A bipartisan group of senators urged the Commerce Department to rescind its proposed rule that would exclude most noncitizens from the census population count used for determining congressional representation, according to a copy of a letter, shared with TPM, that the senators sent to Commerce and Census Bureau officials.
You’ve felt like the odd one out for most of your life, Aquarius. The kid with the weird hobbies, the teenager with opinions no one else had heard yet, the adult who still feels a half-step out of sync at office parties and family dinners. Somewhere along the way, you decided that was fine. You’d rather be different than fake, and you’ve built a wonderfully original life on that principle. Still, life on the outside gets lonely, even for someone who values independence as much as you do. This month, Uranus asks a question you might have been avoiding: who are your people, and have you let yourself find them?
Uranus has been retrograde in Gemini since September, and it stays that way all month.
Gemini is the sign of conversation, neighbors, siblings, and the everyday connections that make up a life. With your planet moving backward through it, you might find yourself thinking about the communities you’ve drifted away from or never quite joined. The friend group that faded after college. The neighbor you always mean to invite over. The online community where you used to post every day. Retrogrades are good for reconnecting, so let yourself reach back toward the people who once made you feel understood. Send the message. Go to the meetup you’ve bookmarked three times. Some of those threads are still there, waiting for you to pick them up.
You might also notice how hard you work to stay unattached. You keep a little distance from everyone, partly to protect your freedom and partly because closeness feels risky. That instinct has kept you from losing yourself in relationships that weren’t right for you. It has also kept some good people at arm’s length. The retrograde is a chance to look at that distance with fresh eyes. Freedom and belonging can coexist. You can have a crew and still be your own person.
Ask yourself who you’d call at two in the morning if something went wrong. If that list is shorter than you’d like, this month is a good time to start growing it, one coffee date or dinner invite at a time.
On the 24th, the Full Moon rises in Gemini, lighting up the same corner of the sky where Uranus is sitting.
Full Moons tie up loose ends, and this one could bring a conversation or a connection that makes you feel seen in a way you weren’t expecting. Maybe an old friend reaches out with exactly the right message. Maybe you meet someone at a random event who shares your very niche obsession. Maybe a sibling finally gets you. Keep your phone on and your mind open. When the moment comes, resist the urge to intellectualize it or keep it at a distance. Let it feel good.
You spend so much energy thinking about the big picture and the future of humanity that you sometimes forget how nice it is to be understood by one person sitting across the table from you. Soak that up.
The very next day, the Sun opposes Uranus, and things could get prickly. Oppositions pull in two directions, and this one might pit your need for independence against someone else’s expectations. With the holidays underway, it’s easy to picture this playing out at a family gathering. A relative asks when you’re going to settle down or get a “normal” job. Someone makes a comment about your politics, your partner, or your hair. You’ll feel the old outsider feelings bubbling up, along with the urge to either pick a fight or disappear early. Take a breath before you do either. You can stay for dessert, keep your sense of humor, and still leave on your own terms.
Here’s a thought to hold on to that day: the people who don’t understand you don’t get to define you. Some folks simply won’t be your people, and that’s okay. Their confusion says a lot about how small their world is and very little about your value. You don’t have to win them over, and you don’t have to cut them off. Be kind, be yourself, and save your energy for the folks who light you up.
If you need to step outside for some air, do it. If you need to text your chosen family from the bathroom, do that too. Plan a Friendsgiving with the people who get you, so you have something to look forward to after the family obligations wrap up.
The month closes with one of its most powerful moments. On the 29th, Uranus forms a trine with Pluto, which is currently moving through your sign.
This is a big one for you. Uranus brings innovation and surprise, and Pluto brings deep, lasting transformation, and with Pluto in Aquarius, that transformation is happening at the level of who you are. The trine lets these two energies work together smoothly. You might feel a surge of confidence in the very things that used to make you feel like an outsider. Your strange ideas start to look visionary. Your unusual path starts to look like the right one. People who once raised an eyebrow at you might come to you for advice. Let that confidence settle into your bones. You’ve been ahead of your time for years, and the world is starting to catch up.
You were never meant to fit in, Aquarius. You were meant to find the people who make room for you exactly as you are, and to make room for others in turn. This month invites you to reach out to the friends who get you, reconnect with the communities that fed your spirit, and stop assuming you’ll always be on the outside looking in. Your weirdness has always been a gift. Share it with people who appreciate it, and let them share theirs with you. You’ll find that belonging gives you a home base to come back to after every adventure, with your freedom fully intact.
Thus concludes your monthly highlights. For more specific celestial analyses, make sure to read your daily and weekly horoscope as well. Good luck, Aquarius! See you next month.
The post Aquarius, November 2026: Your Monthly Horoscope appeared first on VICE.
You’ve never met a truth you didn’t want to share, Sagittarius. Someone asks what you think of their new haircut, and they get your full, unfiltered review. A friend floats a business idea, and you’ve poked three holes in it before they finish the pitch. You don’t mean any harm. You believe people are better off knowing where they stand, and most of the time, you’re right. The trouble comes when your aim is perfect and your delivery leaves a bruise. Jupiter spends November cranking up big feelings and bigger opinions, which makes this the perfect month to work on how your truths come out of your mouth.
The month starts on a friendly note. On the 4th, Venus forms a sextile with Jupiter, and your social life gets a warm, generous glow. You’ll be funny, magnetic, and impossible not to like, the friendliest person at every gathering. Watch how people respond when you lead with warmth. The same feedback you’d normally blurt out goes down a lot easier when it comes with a compliment or a question attached. You don’t have to water down what you think. You just have to remember there’s a person on the other end of it, with feelings, a history, and maybe a rough week you don’t know about.
Try an experiment this week. Before you share an opinion no one asked for, count to three.
Some of the time, you’ll still say it, and that’s fine. Other times, you’ll realize the moment calls for a hug or a laugh, and the critique can wait until tomorrow or disappear entirely. Your friends love that you never sugarcoat anything. They also love you for the times you read the mood and give them what they need. Both skills come from the same place, which is how much you care about the people around you. You care enough to tell them the truth. Care enough to choose your timing, too. Delivery is a skill, and like any skill, you get better with practice.
