Alex Leff

reuters.comInside the Trump-administration campaign to return Brazil’s Bolsonaro clan to powerTwo US State Department officials pushed for sanctions aimed at tilting the election in their favor.

In the runup to Brazil's election, Reuters reported on how the Trump administration had campaigned to secure a Bolsonaro presidency. First with Jair, then when he was sentenced to 27 years, his son Flávio. www.reuters.com/world/us/ins...

x.comJavier Corrales (@jcorrales2011) on XBrazil and Lula's re-election. It's important to understand how the incumbent's advantage in Latin America works. Thread.

ok maybe i shouldn't have been so quick to react surprised about an incumbent winning in this day in age. @javiercorrales.bsky.social noted (on X) that in Latin America "Only four of those 35 incumbents were defeated." Fascinating! Thread here: x.com/jcorrales201...

Alex Leff@alexleff.bsky.social

Stunning comeback. President Lula came 2nd in the first round and has now won with a convincing result in the runoff. Analysts are saying this is the first time in Brazil this has happened. Also maybe it just feels surprising in this climate to see an incumbent win!? www.npr.org/2026/10/25/n...

npr.orgBrazil's left-wing President Lula elected for fourth termBrazil's 80-year-old left-wing leader President Lula defeats Flávio Bolsonaro in a bitterly contested runoff.

npr.orgAI giant Anthropic files for an IPO that could break recordsThe AI company, which makes the popular Claude chatbot, has filed for an initial public offering that could be one of the biggest ever.

The artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, maker of the hugely popular Claude AI models, has taken a major step toward holding an initial public offering that analysts expect to be one of the biggest ever. — @npr.org @jruwitch.bsky.social reports www.npr.org/2026/10/26/n...

npr.orgBrazil's left-wing President Lula elected for fourth termBrazil's 80-year-old left-wing leader President Lula defeats Flávio Bolsonaro in a bitterly contested runoff.

Alex Leff reposted

NPR

@npr.org

Israel is holding a general election this week after years of war. For many Israelis, shaken by the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and years of war, it is the most consequential in decades. n.pr/4icyaha

n.prIsraelis have changed. Will they change their leadership?Israel is holding a general election this week after years of war. For many Israelis, shaken by the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and years of war, it is the most consequential in decades.

Alex Leff reposted

NPR

@npr.org

Forty miles separate the Israeli beach of Jaffa from the beach in Gaza City, but they are worlds apart. NPR's Frank Langfitt and Anas Baba report a tale of two beaches. n.pr/3W7n2e6

n.pr2 beaches in Gaza and Israel. Just 40 miles apart, but worlds awayForty miles separate the Israeli beach of Jaffa from the beach in Gaza City, but they are worlds apart. NPR's Frank Langfitt and Anas Baba report a tale of two beaches.

My colleagues @franklangfitt.bsky.social reporting in Israel and Anas Baba in Gaza visited two nearby beaches, one in Jaffa and one in Gaza City, just about 40 miles in distance but worlds apart www.npr.org/2026/10/20/n...

npr.orgAmericans can't get enough of mahjong. These traditional makers are cashing inShoppers in the U.S. are willing to spend hundreds of dollars for a mahjong set. In the eastern Chinese city of Taixing, manufacturers can barely keep up with the demand.

Americans can't get enough of mahjong. These traditional makers are cashing in www.npr.org/2026/10/22/n...

npr.orgCNN, MS NOW and Politico prevail against White House — for nowA federal judge ruled late Tuesday that President Trump cannot ban news organizations from covering him at the White House because he does not like the nature of their coverage - at least, not until the matter goes to a formal trial.

Long before Project 2025

Alex Leff reposted

Eric Deggans

@edeggans.bsky.social

From my colleague David Folkenflik: A federal judge has ruled that President Trump cannot ban news organizations from covering him at the White House because he does not like their coverage — at least, until a formal trial. READ: https://loom.ly/ToxKJnc

wbur.orgSinger Laufey wants you to love the library as much as she doesLaufey sees libraries as an important third space at a time when younger generations are yearning for something that feels physical and nostalgic.

Laufey loves libraries and you should too! www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2...

A socialist pamphlet, 1947

npr.orgShe died covering war for Fox News. Her parents blame the network — and a star reporterThe family members of two Fox News journalists killed while covering the war in Ukraine are suing the network, saying it put getting the story ahead of its people.

