Grocery costs

Wallet Hub - To identify the cities where groceries take up the biggest share of household income, WalletHub compared the prices of 26 everyday grocery items in 100 of the nation’s largest cities. We then measured the total cost of those items against median household income in each city.
 

Highest % of Income Spent	Lowest % of Income Spent
1. Detroit, MI (4.03%)	91. Scottsdale, AZ (1.46%)
2. Cleveland, OH (3.93%)	92. Plano, TX (1.46%)
3. Birmingham, AL (3.45%)	93. Seattle, WA (1.44%)
4. Toledo, OH (3.20%)	94. Huntington Beach, CA (1.42%)
5. Newark, NJ (3.15%)	95. Santa Clarita, CA (1.34%)
6. Baton Rouge, LA (3.11%)	96. Gilbert, AZ (1.32%)
7. Buffalo, NY (3.10%)	97. Irvine, CA (1.21%)
8. Memphis, TN (3.07%)	98. San Francisco, CA (1.10%)
9. Cincinnati, OH (3.05%)	99. San Jose, CA (1.07%)
10. Hialeah, FL (2.99%)	100. Fremont, CA (0.91%)

To view the full report and your city’s rank

Health

Axios- The health care sector has added three times as many jobs as the rest of the economy over the past year, with growth outpacing all other economic sectors, according to a new KFF analysis…. Since September of last year, the health care sector has added 372,000 jobs — a 2% increase — while the rest of the economy added a net 124,000, a 0.1% increase.

Legalized gambling and health

Time -   Legalizing gambling can come with big health problems. That’s the conclusion of a recent study out of Ontario, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which found that after the Canadian province legalized betting on individual sports events in 2022, emergency department visits for gambling disorders doubled. Most of the people who landed in the emergency department were men, and almost one third of the visits led to hospitalizations….

The authors of the Ontario study projected how many people would normally end up in an emergency department every year, and then compared that to what they saw after online betting on single sporting events became legal in Ontario. Emergency department visits were 154% higher than they would have been had the law not been changed, Forrest says. The visits were concentrated among men aged 10-44. 

Many of the patients showed up at the emergency room with major depression and suicidality, and some had other mental-health or substance-abuse diagnoses, Forrest said. Doctors at the emergency department noted in patients’ records that gambling had contributed to those other issues.

Word

“There are seven million-plus Jews and seven million-plus Palestinians living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea — and neither are leaving. The only solution is two states — no matter how long that takes.” — Thomas L. Friedman, an Opinion columnist Read  more 

Donald Trump

MS NOW - President Donald Trump's gimmicky $500 Affordable Care Act refund checks have started arriving in the homes of nearly a million Americans. The letters that accompany them act as textbook Trumpian disinformation and underscore how the check campaign is a cheap trick masquerading as populism.  The letters notify recipients that "For years, the Biden Administration overcharged you to fund the operation of HealthCare.gov. That money belongs to hard-working Americans, not the Government, and now, I am returning it to you!" It notes that the refund is for Americans who do not receive subsidies to help pay for their coverage. Read the full column

Immigration

New Republic - As the Supreme Court returns from its summer recess next week, due process is on the chopping block with a slate of cases that could fundamentally reshape American democracy.

Rhoney v. Barbosa da Cunha is at the top of the docket. A terrifying bid by the Trump administration to hold undocumented immigrants indefinitely without bond hearings, Rhoney could undo centuries of legal tradition dating back to Magna Carta in 1215.

More than 500 federal district court judges and nine of the 11 federal circuit courts have rejected Trump’s mandatory detention policy. Now Trump is relying on his handpicked conservative majority on the high court to override them.

Annual water bills

Meanwhile. . .

Newsworthy News - National Park Service issued a $1.7 million no-bid deal for the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to Greenwater Services.  Reports link the firm to longtime Trump donor John J. Cafaro through the J.J. Cafaro Investment Trust. Lawmakers are pressing for answers on why competitive bidding was bypassed and whether favoritism played a role.

Student Protests Expand to More Than 40 French Cities

NY Times - Demonstrations swept across France on Tuesday as labor unions rallied in solidarity with high school students who have spent two weeks blockading schools to protest understaffing, overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated buildings.

Marches were held in more than 40 cities, from Caen in the north to Marseille in the south, as activists, teachers, parents and university students joined swelling protests that had spread to hundreds of schools across the country. Tuesday’s marches drew roughly 256,000 people, according to the Interior Ministry; a major union said the figure was more than twice that many.