The 16th is the big one. Mars meets Jupiter in Leo, and the energy goes through the roof. Mars brings fire and drive, Jupiter makes everything larger, and Leo adds a flair for the theatrical. You’ll feel bold, confident, and ready to take on the world, which is great for chasing big goals and terrible for keeping your cool in an argument. Opinions you’ve been sitting on could come pouring out all at once. Someone might push back on a belief you hold close, and your first instinct will be to go to war over it.
Pick your battles. A few of them are important, and you’ll know which ones once your heart rate comes down.
Then, on the 18th, the Sun squares Jupiter, and the pressure builds. Squares bring obstacles, and this one can puff up your certainty right when someone needs you to listen. You’ll feel absolutely sure you’re right about something, and you might be. That still won’t make the conversation go well if you lead with a verdict. Give the other person room to get there on their own, and you’ll be amazed at how many of them do. On days like this, burn off the extra fire with a long run or a dance class before you walk into any heated conversation.
Watch out for the “I’m just telling it like it is” moment. You know the one. A family member says something that bothers you at a gathering, a coworker makes a call you disagree with, a friend vents about a choice you warned them against. The words are already halfway out before you check whether anyone wants them. If you catch yourself starting a sentence with “No offense, but,” take that as your cue to stop. Ask a question first. “What do you think you’ll do?” opens more doors than “Here’s what you should do” ever will. You’ll still get your point across, and people will be much more willing to hear it.
On the 22nd, the Sun moves into Sagittarius, and the whole mood lifts. Your season brings a rush of optimism and adventure, and you’ll feel more like yourself than you have in weeks. Make plans that get you out of town or out of your routine, even if it’s just a day trip or a new restaurant across the city. Sagittarius season is also when people naturally look to you for a pep talk, so use your gift for straight talk to hype people up. Your candor is a superpower when you point it toward encouragement. Tell your friends exactly what you love about them. Be detailed with your praise and generous with your belief in them.
On the 28th, Venus forms a second sextile with Jupiter, and it’s a lovely moment for repair. If your mouth got ahead of you mid-month, reach out. A simple “I could’ve said that better” goes a long way, and you’re usually great at owning your stuff once you’ve cooled down. Apologies come naturally to someone who values truth as much as you do, and people notice when you mean them.
Make the call, send the text, and buy the coffee. The people who love you will meet you there.
A few of those conversations might even bring you closer than you were before the blowup, because they’ll see how much you care about getting it right.
Your truth-telling is one of the best things about you, Sagittarius. The world needs people who say what everyone else is thinking, and you’ve never been afraid to be that person. This month asks you to keep that courage and add a little care to it. Think about timing. Think about tone. Think about whether the person in front of you needs a reality check or a cheerleader. You’ll still be the one people come to when they want the truth. They’ll just walk away feeling respected and understood, which makes any truth a lot easier to hear.
Thus concludes your monthly highlights. For more specific celestial analyses, make sure to read your daily and weekly horoscope as well. Good luck, Sagittarius! See you next month.
The post Sagittarius, November 2026: Your Monthly Horoscope appeared first on VICE.
You hold on to things, Taurus. The concert tee from a show you barely remember, the coffee mug with a chip in the handle, the friend who only calls when they need a favor. Some of that is loyalty, and loyalty is one of your best traits. Some of it is that letting go feels like losing, and you hate losing anything you’ve already decided belongs to you. Venus has been retrograde since early October, dragging old attachments back into view and making you look at each one with fresh eyes. This month, you finally get to decide what stays and what goes, and you get to make that call without anyone rushing you.
The first two weeks still carry that retrograde energy, so expect a few reruns. An ex might resurface out of nowhere. A money decision you made months ago could come back to bite you, or at least nibble. You might catch yourself scrolling through old photos late at night, wondering how you ended up here and whether you should have done things differently. If all of that sounds exhausting, know that the retrograde is doing its job, putting the past right in front of you so you can sort through it properly. Hold off on big purchases and big promises until the middle of the month. You’ll have a much better read on everything once Venus turns around.
The 4th brings a welcome break from all that reflecting. Venus forms a sextile with Jupiter, and the mood lifts. Jupiter is the planet of generosity and good luck, and it puts you in a giving mood, which is when you’re at your most charming. Cook for people. Pick up the tab if your budget allows it. Say yes to the dinner invitation you’d normally skip in favor of your couch and a blanket. You’ve spent a lot of energy looking backward lately, and a night of good food and good company will do more for you than another round of overthinking. What you put out this week has a way of coming back around.
On the 10th, Venus forms a sextile with Mars, and your wants get some muscle behind them. This is a great day to ask for something. A raise, a better rate, help with a move, a little more effort from the person you’re dating. You usually wait for good things to come to you, and that patience has gotten you far. Still, waiting can slip into hoping someone will read your mind, and people are terrible mind readers. This sextile makes asking easier. Mars brings the push, and Venus keeps the delivery warm, so you come across as confident without coming off as pushy. Make the ask while the window is open.
The 14th is the turning point. Venus stations direct in Libra, and something in you exhales. Six weeks of second-guessing are wrapping up, and the decisions that felt impossible in October now have obvious answers. Since Libra is the sign of balance and partnership, this is a fitting moment to look at the give-and-take in your life. Who gives back as much as they get? Which commitments drain you without giving much back? Which habits feel good in the moment and terrible the next morning? Venus direct gives you the green light to act on what the last six weeks taught you, so trust what you learned.
For a Taurus, acting on it usually means letting something go, and that’s the hard part. You don’t toss things easily, whether it’s a sweater you haven’t worn in years, a grudge you’ve been nursing since summer, or a subscription you keep meaning to cancel. When you keep something out of guilt or habit, it costs you space, money, energy, or some combination of the three. Clearing out what no longer fits makes room for the things you love, and when you love something, you go all in. Start small if you have to. One drawer, one unread email thread, one awkward conversation you’ve been dodging. Each one makes the next one easier.
The 28th brings a second sextile between Venus and Jupiter, and this one has a different flavor. Back on the 4th, the generosity flowed outward. Now it’s pointed at you. With the holidays kicking off, you’ll probably end up hosting, cooking, cleaning, and making sure everyone else has a full plate before you sit down. This time, let someone help with the dishes. Accept the compliment without deflecting it. Take the leftovers home. Help can feel strange to accept for a sign that prides itself on taking care of business, but this sextile makes it a lot easier. People want to be there for you too. Let them.
