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Selena Gomez and her mental health startup accused of fraud

Several investors in Selena Gomez’s mental health startup Wondermind sued the popstar Thursday, claiming they were misled about the startup’s success and her involvement in it.

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Aug 13 • 5:35 PM EDT • Business • cnn.com
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Coming March 2027: the Idaho Health Priorities Conference

Boise State University’s School of Public and Population Health, in collaboration with the Idaho Public...

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Aug 13 • 3:11 PM EDT • Health • boisestate.edu
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Selena Gomez Accused of Fraud by Mental-Health Startup Investors

Pop star Selena Gomez is being accused of fraud by investors who claim she failed to deliver on promises to leverage her global celebrity and social-media following to promote her mental-health startup, which collapsed last year.

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Aug 13 • 1:38 PM EDT • Health • bloomberg.com
Selena Gomez Accused of Fraud by Mental-Health Startup Investors

Pop star Selena Gomez is being accused of fraud by investors who claim she failed to deliver on promises to leverage her global celebrity and social-media following to promote her mental-health startup, which collapsed last year.

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Aug 13 • 1:38 PM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com
The Los Angeles Lakers’ Record $12.5 Billion Sale Resets The Market For Sports Teams

Less than a year after Mark Walter paid $10 billion for the team, he flipped it like a piece of real estate. But if there is a bubble for professional sports team ownership, it hasn’t shown any signs of popping yet.

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Aug 13 • 12:48 PM EDT • Sports • forbes.com
WWII motorcycle and soldiers emerge from river muck in Hungary

Historically low water levels in the Danube are revealing over 80 years of history.

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Aug 13 • 12:01 PM EDT • Science • popsci.com
Girls flag football elevated to 29th varsity sport in Ohio

The Browns were the driving force and led efforts in the elevation process, with the sport exploding in popularity

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Aug 13 • 11:41 AM EDT • Sports • clevelandbrowns.com
Putting tiny backpacks on butterflies—for science

With the Project Monarch App, users can track their 3,000-mile-long migration.

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Aug 13 • 11:09 AM EDT • Science • popsci.com
We smell different as we age. Here's why.

An odor-producing molecule 2-nonenal is only part of the story.

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Aug 13 • 9:03 AM EDT • Science • popsci.com
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Wooree Green Science Introduces LipoPrime™ Liposomal Ingredients to the U.S. Market with a Data-Driven Approach to Performance and Quality

Wooree Green Science Co., Ltd., a leader in advanced liposomal delivery technologies, announced that its LipoPrime™ liposomal ingredient platform is now available to U.S. dietary supplement and functional nutrition brands.

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Aug 13 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • finance.yahoo.com
Twitch faces backlash over Amazon using content to train AI

Users of the popular streaming platform criticised allowing Amazon to use their data by dafault.

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Aug 13 • 6:39 AM EDT • Technology • bbc.com
Energy drinks are more popular than ever. Here’s what we know about the health risks.

Highly caffeinated energy drinks have been linked to heart problems, obesity and anxiety.

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Aug 13 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • theexamination.org
‘KPop Demon Hunters’ star says Leonardo DiCaprio ‘put her off’ her BAFTAs performance: ‘He was not smiling’

‘KPop Demon Hunters’ singer Ejae cited uncomfortable eye contact with Leonardo DiCaprio as a reason for ‘mistakes’ in her ‘Golden’ performance at the BAFTAs: ‘He was not smiling.’

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Aug 12 • 8:49 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Asia-Pacific parliamentarians urge bolder action for universal health coverage, climate resilience and responsible AI

