Latest news with #DukeUniversity
Forbes
11 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
The SALT Deduction Isn't Big Enough. We Need A SALT Credit
The wrecked Silver Bridge, spanning the Ohio River between Ohio and West Virginia, pictured after ... More its collapse during rush hour traffic, December 17th 1967. (Photo by) West Virginia must be rich, right? All that federal money that flows there year after year. Hopefully readers see the obvious flaw, or contradiction. Government spending is harmful, by its very description. Precisely because it signals the central planning of market goods, services and labor by politicians, it's economically harmful. Only an economist could believe otherwise. Which requires us to start with first principles of economics that have seemingly been forgotten in the present debate about state and local tax deductions (SALT). Government spending is harmful. Say it repeatedly because economists won't. Take Duke University economist Michael Munger. An individual with a free market bent in good standing with other free market types, Munger writes that 'allowing citizens to deduct state and local taxes effectively rewards high-spending states and punishes prudence.' Munger's assertion is accepted wisdom within, and that's the problem. His views violate basic economic principles. Really, 'high-spending states' are rewarded through SALT deductions? How so? Munger's commentary suggests that states in which local spending and taxation to fund that spending is sizable somehow gain from it. Just once it would be great if Munger or the Rose Bowl size crowd that believes as he does would explain how 'high-spending states' are rewarded when their politicians tax and spend wastefully. Either there's a latent Keynes inside Munger and most free market economists, or they've mistaken the meaning of SALT. Likely both. To understand why, let's say it again: government spending is harmful. California, New York, New Jersey, and Illinois are rich states despite all the local taxing and spending in those states, not because of it. They'd be quite a bit richer if state and local politicians weren't damaging their economies with government spending. It's a long or short way of saying the SALT deduction doesn't reward 'high-spending states' as Munger and the Rose Bowl assume, rather it rewards the U.S. in total by reducing the flow of tax dollars to the federal government. If anything, and assuming Munger et al agree that government spending is harmful, they should clamor for a SALT credit to further limit the federal government's tax share of economic activity in California, New York, and the other high-tax states. See West Virginia if you're confused. Is West Virginia rich or growing because of all the federal monies that have flowed its way for decades and years? Clown question. Central, politicized planning of resources is harmful, always and everywhere. Let's call West Virginia and other poor U.S. states that receive gobs of federal money domestic lab-grown evidence of the truth that just as foreign aid fails always and everywhere around the world, it fails in the U.S. too. Bringing it back to SALT, what Munger et al view as its demerit, that it 'rewards high-spending states and punishes prudence,' is its greatest attribute. As much as possible we want to limit the harmful effects of government waste nationally by limiting the flow of tax dollars from U.S. states. Translated, if California wants to tax and spend imprudently, let it do just that. And let's keep the wealth produced in California from reaching the federal government so that the national government won't have as many dollars to damage the rest of the country with. SALT is simple. It's about putting a fence around big government. Which is why the true aim should be a SALT credit. Anything to localize spending and taxing as much as possible. There's your states as laboratories. If there must be government waste, let it be in cities and states, not from the national government.
Fast Company
13 hours ago
- Science
- Fast Company
These two game-changing breakthroughs advance us toward artificial general intelligence
The biggest technology game changers don't always grab the biggest headlines. Two emerging AI developments may not go viral on TikTok or YouTube, but they represent an inflection point that could radically accelerate the development of artificial general intelligence (AGI). That's AI that can function and learn like us. Coming to our senses: WildFusion As humans, we rely on all sorts of stimuli to navigate in the world, including our senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, smell. Until now, AI devices have been solely reliant on a single sense—visual impressions. Brand-new research from Duke University goes beyond reliance only on visual perception. It's called WildFusion, combining vision with touch and vibration. The four-legged robot used by the research team includes microphones and tactile sensors in addition to the standard cameras commonly found in state-of-the-art robots. The WildFusion robot can use sound to assess the quality of a surface (dry leaves, wet sand) as well as pressure and resistance to calibrate its balance and stability. All of this data is gathered and combined or fused, into a single data representation that improves over time with experience. The research team plans enhance the robot's capabilities by enabling it to gauge things like heat and humidity. As the types of data used to interact with the environment become richer and more integrated, AI moves inexorably closer to true AGI. Learning to learn The second underreported AI technology game changer comes from researchers at the universities of Surrey and Hamburg. While still in the early stages of development, this breakthrough allows robots that interact socially with humans (social robots) to train themselves with minimal human intervention. It achieves this by replicating what humans would visually focus on in complex social situations. For example, we learn over time as humans to look at a person's face when talking to them or to look at what they are pointing to rather than at their feet or off into space. But robots won't do that without being specifically trained. Until now, the training to refine behavior in robots was primarily reliant on constant human monitoring and supervision. This new innovative approach uses robotic simulations to track, monitor, and importantly, improve the quality of the robot interactions with minimal human involvement. Robots learn social skills without constant human oversight. This marks an important step forward in the overall advancement of social robotics and could prove to be a huge AGI accelerator. Self-teaching AI could lead to advancements at an exponential rate, a prospect some of us view as thrilling, others as chilling. AI signal over noise Amazing as they may be to watch, dancing humanoid robots and mechanical dogs can be characterized as narrow AI—AI designed only for a specific task or purpose. The feats of these purpose-built tools are impressive. But these two new developments advance how AI experiences the world and how it learns from those experiences. They will dramatically change how technology exists (and coexists with us) in the world. Taken together, these breakthroughs and the work of other researchers and entrepreneurs along similar paths are resetting the trajectory and the timetable for achieving AGI. This could mark the tipping point that turns the slow march toward AGI into an all-out run.
