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Live entertainment this weekend at Amberg Pub
IRON MOUNTAIN — The Amberg Pub in Amberg, Wis., will feature full weekend of entertainment. On Friday, musician Rocky will play from 7 to 11 p.m. The local band, Next Myle will perform a variety of music from 6 to 10 p.m. On Sunday, the Curious Crow of Appleton, Wis., will offer a variety rock […]
Western Idaho Fair bringing music, food, and new entertainment this August
The Western Idaho Fair is set to return to the Treasure Valley later this summer, bringing with it a full lineup of concerts, classic fair food, and new enterta
Ex-prosecutor charged over handling of sealed Smith report on Trump classified files probe
A former federal prosecutor in Florida sent to her personal email account a special counsel report from the investigation into President Donald Trump's hoarding of classified documents despite a judge's order that it remain sealed, according to an indictment made public on Wednesday.
Trump roasts Dem candidate as unelectable for cardinal sin in Texas
Trump says Democrat James Talarico can't win Texas Senate race because "he's a vegan in Texas," while endorsing AG Ken Paxton in the GOP primary.
Scene Calendar: Live theater, Folk Festival, Florida’s Emancipation
Check out the latest performances at the Hippodrome Theatre, the Acrosstown Repertory Theatre, and the Gainesville Community Playhouse.
Trump-backed nominees dominate primary contests as president tightens party vicegrip
President Trump celebrated a sweeping primary night as his endorsed candidates won key GOP races in Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, Idaho and Oregon.
FDA vape guidance could endanger children, contradicting MAHA goals
When people inside your own administration are walking away over a policy, that tells you this isn’t just routine disagreement. This is a major fight over what public health is supposed to mean. …
Crush Yard combines pickleball, food, and entertainment in Central Florida
Discover Crush Yard, the ultimate indoor eatertainment venue in Central Florida. Enjoy pickleball, food, drinks, and entertainment all in one place.
Vikings down to 5 finalists for vacant general manager position
The Minnesota Vikings reportedly have a list of five candidates as their finalists for the vacant general manager job.
Democratic governor candidate Ethan Corson joins forces with Salina business director
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ethan Corson will run with Salina Chamber of Commerce president Renee Duxler as his running mate.
6,000-year-old humans with unique DNA are puzzling scientists - Futura-Sciences
The original hunter-gatherer group has no known modern descendants and no close ancient relatives. A study published in Science Advances details this isolated lineage. Led by Kim-Louise Krettek and senior author Cosimo Posth at the University of Tübingen, the project included collaboration with Andrea Casas-Vargas at the Universidad Nacional de...
Man accused of threatening mass shooting at Luling business taken into custody
Deputies and police agencies tracked and arrested a man accused of threatening a mass shooting in Luling Friday.
Dennis the Cat Day celebrate's felin's impact at Old Idaho Penitentiary
Old Idaho Penitentiary's famed and fabled Dennis the Cat will be celebrated Memorial Day weekend. Dennis the Cat lived to be 16 years old and brought comfort to many inmates.
Pennsylvania's Democratic Gov. Shapiro wins his primary, as do his endorsed candidates
Gov. Josh Shapiro was uncontested in Tuesday’s primary. He’s seeking a second term in the fall and puts his clout on the line in the battleground state ahead of a potential 2028 bid for the White House.
Galaxy S27 Pro leak suggests a pocket-friendly phone with Ultra features
It sounds like a Galaxy S27 Pro is on the cards for next year, and a new report may have just revealed screen info.
Springsteen's latest political moment
Bruce Springsteen heads to Cleveland on Friday at yet another political inflection point.
Biggest summer movies hitting Florida theaters from May to August 2026
From "Star Wars," "Toy Story" and "Spider-Man," to original titles and literary adaptations, the biggest blockbuster movies coming out this summer.
Astrolab's FLIP rover to carry NASA science, supporting Artemis moon base
Astrolab's FLIP rover, launching from Kennedy Space Center this year, will carry NASA science and tech to the moon, all in support of the moon base.