On the 29th, Venus opposes Chiron in Aries, and an old sore spot may get poked. For you, it could be the time someone called you selfish for wanting what you wanted, or stubborn for holding your ground on something you cared about. Holiday gatherings have a way of dragging these memories out, usually courtesy of the relative who never knows when to drop a subject. If a comment stings, notice it without letting it run the rest of your night. You can acknowledge an old wound without reopening it. Oppositions ask you to find a middle ground, and sometimes that middle ground is a deep breath and a second helping of pie.
Your loyalty has carried you through things most people will never know about, Taurus. You stick around, you follow through, and you remember the details that make people feel loved. This month asks you to point some of that loyalty back at yourself. Keep what nourishes you and release what drains you, without apologizing for either choice. By the time Venus picks up speed again, you’ll have more room in your life, in your schedule, and maybe even in your closet. Fill that space slowly and on purpose. You’ve always known what feels good. Now you get to build a life with more of it.
Thus concludes your monthly highlights. For more specific celestial analyses, make sure to read your daily and weekly horoscope as well. Good luck, Taurus! See you next month.
The post Taurus, November 2026: Your Monthly Horoscope appeared first on VICE.
I’ve never been great at the whole Halloween thing. By the time I remember it’s happening, all the good sweets are gone from grocery store shelves, so any visiting trick-or-treaters get butterscotch suckers, breath mints or candy corn. I don’t do costume parties. I never got the point of carving pumpkins.
But movie and TV marathons? Sign me up – along with a lot of other homebodies. The horror genre is bigger than ever, according to a San Francisco Chronicle report that says this year’s domestic box office reached nearly $1.3 billion as of the start of October.
Horror’s surge has also yielded more films designed to play with our perception as opposed to the “Saw”-style torture porn dominating years past. Think “Obsession” or “Backrooms,” both of which are among the 10 highest-earning movies of 2026 thus far. That’s good news for anyone who isn’t partial to splatter flicks or slashers but still enjoys a creep show that makes you think, especially ones that are more thoughtful than scary. If that’s your speed, the following options may be perfect for your reclusive Samhain.
Related
(Manuela Hidalgo)
I will bet good money the first bong-ripping undergrad to declare that all horror is metaphor cited George Romero’s “Night of the Living Dead” as a prime example. That’s not wrong; Romero’s 1968 benchmark established the modern cinematic zombie as a stand-in for mindless capitalist consumption. But “Black Zombie” rewinds to the monster’s Haitian roots to examine an even darker origin tied to that country’s shared history with ours.
You may be wondering why I’d recommend a documentary in a horror roundup, let alone one that explains how the modern movie flesh gobbler began as a manifestation of white fear. The answer is that Maya Annik Bedward’s film doubles as an impressive cinematic syllabus.
By braiding America’s media history with its national history, Bedward and her assemblage of academics, creatives, authors and Vodou practitioners invite us to think differently about the prejudices driving movies like, say, Victor Halperin’s 1932 effort “White Zombie,” or 1943’s “I Walked with a Zombie.”
“Black Zombie” opens with a truth that has long escaped those fascinated by the shambling undead. To some, they’re simply mindless hunters. But Haitians understand the horror of zombies to be one of dispossession, a curse enacted by enslavers that binds victims to mindless servitude, denying them liberation in the afterlife. But long after Romero transformed them from blank-eyed puppets to ravenous murder machines, Bedward’s film demonstrates how Hollywood’s version of the zombie impacts America’s perception of Vodou, Haitians and immigration.
“Black Zombie” not only asks us to think differently about an overexposed subgenre, but also thoughtfully examines Vodou’s central role in the revolution that drove out French colonizers, and France’s imposition of debt to punish Haitians for winning their freedom.
All of this informs the zombie’s continued proliferation across popular culture, in films like “World War Z” and shows such as “The Last of Us” and “The Walking Dead.” They’re terrific entertainment, certainly. But each is, in its own way, built upon decades’ worth of misrepresenting Haiti’s syncretic faith to the detriment and demonization of a people. At the same time, “Black Zombie” recognizes this subgenre’s cultural resilience, arguing that recognizing the zombie’s true roots broadens its narrative possibilities.
Proving that point, one of Bedward’s subjects, a Vodou priest, says he grew up loving Wes Craven’s “The Serpent and the Rainbow,” despite its message that visitors to his country risk having their nuts nailed to a chair. “It’s a fantastical world to scare children,” he says, before adding that his main problem is its inaccurate messaging about his faith. “We say, ‘Wow – Haitians are devils.’ That’s what we’re taught.”
I’d nearly forgotten about that movie. Now I might rewatch it for the first time in decades and expect to be horrified for entirely different reasons.
Available to rent on Prime Video, Apple TV, and Fandango.
(© Amazon Content Services LLC)
Stephen King’s classic may be more than half a century old and has undergone multiple adaptations, but it endures because its central moral that high school is hell never ages. Still, Mike Flanagan’s interpretation has divided the audience. Some, including King, appreciate Flanagan’s kinder portrait of Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) as an innocent unjustly sequestered from the world by fundamentalist parents who repudiate her extraordinary power. Others disagree with Flanagan’s alteration to the story’s climactic scene, which shifts culpability for the prom massacre from Carrie to a character created expressly for the series.
Pretty much everyone questions the season finale, which hints at taking an “X-Men”-style turn for its recently greenlit second season.
As someone who accepts nothing is sacrosanct now, not to mention a fan of the creator’s other adaptations, including “The Fall of the House of Usher,” I appreciated Flanagan using Carrie’s story to critique ignorance, knowledge suppression, and the dehumanizing effect of social media.
Besides, nearly all the key elements of “Carrie” remain. The bullies are still awful, and the famous “plug it up” shower scene in Brian DePalma’s 1976 standard-setter is worsened by her tormentors posting Carrie’s frightened sobs on social media.
We need your help to stay independent.
Some changes retain the spirit of past performances. Carrie’s mother Margaret (Samantha Sloyan) is still an abusive religious zealot fond of locking her daughter in a prayer closet, for instance. But after the law forces her homeschooled girl to join the festering sin den that is their local public school, Margaret throws herself into advocating for parents’ rights, entirely disregarding her teen’s desire for a “normal” adolescence.