Vox
a day ago
- Politics
- Vox
The Supreme Court just imposed a 'Don't Say Gay' regime on every public school in America
is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he focuses on the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and the decline of liberal democracy in the United States. He received a JD from Duke University and is the author of two books on the Supreme Court. On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that parents with religious objections to books with LGBTQ+ characters must be allowed to opt their children out of any public school instruction that uses those books. The decision in Mahmoud v. Taylor was handed down along party lines, with all six Republicans in the majority and all three Democrats in dissent. The Mahmoud case highlights the Republican justices' impatience to remake constitutional law in a more socially conservative image, especially in cases involving religion. It is certainly possible for public school instruction to violate a religious child's constitutional rights. The Constitution, for example, forbids government institutions like public schools from coercing students into violating their religious views. As Justice Samuel Alito notes in the Mahmoud opinion, the Constitution would also forbid teachers from openly mocking a student's faith. SCOTUS, Explained Get the latest developments on the US Supreme Court from senior correspondent Ian Millhiser. Email (required) Sign Up By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Notice . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. But, as a federal appeals court which previously heard the Mahmoud case warned, we don't actually know whether the Constitution was violated in this case. Although Montgomery County, Maryland, approved several books with LGBTQ+ characters for use in public schools, the lower court found that the record in this case contains no information 'about how any teacher or school employee has actually used any of the Storybooks in the Parents' children's classrooms, how often the Storybooks are actually being used, what any child has been taught in conjunction with their use, or what conversations have ensued about their themes.' Related The Supreme Court is leading a Christian conservative revolution Nevertheless, Alito handed down a fairly broad opinion which is likely to impose substantial new burdens on public schools, and he did so without waiting until the record in this case was more fully developed by lower courts. The result is that many schools may struggle to comply with the new obligations that were just imposed, and most schools are likely to exclude books that introduce queer themes or that even mention LGBTQ+ characters. Why Mahmoud imposes a severe burden on public schools The plaintiffs in Mahmoud include Muslim and Christian parents who do not want their children exposed to these books. And their lawyers came to the Supreme Court with an audacious request — seeking a broad decision that parents who object to any form of classroom instruction on religious grounds must be notified in advance, and be permitted to opt their child out of that instruction. The problem with this request is that schools cannot possibly know, in advance, which religious views are held by which parents, and which books or lessons those parents might find objectionable. In the past, parents have sued school districts objecting, on religious grounds, to lessons that touch on topics as diverse as divorce, interfaith couples, and 'immodest dress.' They've objected to books which expose readers to evolution, pacifism, magic, women achieving things outside of the home, and 'false views of death.' Courts have historically been very cautious about ruling in favor of parents who raise these sorts of objections, in part due to concerns that schools would be overwhelmed by administrative burden. Nevertheless, the Court's decision in Mahmoud largely embraces the plaintiffs' request — Alito orders the school board to notify parents 'in advance whenever one of the books in question or any other similar book is to be used in any way and to allow them to have their children excused from that instruction.' Alito's opinion does not discuss how this rule should apply to parents with more uncommon religious beliefs, but the Constitution forbids the government from treating people with idiosyncratic religious beliefs differently than people with more common beliefs. The upshot is that a school may also need to warn parents if a teacher wants to read from a Harry Potter book (because those books are about magic), or if they want to teach a lesson about a famous pacifist like Martin Luther King Jr. Schools may even need to warn parents