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5 up, 5 down for Miami Hurricanes vs. Wake Forest
The Miami Hurricanes took care of business on the road on Friday night (fortunately their last non-Saturday game of the regular season), defeating Wake Forest 33-20. It was a game with plenty of good, as Miami leapt out to a 31-7 lead in the third quarter and looked like their recent dominant selves. But there […]
Carrot Top Breathing on His Own as Rep Shares Major Health Update
Scott Thompson, known professionally as Carrot Top, is awake and breathing on his own while he remains hospitalized in Las Vegas. His representative said the comedian continues to receive close medica...
Governor Stein won't oppose the WakeMed merger with Atrium Health; commissioners vote this week
The proposed WakeMed, Atrium Health merger has drawn scrutiny about how the transaction could affect patients and health care prices.
Wake county, state leaders weigh in ahead of Atrium-WakeMed merger vote
The Wake County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote Monday on proposed merger between WakeMed and Atrium Health. Some Commissioners tell WRAL they're still skeptical, while others say the deal will serve North Carolinians.
Stein won’t oppose deal to combine WakeMed, Atrium Health
The governor said hospital system leaders have made changes to the terms of their proposal, including capping price increases for five years.
Stein won’t oppose deal to combine WakeMed, Atrium Health
The governor said hospital system leaders have made changes to the terms of their proposal, including capping price increases for five years.
Jessica Chastain series shelved in wake of Charlie Kirk assassination finally gets 2027 release
“The Savant,” which stars Chastain as an investigator of extremist hate groups, was put on ice following the conservative activist’s killing.
Jessica Chastain series shelved in wake of Charlie Kirk assassination finally gets 2027 release
Jessica Chastain’s ‘The Savant,’ shelved days before its planned 2025 release following Charlie Kirk’s killing, has officially been given a release set for 2027.
Carrot Top Awake and ‘Breathing on His Own’ in Hospital Amid Health Crisis
Warning: The following post contains discussions of suicide. Carrot Top is reportedly awake and alert following a suicide attempt on Friday, Sept. 18. In a statement made to TMZ by a representative fo...
Parental rights group questions student data, portal tied to mental health screenings
(The Center Square) – An Illinois parental-rights organization is raising concerns about how student information could be handled through BEACON, a state behavioral health portal that Awake Illinois describes as
Xbox gets 48 new games next week, including two Game Pass additions
Next week, Control Resonant, Dune: Awakening, EA Sports FC 27, Graveyard Keeper 2, and 44 more new games launch across Xbox consoles and Xbox PC.
Frankie Muniz’s estranged wife shares message about ‘perspective’ after actor’s ‘rock bottom’ post
The actor said on Friday that the past six weeks were like “a nightmare I’m praying to wake from.”
The Human Brain Isn't Meant to Be Awake Past Midnight, Scientists Warn
Dangerous things can happen.
Analysis: Wake-up call for below-par Gunners
Arsenal's season had been going perfectly until this heavy loss - against a side who beat them by the same margin at Emirates Stadium in 2023. The Gunners had conceded just one goal in the league this term during their impressive winning streak, but the performance against the Seagulls was far from the standards Mikel Arteta has demanded from his side. Bruno Guimaraes was given his first league start, but the Brazilian failed to click with Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard in the middle of the pitch.
The September 11 cancer wave ahead
After the collapse came the dust. It billowed across Lower Manhattan in the wake of the 2001 World Trade Center terror attacks, turning people into ghosts as they trudged to safety.
Mensah sets ACC consecutive-completions marks as No. 5 Miami tops Wake Forest
The former Duke QB completed 30 of 34 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns.
What Wake Forest Said After the Miami Loss
Playing with heart is important in college football. Playing with guts and determination matters. Playing with an inability to cut down your own penalties gets you beat, particularly by one of the top teams in the country. Wake Forest had a 31-7 deficit at the hands of Miami Friday night at Allegacy Stadium. They outscored …
The Big Holes in Wearable Heart Rate Variability And Readiness Scores
On September 9th, Apple announced it was revamping its Apple Watch Health Sensing System, rolling out a Readiness score (0 to 10), and increasing the frequency of heart rate variability (HRV) outputs 24-fold. This can be viewed as upping its competition with various other consumer wearable sensors. These “readiness scores” as a composite of multiple metrics, with heart rate variability (HRV) being front and center for most. The majority of Americans are now using wearable sensors, which equates to well over 100 million adults. HRV and Readiness scores are increasingly being marketed as a measurement of autonomic nervous system health, a digital marker for future disease, a clock for biological age, and a holistic metric to promote healthspan and even longevity. (Apple also introduced a new longevity tab and “Health Age”.) None of this has been proven. In this edition of Ground Truths I am going to review what we know about heart rate variability and readiness scores. Heart Rate Variability HRV is the variation in normal heart cycle timing. The variability of the heart rate, the barely perceptible millisecond changes in time between consecutive heart beats (see R-R intervals in the Figure below, left panel), is due to interplay between the sympathetic and parasympathetic (vagal nerve) inputs. Distinct from heart rate, individuals with the same heart rate can have very different HRVs. It is a rough reflection of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, inadequate to say whether a person’s ANS function is abnormal. For more than three decades, heart rate variability (HRV) has been measured and several studies have found an association of low HRV and clinical outcomes, particularly a link with higher all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. There have also been less well established links of low HRV to risk of early cognitive impairment, dementia, mental illness, Type 2 diabetes and substance abuse. An important reminder is that HRV is a surrogate marker without any established cause-and-effect relationship. If you increase your HRV, that doesn’t mean it will improve health outcomes. In fact, there is no hard evidence for that. All that work linking to health outcomes was done with electrocardiogram (ECG) derived HRV. Now, in the era of consumer wearables, this is getting assessed differently, by optical pulse (yes, the lights you see) plethysmography (PPG) or what is called pulse rate variability (PRV). They are not the same, as shown below (right panel) and only concordant when the delay between the ECG and pulse is kept constant, which basically means at rest. I should mention there’s also what I will call MPV, a mattress mechanical movement sensor, a derived heart rate variability, that companies like Eight Sleep use, even further away from directly measuring HRV. HRV has not one uniform measurement but many different types of quantification, such as RMSSD, the magnitude of difference between successive R-R intervals of normal sinus beats (N-N) or SDNN, the standard deviation of NN intervals, both in milliseconds. SDNN is one of the so-called frequency domain HRVs (others are LF, HF, LF/HF). Different wearable sensors use different metics; Apple has relied on SDNN and nearly all of the others use RMSSD, which is generally considered the more accurate metric. There’s also the different length of time