Big story from @npr.org @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social: Ukrainian Sasha Kuvshynova joined Fox team as producer-interpreter. Within weeks of Russia's full-scale invasion, she was killed and Fox's correspondent was injured. Kuvshynova's parents are taking legal action www.npr.org/2026/10/04/n...

so chunkified! @alaskapublic.org has the story alaskapublic.org/news/environ...

reuters.comEXCLUSIVE: Anthropic warns AI may pose 'existential risks to humanity' in IPO filingAnthropic plans to caution potential investors in its IPO that advanced AI could pose "catastrophic or existential risks to humanity," an extraordinary warning by a company seeking to profit from the...

(Reuters) - Anthropic plans to caution potential investors in its IPO that advanced AI could pose "catastrophic or existential risks to humanity," an extraordinary warning by a company seeking to profit from the same ‌technology. www.reuters.com/business/fin...

rapporteur.comWelcome to Rapporteur: We bring news. Not noise. | RapporteurWith the support of Mediahuis, we've built a serious, independent newsroom equipped to cover European politics

News outlet Euractiv has rebranded as Rapporteur www.rapporteur.com/welcome-to-r...

npr.orgPotential Taiwan tension sparked 'last minute' change in Trump-Xi National Archives visitThe sudden change was precipitated because of Chinese displeasure over one document that the U.S. had planned to show.

Potential Taiwan tension sparked a "last-minute" change in the Trump-Xi visit to the National Archives in Washington — @emilyzfeng.bsky.social reports www.npr.org/2026/09/29/n...

Alex Leff reposted

Selena Simmons-Duffin

@selenasd.com

My latest on the teen pregnancy grant saga

Alex Leff@alexleff.bsky.social

Congress passed $100 million for teen pregnancy prevention. Most of it is untouched www.npr.org/2026/09/24/n...

npr.orgCongress passed $100 million for teen pregnancy prevention. Most of it is untouchedWith days left to go in the 2026 fiscal year, lawmakers push the health department to spend the money Congress allocated to prevent teen pregnancy. An NPR exclusive.

Congress passed $100 million for teen pregnancy prevention. Most of it is untouched www.npr.org/2026/09/24/n...

npr.orgTrump says he is banning CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White HouseThe president chalked the ban up to what he called unfavorable coverage, and he threatened that bans on other media companies could be coming.

18 Sept

Trump says he is banning CNN, MSNOW and Politico from the White House www.npr.org/2026/09/18/g...

nytimes.comIran and China Create First-of-Their-Kind Autonomous A.I. Influence CampaignsThe countries, along with Israeli firms, combined Chinese open-source A.I. models and A.I. agents for the campaigns, foreshadowing future online manipulation.

18 Sept

NYT—"Iran, China and groups in Israel used artificial intelligence in novel ways in recent months to create first-of-their-kind influence campaigns on social media, ratcheting up concerns among US officials and security researchers about the fast-evolving technology." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/18/t...

theguardian.comSensitive UK police data vulnerable to ‘compromise’ by US government and foreign actorsExclusive: Official UK security assessment found Microsoft cloud platform storing files was at potential risk from hostile hackers

18 Sept

"Vast troves of highly sensitive police data are lying on Microsoft cloud platforms which an oﬃcial UK security assessment deemed to be vulnerable to “compromise” by foreign actors and the US government, a Guardian investigation can reveal." www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

npr.orgPeople's houses are collapsing into the ocean. FEMA gives them no other optionWaterfront homes are collapsing along the coast. Homeowners generally have plenty of warning before their house buckles. So why aren't most houses removed, or at least emptied, before they fall?

17 Sept

As sea level rise from climate change accelerates erosion around the country, there is growing alarm among waterfront homeowners, local officials and lawmakers www.npr.org/2026/09/17/n...

npr.orgRepublican Rep. Massie moves to impeach Defense Secretary Hegseth over Iran warKentucky Republican Thomas Massie introduced articles of impeachment against Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Tuesday over the war in Iran.

15 Sept

Republican congressman Massie, long a critic of Trump admin, is trying to impeach Pete Hegseth over the war with Iran www.npr.org/2026/09/15/g...

bbc.comAI getting more powerful 'by the day' and kill switch should be required, tech boss tells BBCJack Clark, co-founder of AI firm Anthropic, says artificial intelligence could become a "major risk to society", after a number of tech bosses call for a slowdown in AI development.

14 Sept

Anthropic cofounder Jack Clark tells BBC AI companies should have to have a "kill switch" verified by a third party www.bbc.com/news/live/cm...

nytimes.comKing Charles Will Convene A.I. Leaders Amid Calls to Slow DevelopmentAs alarm from the highest echelons of A.I. companies mounts, Buckingham Palace said the king would meet with executives to explore how the technology can be used for good.

