SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " pose " 4,361 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Mark Cuban says AI can expose hidden healthcare contract costs
Mark Cuban said companies should run their healthcare bills through an AI bot to uncover hidden costs.
New York to impose country’s first statewide moratorium on data centers
New York will block the construction of any new large data centers for up to a year so the state can create a new set of rules.
Burcum: Who should decide what research gets funded, political operatives or scientists?
From columnist Jill Burcum: A proposed rule from the Office of Management and Budget, led by Project 2025 architect Russell Vought, would shake up how federal dollars for research are allocated.
Letter to the Editor: A give-away contract with Another Planet Entertainment
The contracts proposed, between the San Francisco Recreation and Park Dept. and APE fall short of the industry standard. The APE contracts are not typical for a venue this size, potentially costing…
Woodford Believes Sports Entertainment Gaming Global Corporation (Nasdaq:SEGG) 10-K Exposes Unexplained Borrowing, 1,145% Dilution and a Deep Corporate Crisis
SEGG acknowledges the Woodford agreements, security rights and LCIA arbitration, but does not explain how later borrowing, secured financing and share issuance complied with those protections
The Quintessential Trump-era Politician
In 2020, I wrote an article about collaboration and collaborators. The title was History Will Judge the Complicit, and it started with the story of two famous East Germans, Markus Wolf and Wolfgang Leonhard, who both landed in East Berlin just after the end of the war. Although they came from very similar backgrounds, the former stuck with the regime, eventually becoming its spy boss; the latter, horrified by the brutal reality of Soviet-style communism, escaped. By way of juxtaposition, I also wrote about Lyndsey Graham and Mitt Romney. These two men also made very different decisions when confronted by Donald Trump’s assault on the ideals that they had both grown up believing: A glance at their biographies would not have led many to predict what happened next. On paper, Graham would have seemed, in 2016, like the man with deeper ties to the military, to the rule of law, and to an old-fashioned idea of American patriotism and American responsibility in the world. Romney, by contrast, with his shifts between the center and the right, with his multiple careers in business and politics, would have seemed less deeply attached to those same old-fashioned patriotic ideals. Most of us register soldiers as loyal patriots, and management consultants as self-interested. We assume people from small towns in South Carolina are more likely to resist political pressure than people who have lived in many places. Intuitively, we think that loyalty to a particular place implies loyalty to a set of values. But in this case the clichés were wrong. It was Graham who made excuses for Trump’s abuse of power. It was Graham—a JAG Corps lawyer—who downplayed the evidence that the president had attempted to manipulate foreign courts and blackmail a foreign leader into launching a phony investigation into a political rival. It was Graham who abandoned his own stated support for bipartisanship and instead pushed for a hyperpartisan Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son. It was Graham who played golf with Trump, who made excuses for him on television, who supported the president even as he slowly destroyed the American alliances—with Europeans, with the Kurds—that Graham had defended all his life. By contrast, it was Romney who, in February, became the only Republican senator to break ranks with his colleagues, voting to impeach the president. “Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office,” he said, is “perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.” In the wake of Graham’s unexpected death on Saturday, I wrote about him again. He was, in many ways, the quintessential politician of Trump’s Washington, a man who shifted 180 degrees. Graham had been a fervent American patriot, proud reserve officer and military lawyer; he became one of the most important defenders of a president who believes soldiers are “suckers and losers” and shows no respect for law of any kind. As his politics changed, his language grew coarser and his behavior grew worse: He urged Israel to “level the place” in Gaza, and insulted the Danish prime minister in Munich, prompting a colleague, Senator Elissa Slotkin, to issue an apology. Here’s an excerpt from the article, which you can read in The Atlantic (gift link here) Like his close friend John McCain, Graham believed that America should stand at the center of a broad democratic alliance. The few times I met him were in that context, at the Munich Security Conference or at other European-American gatherings, which he once attended with great regularity. He also took seriously the practice of American democracy at home. In a 2014 conversation with The Atlantic, he described himself as a pragmatic politician who eschewed populist slogans. “I know Washington is broken, but what’s broken about it is everybody yelling and nobody trying to fix it,” he said. “I’m trying.” When Donald Trump first appeared in U.S. politics, Graham recognized him immediately for what he was: the spokesman for an alien ideology, one radically different from the idealistic patriotism that Graham had practiced and preached since childhood. Trump privately mocked the military that Graham loved as nothing but “suckers and losers.” He put falsehoods, cynicism, and personal greed at the center of his politics, while expressing disdain for transparency, accountability, and democracy itself. In 2015, Graham described Trump as a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” who should “go to hell.” Also as a “nutjob.” When Trump won, Graham understood, as did so many others, that he would have to make some important choices. For a while, he went silent. In the spring of 2016, I saw him at one of those conferences in Europe. He seemed too depressed to speak. But then, like many other Republicans—and, more important, like many other people who have lived under political occupation or experienced radical regime change—he made the decision to abandon his previous ideals, to bury the patriotism that was once so important to him, and to become, instead, a loud, opportunistic collaborator. As I wrote in 2020, it’s very hard to look in to anyone’s heart and to understand their motivations from the outside. But it does seem that Graham had a deep need to be relevant, to be in the game, to be a player, at any cost. And that, rather than any particular achievement, is what he will be remembered for. Continuing to monitor conflicts of interest, ostentatious emoluments, outright corruption and policy changes that will facilitate outright corruption. (Read my original article, Kleptocracy Inc and check out the SNF Agora Institute chart) June 27 Trump diverted funds from more than 900 projects nationwide—including safety upgrades at national parks—to finance beautification projects around Washington, including $700,000 used to fix a White House walkway. June 28 After a years-long Department