SWFL Inc. celebrates Southwest Florida's top leaders
SWFL Inc. honored Southwest Florida's most influential business and community leaders at the 2026 INCredible Awards.
Plan your weekend: Brevard's best entertainment events for May 22-28
Find your weekend adventure: Outdoor festivals, concerts and 'Beetlejuice' top our list of Brevard's best weekend entertainment events.
Here’s how you can win $100K to name John Morgan’s new Florida political party
After teasing a $100,000 prize for someone who can name his political party, John Morgan has now officially launched the contest.
Morning Sports: May 20, 2026
Buffalo HS Boys and Girls Soccer: They are the defending 3A state champs, and so far the Buffalo boys soccer team has taken everyone’s best shot this season. The Bison have put together a record of 11 wins and 3 losses and have the #1 seed out of the East heading into the state tournament, […]
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?
Q & A with Dr. Wohl: How global health changes could impact Ebola response
UNC infectious disease expert David Wohl says the Ebola outbreak in the DRC highlights growing gaps in global disease surveillance, response coordination and public health preparedness.
Google quietly nerfed its AI Pro plan, and here's what you get now
Google claims a fairer approach, while users call it a "scam."
Idaho Gov. Brad Little speaks at primary election party
Incumbent Brad Little speaks as early election results show him in the lead in the Republican primary for governor. Little is running for his third term as governor.
Polls have closed in Idaho Legislature races. Here’s what we know
In many districts, more-moderate Republicans challenged far-right incumbents for their seats. See how they did.
Texas Democrat Maureen Galindo faces backlash for pledging to imprison 'American Zionists' at ICE facility
Texas Democratic candidate Maureen Galindo draws criticism from her own party over posts pledging to detain American Zionists at an ICE facility.
Christian Ulvert: Why I’m all in for David Jolly for Governor
A veteran strategist bets on Jolly to reshape Florida.
Idaho Democrats choose small business owner in uphill race against incumbent GOP governor
Idaho Gov. Brad Little will face Democrat Terri Pickens in the general election as he vies for a third term in a solidly Republican state this November.
Andy Barr Wins Republican Primary for McConnell’s Seat in Kentucky
Mr. Barr, who serves in the House, consolidated support among Republicans in part by securing the endorsement of President Trump.
Channel 9 Sports Director Alex Walker goes 1-on-1 with Florida head football coach Jon Sumrall
Channel 9 Sports Director Alex Walker goes 1-on-1 with Florida head football coach Jon Sumrall
5 Things to Know About Derek Dooley, Republican Senate Candidate in Georgia
Mr. Dooley is a former football coach running in the Republican primary with the support of Gov. Brian Kemp.
5 Things to Know About Ed Gallrein, Republican House Candidate in Kentucky
Mr. Gallrein has President Trump’s support in his bid to oust Representative Thomas Massie.
Rival coaches highlight Florida, Sumrall's 'home-run' offseason move
Anonymous SEC coaches offered strong praise for Florida football and Jon Sumrall entering the 2026 season.
Google caps off I/O 2026 day one with Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3 release
As if you didn't have enough Google news to catch up with after I/O's keynote, we've also got a new Android 17 QPR1 Beta 3 release.
Casey Askar jumps into increasingly competitive CD 22 contest
He last ran for an open seat in 2020, but feels ready to take on Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a swing district under the new map.
How to watch N.Y. state comptroller debate on Spectrum News
The debate starts at 7 p.m., and will be hosted by political anchors Errol Louis and Susan Arbetter.
