Morning Digest
35 stories from 8 sources, 69 more held back.
Berlin counts billions spent at home as Ukraine aid – study. Germany has counted billions of euros spent at home as aid to Ukraine, overstating the amount that actually reached Kiev, according to a study published on Thursday by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
US President Donald Trump’s top negotiators are preparing to pitch “new ideas and proposals” aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Ukraine conflict, with talks involving representatives of Kiev and its European backers scheduled to begin in Miami on Friday, according to Reuters and Axios.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced plans to livestream the execution of a former US Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at a military base in Texas, arguing that Americans should witness the consequences of such crimes.
Tehran is striving to find a diplomatic solution to the war imposed on it by the US, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian. The Russian president noted that Tehran had recently put forward a proposal aimed at resolving the conflict peacefully, adding that Moscow is willing to play a constructive role in the process.
Syria could join a Saudi-backed military offensive against the Houthis in Yemen by deploying thousands of troops, Axios has reported, citing US officials. Yemen’s internationally recognized government forces have launched a major counteroffensive to recapture territory seized by the Iranian-backed Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, including areas around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has effectively become a “Ukrainian chancellor,” showering Kiev with more taxpayer-funded aid despite mounting discontent at home, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
How Bandera’s dirty secrets were buried to build a Ukrainian ‘hero’ and blame the KGB. October 15th marks the anniversary of Ukrainian ultranationalist Stepan Bandera’s alleged 1959 murder by a Soviet KGB agent, in Munich, Germany. As the Kiev regime has idolized Bandera and his fellow ultranationalist killers without shame since NATO’s war with Russia began, mass celebrations could be planned.
Yemen’s Houthi forces have reportedly struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with missiles for the second time in a day, hours after issuing a “final warning” to airlines against operating in Saudi airspace. The Houthis hit the airport with two cruise missiles on Thursday evening, the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree announced in a statement.
It took a bungled kidnapping for Germany’s former spymaster to be charged with espionage and treason, but August Hanning’s ties to Israeli spies and criminals should have set alarm bells ringing in Berlin long ago. Hanning, who led Germany’s Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) from 1998 to 2005, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with espionage, the disclosure of state secrets, and treason.
Kaja Kallas, the Estonian diplomat and former prime minister currently serving as the vice-president of the European Commission, has shown a deeply confrontational attitude towards Russia and the Russians. It is perhaps worth pausing here to note that this is particularly personal, given her family history.
Colombian nationals fighting for Kiev are being held hostage by the Ukrainian military, the mother of a slain mercenary, Sonia Moreno, has told Ruptly video agency. Men from the South American nation currently make up around half of the estimated 16,500 foreign mercenaries in the ranks of Kiev’s forces, a Russian security source told TASS in June.
The African Union (AU) has called on parties to the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to respect ceasefire agreements and refrain from actions that could undermine peace efforts, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
ttok is my CLI tool for counting tokens, using OpenAI's open source tiktoken library. It hasn't been in updated in a couple of years, but I finally fixed a Click warning, updated CI, and added a --list-models command to list available models. It works with uvx, so you can count tokens in anything like this:.
Computer programming is, fundamentally, about two things:. I have a hard time imagining a future where knowing how to solve problems with computers and how to control the complexity of those solutions is less valuable than it is today, so I think it will continue to be a viable career even with the advent of AI tools.
If you’re reading this on Substack, please take a second to hit the ❤️ and click the restack icon. That’s how we break through into more newsfeeds and reach the most people. Today, Raw America has an exclusive report from White House correspondent Brian Karem about how Donald Trump’s rhetoric about the midterms has grown decidedly darker, alarming multiple members of his own party.
Before we get to the news, help us reach more people by tapping the ❤️ and hitting restack. That’s the best way to ensure these stories break through the algorithm.
For at least a decade, we've been in an era of relentless spending in college football, where buyout money from coaching contracts has been considered merely a speedbump. When Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher for a $77 million tab in 2023, it signaled to the industry that no buyout was too big. The school will be paying him more than $7 million annually through 2031 to not coach the team.
Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. Jenna Laine covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ESPN.
