Don’t you know that you’re toxic

Recent polls found many Americans support political violence—except they don’t, because they weren’t asked if they agree that “there’s no other alternative at this point.” / Strength in Numbers

The Constitution is failing because those in power now ignore the will of the people. Repairing all this requires incentivizing politicians to do more than seek re-election. / Outside the Beltway

Regarding the shutdown: There is an appropriations crisis at the heart of it, “but it’s masquerading as a policy negotiation over something many people expected to get settled anyway.” / Matt’s Five Points

Jonathan Bernstein: “I’m starting to wonder whether Republicans have completely lost the ability to talk to anyone who isn’t fully immersed in their own talking points.” / Good Politics/Bad Politics

In arguments from current and former government workers, the Trump administration’s language blaming “radical left Democrats” for the shutdown violates the Hatch Act. / NPR

For the first time, more electricity was generated through renewables than coal this year, thanks to growth in China and India. / Reuters

The Khalidi Library in Jerusalem is a trove of Palestinian knowledge and artifacts reaching back to the 13th century—with a future that’s now dangerously uncertain. / Literary Hub

After they’re removed, many of North Carolina’s Confederate statues end up at a private park whose proprietors intend to “control the narrative.” / The New York Times [$]

“These books that have huge price tags are given impossible expectations to meet.” Why publishing should stop betting on the next bestseller. / The Walrus

Launched ahead of The Toxic Avenger reboot, a fundraiser to erase medical debt has already raised $15 million, and could generate much more once the movie hits theaters. / Gizmodo

Birds of different species and from completely different parts of the planet display similar vocalizations to warn of parasitic birds near their nests. / ScienceDaily

When AI designs toxic proteins, biosecurity measures must constantly evolve to catch up: “This is like a Windows update model for the planet.” / The Washington Post [$]

“The M&M’s were filled with, from what I could tell, berry-flavored peanut butter.” This year’s unwelcome Halloween candy concoctions are a result of rising chocolate prices. / The Atlantic [$]

Migrating from Mexico to the US and then moving to Spain can trigger a bureaucratic melee that will wreak havoc on your name. / Slate

The problem with the overwhelming majority of AI art is that at its most meaningful, art requires toil—and using AI does not. / The Oatmeal

See also: Casey Neistat uses Sora to show (at least some of) what’s wrong with Sora. / YouTube

“This memory was dislodged from a little plastic box that had been sitting in storage for years and years.” Joanne McNeil on the hidden wonders of digitizing VHS. / Filmmaker

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