Nuclear Tests, Grand Egyptian Museum, & Look-alike Candy

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
October 31, 2025

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President Trump ordered the Defense Department to immediately begin testing nuclear weapons, ending a US moratorium that began in 1992 under George H.W. Bush. Tests would resume at a federal site in Nevada.
Trump cited recent Russian and Chinese weapons tests as the reason for resuming US testing. Russia trialed a nuclear-powered underwater weapon and cruise missile this week, while China's nuclear arsenal has grown by about 100 warheads annually since 2023.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov warned Russia would "act accordingly" if the US abandons the moratorium. Nevada Democrats vowed to block the testing, and the state legislature had passed a resolution in May calling on the federal government to maintain its moratorium.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is moving to overrule state laws that protect consumers from having medical debt appear on credit reports. The agency proposed a rule stating that federal law overrides state rules on how debts are reported to credit bureaus like Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
The rule repeals Biden-era regulations that allowed states to implement their own credit reporting bans. More than a dozen states, including New York and Delaware, currently prohibit reporting medical debt on credit reports.
Americans owe roughly $220 billion in medical debt, with one in six people in Republican-controlled states carrying outstanding debt. Medical debt impacts the ability to apply for mortgages, credit cards, and auto loans, and is frequently disputed due to insurance payment delays and coverage denials.

The Grand Egyptian Museum officially opens on Saturday after two decades of anticipation and delays. Located next to the Giza Pyramids, the $1 billion facility will be the world's largest museum dedicated to a single civilization with over 50,000 artifacts from ancient Egypt. By comparison, the Louvre displays about 35,000 pieces.
The opening includes two halls displaying the entire 5,000-piece King Tutankhamun collection for the first time since British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered the tomb in 1922. The museum also houses the 4,600-year-old solar boat of King Khufu, found in the 1950s, buried next to the Great Pyramid.
The museum is central to Egypt’s plan to grow its tourism industry. Officials expect 15,000–20,000 daily visitors. Egypt welcomed a record 15.7 million tourists in 2024 and hopes to double that to 30 million by 2032.

A Virginia judge let Democrats move forward with mid-decade redistricting to counter Trump-backed GOP maps elsewhere, rejecting Republican claims the move violates the state's redistricting commission. (More)

Teacher Abby Zwerner testified Thursday that administrators ignored multiple warnings that her student had a gun before the 6-year-old shot her in her Virginia classroom in 2023. (More)

President Trump cut annual refugee admissions to 7,500, the lowest since the 1970s, prioritizing white South Africans while shifting the program from the State Department to Health and Human Services. (More)

King Charles stripped Prince Andrew of his royal titles and evicted him from his mansion over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein and renewed sexual abuse allegations. (More)

Chile launched a plan to eliminate 4,000 illegal clothing dumps, cut textile waste by 30%, and boost recycling as it struggles with being the world's fourth-largest used clothing importer. (More)

Police arrested five more suspects Thursday in the Louvre robbery, including one linked by DNA evidence, bringing the total to seven, with three robbers now caught. (More)

US stock markets closed lower on Thursday (S&P -0.99%, Nasdaq -1.57%, Dow -0.23%). US stocks fell as investors reacted to mixed Big Tech earnings and the end of President Trump's meeting with China's Xi Jinping. (More)

Mortgage rates dropped for the fourth week to 6.17% for 30-year loans, the lowest in over a year and down from 6.72% last October. (More)

Meta's stock cratered over 10% Thursday despite strong earnings as investors worried about its plan to spend $70-72 billion on AI infrastructure this year. (More)

The WNBA and players’ union extended their collective bargaining deadline by 30 days as they negotiate a revenue-sharing system that would tie salaries to league growth. (More)

The NBA approved Dodgers owner Mark Walter's record $10 billion purchase of the Lakers from the Buss family, who kept a minority stake after 46 years of ownership. (More)

Sean "Diddy" Combs began his four-year sentence Thursday at a New Jersey prison with a drug program that could cut his time while he appeals prostitution-related convictions. (More)

Samsung launched a beta desktop browser for US and South Korea users that syncs browsing history, bookmarks, and passwords across phones, tablets, and computers. (More)

Scientists confirmed the Nanotyrannus was its own dinosaur species, not a young T. rex, after studying a fossil that showed it stopped growing at half T. rex's size. (More)

Researchers created a promising snakebite antivenom using antibodies from llamas and alpacas that saved mice from 17 of 18 deadly African snake venoms tested. (More)

Dictionary.com names '6-7' as 2025 Word of the Year.

Police warn about dangerous look-alike candy ahead of Halloween.

Why pumpkins can grow big but other fruits can’t.

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