Who turns out for midterms?

USA Facts - Every four years, a pattern repeats: fewer Americans vote in the midterm elections than did in the presidential race before it. It’s a pattern that’s persisted for decades. However, turnout during the November 2022 midterm was higher than it had been for much of the past four decades. Only 2018’s was higher.

Turnout varies by age. People between the ages of 18 and 24 have the largest drop in turnout in the midterms. In the 2020 presidential election, 51.4% of young adults reported voting, compared with 27.6% in 2022. Their rate was back to a reported 47.7% by 2024. Meanwhile, people 65 and older reported voting at rates of 74.5% in 2020 and 66.8% in 2022. Their reported rate during the 2024 presidential election was slightly higher than four years earlier: 74.7%.

Word

“There is nothing to stop Amazon and the like from copying my viral product, lowering prices and quashing my business.” — Corissa Steiner, the founder of a bedding company. Read now →

Donald Trump

The Hill - Donald Trump said Monday that reporters from The New York Times and other media outlets should be “arrested” over their coverage of his Saturday rally in Ohio. “The Ohio Arena was already full to the brim — And yet these people were still trying to get in,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, sharing a video of people in line for the rally…. “The New York Times, and many other Artificial Media Outlets, should be arrested for their dishonesty and disservice to our Country,” the president added.

Roll Call - President Donald Trump announced Monday night that taxpayers will no longer pick up the tab for political TV advertisements promoting himself and administration policies.Facing a public backlash from lawmakers of both parties, Trump said in a post on his Truth Social site that he would in part use money raised by a super PAC, MAGA Inc., to fund the ads instead of relying on tax dollars. When the ads began running last month, the government had used funding provided to the Department of Homeland Security in last year’s reconciliation law, something lawmakers in both parties widely criticized.

The Guardian  - Donald Trump has suggested Iran could “take out” Los Angeles and San Diego, in comments described as “reckless” and “deranged” by California officials. At a rally in Nebraska on Monday, the crowd applauded when the US president said high prices owing to the war with Iran were a “small price to pay for keeping the world safe – keeping our country safe”. He added: “They can take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.” Gavin Newsom, the governor of California and a Democrat who has repeatedly clashed with Trump during his two terms, said from his press office account: “Let’s be clear: the president is advocating for an attack on 10+ million US residents in two of America’s largest cities. This is not normal … He is deranged and dangerous.

Polls

Time - Just 24% of Hispanic Americans approve of President Donald Trump’s job performance, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Monday. It is the lowest share among the group in either of Trump’s two terms, and comes two years after gains among Hispanic voters helped him win back the White House. 

Trump bans another media service

Time - The White House on Monday blocked POLITICO from boarding Air Force One and carrying out its print pool duties, marking the latest escalation in an ongoing battle over media outlets’ access to President Donald Trump.

“Many outlets including POLITICO are granted access to attend and cover presidential events unilaterally, but traveling with the President of the United States aboard Air Force One is a privilege not a right,” a White House official tells TIME. The official adds that Trump is “the most accessible President in American history, and that he will “continue to grant an unprecedented level of access to the press.”

In the White House pool system, a rotating group of journalists accompanies the President to events and shares updates with the wider press corps. But that pool system has been complicated by the President’s most recent efforts to punish media organizations whose coverage he objects to.

Donald Trump

Deep State Tribunal - President Trump told Time that he regrets appointing Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. He said they “voted against me too often,” pointing to decisions that went against key policies in his second term. Multiple outlets published the remarks on October 1, 2026, using near-identical quotes from the interview. The consistent reporting frames the regret as a response to specific recent losses at the Supreme Court, not a general change of heart.

Coverage identified three policy areas tied to the backlash. Stories noted Court rulings that blocked an emergency tariff approach, rejected a move to restrict birthright citizenship by executive action, and curbed mail voting limits pushed by the administration. These decisions drew strong reactions from conservatives focused on border control, economic sovereignty, and election integrity, and they set the stage for the president’s candid assessment of his own picks.

Book bans

The Guardian - The US saw almost 12,000 book bans in public schools during the 2025-2026 school year, the highest number in a single year, according to the free-expression non-profit PEN America.  In a report released on Monday, PEN America said that there had been 34,000 instances of book bans since the organization started tallying the increasing “book censorship crisis” across US schools in 2021.