if any of their children's teachers are women, just in case a parent objects on religious grounds to women having achievements outside of the home. That said, Alito's opinion is slightly narrower than the Mahmoud plaintiffs' proposed framework. Alito argues that the books at issue are objectionable, not just because they feature LGBTQ+ characters, but because they suggest that certain aspects of queer culture should be 'celebrated.' One of the contested books is a medieval fairy tale about a prince who marries a knight. According to Alito, the book 'relates that 'on the two men's wedding day, the air filled with cheer and laughter, for the prince and his shining knight would live happily ever after.'' Thus, Alito claims, this book is objectionable not because it includes a same-sex wedding, but because it portrays this wedding as a good thing. Under Alito's framework, a book that featured a same-sex wedding without portraying it as desirable might not trigger the new rule. Similarly, Alito would likely permit women to work as teachers without warning parents of their femininity, so long as the teacher does not do anything to celebrate their womanhood or suggest that being a woman who works outside the home is a good thing. Still, schools will likely struggle to determine when they are required to warn parents of a particular lesson under Mahmoud. And schools that draw the line in the wrong place now risk being dragged into an expensive lawsuit. Schools are likely to be reluctant to teach books with queer themes or characters One very likely consequence of Mahmoud is that schools will be very reluctant to teach any lesson that mentions homosexuality, transgender people, or anything else that touches on queer sexuality or gender identity. Mahmoud is likely to impose a Florida-style 'Don't Say Gay' regime on every public school classroom in America. The reason why is fairly straightforward. While it is somewhat unclear how Mahmoud applies to parents who object to fantasy novels or working women, the decision quite clearly limits schools' ability to teach books with queer characters. Nor is it clear when a book crosses the line from merely mentioning a gay character to celebrating some aspect of gay culture. So schools that want to avoid lawsuits will need to exclude these sorts of books from their classroom altogether. Lawyers, meanwhile, have a financial incentive to sue schools that behave more boldly. Federal law typically allows the 'prevailing party' in a civil rights lawsuit to collect attorney's fees from the losing party. And suits enforcing Mahmoud are considered civil rights cases because they arise under the First Amendment's religious liberty provisions. So, lawyers can search for schools that teach books with LGBTQ+ characters, find a parent who objects to those books, and then sue and demand that the school district pay their client's bills. School districts that don't want to be treated like an ATM for anti-LGBTQ+ lawyers, meanwhile, will only be able to avoid these lawsuits by excluding queer-themed books from the classroom entirely.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
NBA》球星搖籃！杜克大學已產出6個選秀狀元高居各校之冠
一如外界預期，來自杜克大學的超級新秀佛萊格（Cooper Flagg）成為2025 NBA選秀狀元，他也是校史誕生的第6個選秀狀元，數量高居美國所有大學之冠！ 在佛萊格之前，包括海曼（Art Hayman，1963）、布蘭德（Elton Brand，1999)、厄文（Kyrie Irving）、威廉森（Zion Williamson）、班凱羅（Paolo Banchero）等狀元郎都來自杜克大學，隨著佛萊格被達拉斯獨行俠隊選進，未來他也將和大學長厄文並肩作戰，在這些來自杜克大學的選秀狀元中，僅有厄文曾經率隊在NBA奪冠。 值得一提的是，獨行俠隊另一個球星戴維斯(Anthony Davis)當年也是選秀狀元，獨行俠隊即將迎來非常少見的3狀元先發陣容。 DUKE ➡️ DALLASThe Mavericks select Cooper Flagg with the first pick in the NBA draft 🔥 — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 26, 2025 位於北卡羅萊納州的杜克大學，從1905年就開始擁有自己的男子籃球隊，「K教練」沙舍夫斯基(Mike Krzyzewski)於1980年接任總教練後，開展了隊史長達40多年的黃金時代，在K教練任內42年期間，杜克大學贏得5座全美冠軍、13次打進最終四強，成為全美最享譽盛名的籃球名校之一。 今年選秀會上除了佛萊格獲選為狀元之外，同樣來自杜克大學的克魯佩爾（Kon Knueppel）及瑪魯阿奇（Khaman Maluach）也分別在第4及第10順位被選走，這也是杜克大學自從2019年之後又有3名球員在前10順位獲選。 For the SECOND time in six years, three Duke players go top 10 in the NBA Draft 🔥Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish all went top 10 back in 2019 😈 — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 26, 2025 聯盟從1947年引進選秀制度後，至今已產出約1500名首輪球員，杜克大學囊括59人位居第2，排名第1的則是肯塔基大學的60人，肯塔基大學校史也已經產出3個選秀狀元。
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Dallas Mavericks make history as white American is selected at No 1 in the NBA Draft for first time since 1977
