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Small business waits more than six months for National Grid bill
California's slow ballot count makes it a target for critics. It doesn't mean elections are rigged
Days after the state’s primary, California voters are in a familiar position -- waiting to find out which candidates will go on to the general election in their most high-profile races, for governor and Los Angeles mayor.
‘The Odyssey’ slams AMC's website as fans try to get tickets
If you want tickets to Christopher Nolan's epic ‘The Odyssey,’ you'll need to get in line. On Thursday, wait times on the AMC website reached an hour as hopeful moviegoers scrambled to secure seats.
Dodgers Eye Edwin Díaz Insurance at Trade Deadline
The Dodgers remain the focus of the MLB landscape as people around the league wait and see how they attack the trade deadline.
How to Get the Biggest Mental-Health Boost from 15 Minutes Outdoors
The best wellness hack might be waiting right outside.
Coming to XBOX Game Pass: Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions, Beastro, Undisputed, and More
We’re just a few days away from the XBOX Games Showcase followed by the Gears of War: E-Day Direct – but while we’re waiting for the show, let’s get to what other games you can play first, or at least pre-install.
Genoa pushing for El Shaarawy’s return
Stephan El Shaarawy is waiting to find out his future. After a long stint with the Giallorossi, the 1992-born player is enjoying his holidays after finishing his spell in the capital on a high note wi...
Millions use chatbots for mental health. Accountability can’t wait.
Congress should ensure innovation aligns with the principles we expect in every corner of healthcare: safety, transparency, accountability and trust.
Waiting times for healthcare in Europe: The worst countries ranked
Waiting times for treatment in some European countries can run for years. This has real consequences for patients, experts warn. Euronews Health takes a close look at waiting times across several categories.
A Summer Without Sunderland? Not a Chance
For anyone missing their Sunderland fix, we haven’t got too long to wait until we can watch our favourite players in action again…
Oil prices rise as new Middle East hostilities flare and talks stall
Oil prices climbed more than 1% in early trade on Wednesday as hostilities in the Middle East erupted anew with Iran firing missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain, while diplomatic talks between Iran and the United States showed little progress.
Pokémon Champions Comes to Android and iOS on June 17
Preregister now and get ready to battle on your mobile device. A new Mega Stone distribution awaits too.
Cleanup Spot Awaits Kerry Carpenter in Detroit Return
Kerry Carpenter is back in the Detroit Tigers cleanup spot after his IL stint. See what his return means for Detroit’s lineup.
Siri in iOS 27: Every New Feature and Change to Expect
Apple first introduced the idea of a smarter version of Siri at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference. Siri with Apple Intelligence was supposed to launch as part of iOS 18, but the underlying architecture wasn't good enough, and Apple was forced to delay the feature. We're now expecting a new version of Siri in iOS 27 with some long-awaited smarts.
Playing the waiting game in California: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Trump picks an acting director of national intelligence.
Mike Leach makes College Football HOF ballot after lengthy wait
The former Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State coach is one step closer to college football immortality.
NJ Entertainment Lawyers Eye Opportunities as Showbiz Spotlight Falls on Garden State
The Garden State has become a hot spot for major film and television production companies lured by the presence of generous tax incentives, and entertainment attorneys say a shift in the practice area is either already happening or may be waiting in the wings.
Jason Benetti waiting to learn what else he’ll call for NBC
Jason Benetti has been calling Sunday Night Baseball for NBC since March, but his role beyond baseball at the network is still taking shape. Appearing on the Sports Media Watch Podcast, Benetti revealed that, despite being two months into his role as the face of NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball, the conversation about what else he’ll…
Alajbegovic awaits Roma’s approach
Kerim Alajbegovic is aiming to play in Italy next season.According to Sky Sport, has indicated Roma as his priority. It will now be up to the Giallorossi to decide whether to pursue the 2007-born Bosn...
Sports drone racers are fast, but not adept at flying combat drones
Ukraine's drone operators often have to fly slowly or have their drone wait a long time before attacking. That's a different approach than racing.
Spain Waited too Long for this one 🇪🇸🏆
Spain Waited too Long for this one 🇪🇸🏆
Gleyber Torres could be back in Tigers' lineup Tuesday
Gleyber Torres was back from his two-game rehab stint with Triple-A Toledo but his activation will have to wait at least one more day.
Liverpool to wait one year before moving for former player
Quansah Remains Part of Liverpool’s Long-Term VisionLiverpool’s summer has been dominated by change, uncertainty and major decisions, yet one name continues to feature prominently in the club’s ...
Japan, South Korea stocks hit more records, as oil gains on Iran war ending fragility
Oil prices have gained and stock markets in Japan and South Korea have hit fresh record highs on enthusiasm over the artificial intelligence boom, as investors await a decision on the ceasefire extension of the Iran war.
Gold slips on stronger dollar, oil; Trump's decision on Iran ceasefire in focus
Gold inched lower on Monday, pressured by a stronger dollar and rising oil prices, as investors awaited U.S. President Donald Trump's decision on a proposed deal to extend the ceasefire with Iran.
Today on Pinstripe Alley
A rubber match between the Yankees and A’s awaits this afternoon.
Dykes relishing 'once-in-a-lifetime' World Cup experience
Scotland's Lyndon Dykes says getting to the World Cup is "massive" for him and admits he "can't wait to get out there." The striker missed out on the European Championship in Germany two years ago through injury.
‘It’s really scary’: Trump administration green card messaging prompts confusion and anxiety
A Trump administration directive announced last week threatened to require most applicants for permanent residency to wait out the process in their home country.
Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave gets art book with a page leaking online
We are still eagerly-awaiting a release date for the upcoming Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave which will inevitably be revealed during the next Nintendo Direct presentation. Ahead of that…
The Future of Windows 11 Is Already Here: 9 Insider Features You Need to See
You don't have to wait for the next big update—these Windows 11 changes are already being tested in Insider builds right now.
The chance for history awaits Arsenal
Arsenal are back in the Champions League final for the first time in 20 years and are on the cusp of a historic double. After lifting the Premier League title after a 22-year wait last week there had been a suggestion that this match against Paris St-Germain (17:00 BST kick-off) is something of a free hit. Arsenal fans have travelled to Budapest in their thousands such is the magnitude of this match.
Frankie Valli Cancels Concerts for Rest of 2026 to 'Focus on Health'
Frankie Valli has canceled the rest of his 2026 concerts, saying he'd rather cancel than be constantly rescheduling and keeping ticketholders waiting.
Microsoft and NVIDIA Jointly Tease Possible N1X Debut as a "New Era of PC"
Microsoft and NVIDIA, through their X handles, each teased "A new era of PC," along with the map coordinates "25.0528, 121.5990," which correspond to the Nangang Exhibition Centre, the seat of Computex 2026. If it wasn't obvious already, NVIDIA is announcing its much awaited N1X client PC processor,...
Diablo 4 Is Getting A Long-Awaited Solo Mode Next Season
Diablo 4 players looking for even more of a challenge will be able to create Solo-Self-Found characters starting in Season 14. Developer Blizzard revealed Diablo 4’s Solo-Self-Found (or SSF) mode as part of its Season 14 public test realm patch notes, offering the first details on all the new seasonal mechanics, item reworks, and balance...
Sennheiser Momentum 5 Wireless review: Worth the wait
Sennheiser’s latest flagship headphones close the gap to Bose and Sony thanks to improved sound and more effective ANC.
Why Retrofitting Research Impact Does Not Work
AACSB and the Academy of Management are convening their first-ever Research Impact Conference in Dublin this week, unveiling a long-awaited framework that takes a significant step toward making business school research serve not just academia but also corporate practice, policy, and society–with the potential to go even further.