PEN said that new state-level censorship laws fueled much of this increase, in conjunction with the implementation of artificial intelligence tools that removes an expansive number of titles. Texas saw the greatest number of book bans in the 2025-2026 school year – more than 8,100.

Immigration

Deep State Tribunal - Governor Gavin Newsom signed a statewide ban on electric-shock gloves that outlets say covers local, state, and federal officers in California. The Department of Homeland Security called the ban unconstitutional and said it will not comply, citing the Supremacy Clause.

Newsworthy News - The Supreme Court issued an emergency order that lets the administration restart third-country removals while the case continues. The order is unsigned and provisional, so it does not settle the law. The Court plans to hear arguments in December and rule after that. For now, immigration officers can resume transfers to countries that are not a person’s homeland, under the current policy framework. Supporters call this needed control. Critics say due process is at risk.

The administration argued that stopping the policy would slow removals and force new talks with foreign partners. Government lawyers said time-consuming objection steps would upend flight plans and agreements. They also said they do not deport someone to a third country unless that country offers assurances against torture or persecution. News reports did not publish those agreements, so the exact terms are not public in these accounts. The Court’s stay leaves those arguments in place during review.

A federal district judge earlier found that the policy was unlawful because the government did not give people a real chance to object to the chosen country. The First Circuit appeals court largely agreed and said people must get notice of the planned destination and a chance to raise fear of persecution or torture before removal. The panel warned that a right to contest is hollow without prior notice and a meaningful chance to speak up. Those rulings remain the backdrop to the current stay. The Supreme Court issued an emergency order that lets the administration restart third-country removals while the case continues. The order is unsigned and provisional, so it does not settle the law. The Court plans to hear arguments in December and rule after that. For now, immigration officers can resume transfers to countries that are not a person’s homeland, under the current policy framework. Supporters call this needed control. Critics say due process is at risk.

Meanwhile. . .

The roughly 100 tech fortunes among the world’s 500 richest people gained $845 billion through September, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, which tracks the world’s biggest fortunes.

The Guardian - The White House has defended a newly hired press aide who posed for a holiday photograph in 2021 wearing a “Fuck Joe Biden” T-shirt and holding a rifle.

Trump's press secretary joins Fox News

NY Times - President Trump recruited a fleet of Fox News personalities for his second administration, filling key cabinet positions with the likes of Pete Hegseth, Sean Duffy and Mehmet Oz. Now a homegrown star of the Trump White House is headed to Fox News.

Karoline Leavitt, who until August served as Mr. Trump’s press secretary and chief spokeswoman, is joining the Rupert Murdoch-owned channel next month as an on-air contributor, the network said on Monday.

Ms. Leavitt, 29 and a steely and nimble presence at the White House lectern, was the youngest person to be appointed press secretary. She established herself as an unflinching advocate for the president, who gushed over her verbal fusillades and has said her lips “move like a ‘machine gun.’”

Climate change

NBC News - The Supreme Court kicks off a new term today, with the justices hearing an attempt by oil companies to throw out lawsuits alleging they should pay damages related to climate change.

The case concerns a lawsuit brought by the city and county of Boulder, Colorado against Exxon Mobil and Suncor Energy. The ultimate decision could have broad ramifications for similar lawsuits around the country.

Boulder officials say they face increasing costs because of the impacts of climate change, including efforts to minimize risks from wildfires. They accuse Exxon and Suncor of misleading consumers about the effect of greenhouse gasses from their products, an allegation the companies deny.

Other major cases already on the court’s docket involve a challenge to bans on AR-15 semiautomatic rifles and two about the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration policies.

Republicans questioning Hegseth's reduction of admirals and generals

The Hill - Key Republican senators say they were blindsided by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s announced 20 percent reduction of the U.S. military’s general and admirals, and they’re voicing concerns about the lack of consultation with Congress and the possibility that qualified senior officers were sacked for political or ideological reasons.

Senior Republicans on Capitol Hill are questioning whether too many experienced and highly qualified generals and admirals are being pushed out because of politics and what impact it might have on military readiness in the future.

The anti-AI movement

New Yorker - In the past year, data centers have emerged as a central issue in both American politics and the gyre of discourse swirling around American politics. On blogs and podcasts, the commentariat has marvelled at the emergence of an elusive bipartisan consensus. And well they should: the most recent polling shows that an astounding seventy-one per cent of the population opposes data-center construction in their areas.