of Justice investigation into Abbott Laboratories over its management of a baby formula facility where potentially deadly bacteria turned up enough evidence to criminally charge the firm, top department officials instead opted for a financial penalty—illustrating the department’s move away from strict corporate enforcement under the Trump administration. June 29 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stacked the Defense Policy Board—which is charged with providing independent national security recommendations to the Office of the Secretary of Defense—with Trump allies, including tech billionaire Marc Andreessen, who has invested in defense contractors like OpenAI and SpaceX, after purging the panel last year. Trump purchased between $1 million and $5 million worth of stock in Axon—which makes about 90% of US tasers—two weeks before ICE solicited bids for a $220 million taser contract. The White House unveiled limited-edition US passports for America’s 250th birthday, featuring a portrait of Trump overlaid on the Declaration of Independence. June 30 Trump made around $1.2 billion from his various crypto companies last year, including more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial and $600 million from sales of his meme coin. Trump is considering issuing 250 pardons to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. These are expected to be largely doled out through the Office of the Pardon Attorney’s informal network of intermediaries. White-collar defense attorneys say they can typically win pardons for clients for $2 million. Last year, Trump administration officials awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million to Clark Construction for the White House ballroom—negotiations in which the president was directly involved. July 1 The Amazon MGM Studios documentary about Melania Trump earned the First Lady more than $10 million. Trump made hundreds of individual stock purchases worth as much as $12.8 million the day before his announcement pausing “Liberation Day” tariffs for 90 days sent the S&P 500 soaring nearly 10%—one of the largest single-day gains ever. Mar-a-Lago and Trump National Doral saw record surges in revenue during Trump’s first year in office, earning $77.5 million and $121.9 million respectively, compared to average annual revenues of $25 million and $75 million during Trump’s first term. Entities across the Persian Gulf paid more than $300 million to Trump’s businesses last year, including $263 million from the sale of half his stake in World Liberty Financial to a firm backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a top UAE royal and brother of the country’s president. Kash Patel failed to properly disclose his stock purchase of a Department of Justice contractor, MicroStrategy, worth up to $250,000 last year, despite laws requiring disclosure within 45 days of the trade. July 2 Trump has been directing administration officials to steer more government contracts—so far worth more than $2.4 billion—to Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin aerospace firm, after Amazon gave $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, donated to the White House ballroom project, and reached a $40 million deal to license a Melania Trump documentary. Alongside the billions he made from cryptocurrency last year, Trump earned millions of dollars from real estate licensing fees, including $21 million from organizations in the UAE and $9.2 million in Saudi Arabia, along with smaller sums from merchandise sales, including $4.7 million from Trump Watches and $35,920 from 45 Guitar, a guitar brand endorsed by the president. House Democrats accused consultants tied to the Trump administration of financial fraud, alleging they gave prospective donors to America250—the bipartisan committee created by Congress to celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial—the banking and routing numbers for Freedom 250, the White House’s fund for events like the UFC cage fight. Democrats also allege that Freedom 250’s CEO traveled to the World Economic Forum in Davos to solicit donations from foreign government officials and business leaders. The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of gun regulations would lift the prohibition on mailing handguns to individuals, a significant win for GrabAGun—the direct-to-consumer firearm retailer on whose board Donald Trump Jr. sits and in which he holds a 1.1% ownership stake. GrabAGun currently must rely on a middleman to transfer firearms to customers. Trump’s financial disclosure revealed that he made more than 21,000 securities trades during his first year back in office, growing his investment account to at least $858 million across stakes in around 1,600 companies, compared to the 13 total trades Joe Biden made during his entire presidency. July 4 Nearly 1 million people who bought the president’s meme coin—Trump Coin—collectively lost $3.8 billion on the token, while he walked away with $636 million. July 6 Shares of Dell closed up 4.4% after Trump recommended people buy the firm’s computers during a speech announcing the launch of Trump investment accounts for children, boosting the more than $1 million worth of shares the president owns in the company. July 9 Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh named crypto investor and Trump ally Marc Andreessen to a task force aimed at modernizing the Federal Reserve, including rethinking its approach to inflation—a key factor keeping interest rates elevated. Palm Beach International Airport has officially changed its name to Trump International Airport—a move that will require Florida to pay royalties to the president’s family for licensing his name. I was there a few months ago, during a trip to Barcelona. The sculptures were a revelation, I’d never seen so many together before. Each one has its own personality. Enjoy the good weather, if you are lucky enough to have it. History Will Judge the Complicit The Quintessential Politician Autocracy Inc Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
New CrashStealer malware poses as Apple crash reporting tool
A new macOS information-stealing malware called CrashStealer pretends to be Apple's crash-reporting tool to steal credentials, keychain data, and crypto wallets.
Scientists overwhelmingly against rule change that would give political appointees say over science grants
The window is quickly closing for members of the public to weigh in on proposed federal rule changes that, many scientists say, would politicize which studies get funded and profoundly harm American s...
Someone created a 'Ghost Font' that humans can read but AI can't — I had to try it for myself
Ghost Font hides messages inside moving dots that humans can read almost instantly and it exposes one of AI's biggest blind spots
New York Yankees Proposed Trade for Giants’ Luis Arraez Revealed
San Francisco Giants infielder, Luis Arraez, who is on an expiring contract, is starting to become one of the most popular trade targets on the MLB trade market, and the New York Yankees stand out as a top fit, given their need for a contact hitter who can hit for average, play good defense, and […] The post New York Yankees Proposed Trade for Giants’ Luis Arraez Revealed appeared first on HEAVY.