NAACP urging athletes, fans to boycott college athletic programs over voting rights complaints
The schools identified by the campaign include Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, LSU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M
Get Outside with Sports, Fitness, and Plenty of Fun This Summer
There’s no shortage of ways to play in the great outdoors on Florida’s Historic Coast Skimboarding PRO/AM Tournament Florida Skimboarding Pro/Am takes Place on Vilano Beach in St. Augustine Florida August 14-16. Bridge of Lions 5K The Annual 5k Run starts at Castillo de San Marcos, along Matanzas Bay and across the Historic Bridge of Lions takes place on July 11. St. Augustine, FL, May 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Summer is the perfect time to get outside, stay active, and explore everything Flo
Maria Elvira Salazar says military invasion of Cuba unlikely, but end of Castro regime still imminent
'They are going to go by their own volition.'
Jahmiel Jackson, 24, seeks to shake up Philly politics with independent run for Congress
ATLANTA — Jahmiel Jackson, one of the youngest congressional candidates in the country, is looking to reshape politics during the 2026 midterm cycle. While he started out in the race as a Democrat,…
Florida football cracks CBS Sports' top 25 in post-spring rankings
The Florida Gators were one of the biggest movers in CBS Sports' post-spring ranking of all 138 college football teams.
Central District Health announces new director, Kristin Ryan
The Central District Health (CDH) Board announced that Kristin Ryan was chosen as the agency's new director.CDH says Ryan most recently worked at the City of Bo
Series Preview: 3 Advantages Golden Knights Have Over Avalanche
For the fifth time in nine years, the Vegas Golden Knights are in the Western Conference Final. If they want to advance to their third Stanley Cup Final, they’ll have to overcome a powerful and intimidating foe: the Colorado Avalanche.
US health officials order quarantine for 2 passengers from cruise ship with hantavirus outbreak
U.S. health officials say they've issued quarantine orders for two passengers who were on the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak who are now at a hospital in Nebraska.
Bradenton icon Gene Gallo throws weight behind Melton Little in HD 71 race
'I'm honored to have Gene Gallo's support.'
Evaluating Rueben Chinyelu's NBA draft decision after combine results
One of the biggest questions heading into the NBA draft is whether Florida basketball's starting center Rueben Chinyelu will return to school.
John Morgan's $100K political party contest starts now
John Morgan needs your help to name his third party.
Trump picks Paxton over Cornyn in Texas’ GOP Senate primary runoff as early voting is underway
The Republican president had repeatedly teased his intention to endorse a candidate in the race, starting soon after Ken Paxton and John Cornyn emerged as the remaining contenders from the first round of primary voting in March.
Plex announces borderline offensive Lifetime Pass price hike
Starting on July 1, newly purchased Lifetime Plex Pass subscriptions will cost $749.99, three times the current $249.99 rate.
Trump to join Rep. Mike Lawler for economic event Friday in Rockland County
Lawler represents New York's 17th Congressional District.
Service & Solidarity Spotlight: Michigan Science Center Workers Vote to Join the UAW
Workers at the Michigan Science Center (Mi-Sci) voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining the UAW.
Live Results: Oregon midterm state and congressional primaries
Oregon’s Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek and the nearly two dozen challengers hoping to defeat her are among the candidates who will seek their parties’ nominations for state and federal offices in Tuesday’s primary.
Live Results: Idaho midterm congressional primaries
The contests will set the stage for the November general election, when Republicans will count on big wins in Idaho to help keep control of the U.S. Senate and House.
In deep blue California, Dems find a villain toxic enough to rival Trump: The power company
Rising electricity prices have frustrated voters, creating a prime target for candidates.
From avoidance to greater acceptance: Interest grows in youth combat sports
Columbia parents and kids are finding benefits from mixed martial arts not only in the gym but beyond it as well.
Yankees news: Could Gerrit Cole be activated on Friday?
Cole could come up for his next start; bullpen as a unit bad, Bednar particularly unreliable; retirements and callups
US Senate confirms Louisiana nominees for U.S attorney, energy regulator and more
WASHINGTON – Zachary Keller was confirmed by the Senate Monday evening as U.S. Attorney for much of Louisiana, along with two other candidates from Louisiana.