After backlash, the Gorge to make entrance changes for Brandi Carlile shows
The Gorge is making changes heading into Carlile’s three-night Echoes Through the Canyon shows after fans fumed over lengthy wait times for a previous concert.
The Yankees Rotation Depth Inventory: May
Elmer Rodríguez the clear next man up as he waits down at Triple-A
Help, An Immortal Snail Is Chasing My Mouse Cursor While I Work
I will not let it catch me—oh god wait no there it is
Spotify releases four music-focused features, including background downloads on iOS
As Spotify users around the world await the return of their good old fashioned app icon, the company is rolling out four improvements...
Steam Deck's Massive Price Hike May Not Bode Well for Steam Frame
Valve announced that Steam Deck is getting a sizable price hike, bringing an increase of $240 to $300 to its handheld gaming PC–not exactly a vote of confidence for those of us waiting for Steam Frame, its upcoming standalone VR headset. The company revealed the 512 GB OLED Steam Deck has increased from $549 to […]
Chan School Speakers Praise Public Health’s ‘Extraordinarily Ambitious’ Achievements
The field “has never waited for perfect times,” says former CDC director Rochelle Walensky.
Gamification and memes lure young people to sports wagering apps, prediction markets
When Rory McIlroy won the Masters for the second year in a row, Kalshi shared a photo of him on Instagram with the words, “Wait he’s goated.” When a video of NBA player Damian Lillard recovering from an injury circulated online, Kalshi’s main competitor Polymarket posted, “The league is cooked.”
The 'Doomsday Glacier' is poised to lose its ice shelf this year. An Antarctic researcher explains what that means for global sea levels
Researchers have warned that the Thwaites Glacier, one of the largest glaciers in the world, is about to lose its eastern ice shelf. We spoke to marine geophysicist Robert Larter about what this means for the "Doomsday Glacier."
Trump says Iran is 'negotiating on fumes,' believes regime thought they could outwait him
President Trump declares Iran's navy and air force are gone, warns at Cabinet meeting he may have to finish the job if no deal is reached soon.
Dragon Quest 12 Taking Longer After Reboot 'From Scratch'
Fans have been waiting nearly a decade for the sequel
Dragon Quest 12: Beyond Dreams reveals first trailer and details five years after announcement
After years of waiting, Dragon Quest 12 has finally resurfaced. Square Enix shared an update in celebration of the series’ 40th anniversary today. Dragon Quest 12 was revealed five years ago today. However, since that initial announcement, Square Enix has been keeping quiet on the game – we had yet to see it since then. It was originally known as...
Ebola, chemical plants and health, hantavirus, common colds, heat and more
As they say, bugs have ears. Public health has had a relentless May. Chemical plant (near) explosions, Ebola, hantavirus, and that's before you even get to the usual suspects: common colds, heat, and ticks. Here’s an attempt to keep you up to speed and, more importantly, what it means for you and your community. But first, an announcement: World Cup The World Cup starts in 15 days (not like anyone is counting down), and we are hanging TVs in the Health Security Operations Center. It’s going to be a gorgeous, chaotic celebration of basically every culture on earth. And it’s going to take a team effort—from communities to individuals, from public health to health care—to keep people healthy. That’s where you come in. If you’re going to the games or live within 30 miles of a stadium, we would love to hear from you. Sign up for a weekly survey here. Thanks to the more than 1,280 people who have already signed up…you will be hearing from us soon!! Global disease “weather report” Hantavirus: Two more cases The global count of cruise ship passengers with hantavirus has now increased to 13 cases (11 confirmed), with three deaths. The two new cases are overseas and among people who were already quarantining: A crew member in the Netherlands. A Spanish national passenger who was quarantining at home tested positive through daily monitoring. They are now in a biocontainment unit. In the U.S., everyone remains negative. There may be more cases, given that the incubation period of hantavirus (the time from exposure to infection) is 45 days. But this week, we will reach a major milestone: the median incubation window is 18 days, and that will pass on May 29. What this means for you: Your risk from this cruise ship outbreak remains essentially nil at this point. Ebola rages on in Central Africa Big thanks to Dr. Craig Spencer, a humanitarian physician who has treated and survived Ebola, for jumping in to provide the YLE community with an update. Craig, take it from here… The combined confirmed and suspected Ebola cases in DRC are now more than 1,000. All signs are pointing to a very long and catastrophic outbreak in Central Africa: This is a vast undercount. We know this because the test positivity rate is hovering around 50%, only 20% of contacts are being traced (and in some areas, no contacts at all), and more cases keep popping up with no known connection. This all points to widespread and undetected community transmission. This is in only a week of detection. Compared to previous outbreaks, the growth is very fast, as the huge West Africa outbreak in 2016 was first detected at 49 cases and rose to 208 cases a month later. It took four months for that outbreak to reach the size of the current one in the DR Congo. The cases are spread out across 16 health zones. There are now multiple epicenters, making containment very difficult. Next door in Uganda, the case count is seven. While this number is low compared to DRC, a concerning development is that two health care workers recently tested positive with uncertain exposure histories. If they weren’t treating known Ebola cases, this means it’s spreading undetected in Uganda as well. On the ground, backlash, including the burning of health centers, has emerged, a pattern seen in nearly every outbreak and rooted in deep community distrust. It often stems from outside actors working in communities without fully understanding or addressing local priorities. Affected populations may recognize the severity of Ebola while still holding other concerns as more pressing, such as where their loved ones are buried. Community trust is essential to an effective response, but difficult to build during an active emergency. It is best established long before a crisis begins. U.S. priorities are made clear, and may backfire. The U.S. Administration has shown that its first priority is keeping Ebola out, with helping end the outbreak in the DRC a secondary concern. That's meant travel restrictions broader than anything we've imposed before — covering travelers from across the region, and reportedly some green card holders and permanent residents as well. For example, just these past two days, news broke that high-risk American travelers will be subject to a mandatory quarantine in Kenya before they are allowed to return. If an American is infected, the U.S. government plans to send them to a hospital it is standing up from scratch in Kenya. (Currently, Americans who were in the area are allowed to return but are diverted to three airports—Houston, Atlanta, and DC—for further screening.) Past administrations have used travel notices and stepped-up screening; this goes much further. At first blush, these strict precautions may sound prudent. But this approach could backfire in three ways: Restrictions this blunt give people every reason to hide where they’ve been and whom they’ve been near — making the people we most need to find harder to track, not easier. They also breed a false sense that this is someone else’s problem. But diseases are humbling. They find the small cracks in even the most impenetrable-seeming defenses. Lives lost. There is no treatment for this Ebola strain, which means survival depends heavily on the quality of the health system. We have that system in the States, but we are choosing not to use it for infected Americans. This is unbelievable and infuriating. (See a deeper dive from me here.) The only real way to lower the risk to Americans — and everyone else — is to end the outbreak in the DRC and across the region. What this means for you: If you have travel plans to this region, it’s time to cancel them. This is a high-risk situation in Central Africa, and CDC released a Level 4 Travel Advisory. There is also great uncertainty if and when the Administration will let you back in. To the general public in the U.S., your risk remains very, very low right now. U.S. disease “weather report” Ticks: past peak season? Good news, especially for people in the Northeast and Midwest: tick numbers continue to decline. Though we are at the peak of the season, this unusually early year is trending favorably. Heat-related illnesses in the North Heat risk is certainly not blanketing the entire country yet, but this week it will be moderate in the Midwest and the Southeast. What this means for you: Be sure to check the CDC HeatRisk tool. A red day isn’t the best day for that soccer game for a kid with asthma, and a stretch of orange days is a great time to check on your elderly neighbor. Common colds surging As far as respiratory viruses go, the only thing really going around right now is the common cold. It is higher this year than last year, but should peak very soon before returning this fall. Spotlight: Chemical plants Over the weekend, YLE California covered the serious situation that unfolded around a chemical plant in Orange County, California. Thankfully, the