Parliamentarians representing 16 countries from across the Asia-Pacific region concluded the Ninth Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health (APPFGH) today, reaffirming their key role in advancing universal health coverage (UHC) amid the risks and opportunities posed by AI and climate change. In adopting the Phnom Penh Communiqué, parliamentarians urged fellow legislators regionwide to strengthen sustainable financing for UHC to widen access to health for all, including the most vulnerable populations; promote responsible governance of AI amid ethical concerns over this fast-evolving technology; and build climate-resilient health systems to anticipate and respond to mounting pressures ranging from rising sea levels in coastal areas to air pollution and other environmental degradation.The National Assembly of Cambodia, with support from Cambodia’s Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO), hosted the Forum in Phnom Penh from 11 to 13 August 2026 – the first time the Forum has convened in a Mekong country.Parliamentarians urge action to close gaps in accessIn the Communiqué, parliamentarians recognized that at-risk and marginalized groups are the ones most severely affected by gaps in access to health services. These groups include people living in poverty, women and children, persons with disabilities, older people, migrants, refugees, and those in rural, remote or island communities. The Communiqué urges fellow parliamentarians and policy-makers to advocate for laws and policies that support sustainable financing to protect people from financial hardship, with a focus on primary health care, prevention and equity. "The Communiqué is a call to action. It sets out ambitious, concrete measures that deliver meaningful impact on the ground. We are all accountable for advancing universal health coverage and translating our commitments into tangible results. Cambodia is fully committed to advancing UHC, including the promotion of ‘healthy people, prosperous country’ campaign,” said Samdech Maha Rathsapheathika Thipadei Khuon Sudary, President of the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia.His Excellency Professor Chheang Ra, Minister of Health of the Kingdom of Cambodia, highlighted the need for collaboration beyond the health sector. “Universal health coverage cannot be achieved by the Ministry of Health alone. It requires support, particularly from parliamentarians, across political, legislative, financial, social protection, education, infrastructure, and environmental domains. While each country follows its own path, one factor is universally critical for success: strong governance and leadership. We all believe in this principle, and in our respective political roles, we remain committed to strengthening these key success factors to ensure that no one is left behind.”Promoting responsible AI adoption Parliamentarians acknowledged that, while AI has already demonstrated its ability to improve access to health services and support delivery, careful and ethical governance is necessary to safeguard quality, safety, privacy and public trust. This underscores the importance of parliamentarians in promoting legal and regulatory frameworks addressing liability, records ownership and data governance, while embracing innovation that protects ethical practice.“Without strong governance, safeguards for privacy and data security, sustainable financing, and attention to those most at risk of exclusion, new technologies may widen existing gaps instead of closing them. This is why parliamentarians matter. We pass laws. We approve budgets. We scrutinize government action. We represent communities. We can ask whether health services are reaching rural, remote, ageing, poor, and marginalized populations. We can ask whether innovation is being guided by equity, evidence, and ethics,” said Hon. Man Hee Lee, President of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health.Building climate-resilient health systemsParliamentarians also reiterated that the climate crisis is a direct threat to people’s health and to achieving UHC more broadly, deepening the same gaps in access already faced by at-risk and marginalized communities. They recognized the need for WHO Member States to ensure sufficient national appropriations and oversight, and for parliamentarians to raise awareness in their constituencies and mobilize local action in building climate-resilient and sustainable health systems.“Universal health coverage, climate change and AI cannot be addressed in isolation. The same communities struggling to access health services today are often the ones most exposed to climate shocks, and most in need of the opportunities AI can offer if this technology is governed responsibly,” said Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific. “Having served previously in this Forum myself as a parliamentarian from Tonga, I recognize how the Phnom Penh Communiqué reflects the shared resolve of legislators across the Asia-Pacific region: the laws parliamentarians pass and the budgets they approve help ensure this progress reaches the people who need it most.”As the Forum drew to a close, delegates reflected on what they would carry back to their own parliaments and constituencies.“I wish to share three points here worth carrying home from Phnom Penh: we need to invest in primary health care as the foundation of coverage; we need to remove the barriers that keep people from care, whether financial, geographic or social; and we need to build systems that are inclusive by design, protecting those most at risk of being left behind,” added Hon. Ouch Borith, First Vice-President of the Senate of the Kingdom of Cambodia.###Notes for editors:The Asia-Pacific Parliamentarian Forum on Global Health (APPFGH) is a platform for parliamentarians to exchange ideas, build political will, strengthen capacity and foster collaboration towards sustainable health action. This was the ninth meeting of the APPFGH, with the theme “Universal Health Coverage in the era of Climate Change and Artificial Intelligence”. Target 3.8 of the Sustainable Development Goals calls on countries to achieve universal health coverage, including financial risk protection, access to quality essential health services, and access to safe, effective, quality and affordable essential medicines and vaccines for all. In the Western Pacific, UHC service coverage index (SDG 3.8.1) rose from 63 in 2000 to 81 in 2023 (figures include Indonesia), and roughly one in four people in the Western Pacific have experienced financial hardship (SDG 3.8.2). Progress towards UHC in the Asia-Pacific region remains uneven, with hundreds of millions of people still lacking access to essential health services or facing financial hardship due to health-related expenses. Strengthening the role of parliaments – through legislation, financing and oversight – is central to closing this gap and accelerating progress towards UHC across the region.Parliamentarians participating in APPFGH in Cambodia this week include: Hon. Pehin Dato Adanan YUSOF, Brunei Darussalam; Hon. Rosmawatty ABDUL MUMIN, Brunei Darussalam; Hon. LORK Kheng, Kingdom of Cambodia; Hon. YOS Phanita, Kingdom of Cambodia; Hon. KHOUN Khundy, Kingdom of Cambodia; Hon. HENG Halim, Kingdom of Cambodia; Hon. KHOENG Noupheap, Kingdom of Cambodia; Hon. SENG Nhak, Kingdom of Cambodia; Hon. LY Sukry, Kingdom of Cambodia; Hon. NHOEURN Raden, Kingdom of Cambodia; Hon. Dr Ratu Atonio LALABALAVU, Republic of Fiji; Hon. Vijay NATH, Republic of Fiji; Hon. Man Hee LEE, Republic of Korea; Hon. Dr Jiho CHA, Republic of Korea; Hon. Jonghun BAEK, Republic of Korea; Hon. Youngsuk SEO, Republic of Korea; Hon. Dr Phayvanh KEOPASEUTH, Lao People’s Democratic Republic; Hon. Suhaizan Bin KAIAT, Malaysia; Hon. Dr Perpetua KONMAN, Federated States of Micronesia; Hon. Ganmaa DAVAASAMBUU, Mongolia; Hon. Charmaine SCOTTY, Republic of Naoero; Hon. Vincent Ambance KUMURA, Papua New Guinea; Hon. Dr Edwin CRUZADO, Republic of the Philippines; Hon. AUUAPAAU Mulipola Aloitafua Mulipola, Samoa; Hon. ASIATA TAVUI Tafu Salevao, Samoa; Hon. Dr Alani Petelo TANGITAU, Tonga; Hon. Paul PAOLO, Republic of Vanuatu; Hon. Franklyn Ezra WILLIAM, Republic of Vanuatu.For more information, contact: WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific: wprocom@who.int National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia (International Relations Department): ir.nacambodia@gmail.com

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Aug 12 • 8:00 PM EDT • Health • who.int
Car crashes into Trap House Chicken on Normandy Blvd.; owner says business will stay open

A car crashed into Trap House Chicken on Normandy Blvd. Wednesday afternoon, sending the popular restaurant into cleanup and recovery mode — but its owner says the doors will stay open.

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Aug 12 • 6:16 PM EDT • Business • news4jax.com
Money and politics play a role in public education curriculum gaining popularity in Texas

As Texas lawmakers put more restrictions on what is approved for the classroom, one expert told ABC13 that one curriculum has a clear advantage.

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Aug 12 • 6:07 PM EDT • Politics • abc13.com
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One Year In, Pope Leo XIV Reveals Political Divides Among U.S. Catholics

In his first year as the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV has taken clear stances on many issues, including the U.S. immigration system and the war in Iran.

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Aug 12 • 3:51 PM EDT • Politics • prri.org
How faith leaders and public health leaders can address homelessness—together | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Harvard Chan School's Howard Koh discusses the importance of both health care and spiritual care for unhoused populations, and how both disciplines can contribute to ending the U.S. homelessness crisis.

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Aug 12 • 3:14 PM EDT • Health • hsph.harvard.edu
Popular blood pressure drug recalled

Novartis recalled a single lot of valsartan, a blood pressure/heart failure drug the company sells under the brand name Diovan. According to the FDA, this is a Class II recall.

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Aug 12 • 2:54 PM EDT • Business • cardiovascularbusiness.com
Honor Launches Its Long-Awaited Robot Phone And Yes It Can Wiggle At You

The big news with Honor's latest is the automated pop-up camera gimbal.

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Aug 12 • 1:42 PM EDT • Technology • engadget.com
Astronomers discover the existence of a ‘black hole star’

The never-before-seen objects are gargantuan, immensely bright, and ancient.

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Aug 12 • 11:00 AM EDT • Science • popsci.com
Small Business Spotlight: Specialty dental practice takes root on Market St.

WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO OPEN BLUE HERON ROOT CANAL SPECIALISTS? OWNER SARAH ERMOSHKIN: “I’ve always been an entrepreneur at heart. When I was 23 years old, I owned a cafe in Seattle, where I even fought to oppose oppressive sales taxes on espresso drinks. After selling that business, I got married and started a family. Once my children were in school, I attended dental school through the Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), which covered my tuition and provided a stipend. From the beginning, my goal was to eventually own my own practice after completing my military service. The work I do is incredibly rewarding and being able to create an environment that puts patients first while helping employees grow professionally makes every day as a business owner meaningful.” WHAT DOES YOUR BUSINESS PROVIDE? ERMOSHKIN: “Endodontists are often called ‘pain doctors’ because our primary mission is to relieve pain and save natural teeth. We specialize in root canal therapy, retreatment of nonhealing root canals, treatment of root resorption, apicoectomies – microsurgical root-end procedures – and vital pulp therapy for children. Our goal is to preserve teeth that might otherwise need to be extracted and replaced with implants. Saving a patient’s natural tooth is almost always the best long-term solution for their oral health.” HOW DOES YOUR MILITARY TRAINING HELP YOUR BUSINESS? ERMOSHKIN: “My military service taught me how to lead, collaborate and make decisions under pressure. I worked closely with senior leadership while treating a large patient population and collaborating with specialists across multiple disciplines. During the COVID-19 pandemic, (I) served a dual role as Navy dentist and as the public affairs officer for Naval Health Clinic Annapolis, where I helped develop medical and dental communications for the midshipmen and support staff, while coordinating with the broader Navy Capital Region. We worked closely with other military treatment facilities to share best practices and deliver consistent public health messaging. Those leadership experiences continue to shape how I lead my team and serve our patients today.” WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING RIGHT NOW IN YOUR BUSINESS? ERMOSHKIN: “One of our biggest challenges is overcoming the misinformation surrounding root canal treatment. Root canals are safe, effective and often the best way to relieve pain while preserving a natural tooth. Unfortunately, many people choose extraction because they believe it’s less expensive or because they’ve seen misleading information online. What they may not realize is that losing a tooth can lead to shifting teeth, changes in the way they bite and chew and significantly higher costs to restore their smile later.”

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Aug 12 • 9:21 AM EDT • Business • wilmingtonbiz.com
Ben Affleck is running for mayor of L.A. when his son is kidnapped in ‘Animals’ teaser

Ben Affleck plays a man running for Los Angeles mayor whose son is kidnapped in the first teaser for ‘Animals.’ The thriller also stars Kerry Washington, Gillian Anderson, Steven Yeun, and more.

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Aug 12 • 9:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
The adult brain can repair itself better than scientists thought

The adult brain may be far better at repairing itself than scientists once believed. In mice, researchers discovered a special group of support cells called astrocytes that respond to damaged brain tissue by rebuilding lost cellular networks. Rather than simply moving into the injured area, these cells perform a remarkable maneuver: they create new nuclei and send them traveling through long cellular extensions to repopulate damaged regions.

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Aug 12 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
Atlantic Trivia, August 12, 2026: Faith and Science

Spain marketed itself as the lone populated place where today’s solar eclipse “can be fully enjoyed”—a snub to what cloudy Nordic capital also in the path of totality?

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Aug 12 • 7:00 AM EDT • Science • theatlantic.com
Weird Science: Flush with data, North Carolina sewage is exposing community nutrition and food insecurity

A newly published study has successfully demonstrated that analyzing residual plant and animal DNA in municipal wastewater can deliver accurate, real-time population nutrition data. Researchers say this breakthrough could fundamentally change how public health officials monitor dietary habits, food insecurity, and economic health.

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Aug 12 • 6:28 AM EDT • Science • wunc.org
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Scooters are canceled, plus a sports agent and an unsolved murder

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Hide your best player today. Coming up: 🛴 In MLB, scooter angst 🔍 An unsolved murder 🏈 Minny’s new QB I need to express an old-man sentiment, one that’s festered within me for years: I loathe electric scooters. I recoil every time I travel to a city where they are popular, with sidewalks and plant beds awash in discarded lanky little vehicles. Also, as a new-ish dad, I always think about how dangerous they can be. Anyone,...

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Aug 12 • 6:19 AM EDT • Sports • nytimes.com
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Trial lawyers reclaim political clout in Texas GOP’s MAGA wing

Texas plaintiffs’ lawyers are bankrolling populist GOP insurgents. Tort reform groups like Texans for Lawsuit Reform are aghast.

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Aug 12 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • texastribune.org
Game Thread: Reds (56-61) at White Sox (61-56)

Sean Burke and the South Siders host Cincinnati for a three-game series, kicking it off with Pope Night at the park.

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Aug 11 • 7:08 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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HelloNation Article Outlines How to Grow Your Small Business Featuring Insurance Expert Tony Pope

How can small business owners take the next step after starting their venture? A HelloNation article answers this question with a clear set of strategies designed to guide entrepreneurs through the growth process. Featuring insights from Insurance Expert Tony Pope of Summerville, SC, the feature highlights planning, customer focus, marketing, and partnerships as essential tools for success.

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Aug 11 • 5:35 PM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com
Pinellas County increases mosquito control in Palm Harbor following Department of Health-Pinellas Dengue Fever alert

Pinellas County Mosquito Control is ramping up efforts to reduce mosquito populations and urging residents to take actions to protect themselves in...

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Aug 11 • 4:33 PM EDT • Health • pinellas.gov
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Our galaxy's supermassive black hole actually doesn't devour everything

Cosmic dust and water is withstanding radiation near the Milky Way galaxy's black hole, Saggitarius A*.

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Aug 11 • 3:58 PM EDT • Science • popsci.com
Alabama Republicans to pick nominee to challenge Democratic Rep. Figures in redrawn district

Six Republicans are competing in a special primary election Tuesday to challenge Democratic Rep. Shomari Figures in November. the district's Black voting age population dropped from 48% to 40%, making it more favorable for Republicans.

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Aug 11 • 1:32 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Will Andy Burnham’s everyday fixes be enough to get the public on his side?