measured, such as for a matter of minutes, all day, or an overnight’s sleep. Short measurements are especially problematic since they don’t capture enough of respiratory modulation and other factors that influence HRV. Share Ground Truths How well does HRV correlate with PRV? There are very limited studies, especially independently done. One that is commonly cited was conducted by Air Force researchers in only 13 healthy adults assessing Oura ring 3 and 4, Whoop 4.0, and Garmin Fenix 6 and showed a correlation coefficient of 0.88 to 0.97 and a mean absolute percentage error from 6 to 10%. The correlation is not a perfect 1.0, but there’s at least a fairly high level of correlation. HRV is supposed to increase during the night due to takeover of the parasympathetic nervous system, and higher during deep sleep. A recent example of my 1 week, all day “HRV,” and one during sleep is shown below. As you can see, the N of 1 data are inconsistent for the same days from different sensors (Oura, AppleWatch, Fitbit Air, and Eight Sleep) by patterns, absolute numbers, and comparison with prior days and weeks. The largest study in over 8 million Fitbit users (the old version, not Google Fitbit Air, introduced in May 2026) gives you a sense of the effect of age, sex, and the 2 different main HRV (here PRV) metrics, with RMSSD on the left and SDRR (=SDNN) on the right below. That study, from data collected in 2018, is a major outlier, since all the more recent ones are tiny with respect to sample size. Many of the companies have not had independent evaluation of their HRV, such as Eight Sleep, but have published a low standard error on their website. There are some other published studies on the correlation between HRV and PRV, but they are all small and only in healthy adults. A scoping review emphasized the lack of study in underrepresented individuals, including the aged, people of color (which affects the PPG signal), and individuals who are underweight or obese. Add the typical adult age 60 plus with one or more chronic diseases. For example, one study in over 900 adults found poor correlation of HRV and PRV, non-uniformly underestimated across many chronic diseases (cardiovascular, endocrine, neurological, respiratory, and others), concluding PRV is “an invalid surrogate for HRV.” A recent systematic review of 43 studies comparing HRV and PRV found reasonable pooled absolute standardized error (HRV as gold standard) but only 10 of the studies provided quantitative synthesis in ideal conditions. Their main conclusion was similarly cautious: “PPG-derived HRV [PRV] should not be regarded as universally interchangeable with ECG-derived HRV across all devices, populations, and recording contexts.” Factors Affecting HRV and PRV That gets me to the long list of factors that affect HRV (and PRV) besides the device, the type of measurement (RMSSD, SDNN or others), the person’s signal, the sensor site, the duration of data capture, if weighting by sleep stage is used, how artifact is processed and corrected. And this list is not complete!: Oura puts out data from their community of users (who input data) on what affects their overnight HRV. The factors currently provided are: no alcohol (increase 8%), melatonin (increase 2%, float tank (increase 2%), wine (decrease 4%), and party (decrease 14%) in overnight HRV. Must be some big parties! Subscribe What is a PRV measurement good for? It has been falsely characterized as an index of “autonomic balance” and a specific indicator of stress. A 2018 review of the studies available for HRV and its relationship to stress, not using any of the current wearables, found that stress can lower HRV. But so can many other factors. The non-specificity of the signal, indexed to the table above, is striking. Evidence from a UK Biobank study of over 46,000 participants with actual HRV looked at genetically predicted HRV, a genetic risk score, that failed to show the expected HRV-mortality link, indicating that _HRV is likely not causa_l, but rather a reflection of person’s physiologic state. A review of consumer wearable HRV data from 5 longitudinal studies showed that nighttime PRV was not associated with perceived stress, and surprisingly higher HRV, in the largest cohort (N=717 participants), was correlated with higher stress. An Oura ring cohort of 525 first-year college students found a link between overnight PRV and perceived stress, but that was also seen with resting heart rate, sleep, and respiratory rate. Several very small studies have examined the relationship of HRV and athletic injuries or guiding training with mixed, and predominantly negative results. HRV biofeedback training with paced breathing had no significant effect on reducing stress or raising HRV, as demonstrated with sham controlled trials. When HRV for multiple days showed a decline in conjunction with body temperature, the Oura ring published data for prediction of Covid. The WHOOP company sponsored an observational study, published in 2026, of 30,000 users for 72 weeks, without a control group, that reported reduced alcohol intake (5.8 % points) by self-report. That doesn’t tell us much, and particularly about the merits of HRV for behavioral change. If you use the same device and conditions as longitudinal trends for multiple (at least 2-3) weeks that may be the one way to get something useful from the measurements. Data for overnight sleep with minimal motion and using RMSSD is the best proxy for real HRV. The reason to look at trends rather than any given night is that it more likely represents something, even though you won’t know with certainty what the “it” is. Keep in mind there are no data, no peer-reviewed evidence, to show that HRV fluctuation in-person has any correlation with health outcomes. Share Readiness Scores These are proprietary scores that integrate different metrics for each of the wearables: no algorithms have been disclosed. They are unvalidated against health outcomes. In a review of 14 composite health scores of readiness and recovery, HRV contributed 86% to the scores, followed by reading heart rate (79%), physical activity and sleep duration (both at 71%). That review noted the substantial variability in measurement protools and lack of standardization. Sleep staging is notoriously inconsistent and inaccurate by these sensors, which adds further to the HRV uncertainties for what the scores, which use sleep stage data, mean. Only resting heart rate has been shown consistently across devices to be extremely accurate. I’ve made a Table to summarize what we know about which metrics are included, the scores, any peer-reviewed studies that compared the readiness score with health outcomes, and the corresponding (if any, NA-not available) citation. You will note that some companies do not use the term “readiness," such as WHOOP for recovery, and Garmin, which has 2 different scores, one of which is Body Battery. Eight Sleep uses the term “Fitness Score.” They all include HRV; Apple includes a new metric they call “Recovery HRV” which among other components uses 7-days of sleep, but it is unclear what this means or how it is differentiated from other scores (there are clearly no data for outcomes). We have no knowledge of how the different components are weighted or whether any of these scores are better than resting heart rate, HRV alone, physical activity, or any other single metric. Since none of these are standardized, they are not interchangeable, so if you get a 90 for Oura that has no relationship to a 90 on a Google Fitbit Air. Notably, the company can update its algorithm for readiness score at any point without notification to device users. Without any useful evidence of actionability for these scores or established relationship with health outcomes, it is hard to make a case for their value. At the Apple recent announcement they showed their Readiness score (0-10) on the watch (Figure below) but there are no published data on this score, not even on