Judge blasts Trump’s IRS lawsuit as filed for ‘improper purpose'
The judge characterized the lawsuit as an exercise in self-dealing in which he sued an entity that is effectively under his control
Judge blasts Trump’s IRS lawsuit as filed for ‘improper purpose'
The judge characterized the lawsuit as an exercise in self-dealing in which he sued an entity that is effectively under his control
CIO: Digital transformation depends on strong foundations, unity of purpose
Endeavor Health Chief Information Officer Deb Anderson says lasting innovation requires infrastructure, governance and organizational agility – with technologies working holistically, not individually – before new IT investments can deliver value.
Eagles Reporter Floats Potentially Shocking Saquon Barkley Development
Saquon Barkley's tenure with the Philadelphia Eagles has been dominant. Barkley had 2,005 rushing yards in 2024 and followed that up with another stupendous season where he topped 1,400 all-purpose yards and landed at No. 8 on the top starting running back ranking by Pro-Football Focus.
Mark Madden: Fans keep paying for sports’ biggest bait-and-switch
“The customer is always right.” That’s a business model to adhere to. But sports have chosen one provided by circus impresario P.T. Barnum: “There’s a sucker born every minute.” Sunday’s game between the Pirates and Milwaukee was supposed to be a classic pitching matchup: Paul Skenes vs. Jacob Misiorowski. Misiorowski
2.6 million Americans lost health insurance in 2025 after ACA subsidies expired, leading to real health consequences
Research shows that losing coverage, even temporarily, tends to make people less healthy, and it exposes them to financial losses.
Spurs Want Public Input on New Ana, Downtown Entertainment District | News Radio 1200 WOAI
The San Antonio Spurs are looking for input from the public on the proposed new arena and entertainment district.
Akzo Nobel Rejects Nippon’s $8.5 Billion Bid For Decorative Paints Business
Akzo Nobel's board rejected the €7.5 billion ($8.5 billion) takeover bid by Nippon Paint Holdings—controlled by the family of late Singaporean billionaire Goh Cheng Liang—for the company’s decorative paints unit as it continues to back the proposed merger with Axalta Coating Systems.
New York construction scare puts business interruption coverage to the test
Midtown evacuation exposes coverage questions for affected businesses, warns Crawford & Company claims expert
Tennessee Department of Health confirms state’s second case of measles this year in Middle TN
The TDH released a list of locations and times when the public could have been exposed.
Oil Rises After Weekend of Back-and-Forth Strikes by U.S. and Iran
The renewed hostilities posed fresh risks to ships seeking to navigate the Strait of Hormuz.
Chamber warns proposed National City tax could hurt local businesses
Business owners worry a proposed tax reform could increase costs while the city works to close its budget deficit.
Do metals found in tampons pose a health risk? A new FDA study provides an answer
A new study detected heavy metals, including lead and arsenic, in popular tampon brands, but not enough to raise health concerns.
Reform would have held just 15% of last year’s donations under proposed £100,00 cap, analysis shows
Exclusive: Party’s average registered donation was £137, 496, almost six times that of Labour or Conservatives
AI giants learn the hard truth of the modern internet
Anthropic's distillation complaints expose an awkward question: does AI's fair use argument cut both ways?
AI giants learn the hard truth of the modern internet
Anthropic's distillation complaints expose an awkward question: does AI's fair use argument cut both ways?
AMD Radeon Drivers Silently Add Multi Frame Generation “MFG 8x”, Ray Regeneration, and Neural Radiance Overrides, Hinting At A Bigger FSR Push
AMD's latest Radeon drivers silently added Multi-Frame Generation (MFG 8x) modes along with other FSR overrides, as exposed in RadeonTuner.
Venezuela's devastating 'earthquake doublet' holds a warning for California's San Andreas Fault
The Venezuelan earthquake doublet is a stark reminder that multi-fault systems may pose greater destructive power than some seismic models predict.
It was supposed to be Trump’s big legislative achievement. It could be a weapon for Democrats to win in the midterms
One year after passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, it no longer seems like the easy win for Republicans to run on in November.
Proposed federal funding rules could upend research and more
With Massachusetts receiving the most NIH funding per capita, the proposed rules are expected to have an outsized effect on a state.
Researchers worry a Trump rule could end U.S. scientific dominance
Research organizations warn a proposed rule for federal grants would upend the medical and technological advances that set U.S. science apart.
They're Building Half A Bridge to Save Science...