The prime minister’s money-saving policies are popular but they are yet to convince voters he can take on the big things

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Aug 11 • 1:30 PM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com
“Monumental Sports & Entertainment Unveils Bold Vision for Brand-New Capital One Arena”

courtesy Monumental Sports & Entertainment From Monumental Sports & Entertainment: "Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) and Capital One today unveiled the next chapter of Capital One Arena: a world-class, next-generation sports and entertainment destination built to bring fans, athletes, businesses, and the broader Washington community together in the nation's capital. The transformation represents a significant

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Aug 11 • 12:30 PM EDT • Entertainment • popville.com
300-year-old sturgeon are swimming around the Great Lakes

Some of these humble fish were alive during the Civil War.

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Aug 11 • 11:08 AM EDT • Science • popsci.com
Popular former Bengals UDFA becomes starter for Lions

A fan favorite UDFA for the Bengals is elsewhere and now a starter.

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Aug 11 • 9:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Sick Kids, Stalled Science: America’s Pediatric Health Funding Crisis

Pediatric health is critically underfunded, despite 1/3 of the global population being kids. But the ROI of investing in kids yields profound health and economic returns.

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Aug 11 • 9:08 AM EDT • Science • forbes.com
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Terraria’s Calamity Mod devs reject xQc’s plan to save it after shutdown

The hugely popular mod recently announced it was shutting down, bringing development to an end after years of expanding the base game.

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Aug 11 • 7:17 AM EDT • Technology • dexerto.com
The US tried to stop cartel money-laundering. It devastated mom-and-pop businesses instead

Small businesses pay hidden toll after money-transfer rule change to curb illicit activities near the US-Mexico border

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Aug 11 • 7:00 AM EDT • Business • theguardian.com
The U.S. Healthcare System is Already Mostly Socialized

Now that Abdul El-Sayed is the Democratic nominee for Michigan’s open Senate seat, the outcome of this crucial race will depend mainly on two things: Whether Republicans succeed in demonizing El-Sayed because he’s brown and a Muslim, and whether they succeed in demonizing him as a left-wing radical. I will defer for the now the question of whether bigotry will be effective this year, although I will address it another day. What I want to address instead is El-Sayed’s signature issue — healthcare. Yes, El-Sayed advocates Medicare for All, a position the usual suspects denounce as “socialism.” I will get to the politics of his stance soon. Today, however, I want to talk about the substance. We should be clear that El-Sayed doesn’t even call himself a socialist. On the contrary, he explicitly disavows the label, saying “I’m a capitalist who just knows about capitalism”. In fact, as I explained in a previous post, the policies that El-Sayed advocates qualify him as a social democrat, not a socialist. Still, El-Sayed advocates a system under which the government would pay almost all medical expenses. Isn’t that socialism? Well, if that is the criterion then much of U.S. healthcare is already socialist. In fact, the government’s role is so large that U.S. healthcare is better described as partially privatized socialism than as anything resembling a free market. Let’s start with the raw numbers on health insurance, which pays the bulk of Americans’ medical expenses. Americans receive health insurance either from private companies or from public programs, overwhelmingly Medicare and Medicaid. Here’s what the breakdown of coverage and spending between private and public looked like in 2024: While a majority of Americans with health insurance get it from private companies, well over 100 million of us are covered by government programs instead. And these government programs pay more total dollars for medical bills than the private insurers do. Why do government programs that cover a minority of the population account for a majority of health insurers’ outlays? Mainly because Medicare covers seniors, and we’re expensive. Also, while Medicaid covers many younger Americans, disabled and elderly beneficiaries account for most of its spending. Even by the raw numbers, then, U.S. health insurance looks as much public as private. But that understates the government’s role: Private health insurance in the U.S. is both highly regulated and heavily subsidized. This is obviously true for the insurance coverage purchased by tens of millions of Americans through the exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act. But employment-based health insurance, which covers 161 million Americans, is far more of a government creation than most people realize. For employment-based insurance exists largely because of huge implicit government subsidies that come with major strings attached. Here’s how that works. If your employer pays you $10,000, that’s taxable income. But if your employer pays $10,000 toward a company health insurance plan that meets certain criteria, it isn’t taxable. That’s a huge effective subsidy, running at more than $300 billion a year. Take that subsidy into account, along with the more than $100 billion per year spent subsidizing policies purchased under the ACA, as well as the outlays on Medicare and Medicaid, and net effect is that the government pays for more than two-thirds of Americans’ health insurance. Granted, there are strings attached. Roughly speaking, employment-based health plans can’t discriminate based on medical history — that is, they can’t deny coverage to employees with pre-existing conditions — and they also can’t offer the plans only to highly compensated employees — a health plan that is only for the C-suite is considered taxable income. So given the restrictions of the federal tax code, employer-based health insurance is a lot like Obamacare, which also prohibits discrimination based on medical history and provides subsidies to make insurance affordable to lower-paid workers. The fact is that virtually all of private healthcare insurance is already well under some form of government control through regulation and tax subsidies. How should we think about this system? First of all, is Medicare socialist? Don’t tell anyone, but the way Medicare operates — it covers every senior’s medical expenses, whatever they turn out to be, while being funded by taxes that depend on one’s income — could be summarized by the old Marxist slogan “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” And back in 1961, when Ronald Reagan was the face of a last-ditch effort by the American Medical Association to block the creation of Medicare, he denounced Medicare as “socialized medicine” and warned that it would destroy our freedom. In reality, American freedom survived until Jan. 20, 2025, while Medicare is immensely popular, with an 82 percent favorable rating in the most recent KFF survey. Medicaid, government health insurance for lower-income Americans, comes in at 73 percent. This is in sharp contrast to public views about private insurers, who are widely disliked if not hated and accused of denying essential care. Furthermore, if Medicare is socialism, then the whole U.S. health insurance system, with the government paying most of the bills and placing conditions on private insurers, is almost equally socialist. If you insist on calling any program the government pays for and regulates socialist, then U.S. healthcare would best be described as a partially privatized form of socialism. And one must ask, what is the point of the part that is privatized? Do private insurers add anything positive? Or are they simply parasites, skimming off money that could have been paying for care? The case for viewing insurers as parasites is strong. Many Medicare benefits are now delivered via Medicare Advantage, that is, plans paid for by the government but run through insurance companies. MedPAC, an independent advisory commission, estimates that last year Medicare Advantage plans were overpaid by $84 billion, thanks to practices such as “upcoding,” in which patients’ health problems are overstated to get larger sums from Medicare. Assessing the waste from employer-based insurance is harder, but most evidence suggests that private insurers have substantially higher administrative costs than Medicare does. Furthermore, the complexity of private insurance, with multiple payers all trying to deny care when they can, is a huge burden both on providers — doctors, nurses, and hospitals — and on patients. What do private insurers offer to compensate for these costs? One must go through intellectual contortions to avoid the conclusion that they are, in fact, parasites. Which brings me back to El-Sayed. In supporting Medicare for All, he’s basically calling for an end to the partial, parasitic privatization of a healthcare system that is already hugely dependent on public funding. When one looks at it that way, it’s not at all a radical proposal. Admittedly, the political lift requires overcoming the opposition to higher taxes to pay for Medicare for All. Political realism rather than economics was the reason I and many other progressives supported Obamacare, with all its complexities, rather than demanding an immediate move to Medicare for All. But the political calculus may very well have shifted since the 2000s, as Americans are fed up with a system of unaffordable premiums, rampant claim denials, and byzantine claim administration. Moreover, funding healthcare insurance through taxation would allow for a much more progressive distribution of the cost. That is, compared to the present system, middle-income households would pay less as high-income households would pay more. And the U.S. would stop wasting large sums on pointless administrative costs. So let’s be clear: El-Sayed’s healthcare platform is perfectly reasonable on the merits of cost, fairness and health efficacy. And with private insurers never more hated, while millions of Americans are losing their health insurance, 2026 may be its time. MUSICAL CODA