13 Sept

King Charles Will Convene A.I. Leaders Amid Calls to Slow Development www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/w...

npr.orgFold the phone: Apple's new CEO unveils a foldable iPhoneNew Apple CEO John Ternus announces the iPhone Duo, which folds like a passport and is the most radical iPhone design update in nearly 20 years.

9 Sept

The new iPhone - ONLY $1,999 😅https://www.npr.org/2026/09/09/nx-s1-5961487/apple-duo-foldable-iphone-john-ternus

4 Sept

The UN General Assembly voted in favor of a new world map that shows a larger Africa, truer to size. One country voted against it: the United States. From @npr.org: www.npr.org/2026/09/04/n...

npr.orgA jury in Malta acquits a businessman in the killing of reporter Daphne Caruana GaliziaInvestigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had written extensively about suspected corruption in political and business circles in Malta. She was killed by a car bomb in 2017, at age 53.

2 Sept

Daphne Caruana Galizia had written extensively about suspected corruption in political and business circles in Malta before she was killed by a car bomb www.npr.org/2026/09/02/n...

Alex Leff reposted

npr.orgWhistleblower claims USPS plan for Trump's mail voting order could 'derail' midtermsA whistleblower says the U.S. Postal Service is rushing out an online system for President Trump's push to restrict mail voting that could "derail" the midterm election if courts allow it to proceed.

1 Sept

My latest @npr.org story: A whistleblower report says the U.S. Postal Service is rushing out an online system for President Trump’s push to restrict mail-in voting that could “derail” the midterm election if courts allow it to proceed. Key parts of USPS' plan are currently blocked by a court order

kpbs.orgNorth Carolina teen indicted in connection to San Diego Islamic Center shootingThe 17-year-old girl is charged with three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy, according to the Forsyth County District Attorney.

1 Sept

A North Carolina teen was indicted Monday in connection with the shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego in May. Two gunmen opened fire on the center, killing three men outside, all while livestreaming the attack. - @kpbssandiego.bsky.social reports www.kpbs.org/news/public-...

npr.orgNPR spent 2 years tracking deaths from heat. We found a staggering hidden tollAn NPR investigation found that people in the U.S. are dying from heat much more often than official counts show. We explore the reasons why — and how lives can be saved.

31 Aug

NPR spent 2 years tracking deaths from heat. We found a staggering hidden toll www.npr.org/2026/08/31/n...

npr.orgMilo Yiannopoulos, far-right critic of U.S. immigration, is deported from U.S.The controversial commentator, who criticized feminism and Islam, was an enthusiastic supporter of President Trump's immigration crackdown. ICE says he was an "illegal alien."

30 Aug

Milo is deported from the US www.npr.org/2026/08/29/n...

nytimes.comDeportees Sent to Liberia Recount Harrowing Details of U.S. Expulsion and Treatment by ICE (Gift Article)Ten deportees said they experienced or witnessed what they called abusive or violent treatment by ICE. They spent months in detention, they said, before being sent to nations where they had no ties.

30 Aug

Cubans, Venezuelans, Brazilians who were deported from the US recount harrowing journeys to Africa: Shackles, a space they called ‘freezer’ and physical and psychological abuse by US officials www.nytimes.com/2026/08/30/w...

wsj.comA Walk Around Dubai Shows No Signs of Trump’s ‘D-Day’ for IranIranian business activity and banking continues openly despite warnings by the U.S. and an announced end to ties.

Iranian business activity and banking continues openly despite warnings by the U.S. and an announced end to ties www.wsj.com/world/middle...

Alex Leff reposted

NPR

@npr.org

n.prA melting glacier contributed to the deadly Nepal floods. We can expect more like thisAs the climate continues to warm, scientists warn that the frequency of disasters like the floods in Nepal will increase.

As the climate continues to warm, scientists warn that the frequency of disasters like the floods in Nepal will increase. n.pr/46rrSof

Alex Leff reposted

Eric McDaniel | NPR

@ericm.cd

stories.ericm.cdWhat happens if Trump tries to mess with the midterms?President Trump routinely sows doubt in the credibility of elections in the United States — especially if he, or his allies, lose those votes. But with voting in this fall's midterms starting in just a few weeks, the president wants to change the…

politics podcast, come for the election news stay for me comparing myself to a feral dog

Eric McDaniel - Story Feed@stories.ericm.cd

Alex Leff reposted

Gothamist

@gothamist.com

gothamist.comNepali, Tibetan New Yorkers grieve the missing and dead in epic floodingMany in the region are awaiting word on the fate of loves ones missing since tragedy struck Wednesday.

Nepali, Tibetan New Yorkers grieve the missing and dead in epic flooding gothamist.com/news/nepali-...

kosu.orgLake Ontario name change erases Indigenous history, Wyandotte Nation leader saysAfter President Donald Trump issued an executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America, a Wyandotte Nation leader is asking for the administration to reconsider.