Today’s post is about science: what you can do now to protect it from unprecedented threats, and how your action is the first half of a long-term program that Congress must take up next. Let me start with describing the embryonic state of science advocacy. There are many well-meaning organizations: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Research!America, and subject-specific organizations such as the Society for Neuroscience and the American Physical Society. Their general approach is to emphasize the common good: the remarkable value that science and innovation have provided to all Americans. However, these organizations are offering an incomplete solution. Before I start, a preliminary: If you already know about the threat, go ahead and weigh in with OMB at this link. Ideas about what to say come from Research!America and the American Physical Society. You have until Monday, July 13 at 11:59pm Eastern. Then come back here and read the rest of this post. Finally, get in touch with whoever is likely to be your next member of Congress in 2027. The threat: An end to merit-based science… The onslaught of attacks on science is accelerating. It’s not just cuts to grants, which was the last battle. That battle is not done yet, but there is a new and worse threat. Now comes a proposed public rule from the Office of Management and Budget. The rule would take decision-making power over grants away from experts and put it into the hands of political appointees. Former NIH official Elizabeth Ginexi wrote an excellent summary of what OMB is trying to do, which is codify the executive branch’s ability to award or terminate grants, for arbitrary cause or no stated cause. Since World War II, a necessary step in scientific grant-making has been consideration of scientific merit. This approach has made America into a dominant scientific superpower, the envy of the world. Of course, political considerations do come into the mix. The proposed rule tilts the balance dramatically away from merit. …but why? Many people have difficulty comprehending why Russell Vought and OMB would want to damage science in this way. If you’re a working scientist, you are likely to be particularly uncomprehending. Who would hurt an activity so self-evidently good? The answer is: this is part of the program to replace the rule of law with a personalist regime. OMB Director Russell Vought, a Christian nationalist, would like to implement what legal scholars call a “unitary executive,” and what I would call a dictatorship. Or if you like, a personalist authoritarian regime. I am a working scientist. This rule will debilitate my research. It may chill the speech of scientists for speaking freely in the public sphere. It is a form of personalizing power and decision-making within the executive branch. In short, it sacrifices science in the service of tyranny. To Russell Vought, a decrease in the quality of science might be an acceptable cost. He might even consider it an added benefit to weaken a pillar of soft U.S. power based on knowledge and skepticism. The professional societies are building half a bridge The nonprofits are asking you to make public comment. Public comment is like building the first half of a bridge. Before implementation, OMB is compelled by law to have a period of public comment. Rules have to be consistent with the law and the Constitution. They express the federal government’s stance toward how those laws will be implemented. When a presidential administration works in good faith, these public comments are used to inform their eventual action, and sometimes mitigate it. The comment period reflects our First Amendment right to petition our government. The executive branch is then supposed to take those comments into account - completing the bridge between us, the people, and our government. Project 2025 seeks to take away the second half of the bridge. We have to replace it. The first half of the bridge Organizations like AAAS, Research!America, and SfN are partly right. You should certainly comment. Their core model is earnest: if enough of us make noise, then we will achieve change. This idealistic point of view is offered in good faith. That point of view is also currently bullshit. The fundamental reason is that the federal rulemaking process has two parts: There has to be a period of public comment. OMB makes the final rule…but is free to disregard public comment. Oops. That’s a loophole. However, not all is lost. Congress can complete the bridge Congress has enormous power. That power suggests a roadmap for how to proceed. This lawless administration is still going to issue that rule. Nonetheless, your comments still play an essential role. Here are two steps you can take. Step 1: Send your comment to your Representative and Senator. Whether they are Democrats or Republicans, many of them support science. Whatever you wrote as public comment in the Federal Register, also send it to your member of Congress. You can include information about jobs in your district or state by looking at Joshua Weitz’s ScienceMatters interactive map. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and give your town, zip code, or state, then deliver your message. Step 2: Politicize the hell out of science. You heard me, politicize it as an issue. We hear a lot from the old scientific establishment about science being nonpartisan. This is obsolete, sentimental thinking. Under normal conditions, it was true. But we can no longer make that assumption. We can keep on pretending, but we’re putting science at risk. There is a way forward. Rules are subordinate to the law…and Congress makes laws. Therefore Congress can step in. In this fall’s election, it is likely that Democrats will retake the House of Representatives. That puts at least one chamber of Congress in the hands of Democrats. They are far more inclined than the current Congress to investigate and legislate. This opens a path to undoing the damage. It also creates a permission structure for pro-science Republicans to find a way back from the brink. We have to encourage them. In the House, every district is up every two years. In your district, contact both of the major party candidates. If your state has a Senate race, contact those candidates too. Specifically mention the proposed OMB rule. Ask for two things: For this year’s appropriations process in August and September, ask that amendments be added to stop the implementation of the new rule. Those amendments should support peer-reviewed science and stop political interference. Looking ahead to next year, ask the Congressman/Congresswoman/Senator to work to hold hearings in 2027 on the importance and benefits of peer-reviewed science for health and prosperity. What hearings and amendments will accomplish Congress can use its investigatory power to summon heads of agencies and the director of the OMB. That will allow fact-finding regarding the consequences of this rule. Congress can override the rule through the appropriations process. They can write into statute a requirement to follow peer review and best scientific practices. In this way, Congress can stop the attacks on science. Postscript: Moving forward Now I have a request for you, to help me. As many of you know, I ran for Congress in order to save democracy and science. Although I did not win, that battle continues by other means. I met and heard from thousands of supporters both here in New Jersey and nationally. I learned that pro-science, pro-democracy activists have the potential to become a much greater force. In the weeks and months ahead, I will be building ways to harness that energy. I will be announcing those plans soon. In the meantime, an important step is to wind down the Congressional campaign, which has a few remaining bills to pay. Please help me retire that last debt.
Third Measles Case of 2026 Confirmed by Wyoming Department of Health
The Wyoming Department of Health (WDH) has confirmed a case of measles in a second unvaccinated adult in Teton County. Measles is a highly contagious infection that can cause severe illness. The public may have been exposed to measles at the following locations and times (the times listed are the entire 2-hour window for […]
'Popsicles for a Purpose' event highlights health care affordability crisis
Health officials warn of measles exposure at 7 Nashville businesses over July 4 weekend
Nashville health officials are warning residents who visited seven businesses between July 1 and July 4 that they may have been exposed to measles.
Pajama Factory makes list of fastest-growing mission-driven U.S. businesses
The Pajama Factory has been chosen as one of the The Super Crowd’s first PurposeBuilt100 businesses, a listing of high-impact mission-driven businesses that are showing continuous growth.
