An Ignoble Experiment: The 7: Which candidates your neighbors are donating to; North Korean troops in Russia; a new prime number; and more

2024/10/24

The 7: Which candidates your neighbors are donating to; North Korean troops in Russia; a new prime number; and more

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By Hannah Jewell
with John Taylor

Listen to this briefing

Good morning. It's Thursday, Oct. 24, and I can promise you now that you'll never catch me in an air taxi, no matter how late I'm running. Now let's get to the news.

Kamala Harris said she believes that Donald Trump is a fascist.

Yesterday: Asked during a CNN town hall, the vice president said she agreed with a growing number of Trump's former top aides who have warned that he is a potential dictator.
What else to know: More people in every state have donated to Harris than to Trump. To see how your neighborhood is giving to the candidates, click here.
Live chat: Want to know how a Harris or Trump presidency might affect your finances? Post economics reporters are answering questions today at noon Eastern. Ask yours here.

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	A former American sheriff is working with Russia to produce deepfakes.

Who? John Mark Dougan, who also served in the Marines before fleeing to Moscow. His misinformation efforts have targeted the Harris campaign, The Post found.
In related news: At least 236 Republican candidates for Congress or top state offices have cast doubt on or spread misinformation about the 2024 election.
On the campaign trail: Printing problems have slowed early voting in Wisconsin. And Tucker Carlson said "Dad" Trump will give a "vigorous spanking."

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At least 3,000 North Korean troops are in Russia.

What are they doing? Undergoing combat training, U.S. intelligence shows. It's not known if they will join the war in Ukraine, officials said yesterday.
The bigger picture: Russia and North Korea are nuclear-armed, long-standing adversaries of the U.S. Their potential collaboration could have serious global implications.

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Boeing workers rejected a deal to end their strike.

What's happening? Around 33,000 machinists walked off the job nearly six weeks ago. They voted yesterday not to accept a contract with a 35% pay increase.
Zooming out: Financial troubles for Boeing are mounting as most production of commercial airliners idles. The company reported a $6.2 billion third-quarter loss yesterday.

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Infant mortality got worse after Roe v. Wade was overturned.

What to know: Hundreds more babies died than expected in the year and a half after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion in June 2022, a new study found.
Why? The most significant increases in deaths were in infants with congenital anomalies or birth defects. More of these babies may have been carried to term under abortion bans.
Other health news: The Biden administration finalized a rule to crack down on lead paint.

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A programmer just found the world's largest prime number.

What is it? A number known as M136279841. It has over 41 million decimal digits. (As a reminder — a prime number can be divided only by itself and 1.)
Who found it? Luke Durant, a 36-year-old from Alabama. It took him almost a year of work and $2 million of his own money to make the discovery this month.

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The White House tour is getting an overhaul.

Why? First lady Jill Biden thought the public tours of the president's home in Washington — unchanged for decades — weren't "dynamic." So she set about reimagining the experience.
What's new? Visitors will get access to more areas, including the Diplomatic Reception Room, where President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave his fireside chats.
Want to visit? It's a hot ticket — about 10,000 weekly visitors — but it's free. Request a date through your congressman or senator, or through the White House website.