their website. It’s available only on their new Watch Series 12 or Ultra 4 [of course, ;-)]. That exemplifies the problems with these scores, lack of data and evidence for being meaningful to promote health. Perhaps the best study (which isn’t saying much) is the WHOOP Recovery for golfer performance, because it did correlate with an objective outcome, even though there was no control group and the authors were all from the company. Among the 389 pro golfers, an absolute 10-per cent point increase in Recovery score was associated with about 0.5 fewer strokes per round. But that’s hardly a health outcome! WHOOP is also conducting a study in over 2,700 runners to see if their recovery score will be linked to less injuries and improved performance, but that is not yet published and has no control group or randomization. Putting This in Context For two decades I’ve been enthusiastic about the potential for digital health and particularly wearable biosensors. Over the years, we’ve seen some great progress for their ability to promote physical activity and accurately detect atrial fibrillation (the first FDA cleared deep learning AI for consumers). That work was the subject of rigorous research. But there are holes in the data and evidence for other metrics. One notable one is the “VO2 max” story that I wrote about earlier this year. At that time many subscribers asked me to cover heart rate variability, which I finally got to here. When I dived into the research and publication for HRV and readiness scores, I expected to find at least some that were of high quality and demonstrated their utility by linkage to health outcomes. To my surprise, I found none. The wearable sensor measurements for HRV (PRV) are, for the most part, accurate, but that validation work has only been done in small studies of healthy adults and does not take into account the long list of factors, from the device, software side, and the user side, that affect HRV measurements. Moreover, this metric chiefly relies on optical sensing and, as we have learned for heart rate PPG sensing, may be less accurate in people of color. Keep in mind that all of the health outcome association evidence comes from ECG-derived HRV; none are from wearable sensor data. I will repeat the key point: there's no peer-reviewed evidence to show that in-person HRV fluctuation—or efforts to raise your HRV— has any correlation with health outcomes. For those of you who look at your HRV on awakening, or even 2+ week trends of it being low, I hope this context helps to relieve any anxiety. Yes, low HRV (not PRV) has been shown to increase risk of some diseases as summarized above. But efforts to raise your HRV—a surrogate metric— has not been established for improving any health outcomes. HRV does not have any evidence of causality (the genetic evidence actually goes against this possibility). In this summary, I have not included data for other wearable sensors such as Polar, Samsung, Withings, Suunto, Amazfit, Coros, Ultrahuman, or additional mattress sensors. These are beyond my first-hand experience, and as far as I know from my in-depth review none have any peer-reviewed published data that differ from the 6 sensors I’ve reviewed here. From the points I’ve gone over above, we’re not ready for readiness scores. Besides being proprietary, they are predominantly based on metrics that have their own issues. It’s compounding the problem, like building a house without a solid foundation that has never undergone a rigorous inspection, and then selling it. Like I mentioned for PRV, you can look at trends over weeks rather than any single day, to get a handle, but even that may not be helpful. There’s simply no evidence that these scores meaningfully relate to health outcomes. I’d emphasize they might, but that requires doing prospective or randomized studies to prove it. None exist. There’s great promise for HRV/PRV utility_. For example**,**_ Prof Maiken Nedergaard, who discovered the brain glymphatics that are essential in eliminating metabolic waste products from the brain during sleep, has posited that HRV could be a non-invasive marker for neuromodulator oscillations, brain-body regulatory circuits, and brain clearance. That would be extremely useful, but like everything else on HRV and readiness scores it requires solid research and validation. The lay media isn’t helping much to get the story straight. Earlier this year The Economist published a piece entitled “The most useful indicator of your overall health” which ordained HRV as an “accumulated stress score.” That’s akin to the false assertion about VO2max: “V02 max is the singular most powerful marker for longevity.” As I’ve summarized here, that is not established. The fact is that so many things can lower HRV, including physical exercise (especially an intense workout), reduced sleep quality, stress, the list above, no less the device, signal, and software. Whatever fluctuations observed have not been correlated with any health outcome. Sadly, “datamaxxers” are widely using HRV and readiness scores that have never been validated to mean anything. We already know that for some people using the sensors for sleep metrics, it can induce “orthosomnia,” an obsession to get high sleep quality, with associated high levels of anxiety. In an experiment done by a company to promote sleep quality for its employees, “For those employees who did use the trackers, many reported feeling perfectly rested until their tracker told them they had had a terrible night. Others were told that they had slept like a baby when they had actually been lying awake worrying about the quality of their sleep. “ The same problem can result from preoccupation with HRV or readiness scores, with anxiety that would lead to further reduction in both. It you are using a wearable like >100 million American adults, it’s OK to look at these data, but contextualized with the major caveats reviewed here. If you are one to require evidence that HRV or readiness scores are linked to health outcomes, you may not even want to look. The companies make it hard to turn them off! Let me end with the companies that make and sell wearables. Apple’s doubling down on HRV (24-fold more reporting and heart rate very 5 seconds) and introduction of a Readiness score tells us that consumers have bought into these metrics and they are joining the club. However, all of this is occurring with a backdrop of tens millions of users, claims about the data that are not backed up by adequate evidence, marketing way out in front of whatever limited data exists, and not being transparent about their readiness score algorithms. The companies can well afford to do the research that is needed to connect these metrics with health outcomes show, once and for all, that increasing HRV or using readiness scores promotes our health. If they believed and invested in the products they are selling, we’d not be in this position of not knowing. That’s essentially where we are with HRV and readiness scores. Perhaps someday this will change and we’ll have good reason to embrace them. NB: I wrote this post. No AI. I have no conflicts of interest with any of its content. Loading... Ground Truths has 215,000 subscribers from every US state and 214 countries. There are over 300,000 followers of Ground Truths so more than 90,000 folks who can easily convert to be free subscribers. Your subscription to these free essays and podcasts makes my work in putting them together worthwhile. If you’re not a subscriber, please join! If you found this interesting PLEASE share it! Share Ground Truths The proceeds from all voluntary paid subscriptions go to support our summer internship program. It enabled us to accept and support a record number of 62 summer interns that joined us in 2026! These are high school, college and medical students selected from thousands of applicants. We couldn’t do this expanded program without the funds coming in through Ground Truths. Thank you!