‘Outrage’: Community and research allies blast Trump plan to politicize U.S. grants
The Office of Management and Budget has proposed a sprawling overhaul of a rule establishing the framework for federal financial assistance that would set up Trump and future presidents to politicize federal grantmaking, shifting grantmaking power to administration appointees and seizing broad latitude for the executive branch in the financial aid process. Wide-ranging opponents of the Trump administration proposal say it would tee up federal agencies to dismiss community needs and congressional intent on a partisan basis as they decide discretionary federal awards – with billions of dollars at stake.
Conor McGregor’s return and the uncomfortable questions it poses for sport
The Irishman makes his return to the octagon 18 months after being found liable in a sexual assault case involving a woman in Dublin
CA joins lawsuit against Trump’s cutting school mental health services funding
Attorney General Rob Bonta opposes Trump administration’s attempt to cut $200 million in grant money from high-need schools.
Mid- City Businesses unite after months of ongoing crime and safety concerns around Comiskey Park
Months after WDSU Investigates exposed safety concerns at Comiskey Park, business owners say they're still waiting for change.
Fears erupt over Iran’s desire to kill Trump
A reported new threat by Iran to assassinate President Trump served as a reminder this week of the risk that the hard-line Tehran regime poses to him, especially as a tenuous ceasefire between the …
Check out NJBIA's FY27 Budget Debrief for Business
Every year, NJBIA composes a budget debrief to highlight the positives and negatives of each fiscal year budget - and this year is no exception. To get
Health officials warn of potential rabies exposure in Loudoun Co., elsewhere
Health officials in Loudoun County, Virginia, are asking people who may have been exposed to a rabid cat in the South Riding area to contact their doctor as soon as possible.
Joe Klein: At 80, Here’s What I’ve Learned About Politics—and Life
I am 80 years old, this year of our 250th anniversary, and I find myself a cliché. My life has been a common political journey, from left to center. I recently took the Pew Research Center’s “political typology” test and found that I was a “pragmatic and polite conservative,” which seemed a rather abstruse basket: A politically mixed (though Republican-tilting) group, they lean conservative on economics and the role of government, while tilting more liberal on issues related to race and foreign policy. They prize civility and cooperation in politics. Well, that sounds pretty mushy—and I find it hard to square with the strong opinions I have on many issues. I’ve voted for Democrats in federal elections, but I grow more Republican the closer I get to local politics. Democrats, I’ve found, simply aren’t very good at running things, especially school systems, where they are in the thrall of the teachers unions. My friends joke about my obsession with the unions. They know all my lines. If industrial unions are organized against the power of capital, who are the public employees organized against? But enough of that. I’ve ranted that rant too often, and my political journey has been more complicated than that one issue. It has been empirical, based on actual experience—on a lifetime of reporting and a lot of reading. An early example: I was a journalist with the underground press in Boston at the turn of the 1970s and considered myself a member of the antiwar and civil rights movements. The first big issue I covered was busing to achieve school integration. Yes, the white bigots were disgusting. But I couldn’t find any black parents who favored the plan to bus their children to schools outside their neighborhoods either. Black activists and politicians—and white liberals—were gung ho, but not actual parents of black kids in school. Busing was a form of social engineering imposed from on high, by a judge—W. Arthur Garrity—who lived in a wealthy liberal suburb. Wealthy liberal suburbs were not affected by his plan, of course. I began to see that there were limits to what government could do, especially when it came to changing a society’s culture.
NRC Affirms Science Behind Radiation Standards
However, the agency’s proposed rule would remove requirements to keep radiation “as low as reasonably achievable.”
How could laxer radiation exposure rules affect public health?
A proposed rule change could expose more Americans to higher doses of radiation from nuclear facilities
CMS Releases Medicare Home Health Payment Proposed Rule for 2027
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a proposed rule updating the Home Health (HH) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for calendar year (CY) 2027.
Here’s what happens when you put politicians in charge of science
Proposed federal rules would rely on political appointees to decide how a lot of U.S. science gets done. History shows the consequences of such actions.
Here’s what happens when you put politicians in charge of science
Proposed federal rules would rely on political appointees to decide how a lot of U.S. science gets done. History shows the consequences of such actions.
Alaska governor vetoes new limits on political donations
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have reimposed limits on the amount of money that individual people can donate to political candidates. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned Alaska’s prior limits in 2021, and the Dunleavy administration declined to appeal the decision. Alaska has been without limits on […]
Opinion: Jacobs Entertainment's application for a massive sign along I-80 should be denied.
The proposed Reno's Neon Line District sign is argued to be an advertising display, not an area identification sign. Public comments can be submitted until July 24.
NFIB Opposes Unworkable New Mandates to Small Business Operations
Finalizing a federal heat standard would add unnecessary burdens and massive compliance costs on Main Street
Elon Musk’s plans refer to an idea conceived in the 1960s. What is the Kardashev scale?
A Soviet astronomer in the 1960s proposed a scale to classify hypothetical alien civilizations. Here’s why the framework is still coming up today.
Summerville defers vote on entertainment district plan
SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCBD) – The Town of Summerville is working to finalize plans for a proposed outdoor entertainment district. A decision could be made next month. The goal is to increase foot traf…
Trump seeks to limit funding that doesn't 'advance' presidential policies
Proposed in late May, the rule would give political appointees unprecedented control over federal grants for research, education and infrastructure.
Hegseth pushes for action after sailors appear to flout his beard policy
As the US-Iran war risked reigniting in recent weeks, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth boarded a Navy ship for what was supposed to be a routine visit with sailors.
Former pro baseball player sues University of Miami over alleged radiology flub
Retired Miami Marlins outfielder Avisail Garcia, 35, claims he was supposed to receive a follow-up CT to assess back pain, but the radiology report allegedly "fell through the cracks."