Part of the additional fun Flanagan has with this marquee property is strewing cultural Easter Eggs throughout. Some nod to what’s happening in America, such as when Carrie discovers the school library and gravitates straight to books that have been banned from classrooms and community libraries across the country. Another winks at “Army of Darkness” fans; look for the logo on Margaret’s work uniform.
By the time we reach Carrie’s bloodbath, we may be left to question whether she’s simply a bullied victim pushed beyond her limit or some version of a Final Girl empowered to vanquish tormentors who earn their reckoning. Even if you don’t ultimately see Howell’s Carrie that way, it’s a fine dance with one of horror’s oldest friends.
“Carrie” is streaming on Prime Video.
(Crave and Christopher Lawrence)
For adults, Halloween is an excuse to mingle sensuality with morbid themes. Why cosplay as a grizzled cop when you can be a flirty detective? Why settle for pretending to be a humpbacked wiccan when you can troll for hookups as a sexy witch?
“Yaga” has it all ways, resplendent with softcore interludes dangled between clue-finding excursions and unexpected chicken violence. The latest infatuation bait from Crave, the Canadian streamer that brought us “Heated Rivalry,” also gives us a new view of Hudson Williams and his naked hindquarters.
Only now, they’re humping away in a mystery taking place in a verdant seaside community called Whittock. There, dirtbag P.I. Charlie Rapp (Noah Reid) is drawn into a tense partnership with Carson (Clark Backo), a no-nonsense cop fatigued with her colleagues’ disrespect.
At first, Carson is repulsed by Rapp’s slimy overstepping, but she slowly learns not to loathe him. Implied in this, perhaps, is that a spell has ensnared the two as they probe the disappearance of rich playboy Henry Park (Williams). This pursuit leads them to encounter free-range poultry in odd places, along with strange symbols, a variety of nubile temptresses and a roommate, Logan (also Williams), who resembles Henry to an unsettling degree.
The show’s title has nothing to do with John Wick. It refers to the mythical Slavic crone, Baba Yaga, who either gives heroes a boon or lures wayward children to a forest hut that moves around on bird legs. Playwright Kat Chandler’s interpretation leaves open the question of whether our impressions of its witch are unwarranted or dead right, further muddling our judgment with the introduction of Carrie-Anne Moss’ university professor, Katherine Hargrove.
Want more from culture than just the latest trend? The Swell highlights art made to last.
Sign up here
Katherine announces herself by cozying up to Rapp over the manuscript for her new book titled “Sexy Bones,” thrilling him with her mature lady erotic energy. As she flirts with and antagonizes the private dick, along with other townies, it grows increasingly baffling as whether she’s friend or foe. Much like our titular enchantress.
This adaptation of Chandler’s play looks like a cop drama tangled with witchy murder, but from a longer TV perspective it’s really a haunting by the ghosts of erotic TV shows past. Remember “Red Shoe Diaries” and its moaning sax riffs? Like that anthology once did, “Yaga” banks on the power of smut to compel you. It’s a cheap indulgence, but what Halloween candy isn’t?
“Yaga” is streaming in the U.S. on AMC+.
Read more
from Salon’s Culture newsletter, The Swell
The post It’s scary how watchable these stories are appeared first on Salon.com.
Comic book and video game fans can once again return to Fabletown to help Bigby solve a series of deadly mysteries in a brand-new remaster of one of Telltale’s most popular titles.
It may be hard to believe, but The Wolf Among Us originally released all the way back in 2013. Although the episodic interactive drama genre has become less popular in the decade plus since the original launch, there is still plenty of nostalgia for this title and lots of players excited to revisit the Remastered version.
The Wolf Among Us Remastered is available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox consoles, though Nintendo Switch owners will have to wait a bit longer. The game has been rebuilt for modern platforms and welcomes longtime fans back to Fabletown while inviting newcomers to discover the first season of the series.
Based on DC’s acclaimed FABLES comic book series, the game follows a grisly murder investigation that uncovers a far darker mystery lurking beneath the surface. Another exciting announcement confirms that choices made in The Wolf Among Us Remastered will carry forward into the highly anticipated The Wolf Among Us 2.
Players who sign in to their Telltale Account while playing Remastered can carry those defining choices into the next season of Bigby’s story. Those who prefer to jump straight into The Wolf Among Us 2 can establish their past choices at the start of the game, with no previous playthrough required.
Additional new features in the Remastered edition include:
Be sure to check back soon for lots more The Wolf Among Us news and updates.
The Wolf Among Us Remastered is available digitally for PC, PS5, and Xbox consoles. The Nintendo Switch versions will follow at a later date. Physical editions are planned for release on multiple platforms in early 2027.
The post The Wolf Among Us Remastered Choices Do Carry Over to The Wolf Among Us 2 appeared first on VICE.
Six former Census Bureau directors who served under presidents of both parties signed onto a letter urging the Department of Commerce to abandon its proposal to dramatically alter how usual residence is recorded on the 10-year census.
“For more than two centuries, the usual residence concept has adapted to a changing nation while keeping its central purpose: count every person once, only once, and in the right place,” the former directors wrote. “The proposed rule dramatically complicates the collection of complete, accurate data, and puts the 2030 Decennial at risk.”
The proposal is one of several put forward by Trump’s second term Census Bureau that, experts tell TPM, would have the effect of shifting power toward Republicans.
The list of former Census Bureau directors who signed on to the letter led the agency from as early as 1994 through 2025. They are Ron Jarmin, Robert L. Santos, Thomas Mesenbourg, Jr., Robert Groves, James F. Holmes, and Marty Farnsworth Riche. Some were confirmed by the Senate, others served in an acting capacity.
“As former directors of the U.S. Census Bureau, serving under administrations of both parties, we are concerned that this approach is likely to make the count less accurate, not more,” the wrote.
The Department of Commerce proposed in September a rule that the former Census directors argued could “complicate” the population count by relying on tax records to establish a person’s usual residence. It would also establish a novel, so-called “census enumeration period” stretching between January 3 to April 1 that experts have told TPM risks disproportionately benefiting red states by counting snowbirds — people who spend winters in warmer, southern, red states — at their winter homes rather than the homes where they spend most of their time.
If finalized, the rule would also stop the Bureau from collecting data on race, ethnicity, and gender-related identifiers. It would exclude most immigrants regardless of legal status from the population count used to determine state congressional representation.
