10 Thursday AM Reads

Here's what I've written from scratch using ONLY the facts, names, figures and dates provided in the source material:

Trump claimed he could lower prices and interest rates. But his policies led to higher inflation instead, prompting a rate hike. This has Republicans concerned about the upcoming midterms, as gas prices have surged 37% in the past year, while home heating oil increased by 52% and diesel rose by an even more staggering 69%.

Meanwhile, tech workers in the Bay Area are enjoying unprecedented wealth but are at a loss as to how to spend it. Some are splurging on computer hardware and espresso machines, perhaps even taking a custom bike trip through Italy if they can find the time off.

On the cultural front, China is fully embracing an AI revolution, with micro-dramas played out on millions of smartphones. Chinese actor Chen Yilong has signed a contract to license his face to a production studio, where he simply sits and makes pre-programmed facial expressions.

In tax policy, there is a growing push to reform the income brackets that trigger the top tax rate. The current floor is set at $640,600, yet this seems far too high when someone earning $70 million pays the same rate as someone earning just $700,000. Policy fellow Samarth Gupta argues this outdated system is an anomaly, with the tax code historically averaging 27 brackets per year in the past.

The rapid advancement of AI also poses a threat to intellectual work. Terence Tao explains that while years of training used to help develop understanding and the ability to formulate new questions, this crucial aspect is now being compromised as the focus shifts solely to producing final answers.

In medical news, Pennsylvania is grappling with a sizable measles outbreak, with four deaths since mid-August raising concerns about the true scale of the epidemic. These fatalities make the crisis more difficult for anti-vaccine activists to shrug off.

The Kennedy Center is facing potential closure unless it undergoes a renaming process associated with former President Trump. Hafiz Rashid highlights that even with Trump's allies claiming the theater could collapse immediately without the name change, the historic venue remains at risk of losing its iconic status.