Week 5 of the NFL season is here, and October is starting to bring a little more variety to the forecast -- and potentially to pregame fashion. With fall temperatures settling into parts of the country and lingering heat beginning to ease elsewhere, players have another opportunity to switch up their game-day looks.
METAIRIE, La. - New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley took issue Thursday with comments made by ESPN analyst Troy Aikman during the Saints' 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Aikman weighed in on the Saints' struggles on defense with 2:43 left in the third quarter of the "Monday Night Football" broadcast, saying that Staley didn't have any answers for the Falcons.
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson has won a record fifth WNBA Most Valuable Player award, becoming the first player in league history to win three straight MVPs. Wilson became the first WNBA player to average 25 points, 50% shooting and 40% on 3-pointers.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- In nine words Thursday, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton made the biggest move he could to try to kickstart the team's struggling offense. "We'll make a change offensively, I'll call the plays,'' Payton said after practice.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Bears running back D'Andre Swift delivered a succinct response Thursday to questions surrounding his early season fumbles. The 27-year-old running back has fumbled twice in four games with his most recent happening in the third quarter of the Bears' 23-12 win over the Jets.
Like death and taxes, A'ja Wilson winning the WNBA's Most Valuable Player award is quickly becoming one of life's certainties. The Las Vegas Aces center claimed her third consecutive nod (and fifth in her career) on Thursday, after leading her Aces to their eighth straight playoff appearance with averages of 26.0 points and 9.4 rebounds.
The cameo occurred during a scene in which history teacher Jacob Hill (played by Chris Perfetti) made an Instagram post asking the Philadelphia 76ers to build a playground at Abbott Elementary. Hill had learned that the Philadelphia Eagles build a free playground for a local school each year, but the team had already selected another school.
The proposals came Thursday as part of negotiations with the MLB Players Association over a new collective bargaining agreement. MLB also wants to allow higher-seeded teams to choose their opponent both in the wild card and division series rounds of the playoffs. The 154-game schedule would be a return to MLB's calendar prior to 1960, when it was expanded to the current 162-game regular season.
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Longtime Michigan State coach Tom Izzo knows that some think his roster-building strategy is outdated in today's college basketball, but he applies another term to the approach. "I get called old-school a lot; I think it's right school," Izzo said at Big Ten media days. "I have no interest in thinking this is an old-school way of doing it.
SafeWorld this week emerged from stealth with $12.2 million in seed funding. The startup aims to make safety testing on AI-powered robots easier with its simulation technology.
While much of the focus on humanoid robots has been on entertaining demonstration videos and massive amounts of funds raised, the work of development and finding a value proposition is quietly continuing. How are humanoids progressing from prototypes to mass production? Jabil Inc., a design, supply chain, and manufacturing services provider, offered its perspective.
Helm.ai today said it has signed $70 million in commercial contracts for its foundation models for physical AI over a 12-month period. These contracts spanned global automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and industrial automation companies. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company considers the automotive industry as its flagship deployments, which involve deep partnerships.
The toolchain brings together AWS services and NVIDIA’s Physical AI software stack into a single development workflow. The goal is to address one of the biggest challenges facing companies developing AI-powered robots: connecting the many pieces required to turn a trained model into a system that can reliably operate in the real world.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- One of the most gifted young hitters in the Cubs system, Juan Cabada was ready for the challenges that awaited him when he made his U.S. debut this year. Signed for $1.5 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2025, he batted .283/.387/.434 in his first 14 games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League this May.
The proposed loan will build on Wolfspeed’s silicon-carbide technology, intellectual property and manufacturing footprint at its facilities in North Carolina, New York and Arkansas, according to the release.
The survey comes as manufacturers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence and automation to improve various parts of their operations, including predictive maintenance. According to the survey, more than half of maintenance teams said they were using or piloting AI tools to help them do their jobs, and 92% agreed that AI needs “good, complete maintenance data” to work properly.
A hand attached to the end of an arm is a given for most humans, but what if robots didn’t have to play by the same rules as we do? Researchers from ETH Zurich have turned an off-the-shelf robotic hand into a completely self-contained robot that walks on its fingertips while using those same fingers to manipulate its environment.