In a move that comes as little surprise, Duke University freshman forward Cooper Flagg has been selected first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks won the lottery for the draft months ago, giving them the rights to select a generational talent in Flagg - making him the first white American to be taken first-overall in 48 years. It's hardly shocking that the Mavericks made this move. Flagg had been pegged as the top pick in this year's draft class ever since he re-classified to the Class of 2025 to join Duke a year early. Now, months after engineering one of the most earth-shattering trades in NBA history, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison didn't surprise anyone and went with the easy choice in Flagg. However, many NBA fans took issue with Dallas winning the lottery after owning such low odds - with one fan heard screaming 'Dallas was rigged!' on the ESPN broadcast. Flagg, a native of Newport, Maine, is the clearest-cut first-overall pick since Victor Wembanyama and the most obvious American first-overall pick since fellow Duke star Zion Williamson in 2019. In college, Flagg was named National Player of the Year, was a consensus first-team All-American, and led the Blue Devils to the Final Four. Yelling 'Dallas was rigged' at Adam Silver means he'll make sure it's never rigged for Dallas again — Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) June 26, 2025 Unfortunately for Flagg, he missed Duke's final shot of the game to blow a massive lead to Houston and failed to advance to the national title game. Months after that loss, the Mavericks won the lottery under dubious circumstances - with many conspiracy theories popping up after Dallas was victorious despite a 1.8 percent chance of taking the top pick. His arrival gives new hope to a Mavericks team and fanbase still reeling from the Luka Doncic trade back in February. Losing Doncic led to the Mavs missing out of the playoffs and many Dallas fans calling for Harrison to be fired. Now, Flagg will form an elite trio with Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis. However, Irving's long-term future with the team remains up in the air as he's in talks with the team on a contract extension. Prior to the draft beginning, Flagg and other top prospects in the NBA Draft took to the red carpet - showing off their style on one of the league's biggest nights of the year. Flagg arrived in a dark navy suit paired with a white shirt, black tie, and an expensive looking watch. 2025 NBA Draft First-Round Selections 1. Dallas Mavericks: Cooper Flagg, F, Duke 2. San Antonio Spurs: Dylan Harper, G, Rutgers 3. Philadelphia 76ers: VJ Edgecombe, G, Baylor 4. Charlotte Hornets: Kon Knueppel, G, Duke 5. Utah Jazz: Ace Bailey, G/F, Rutgers 6. Washington Wizards: Tre Johnson, G, Texas 7. New Orleans Pelicans: Jeremiah Fears, G, Oklahoma 8. Brooklyn Nets: Egor Demin, G, BYU 9. Toronto Raptors: Collin Murray-Boyles, F, South Carolina 10. Phoenix Suns (via HOU): Khaman Maluach, C, Duke 11. Portland Trail Blazers: Cedric Coward, G/F, Washington State (proposed trade to MEM) 12. Chicago Bulls: Noa Essengue, F, France 13. Atlanta Hawks: Derik Queen, C, Maryland (proposed trade to NO) 14. San Antonio Spurs: Carter Bryant, G/F, Arizona 15. Oklahoma City Thunder (via MIA): Thomas Sorber, C, Georgetown 16. Memphis Grizzlies: Yang Hansen, C, China (proposed trade to POR) 17. Minnesota Timberwolves: Joan Beringer, C, France 18. Washington Wizards: Walter Clayton Jr, G, Florida (proposed trade to UTA) 19. Brooklyn Nets: Nolan Traore, G, France 20. Miami Heat: Kasparas Jakucionis, G, Illinois 21. Utah Jazz: Will Riley, G/F, Illinois (proposed trade to WSH) 22. Atlanta Hawks: Drake Powell, G/F, North Carolina 23. New Orleans Pelicans: Asa Newell, F, Georgia (proposed trade to ATL) 24. Oklahoma City Thunder: Nique Clifford, F, Colorado State (proposed trade to SAC) 25. Orlando Magic: Jase Richardson, G, Michigan State 26. Brooklyn Nets: Ben Saraf, G, Israel 27. Brooklyn Nets: Danny Wolf, C, Michigan 28. Boston Celtics: Hugo Gonzalez, G/F, Spain 29. Phoenix Suns: Liam McNeeley, G/F, UConn (proposed trade to CHA) 30. Los Angeles Clippers: Yanic Konan Niederhauser, C, Penn State After taking interviews with reporters, he made his way inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to achieve his crowning moment in front of an international television audience. NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced the official choice at 8:10pm ET, marking a new era in Mavericks basketball. Flagg, alongside his parents, put a Dallas cap on and walked on stage to meet his moment in front of a packed arena and likely millions watching around the world. Flagg's selection was obvious, but for months mock drafts projected a pair of Rutgers stars would follow behind him. Guard Dylan Harper had long been believed to be the second-overall pick, with teammate forward Ace Bailey right behind him at third overall. However, in the weeks leading up to the draft, questions surrounding Bailey began to pop up when he became the only American draft prospect to not take a meeting with any NBA teams. He cancelled a workout with the Philadelphia 76ers, the team with the third overall pick, leading many to wonder if the swingman may fall down the draft board - potentially in a manner similar to that of Shedeur Sanders in the NFL Draft. Harper, for what it's worth, did not have any surprises come his way - with the San Antonio Spurs selecting him second overall. While Rutgers did not make the NCAA Tournament, Harper's on-court play was phenomenal as he averaged 19.