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Aug 11 • 6:33 AM EDT • Health • paulkrugman.substack.com
Trump loves data centers. Americans hate them

If there’s a true populist issue built for our time, it might be opposition to AI data centers. Lawmakers and candidates from both parties across states are increasingly positioning themselves as critics of data center proliferation. And recent primary results suggest it’s a pretty potent issue.

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Aug 11 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
PUMA pop-up store and autograph sessions in Europark

On Theaterplatz until WednesdayFrom now until Wednesday, PUMA will have its own pop-up store on Theaterplatz in Europark station. In addition to selected PUMA products, you'll also find our latest jer...

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Aug 11 • 4:55 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Cowboys Give 4-Time Pro Bowler Historic Contract Extension

It was highly expected, but the Dallas Cowboys have finally taken care of one of their top defenders. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Cowboys and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams have agreed on a three-year, $105.9 million contract extension. Williams will get $101 million total guaranteed and $63.35 million fully guaranteed at signing, which […] The post Cowboys Give 4-Time Pro Bowler Historic Contract Extension appeared first on HEAVY.

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Aug 10 • 7:59 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
50 Cent's Newest Series Comes From a Popular Video Game Franchise

Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent seems to have the Midas touch when it comes to crime dramas. The Power universe has become an iconic series that will go down in history for its genre-redefining concepts an...

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Aug 10 • 7:34 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
Sophie Cunningham reportedly shopping tell-all book amid WNBA controversy

Teaser: Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham is reportedly shopping a tell-all book as her growing popularity and controversial public comments continue to place her in the WNBA spotlight.

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Aug 10 • 5:48 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Jackie the bald eagle dead at 14

Jackie the bald eagle died Monday, August 10. Her life was documented through wildlife cameras in California's Big Bear Valley.

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Aug 10 • 4:23 PM EDT • Science • popsci.com
50 Cent to executive produce 'Payday' TV series

50 Cent is cashing in on Payday.The rapper/producer has boarded the TV adaptation of the popular first-person shooter video game series. He’ll executive produce under his G-Unit Film & Television prod...

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Aug 10 • 2:30 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com
New lizard named after colorful ‘House of the Dragon’ character

It can’t really breathe fire—we think.

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Aug 10 • 12:50 PM EDT • Science • popsci.com
As Sky-High Health Care Costs Top Voter Concerns, Families USA’s Stop the Bleed: Cut Costs, Not Care Campaign Gains Nationwide Momentum

SEIU, MomsRising, Community Change, Popular Democracy, Main Street Alliance, Small Business Majority, and Others Join Effort to Rein in High Health Care Costs WASHINGTON, D.C. — Families USA announced today that its Stop the Bleed: Cut Costs, Not Care campaign is now officially active in all 50 states. Launched in January, Stop the Bleed is […]

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Aug 10 • 9:44 AM EDT • Health • familiesusa.org
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Big Gold Miners Agree On IPO. One Pops, One Sinks.

Barrick earnings fell short as oil prices pushed up costs.

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Aug 10 • 8:51 AM EDT • Business • investors.com
Chrissy Metz Talks '& Juliet' and New Music, Shares Health Update

Chrissy Metz, “This is Us” and “The Hunting Wives” star, joins TODAY to open up for the first time about her decision to use GLP-1 medication and announce her new partnership with health care company Ro. Metz details why she was originally skeptical around weight loss drugs, shares how the medication has improved her life, dishes on performing in “& Juliet” and teases new music in the works.

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Aug 10 • 8:30 AM EDT • Health • today.com
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Small Business Spotlight: Jeff’s Pizza

Lincoln Way is home to many popular places among college students. One stands apart from the rest, however, for the community around it. Whether it’s the famous 30’’ challenge or the very popular late-night slices, Jeff’s Pizza holds a special place in the heart of Ames. Originally opening in 2008, before expanding in 2009 and...

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Aug 9 • 11:02 PM EDT • Business • iowastatedaily.com
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Passing the torch: Cleveland’s next generation of small-business owners may already be here

Cleveland’s population has fallen 60% in the past 75 years. As currents business owners approach retirement, Richard T. Herman presents a succession strategy involving the next generation.

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Aug 9 • 8:00 PM EDT • Business • freshwatercleveland.com
Sleep Health: Melatonin Myths Most People Still Believe

Despite its popularity, many people misunderstand what melatonin does—and what it does not do. Sleep medicine specialists say these misconceptions can lead to unrealistic expectations and unnecessary use of high doses.

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Aug 9 • 8:00 PM EDT • Health • baptisthealth.net
Jackie the bald eagle is 'unstable'

'Her overall condition remains extremely serious.'

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Aug 9 • 5:53 PM EDT • Science • popsci.com
Working Moms of San Antonio teaches children business skills at summer pop-up market
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Aug 9 • 4:42 PM EDT • Business • ksat.com
Bride-to-be sounds alarm after popular beauty treatment left her disfigured before the big day
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Aug 9 • 2:55 PM EDT • Technology • nypost.com
Steam reportedly refunds Battlefield 6 player with 470 hours logged after EA quietly pulled Rush mode from Quickplay

A Battlefield 6 player "upset" at the removal of the popular Rush mode claims to have secured a full refund from Steam despite having clocked up 470 hours.