Berlin counts billions spent at home as Ukraine aid – study. Germany has counted billions of euros spent at home as aid to Ukraine, overstating the amount that actually reached Kiev, according to a study published on Thursday by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
US President Donald Trump’s top negotiators are preparing to pitch “new ideas and proposals” aimed at breaking the deadlock in the Ukraine conflict, with talks involving representatives of Kiev and its European backers scheduled to begin in Miami on Friday, according to Reuters and Axios.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has announced plans to livestream the execution of a former US Army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at a military base in Texas, arguing that Americans should witness the consequences of such crimes.
Tehran is striving to find a diplomatic solution to the war imposed on it by the US, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday at a meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian. The Russian president noted that Tehran had recently put forward a proposal aimed at resolving the conflict peacefully, adding that Moscow is willing to play a constructive role in the process.
Syria could join a Saudi-backed military offensive against the Houthis in Yemen by deploying thousands of troops, Axios has reported, citing US officials. Yemen’s internationally recognized government forces have launched a major counteroffensive to recapture territory seized by the Iranian-backed Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, including areas around the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has effectively become a “Ukrainian chancellor,” showering Kiev with more taxpayer-funded aid despite mounting discontent at home, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
How Bandera’s dirty secrets were buried to build a Ukrainian ‘hero’ and blame the KGB. October 15th marks the anniversary of Ukrainian ultranationalist Stepan Bandera’s alleged 1959 murder by a Soviet KGB agent, in Munich, Germany. As the Kiev regime has idolized Bandera and his fellow ultranationalist killers without shame since NATO’s war with Russia began, mass celebrations could be planned.
Yemen’s Houthi forces have reportedly struck King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh with missiles for the second time in a day, hours after issuing a “final warning” to airlines against operating in Saudi airspace. The Houthis hit the airport with two cruise missiles on Thursday evening, the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree announced in a statement.
It took a bungled kidnapping for Germany’s former spymaster to be charged with espionage and treason, but August Hanning’s ties to Israeli spies and criminals should have set alarm bells ringing in Berlin long ago. Hanning, who led Germany’s Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) from 1998 to 2005, was arrested on Tuesday and charged with espionage, the disclosure of state secrets, and treason.
Kaja Kallas, the Estonian diplomat and former prime minister currently serving as the vice-president of the European Commission, has shown a deeply confrontational attitude towards Russia and the Russians. It is perhaps worth pausing here to note that this is particularly personal, given her family history.
Colombian nationals fighting for Kiev are being held hostage by the Ukrainian military, the mother of a slain mercenary, Sonia Moreno, has told Ruptly video agency. Men from the South American nation currently make up around half of the estimated 16,500 foreign mercenaries in the ranks of Kiev’s forces, a Russian security source told TASS in June.
The African Union (AU) has called on parties to the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) to respect ceasefire agreements and refrain from actions that could undermine peace efforts, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
For at least a decade, we've been in an era of relentless spending in college football, where buyout money from coaching contracts has been considered merely a speedbump. When Texas A&M fired Jimbo Fisher for a $77 million tab in 2023, it signaled to the industry that no buyout was too big. The school will be paying him more than $7 million annually through 2031 to not coach the team.
Todd Archer is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Dallas Cowboys. Archer has covered the NFL since 1997 and Dallas since 2003. Jenna Laine covers the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for ESPN.
Week 5 of the NFL season is here, and October is starting to bring a little more variety to the forecast -- and potentially to pregame fashion. With fall temperatures settling into parts of the country and lingering heat beginning to ease elsewhere, players have another opportunity to switch up their game-day looks.
METAIRIE, La. - New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley took issue Thursday with comments made by ESPN analyst Troy Aikman during the Saints' 45-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Aikman weighed in on the Saints' struggles on defense with 2:43 left in the third quarter of the "Monday Night Football" broadcast, saying that Staley didn't have any answers for the Falcons.
Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson has won a record fifth WNBA Most Valuable Player award, becoming the first player in league history to win three straight MVPs. Wilson became the first WNBA player to average 25 points, 50% shooting and 40% on 3-pointers.
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- In nine words Thursday, Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton made the biggest move he could to try to kickstart the team's struggling offense. "We'll make a change offensively, I'll call the plays,'' Payton said after practice.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Bears running back D'Andre Swift delivered a succinct response Thursday to questions surrounding his early season fumbles. The 27-year-old running back has fumbled twice in four games with his most recent happening in the third quarter of the Bears' 23-12 win over the Jets.