worst-case scenario (a chemical explosion) was mitigated, but only through luck. The health implications in a densely populated area could have been catastrophic. As the situation was winding down, another chemical explosion struck Washington State. This one was fatal. Health officials say the risk to surrounding residents from chemicals in the air and ground remains low, though the community deserves far greater clarity. Clean air and clean water consistently rank as Americans’ top public health concerns — yet when chemical disasters strike, communities are too often met with reassurances rather than transparency and accountability. Residents near the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio train derailment, for example, are still waiting to understand the long-term impact on their health, with few clear answers. What this means for you: Many are wondering if facilities processing potentially dangerous materials are in their neighborhoods. This interactive map allows you to enter your ZIP code and see all facilities monitored by the EPA, including any violations. Good news Ebola vaccines and treatment for the Bundibugyo species are in development. Two vaccine platforms are being explored, at least one of which may be deployable in as little as 2 months. One vaccine is being developed by Oxford, and the other uses the same biotechnology as the FDA-approved Zaire species of Ebola. (It may provide cross-protection, but it’s unclear at this point.) On the treatment side, two promising monoclonal antibody cocktails are likely to be deployed, though doses are limited and logistical hurdles remain significant challenges. Anni over at The Biotech Tea had a great explainer about the Ebola vaccine gap, if you want to read more. [ The Biotech Tea The Ebola vaccine gap, reading vessel damage, & the Makary exit 🗝️ Paid subscribers get the Biotech Term of the Week at $30/year (~$2.50/month). I try to keep it intentionally accessible, but if cost is ever a barrier, send me a message. A few people asked about expensing your subscription, so I put together a short email template… Read more 6 days ago · 10 likes · Annicka Evans, PhD ](https://www.thebiotechtea.com/p/the-ebola-vaccine-gap-reading-vessel?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has been officially renamed polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), following more than a decade of debate and input from roughly 22,000 clinicians, researchers, and patients worldwide. This is good because the old name was medically misleading, leading to patients without visible cysts being dismissed or overlooked entirely. The WHO estimates that 70% of people with the condition remain undiagnosed. A more accurate name should improve recognition, reduce stigma, and ultimately help the millions of people living with this condition get diagnosed and treated sooner. Poll Loading... Bottom line Public health situations are everywhere right now. Staying healthy takes public health professionals and systems working tirelessly behind the scenes and each of us showing up for our neighbors and communities. Love, YLE Big thanks to Ed Nirenberg for staying on top of the Ebola vaccines, Hannah Totte for all the figures, Dr. Craig Spencer for the Ebola insight, and Dr. Matt Willis for covering the chemical situation in CA. Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) comprises a team of experts, ranging from physicians to immunologists to epidemiologists to nutritionists, working together with one goal: to “Translate” ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. YLE suite of newsletters reaches over 475,000 people across more than 132 countries. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: Subscribe
Argentina coach Scaloni encouraged by news on Messi injury
Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said the initial news regarding superstar Lionel Messi's fitness "is not that bad" and hopes further examinations will confirm that diagnosis with the World Cup just a fortnight away."Now one has to wait and see how it evolves and above all the new tests they are going to conduct in order to see if it confirms their original diagnosis."
Redstone community welcomes long-awaited Food and Beverage Entertainment Center
Redstone’s new Food and Beverage Entertainment Center, the new home for the 324-seat Challenger Bingo and the Rocket Grill restaurant, officially opened Thursday.
Healthcare bills spurred by $50B federal program await Alaska Gov. Dunleavy’s signature
State lawmakers passed two bills on the last day of the legislative session aimed at fulfilling requirements of the federal Rural Health Transformation Program.
Bari Weiss: Think For Yourself, Not By Yourself
When we launched The Free Press, the plan was simple: Tell the truth plainly, and let readers come to their own conclusions. I thought there would be a sizable enough group of people who would pay the cost of one coffee a month to read high-quality news and opinion journalism. But what happened next surprised even me. Yes, you came for the stories—for the investigations, essays, debates, interviews, podcasts, and arguments. But over the past few years, you also found one another. I’ve watched strangers become friends in the lobby before our debates. I’ve seen people trade numbers after live recordings of Honestly, launch businesses after Free Press dinners, fall in love after our meetups—even get married (!?), and say some version of the same sentence over and over again: I thought I was the only one. We live in the most connected age in history, and yet, millions of people feel isolated, alienated, politically homeless, and starved for real conversation. We have followers and no neighbors. Algorithms instead of interlocutors. Our social media feeds are like troughs, but what we really need is a table to gather around. The Free Press is a publication, yes, but it is also a gathering place for independent minds. So today, I’m thrilled to share our new investment in you. We are launching a new world of community experiences for our paid subscribers, designed to bring _Free Press_ers together online and in real life. Introducing Our Community Launch The Free Press Forum Our new digital home for paid subscribers, the Forum, is now live. This is where _Free Press_ers can meet, debate, recommend, organize, joke, argue, and converse like civilized people. Imagine that. This is not social media as you know it. No bots. No algorithmic rage bait. No performative nonsense. Just smart people talking to one another. Inside the Forum, you’ll find conversations on the things our readers already care about most: the issues of the day, recommendations (books, music, travel), work and networking, parenting, dating, and where to find your people—online and in real life. Jump in! Introduce yourself and join the first conversations in the Free Press Forum here. You’ll also find announcements from us (paid subscribers are first to hear!) and our writers, hosting regular Ask Me Anythings (AMAs)—live conversations where subscribers can ask questions, push back, and continue the discussion beyond the page. This Thursday, subscribers can chat with our brilliant reporter, culture vulture, and co-founder Suzy Weiss. Friday, I’ll be lending you Nellie Bowles, queen of TGIF, to answer subscriber questions live. Read more about The Forum directly from Nellie here. The Free Press Supper Club The best part of being a _Free Press_er is meeting other _Free Press_ers. So we’re inviting you all to dinner to do just that. It’s part salon, part blind date, part old-fashioned dinner party. Here’s how it works: You answer a short questionnaire. We match you with a small group of _Free Press_ers in your city. We send you to a great restaurant. You show up for supper. The rest is up to you. Your next best friend, co-founder, or future spouse may already be waiting at the table. Learn more and sign up here for our first Supper Club in 12 cities in three countries taking place on June 18. Don’t see your city? Raise your hand if you’d like a Free Press Supper Club near you. Yes, St. Louis—we hear you. The Free Press Retreats and Excursions We’re also building something new for 2027: immersive experiences for Free Press readers who want to continue the conversation trailside, poolside, or around a fire long after dessert. The Free Press Retreat will be an intimate long weekend built around big ideas, outdoor adventure, great meals, and the kinds of discussions that happen when curious people spend meaningful time together. Bring your spouse, your parents, your children—or come on your own. Free Press Excursions will take us farther afield: curated trips with Free Press writers and contributors exploring places that help explain the world we live in, from the battlefields of Gettysburg and Normandy to the Vatican in Rome. We’ll share more details this summer. If you’d like an early look when these experiences open for registration, show your interest here.**A Note to Our Subscribers** These new offerings exist because of our paying subscribers. If you’re already one: Thank you. You built this. And you keep us going. If you’ve been reading us for free and wondering whether to join, this is a very good time. For a short while only, we’re offering a rare 20 percent discount for you to join our community as a paid subscriber. You’ll unlock everything we publish, plus exclusive access to our members-only Forum, Supper Clubs, and more insider perks. Thinking for yourself shouldn’t mean thinking by yourself. See you there. —Bari
SpaceX’s AI Business Waits for Liftoff | AI & Business for May 26
Plus, California studies AI job losses, Anthropic’s revenue soars and Nvidia plays the role of $5 trillion underdog.