Equally astonishing, if not yet equally remarked upon, is the consensus about A.I. itself. Sixty-nine per cent of Americans are “concerned” about the technology’s role in society, according to a study that used data from norc at the University of Chicago. A poll conducted by NBC last spring found that A.I. is less popular than such societal darlings as ice, Donald Trump, and J. D. Vance. More

Trump retitles artificial intelligence

Washington Post - President Donald Trump announced Sunday that he would name four top administration officials to a “Super Intelligence Force” that will coordinate the federal government’s response to artificial intelligence.

Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor and Emil Michael, undersecretary of war for research and engineering, will lead the task force, Trump said. The task force is expected to coordinate the government’s engagement with various stakeholders in a growing debate over the risks of AI, including consumers, public interest groups, tech companies and infrastructure providers.

“The Super Intelligence Force is tasked with coordinating the effort of the Federal Government to ensure that America continues to lead the World in Super Intelligence, which many say is bigger than the Industrial Revolution, and the Internet, and will protect the interests, and improve the lives, of all Americans,” Trump wrote Sunday morning on Truth Social.

Immigration

Newsworthy - Governor Gavin Newsom signed bills that limit certain enforcement tools and target private immigration detention businesses in California. The laws ban officers in the state from using electric shock gloves through 2030 and order a safety study by the California Department of Justice by 2029. The package also imposes a 25% tax on the gross income of for-profit immigration detention operators, described as a first-in-the-nation measure tied to a “Due Process for All” fund.

Newsom and state leaders framed the laws as a response to alleged civil rights violations and a push for accountability. They argued that federal agents who disregard constitutional limits should not be trusted with broad peace enforcement roles in the state. Supporters said the study-and-sunset design treats the shock-glove pause as a temporary safety step, not a permanent political ban, while the tax aims to fund legal help for detained people.

Polls

NBC News- Latino voters helped propel Donald Trump back to the White House. Now, they are turning on him, according to a new NBC News/Telemundo poll — a shift that gives Democrats a major opportunity to capitalize in midterm elections that could hinge on states and districts with sizable Latino populations. ….The president’s approval rating sits at 27% among Latino voters. Two-thirds say his administration’s deportation policies have gone too far and three-quarters disapprove of how he has handled the economy and the cost of living. And Democrats have a 24-point lead on whom Latino voters want to see in control of Congress, 59%-35%.

Voting

The TIME staff has put together answers to some pressing questions in its 2026 Voting Guide.

Climate

The Trump Administration is preparing to erase limits on climate pollution from coal- and gas-fired power plants — yet another gift to the fossil fuel industry at the expense of our health and our future.

In the statement from the EPA itself, this rule change will “save” the power plant industry over $300 billion in costs. And the price we pay? Well, it’s measured in more asthma, more pollution, and more power for the very industries that created this crisis in the first place.

Bangkok Governor Chadchart Sittipunt declared the entire city a disaster-affected zone after torrential rain swamped streets and neighborhoods. The order covers all 50 districts, expanding an earlier, smaller designation. The city said the step unlocks quicker action by government offices and local groups to protect lives and property. The move follows Thailand’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2007, which sets rules to respond to floods and similar events.

Word

“The deranged depravity of Donald Trump has delivered more degradation to this country than any other person in our history has come close to delivering.”  - Lawrence O’Donnell

How I'll be voting

Sam Smith -  I first took part in an election stuffing envelopes when I was 12 years old in a vote that ended decades of GOP rule in Philadelphia. Seventy six years later I am still working on the principle I learned back then: go with  the candidate who will act and vote the best. The fact that a candidate may have said or acted wrong in the past, especially on non-political matters, is pretty standard but the important thing is what will they do in the job that they’re seeking. For example, neither Susan Collins nor Troy Jackson are particularly strong role models but Jackson is the one who will most likely vote the right way if elected. Much clearer is the justifications for supporting Hanna Pingree.

The other race that draws my attention is for town council in Freeport.  Running is Jim DeGrandpre who I’ve known and worked with for about six decades and have never experienced a bad moment. He not only is a great candidate, he is a role model for candidates we should be proud to elect.

Missing from the internet

Major positive programs created and supported by the Democratic Party.