Current News
A Judge Halts Trump’s Big Bend Wall, Because Even the Desert Gets Due Process
A federal judge temporarily blocked border-wall construction across Texas’ Big Bend region while environmental and landowner claims proceed.
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The Daily Junk Food Archive
1,276 stories, newest first. Pick a topic or keep digging.
Current News
Thomas and Alito Enter Another Supreme Court Term With the Steering Wheel and No Retirement Plans
Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito begin a consequential Supreme Court term with opportunities to move the law further right on guns, voting and religion.
Strange News
A $30 Estate-Sale Painting Sells for $1.35 Million, and Every Thrift Store Frame Gets Nervous
A long-lost Gertrude Abercrombie painting bought for $30 at a Michigan estate sale sold for $1.35 million and set an artist record.
Strange News
SETI Wants to Search Moon Dust for Alien Technology, One Microscopic Speck at a Time
A proposed quantitative framework would search lunar regolith for microscopic engineered particles that could have accumulated over billions of years.
Gen X Files
Music Fans Want CDs and Vinyl Again, Because the Algorithm Cannot Live in Your Milk Crate
Fans are returning to CDs, vinyl and DVDs for permanence, artwork and control in an era when streaming libraries can change without warning.
Gen X Files
Elvis Costello’s “My Aim Is True” Turns 49, Because Even the Reissue Is Refusing a Round Number
A 49th-anniversary edition revisits Elvis Costello’s tense, clever debut and the Bay Area band that helped turn grievance into precision pop.
Current News
Two Men Are Charged in an Alleged Plot Against Manchester’s Jewish Community
British prosecutors charged two men over an alleged terrorist plot targeting Manchester’s Jewish community after an investigation ahead of Yom Kippur.
Current News
A Judge Rejects Trump’s Synagogue-Protest Lawsuit, and the FACE Act Returns to Its Actual Address
A federal judge dismissed the Justice Department’s effort to use the FACE Act against pro-Palestinian protesters outside a New Jersey synagogue.
Current News
Trump May Hand the AI Czar Badge to Jay Clayton, Because One Czar Was Apparently Not Enough
Trump is expected to name former SEC chair Jay Clayton as an AI czar, creating a second high-level adviser in an administration already crowded with tech power centers.
Strange News
A 22-Inch Feathered Dinosaur Shows Up Nearly Complete, Because Fossils Occasionally Read the Assignment
Scientists identified a new dinosaur species from an unusually complete 22-inch fossil that preserves portions of its feathers.
Current News
A Judge Warns AI Could Hollow Out Young Lawyers After a Filing Invents Quotes
A federal judge declined sanctions over AI-generated filing errors but warned that careless automation could hurt clients and stunt junior lawyers’ development.
Gen X Files
Cronos Made Venom Sound Like Hell’s Garage Band and Gave Metal a New Vocabulary
Venom frontman Conrad “Cronos” Lant, who died at 63, helped define black metal through speed, menace, chaos and an unforgettable stage persona.
Strange News
FAST Hears a Signal Near K2-155 d, but Earthly Interference Is Still the Leading Suspect
China’s FAST telescope detected a narrowband signal from the direction of exoplanet K2-155 d, but researchers say terrestrial interference is the likelier source.
Gen X Files
Grouper Goes Viral Without Uploading the Song, and Streaming Once Again Explains Nothing
Liz Harris discusses Grouper’s unexpected streaming explosion, scam-filled digital platforms and the restorative return of her band Helen.
Current News
The Mecca Pact Considers Talking to the Houthis, and Diplomacy Finds the Emergency Entrance
Pakistan says Mecca Defence Pact members will meet in Riyadh to consider Iran’s suggestion of political engagement with Yemen’s Houthis.
Current News
An Appeals Court Pauses Minnesota’s AI Nude-Fake Ban, Because Consent Has Entered the Terms-of-Service Maze
A federal appeals court halted Minnesota’s ban on AI-generated fake nude images while xAI challenges the law on constitutional grounds.
Current News
Pope Leo Reviews Francis’ Communion Opening, and the Catholic Family Argument Returns to Rome
Pope Leo is convening church leaders to assess how Francis’ “The Joy of Love” has been implemented for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics.
Strange News
The Salish Sea Gets Hairy-Legged Red-Eyed Sea Spiders, Because October Needed Props
Scientists described two new sea-spider species from the Salish Sea—the region’s first such discoveries in nearly a century.
Strange News
Hundreds of Astrobiologists Review the Alien Evidence and Mostly Say “Not Yet”
A large survey found that only small minorities of astrobiologists believe recent K2-18b or Mars findings probably establish extraterrestrial life.
Gen X Files
Buddy Guy Turns Radio City Into a 90th-Birthday Blues Summit and Announces Another Album
Buddy Guy celebrated 90 with a sold-out Radio City tribute featuring generations of guitarists, then confirmed that new music is still coming.
Gen X Files
Erasure Reaches Album 20, While Vince Clarke Retires From Touring but Not From the Friendship
Erasure’s 20th album grows from Andy Bell and Vince Clarke’s 40-year friendship, even as Clarke steps away from touring following profound personal loss.
Current News
A Judge Strikes Down the Federal Noncitizen-Voting Law, and the Election Panic Meets Federalism
A federal judge dismissed a noncitizen-voting prosecution, ruling that states—not Congress—hold constitutional authority to set voter qualifications.
Current News
Israel’s Supreme Court Pushes an Arab Party Leader Out of the Election While Ben-Gvir Cheers
Israeli Arab party leader Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew from the election after the Supreme Court signaled it was likely to disqualify him over remarks about October 7.
Strange News
Comedy Wildlife Finalists Include a Sneezing Moose, Because Nature Also Has Outtakes
The 2026 Comedy Wildlife Awards shortlist draws from more than 10,000 entries, including a sneezing moose and other perfectly timed animal mishaps.
Strange News
A Meteorite Brings “Alien World Chemistry” Through a New Jersey Roof, Not Actual Aliens
Scientists studying a meteorite that struck a New Jersey home found ancient briny minerals, amino acids and organic compounds relevant to prebiotic chemistry—not extraterrestrial organisms.
Gen X Files
U2 Marks 50 Years With a New Album, Because Apparently the Joshua Tree Needed More Rings
U2 will release “Carnaval de Luz” on November 13, its first album of new material in nine years, during the band’s 50th-anniversary celebration.
Gen X Files
The Pussycat Dolls Return as a Trio, and “Group Project” Still Means Nicole Did Most of It
The Pussycat Dolls’ long-delayed reunion has reached UK arenas as a trio led by Nicole Scherzinger, with Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt.
Current News
Trump Won’t Rule Out ICE at Polling Places, Because Voting Apparently Needed Tactical Accessories
Trump declined to rule out sending ICE agents to polling sites, intensifying concerns about voter intimidation and federal interference before the midterms.
Current News
The DOJ Says UCLA Law Used Race in Admissions, and the Campus Culture War Enrolls Again
The Justice Department says UCLA Law unlawfully considered race after the Supreme Court’s affirmative-action ruling; the university says its process follows the law.
Current News
Northern Ireland’s Orange Order Standoff Heads Back to Court, Because History Refuses to Stay Historical
Talks over an Orange Order march through a Catholic area ended without compromise, leaving protesters in place and residents preparing another court challenge.