007 First Light Review So Far
Confident and charismatic, James Bond's long-awaited return to games is the best since GoldenEye.
Analysis: No surprise as Shinnie departs a hero
Graeme Shinnie's departure will come as no surprise to Aberdeen fans, with his influence on the pitch waning in a turbulent season. That, and the celebrations which followed that long-awaited Scottish Cup win will be the defining image of him at Pittodrie.
The Forgotten Decisions Of The 79th World Health Assembly
For the world's second-leading cause of death and third-leading cause of disability, stroke has spent decades waiting for its turn at the World Health
Lionel Messi Leaves In Second Half Due To Injury, Inter Miami Rallies Past Union
Lionel Messi headed into the World Cup break a bit earlier than planned, and now it’ll be Argentina waiting to see if there’s an injury to worry about.
Sporting JAX women’s team falls in Gainbridge Super League playoff opener
Sporting JAX made history in its inaugural season, but the wait for a playoff win will continue.
Oil Prices Fall on News of Possible Iran Deal
S&P 500 futures were up slightly in what may be a sign that investors and analysts are waiting to see if a deal is finalized.
Could title win start period of dominance for Arsenal?
It's been a long wait but after 22 years, Arsenal finally have their hands on the Premier League trophy once more.
New PlayStation Patent Aims to Make Wait Times in Games Less Boring With Picture-in-Picture Content
Sony has filed a new PlayStation patent that should make waiting for games to load or matchmaking to finish a lot more bearable.
Five must-watch matches on Premier League final day
The final day of the Premier League season is here and could prove to be quite a hectic one.Arsenal may have already ended their agonizing 22-year wait to be crowned champions after Wolves and Burnley...
Wait... is pasta actually healthy? Here's the truth about whole grain noodles
Pasta is one of the world's most beloved foods. But is it good for you? It's complicated. Here's the truth.
Neglect as mental health care is more than a moral failure
Stories of people with Serious Mental Illness left untreated in county jails for months, waiting for a psychiatric bed are well known across KY.
A SYMPHONY RISES: LSO strikes a chord with community
From the wings of the Lawrenceville Arts Center Grand Stage, conductor Pyeongkang Park waited as 46 professional musicians tuned and settled into place. The stage set, Park strode to the
Bond breakout? Big effects of bad data. Immigration and thermostatic politics & dad-chat is coming for dad-books.
Thank you for opening your Chartbook email. Anna Airy, A Shell Forge at a National Projectile Factory, Hackney Marshes, London, 1918 Bond breakout - John Authers Across the developed markets, bond markets are staging a slow-motion car wreck. Looking at the drastic moves in the US, Japan, the UK and France, Barclays’ Ajay Rajadhyaksha commented: “Last week, long bonds broke. Not in one country. In all of them. Simultaneously. Four countries. Four different political systems. Four different central banks. But the same trade — “get me out of duration!”” Each country has its own contributing political problems, but the uniformity of the shift out of long-term bonds with high duration makes clear that something broader is afoot. For Rajadhyaksha, it is “simple and uncomfortable.” The developed world “has too much debt, too little fiscal discipline, and no political appetite for fixing either.” If there’s a trigger, it has been the Iran war and the resulting shock to oil supply. Source: Bloomberg G7 countries are now borrowing at rates that were enjoyed by EM in the early 2020s For contributing subscribers only. Subscribe Trade between China and Russia has grown in recent years For contributing subscribers only. Subscribe Big effects of bad data A decade ago nearly nine in ten Americans, when approached, agreed to fill out the Current Population Survey, which is administered to about 60,000 households each month and asks about, among other things, employment. Fewer than seven in ten do so now (see chart 1). For the Consumer Expenditure Survey, which tries to capture 3,700 households monthly, the response rate is down from 68% to 40%. … When the information becomes less reliable, investment decisions get more difficult to make. Some may be delayed, creating a potential drag on the economy. A new working paper by Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University, Erica Groshen, former head of the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) now at Cornell University, and Duncan Hobbs and Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute, a think-tank, hazards an estimate. Preserving trust in “the integrity and quality of official statistics”, the authors claim, generates economic benefits of about $25 for every $1 spent on the BLS, the agency with an annual budget of $700m that is responsible for many of these data. To arrive at their conclusion the quartet analysed an ignoble episode in the BLS’s recent history. On August 1st 2025 Donald Trump sacked Erika McEntarfer, appointed as the agency’s commissioner by his predecessor, Joe Biden. The president alleged, without evidence, that the BLS’s steep downward revision to recent jobs numbers had been “RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad”. In fact, it was the wanton dismissal that looked bad in the eyes of many observers. In the following seven days there was a 50% leap, relative to the week before, in the average value of the index of Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU), which tracks the number of articles mentioning such uncertainty that are published daily in American newspapers. This was a discernible jump even when compared to the chaos caused by Mr Trump’s trade war in April 2025 and his real one in Iran in the past two months (see chart 2). Based on Mr Bloom’s earlier study with other colleagues of the EPU’s impact on business investment, industrial production and employment, the authors estimate that the jump reduced American GDP by over $100bn (0.3%) and non-farm payrolls by 168,000 (0.1%). Source: The Economist Immigration and thermostatic politics (Sarah O’Connor in the FT) A strange thing happened a year and a half ago. No sooner had Americans elected Donald Trump as president on an explicitly anti-immigration platform than US public opinion began to swing much more favourably towards immigration. … to political scientists who study “thermostatic” politics, this development is no surprise at all. Public opinion often moves against the prevailing party, especially if they are perceived to have gone “too far” in one direction. The phenomenon was first explored in the 1990s with reference to fiscal policy, but in recent years it has been particularly evident in the realm of immigration policy. While these swings in opinion polls can make it seem as if people don’t know their own minds, they can be a useful democratic check on governments by sending bright flashing warning lights when policies stray too far from the public’s comfort zone. The problem comes when politicians misinterpret those signals. When people tell pollsters they want less immigration, or think it is bad for the country overall (or the converse), they are often expressing an opinion about how things appear to be going in that moment relative to their preferences, rather than a deep shift in their underlying views. According to Alexander Kustov, a political scientist, most Americans’ views are quite stable and moderate: they support immigration that is controlled and in the national interest, and oppose flows that are disorderly or under-enforced. In the US, he argues the Trump administration over-interpreted dissatisfaction with high immigration under Joe Biden, and implemented policies that went too far for many voters. “People don’t necessarily change their idea about their ideal immigration policy, but they can react to what the government is currently doing,” he told me. “A lot of people are not happy with what the Trump administration are doing — right now we’re not talking about border enforcement, we’re talking about people not just getting harassed, but killed.” But similarly, he added, pro-immigration advocates would be making a mistake to interpret the recent, more favourable swing towards immigration as a deep-seated ideological shift in attitudes. The recent history of UK immigration policy offers another cautionary tale. After the 2016 Brexit referendum, public concern about immigration fell. This was partly because net migration statistics declined, but also because people felt a sense of catharsis and control, says Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, a think-tank. By 2019, the public ranked immigration as only the ninth biggest issue of concern, according to Ipsos polling. But when the Conservative government liberalised visa routes for students and care workers between 2019 and 2022, that helped net migration to surge. And so, too, did public concern. Today’s Labour government has implemented another sharply restrictive turn in immigration policy. As Kustov and