Each proposal is designed to diminish populations in more immigrant-friendly blue states and add more congressional power and Electoral College votes to Republican states, experts have told TPM, though it remains unclear what impact the proposed rules will actually have.
The six former Bureau directors drafted their letter on Wednesday and submitted it for public comment on the federal register listing for the Commerce Department’s proposed rule. The comment period for the rule closes on Nov. 2.
Experts have repeatedly flagged a number of issues with the Commerce Department’s proposal to use administrative tax records for usual residence. A draft document obtained by TPM shows Commerce Department officials overrode Treasury officials’ concerns about the plan to use tax records for residence.
“At first, I thought it was a mistake because it seemed like such a bad idea,” Barry Johnson, former director of the IRS Statistics of Income Division, told TPM at the time.
Addresses on tax filings could end up providing misleading information to the Census Bureau, the letter said. These addresses aren’t always homes, for instance, and can be P.O. boxes, businesses or a tax preparer’s office, the former Bureau directors note. Tax records don’t always reflect if a person has moved. And there are millions of people who legally are not required to file federal tax returns.
“Tax records are designed to administer the tax system,” the former Census Bureau directors wrote, “not to determine a person’s usual residence.”
POLITICO’s Halloween guide to who — and what — lurks in EU nightmares.
By POLITICO
Illustration by Natália Delgado/POLITICO
Night falls in the European capital. Everything’s quiet, but the nightmares are about to begin.
Viktor Orbán’s ghost haunts the Schuman roundabout; ash from the bonfire of red tape covers the Justus Lipsius building; Ursula von der Leyen’s chief of staff, Björn Seibert, chases after staffers demanding to know what “associate membership” for Canada actually means; and MEPs tremble at the prospect of construction workers uncovering the skeletons of political intrigues past during renovations.
Scared? You should be.
Here’s our guide to who is terrified of whom in the Brussels bubble.
The person haunting EU diplomats, officials and lawmakers is French presidential front-runner Marine Le Pen. Will she really halve Paris’ contribution to the EU budget, as promised? Will she pull Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni away from the Brussels mainstream? And will she demand von der Leyen’s head?
The bubble had warmed (slightly) to the idea of Jordan Bardella in the Élysée Palace, after his years leading the National Rally’s European operation revealed a certain pragmatism toward Brussels — only for those hopes to be shattered when a Paris appeals court cleared Le Pen to be a candidate for the presidency.
The European Central Bank president is the euro’s last line of defense against unorthodox national economic decisions — but that could be tested by French presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is on course to reach the runoff after vowing to set billions of euros of French debt “on fire.” His incendiary plan calls on the Frankfurt-based ECB to waive interest payments on a vast tranche of French bonds — an unorthodox, perhaps impossible, maneuver that critics warn could even see France kicked out of the euro.
Now that we know Christine Lagarde will step down as ECB president in February, what France’s presidential candidates want to do about its monumental debt pile will haunt the race for her successor, with Dutchman Klaas Knot and Spaniard Pablo Hernández de Cos as the two frontrunners.
The number of amendments lawmakers have filed has exploded since generative AI arrived, with key EU laws now facing thousands of proposed text changes. Parliament officials don’t think it’s a coincidence, with some pointing to amendments written in suspiciously bot-like language, and others saying sometimes amendments cite legislation that does not even exist.
The growing pile of amendments is haunting lobbyists, parliamentary assistants and officials forced to track and sort through it all — along with the fear that AI could eventually replace them. Spare a thought, too, for the MEPs who may have to vote through the amendments one by one, with hands raised in plenary.
Well-heeled Commission officials (and their families) are spooked by Austria’s Europe Minister Claudia Bauer, who has been leading a push to slash the Commission’s administration expenditure — which pays eurocrats’ salaries and offices — in the next seven-year budget. The campaign, backed by most EU capitals, resulted in an 8% cut to the admin budget in the latest budget proposal.
Bauer is so feared that EU officials joke they reduce their delegations’ size whenever they travel to Austria.
Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall and her department have reason to fear industry boss Stéphane Séjourné, who is taking the lead on the upcoming Circular Economy Act, despite Roswall’s official title of Commissioner “for a Competitive Circular Economy.” Making matters spookier, Roswall’s environment department now shares the Breydel building with Séjourné’s internal market and industry department, setting the stage for some chilling corridor encounters as Roswall pushes for greater environmental protection while Séjourné prioritizes industrial growth.
Roswall is also under pressure from EU simplification chief Valdis Dombrovskis to cut red tape on several environmental laws. The Latvian commissioner, who oversees the omnibus packages, wants a deal before year-end. Meanwhile, the center-right European People’s Party continues to press the Commission to reopen laws on birds, habitats, and water — the EU’s oldest nature protection laws — so they can be simplified too.
Kaja Kallas has not publicly addressed the call that Finnish President Alexander Stubb made to Russia’s Vladimir Putin, but the EU’s top diplomat has made clear she dislikes such outreach. Still, if Putin offered serious talks and concessions, Kallas would be the obvious person to answer: as coordinating EU foreign and security policy is her job. “Of course I will talk if such an opportunity presents itself,” she told Estonian media in September when asked about speaking with Putin or his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Also reaching for the phone: António Costa. EU diplomats note that the European Council president represents the bloc at the leaders’ level abroad. That institutional turf war may explain why Stubb stressed that he and Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Støre spoke only for their own countries — not for Europe.
What keeps the leader of the European People’s Party — Europe’s largest political family — up at night? Divisions within his own ranks. So far, Weber has kept a tight ship and wants to reunite his troops ahead of the 2029 EU election, which he is casting as a battle against the far right. But that may prove tricky as the EPP’s national delegations increasingly clash over whether to work with the far right or isolate them.
Central to Weber’s strategy is Ouarda Bensouag, the group’s secretary-general and his chief of staff. One of his most trusted lieutenants, she has a reputation as a smart but ruthless operator who EPP staffers fear when crossing paths in the Parliament’s labyrinthine hallways.
Parliament’s attempts to spook capitals over the next long-term budget have been borderline tragic so far: It keeps threatening to kill the budget, but nobody seems to care or believe it will.