Opinion: Conor McGregor's return exposes the UFC's biggest failure
Conor McGregor's long-awaited return to the UFC has reignited excitement around one of mixed martial arts' biggest stars, but it also highlights a lingering problem for the promotion, writes Dayne Fox.
Scientific Merit, Not Political Priorities, Should Guide Research Stewardship
The proposed OMB changes to research funding threaten US science. Researchers must stand up for and share the value of science to society.
Summerville Town Council postpones entertainment district vote again
The Summerville Town Council has postponed a vote on a proposed Entertainment District for the second time.
Childcare providers say New Mexico's proposed rule changes would hurt business
Public commenters say the changes would create rigid budgeting requirements and could potentially violate educators' privacy.
White House Moves to Control Federal Science Grants as RFK Jr. Threatens Scientific Journals
A proposed tax bill could raise premiums on privately insured Californians, and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes aim at medical journals.
Unearthed records reveal Dem mayor sought tax hike to fund DEI role ahead of key House race
Scranton's mayor once proposed a 3% property tax increase to fund a DEI coordinator role, a budget her city council ultimately cut without fanfare.
UNC Health buys Westgate Shopping Center land for plans of new Asheville hospital
UNC Health says Westgate Shopping Center is the future home of its proposed new hospital in Asheville.
A Proposed Rule Would Politicize Medical Research. Scientists Are Not Happy.
In tens of thousands of comments, researchers, doctors and others warned the rule could hamper progress on important health issues.
Merkley Joins Push to Kick Private Equity Out of Kids' Sports and Stop the Ripoffs
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced he joined Senate and House lawmakers in supporting the Let Kids Play Act, legislation to stop Wall Street from pricing kids out of sports. The proposed legislation bans private equity firms from taking over youth sports, shutting down the vulture practices they use to jack up costs, and getting money back to the families who […]
Health insurers propose double-digit-percentage price increases for Illinois exchange plans
For 2027, the state’s largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, is proposing an average price increase of 14.9% across its exchange plans.
Where Buster Posey, Giants stand with MLB trade deadline less than a month away
Buster Posey said the Giants would need to win a lot to avoid a selloff. But the winning hasn't happened, making the next few weeks very interesting.
Overcrowded Shelters, Poor Water Access Pose Health Risks After Venezuela Quakes, PAHO Says
By Julia Symmes Cobb July 9 (Reuters) - The biggest health risks following twin earthquakes that ripped across Venezuela's northern coast last month include interruptions to regular medical care, crowded shelters and lack of access to clean water, the head of the Pan American Health Organization ...
Proposed rule could gut American science, Penn researcher warns
The Trump administration is seeking not only to cut research funding, but to give political appointees veto power over how and what kinds of scientific study are permissible.
Science on Target: Q2 Grants & Funding Opportunities Update
Smarter Grants, Greater Impact: Target ALS Moves to SmartSimple Target ALS has recently transitioned from Blackbaud to SmartSimple as its grants management platform, marking a significant step forward in how we support and engage with our research community. SmartSimple’s robust, purpose-built grants management capabilities offer a more streamlined and intuitive experience for both applicants and […]
OpenEvidence backs study that finds it beats LLMs
In this edition of STAT Health Tech: Dueling research pitting OpenEvidence against general purpose LLMs, use of Dexcom's CGM in children, and more.
Kroenke Sports & Entertainment Partners with Summize to Transform Contract Operations Across its Global Portfolio
Summize, the AI-powered contract lifecycle management (CLM) platform purpose-built for in-house legal teams, today announced a partnership with Kroenke Sport...
"Red monsters" in space: why these ancient galaxies shatter scientists’ beliefs - Futura-Sciences
The Puzzle of Early Galactic Giants In the standard picture of galaxy formation, large halos of dark matter form first. Their gravity pulls in ordinary matter, mostly gas, which can then cool, collapse, and form stars. But this process is not supposed to be perfectly efficient. Star formation is usually...
Trump’s escalating attacks on Iran pose risks at home
In today’s issue: ▪ Platner drops Senate candidacy ▪ Trump’s promises at NATO summit ▪ Kentucky governor requests McConnell update ▪ ObamaCare hikes give fuel to Democrats The latest rounds o…
In Graham Platner’s coastal Maine hometown, his fall is personal
Residents of Sullivan, Maine, are left to ponder what it means to enter the maelstrom of national politics, and what might be exposed along the way.
The Iran ceasefire was meant to pave the way for a grand nuclear deal. New strikes expose its flaws
The day after President Donald Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, opening a 60-day window to negotiate a deal over the country’s nuclear program, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff got on the phone to brief skeptical Republican leaders.
Australia agrees to sell uranium to India, ending a long stalemate
Australia has agreed to sell uranium to India for peaceful purposes.
LA County health officials warn of possible measles exposure at LAX, on shuttle
County public health officials said a traveler with measles may have exposed people to the virus at LAX and aboard a rental car shuttle last week.
Plano residents weigh in on proposed Dallas Stars entertainment district
Plano leaders are asking neighbors for feedback on a proposed sports and entertainment district that would include a new home for the Dallas Stars. The first community open house gave residents a chance to learn more about the proposal. NBC 5’s David Goins reports from Plano on what community members had to say and what’s next for the proposed project.
Harford health officials warn of possible exposure after rabid fox confirmed in Bel Air
The Harford County Health Department announced that a fox tested positive for rabies, warning that people and pets in the surrounding areas may have been expose
FDA releases report on toxic metals in tampons and potential health risks
Previous research had raised safety worries over whether metals such as arsenic and lead in menstrual products could pose health risks.