Recognition marks well-being journey milestone at Henry Ford Health
At Henry Ford Health, Bronze-level designation from the AMA validated years of groundwork to make physician well-being a visible, systemwide priority.
The UAE’s economy and image as Mideast haven are tested by war
The United Arab Emirates for decades advertised itself as a haven for business in the Middle East.
LA mayor's race: AI videos supporting Spencer Pratt shake up political playbook
AI-generated videos depicting L.A. mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt as a superhero and his rival Karen Bass as a villain are gaining traction online.
Yomiuri: Japan Post to Strengthen Real Estate Business, Aims for Top 10 Rank Among General Developers
Japan Post Holdings Co. announced Friday its policy to strengthen its real estate business in a new medium-term management plan. The company will develop asset-turnover businesses through such initiatives as the sale of condominiums and the establishment of a real estate investment advisory firm.
Spirits brands look to sports, sponsorship and celebrity playbook to convert younger consumers
For advertisers like Chivas, Maker’s Mark and Jameson sports is the keystone of efforts to recruit younger drinkers and renew brand profiles.
Indianapolis named No. 3 Best Sports Business City
With the No. 3 ranking, Indianapolis jumps eight spots from the inaugural rankings in 2023, when it was ranked No. 11.
What Flutter Entertainment (FLUT)'s Strong Q1, Leadership Shuffle and Buyback Completion Means For Shareholders
In early May 2026, Flutter Entertainment plc reported Q1 2026 revenue of US$4,304 million versus US$3,665 million a year earlier, alongside lower net income of US$218 million, refreshed full‑year revenue guidance, leadership changes at FanDuel and the international division, and completion of a US$1,241.88 million share buyback program. At the same time, stronger‑than‑anticipated Q1 operating performance, new FanDuel loyalty and product features, and a reconfigured management team sharpened...
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie defiant as Trump seeks to oust him in primary: "I'm going to win"
Massie said the president is worried about his preferred candidate Ed Gallrein's chances in the Kentucky race.
Why Josh Shapiro Isn’t Acting Like Other Potential 2028 Candidates
The Pennsylvania governor’s in-state focus is a contrast with other possible presidential hopefuls.
Android users are finally starting to see Google's major Gemini app design overhaul
Google is rolling out a fresh redesign for the Gemini app for Android ahead of I/O 2026, matching the iOS app redesign in early May.
Inter Miami CF and Heron Sports & Entertainment to Join FIFA World Cup 26™ Celebration in Club’s Elite Facilities
Inter Miami CF and Heron Sports & Entertainment will join the FIFA World Cup 26™ festivities by hosting a series of special events across its world-class facilities - Nu Stadium, Inter Miami CF Stadium and the Florida Blue Training Center. Inter Miami CF’s world-class facilities will host four nations preparing
Inter Miami CF and Heron Sports & Entertainment to Join FIFA World Cup 26™ Celebration in Club’s Elite Facilities
Inter Miami CF and Heron Sports & Entertainment will join the FIFA World Cup 26™ festivities by hosting a series of special events across its world-class facilities - Nu Stadium, Inter Miami CF Stadium and the Florida Blue Training Center. Inter Miami CF’s world-class facilities will host four nations preparing
How one Pocatello business is helping eastern Idaho save water, one lawn at a time
POCATELLO – Amid a water shortage and emergency drought in place across Idaho, a Pocatello business offers homeowners a way to water their lawn more efficiently and help conserve water. RELATED | Idaho declares drought emergency for all 44 counties as snowpack hits record lows Canopy Lawn Care, now in its second year of operation […]
Video: Opinion | The End of Reality TV Politics
Reality TV politics is coming to an end because, Sarah Isgur argues, reality TV itself is dying. On “The Opinions,” she explains why she believes voters are now gravitating toward more optimistic, Ted Lasso-style candidates instead.
Risky Business: More Guidance Needed for Companies in Conflict Zones
In a comment submitted to the UN Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, CBHR and Steptoe LLP urged the need for clearer guidance on corporate responsibility in conflict zones, where overlapping bodies of international law leave businesses unsure of their obligations.
