Good morning, it’s Friday, Sept. 18, and Merriam-Webster has added over 1,400 new words to the dictionary. Check how many you know here. Now, let’s get to the news.
A Microsoft exec called AI the “largest theft of labor” in history, court records show.
The details: That quote headlined an unsealed document in the New York Times’s copyright case against Microsoft and OpenAI. Find out what else executives said here.
RFK Jr. said Americans worried about vaccines have a “friend at the White House.”
The health secretary made multiple claims about vaccines that medical experts say are misleading. (Joel Angel Juárez for The Post)
Yesterday: Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made the remarks at a conference of the anti-vaccine group he founded. The U.S. is facing its worst measles outbreak in 35 years.
More from the GOP: Karol Rove, a father of the modern Texas Republican Party is voting for a Democrat – here’s why. And the White House withdrew its nomination for an ICE director.
One last thing: Jon Kyl, a former top Senate Republican, has died at 84.
Democrats are starting to feel bullish about a midterm wave.
Why? The party has seen strong results in post-Labor Day polls in key battleground states. Rising prices could benefit them too – find The Post’s full analysis here.
“What are they doing?” Democrats have seized on the House GOP’s decision to leave town early. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) spoke to reporters yesterday.
The impact: The Post’s culture critic says this week’s closure reveals the truth of Trump’s motivations, and what the arts community stands to lose. Read his analysis here.
A state college in Maine has drawn scrutiny over its fast online degrees.
What to know: Enrollment at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, where students can earn a bachelor’s degree in less than a year, has skyrocketed.
Recently: A Post education reporter clicked his way toward a college degree in days, for less than $100. Many colleges’ transfer policies allow credits from unaccredited platforms.
Some drugs can lead to additional prescriptions, putting older adults at risk.
“A potentially inappropriate prescribing cascade”: Some doctors give patients new drugs for the side effects of other drugs. Find out which side effects may seem like new conditions here.
Another health story: When Varda Yoran started seeing things that weren’t real, she feared she was going crazy. This common, age-related eye disease can cause hallucinations.
Tom Cruise’s odd GQ interview left our reporter with more questions, so he spoke to the writer.
A Tom Cruise interview was once must-see TV. (Mario Sorrent/GQ)
Viral moments: Remember when Tom Cruise jumped on Oprah’s couch? Or his madman chuckling with Rosie O’Donnell? Add his latest interview to the archive.
On-camera deflection? Cruise agreed to sit across from GQ’s Zach Baron, but that seems to be about all he agreed to. We asked the writer all about the actor’s stonewalling.
Listen to this briefing
