Today's News with Larry Schweikart
TODAY'S NEWS, October 1-2, 2026
Episode Summary
Today’s roundup focuses on Republican electoral prospects, Trump administration initiatives, immigration enforcement, military reforms, and disputes over education, religion, and gender policy. AI remains a major theme, with investigations into consumer harms, concerns about workforce training, and debate over whether the technology can self-regulate. Economically, the U.S. is described as accelerating, with falling unemployment claims and private-sector job growth, although the shift in employment between native-born and foreign-born workers raises concerns. Internationally, Europe faces pressure over diesel supplies and defense readiness, while crude exports through the Strait of Hormuz have recovered to pre-conflict levels. The roundup also covers proposed school-choice tax credits, Obamacare refunds, Hollywood tax benefits, and the discovery of sea turtle nests on California’s coast.
Episode Notes
IN POLITICAL NEWS
- Election outlook: The source says Florida is moving right while Virginia’s early-voting electorate is shifting left. It cites Republican advantages in spending and selected state races, while questioning polling accuracy and highlighting Republican mail-in ballot requests in Pennsylvania.
- Military reforms: Pete Hegseth announced a new autonomous-warfare command, stricter military fitness and personnel standards, and the “FORTRESS America” initiative for energy- and water-independent military installations. Six more universities will establish cadet corps, and a new Office of Religious Affairs was announced.
- Presidential pardons: Trump said he intends to pardon White House officials before leaving office.
- Children’s savings accounts: Trump plans to automatically enroll more than 60 million children in “Trump accounts,” according to the roundup.
- Supreme Court appointments: Trump said he regrets all three of his Supreme Court nominees. The source counters by pointing to their voting records on major issues.
- Flock cameras: A Florida county removed all its Flock surveillance cameras.
- FBI arrests: Kash Patel’s FBI has reportedly made nearly 9,000 arrests, an increase over the previous year.
- Abdul El-Sayed: The Michigan political candidate reportedly blamed the women’s movement for excessive breast-cancer screening.
IN AI NEWS
- Meta AI: Meta claims its AI business can become profitable while writing off billions in costs and seeking government research subsidies.
- FTC investigation: The Federal Trade Commission has launched an investigation into major AI companies over potential consumer harms.
- Workforce training: Technology companies are increasingly training employees themselves rather than relying on Ivy League universities.
- Data centers: One proposal suggests repurposing abandoned shopping malls as data centers.
- Grok and religion: The source highlights Grok’s reported acknowledgment of the Resurrection of Jesus as evidence that AI might develop the capacity to self-regulate.
IN ILLEGAL CRIMINAL ALIEN NEWS
- University of Delaware: The Justice Department sued the university over providing in-state tuition to undocumented immigrants.
- Visa revocations: The State Department has reportedly revoked more than 250,000 visas during Trump’s second term.
- Minnesota judges: The Justice Department brought charges against Minnesota judges accused of obstructing Trump’s immigration policies.
IN CULTURAL NEWS
- Church statue: The Supreme Court agreed to hear a case involving a zoning ordinance that prevented a church from erecting a statue of the Virgin Mary.
- Education oversight: Department of Education data reportedly shows more than 1,100 allegations of sexual misconduct. The Justice Department also added UCLA’s law school to its list of institutions accused of unlawfully using DEI in admissions.
- California holidays: Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation recognizing two Muslim holidays in California.
- Campus religious groups: Virginia State University reportedly removed Christian ministry groups while allowing groups representing other religions to remain.
- Social science research: An analysis argues that competition for academic publications encourages exaggeration, weak methodologies, and overstated findings, undermining public confidence in science.
- School choice: Trump introduced a school-choice tax credit included in the BBB legislation. The roundup says around 30 Republican-led states have signed on, while 20 Democratic-led states have not.
IN TRANSOID NEWS
- Riley Gaines lawsuit: A federal judge dismissed the Olympic swimmer’s lawsuit against the NCAA, ruling that the organization was not a recipient of federal funding and therefore was not bound by Title IX in the same way as schools.
IN ECONOMIC NEWS
- Employment: The U.S. economy is described as accelerating, with unemployment claims at their lowest level since 1969. Private employers added 46,000 jobs while government employment fell by 17,000.
- Employment demographics: The source says employment among native-born Americans declined by nearly one million over the past year, while foreign-born employment increased by half a million.
- Lawyer pay: High-ranking female lawyers reportedly earn 16% more than comparable male lawyers.
- Industrial investment: Spending on manufacturing plants reportedly exceeds even the rapid growth in investment in AI facilities.
IN INTERNATIONAL NEWS
- European energy and defense: A European biogas executive argued that military equipment requires diesel rather than biogas. With Europe operating roughly one-third fewer refineries than in 2009, pressure grew for European governments to release diesel reserves.
- EU technology: The European Union launched an alternative to Microsoft Teams that reportedly received harsh criticism from insiders, with one warning that its shortcomings could undermine Europe in a technology competition with the U.S.
- U.S. spy satellite: A 40-year-old American spy satellite reportedly broke apart, prompting speculation about possible outside involvement. The source is skeptical of sabotage.
- Strait of Hormuz: Crude-oil exports through the strait have reportedly returned to pre-conflict levels.
- United Kingdom: Authorities are investigating a mosque accused of teaching wife-beating and violence against homosexuals.
- Air travel: David Kaye shared a proposal for what could become a new form of premium airline seating.
IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
- Hollywood: Netflix’s head reportedly said Trump’s tax code is helping the Hollywood industry.
- Tony Romo: The CBS NFL analyst is reportedly leaving his role following a DUI arrest. The source criticizes the decision, arguing that Romo is the best analyst in the field.
IN MEDICAL NEWS
- Obamacare refunds: The Trump administration is reportedly sending nearly one million $500 refund checks to cover insurance-cost increases associated with the Affordable Care Act.
AND FINALLY . . .
- California sea turtles: Sea turtle nests have reportedly been discovered on the California coast for the first time, prompting the source’s tongue-in-cheek observation that the turtles are among the few newcomers moving to the state.