Duncan Sheik, Tony- and Grammy-winning 'Spring Awakening' composer and pop star, dies at 56
Tony- and Grammy-winning musician Duncan Sheik has died at 56. The “Barely Breathing” singer-songwriter composed the music for “Spring Awakening.” The groundbreaking Broadway musical that explored teenage angst ran for
Frankie Muniz says he's living a 'nightmare' in wake of divorce
Frankie Muniz says he's living a nightmare he wants to wake up from following the announcement of his split from wife Paige Price. In July, the two announced they were ending their marriage after seven years.
WakeMed-Atrium Health merger faces scrutiny ahead of county vote
Wake County commissioners are expected to vote Monday on a proposed merger between WakeMed and Atrium Health
TST Best Bets: September 18, 2026
Friday night’s college football slate features four undefeated teams looking to prove themselves against conference competition.No. 22 Houston travels to face No. 13 Texas Tech in a ranked Big 12 matchup, while No. 5 Miami visits Wake Forest for an ACC battle between 2-0 teams. With both favorites facing their toughest tests of the young season, we’re breaking down the best bet from each game.For all of your college football betting picks, here are today’s TST Best Bets, brought to you by BetOnl
Broadway composer and singer Duncan Sheik dies at 56
NEW YORK — Duncan Sheik, who composed the Tony Award-winning show “Spring Awakening” and sang the 1996 Grammy-nominated pop music hit “Barely Breathing,” has died. He was 56. His death
Tottenham v Aston Villa: Key stats and talking points
Tottenham and Aston Villa have scored just one league goal between them so far, with both clubs making poor starts to the season. BBC Sport takes a look at the key themes before the game on Saturday (12:30 BST). In the wake of their Carabao Cup exit to Liverpool, Tottenham boss Roberto de Zerbi said his side have to find "La Scintilla" (the spark) to kick-start their season and finally score some goals.
Broadway composer and singer Duncan Sheik dies at 56
NEW YORK — Duncan Sheik, who composed the Tony Award-winning show “Spring Awakening” and sang the 1996 Grammy-nominated pop music hit “Barely Breathing,” has died. He was 56. His death
Wake leaders to vote on proposed WakeMed-Atrium deal Monday
The Board of Commissioners in May delayed a decision on the combination after concerns arose over costs and quality of healthcare.
Duncan Sheik, 'Spring Awakening' composer and pop star, dies at 56
Sheik had been best known for his lasting radio hit "Barely Breathing" when he turned his sights on Broadway
Duncan Sheik, 'Spring Awakening' composer and pop star, dies at 56
Sheik had been best known for his lasting radio hit "Barely Breathing" when he turned his sights on Broadway
Duncan Sheik, 'Spring Awakening' composer and pop star, dies at 56
Sheik had been best known for his lasting radio hit "Barely Breathing" when he turned his sights on Broadway
Kauai small businesses ask tourists to return with aloha and some patience
When tourists should return is always a question in Hawaii, but Kauai small businesses are already asking for them to come back in the wake of the devastation left by Hurricane Lowell.
Duncan Sheik, 'Spring Awakening' composer known for '90s hit 'Barely Breathing,' dies at 56
The Tony Award-winning musician died of organ failure on Thursday after being hospitalized, his family said.
Duncan Sheik, Tony- and Grammy-winning 'Spring Awakening' composer and pop star, dies at 56
Tony- and Grammy-winning musician Duncan Sheik has died at 56 | WWL
Duncan Sheik, Tony- and Grammy-winning ‘Spring Awakening’ composer and pop star, dies at 56
Tony- and Grammy-winning musician Duncan Sheik has died at 56. Before Broadway's “Spring Awakening,” he had been best known for the hit “Barely Breathing.”