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Aug 9 • 11:28 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Anti-populism is reshaping American politics

Democrats are winning on data center opposition. So are Republicans.

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Aug 9 • 11:05 AM EDT • Politics • motherjones.com
These furry moths smell with their wings

Tobacco hawkmoths may use these tiny hairs to find a place to lay their eggs.

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Aug 9 • 10:08 AM EDT • Science • popsci.com
New 76ers Guard Is Thrilled To Reunite With LeBron James

KCP is back with The King. As Pope looks to contribute to the Philadelphia 76ers, James will be helping lead the charge.

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Aug 9 • 7:49 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Group urges Democrats to woo moderate voters with populist policies

A progressive group says messages that target the wealthy and large corporations appeal to a majority of Americans who see the economy as fundamentally rigged.

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Aug 9 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
Darline Graham has Donald Trump in her corner. Will it be enough to win her brother’s Senate seat?

Tuesday’s special GOP primary to replace the late Sen. Lindsey Graham on the November ballot is likely heading to a runoff, despite Trump’s endorsement and his popularity with the base.

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Aug 9 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • nbcnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
American Airlines Just Made It Harder for Elite Flyers to Get Free Business-Class Upgrades

Starting August 25, AAdvantage members flying economy are losing a valuable perk on popular Hawaii and coast-to-coast routes: a chance to score a complimentary lie-flat seat.

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Aug 8 • 5:53 PM EDT • Business • inc.com
YouTube Mistakes Popular Science Channel For AI Slop

The science and technology explainers warned audiences in the past about the entropy AI will unleash upon the web and after being forced to remove a video on microscopic superpredators, they're living through it

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Aug 8 • 2:04 PM EDT • Technology • kotaku.com
What happens when progressives stop reproducing?

A research finding indicates that a significant demographic divide is emerging in America, where lower birth rates among progressive, highly educated populations contrast with the stable fertility …

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Aug 8 • 11:00 AM EDT • Politics • thehill.com
Ice Age bird figurines discovered in German cave

The roughly 40,000-year-old figures show that humans were already watching bird behavior

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Aug 8 • 10:13 AM EDT • Science • popsci.com
The sneaky kind of cholesterol that may be threatening your heart health

Lipoprotein(a) isn’t part of a standard lipid panel and is largely driven by genetics. Here’s why it’s important to get your level checked.

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Aug 8 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • washingtonpost.com
Fact-Checking 3 Competitive Senate Races in Maine, Michigan and Ohio

Republican attacks have focused on terrorism and illegal immigration, while Democrats have sought to capitalize on the unpopularity of President Trump’s cuts to Medicaid.

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Aug 8 • 5:02 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Popular Tex-Mex Chain Closes All Locations After 17 Years in Business

The restaurant chain was founded in Florida in 2009

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Aug 7 • 7:55 PM EDT • Business • yahoo.com
Mosquito Street Spraying Monday, August 10, 2026

East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project The East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project is planning to use a truck mounted aerosol sprayer to control mosquito populations. Spraying will be done between sunset and 11:30 PM. The following … Read full article→

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Aug 7 • 6:30 PM EDT • Health • sudbury.ma.us
Test your pop culture: From Hollywood to the Heartland

From Mediterranean bikini getaways to major career moves, see how well you know the stars making entertainment headlines this week.

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Aug 7 • 5:48 PM EDT • Entertainment • foxnews.com
Vandalism, populism and a rise in state tourism: CT politics news

Murphy maps out his vision of ‘economic populism.’ State tourism had a big year. And vandalism at the Nathan Hale Homestead in Coventry.

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Aug 7 • 5:30 PM EDT • Politics • ctmirror.org
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iOS 26 Gets First Jailbreak Thanks to Dopamine

After 326 days, iOS 26 has received its first jailbreak, thanks to the developers behind the popular Dopamine jailbreak. Lars Fröder, better known as opa334, today released Dopamine 3.0, which adds support for a number of newer firmware versions, including iOS 26.0 and iOS 26.0.1 on devices with A12 or A13 chips.

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Aug 7 • 4:56 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com
Community coming together to support small business being sued by Buc-ee’s

Support has continued this week for an Ohio small business that is being sued by a popular convenience store chain.

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Aug 7 • 3:39 PM EDT • Business • wlwt.com
Entertainment center in Mesa hosting new First Friday event

One of the Valley’s most popular events is rebranding and moving to a different location after organizers were forced to scale back due to crime concerns.

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Aug 7 • 3:38 PM EDT • Entertainment • azfamily.com
First Fridays relocate from Roosevelt Row to Mesa entertainment center

One of the Valley’s most popular events is rebranding and moving to a different location after organizers were forced to scale back due to crime concerns.

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Aug 7 • 3:38 PM EDT • Entertainment • azfamily.com
Pokémon's Newest DLC Still Falls Short of Palworld In One Major Way

At least my Pals care enough to help

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Aug 7 • 3:09 PM EDT • Technology • polygon.com
NASA successfully gives Voyager 2 another year of life

Engineers employed a 'Big Bang' maneuver to keep the power flowing on the 49-year-old spacecraft.

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Aug 7 • 3:01 PM EDT • Science • popsci.com
In ancient Rome, tax fraud was punishable by death

Stone tablets recount a corruption case so widespread that it became a capital offense in 480 CE.

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Aug 7 • 12:15 PM EDT • Science • popsci.com
Loretta Carpio Carr: An Emerging Young Voice in Politics

With the upcoming Governor’s election in California, I watch with curiosity who will vote and who they will vote for. California’s population is comparatively young, with the median age range of 37.9 to 38.4 years. That’s younger than the overall United States, according to World Population Review. The Public Policy Institute of California shows that

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Aug 7 • 11:31 AM EDT • Politics • sonomasun.com
Mets' Luis Torrens: Pops fourth homer

Mets' Luis Torrens: Pops fourth homer

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Aug 7 • 10:13 AM EDT • Sports • cbssports.com
Outside eagle spotted on Jackie and Shadow's nest

Don’t panic, it’s normal

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Aug 7 • 9:18 AM EDT • Science • popsci.com
Mental health workers hold harsher views toward opioid users

Mental health workers may hold the harshest views toward the very patient population they’re supposed to help: people with opioid addiction.

