Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's former Republican governor, endorses Kamala Harris

LOS ANGELES — Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris for president Wednesday, delivering the Democratic candidate another prominent Republican endorsement in the final days of the 2024 race.

Schwarzenegger characterized his choice more as a vote against Trump than for Harris — against Trump's denial of the 2020 election results, his denigration of America as the world's dumping ground, his branding his political opponents as "enemies from within," his standing by while his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, his tax benefits for the rich, and his penchant for insults and divisive language more broadly.

"We need to close the door on this chapter of American history, and I know that former President Trump won't do that. He will divide, he will insult, he will find new ways to be more un-American than he already has been, and we, the people, will get nothing but more anger," Schwarzenegger wrote in a long endorsement post on X.

"That's enough reason for me to share my vote with all of you," Schwarzenegger's post continued. "I want to move forward as a country, and even though I have plenty of disagreements with their platform, I think the only way to do that is with Harris and Walz."

—Los Angeles Times

What monkeys might teach us about evaluating presidential candidates

Does a candidate’s appearance affect how we vote? There’s growing evidence that suggests the answer may be yes.

In a recent study published in the preprint server bioRxiv (and yet to be peer reviewed), neuroscientists at the University of Pennsylvania and the Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown in Portugal had monkeys look at pictures of political candidates from past U.S. races.

The monkeys tended to avoid looking at candidates with masculine facial features such as wide jaws and less prominent cheekbones, focusing instead on contenders who lost their elections.

This study supports previous research that suggests humans have some kind of shared assumption about what makes a face look dominant or competent, said Christopher Olivola, a psychologist and an associate professor of marketing at Carnegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania, who was not involved in the study. He added that there’s a tendency for candidates who look a certain way to garner more votes, though looks don’t guarantee victory.

—The Dallas Morning News

UC Davis can officially become a Hispanic-serving university. What does that label mean?

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Latino students now represent more than 25% of UC Davis’ enrollment, positioning the school to qualify as a Hispanic-Serving Institution — a benchmark becoming more common across higher education.

The designation, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, is given to schools with a student body of at least 25% Hispanic students and makes them eligible for millions of dollars in federal grants. This fall, UC Davis’ undergraduate Latino enrollment reached 8,100 or roughly 25.1% of the school’s population, according to the university.

UC Davis had previously secured federal designations as a Minority Serving Institution and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution.

The school’s focus on Latino students has been assisted by the campus’ Center for Chicanx and Latinx Academic Student Success, also known as El Centro, and the Undocumented Student Resource Center. Both centers offer services including academic advising, mental health support, professional development opportunities, academic seminars and community programs.

—The Sacramento Bee

Russian drone attack on Kyiv injures at least 9

KYIV — At least nine people were injured in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv during overnight Russian drone attacks, military officials reported on Wednesday on the Telegram platform.

In a western district of Kyiv, drone debris fell into a multi-story residential building, igniting fires in several flats. Damage was also reported to a kindergarten building. This marked the 19th drone attack on the city of 3 million people in October alone.

The Ukrainian Air Force stated that the Russian military deployed 62 unmanned aerial vehicles against targets in Ukraine. Of these, 33 were reportedly shot down over 10 regions in Ukraine while contact was lost with 25 others.

The Ukrainian military also utilizes electronic means to disrupt the electronics of Russian drones. Russia also reported Ukrainian drone attacks. According to the Ministry of Defense, 23 Ukrainian combat drones were shot down over six Russian regions.

—dpa