researcher Caitlyn Yates argue, thermostatic public opinion should be a useful check on politicians. Instead it seems to have helped to magnify the pendulum swing in the UK. The government over-interprets and overreacts to a change in public opinion, which reacts in turn, prompting a sudden swing the other way. Source: Financial Times HEY READERS, THANK YOU for opening the Chartbook email. I hope it brightens your day. I enjoy putting out the newsletter, but tbh, what keeps this flow going is the generosity of those readers who clicked the subscription button. If you are persuaded to click, please consider the annual subscription of $50. It is both better value for you and a much better deal for me, as it involves only one credit card charge. Why feed the payments companies if we don’t have to. Subscribe Anna Airy, Shop for Machining 15-Inch Shells: Singer Manufacturing Company, Clydebank, Glasgow, 1918 Racing for a vaccine … we have been here before! The deadly Ebola outbreak in two African countries driven by a virus species with no vaccine has triggered an urgent search for a potential jab, in a test of troubled global efforts to avert threats posed by emerging diseases. A World Health Organization advisory group is due to would meet on Tuesday to recommend candidate jabs to prioritise for clinical trials, the global health body said. It will assess data including an analysis by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi), which was set up after failures in the international response to a previous Ebola crisis. The latest Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has infected hundreds of people and killed more than 80, health authorities say. Cepi’s reaction will be a crucial indicator of its progress towards its wider goal of producing vaccines for pandemic threats in just 100 days, despite steep cuts to international health funding. “If there was ever a time that we could show the world why Cepi is needed and show the world why the 100-day mission is needed, it’s now,” Nicole Lurie, the organisation’s executive director for preparedness and response, told the FT. “We’re happy to accept that responsibility, but obviously we need help from partners — particularly financial help in the long run.” DR Congo and Uganda would make the final decision on whether to press ahead with any vaccine candidates endorsed for clinical trials by the WHO experts, the global health body said. “Other ethical and community acceptability issues will be considered,” said the WHO, which declared the latest outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday. “This will be important to make sure that the trial, if it happens, will be adequately communicated to the population.” Lurie said Cepi had provided information from a survey of research teams and companies working on drugs that might be effective against the Bundibugyo virus behind the outbreak. The organisation hoped soon to announce partners in the quest for a jab, she added, although she declined to give a timescale for when one might be developed. Cepi’s Nicole Laurie said global health bodies were ‘getting some live-fire drills’ with hantavirus and the latest Ebola outbreak. The hunt for a vaccine should be helped by scientific advances including the use of artificial intelligence to find drugs active against viruses, Lurie said. Existing jabs against the Zaire Ebola virus responsible for many previous outbreaks might provide a basis for tackling the Bundibugyo species, she added. “We’ll see how far and how fast we can get,” Lurie said, adding that Cepi had done preliminary work recently on a possible jab for the rat-borne hantavirus responsible for a recent fatal outbreak on a cruise ship. “Both with hantavirus and now with Ebola, [we] are getting some live-fire drills.” Source: Michael Peel in the Financial Times Dad-chat is coming for dad-books. (By Pamela Paul and Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg in the WSJ) They were the go-to gifts for Father’s Day: a book about some little-known chapter of World War II, the sweeping narrative of a shipwreck, perhaps the latest presidential biography. These days, dad books are a dying breed. Nonfiction book sales have been in decline for the past four years, and are now the most challenged segment of the print book market. Publishers say certain types of books still fare well—including celebrity memoirs and religious titles. But in recent years, print sales in such categories as biography, current affairs and business and economics—what publishers refer to as “serious nonfiction” and which tend to resonate especially with men—have fallen considerably. Sales of nonfiction print titles were down nearly 8% through May 9 this year, and sales of books about politics and current affairs were down 19%, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. Publishing has long been subject to cyclical changes, with trends in format and genre taking over bookshelves in grand sweeps. (Remember the adult coloring-book craze? Or the stratospheric rise of romantasy?) But many in publishing believe the decline in serious nonfiction is more existential. “The trend couldn’t be clearer,” said Jonathan Karp, the former chief executive of Simon & Schuster and publisher of the new Simon Six imprint. “This is a sea change and people should wake up and realize we’re living in a new world.” One culprit for the shift: a new media diet for fans of more serious nonfiction. … Sixty-two percent of men and 54% of women consumed a podcast in the prior month, according to a recent survey by Edison Research at SSRS, up from 46% and 39%, respectively, in 2023. “When we have internal meetings to talk about this problem, it always comes around to podcasts,” said Jonathan Burnham, president and publisher of the Harper Group at HarperCollins Publishers. “The man who wants to read American history is now tuning into one of the many good podcasts about history that lends the quiet attention to a serious subject he’s looking for. It makes the idea of sitting down with a 700-page Ron Chernow book less appealing. You’ve scratched that itch.” Source: Wall Street Journal Remarkable report by Novara from the nationalist rally in London in mid May. Anna Airy, Leopard Moth and Plums, 1915 If you’ve scrolled this far, you know you want to click: Subscribe
Burnham’s Manchester Vibes Quickly Hit Westminster Realities
This week revealed both the promise and peril for Britain’s prime minister-in-waiting, Andy Burnham.
“Drop The Most Recent Meme You Stole”: 68 Funny And Ridiculous Posts
Sharing is caring – even when it comes to memes. You might have been the one to come up with the Internet's favorite meme of the moment, but memes are like restless travelers; they can't stay in one place. Check out some hilarious memes from the group Drop the most recent meme you stole that are waiting to end up in your phone's meme folder. Funny, Memes
First class graduates from Springfield’s Minority Business Institute
Ethan Posey, director of community relations for the City of Springfield, led the charge for the new initiative. He already has a waiting list of people wanting to join the next session of the institute.
SpaceX IPO: What S-1 filing revealed, Musk empire's market impact
SpaceX's long-awaited IPO filing provides the clearest financial picture yet of Elon Musk's rocket company and its far-reaching ambitions.
Denuvo added to 007 First Light 6 days before release date, canceling pre-orders
Some James Bond fans have decided to skip 007 First Light, opting to wait for the next movie. With the game’s release date on May 27th, Denuvo has surfaced on its Steam listing. Buyers concerned about performance and DRM restrictions have canceled their pre-orders.
4 takeaways from the DNC's long-awaited 2024 election autopsy report
It's never a good sign when a report comes with a big red disclaimer at the top of each page, but that's what happened on Thursday when the Democratic National Committee belatedly released its controversial autopsy report on the 2024 election.
Take-Two forecasts annual bookings below estimates, sticks with 'GTA VI' launch timeline
Take-Two Interactive forecast annual bookings below Wall Street expectations on Thursday, but reiterated the November 19 launch date for the highly awaited "Grand Theft Auto VI," sending its shares up around 6% in extended trading.
Takeaways from the Democratic National Committee's long-awaited autopsy report on 2024 election
The Democratic National Committee has released a controversial autopsy report on the 2024 election.
Takeaways from the Democratic National Committee's long-awaited autopsy report on 2024 election
The Democratic National Committee has released a controversial autopsy report on the 2024 election.
Takeaways From the Democratic National Committee's Long-Awaited Autopsy Report on 2024 Election
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's never a good sign when a report comes with a big red disclaimer at the top of each page, but that's what happened on Thursday when the Democratic National Committee belatedly released its controversial autopsy report on the 2024 election. “This document reflects the views of ...
