinct orange patch around its mouth and a deep, croaky roar, found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), is in fact a new species—and possibly already endangered.

The new species, Colobus congoensis, or Likweli, was discovered in Congo’s Lomami National Park and is closely related to its “sister” species, the black colobus. Before now, the monkey was a familiar sight to local communities, but scientists had never formally described it.

Now, in a new paper published on Wednesday in PLOS One, researchers have confirmed with genetic analyses that C. congoensis is a new species. It is just the fifth new African monkey species identified in the past 75 years.

Trump’s speech may focus on 2020 election. Here’s a primer on foreign interference, voting security– www.politifact.com

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

Trump’s speech may focus on 2020 election. Here’s a primer on foreign interference, voting security– www.politifact.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

President Donald Trump is set to address the nation July 16 with an expected primetime focus on election integrity.

Trump’s comments and news reports show he will focus on the 2020 election that he lost.

The administration has been cagey about offering further details, saying Americans will need to tune in.

Trump alluded to the speech’s topic July 14; when a reporter asked whether his remarks would be about “election machines’ integrity,” Trump said, “It will concern that subject.”

“Our country has to shape up,” Trump said, adding, “it doesn’t get bigger because without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country.” MS NOW, citing unnamed White House officials, had reported that Trump will talk about newly declassified intelligence reports about foreign nations’ plans to interfere in the 2020 election.

Trump has made unproven statements about elections and voting by mail for a decade. He has used those falsehoods to push for changing election laws and recently called on Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a bill that would tighten voter registration and voter ID requirements.

GLAAD Complains Over New Study Showing Movies Have Become Less Gay: ‘Our Stories are Disappearing’– www.westernjournal.com

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

GLAAD Complains Over New Study Showing Movies Have Become Less Gay: ‘Our Stories are Disappearing’– www.westernjournal.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation has released a report bemoaning the decline of LGBT characters in film.

“We are in an era of increased censorship efforts – including most recently and outrageously the Federal Communications Commission opening an inquiry for public comment on whether TV ratings should warn audiences about LGBTQ families and transgender and nonbinary characters in TV programming,” GLAAD CEO and President Sarah Kate Ellis wrote. “It is clear that our advocacy must evolve to meet the gravity of this moment.”

“Our stories are disappearing,” GLAAD wrote Sunday on Instagram.

The study, Where We Are in Film, “maps the quantity, quality and diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) characters in films released by ten major motion picture studios during the 2025 calendar year.”

A Trump-backed Arizona candidate faces tough House primary after sex scandals– www.politico.com

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

A Trump-backed Arizona candidate faces tough House primary after sex scandals– www.politico.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

A self-funding businessman is seizing on messy scandals to try and topple President Donald Trump’s endorsed candidate for a deep-red House seat.

Republican Daniel Keenan is making a hard run at former Sheriff Mark Lamb in Arizona’s 5th District, pouring over $1.6 million of his own cash into the effort and raising questions about Lamb’s fitness for office following a string of sex scandals. The race will test whether GOP voters care more about the allegations — or whether Trump’s support is enough to get him across the finish line.

A multi-part Arizona Republic investigation found that Lamb allegedly engaged in a yearslong pattern of sending sexual images and instigating intimate encounters between him, his wife and others. One woman involved, Jillian Stannard, alleged Lamb encouraged her husband to have sex with other women, including Lamb’s wife. She also alleged that Lamb threatened her, saying there would be consequences, when Stannard raised concerns to leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which both Lamb and Stannard were members. Screenshots the Republic obtained of messages with another woman, Tammy Peacock, suggest Lamb — then a sitting county sheriff — threatened to leverage Arizona’s revenge porn law against her. In a statement, Lamb spokesperson Ed Morabito said “these allegations are false and come from long-discredited political opponents.”

Trump says Iran released ‘wrongfully detained’ American citizen– www.france24.com

pgnewser July 21, 2026 0

Trump says Iran released ‘wrongfully detained’ American citizen– www.france24.com
News Source
EXCERPT:

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that arch foe Iran has freed an American citizen detained since December 2024 and allowed her to leave the country.

“She is now safely outside of Iran, and in good condition,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform, adding: “The United States of America appreciates this gesture of goodwill by Iran!”

Trump – who in recent days has ordered a resumption of strikes against Iran and reimposed a naval blockade of its ports – did not name the woman or describe why she had been held, other than to say she had been “wrongfully detained.”

But a lawyer responded to Trump‘s post late Wednesday to say the released woman was his client.

“I am beyond excited to report that my client Dena Karari, a US-Iranian citizen, who has been trapped in Iran on bogus charges of collaboration with a hostile state and espionage, is now safely out of Iran and on her way back to the United States,” attorney Jared Genser said in a statement.