4+ min ago (741+ words) Despite efforts in recent years to gain clarity, the roughly 110-mile state line between Michigan and Indiana remains blurry as ever. The last official survey of the dividing line between Michiganders and Hoosiers was conducted in 1827, and wooden markers placed by federal surveyors at that time have largely rotted into the pastoral landscape. Some surveyors have estimated that the state line generally accepted by locals could be off by a few feet in some areas, creating potential areas of conflict. Unlike Michigan's border with Ohio " famously decided by the Toledo War " and the border dispute with Wisconsin that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, no one has ever bothered to contest the dividing line between Michigan and Indiana. But especially for residents living on or near the border, an official state line would provide needed clarity in the…...

15+ min ago (507+ words) For decades, people have fretted about the financial sustainability of America's bedrock retirement income program. Now, Social Security's precarious fiscal state is an issue for the here and now. Why it matters: There is a tug-of-war between the benefits future retirees receive and the taxes that working-age people pay. Something has to give, and surprisingly soon. The big picture: The Social Security retirement fund is set to be depleted in 2033, at which point recipients would see a steep cut to their monthly checks absent congressional action. Threat level: U.S. Senate candidates in next year's midterms could face the looming insolvency at the end of their terms " putting the issue on the ballot just 11 months from now. By the numbers: If the Social Security retirement fund is depleted in 2033, the program would be able to pay only 77% of scheduled benefits, per the…...

28+ min ago (206+ words) Scans reveal a common brain pattern when people see red, green or yellow Is my red the same as your red? It's a classic puzzler, one that's fun to debate with your friends and family. Do colors look the same to you as they do to me? Now two neuroscientists weigh in " with a resounding maybe. The answer is overwhelmingly the second option, Bartels and Michael Bannert (also at T'bingen and the Max Planck Institute) report in the October 15 Journal of Neuroscience. They found "commonalities across brains," Bartels says. He and Bannert started with 15 people. Each viewed shades of reds, greens and yellows. As they did, the scientists monitored nerve-cell activity across visual areas of the participants' brains. The researchers then used these data to predict which color each person saw. The results showed that neural reactions to colors are…...

35+ min ago (226+ words) Harvard University's Office of Undergraduate Education is raising concerns about mounting grade inflation, reporting that the school's grading system is "damaging the academic culture of the College." The office sent a 25-page report to faculty and students, stating that 60 percent of all undergraduate grades are now As. This is a 35 percent increase compared to 20 years ago, according to The Harvard Crimson. Veronica Bryant, academic affairs fellow at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, told The Fix that if Harvard allows grade inflation to skyrocket, the problem will worsen at other schools. "As goes Harvard, so goes the nation' is a phrase for a reason. If other schools see America's oldest and most prestigious university as weakening standards, why should they keep high standards, especially as they compete for fewer and fewer students?" she said. Bryant told The Fix that…...

37+ min ago (199+ words) To reiterate, I don't accept that the ship operators are enemy combatants " even if one overlooks that the administration has not proven that they are drug traffickers or members of designated FTOs. There is no armed conflict. They may be criminals (if it is proven that they are importing illegal narcotics), but they are not combatants. It's a war crime. Even National Review says it out loud Has Venezuela claimed it was a war crime? At first, Maduro denied it even happened. These watercrafts are obviously not part of the Venezuelan military, and it's not like bear attacks upon Venezuelan land. Don't bring drugs into my country, and you won't get blown out of the water It's a real simple thing Just become a Democtat already, left wing aiding loser. National Review is Democrat? Andy can't even name the agency…...

40+ min ago (492+ words) Tariff revenues surged to $31.4 billion in October, setting a new monthly record as the Trump administration's trade policies continue to remake U.S. trade flows and reshape the federal government's balance sheet, according to newly released Treasury Department data. The Monthly Treasury Statement for October, published on Nov. 25 , shows net customs duties totaling $31.4 billion, surpassing all prior monthly readings and marking the strongest single-month tariff haul since the modern reporting era began. Treasury records show gross customs receipts of roughly $33.1 billion, offset by about $1.7 billion in refunds, resulting in the $31.4 billion net figure. The record inflow points to the profound fiscal impact of President Donald Trump's tariff policies, which imposed a 10 percent baseline levy on most imports beginning earlier this year and included a series of reciprocal and country-specific duties that pushed some tariff rates as high as 40 percent. The October tariff…...

42+ min ago (194+ words) Almost 130 blades, consisting of spears, knives and swords, have been seized by police after they were all discovered at a single property in Warwickshire. Officers acted after concerns were raised about the horde. Police have warned that law changes mean collecting weapons of this nature could lead to a hefty fine or even a stint behind bars. A spokesman for Leamington Police said: "Now we can't claim to have seized all the knives pictured through proactive patrols during this #OpSceptre week however after concerns were raised to us earlier this week we have seized 129 bladed articles from a property in Whitnash which clearly in the wrong hands could have caused serious harm. "In 2021 an amendment to the Offensive Weapons Act 2019 came into force making it an offence to possess a number of weapons in private as well as in public....

44+ min ago (329+ words) Can everyone dial it down a little with the enthusiasm for humanoid robots that can't even do anything useful yet? You're scaring the Chinese economy. Agency spokeswoman Li Chao, Bloomberg said, expressed worry that this wave of robots was in danger of steering smart people away from actual, valuable research. China seems to be noticing what you've probably already noticed: news stories about flashy Chinese robots walking really far, competing in games, and insufficient hype about China's incomparably vast army of factory worker robots. China's version of this trend apparently kicked off when the country watched an admittedly kickass dance performance by a squadron of Unitree bots at the 2025 Spring Festival Gala, a Chinese New Year broadcast that happens to be the single most watched TV event in the world. Per Bloomberg's quoting of Li, "Frontier industries have long grappled…...

47+ min ago (351+ words) When the Department of Transportation's September 29, 2025 emergency rule exposed 200,000 fraudulently issued non-domiciled CDLs'many held by individuals with no legal work authorization'most of the trucking industry braced for a painful but necessary correction. The U.S. Postal Service did something far worse: it threw a tantrum and refused to comply. USPS briefly tried following the law by barring these drivers from postal loads. The result? Instant paralysis. Routes were abandoned, trailers sat empty, and delays exploded nationwide. Why does the USPS have a disproportionate number of Non-Domicile CDLs? The USPS' experience with trying to get rid of non-domiciled CDLs from its network shows how broken the trucking industry is and how hard its going to be to fix it. Day 33 of asking @USPS and @AmberMcReynolds to show they care about the safety. You banned non-domiciled CDL drivers once because you knew they weren't…...

52+ min ago (480+ words) In J.R.R. Tolkien's masterpiece The Two Towers,he wrote a scene in which the tree-giant Ent named Treebeard prepared to battle against the evil wizard Saruman for his part in the wanton destruction of Fangorn Forest. "Wizards ought to know better: they do know better. There is no curse in Elvish, Entish, or the tongues of Men bad enough for such treachery." That campaign was the opening salvo to a war of words soon accompanied by street combat that left one dead and one critically injured so far. Despite my abhorrence at each elected official leaning into this color revolution move against the republic, my greatest condemnation is saved for U.S. Navy Capt. (Ret.) and Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ). But his campaign to divide the troops from the chain of command in this public spectacle ventures far beyond ignorance and into Hanoi…...