Xreal Project Aura crams a whole VR headset into a pair of smart glasses, and it's exactly what Android XR was made for
With a phone-sized pocket puck and a sleek appearance, these are the Android XR smart glasses we've been waiting for.
Portland businesses hit hard by tariffs await refunds months after Supreme Court ruling
In February, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down tariffs imposed by President Trump under a 50-year-old statute. We hear from two CEOs in Portland about the impact the tariffs have had on their small businesses and the refunds they have applied for and are hoping to get.
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced Preview - A Textbook Remake, And All The Better For It
After three hours of hands-on time with Ubisoft's first-ever remake, I cannot wait until July.
Bonus 228: The $1.776B Political Question
Every so often a story comes along that is so brazen, so cleanly emblematic of the moment we are living through, that staying quiet about it feels like a kind of complicity unto itself. Monday’s announcement by the Department of Justice that the Acting Attorney General has unilaterally created a $1.776 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” to compensate so-called “victims of lawfare” is one of those stories. And the reason I want to write about it here, in a newsletter ostensibly devoted to the Supreme Court and the law and politics surrounding it, is that I’m increasingly worried that we’re asking the wrong institution to save us from one of the most offensive, alarming, and anti-constitutional things we’ve seen from any president in American history. As I explain below the fold, the Anti-Weaponization Fund is not principally a legal problem awaiting a judicial fix. It is a shockingly egregious political abuse—the President suing his own government, purporting to settle with himself, and routing nearly $2 billion from the Treasury to his own supporters as a not-so-subtle (and not-so-formal) reward, if not an incentive, for political violence. And the Constitution’s answer to political abuses of this kind and magnitude is a political remedy, not a legal one. In his majority opinion in NFIB v. Sebelius (the Affordable Care Act case from 2012), Chief Justice Roberts defended the Court’s endorsement of Congress’s power to adopt the individual mandate by noting that it is “not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices.” As much of a judicial supremacist as I am, that sentiment is, for better or worse, an entirely correct (and, in the long term, normatively desirable) institutional assessment. One can believe in substantial judicial power without believing that literally every political dispute in our country can and should be resolved by unelected judges. The real upshot of this latest headline (among so, so many other similar headlines) is that it is past time to reinvigorate impeachment—not because conviction is realistic in this Senate, or even because impeachment itself is feasible in this House, but because forcing every member of Congress to vote on the record whether this brazen, corrosive, and affirmatively dangerous corruption is impeachable is itself a point worth fighting for (and fighting with our friends over). Assuming the courts will save us absolves our political leaders of both responsibility and accountability for allowing this kind of mischief to continue, and it absolves all of us of our responsibility to refuse to tolerate those who would just as quickly shrug their shoulders and move on. For those who aren’t paid subscribers, we’ll be back (no later than) Monday with our continuing coverage of the Supreme Court. For those who are, please read on.
Bezos Wades Into Politics, and Mamdani Was Waiting for Him
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Too young to drink, ready to destroy: How young punks Xcomm are crashing the hardcore scene
Homework can wait for L.A.'s hardcore upstart Xcomm, whose youngest member is 14, as it focuses on the release of its debut album, 'Time to Burn.'
Democrats may vote at last minute for governor. What it will mean
With the top two candidates in the primary advancing, many Democratic-leaning voters appear to be waiting for a clear leader to emerge, political analysts say.
Italy India Politics
Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni waits for India's Prime Minister Narendra Modil at Villa Pamphilii in Rome for talks,Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
4 takeaways from Tuesday's primary night in half a dozen states
While Trump continues to rack up victories on his vengeance tour, general-election opponents are waiting in swing districts and swing states. Can frontline GOP candidates navigate these choppy waters?
Arsenal win the Premier League
Arsenal ended their 22-year wait for a Premier League title when Manchester City bottled their game against Bournemouth on Tuesday night.Photo by Michael Steele/Getty ImagesHere’s how the papers in ...
Arsenal win Premier League: Mikel Arteta's side end 22-year wait for title
Arsenal have secured a first Premier League title in 22 years; Mikel Artetas sides long wait for the title ended after Man City drew 1-1 at Bournemouth; it ends a run of three straight second-place finishes, with the trophy lift set to take place at Selhurst Park on Sunday
Entertainment District Focus Group meets for the last time
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A critical window to stop hantavirus is opening. Not all countries are managing exposed travelers the same way
The hantavirus-stricken cruise ship MV Hondius arrived at its last stop Monday. Now, the waiting begins.
Now that redistricting is dead for this year, these are the next 10 questions to ask about Virginia politics
We’re still waiting to see how the relationship between the governor and the General Assembly plays out. Plus, Lynchburg Republicans and, yes, more redistricting fallout.
Virtual platform offers a valuable lifeline for rural primary care patients
An Indiana doctor built ChatRx, with e-prescribing built into its workflow, as an alternative to the long-drive, long-wait and high-cost alternative of in-person care delivery.
Hoopaholic’s Gazette: The Waiting Game
From the moment of my fist keystroke here, there are 10 days, 10 hours and 34 minutes until the NBA Draft withdrawal deadline for college underclassman, those wishing to continue their undergraduate eduction at an institution of higher learning. Flory Bidunga, you are on the clock. And now the Louisville Cardinal fanbase, after enduring a […]
Analysis: Wolves waiting for season of misery to end
Just one more game and then Wolves can put a truly miserable season behind them. The energy and enthusiasm that was present after back-to-back wins over Aston Villa and Liverpool a couple of months ago has well and truly gone – even the boos at full-time felt weary. Relegation was an inevitability even back then but Rob Edwards' side were at least showing something to give fans optimism for the future.
Minnesota Vikings News and Links: What Moves Are Next?
Not much going on right now as we await the first OTAs and minicamp. The current Cap Space (per OverTheCap) without the Jennings signing reflected is : $12,267,125One June 2nd it will increase due to the Post-June 1 release savings: +$12,500,000 (combined from Harrison Smith and Jonathan Allen)Adjusted Total Cap Space: $24,767,125 I imagine Jennings […]
Knicks Bulletin: ‘I just try to look at the positives’
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Microsoft is rebuilding XBOX and Windows 11 while Surface collects dust
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Fans, speed, and risk: the strategy and science that fuels the tradition of the Indy 500
350,000 fans are waiting to watch 33 drivers race 500 miles at the 110th running of the Indianapolis 500 next Sunday.