Trump reopens the Iran war — and a political problem he can’t shake
Republicans face fall elections tied to a conflict most voters oppose, unable to end it and mostly unwilling to break with the man who started it.
Secretive Chinese probe snaps first photo of Earth's mysterious 'quasi-moon' — and it may pose a big problem
China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft has captured the first close-up photo of one of Earth's "quasi-moons," Kamo'oalewa. However, the image and the timing of its release suggest that it may be harder for the probe to collect samples from the space rock than originally planned.
United must face lawsuit over 'window seats' that don't have windows, judge rules
A federal judge ruled passengers plausibly alleged United Airlines breached its agreement by selling certain window seats without an actual window, allowing the proposed class action to proceed.
A shoebox-sized satellite could expose hidden nuclear weapons in space
There’s never been a good method to check for violations of the Outer Space Treaty’s prohibition of nuclear weapons in space.
Two U.S. soccer team staff members suspended by FIFA for Belgium World Cup game
FIFA did not explain why it imposed the discipline
Rabid goat confirmed in York County, health officials say 4 exposed
The goat was reportedly found on Thursday, July 2, near Stallion Spirit Road and the Rocky Hollows trails in Clover.
‘Shell-shocked’ Chicago scientists raise alarm about federal overhaul of research grant funding
Researchers here and across the country say a proposed rule could undermine a system that has helped fueled scientific innovation for generations. A public comment period ends July 13.
‘Shell-shocked’ Chicago scientists raise alarm about federal overhaul of research grant funding
Researchers here and across the country say a proposed rule could undermine a system that has helped fueled scientific innovation for generations. A public comment period ends July 13.
Hungary moves to overhaul university models banned from Horizon Europe
Hungary’s new government is aiming to overhaul the governance model of the institutions and universities that lost access to Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ funds “in a short timeframe,” according to Péter Horváth, the new state secretary for science policy and innovation. “As of today, the two non-university foundation-controlled institutions under my remit have been transformed,” he told Science|Business. “We hope the universities will follow and that this will be enough to satisfy the EU’s demands.”Under the previous government, led by Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party, many academic and scientific institutions were restructured and made into special public trust foundations, with members strongly linked to the government given lifelong mandates and significant decision-making powers with little oversight. The European Commission deemed that this undermined academic freedom and transparency in the country, leading to a ban on 34 institutions in 2022, including 21 universities, which saw academics in Hungary lose access to Horizon Europe grants. The new Hungarian government, elected in May and led by Péter Magyar and his Tisza Party, has promised to dismantle this governance model and restore the institutions to EU programmes. As a result, the European Commission has promised to return access to the Erasmus+ education mobility programme, but so far no concrete agreement has been made on the Horizon Europe programme for research and innovation. Hungary has already made legislative changes in June to allow the institutions to be reformed and set a timeline for the implementation.The non-university foundations, which are mainly cultural centres such as the Foundation for Hungarian Culture or the Makovecz Campus Foundation, will all be dissolved by August 31 this year, a date tied to EU-set milestones that Hungary must meet to unlock frozen funds, with control transferred to relevant ministries. Meanwhile, the universities will have until 31 August 2027. For each university foundation, the government will set the dissolution date and the body to take over operations. There is no final decision on a permanent new model for the universities, according to Hungarian MEP Eszter Lakos, who is shadow rapporteur for the Horizon Europe specific programme, a separate piece of legislation detailing implementation rules for the EU’s next research programme, due to start in 2028. “The aim of the transition year is to settle this with [the universities], not to impose a model, and not to put them under state control,” she told Science|Business. “The goal is to give academic independence back to universities.”There are three models that are most likely to be implemented. One would be a return to a traditional, state-run model. Another could be a newer, more self-standing public institution. A third option would be a reformed version of the foundation models that meet EU standards. According to Lakos, the dismantling of the system put in place by the Orbán government is well underway and if all goes according to plan, Hungary could regain access to EU research money by the start of the next academic year in 2027. “I believe that the Hungarian government is doing the necessary changes so the universities could return as beneficiaries to Horizon from the next school year,” she said. In the meantime, “the universities, institutes and cultural assets carry on under proper public stewardship rather than a handful of unaccountable trustees,” said Lakos. The laws passed in June impose new safeguards: board terms are capped at four years and renewable only once, appointments are made through open competitions and sitting politicians cannot join joining these boards.It remains unclear whether a domestic science funding programme set up as a back-up scheme by the former government following the EU funding ban, called HU-rizon, could be continued. “This programme should never have had to have been established in the first place, but it has proven to be quite popular,” he said. “I am considering continuing this programme with a refined focus on helping international collaborations.”Re-organising the research network One of the first priorities for Horváth and his cabinet is to resolve questions over the future of the Hungarian Research Network, Hun-Ren. The network of academic institutes was taken away from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2019 and turned into a quasi-private organisation, with similarities in its governance to the public trust foundations.Horváth and his team have consulted over 5,000 representatives from the network and the conclusion is broad unhappiness with the directors of all the institutes involved. “We have presented the results to the president and the chief executive of the network and this is currently being discussed,” Horváth said. The plan is to re-integrate the network back into the Academy of Sciences but in an improved way, “learning from mistakes of the past,” he added. The government also wants to reintegrate four humanities and social science research centres into the network that the previous government had transferred to Eötvös Loránd University. The transfer brought sharp criticism from the academic community, with a group of Hungarian research heads, including European Research Council grant recipients, sending