October 27, 2026 - Anthropic IPO: Existential Risk

We vote by who we are, not by what we value. Two new data sets contained in today’s newsletter make that case, and point to a remedy.

The first is Times Voter Trends from The New York Times, the most detailed portrait yet of how Americans voted in 2020 and 2024. Built from more than 25,000 interviews, results from nearly 166,000 precincts and verified turnout for 99 percent of voters, it shows a country split sharply by race, gender, education and age. Black voters backed Kamala Harris 86-13. Hispanic voters swung 19 points toward Donald Trump. Voters with graduate degrees went for Harris by 24, those with a high school education for Trump by 17. Men under 45 voted for Trump by 13; women under 45 for Harris by 20.

The second, from Gallup, asked which values Americans still share. Three in four named at least one, led by freedom, patriotism and service. Those answers were largely the same across party, gender and race - the very lines that divide our ballots. Nearly eight in ten said respecting different values matters more than sharing the same ones. The parties do disagree on what the country needs most: Republicans say patriotism and responsibility, Democrats equality and fairness. But on honesty, integrity and courage, they’re nearly identical.

So why do lines that barely touch our values divide our votes so sharply? My theory: we sort ourselves long before Election Day, by where we live, work, worship and socialize. Young men and young women, more than 30 points apart, belong to the generation spending the least time with others in person. The oldest voters, raised on Rotary clubs and bowling leagues, split evenly and were the likeliest to see kindness and service as shared values.

Next Tuesday, vote. Then go mingle.

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Anthropic's IPO prospectus devotes roughly a third of its pages to risk factors, warning that AI could pose catastrophic or existential risks to humanity, exhibit blackmail-like behavior, and outpace human oversight, even as the company has committed hundreds of billions to cloud computing.

Axios

The Justice Department is making a third attempt to pursue criminal charges against former FBI Director James Comey over an alleged 2016 leak of national defense information, using an unusual legal filing to preserve the case before the statute of limitations expires, despite his steadfast denial of wrongdoing.

CBS News

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, after a strong but earnings-missing third quarter, warned of five threats building beneath a booming U.S. economy: large fiscal deficits, sticky inflation, elevated asset prices, rising interest rates, and shifting geopolitics.

TheStreet

Jay-Z will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show on Feb. 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in California, marking his debut as a performer after years of partnering with the NFL and Roc Nation to produce the annual spectacle.

Variety

A Gallup poll finds about three-quarters of Americans believe the country shares common values — led by freedom, patriotism and service — yet 79% say respecting different values matters more than holding the same ones.

Gallup

The New York Times’ analysis of the 2024 election breaks down how Americans voted by race, gender, age and education, revealing a broad shift toward Donald Trump, particularly among Hispanic voters, young men and those without college degrees.

The New York Times

Youth-led protest movements in Serbia and Hungary have helped topple entrenched leaders amid widespread anger over corruption and authoritarianism, inspiring similar demonstrations across Europe while raising questions about whether new political forces can deliver lasting democratic reforms.

Associated Press

Cuba’s deepening economic collapse has left millions facing hunger, illness, blackouts and abandonment by the state, as widespread disillusionment with the Communist regime fuels a religious revival and uncertainty over the island’s future.

The Atlantic

President Donald Trump unleashed a lengthy Truth Social tirade against Bill Maher, criticizing the comedian’s ratings, humor, and political commentary, accusing him of lying about Trump’s popularity and Republican support, recounting their two White House dinners, and declaring that Maher should stop calling him and that he would never watch his show again.

Truth Social

Harvard's ElectIt model gives Democrats a strong chance of taking the House in 2026, with a median projection of 239 House seats and 52 Senate seats if polls prove largely accurate.

Harvard University (ElectIt)