They should care. When it comes time to pass the budget, 361 of 720 votes will be needed, and the margin could be razor-thin in a fragmented chamber that’s hostile to plans to pool farm and regional funds. The louder MEPs protest — and the longer the Council ignores them — the more determined they become to prove the threat is real.
By Max Griera, Gregorio Sorgi, Kathryn Carlson, Nick Vinocur, Jakob Weizman, Fiona McNally and Eliza Gkritsi
PlayStation Plus subscribers have three solid games arriving to their collection when the November Monthly Games drop arrives in a few days.
The quality of the PlayStation Plus monthly games can definitely vary from offering to offering, but November 2026 seems to be ready to deliver the goods for subscribers.
Dead Island 2 may be a few years old, but it’s still a very popular title with gamers and is well worth playing for subscribers who haven’t checked it out yet.
Additionally, Monster Train 2 is a must-play for fans of the indie deckbuilding roguelite genre. The game is incredibly addictive and offers hours of entertainment.
Here is the full list of titles that will arrive on November 3:
Subscribers should also keep in mind that they still have until Monday November 2 to add the PlayStation Plus Monthly Games for October to their library. That list includes F1 25, Hunt: Showdown 1896, Earth Defense Force: World Brothers 2.
Be sure to check back soon for lots more PlayStation news and updates.
The November PlayStation Plus monthly games will all be available on November 3, 2026.
The post PlayStation Plus November Monthly Games Drop Is One of the Best of the Year appeared first on VICE.
Xbox players have 50 game releases to look forward to this week, including a handful of new Game Pass additions. From Mouthwashing to The Wolf Among Us Remastered, here is the full list of games arriving from October 26 through October 30, 2026.
Over fifty new Xbox games are releasing across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC according to Xbox Wire starting October 26. However, the lineup also includes remasters, ports, and expanded editions, so some of these games may already look familiar to some players.
For your convenience, here is the full list of fifty new Xbox games organized by release date. Game Pass additions are marked in bold.
| Game |
|---|
| Ayasa: Shadows of Silence |
| PAO PAO (Game Preview) |
| Scramble Knights Online (Game Preview) — Game Pass |
| Game |
|---|
| Bao Bao’s Cozy Cleaning Services |
| Bloom Busters |
| Cozy Radiation Cleaner |
| Dog Man: Bark in Action |
| Farming Simulator 25: Beans & Alpacas Edition |
| Remothered: Red Nun’s Legacy |
| Sneaky Purr |
| The Séance of Blake Manor — Game Pass |
| Treasure Tiger |
| Game |
|---|
| Fall Adventure |
| Fallen City Brawl |
| Gennady |
| House Builder 2 |
| Karate Survivor |
| The Last Case |
| Platypus Steps |
| Primal Planet |
| SULFUR |
| Game |
|---|
| Beyond The Evil |
| Candy Shop Simulator |
| The Cat in the Hat: Rainy Day Mayhem |
| Choice of Life: Floors |
| Choice of Life: Samosbor |
| Croc 2 Kingdom of the Gobbos |
| Curse of Resthaven |
| HELLBOUND INC |
| Hunting Simulator 3 |
| HYPERVIOLENT |
| Joe & Mac Retro Collection |
| Love: Fall in Death |
| Mouthwashing |
| My Life: Zoo Vet |
| Planted! |
| Terrible Lizards — Game Pass |
| The Transference |
| Train Yard Builder |
| The Wolf Among Us Remastered |
| The Zibbo Show |
| Game |
|---|
| The Abjuration Stand |
| Cat Pipes: More Meow |
| Corner Shop: NightShift |
| Ex-Master, Zombie |
| Love Love Mystery Club |
| The Night of the Exorcism |
| Pinballoid Crush |
| Queen’s Domain |
| Space Rock Breaker |
To be clear, all 50 releases are not coming to Xbox Game Pass. Three games from the weekly lineup are listed as subscription additions: Scramble Knights Online on October 26, The Séance of Blake Manor on October 27, and Terrible Lizards on October 29.
If you want something spooky ahead of Halloween, The Séance of Blake Manor is a supernatural detective mystery, while Terrible Lizards takes players to a dinosaur attraction where the staff have disappeared. For something a little different, Scramble Knights Online features cooperative adventures and Zelda-inspired quests.
On a personal note, I can’t recommend Mouthwashing and The Wolf Among Us enough. Both are some of the best narrative games I’ve played in years and are definitely worth checking out when they release on Xbox this week.
The post 50 New Xbox Games Release This Week – Full List and Game Pass Additions appeared first on vice.
BRUSSELS — Germany, France and at least six other EU countries are pushing against “associate membership” as the name for closer EU ties with Canada, six diplomats involved in the negotiations said.
The label is one of the main sticking points in talks over a joint declaration setting areas of deeper cooperation between Brussels and Ottawa ahead of the EU-Canada summit in Montreal on Oct. 29-30, the six diplomats and two EU officials told POLITICO. They were granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.
The diplomats said the objections center on the wording of “associate membership,” not the broader goal of closer ties.
Five weeks after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen first proposed Canada becoming an “associate member” of the EU in her State of the Union speech — to the surprise of both Ottawa and EU capitals — and one week out from the summit itself, the disagreements show the term remains a political and messaging hurdle.
The EU “is really keen to have close cooperation with Canada,” said Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee. But, he added, he too would avoid using the term “associate membership,” as it leaves too much room for confusion with other forms of EU partnerships, such as association agreements.
Germany is pushing hardest to remove the label from the draft declaration, five of the EU diplomats said, while France, Italy and Belgium were among those expressing skepticism about the phrasing.
The central concern among the capitals that object to the term is that the EU is labeling the relationship before agreeing what it would mean. They argue the name should have been defined before negotiations with Canada began, four diplomats said, with two others adding that the objecting capitals are annoyed that von der Leyen proposed the label without first consulting national governments.
“We’ve definitely put the cart before the horse,” one diplomat said. “We’re announcing something and then figuring out how to flesh it out.”
A representative for the German Permanent Representation to the EU declined to comment.
The European Commission will engage with skeptical capitals and work on acceptable language, an EU official said, adding that they believe the countries’ doubts stem from not yet understanding what the proposal means in concrete terms.
There is no disagreement over the aim of strengthening an already close relationship, including economic and defense cooperation, international engagement and institutional links, the official stressed. “What matters is what we do, not what we call it.”