Like death and taxes, A'ja Wilson winning the WNBA's Most Valuable Player award is quickly becoming one of life's certainties. The Las Vegas Aces center claimed her third consecutive nod (and fifth in her career) on Thursday, after leading her Aces to their eighth straight playoff appearance with averages of 26.0 points and 9.4 rebounds.
The cameo occurred during a scene in which history teacher Jacob Hill (played by Chris Perfetti) made an Instagram post asking the Philadelphia 76ers to build a playground at Abbott Elementary. Hill had learned that the Philadelphia Eagles build a free playground for a local school each year, but the team had already selected another school.
The proposals came Thursday as part of negotiations with the MLB Players Association over a new collective bargaining agreement. MLB also wants to allow higher-seeded teams to choose their opponent both in the wild card and division series rounds of the playoffs. The 154-game schedule would be a return to MLB's calendar prior to 1960, when it was expanded to the current 162-game regular season.
ROSEMONT, Ill. -- Longtime Michigan State coach Tom Izzo knows that some think his roster-building strategy is outdated in today's college basketball, but he applies another term to the approach. "I get called old-school a lot; I think it's right school," Izzo said at Big Ten media days. "I have no interest in thinking this is an old-school way of doing it.
If you’re reading this on Substack, please take a second to hit the ❤️ and click the restack icon. That’s how we break through into more newsfeeds and reach the most people. Today, Raw America has an exclusive report from White House correspondent Brian Karem about how Donald Trump’s rhetoric about the midterms has grown decidedly darker, alarming multiple members of his own party.
Before we get to the news, help us reach more people by tapping the ❤️ and hitting restack. That’s the best way to ensure these stories break through the algorithm.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- One of the most gifted young hitters in the Cubs system, Juan Cabada was ready for the challenges that awaited him when he made his U.S. debut this year. Signed for $1.5 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2025, he batted .283/.387/.434 in his first 14 games in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League this May.
SafeWorld this week emerged from stealth with $12.2 million in seed funding. The startup aims to make safety testing on AI-powered robots easier with its simulation technology.
While much of the focus on humanoid robots has been on entertaining demonstration videos and massive amounts of funds raised, the work of development and finding a value proposition is quietly continuing. How are humanoids progressing from prototypes to mass production? Jabil Inc., a design, supply chain, and manufacturing services provider, offered its perspective.
Helm.ai today said it has signed $70 million in commercial contracts for its foundation models for physical AI over a 12-month period. These contracts spanned global automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and industrial automation companies. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company considers the automotive industry as its flagship deployments, which involve deep partnerships.
The toolchain brings together AWS services and NVIDIA’s Physical AI software stack into a single development workflow. The goal is to address one of the biggest challenges facing companies developing AI-powered robots: connecting the many pieces required to turn a trained model into a system that can reliably operate in the real world.
A hand attached to the end of an arm is a given for most humans, but what if robots didn’t have to play by the same rules as we do? Researchers from ETH Zurich have turned an off-the-shelf robotic hand into a completely self-contained robot that walks on its fingertips while using those same fingers to manipulate its environment.
ttok is my CLI tool for counting tokens, using OpenAI's open source tiktoken library. It hasn't been in updated in a couple of years, but I finally fixed a Click warning, updated CI, and added a --list-models command to list available models. It works with uvx, so you can count tokens in anything like this:.
Computer programming is, fundamentally, about two things:. I have a hard time imagining a future where knowing how to solve problems with computers and how to control the complexity of those solutions is less valuable than it is today, so I think it will continue to be a viable career even with the advent of AI tools.
The proposed loan will build on Wolfspeed’s silicon-carbide technology, intellectual property and manufacturing footprint at its facilities in North Carolina, New York and Arkansas, according to the release.
The survey comes as manufacturers are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence and automation to improve various parts of their operations, including predictive maintenance. According to the survey, more than half of maintenance teams said they were using or piloting AI tools to help them do their jobs, and 92% agreed that AI needs “good, complete maintenance data” to work properly.