Presidential Power, Kimmel Returns, & a Blue Dragon Sighting

News without the noise

Adam Rogers
September 23, 2025

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The Supreme Court will review a 1935 ruling on whether presidents can fire independent agency board members for any reason. The case involves FTC member Rebecca Slaughter, who was reinstated by lower courts after Trump removed her.
The Justice Department argues Trump should be able to remove board members for any reason to carry out his agenda. Slaughter's attorneys contend this would make regulatory decisions politically motivated rather than based on expertise. The court has allowed Trump to proceed with the removals while the case continues.
The 1935 Humphrey's Executor decision created powerful agencies that regulate consumer protection and labor relations independently. If overturned, presidents would gain direct control over commissioners at the FTC, National Labor Relations Board, and Merit Systems Protection Board. The court will hear arguments before the case completes lower court review.

Nvidia will invest $100 billion in OpenAI to build 10 gigawatts of AI data centers, with the first systems deployed by late 2026. The partnership adds to the existing $100 billion commitments from Microsoft, Oracle, and SoftBank for OpenAI infrastructure. The deal comes after Microsoft secured a $100 billion equity stake in OpenAI's for-profit arm while the nonprofit board maintains control.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said building massive computing infrastructure is 'critical to everything we want to do' as the company serves 700 million weekly users but needs more power for advanced AI models.
OpenAI faces mounting governance and safety challenges amid rapid growth. Elon Musk's lawsuit seeks to prevent the company from abandoning its nonprofit mission, while California and Delaware attorneys general raised safety concerns about ChatGPT's impact on children.

Disney will bring back 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' tonight (Sept. 23) after suspending the show over Kimmel's comments about Charlie Kirk's assassination. Kimmel had called Kirk's killer 'one of them,' referring to MAGA supporters, and criticized Republicans for 'scoring political points' from the killing. FCC Chair Brendan Carr threatened to revoke ABC affiliate licenses over the remarks.
The suspension drew criticism from over 400 celebrities who signed an ACLU letter calling it a 'dark moment for freedom of speech.' David Letterman accused Disney of 'sucking up to an authoritarian administration.' Some Republicans, including Senators Cruz and Paul, called the FCC chair's threats inappropriate.
ABC affiliates Nexstar and Sinclair pulled the show before the network suspended it indefinitely last Wednesday. Disney then held 'thoughtful conversations' with Kimmel during the suspension about his 'ill-timed and insensitive' remarks before reinstating him.

President Trump signed an order Monday designating Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization and directed federal agencies to investigate and dismantle it. (More)

Ryan Routh rested his defense Monday in his Trump assassination attempt trial, calling witnesses who described him as gentle and nonviolent. (More)

A 4.3 earthquake near Berkeley at 3 a.m. Monday woke Bay Area residents, with over 22,000 reporting shaking and transit delays. (More)

Egypt freed Alaa Abd el-Fattah, the Arab Spring activist who's been in prison for 12 years for protesting human rights abuses. (More)

Seven charities dropped Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson as patron after a 2011 email emerged calling Jeffrey Epstein her "supreme friend." (More)

Super typhoon Ragasa slammed the Philippines on Monday with 143mph winds, forcing mass evacuations before heading toward southern China. (More)

US stock markets closed higher on Monday (S&P +0.44%, Nasdaq +0.70%, Dow +0.14%). Tech giant gains drove the broader market upwards. (More)

Pfizer agreed to buy weight loss drugmaker Metsera for up to $7.3 billion to compete in the booming obesity drug market. (More)

Gold soared to a record $3,700 per ounce Monday, up over 40% this year on hopes for more Fed rate cuts. (More)

Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembélé beat Barcelona's Lamine Yamal for the Ballon d'Or by scoring 35 goals and helping PSG win their first-ever Champions League title. (More)

49ers Pro Bowl pass rusher Nick Bosa tore his ACL Sunday against Arizona and will miss the entire season. (More)

Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl stepped down after 11 seasons. His son Steven will take over the program. (More)

Scientists discovered Stonehenge's massive Altar Stone came from Scotland, not Wales, suggesting Neolithic people had advanced long-distance transportation skills. (More)

NASA picked 10 new astronauts from 8,000 applicants to explore the moon and Mars, with women outnumbering men for the first time. (More)

German and Chinese researchers discovered that activating bone receptor GPR133 strengthened mice's bones, potentially treating incurable osteoporosis. (More)

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