Duncan Sheik, Tony Award-winning composer, dies at 56
Duncan Sheik attends 'The Broadway Legacy Foundation Launch' at the Broadway Museum on November 11, 2025 in New York City. (Santiago Felipe/Getty Images)Duncan Sheik, the Tony Award-winning composer behind Spring Awakening and more, has died, according to his Instagram. He was 56.The Friday morning Instagram post said the "father, husband, son, brother, and friend" died on Thursday night "surrounded by love."A message shared on Sheik's Instagram earlier this week by his family said he was "receiving medical care" and was "in critical but stable condition.""The world has a lost a singular talent, and deeply influential voice in music and theater," Friday's statement said. "From his Grammy-nominated hit “Barely Breathing” to his groundbreaking, Tony and Grammy Award-winning work on Spring Awakening, Duncan’s artistry touched many and leaves an indelible mark on the cultural landscape."Born on Nov. 18, 1969, in Montclair, New Jersey, Sheik rose to fame in 1996 when he released his self-titled debut album, which included his hit song, "Barely Breathing."The song peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and earned him a Grammy nomination for best male pop vocal performance.Following his debut album, he released Humming in 1998, Phantom Moon in 2001 and Daylight in 2002.While "Barely Breathing" established Sheik as a singer-songwriter, his career later expanded into musical theater, where he found success as a composer.Sheik collaborated with lyricist Steven Sater and composed the music for Spring Awakening, which opened on Broadway in 2006.He told Broadcast Music, Inc. in 2015 that around the time he was making the music for Spring Awakening, he wasn't "a huge fan" of music that was happening on Broadway and he wanted to make the music for an audience "beyond the normal crowd that would go to a Broadway musical."The rock musical, based on Frank Wedekind's 1891 play and starring Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, John Gallagher and Skylar Astin, became a major success. It won eight Tony Awards in 2007, including best musical, best original score and best orchestrations.He went on to compose music for several other stage productions, including American Psycho and Because of Winn-Dixie. He also collaborated with Sater again on Alice by Heart and The Secret Life of Bees.In his interview with Broadcast Music, Inc., he added that working on musical theater has "helped broaden my palette."Sheik went on to release several more albums throughout his career, including White Limousine, Whisper House, Covers 80s, Legerdemain and Claptrap.In May, it was announced that Sheik's new musical, Memoirs of Amorous Gentlemen, would make its off-Broadway debut this fall. The musical is based on Moyoco Anno's manga graphic novel of the same name.An off-Broadway revival of Spring Awakening is also set to open this fall. Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Colorado science teacher hopes his T. rex trackway discovery fuels ferocious passion for learning - WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports
NORTHGLENN, Colorado (KCNC) — A remarkable discovery was recently made by a rather unlikely person.“I’m still like in this dream that I’m going to wakeRead More
Wake Forest medical Students, Atrium Health start wound clinic for the homeless in Winston-Salem
‘Barely Breathing’ singer Duncan Sheik, 56, hospitalized in critical condition
NEW YORK — Duncan Sheik, the voice behind the 1996 single “Barely Breathing” and Tony Award-winning composer of “Spring Awakening,” is currently hospitalized. Sheik’s family offered a health update in
'It's just not a pleasant crowd later': Manassas officials, business owners grapple with future of 'First Friday'
Manassas leaders are grappling this week with the future of widely-attended outdoor events in the wake of a “First Friday” festival shooting that left a 16-year-old girl dead.
Mark Walter hit with class-action lawsuit in wake of insurance probe
The lawsuit comes as Walter and his business empire are under federal investigation for fraud related to the classification of company loans.
'Spring Awakening' composer Duncan Sheik in 'critical but stable condition'
Duncan Sheik attends the premiere of 'Spring Awakening: Those You've Known' at Florence Gould Hall on April 25, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
The Champions League cloud that casts a long, dark shadow
More than a year on from one of their most embarrassing European exits, Celtic are struggling to escape from a groundhog day entirely of their own making. Amid buzz phrases like "learning lessons" and "wake-up calls" following last weekend's derby drubbing at Ibrox, an interesting yet awkward question emerges: have Celtic learned anything at all from last year's costly mistakes? Going out of the Champions League to Kairat Almaty cast a cloud over huge swathes of last season.
The Strange New Politics of AI. Plus. . .
It’s Thursday, September 17. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Douglas Murray asks, why do we allow terrorists to die of old age? The American nonprofits backing Hamas. A conversation with Dara Horn and Coleman Hughes. And much more. But first: inside the unlikely coalition warning that AI may kill us all. Last week, an AI researcher named Jacob Coxon made headlines around the world after saying that he had resigned from Anthropic because he believes AI might cause human extinction—and his co-workers do, too. Unlike the rest of us, potentially, the story just won’t die. The Pro-Human Assembly, a conference held Tuesday in Washington, D.C., about the existential dangers of artificial intelligence, couldn’t have come at a better time—or with a more eclectic coalition. The Archbishop of San Francisco was there. So was Steve Bannon, screaming about the Chinese. Bernie Sanders did a quasi-dramatic reading of messages posted to an online forum by rogue AI agents. Ashley Judd paraphrased a graphic Andrea Dworkin quote for reasons that remain a mystery to me still. It was odd. People in the AI industry have talked openly about the possibility of this technology causing human extinction for years, but it hits differently in the wake of the Hugging Face incident. If you don’t know what that is, all the more reason to read my dispatch today. As the doomers see it, the best-case scenario is a future in which humans are basically kept as pets: well cared for, but with zero autonomy. The worst-case scenario, obviously, is the everyone dies thing. What should be done? I heard lots of ideas but no easy answers. There are currently zero federal regulations on AI, which is sort of strange even to think about. After all, we regulate microwaves, and the people running the microwave industry have never once refused to rule out the possibility that their products will end all human life on Earth. What I saw in D.C. left me even more convinced that you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who believes nothing should be done. You know, except for President Trump. — River Page River Page • Tech and Business [ The AI Doomers Have a Plan to Save Us. I Went to Find Out What It Is. ](https://www.thefp.com/p/the-ai-doomers-have-plan-save-bernie-sanders-bannon) Read story How Robert Kraft Made Macklemore a Martyr—and How to Better Fight Antisemitism On Monday, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and a group of other NFL owners banned Macklemore from performing at their stadiums after the rapper delivered a “Free Palestine” speech while opening for Ed Sheeran. Kraft cited the rapper’s “broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery.” Once multiple venues refused to host shows with Macklemore on the lineup, the tour’s promoter officially dropped him. Today, Josh Kaplan says that the move was counterproductive, arguing that though well-intentioned, Kraft’s decision turned an irrelevant footnote