Report: Suns will explore trading into draft's 1st round
The Phoenix Suns enter the 2026 NBA Draft with the 47th pick. A path to moving into the first round remains hard to see.
New renderings released for $250M entertainment district proposed near Louisville Slugger Field
Updated renderings released Friday offer a new look at the proposed $250 million entertainment district planned near Louisville Slugger Field.
How reality TV stars seeking office are changing politics
Discuss how political candidates are capitalizing on name recognition through past exposure from reality TV
Inter Miami CF and Heron Sports & Entertainment to Join World Cup Celebration in Club’s Elite Facilities
Inter Miami CF and Heron Sports & Entertainment will join the FIFA World Cup 26™ festivities by hosting a series of special events across its world-class facilities - Nu Stadium, Inter Miami CF Stadium and the Florida Blue Training Center. Inter Miami CF’s top-notch facilities will accommodate four nations preparing
Inter Miami CF and Heron Sports & Entertainment to Join World Cup Celebration in Club’s Elite Facilities
Inter Miami CF and Heron Sports & Entertainment will join the FIFA World Cup 26™ festivities by hosting a series of special events across its world-class facilities - Nu Stadium, Inter Miami CF Stadium and the Florida Blue Training Center. Inter Miami CF’s top-notch facilities will accommodate four nations preparing
New renderings released for $250M entertainment district proposed near Louisville Slugger Field
Updated renderings released Friday offer a new look at the proposed $250 million entertainment district planned near Louisville Slugger Field.
Politics in park prove positive
More than 30 political candidates descended upon Cody for Politics in the Park, drawing voters from around the basin for the opportunity to meet, learn and voice their concerns.
Whoa! Netflix is Sending Narnia Heading to Theaters...What This Means for the Future of Film
(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Here’s a funny thing about the debate over whether streamers should release their movies in theaters first: Both sides think the other side represents the “conventional wisdom”. If you’ve been reading me for any amount of time, or even just scanned my front page, you know I think movies make more money by having a robust theatrical window compared to going straight-to-streaming. I’ve published thousands of words on this topic. And for years, I felt like I was standing up to a wave of opposition. See, while the “put your films in theaters to make money” take was obvious at any point before 2019, post-streaming revolution, most of the trendy thinkers took the opposite point of view. Big names argued that Netflix putting their film straight-to-streaming (“S-to-S” from here on out) actually made more money. Netflix was “disrupting” theaters, just as they disrupted Blockbuster Video, and since innovation is always good, this too was a great idea. This thinking then leaked into the mainstream business outlets like the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. I read many articles whose take boiled down to “Netflix makes tons of money from S-to-S releases” and “theaters were in structural decline” anyways. Covid-19 shutting down theaters and the 2023 strikes shutting down film production seemingly justified this point of view, as the box office struggled to return to 2017-2019 heights. Yet I’ve also read folks arguing the opposite point: the conventional wisdom says to put films in theaters! From some writers’ points of view, “everyone” actually agrees/agreed with my “send your films to theaters” take—especially the stodgy traditional studios—and folks still didn’t understand Netflix’s genius. I feel like, for the last two years, many people have argued this point as if it’s conventional wisdom. You know what? I may have been wrong. At this point, the “S-to-S strategy makes money” might be the minority viewpoint. Especially with the news this month that Netflix will put at least one film—Greta Gerwig’s Narnia film The Magician’s Nephew—in theaters in 2027 for a full 49-day run is big news. So that’s the story of the week, but I’ll also explain why they’re making this move now and why Netflix may not completely embrace theaters, along with other topics, like how I don’t buy Disney’s “super app” strategy, the latest good news out of the unions, my take on the latest attacks against free speech, and a whole lot more. Let’s get started. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Netflix Goes to Theaters! Listen, I promise not to victory lap too hard today. As I just wrote, I’ve argued against sending films straight-to-streaming for—checks calendar—eight years now. Since 2018. Yikes. That’s a long time. And for years, others painted my thinking as “conventional” in that I was standing up for the status quo against trendy, cool disruption. And that’s not cool! But math is math, and I never could make the S-to-S numbers work. The only thing that ever enabled that model was Wall Street’s brief exuberance for it. It seems like the heads of Netflix now agree with me. (There were always rumors that former head of film for Netflix Scott Stuber argued internally for theatrical releases as well.) As they announced: “The Magician’s Nephew_—the first film in a Narnia series of films—will open on 12-Feb-2027, with a 49 day theatrical exclusive run.”_ I’m a little surprised at how little coverage this big change actually got. Credit to Bloomberg for leading with it and Matt Belloni’s The Town for highlighting it with the provocatively titled podcast “Hell Hath Frozen Over”. But after that? Instead of getting as much coverage as, say, the FCC’s latest egregious crackdown on free speech, this news story got crickets. But it’s massively more important for the future business of entertainment. So let’s start with the obvious question… Why Put Your Movies in Theaters? So…why should Netflix put (some!) of their movies in theaters? Well, I’ve already written that in a very, very, very long article from 2022: [ ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/the-data-is-in-theatrical-films-massively) [ The Data Is In: Theatrical Films Massively Outperform Straight-To-Streaming Films ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/the-data-is-in-theatrical-films-massively) Entertainment Strategy Guy · April 5, 2023 [ Read full story ](https://entertainment.substack.com/p/the-data-is-in-theatrical-films-massively) To summarize, theatrical runs make much more money, especially blockbusters, because they earn more money per viewing,1 and that helps boost home entertainment sales. Theatrical films also perform as well or better than the streaming-only films. Now, partially this is driven by increased marketing for said films, but said marketing ultimately boosts the awareness of the movies and drives improved streaming and library performance as well. Again, I’ve made this case after reviewing the economic models and streaming data for years. Just last week, Emily Horgan also made the case for kids films! Yes, it is probably conventional wisdom, but that’s also because it’s true! I’d also argue we’ve seen a lot of data in the various studios’ behavior. As I’ve noted before, the more a studio needs to make money, the likelier they are to put films in theaters. As such, Disney, Universal, Warner Bros., Paramount and Sony all send their major films to theaters. Even if they once made a big S-to-S push (*cough* Disney *cough*), they’ve since relented and returned to theaters. The tech companies don’t need to make money, per se, so it took them years to embrace theaters. Apple doesn’t need to make money because it doesn’t disclose their (likely) Quibi-sized losses each year. (They fear bad press more than losing money.) Amazon announced two years ago that they planned to make Amazon-MGM Studios/Prime Video profitable on its own, and guess what? Now they’re putting films in theaters. That leaves Netflix. They’re in between the “no need to make money at all” and the “desperately need to make money to offset linear TV declines”, so they had less pressure to put some films in theaters. Plus, for years, they were the sexy disruptor, and Wall Street rewarded them for that. (Honestly, they still do.) Yet, even Netflix likely saw the money they were leaving on the table (I’ve estimated it at an easy billion dollars before) so they changed their course. I heard one pundit argue that, because Netflix already makes so much money, they don’t need to make more money, which sort of goes against everything I’ve ever learned about business and economics. Again, to be super-nuanced, sending “films to theaters” does not mean EVERY film. TV movies have been a thing for decades. Lifetime films, Hallmark holiday films, Disney Channel Original Movies, and so on, don’t need theatrical runs. But films above a certain budget level (say $25 to 50 million) almost certainly need theaters to maximize their revenue. The Scenarios (with a Dose of Skepticism) Now time for some skepticism: it won’t surprise me at all if Netflix re-changes course. Specifically, Netflix announced that their Narnia film will go to theaters. And I’d bet anything we see KPop Demon Hunters 2: The Huntering2 also goes to theaters, cause it’s the surest hit outside of a Disney animated sequel right now. But how much does Netflix truly commit to theaters? They’ve already tried to emphasize that this is a one-off move. I see three broad scenarios:
Georgia GOP scrambles to pick candidate to face Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff
Trump has not endorsed a candidate, which could lead to a runoff on June 16.