an open letter to Orbán warning that the transfer would “cause historically significant harm to the entirety of Hungarian scientific life.” The transfer was “one of the biggest shames in Hungarian research in the past 20 years,” Horváth said. “We want to immediately re-integrate them back into the research network and to regain the trust of these institutions, because the way they were treated was really unfair.”Another pressing issue is the Élvonal Excellence Research and Talent Development Foundation, led by Nobel laureate Ferenc Krausz. The foundation signed a financing agreement with the former government earlier this year for a budget of over €730 million over the next five years. The goal is to create a world-class centre to attract top talent from abroad and to develop local researchers. But there was little transparency about this foundation, and news of its huge budget, which is nearly as much as Hungary’s entire research budget, caused a stir in the media following the recent elections. Another issue is that, as with the foundation boards of the institutes banned from Horizon Europe, there was little-to-no oversight of decisions led by Krausz. “It was an excellent idea but an unacceptable execution,” Horváth said of the foundation. “The fact that this is out of the Hungarian funding scheme, mostly concentrating on one person who decides on the budget is unacceptable for us.”The government plans to merge the centre with the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, the country’s R&D funding agency, with a reduced budget. Horváth is hopeful that Krausz will still be involved. The new government’s R&D goalsA phrase that crops up regularly during the discussion with Horváth is “democratic process.” The new state secretary is determined to involve Hungary’s research community in shaping future policies. This marks a departure from the previous government’s approach, and several people in Hungary’s research community have commented on the openness of the new government. In terms of concrete goals, Horváth and his team already have plans. He wants to create a new science fund in Hungary, based on the best practices of other European countries. The fund would not be tied to annual government budgets and would provide long-term, stable financing. “If we were to succeed in creating this fund, then I think it would be one of the biggest achievements for me in this period of government,” Horváth said. On the innovation side, he is looking into how best to bring in the private sector. “We want to make sure that we are working with the private sector to support innovation,” Horváth said. One of his big aims is to introduce entrepreneurship teaching into high schools. Hungary already has a reputable national academy offering research and innovation training in the field of natural sciences, and Horváth wants to expand this to all disciplines and across the whole country. “One of the main ways to elevate our innovative businesses is to teach our children to be innovative,” he said. “This will probably need ten years to pay off, but this is what we should do. Our aim is to make Hungary strong in our region, and this is what is needed.” Related articlesHungary’s Horizon Europe performance in numbersCommission unlocks Erasmus+ cash for Hungary, Horizon could be next‘Academic Huxit.’ Hungarian researchers speak out on impact of EU ban A more difficult task will be funding. The new government is aiming to increase research spending to 2% of the GDP by 2030, and then increase it to 3% in line with EU objectives. Currently, spending sits around 1.3%. But according to Horváth, the current budget, inherited from the previous government, is “heavily in the negative,” so any plans to increase research spending will have to start next year. Achieving 2% by 2030 already needs a big push, almost doubling the research budget. “This is something we’d definitely like to reach, and something I can see us achieving,” he said. “From the 2030s, I’d like to see an innovative generation growing up that can help us reach the 3% target.” Positivity in the new governmentDespite the many challenges facing Horváth and his team, the mood is positive. “It feels a bit like a start-up right now. Everyone is working 24/7, day and night, trying to do as much as they can. There is a lot of energy,” he said. It is a big change for the state secretary who, like many in his cabinet, is coming from a background in research or business, and not in politics. “Six weeks ago, I was sitting with my microscope and my research PhDs, so it’s been a big change for me,” said the computer scientist, who was previously the director of the Institute of Biochemistry at the Hun-Ren Biological Research Centre in Hungary and worked at the Institute for AI for Health at Helmholtz Munich. But he is relishing the task to transform the country’s R&D landscape. “We feel enormous support from the Hungarian people, but also from Europe,” he said. “We’ve received a lot of letters of support from around Europe. There is big trust there, and huge responsibility on our side. We want to get everything back on track, and there’s a lot to do.”
In Preliminary Rate Filings, ACA Marketplace Insurers Largely Propose Double-Digit Premium Increase For 2027, Following a Steep Climb This Year
ACA Marketplace insurers are proposing a median premium increase of 14% for 2027— indicating a likely second consecutive year of double-digit increases, according to a new analysis of preliminary rate filings in 16 states and DC. If these increases hold, typical premiums for insurers participating in the ACA Marketplaces would jump by more than one-third between 2025 and 2027.
Meta Went Down Twice in 11 Days. The Outages Exposed a Risk Many Businesses Ignore
Two unannounced outages took down Meta's ad tools this June with no warning and no timeline. The brands that barely noticed already knew the answer to a question most never bother to ask.
Trump administration pursues more durable changes to science policy after setbacks in court
The White House has proposed sweeping changes to the bedrock regulation undergirding all federal contracts, empowering the executive branch to direct research, terminate grants, and external scientific reviews.
Health risk fears for storks in Europe over ‘junk food’ from landfill
Rubbish dumps can expose birds to contaminants, raising questions over whether landfill foraging helps or harms
The NATO summit was supposed to focus on defense spending. Trump’s strikes on Iran changed that
President Donald Trump has thrown a major twist into a NATO summit in Turkey by launching a series of strikes on Iran and revoking a license that allowed Tehran to sell its oil on the world market.
DOOM's Developer id Software Has Supposedly Lost Around 50% Of Its Team
The Xbox layoffs have been absolute hell
Clarksville businesses, leaders concerned about proposed changes to Clark Memorial Bridge
A proposed traffic change on Clark Memorial Bridge is raising concerns among Clarksville business owners and local leaders.
Community weighs in on proposed North Memorial-Sanford Health merger
The community had a chance to weigh in on the proposed merger that would combine North Memorial Health and Sanford Health.
The politics of data centers
A recent poll revealed more than 60% of people in rural Texas areas oppose data centers being built in their community.