into a martyr. “You cannot cancel people into liking you,” Josh writes. Read his column on what a better response to Macklemore would have looked like. Read [ Robert Kraft Made Macklemore a Martyr ](https://www.thefp.com/p/robert-kraft-made-macklemore-martyr-antisemitism-palestine) This raises the question: What actually works against antisemitism? On the latest episode of Conversations with Coleman, recorded in front of a live audience in New York, Dara Horn joins Coleman Hughes to talk about her new book The Final Solution to the Jewish Question. She argues that antisemitism is a script that has repeated itself across countries and ideologies, and that most people don’t understand that well enough to fight it. Don’t miss their conversation. Watch [ The Lie at the Center of Antisemitism, with Dara Horn ](https://www.thefp.com/p/the-lie-at-the-center-of-antisemitism-coleman-hughes-dana-horn) Listen now Douglas Murray • U.S. Politics [ Douglas Murray: The 9/11 Failure That Still Haunts America ](https://www.thefp.com/p/douglas-murray-911-failure-justice-terrorist-guantanamo-bay) Twenty-five years after the September 11 attacks, the men who planned them have still not faced trial. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and most of the accused have been locked up in Guantanamo Bay since 2002. Judges have retired, and plea deals have collapsed. Today, Douglas Murray examines how this happened and argues that a justice system that allows terrorists to die of old age in an interminable pretrial process is one that has failed. Read his latest column on what that failure says about our unpreparedness for the era we are now living in. Read story The Editors • U.S. Politics [ When Nonprofits Support Terrorists ](https://www.thefp.com/p/when-nonprofits-support-terrorists) A newly declassified CIA brief from 1998 found that Osama bin Laden used nonprofit shell organizations—including U.S.-based Islamic groups—to fund his terror plots. Today, a similar story is unfolding as multiple organizations on American soil present themselves as nonprofits, taking advantage of tax-exempt status while seeking to advance the ideological mission of terrorist groups like Hamas. Read our editorial on the latest evidence of this dangerous trend—and why there’s no excuse for making the same mistake the CIA revealed 28 years ago. Read story Simon Sebag Montefiore and Bari Weiss Live in New York For decades, the Middle East has shaped American foreign policy and loomed large in the public consciousness. Few understand its influence on our politics better than Simon Sebag Montefiore, who argues that America’s quagmires in the Middle East stem from a deep misunderstanding of the region—on both the left and the right. Join him October 1 as he sits down with Bari Weiss live in New York City to kick off his U.S. book tour for The Cauldron: The Making of the Modern Middle East. Get Tickets Now MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS [ Sydney Sweeney’s Naked Truth ](https://www.thefp.com/p/sydney-sweeneys-naked-truth-caitlin-flanagan) Caitlin Flanagan Read story [ I Thought Ukraine Was Losing. Then I Was Almost Hit by a Russian Drone. ](https://www.thefp.com/p/elliot-ackerman-ukraine-drone-gas-station-train) Elliot Ackerman Read story [ The Dangerous Ideology Behind the AI Warnings ](https://www.thefp.com/p/dangerous-ideology-effective-altruism-artificial-intelligence) Shyam Sankar Read story [ Amanda Knox: Patrick Clancy Can’t Win ](https://www.thefp.com/p/amanda-knox-patrick-clancy-grief-internet-crime) Amanda Knox Read story THE NEWS The Federal Reserve raised interest rates by a quarter point, its first hike since 2023, signaling that another increase could follow as the central bank tries to bring inflation under control. President Donald Trump fired back by demanding that rates be cut sharply, though he stopped short of criticizing Fed Chair Kevin Warsh by name. The Houthis fired drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, including a major oil port on the Red Sea, and Saudi jets struck back with air strikes across Yemen in an escalating front of the Middle East war. (For more on the Houthis, read Zineb Riboua’s column from earlier this week.) A sweeping Russia and Iran sanctions bill passed the House in a 262–159 vote and is now heading to Trump for his signature. Named after the late senator Lindsey Graham, the legislation would hit countries that purchase large volumes of Russian oil and gas with tariffs of up to 100 percent, and is aimed at cutting off revenue that funds Russia’s war in Ukraine. European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen proposed making Canada the European Union’s first-ever “associate member,” drawing a standing ovation from European lawmakers. The proposal, framed as a response to a world grown more hostile, faces an uncertain path as EU member states would have to approve it, and one diplomat said that “nobody really knows what it means.” The House voted unanimously to send billionaire Leon Black a criminal contempt referral after he defied a congressional subpoena to testify and hand over documents related to his connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Black chose to fight the subpoena in court rather than comply. Charlie Kirk’s family filed a wrongful death notice Wednesday against Utah Valley University, alleging that a series of security failures left him exposed to a rooftop sniper. The notice is a required legal step before the family can sue. Merriam-Webster added 1,400 words and definitions to its dictionary, including looksmaxxing, vibe coding, and cuffing season. The publisher said the new entries offer “a window into the world today.” The Free Press earns a commission from any purchases made through all book links in this article.
12 Inspires: World War II veteran still volunteers at Atrium Health at 100 years old
Jack Jerome, a 100-year-old World War II veteran, has volunteered over 12,000 hours at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist since 1990, assisting patients and families.
Packers’ Super Bowl stock tumbles after Week 1 disaster
The Packers entered the 2026 season, as one of the teams executives and coaches across the league believed could make a Super Bowl run and bring the Lombardi back to Green Bay. Sunday’s come from ahead disastrous loss to the Minnesota Vikings was a disastrous wakeup call for head coach Matt LaFleur, Jordan Love, and [...]
Syracuse Football Learns More Information About 2027 Schedule
We already knew that the Orange were going to play Wake Forest in Toronto, but there's more on the table now.
Kauaʻi businesses rebuild from Hurricane Lowell while weighing when — and how
In the wake of Hurricane Lowell’s devastation in Kauaʻi, local businesses like North Shore Bike Doktor and Pineapple Kayaks Kauaʻi face a difficult crossroads as they navigate recovery efforts amid uncertainty in the tourism-dependent economy.
UM’s Bryce Fitzgerald: ‘I’m an Unfinished Product’
Versatile standout Bryce Fitzgerald embraces a new role at cornerback, leveraging his ball-hawking instincts and physical growth to anchor a depleted Miami Hurricanes secondary against Wake Forest.
No. 5 UM's Initial Injury Report Against Wake Forest
The No. 5 Miami Hurricanes face a depleted secondary as several veteran cornerbacks remain sidelined, leaving a revamped defensive unit to contain Wake Forest’s dual-threat quarterback Gio Lopez.
Big-money donations poison British politics. We can stop the mega-rich buying access and influence
I’ve seen how imbalances in campaign spending can distort democracy. The multi-million-pound gifts to Reform must act as a final wake-up call, says former UK prime minister Gordon Brown
One word that explains Trump’s AI denialism
Washington’s biggest question this week: Why is President Donald Trump is so furiously against an AI slowdown in the wake of apocalyptic warnings from some top industry executives?