The label aims to describe the EU-Canada relationship as closer than Brussels’ partnerships with other countries, without making Canada a member of the bloc, one of the diplomats said. Canada cannot become a formal member, as the EU’s founding documents limit that status geographically to Europe.
The distinction matters because existing arrangements with European neighbors, including the U.K., Switzerland and countries in the European Economic Area, center largely on access to the EU’s internal market. Canada, on another continent, is not seeking the same model or the four freedoms of movement, the diplomat said.
The idea is to identify practical areas for cooperation first, then decide whether new treaties or formal negotiations are needed, the same diplomat said.
Work on six priority areas is expected to begin after the summit, with progress reviewed after six months and then a proper stock-take one year later at the next EU-Canada summit, which will be held in Europe.
The stock-take would consider whether Canada has moved closer to the EU by becoming a full member of Horizon Europe and Erasmus, is building undersea cables and stockpiling critical raw materials with the EU, and is exploring pension-fund investment. If Canada meets those criteria, it could become the EU’s first associate member, the diplomat said.
The diplomat described the idea as an experiment, adding that “Canada might be the only one” to ever get associate membership of the EU.
The plan reflects changing calculations on both sides. Canada has long depended heavily on trade with the United States, but tariffs and political pressure from Washington have sharpened concerns about that reliance. Prime Minister Mark Carney wants to diversify trade and modernize the country’s infrastructure, including energy links that largely run north to south.
For the EU, a closer partnership with Canada is part of a broader effort to build relationships as pressure from the United States, China and Russia grows. The summit is intended to give the partnership a more distinctive political framework.
The declaration is still being revised, with EU ambassadors due to discuss it again on Monday. One of the EU officials cautioned that several parts of the declaration still had comments outstanding.
Another controversial element concerns energy cooperation, with Austria pushing back against any mention of deepening nuclear ties, while France, Romania, Slovakia and some other countries support its inclusion.
A spokesperson from the Canadian mission to the EU did not respond to POLITICO’s request for comment.
BRUSSELS — Centrist parties backing European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen clashed at Thursday’s European Parliament plenary over whether to hold artificial intelligence firms accountable for harm.
The EU executive had considered specific liability rules for AI in 2022, but withdrew these last year as part of the EU’s major simplification effort to make the bloc more competitive.
“To withdraw the AI liability directive was a big mistake,” said Alex Agius Saliba, a Maltese vice-president of the Socialists and Democrats, part of the majority coalition. “We strongly urge the Commission to bring forward this important piece of legislation.”
Thursday’s plenary debate, in which discussions centered on a global framework to regulate AI, showed strong tensions inside Europe between the centrist coalition backing von der Leyen. While the center-left pushed for new rules to address a series of AI-fueled hacking incidents, the center-right doubled down on simplification to ensure European companies can compete in the global AI race.
Socialist and Green lawmakers called for a new AI Liability Act in a bid to hold AI companies liable for harm done by their models, as with more traditional manufacturers’ products.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman floated a similar idea for a new liability framework for companies whose models are capable of autonomous cyberattacks in the wake of this summer’s hack by autonomous OpenAI agents into another AI platform, Hugging Face.
“If a phone charger explodes in your house, we never call it innovative. We call it cheap, dangerous junk, and we hold the manufacturer liable for damages,” said Dutch Green European Parliament lawmaker Kim van Sparrentak.
She urged the Commission to “stop scrapping rules to please [U.S. President Donald] Trump” and come up with a “strong new liability act that covers the testing and the development of AI.”
The debate quickly descended into a fierce back-and-forth between key AI-focused lawmakers from von der Leyen’s centrist coalition.
“It feels [to] me like the Greens and the Socialists are living [on] a completely different planet than the rest of us when they are screaming for more regulation,” said Swedish center-right lawmaker Arba Kokalari, who led the work on the AI omnibus, which delayed a core section of the EU’s flagship AI law.
She said the EU already had a comprehensive regulatory framework — the AI Act — of which some parts are not even into force, and said the EU should focus on avoiding falling behind in the global AI race instead. She called for “less bureaucracy, more private investments, better access to data and computing infrastructure.”
Italian Social Democrat Brando Benifei, who led work on the AI Act in the previous mandate, snapped back that Europe should lead with new liability rules, “or we will need to wait for the next blogpost of a CEO to know what is happening.”
German Green lawmaker Sergey Lagodinsky also fired back at Kokalari: “What planet do you live on? Not on the planet where [AI] agents break out.”
International Partnerships Commissioner Jozef Síkela pointed out at the end of the debate that the rules were withdrawn because EU countries and European Parliament lawmakers couldn’t reach an agreement on them.
Listen on
L’exécutif a convoqué, ces dernières heures, les plateformes de e-commerce ainsi que Google, Facebook, Instagram et Snapchat pour leur demander de faire preuve de vigilance. D’abord, face aux pilleurs qui chercheraient à revendre des produits volés en ligne. Ensuite, pour demander aux réseaux sociaux de mieux contrôler leurs fonctionnalités, notamment les diffusions en direct. Elles sont accusées par les forces de l’ordre d’avoir servi aux casseurs à s’organiser efficacement. Mais avec quel effet?
Marcelo en discute avec Tiphaine et Klara. Des questions? Des commentaires? Ecrivez-nous sur Whatsapp au +32 49 07 69 41
**Un message de GSK : Prévenir, soigner, innover : GSK appelle à investir dans la santé des Français pour accélérer l’accès aux innovations et atteindre un objectif : zéro perte de chance pour les patients, en renforçant la recherche et les investissements industriels en France.**
Coincidentally, at the same time, not a puppet but a convicted criminal, Donald Trump wants Ukraine to stop blowing up Russian oil refineries; someone inside the White House ordered Ukraine's Starshield military satellite service to be slowed to a crawl.
Diaper Don calls the attacks a "disgrace," and blames them, not his war in Iran, for skyrocketing energy prices. — Read the rest
The post Trump wants Ukraine to stop hitting Russian refineries. The White House throttled the wrong drones appeared first on Boing Boing.
Five episodes into Netflix’s “A Different World” sequel, Hillman gets a bomb threat. This is a very real part of life for students at historically black colleges and universities, but that doesn’t make it any less frightening. Everyone gathers at The Pit, including Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer) — who are Hillman faculty now — to talk it out. One student expresses shock at being targeted at a place they chose because they thought they’d feel safe. Another wonders if it’s an inside job.