After Trump's executive order renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America, a Wyandotte Nation leader is asking for the administration to reconsider - @kosuradio.bsky.social reports www.kosu.org/lake-ontario...

npr.orgCongolese designers push fashion in a different direction : State of the World from NPRWhen the Democratic Republic of Congo is in the news, it’s usually related to poverty, or conflict— most recently it was the Ebola outbreak. But the country is a cradle of design creativity. Congole...

26 Aug

When the Democratic Republic of Congo is in the news, it’s usually related to poverty or conflict—most recently it was the Ebola outbreak. But the country is a cradle of design creativity. www.npr.org/2026/08/26/n...

Alex Leff reposted

courtlistener.comOrder – #212 in League of Women Voters of Massachusetts v. Trump (D. Mass., 1:26-cv-11549) – CourtListener.comJudge Indira Talwani: ORDER entered. See attached. BRIEFING ORDER DEADLINES:Defendants' separate or combined Opposition to the pending request for a temporary restraining order and stay - Deadline Aug...

26 Aug

NEW: For the Boston-based lawsuits over President Trump’s mail-in voting order, a judge is on track to decide whether to issue a temporary restraining order against the U.S. Postal Service as soon as Thursday after noon ET, plus hold a Sept. 3 hearing on whether to issue a longer-lasting block

grist.orgThe great American road trip is in perilMy family set out to see the beauty of America’s national parks. Along the way, we saw how wildfire, flood, heat, and drought are changing them.

26 Aug

The great American road trip is in peril grist.org/culture/grea...

Alex Leff reposted

apps.npr.orgHow to register to vote and check your registration statusFor the 2026 elections, NPR has collected deadlines and information on how to register to vote — online, in person or by mail — in every U.S. state and territory.

5 Aug

Replying to @hansilowang.bsky.social

2. With an active legal fight over the quiet period's scope playing out in the courts, election experts recommend eligible registered voters be vigilant about checking their registration status before their states' deadlines. Find links for checking your voter registration status here:

Alex Leff reposted

npr.orgA federal law bans late voter roll purges. Republicans are pushing to reinterpret itThere's a ban on most states systematically purging voter rolls within 90 days before Election Day. Republicans are pushing courts to reinterpret that longstanding protection for eligible voters.

5 Aug

Today is the start of the "quiet period" before the midterm election, a longstanding legal protection for eligible voters. Forty-four states, plus Washington, D.C., are banned from doing mass purges of voter rolls within 90 days of a federal election under the 1993 National Voter Registration Act

wsj.comAI Just Went Rogue Again. This Time It Turned to Deception.A U.K. government-backed research group said OpenAI and Anthropic systems took unsanctioned actions and behaved deceptively during testing.

5 Aug

The UK-government-backed AI Security Institute says it documented a new level of artificial intelligence "deception" targeted at "a real person, unprompted, in the real world" www.wsj.com/tech/ai/ai-j...

npr.orgSpain's Pedro Sánchez was a hero of migrants. After Ceuta, he faces his biggest challengeThe pro-immigration leader is facing backlash at home and abroad after roughly 60,000 people crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave.

3 Aug

"we can safely say that this was a manufactured crisis" -- Crisis Group's Riccardo Fabiani on the Moroccan migration wave into Ceuta, Spain www.npr.org/2026/08/01/n...

npr.orgCapital One says it closed Trump Organization accounts over money-laundering concernsThe bank is asking a judge to permanently dismiss a lawsuit from Trump-affiliated businesses, arguing a monthslong internal review — not the Jan. 6 riot — explains why hundreds of accounts were shut d...

3 Aug

Capital One says it closed Trump Organization accounts over money-laundering concerns www.npr.org/2026/08/02/g...

kjzz.orgTemporary Protected Status for Ukrainian refugees expires this fall. They worry about what's nextIn a major decision last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing the Department of Homeland Security to end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousa...

24 July

With their temp protected status set to expire in fall, Ukrainians in the US worry about being deported, even as the war back home shows no signs of ending — @phillatzman.bsky.social @kjzz.org reports www.kjzz.org/politics/202...

npr.orgSpain could make World Cup history: The first to win men's and women's trophies back-to-backThe Spanish Men's National Team will face Argentina in Sunday's World Cup final. The country's women's team lifted its first World Cup trophy in 2023.

17 July

Spain could make World Cup history: The first to win men's and women's trophies back-to-back — @maddycfox.bsky.social @kcur.org reports www.npr.org/2026/07/17/g...