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Aug 7 • 9:11 AM EDT • Health • news.uga.edu
Is population growth still necessary for startup growth? Louisiana offers a messy test case

Every parish saw new business filings rise, but data from New Orleans, Lafayette and Baton Rouge shows why founder support matters in a shrinking region.

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Aug 7 • 6:15 AM EDT • Business • technical.ly
What is Berthoud doing to attract businesses?

Larger chains are not necessarily looking for the same things as a mom-and-pop business or even a manufacturer or online-focused business.

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Aug 7 • 4:30 AM EDT • Business • berthoudsurveyor.com
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Longitudinal look at nursing-home closures uncovers some telling wrinkles

When a nursing home closes down, the local population and press often perceive the move as a simple exit from the market due to failing fiscal health. But in about half the cases, additional forces are in play—and “closures” may be, in truth, do-overs of one kind or another.

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Aug 6 • 9:52 PM EDT • Health • healthexec.com
Hello Local Business, Your AI Ads Are Costing You Customers

'Even if this was a genre popularised by human artists, it would still look like shit'

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Aug 6 • 7:44 PM EDT • Business • aftermath.site
Reimagining Rural Maternal and Child Health

Rural Health Transformation Program Insights (Download) Maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes continue to raise national concern despite ongoing targeted initiatives, community-based interventions, and executive measures aimed at improving population health and saving lives. Although maternal mortality rates have decreased in recent years, the United States has seen maternal deaths well above global rates compared […]

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Aug 6 • 2:17 PM EDT • Health • nga.org
Infrared glasses could push the boundaries of human eyesight

The prototype could help us see light that other animals can.

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Aug 6 • 12:33 PM EDT • Science • popsci.com
4 sunscreen myths too many people still get wrong

And how 'E. coli' might be the next big thing in sun protection.

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Aug 6 • 9:03 AM EDT • Science • popsci.com
Pokémon Pokopia's free 2.0 update is here, and it's making a splash with new underwater features and improvements

Pokémon Pokopia's 2.0 update has added a bunch of underwater features and fixes to the popular spin-off title.

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Aug 6 • 8:39 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
Butterfly lilies wing their way to Science

Many animals and plants show left-right differences in how their bodies or organs are arranged, but we still know little about how such asymmetries evolve or how genes control them in natural populations. Mirror-image flowers, in which female and male sex organs are deflected to opposite sides in left- and right-handed forms, provide a notable example of such asymmetry. Here, we studied South African butterfly lilies, where individual plants produce only left- or right-handed flowers. Their mirror-image flowers promote outcrossing by depositing pollen from each floral form onto a specific region of a pollinator’s body that matches the stigma position of the opposite form. This suggests that selection for efficient pollen transfer between forms maintains this natural polymorphism. Our work uncovers a hemizygous supergene that coordinates the left-right orientation of female and male sex organs in mirror-image flowers by linking two independently acting genes for style and stamen handedness in a single, nonrecombining genomic segment. This architecture ensures the coinheritance of a matched pair of organ orientations that is essential for efficient cross-pollination between floral forms. At the developmental level, we show that floral handedness emerges from the interaction between an intrinsic tissue chirality and a gravitropic response that orients the style and median stamen relative to gravity. Together, these findings reveal how a supergene, hormone and microRNA signaling, tissue chirality, and an external physical cue combine to produce and maintain a stable left-right polymorphism in natural plant populations.

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Aug 6 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • eurekalert.org
Measles panic at popular SoCal theme park after infected guest roamed for hours
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Aug 6 • 12:41 AM EDT • Health • nypost.com
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Sacramento sees business expansions, openings and closures in July. Here’s where

The region saw some popular restaurant chains open new locations. Also in July, midtown and downtown saw restaurant closures.

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Aug 5 • 8:12 PM EDT • Business • sacbee.com
Science|Business summer reads of 2026