Now What? With Carbon Pricing Eroded and Pipeline Politics Advancing, Here Are the Pathways for Climate Success
At the end of a whirlwind week of news on carbon pricing and electricity strategy, capping a madcap year of pretty much non-stop, dramatic change, the word across much of Canada’s climate and energy transition community is that climate policy in this country has been shredded. Eviscerated. Hit with a sledgehammer by policy rollbacks that have pushed the country’s 2050 net zero target “well out of reach”. That means it’s never been more important to look for the rays of hope and glimmers of possibility. To glimpse the seeds of the next set of strategies to get Canada’s climate pollution under control and the country into the accelerating global dash away from fossil fuels. And then, once we’ve spotted those possibilities, get on with the hard, day-to-day slog of trying to make them a reality. Nothing takes away from the frustration and the deep disappointment so many climate and energy hawks are expressing, the sense of betrayal by the author of Value(s) and the former UN special envoy for climate action and finance. But we knew two things as the week drew to a close. We’re looking at the world as it most definitely is. And we don’t get to give up finding the pathways to confront climate change and deliver faster, deeper carbon cuts that leave no one else behind. So really, the first question we all have to ask ourselves is: What’s next? Subscribe All the Oxygen in the Room The outpouring of anger and grief over the carbon pricing deal between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has been absolutely understandable. So much of the climate community poured years, more than a decade, into dragging the current federal pricing regime across the finish line, then defending it from a deluge of three-syllable rhymes after the Trudeau government proved utterly incapable of delivering its own message. The policy foisted on us by neo-classical economists took up all the oxygen in the room, burned through years of climate response time that we won’t get back, while cornering climate hawks into the position that the best response to the crisis of our lifetimes is a new tax…in an era of historic anti-tax sentiment. I mean, really—what could possibly have gone wrong? Against that history, let’s appreciate columnist Max Fawcett’s point that even a modest carbon pricing agreement with a government as off-the-wall libertarian/conspiracist as Danielle Smith’s—those adjectives are mine, not Max’s—is a win worth savouring (as long as Smith keeps her promises for a change). But part of living in the world as it is (no, I’m not letting that go) is to be clear-headed about what we can and can’t control. And one thing we get to decide, after seeing this week’s carbon price festivities take up all the oxygen yet again, is whether we want to keep letting that happen. Particularly when success down that road depends on a factor that no one with a climate agenda can control or influence—a provincial carbon pricing mechanism that has been manipulated and eroded beyond its lowest possible denominator. Thankfully, that’s not the way it has to go. Not when we have so many other powerful, practical tools at our disposal, including the ones still available to us through this abominable Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Canada and Alberta. Tools In Our Toolbox When I started roughing out this list, I didn’t expect it to grow to nearly a dozen bullet points. It’s probably still incomplete. Some of the greatest hits in today’s climate solutions toolbox include: • No Carbon Capture, No Pipeline: On Friday, Prime Minister Mark Carney explicitly stated that there’s been no change to the MOU provision that there will be no West Coast pipeline without an industry commitment to build its massive, $16.5-billion carbon capture and storage (CCUS) hub in Northern Alberta, and vice versa. The two megaprojects were joined at the hip when the MOU was signed Nov. 27, and the implementation agreement this week affirmed that they still are. A parade of independent analysts have spent years pointing to the economic and technical flaws in CCUS, while the industry kept postponing its investment decision until it could arm-twist the government for more “clarity” (by which it meant even more lavish taxpayer subsidies) on the project. Now the industry itself is running away from the CCUS hub and insisting the pipeline should proceed without it, but Carney doesn’t seem to be budging from a central tenet of the MOU to which Smith has signed on. • No Subsidies, No Investors: Climate analysts and advocates have quite rightly been hammering away at Carney and his team, insisting that any new capacity the industry wants to build must proceed without new subsidies. The government has responded with a growing collection of funding and financing mechanisms for the very wide menu of industrial development and nation-building projects they say they want to take on, and that menu always includes fossil fuel infrastructure. But it’s hard to see how even the combined fiscal clout of the federal and supportive provincial governments will deliver the financial backing private investors would need when the business case for new fossil fuel development is evaporating before their eyes. Particularly when… • No Market, No Demand, No Investors: As our friend Markham Hislop at Energi Media (our apparently sleepless friend, given the massive volume of great material he’s been churning out) points out this morning, the biggest vulnerability in any pipeline deal is the assumption that Asian buyers will want the oil or liquefied natural ga that our fossil industry is so keen to send them. Hislop writes in part: Ottawa and Alberta are effectively betting that countries like China and India will continue increasing oil imports for decades as their economies grow and energy consumption rises. That assumption underpins the entire economic rationale for expanding oil sands production and building billions of dollars in new export infrastructure. But Asian energy systems are changing rapidly… China, India, South Korea, and other major hydrocarbon importers are now investing hundreds of billions of dollars into electricity systems built around wind, solar, batteries, nuclear, hydro, and expanded transmission infrastructure. Domestic “energy sovereignty” is increasingly replacing the old energy-security model based on stable oil and gas imports. Those investments are expected to sharply slow oil demand growth and eventually reverse it, even as overall energy consumption continues rising. There are also refining constraints. Many Asian refineries and petrochemical complexes are already optimized to process discounted heavy crude from the Middle East and Latin America. That raises serious questions about how much additional Canadian bitumen Asian markets can absorb at profitable prices. Small wonder that there’s still no private sector investor for the project, despite Smith’s government desperately beating the bushes to put together a deal. For now, Alberta is acting as proponent and covering early start-up costs for a pitch to the federal Major Projects Office, which could actually turn into the next tough hurdle for Smith and her pipeline to jump. • Canada Day Looms: How ironic that Canada’s birthday this year could become a major chokepoint for the provincial premier who’s been working so diligently to tear the country apart! The July 1 target date for Alberta’s pipeline proposal is baked into the MOU, was reaffirmed by the implementation plan, but it hadn’t dawned on me that it cuts both ways. As one very smart colleague wrote in an email yesterday, “they’ve thrown the ball into Alberta’s court to get the project proposal on the table really quickly and to have to do a whole pile of work to put together a massive, complicated project that would typically take years to assemble, and they’ve given them weeks to do it.” That makes July 1 a looming deadline that Smith won’t be able to run away from politically, especially with the separatists in her party and her caucus breathing down her neck. (See previous ref to off-the-wall.) But if Alberta comes in with a sloppy, incomplete submission, even after Carney bent over backwards to simplify the application process and the rules that govern it, it may be harder for the province or the industry to blame Ottawa and insist on the faster process they claim their investors are demanding. (Oh, wait—which investors would those be??) • We’ll See You In Court (Then We’ll See You Again): If Carney did cave, that would be just one more reason for Indigenous and other affected communities to take the government and the process to court—Just as Alberta First Nations did, successfully, in response to Smith’s half-baked separation referendum. Veterans of the Harper era have been warning that a shoddy process around fossil fuel infrastructure or other major projects will be a recipe for the very delays that process seeks to avoid. And now more than ever, with renewable energy and energy storage eating fossil fuels’ lunch in import markets around the world, a delayed pipeline or LNG terminal may be as good as a cancelled one. • Charged Up, Ready to Go: With its goal of doubling Canada’s electricity supply to meet a doubling of demand by 2050, the national electricity strategy that Carney unveiled Thursday has a lot to like. With its explicit language about speeding the shift from fuels to more efficient and affordable electricity, global investment and deployment patterns that already favour that shift, an emerging bidirectional power grid, the role of front-line options like rooftop solar and heat pumps, the emergence of electric vehicles as behind-the-meter energy storage, and the domestic jobs and manufacturing to make it all happen, the document doubles down on the essential cornerstone of a faster shift off fossil fuels. The strategy envisions a more prominent role for gas and nuclear power. But some of those provisions were already in the Clean Electricity Regulations that climate hawks are now fighting so hard to defend, inserted as a compromise in a futile attempt to mollify