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. An elite scorer ant two-way player, Harper showed bright spots throughout the season and was tabbed by many as the best guard in the draft class. As time ticked on, the tension built around Bailey's selection. His camp tabbed him as top-three pick, but this was his last chance to match those expectations. It never came. The 76ers, possibly put off by Bailey's bold choice, took the equally talented Baylor guard VJ Edgecombe with the third overall pick. Edgecombe overcame injury early in his freshman season at Baylor to drop 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists. But that meant shock and for Bailey, who was likely to not be taken by the Charlotte Hornets, the team with pick No. 4. With that pick, the Hornets took Flagg's Duke teammate Kon Knueppel - an elite and consistent shooting guard. Bailey's fall proved to only be small, with the Utah Jazz eventually selecting him fifth overall. Despite his blasé attitude toward meeting with teams, Bailey's ability is clear - averaging 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. Rounding out the top-10, the Washington Wizards took star Texas freshman guard Tre Johnson sixth overall. After him, the Pelicans drafted Jeremiah Fears from Oklahoma - adding a ninth guard to their roster. The Brooklyn Nets had the first truly shocking pick of the night when they selected Egor Demin out of BYU. A Nets roster that already had solid starting guards in D'Angelo Russell and Cam Thomas decided to bulk their depth at that position rather than a position of need, like a big man. The last pick in the top ten was the first center of the night: Khaman Maluach, a fourth Duke freshman. He was picked by the Houston Rockets, but will be going to Phoenix as part of the trade for Kevin Durant. Throughout the evening, a number of trades were agreed upon which the NBA will later confirm after the draft ends. The Portland Trail Blazers traded down to the 16th pick, giving the Memphis Grizzlies pick No. 11. At 11, Memphis took Washington State swingman Cedric Coward. Portland then used that 16th pick to make the most surprising and controversial selection of the evening, when they took a project center in China's Yang Hansen - despite already having three centers on their roster, including the expiring contract of DeAndre Ayton and an All-Rookie Team selection in Donovan Clingan. Two picks later, the New Orleans Pelicans decided to trade up to the 13th pick and sent the Atlanta Hawks pick No. 22. New Orleans drafted Maryland center Derik Queen 13th, while Atlanta took Asa Newell at No. 23. Later in the night, the Washington Wizards moved down to pick No. 21 as the Utah Jazz jumped up to pick No. 18. The Jazz took Florida guard and Final Four Most Outstanding Player Walter Clayton Jr. Three selections later, the Wizards took Illinois swingman Will Riley. Meanwhile, Asa Newell (L) and Liam McNeeley (R) were some surprise names to fall down While Bailey's fall was a surprise, it wasn't as shocking as some other slides and selections. For starters, the Brooklyn Nets entered Thursday night with a whopping four first-round picks. Many experts believed they would trade away at least one of them. But instead, Brooklyn used all four. After picking Demin, they took French guard Nolan Traore at 19th overall, Israeli guard Ben Saraf at 26th, and Michigan big man Danny Wolf at 27. As for the biggest slides of the night, most mock drafts projected that Georgia forward Asa Newell and UConn wing Liam McNeeley would be selected somewhere with in the first 20 picks. Instead, Newell - mocked at No. 19 by ESPN - fell all the way down to No. 23 when he was picked by the New Orleans Pelicans (set to be traded to the Atlanta Hawks). Then there's McNeeley, whose camp didn't expect him to fall below No. 21 according to CBS's Matt Norlander. But McNeeley fell far - getting finally selected 29th overall by the Phoenix Suns, but will actually be going to the Charlotte Hornets. For the first time in years, the first and second rounds of the draft were not completed in the same night. Round 2 of the draft begins at 8:00pm ET on Thursday.