Alcohol-free bottle shop to close
A Richland business launched in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic to provide beverages other than alcohol for social gatherings is closing its doors.
We're not about to awaken an evil digital god — AI is far more likely to end in a great disappointment
AI is unlikely to launch a Hollywood-style war against us. Rather, the biggest danger of AI is that it will disappoint us.
Healey announces push to expand maternal mental healthcare, screening
In the wake of the Lindsay Clancy trial, Healey on Tuesday unveiled measures aimed at improving postpartum mental health screening and support.
Game Pass adds Dune: Awakening, Minecraft Dungeons II, Gears of War: E-Day, and more in late September to early October
Microsoft has announced new titles coming to Game Pass in late September to early October, including Dune: Awakening, Minecraft Dungeons II, Gears of War: E-Day, and more.
Coming to XBOX Game Pass: Gears of War: E-Day, Minecraft Dungeons II, Dune: Awakening, and More
Whether you’re delving into the Dungeons a second time, surviving the chaos of Emergence Day with Bravo Squad, or just biking through the ultimate obstacle course, we have a bunch more games ready for you and some friends. Let’s get to it!
Hennepin County caught Metro Surge business relief fraud before it doled out thousands
Tight controls prevented the county from losing any money, but the attempts at thievery should be a wake-up call to officials across the state, one county commissioner says.
Samsung reportedly considers early ‘Galaxy Z TriFold 2’ release in wake of iPhone Duo
In the wake of iPhone Duo, Samsung is reportedly considering an early release for a Galaxy Z TriFold sequel. The...
September 14 Playbook: The Races Defining the Midterms
☀️ Good Monday Morning. LFG 🎶 Your Morning Pick Me Up. Wake Me Up. Avicii PA Weather☀️ Ridgway | Mostly Sunny, 67🌤️ Lebanon | Becoming Sunny, 74☀️ Doylestown | Sunny, 73 PA Sports ⚾ Phillies (83-67, +1.5 GB WC) | Atlanta 9-4 | Tue at Washington⚾ Pirates (75-75) | Chicago Cubs…
New coffee shop, wings and catfish restaurant opens, Two Sisters Restaurant new chapter, florist and boutique opens, and more Quad-Cities business news
AWAKE Coffee opens third location, new wings and catfish restaurant, florist and boutique opens, and more Quad-Cities business news and more Quad-Cities business news.
See how Delaware's maternal health landscape compares with other states
In the wake of the Lindsay Clancy case, many parents have shared their mental health struggles. See how Delaware supports maternal mental health.
WaFd holding company's HQ headed to Bellevue in wake of merger deal
WaFd Inc. will merge with EverBank Financial Corp. in a $3.9 billion deal designed to scale against larger competitors.
Purdue 36 Wake Forest 38: Post Game Media Review
It was a heartbreaking way to lose a home game but even more so as Purdue looked to break a 21-game losing streak to Power 4 conference + Notre Dame opponents. Purdue rallied from being down 10 points late in the fourth quarter and had a chance to win but couldn’t l into the endzone […]
They lost their jobs after posting about Charlie Kirk, but some have no regrets
Some people fired in the wake of Kirk's assassination have won big settlements from employers, others have had to start over from scratch.
College football Saturday open thread
A much better slate of games on tap today, capped by Ohio State/Texas tonight. Some games I’ll be keeping an eye on: NoonOklahoma vs. MichiganWake Forest vs. PurdueOregon vs. Oklahoma StateArizona State vs. Texas A&MApp State vs. ECU 3:30Alabama vs. KentuckyUCF vs. PittArizona vs. BYUCal vs. Syracuse 6 p.m. or laterMemphis vs. Boise StateTennessee vs. […]
Wake Up! Week 2 Viewing Guide and Morning Open Thread
Some morning action for you before Alabama kicks off.
Allina Health hospice nurses launch strike in the wake of what they call 'unbearable working conditions'
Allina health hospice nurses launch strike in the wake of what they call 'unbearable working conditions.' "We are exhausted for our patients," says Allina Hospice RN case manager Abby McDonald. Allina responded with disappointment over the walkout. | 830 WCCO
Nintendo Officially Reveals The Legend of Zelda: Master Collection
To celebrate The Legend of Zelda's 40th anniversary, Nintendo officially unveils the upcoming Master Collection.
David Petraeus: George W. Bush, Political Courage, and the Surge in Iraq
In the wake of the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush launched what he called the War on Terror. It began with the invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, which quickly toppled the Taliban and expelled al-Qaeda from its most crucial sanctuary. Then, in early 2003, American forces—with the support of foreign allies like the United Kingdom, Australia, and Poland—attacked Iraq, toppling Saddam Hussein’s regime and installing an occupation force in hopes of quickly transforming the country into a free and democratic state. Instead, the post-regime coalition authority made significant missteps, and a devastating insurgency erupted. And despite President Bush’s 2004 reelection, the war quickly lost popular support among the American public. In early 2007, Bush appointed General David Petraeus, who had already served in Iraq as a two- and three-star general, to lead allied forces in Iraq, which heralded a sea change in American strategy known as “the surge.” As part of our coverage looking back on 9/11 and the world it created, General Petraeus tells the inside story of one of the most consequential moments in the War on Terror. The general’s essay today is both a crucial history and a profile in political courage. It demands reflection as we take stock of the last 25 years. —The Editors By the end of 2006, the war in Iraq was failing. There is no useful purpose in softening that judgment with the passage of time. The bombing of the al-Askari mosque in Samarra by terrorists that February had accelerated sectarian violence and pulled Iraq into an increasingly vicious Sunni-Shia civil war. Al-Qaeda in Iraq and Sunni insurgent groups controlled substantial areas, Shi’ite militias operated with growing impunity in other parts of the country, and the Iraqi security forces were no longer capable of arresting the downward spiral. The strategy of transitioning security responsibilities to Iraqi forces, consolidating American troops on large bases, and progressively reducing the U.S. presence had clearly been invalidated by the escalating violence. The numbers conveyed the horror imperfectly but unmistakably. In December 2006, an average of 53 Iraqi civilians were killed by violence every 24 hours in Baghdad alone. Washington, meanwhile, was approaching its own breaking point. Public support for the war had fallen dramatically, President George W. Bush’s Republican Party had just lost control of both houses of Congress, and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group—of which future defense secretary Robert Gates was a member—had recommended a course that anticipated a substantially reduced American combat role. Many senior military leaders were deeply skeptical of sending substantial additional forces, advocating instead for an accelerated transition to Iraqi forces, the deployment of additional trainers and advisers, or other more modest measures with an eye to withdrawing U.S. forces. Virtually every political incentive pointed toward reducing America’s commitment. President Bush chose instead to increase it, a decision that remains, in my view, one of the most courageous presidential decisions of the 21st century.