the industry and its political representatives in Alberta and Saskatchewan. But once again, gas will be a tougher sell when it’s more expensive and now so much more unpredictable than the clean alternatives. The new nuclear technologies are still speculative and deeply vulnerable to cost overruns. Increasingly, utilities, developers, and investors know it. Carney declared Thursday that “it doesn’t do us good to be sitting in court all the time with provinces. It doesn’t do us good to be talking past each other. What does do us good is to come together with specific projects.” There are no guarantees, but so much of the language and narrative-building in the electricity strategy suggests the lion’s share of those projects will be renewable. • The Party Has Already Started: The electricity strategy only rarely digs down to specific projects, but provinces representing three-quarters of Canada’s population are already embracing a faster transition. Hydro-Québec is working on a 10-year, $185-billion renewable energy and grid buildout by 2035. Ontario recently brought 10 provinces and territories together in a National Energy Corridor Agreement to boost interprovincial and -territorial transmission infrastructure. And the MOU implementation agreement commits Alberta to facilitate investment in renewable energy projects, a big step back from its continuing, punitive restrictions on renewables development. The electricity strategy envisions much of the financing and infrastructure that will be needed to pull those advances together into an integrated whole. • Delivering on Affordability: The MOU implementation plan has little or nothing to say about affordability (are you surprised?), but the electricity strategy does, with a top-line pledge to reduce home energy costs for seven out of 10 Canadian households by 2050, a total saving of $15 billion across the board. It’s just a start, but it puts affordability on the government’s narrative map. If they’re serious and deliberate about patching together a least-cost energy strategy, it’ll have little if any room for oil, gas, or nuclear—not with powerful evidence, for example, that electricity prices are higher when those prices are set by gas. • Smith Proves that Canada Works: By signing a deal that makes it harder to claim the federal government is blocking a new pipeline, Smith has helped prove Carney’s constant anti-separatist refrain that “Canada works”—incurring the rage, no doubt, of her own political base. Canada also needs to work for anyone who depends on a clean environment, healthy and thriving ecosystems, and safe, stable climate. But with Smith and her separatist constituents setting up as a fifth column for annexation by Donald Trump’s United States, let’s set aside any notion that 51st state status for Canada is a recipe for anything other than climate disaster (and so much else). Resisting and withstanding Trump (just 170 more sleeps until mid-term elections, which is a damn sight better than the 730 we started with) doesn’t mean a free pass for a pipeline, but we can still appreciate it that keeping Canada whole and sovereign is still Carney’s Job One. • The Words Not Spoken: Apart from a commitment to export a million barrels of “low-emission” Alberta bitumen per day (memo to Smith and Carney: You realize that that’s less than the industry is already exporting??), the MOU implementation plan says nothing about the international trade and economic sovereignty deals that Carney has been travelling the world to negotiate. It didn’t have to. Carney doesn’t need permission from Danielle Smith, her American enablers, or her separatist allies to continue building the alliances that will ratchet down our economic dependency on our unstable, unreliable neighbour to the south. But every connection he builds with countries outside North America helps align our economy and our future with a faster shift off fossil fuels. Little if any of this was on our bingo cards a year or two ago. But it’s the pathway that has opened up to us. And if it gives Canada any climate or energy gains at all in an era still dominated by Trump and his increasingly ridiculous tariffs, his loutish trade negotiations and his continuing annexation threats, we have to take the wins. Not least because they’ll be the point of departure for what we can achieve in 2027, 2029, and beyond, as Trump’s grip and this era begin to loosen and then fade. What is Carney Doing? If this line of thought is right—and it’s a possibility, not a prediction—it means that Carney’s actions and decisions are largely about buying time. Time for Trump’s power to wane. Time for Alberta’s separatist/conspiracist virus to spread, mutate, die out, or at least die back, with help from a vaccine of federal steadiness and calm (appropriate enough, for a movement populated largely by vaccine deniers) that no conspiracy theory can dismiss. And time for the government’s trade and investment agenda to deliver results—even knowing that some of those results will bring impacts that front-line communities will not and should not accept. In the immediate moment, none of this changes the way the wider climate community has to respond, from campaigners to investors to front-line practitioners. All of our voices are still essential. But those voices will be stronger and more confident if we have a clearer sense of the brutal game we’ve been pulled into, and a plausible path (or two it three) for playing it to the win we need. This conversation also underscores our biggest task for the remaining years of what was supposed to be the “decisive” decade for climate response: if we can shift the energy narrative in Canada, make it a mainstream view that the country’s preoccupation with oil and gas has us falling farther behind a changing world, we’ll see far better results in the 2030s and beyond. For many veteran climate advocates, taking on that part of the fight will begin with recognizing that most of our friends and family, neighbours and colleagues already understand that climate change is real and right in front of us: they’re looking away and staying silent because they don’t have what climate communicator Katharine Hayhoe calls “efficacy”. As Hayhoe recently pointed out in a feature interview with The Energy Mix, it amounts to science denial to keep hammering away at the dire news about global warming without also helping audiences understand what they can do about it, with multiple studies telling us why that won’t work. Far better to open those conversations with the dominant crises like energy security, food security, emergency preparedness and business continuity, affordability, and financial security that have knocked climate change far lower on the list of public priorities, and will likely keep it there. We Knew This Would Happen Climate hawks have always known this day would come. For decades, we warned that everyone had to pay attention to climate change right now, because it would be much tougher to respond once the crisis itself started affecting our daily lives. We were right, and here we are. But now, thanks to decades of hard work, communities and countries have an alternative to doubling down on fossil fuels. “In 10 years everyone will have ‘always known’ that solar and batteries were going to win,” Morgan Solar Executive Chair Mike Andrade writes on LinkedIn. With the disruption in the Strait of Hormuz roiling energy priorities around the world, Canada and the United States are among the shrinking number of countries that are still very keen on fossil fuel development. Understanding that gap is a first, essential step in spotting the opportunities ahead, and averting the deep economic as well as environmental and social risk we face if we don’t seize them. Thanks for reading The Energy Mix Weekender! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Subscribe Mitchell Beer traces his background in renewable energy and energy efficiency back to 1977, in climate change to 1997. Now he and the rest of the Energy Mix team scan 1,200 news headlines a week to pull together The Energy Mix and The Energy Mix Weekender. Chart of the Week BYD Eyes 20 Dealership Locations After Canada Greenlights Chinese EV Imports ‘Sledgehammer’ Carbon Price Deal Boosts Emissions by 230Mt, Aims for Fall 2027 Pipeline Approval ‘Worse Than Harper’: Regulatory Rollback Would Stop Canada from Assessing Project Impacts, Critics Warn Electricity Strategy Aims for Doubling by 2050, Allows ‘Flexibility’ for Gas Power Plants Opposition Mounts as O’Leary’s Data Centre Approved in Drought-Stricken Utah Diluted Carbon Price Misses ‘Reality of the World We’re In’, Could Impede Diversified Trade: Climate Institute $200B in Clean Energy Investment Will Need On-Time Delivery, Reliable Policies, Trade Association Says ‘Sovereign Pipeline’: CEO Pitches to Keep Trans Mountain in Government Hands What a Supercharged El Niño Could Mean for Canada Canada’s future is electric, and here’s how a power grid superhighway would get us there (Toronto Star) The Perilous Waters of Hecate Strait (Globe and Mail) Saudi Aramco profits jump despite conflict in Middle East (The Guardian) Farmers confront rising cost of fertilizer and fuel as spring seeding under way (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Clarkson forecasts 24% decline in offshore oil, gas capital expenditures (Oil & Gas Journal) Pipe Dreams: How Oil and Gas Fail to Deliver Economic Development in Africa (Oil Change International) Developing countries must hold the pen to script the fossil fuel transition (Climate Home News) Iran war threatens the dream of a post-oil economy in the Gulf (Washington Post) U.S. Oil, Gas Work Force Hits Lowest Level Since 2022 (Rigzone) Why Polestar Is Doubling Down on Net Zero as Rivals Pull Back on EVs (Bloomberg) Why this Michigan utility plans to sell its hydro dams for $13 (E&E News/Politico) Levees can no longer save New Orleans (Vox)
With dwindling health care options, rural residents wonder what’s next from a new Mayo Clinic CEO
Southern Minnesota communities served by the world-famous medical system are waiting to see whether Mayo expands its rural offerings or continues closing and consolidating locations.