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Trump approval falls to lowest of his term over prices and Epstein files, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds

(Reuters) President Donald Trump's approval rating fell to 38%, the lowest since his return to power, with Americans unhappy about his handling of the high cost of living and the investigation into the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. The four-day poll, which concluded on Monday, comes as Trump's grip on his Republican Party shows signs of weakening.

Larry Summers resigns from OpenAI board after release of emails with Epstein

(CNBC) Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers said Wednesday that he will resign from the board at OpenAI after the release of emails between him and the notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Summers had announced Monday that he would be stepping back from all public commitments, but it was not immediately clear whether that included his position at the artificial intelligence startup.

Delayed September Jobs Report Expected to Show Continued Weak Growth

(Morningstar) Economists predict that the September jobs report, scheduled to be released Thursday, will show a continued soft job market, with only a slight uptick in hiring after a weak reading in August. Nonfarm payrolls are predicted to have expanded by 50,000 in September, up from 22,000 in August, according to consensus estimates from FactSet. By contrast, the US economy was adding roughly 100,000 jobs per month at the start of the year.

Senators rage against phone data payout measure won by Thune

(CNN) In interviews Tuesday with nearly a dozen lawmakers, confusion, frustration and anger ran rampant about what has quickly become branded as a politically toxic, taxpayer-funded windfall for a select few. Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) went so far as to quip there could be “some stabbings” at the Senate GOP’s weekly lunch Wednesday when the topic will inevitably get discussed. “Whoever put this in had an obligation to tell us about it, and they didn’t,” said Kennedy. “There’s something called trust and good faith around here.”

Democrats target federal officials accused of civil rights violations in new legislation

(NBC News) Seizing on allegations of federal law enforcement officials committing constitutional violations as part of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown, Democrats have launched a new effort to allow civil rights claims against rogue agents. Lawmakers on Tuesday reintroduced legislation that would ensure federal officials, including immigration agents and other law enforcement officers, can be sued individually for constitutional violations. The bill, introduced in the House and Senate by Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga. and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., would amend a post-Civil War era law that allows such claims against state and local officials to make it clear that federal officials are covered too.

The Trump Administration Is Quietly Preparing to Bring Back School Segregation

(American Prospect) Not so long ago, the days of racial segregation were thought to be long past. Jim Crow apartheid was firmly part of America’s shameful past—and few episodes were more despicable than bestial white adults throwing objects and screaming death threats at a six-year-old Ruby Bridges for attending a previously whites-only school. But there have always been enemies to school integration, and they are making moves to bring it back.

Wednesday's Condensed News Cartoons

Federal judge orders Arlington, Fort Worth ISDs to remove Ten Commandments displays

(KERA News) A federal judge on Tuesday ordered several Texas school districts to remove Ten Commandments displays from classrooms, issuing the ruling in a lawsuit brought by families who argue the postings violate the Constitution’s ban on government-endorsed religion. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia temporarily blocked 14 districts from enforcing Senate Bill 10, the new state law requiring public schools to display the biblical text in classrooms. Garcia wrote that it would be “impractical, if not impossible” to protect students from “unwelcome religious displays” without halting enforcement of the law.

Airlines Will Stop Selling Passenger Data to ICE

(Migrant Insider) Airlines Reporting Corporation has terminated its controversial Travel Intelligence Program that sold hundreds of millions of passenger travel records to federal agencies without warrant requirements, following revelations that the IRS conducted warrantless searches of Americans’ flight data. In an email obtained by Migrant Insider, ARC President and CEO Lauri Reishus notified Congressional Hispanic Caucus staff Friday that “the small number of government TIP customers have been notified that the program is ending this year.”

The AI Bubble Is Bigger Than You Think

(American Prospect) The speculative financing of the artificial intelligence buildout is happening mostly in private credit, where assets under management hit $1.6 trillion in February and are likely higher today. The deals being made are perverse and irrational; there are huge mismatches between the life cycle of the assets being funded and the amount of time it will take to pay them off. Experts have been doing everything but picketing the stock exchange with signs that say “BUBBLE IN PROGRESS,” yet the country has so much sunk cost in the AI boom that the pathway feels inevitable.