Lawsuit settled over former Wake County employee recording women at a health facility
Wake County has settled a lawsuit over a former medical assistant's placement of cameras in a women's restroom.
Pedophile support chatroom addresses Jim Thornton ‘Wheel of Fortune’ firing
NEW YORK — The organizers of a pedophile support chatroom allegedly visited by former “Wheel of Fortune” announcer Jim Thornton has issued a statement in the wake of his firing.
Atrium Health boosted executive compensation by 21 percent in 2025
As Atrium Health seeks to combine with WakeMed, its latest compensation report shows 10 executives were paid more than $1 million last year.
Recent Stanton graduate wins Humane Science Award from National Anti-Vivisection Society
/PRNewswire/ -- Alan Alwakeel, a recent graduate of Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville, Florida, was one of just five recipients of the...
Recent Stanton graduate wins Humane Science Award from National Anti-Vivisection Society
Alan Alwakeel, a recent graduate of Stanton College Preparatory School in Jacksonville, Florida, was one of just five recipients of the prestigious Humane Science Award at the 2026 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). The award is presented by the National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS), a nonprofit devoted to the advancement of science without harming animals and the only animal advocacy group invited to award a prize at the ISEF. Each recipient received a $3,000 prize
25 years after 9/11, activists continue fighting for healthcare
Lila Nordstrom, the author of "Some Kids Left Behind: A Survivor's Fight For Health Care In The Wake Of 9/11," sits down with NY1's Cheryl Wills.
Property Play: How the CEO of mortgage tech firm Blend revived his business after disaster
CNBC's Diana Olick sits down with Nima Ghamsari, who launched his mortgage technology business Blend in the wake of the great financial crisis.
Swedish results in maths, reading and science plummet to historic low in new Pisa poll
Swedish pupils have never before been as poor in mathematics, reading comprehension and science in any Pisa survey in 25 years, in shock results that present a stark wake-up call.
Renew MEPs to press Macron on his political future at Paris meeting
Lawmakers are expected to question the French leader about his plans post-2027 in the wake of the far right victory in Germany, a party official says.
Neath school sports pitch lights keeping kids awake
One resident said the lights were a "total nuisance" and another claimed they made night feel like daytime.
Lessons learned from Bremen
“That was a real wake-up call – and perhaps it came at the right time,” was Marcel Schäfer’s assessment of the 3-1 defeat at the Weserstadion. The result left the team with plenty to discuss,...
Hawkeye Football: Instant Reaction NIU vs Iowa
A sleeping giant awakens as Iowa’s offense finds its groove and the defense shuts down Northern Illinois.
Two Las Vegas Strip shows closing, hundreds of entertainment workers losing jobs
Mad Apple closes September 5, Awakening closes October 10
Two Las Vegas Strip shows closing, hundreds of entertainment workers losing jobs
Mad Apple closes September 5, Awakening closes October 10
Two Las Vegas Strip shows closing, hundreds of entertainment workers losing jobs
Mad Apple closes September 5, Awakening closes October 10
Two Las Vegas Strip shows closing, hundreds of entertainment workers losing jobs
Mad Apple closes September 5, Awakening closes October 10
Two Las Vegas Strip shows closing, hundreds of entertainment workers losing jobs
Mad Apple closes September 5, Awakening closes October 10
Two Las Vegas Strip shows closing, hundreds of entertainment workers losing jobs
Mad Apple closes September 5, Awakening closes October 10
Edwards named to lead Atrium's Triad region
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist named Dr. Matthew Edwards as its Triad area president and CEO, effective Sept. 14.
Tim Schafer Calls Double Fine Leaving Xbox A 'Creative Awakening': 'Asha’s Not Going To Shoot My Dog'
The CEO said he had a bad feeling once Phil Spencer retired
Zooey Deschanel says “New Girl ”stars were ‘forced to drive home’ after long shoots: ‘The hours were insane’
The “Elf” star shared that she would have to call her mom to keep her awake during late night drives.
'The health system in Nepal is not prepared for this'
That's the grim assessment from the ground in the wake of the catastrophic flooding, which damaged or destroyed 7 health facilities, interrupted routine care and is affecting mental health.
York Knights sign Wakefield full-back Jowitt
York Knights sign Wakefield full-back Max Jowitt on a two-year deal for the 2027 season.
Central Florida Postpartum Alliance co-founder discusses postpartum mental health
WESH 2's Michelle Imperato sat down with Nancy Laish, co-founder and vice president of Central Florida Postpartum Alliance, to discuss postpartum mental health in the wake of the Lindsay Clancy trial.
Bill Belichick’s general manager resigns amidst investigation
Back in July, North Carolina Tar Heels football general manager Michael Lombardi was placed on paid leave in the wake of an internal investigation. Now, he has officially resigned from his post. Less than a week after North Carolina officially began its season with a win over TCU, they will now be without their general…
Hoopaholic’s Gazette: Four Questions
Calm down, I know it is football season. I’ll be tuned shortly. Akron at Wake Forest. Will it be the first Mac surprise of the season at ACC’s expense? Coach Prime back in ‘Lanta. I know the Cardinals have a huge nationally televised prime time opener against an SEC power just days away in NashVegas. […]
Ex-NFL player, college football All-American dies at 40
Former Wake Forest star Alphonso Smith, who played in the NFL for the Denver Broncos and Detroit Lions, has died.