North Idaho State Fair is less than 100 days away: Here is what you need to know
Democratic leadership needs to stop with the Goldilocks politics
Despite the current political climate, Democrats are struggling to take a stand on important issues, leading to individual candidates rising in popularity by taking their own stands and calling for…
Leela Gray raises $100K in 10 days after enactment of new Florida congressional map
'This community will not be silenced, and I will not back down.'
Texas politics has a bigger antisemitism problem than District C
Joe Panzarella’s runoff win came despite a late attack over a CAIR endorsement, but other Texas candidates deserve far more serious scrutiny over antisemitism, writes Opinion Editor Evan Mintz.
New MatterChat Model Helps AI to ‘See’ the Language of Science
From writing emails to generating computer code, much of the artificial intelligence prevalent in our daily lives has succeeded by mastering one domain: text. However, this leaves a major blind spot in the physical sciences, where models depend on the high-resolution, three-dimensional data of the physical world, like the intricate lattice of atoms in a crystal. Delivering on the promise of using AI for science requires teaching these data-driven text models to seamlessly “talk to” physics-based models. Now, a new AI framework from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), called MatterChat, solves this problem by creating a specialized “bridge.” It connects the conversational power of a Large Language Model (LLM) with a physics-based AI that models “interatomic potentials”: the complex physical forces between atoms. The resulting system already significantly outperforms general-purpose AI tools like GPT-4 at predicting material properties, and the team hopes it can accelerate scientific discovery by serving as a robust research partner that provides grounded insights and generates step-by-step instructions for synthesizing novel materials. A paper describing this work was recently published in Nature Machine Intelligence. “Traditional simulations can provide the physical rigor required for materials science, yet their computational cost remains prohibitive for high-throughput screening. Conversely, while LLMs excel at rapid knowledge synthesis, they inherently lack the ‘structural vision’ to interpret materials directly from their underlying atomic coordinates,” said Yingheng Tang, a postdoctoral researcher in Berkeley Lab’s Applied Math and Computational Research Division (AMCR) and lead author on the paper. “MatterChat was built to solve this dilemma, empowering LLMs with a structural ‘vision’ that allows researchers to leverage their full potential for solving complex, real-world materials challenges.” Empowering language models to solve complex challenges in materials science To build MatterChat, the Berkeley Lab team drew inspiration from technologies like Vision Question Answering (VQA) and Text-to-Image (T2I) generation. In these tasks, AI must translate high-level text concepts into visual images, or vice versa. Doing so requires developers to build tools that “bridge” two fundamentally different forms of data. The researchers adapted this concept to the physical sciences. With MatterChat, they created a “bridge model” that successfully connects an LLM’s general knowledge with the deep understanding of the atomic-scale world encoded in scientific interatomic potentials. Until now, researchers using LLMs to solve materials problems usually had to feed them raw data files as if they were just strings of text. It’s like asking an AI to understand a complex 3D engine based only on a parts list: the LLM can read the names, but it can’t “see” how the atoms fit together in space. MatterChat solves this by training a specialized AI bridge model, pre-trained on millions of crystal structures and an LLM, to align the LLM’s representation of the world with the interatomic potential’s representation of the world. The bridge model can translate physical insights into a format the LLM can actually understand. By giving the LLM these “scientific eyes”— a scientific “inductive bias” in the terminology of AI — the Berkeley Lab team has transformed it into a robust research tool capable of providing grounded scientific insights into complex materials challenges, such as predicting thermal stability or analyzing electronic band gaps. “We think of atoms as living in a physical space, but from a machine learning perspective, they are just vectors living in some very non-trivially structured manifold in a high-dimensional Euclidean space; and, of course, the same is true for the sentences and paragraphs that we use to express our ideas about those atoms,” said co-author Michael Mahoney, Berkeley Lab’s Scientific Data Division (SDD) AI Initiative Research Lead. “The bridge model basically gets those two structures to ‘talk with’ each other.” As a proof-of-concept of this general approach, the team trained their bridge model on a dataset curated by pairing