As most people in the European research and innovation policy bubble are going on a well-deserved summer break, we have come up with a list of our favourite books, podcasts and essays from the past year that ask deeper questions about science, technology and politics.BooksPasteur’s Quadrant: Basic Science and Technological Innovation, by Donald StokesIf you haven’t read Pasteur’s Quadrant yet, now is the time. In the EU and elsewhere, we’re living through a period of dwindling faith that curiosity-driven research automatically leads to economic growth and technological progress. Pasteur’s Quadrant, published in 1997 by the Princeton academic Donald Stokes, is the most influential critique of the standard “linear model” of R&D: the idea that new discoveries made in ivory-tower labs get neatly passed on for commercialisation by start-ups. In reality, Stokes argues, practical applications often inspire more theorical lines of inquiry. Of course, we have long known that things are more complex than the linear model, but even today, it’s still often assumed in Brussels discourse. The book is a useful corrective, and is being used now to argue for new types of scientific institutions. David MatthewsThe Weaponization of Expertise: How Elites Fuel Populism, by Jacob Hale Russel and Dennis PattersonAre society’s problems solvable by technical expertise alone? “If only the benighted would listen,” say Jacob Hale Russel and Dennis Patterson, two professors at Rutgers Law School who got frustrated with how scientists and politicians handled public health communication during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the book, they argue that clichéd mantras about scientific evidence and expertise perpetrated by academics, journalists and politicians have harmed public trust in the very institutions they were trying to defend. Paradoxically, slogans such as “we believe in science,” “follow the science” and “defer to the experts” can fuel mistrust in science, experts and democratic institutions. The authors criticise “condescension” and “technocratic paternalism” in the public discourse and make the case for a more nuanced approach to scientific and expert policy advice that rests on humility, doubt, scepticism and open dialogue. “Most complex social questions in fact revolve around values, not the recitation of unambiguous facts,” they say. Florin ZubascuBreakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future, by Dan WangIn this book, Dan Wang compares the structural differences between the US and Chinese industrial policies, but raises a very timely question for innovation policy wonks: how can advanced manufacturing know-how contribute to technology-intensive economic growth? Wang says technology has three components: the tools, the blueprints and patents, and the process knowledge. The third component represents the “proficiency gained from practical experience, which isn’t easily communicated and requires years of implementation.” According to Wang, rather than seeing tools and blueprints as the ultimate ends of technological progress, policymakers should see them as milestones in the training of better scientists and manufacturers. Over the past decades, China has amassed “process knowledge” because capital flowed to complex fabrication facilities, while investors in the West have parked their money in capital-light businesses such as digital platforms or chip companies that focus on design. As it turns out, thanks to its oversized focus on manufacturing, China has gained remarkable advantages in the global technology race. Florin ZubascuBaltic: The Future of Europe, by Oliver MoodyWhat can Europe learn from the nine countries surrounding the Baltic Sea? Alongside the familiar stories about Estonia's digital transformation, the book examines how the region has used technology, resilience, education, governance and long-term thinking to respond to geopolitical, economic and security challenges. Innovation policy wonks might find fresh perspectives on how innovation can strengthen defence, societal resilience and Europe's capacity to adapt in an uncertain world. Whether or not you agree with all of Oliver Moody's conclusions, the book is a useful guide to a region that is increasingly shaping European debates on security, competitiveness and technology. Goda NaujokaityteThe Invention of Nature, by Andrea Wulf This book chronicles the wild and adventurous life of natural science pioneer Alexander von Humboldt who at some point in the 19th century seems to have been just about the most famous person in the world. Through scientific expeditions to the Andes Mountains and to the depths of Siberia, von Humboldt contributed a host of discoveries and concepts. During his life he met and formed relationships with historical figures as different as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Simon Bolivar, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon Bonaparte and Charles Darwin. He is also claimed to be the person in the world with most things named after him, a list that includes an ocean current, a penguin and a region of the Moon. Still venerated in Germany, with numerous scientific institutions named after him, von Humboldt has slipped out of public consciousness in most of the rest of the world. For anyone not familiar with him, this book does a good job of describing his fascinating life. Ole EllekrogCareless People, by Sarah Wynn-WilliamsYou may have heard this referred to as the book Meta doesn’t want you to read. The 2025 memoir from Sarah Wynn-Williams, former director of global public policy at Meta, then just called Facebook, includes explosive claims about everything from a toxic workplace culture to how the company worked with advertisers to target vulnerable teens, and the lengths it was prepared to go to in order to break into China. It’s a fascinating insight into how and why the tech company gradually shifted its approach to policy, whether in the US, Europe or Asia. Meta has denied the allegations in the book, and last year won an emergency ruling to prevent Wynn-Williams from promoting it. In response, the author is now suing her former employer. If that doesn’t make you want to read it. Martin GreenacrePodcastsThe Europeans: Europe’s anti-ElonThis podcast is a great choice for a light-hearted dose of European policy and culture news. Most of it has little to do with research, innovation and technology, but this particular podcast features an interview with Mastadon’s founder Eugen Rochko. He talks about his experience running an open-source, federated, European-made social media platform, and leaving it all behind. The conversation, which starts 14 minutes in, gently encourages us to reflect on what kind of technology we, as Europeans, want to make. Goda NaujokaityteSolarpunk and how we escape dystopiaNew technologies are very often taken from science fiction. Alberto Santos-Dumont, inventor the airship, was inspired as a child by the adventure stories of Jules Verne. OpenAI’s attempt to build a personal assistant with the voice of Scarlett Johansson was lifted from the 2013 film Her, completely ignoring the movie’s cautionary message. So if we want better tech, we need to imagine it first. Unfortunately, the state of current sci-fi is relentlessly dystopian, giving inventors precious few ideas or hope. However, a new genre, Solarpunk, which envisages a technologically advanced but ecologically harmonious future, is now taking off. The actual tech the genre imagines, such as permaculture, renewable energy or community repair workshops, while nice, isn’t all that inspiring or ambitious. But it’s a first step towards rescuing sci-fi from its pessimistic Blade Runner rut. David MatthewsEveryday AbundanceLaunched in June, Everyday Abundance is a podcast that tells the stories of the inventions we now take so for granted that we barely given them a second thought. For example, the washing machine, which liberated women from a lifetime “bent over washtubs and washboards.” Or modern dentistry, which ended the reality that “tooth pain was simply part of human life.” Historians of technology, Virginia Postrel and Charles C Mann are very much on the optimistic end of the spectrum when it comes to the capacity of invention to improve human life. Here, they set out their case: if it wasn’t for progress, you might be hunched over a washtub with toothache rather than reading these words. David Matthews‘We will not know what we lost’: Conservation fallout a year after USAID shutdownSince his return to the White House, Donald Trump has been on a mission to undermine science. He slashed jobs at federal agencies, terminated grants in some research areas, took unprecedented control over university affairs and, within hours of his inauguration, suspended the US Agency for International Development. While its initial focus was to administer health and food aid around the world, it had since expanded to conservation projects. The result? Some of these projects were stopped abruptly. In this Mongabay podcast, environmental reporter Michelle Nijhuis tells the story of the EcoGuard conservation programme in Liberia, whose local patrols had helped protect rainforests, monitor endangered wildlife and track illegal threats. From one day to the next, these were left without salaries. Luckily, she notes, the initiative was able to get emergency funding from international NGOs, but its future remains “incredibly uncertain.” Juliette PortalaEssaysThe Mars Delusion, by Henry WismayerWhy is humankind so fixated on establishing a colony on Mars? asks London-based writer Henry Wismayer. From space evangelists promoting Martian settlement as an insurance policy, to billionaire Jeff Bezos, who said humans should settle on Mars “because it’s cool,” the mission is not running short of advocates. However, in this essay, Wismayer reminds us that some critics expect any future Mars pioneer to end up “irradiated, sick, mad and dead.” Scientists have already looked into the possible effects of prolonged exposure to Martian gravity, and it’s not pretty: muscle shrinking, bones weakening, changes to the central nervous system and other biological modifications to make us all reconsider the journey. “Some researchers have forecast that the future settler, after generations of evolutionary conditioning, will look less like an Übermensch and more like ET,” Wismayer writes. Juliette Portala

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Aug 5 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencebusiness.net
Byron business celebrates grand opening thanks to Business Builder Grant

"I've had this picture in my mind for, honestly, three to five years. I was like, ‘It would be great if we could have this little farm store.’ This grant helped make it happen." —Stacey Freitag, co-owner, Free Day Popcorn

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Aug 5 • 8:00 PM EDT • Business • news.unl.edu
Full Teardown Of A 2026 Amazon Fire Stick HD

After the release of Google’s Chromecast so-called ‘streaming sticks’ have remained a popular form factor, even though such technology is these days part of ‘smart’ TV…

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Aug 5 • 7:00 PM EDT • Technology • hackaday.com
Florida Python Challenge winner slayed 96 snakes

Veteran hunter Tom Rahill has battled the invasive species for over 10 years.

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Aug 5 • 2:59 PM EDT • Science • popsci.com