The person who best sums up the moment is Dwayne’s daughter, Deborah (Maleah Joi Moon), when she says, “It’s all so exhausting. We go to their institutions, they punish us. We try to build our own; they destroy it. We mess up, they use it against us. What is even the point of trying?”
Right now, that statement could and will be read any number of ways.
There’s the threat itself, which echoes similar ones against HBCUs in the wake of Charlie Kirk’s shooting last September. It also recalls 2022, when more than 30 HBCUs were hit with comparable incidents between January and mid-March.
Deborah could just as easily be critiquing the Trump administration’s vacillation between defunding educational opportunities for minority students, citing the DEI boogeyman, and infusing HBCUs and tribal colleges with millions in cash. Great for those higher-learning institutions, but targeting minority grant funding elsewhere ensures, particularly at the Ivies and Big 10 schools, less diverse undergraduate populations at places that weren’t racially or economically diverse in the first place.
To know “A Different World” as it was is to anticipate that this 2026 visit to Hillman, a fictional HBCU, must contend with these real-world concerns. But, returning to the episode in question, what’s just as vital is how its students deal with this crisis. When the waiting becomes almost too much, Deborah starts humming a few bars of a familiar song. More join in, and soon everybody is singing along, dropping the tension enough to relax a little.
A few breaths later, the lockdown ends. Everyone resumes their business, carrying with them the lesson of never sacrificing their spirit even while living in a state of constant vigilance.
Expecting the modern, single-camera version of “A Different World” to recapture the multi-camera original’s magic is unreasonable. Read the title, read the room. The 2026 version of “A Different World” comes to us not on a traditional broadcast network, but on a streaming service, where Norman Lear’s return to “One Day at a Time” became a loving chronicle of a Cuban American family’s life. It also adapted Justin Simien’s indie flick “Dear White People” into an in-your-face comedy revolving around the Black experience at an Ivy League college.
But that show relied on the specter of white ignorance to serve as a cultural contrast, whereas “A Different World” is, as the title promises, almost entirely centered on Blackness – and with it, Black joy.
(Eli Joshua Ade/Netflix © 2026)
To those wondering what this show has to contribute 39 years after its 1987 premiere, and following the returns of “Roseanne” and “Will & Grace,” “Full House,” and “That ‘70s Show” (reborn as “That ’90s Show“), that should be enough.
Those other revivals were justified by our nostalgia for their characters, and the love people have for crunchy Freddie, showboating Ronald “Ron” Johnson (Darryl M. Bell), brainy Dwayne and his wife, the eternally bougie Whitley Gilbert-Wayne (Jasmine Guy), is just as strong.
Presumably, explaining Black college life to an audience that almost elected Howard graduate Kamala Harris to our nation’s highest office — and that views her fellow alumnus Ta-Nehisi Coates as one of Black America’s representative voices — is less of a requirement these days.
Even so, “A Different World,” being a spinoff of “The Cosby Show,” faced different backroom hurdles before its executive producer Debbie Allen got her long-sought greenlight. The holdup is precisely what you think it is. Although Allen and the original series’ head writer, Susan Fales-Hill, shaped the show into the version considered a sitcom classic, Bill Cosby’s creator credit tainted its reputation. The comedian is accused of sexually assaulting dozens of women and was convicted in 2018. That conviction was overturned in 2021 because of a non-prosecution agreement struck with a previous prosecutor. (Cosby continues to maintain his innocence.)
Now that it’s back and under the guidance of “Grey’s Anatomy” alumna Felicia Pride, I can almost guarantee there will be right-wing media commentators crowing, “Who’s they?” while trying to paint this sequel as an extra-woke version of the original.
We need your help to stay independent.
Doing that would betray their ignorance of the show’s legacy, especially the five seasons that Allen captained. At a time when other sitcoms occasionally tackled social issues in “very special” episodes and “The Cosby Show” hewed to its namesake star’s dedication to respectability politics, “A Different World” regularly confronted harder topics.
Author and professor Brittney Cooper explains what that means in a 2013 Salon story, where she remembers Dr. Huxtable’s eldest daughter Sondra naming her adorable twins Winnie and Nelson after anti-apartheid revolutionaries Winnie and Nelson Mandela in 1988, when they were mainstream political celebrities. Two years later, Hillman student Kimberly Reese (Charnele Brown) agonized over whether to reject a scholarship funded by a company linked to South Africa’s apartheid regime, which was a political act.
None of it felt forced to anyone who sees the college experience as one of political and social awakening. But even “A Different World” hit its limits when it plunged the audience inside the Black folks’ shock and despair after the 1992 Los Angeles uprising. That decision likely led NBC to yank the plug despite its high ratings, Fales-Hill admitted to Vanity Fair. It’s easy to say that was a different time, except we know that isn’t true.
On the contrary, this return to “A Different World” simultaneously reminds us of how far TV has regressed since the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The original’s success paved the way for a surge in shows centering Black life in America, including “Living Single,” “Moesha” and “Martin.” It also brought HBCU culture and traditions like step competitions into Middle America’s living rooms.
Want more from culture than just the latest trend? The Swell highlights art made to last.
Sign up here
Still, this generation of “A Different World” viewers needs to be spoken to in ways beyond the cultural lingua franca of online posting and situationships, which the first season does well. Deborah Wayne and Ron’s son Shaquille (Cornell Young IV) are in one of those, following in the footsteps of Dwayne and Whitley. But under the constant watch of phone cameras and gossip that travels at the speed of social media feeds, they face greater pressures.
(Daniel Delgado Jr/Netflix © 2026)
Within that on-again-off-again tension crackles an exuberance reflected in the whole ensemble, an array of determined smiles and easy joking that momentarily pushes aside those ever-present societal shadows — including the very real possibility that Hillman might close.
But as Freddie points out to her students, that cliff has always been there. “Black learning spaces have always been seen as dangerous,” she tells her students, “not just because of what students do, but because of who you might become.” Maintaining their joy, then, is seen as both an educational priority and an act of resistance. That’s worth reviving, too.
“A Different World” is streaming on Netflix.
Read more
about TV revivals
The post A homecoming for “A Different World” appeared first on Salon.com.
Login