nearly 143,000 stable atomic structures from the Materials Project with their corresponding physical properties. This training data was automatically assembled using the Materials Project’s API and deliberately enriched with properties fundamental to microelectronics design — like formation energy and bandgap — allowing MatterChat to learn the complex patterns connecting a material’s atomic blueprint to its functional performance. To validate their model, the researchers benchmarked MatterChat against a suite of other AI systems, from general-purpose LLMs to other specialized scientific AI methods. The results show that MatterChat consistently outperformed its competitors across a range of tasks. The model was more accurate in classifying material types and demonstrated superior precision in predicting numerical properties. For example, it excelled at predicting a material’s bandgap, a property critical for designing new electronics from high-capacity energy storage to next-generation computer chips. “Our design is significantly more efficient because we don’t have to build a massive AI model from the ground up,” said co-author Zhi (Jackie) Yao, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s AMCR. “Instead, we take two powerful, pre-trained models — a structural encoder for materials physics and an open-source LLM — and use them off-the-shelf. The only component we actually train is the lightweight ‘bridge model’ that translates between them. It’s the difference between building an entire car factory and simply designing a smart adapter that connects a world-class engine to a world-class navigation system. This approach is not only computationally efficient, but also makes the system modular, so we can easily upgrade components or adapt the bridge for other scientific domains in the future.” Crucially, this modular design highlights exactly how institutions like Berkeley Lab and the Department of Energy are carving out a highly valuable niche in the booming AI landscape. Rather than competing with Silicon Valley tech giants to build ever-larger language models from scratch, the lab is focusing on the specialized connective tissue that makes commercial AI useful for hardcore science. Because the bridge model approach underlying MatterChat is forward-compatible, it is perfectly positioned to leverage these parallel tracks of innovation. As Mahoney pointed out, “We expect that industry will continue to develop improved LLMs, and we expect domain scientists and facilities will continue to generate new data. An important part of scientific machine learning is not simply to solve problems on today’s data, but instead to develop general methods that will be forward-compatible with orders of magnitude more data, whether from scientific domains or from LLMs.” According to Yao, the MatterChat project, which was initially developed and enhanced with funding from a Berkeley Lab Laboratory Directed Research & Development (LDRD) Program, will now expand its capabilities. In a collaboration with Fermilab, MatterChat is already contributing to a U.S. Department of Energy Genesis Mission project — called Accelerating eXtreme Environment Specs-to-Silicon (AXESS) — that aims to speed up the development of next-generation, high-speed, radiation-hardened detectors for challenging particle physics experiments by using advanced 3D integrated circuits (chiplets) and AI-driven data analysis. In addition to the LDRD support, the team also credits supercomputing resources at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC), located at Berkeley Lab, with MatterChat’s success. “We are incredibly grateful to NERSC; this research simply would not have happened without access to the Perlmutter supercomputer through their AI for Science program,” said Tang. Wenbin Xu, a NERSC postdoctoral fellow at the time, was also a major co-author of the work, as was Benjamin Erichson, a research scientist in Berkeley Lab’s SDD, highlighting the benefits of AMCR-SDD collaboration on AI for science. ### Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
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Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins is positioning himself as a strong supporter of Donald Trump in his bid to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff | 97.3 The Sky
Georgia Republicans scramble to pick a candidate to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff
Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins is positioning himself as a strong supporter of Donald Trump in his bid to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff | WWJ Newsradio 950
Georgia Republicans scramble to pick a candidate to take on Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff
Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins is positioning himself as a strong supporter of Donald Trump in his bid to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff | News-Talk 1380 WAOK
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