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The Beauty Of Settled Science

Commenters convinced me I made a subtle mis-step in my framing of Psychology Research Is Mostly Fine. My framing emphasized that social priming studies had failed to replicate, but that many other subfields of psychology hadn’t. This naturally led commenters to point to failed replications in other subfields. Although none of these were as bad as social priming, few or none were entirely problem-free. Instead of emphasizing the difference between social priming and other subfields, I should have emphasized the difference between settled science and novel research. Here are some of my favorite psychology findings: The brain is sculpted by reinforcement learning, and a key driver of this learning is a prediction-error-based algorithm located in the nucleus accumbens and implemented through dopamine. Psychedelic drugs exert their effects through 5-HT2A receptors, pointing to a role for these receptors in some sort of construct like the balance between priors and new evidence. Certain cognitive functions are localized to certain brain areas (for example, impulse control to the frontal lobes; linguistic structure to Broca’s area, linguistic meaning to Wernicke’s area. But injure one of these areas, or render a certain function useless (eg a blind person having no more use for their visual cortex), and these mappings can gradually shift - suggesting that neurons are general-purpose compute whose specialization is a contingent fact about convenience and efficiency rather than a necessity. Most personality traits and general capabilities are about 50% genetic and 50% random, with little role for family environment or childhood history, with a few notable exceptions like partisan preference. Recent research complicates this story, but the further you go from this basic picture, the gnarlier the chains of indirect causation you require. Neurons fire together in “brain waves”, whose exact frequency corresponds with the character of consciousness; These divide neurons into natural subpopulations and linked graphs. The gamma rhythm corresponds surprisingly well to items in conscious awareness. GABA receptors seem to be involved in something like relaxation. By hitting different GABA receptors in different ways, you can modulate the exact type of relaxation you produce. Hitting GABA-A directly is too powerful and can cause dangerous levels of sedation, but allosteric modulation of GABA is an incredibly fruitful strategy that underlies drugs from benzos to barbituates to alcohol. If you know your GABA-A subunits, you can target specific subtypes of relaxation; for example, Ambien hits GABA-A1 and induces sleep. Memory divides somewhat fuzzily into bins of immediate-sensory, short-term, and long-term, with separate retrieval and storage functions, and separate systems for declarative vs. procedural learning. These can be harmed selectively, usually by hippocampal injury, so that some patients can remember their life stories but not form new long-term memories, or learn new skills like bike-riding but not new facts. The exact substrate of memory is unclear but seems to involve new synaptic connections between neurons in at least some way. The ability of modern psychology and psychiatry to treat mental illness is real but limited. SSRIs work for half or slightly fewer than half of patients; antipsychotics work with extreme side effects; benzodiazpines work but produce addiction and tolerance in many (not all) people. Most supplements are stuck in Poor Quality Study Replication Crisis Hell, but melatonin and l-theanine stand out as especially promising. Psychotherapy works with moderate effect size, but (with a few exceptions) seems to be more about the relationship with the provider than the details of the therapy itself. Mental hospitalization can sometimes defuse immediate crises but work less well than mental hospitals would like, with some studies showing overall negative effects. Schizophrenia is mostly genetic, but risk also increases with prenatal infection (especially rubella) and obstetric complications; there is suggestive evidence for roles of social stress and drug use (with psychedelics and marijuana making things worse, and nicotine if anything making things better). Bipolar and schizophrenia are so closely linked on a pathophysiological level that it seems like they might be the same disease; on the clinical level, they do seem to follow two separate courses/prognoses but can sometimes surprise clinicians by eg someone who seemed condemned to permanent schizophrenia unexpectedly recovering. The brain’s native reinforcement learning algorithms cash out in the phenomena of classical and operant conditioning; different reinforcement schedules reinforce at different levels, which can be exploited by bad actors to make especially compelling products (eg slot machines). None of these are immune to doubt. A few are speculative; one or two are genuinely unorthodox. But they’re all a step above one p = 0.049 paper that might not replicate. If they get overturned, they’ll be overturned by the same sort of genuine scientific shift that replaced Ptolemy with Copernicus or Lamarck with Darwin, not some sort of sordid discovery about someone entering random numbers into a spreadsheet. In 2008, Eliezer Yudkowsky wrote about The Beauty Of Settled Science: If you only care about scientific issues that are controversial, you will end up with a head stuffed full of garbage. The media thinks that only the cutting edge of science is worth reporting on. How often do you see headlines like “General Relativity still governing planetary orbits” or “Phlogiston theory remains false”? So, by the time anything is solid science, it is no longer a breaking headline. “Newsworthy” science is often based on the thinnest of evidence and wrong half the time—if it were not on the uttermost fringes of the scientific frontier, it would not be breaking news. Scientific controversies are problems so difficult that even people who’ve spent years mastering the field can still fool themselves. That’s what makes for the heated arguments that attract all the media attention. Worse, if you aren’t in the field and part of the game, controversies aren’t even fun. Don’t be embarrassed to read elementary science textbooks, either. If you want to pretend to be sophisticated, go find a play to sneer at. If you just want to have fun, remember that simplicity is at the core of scientific beauty [...] A steady diet of science news is bad for you: You are what you eat, and if you eat only science reporting on fluid situations, without a solid textbook now and then, your brain will turn to liquid. Psychology isn’t centrally the new paper in Annals Of Recently-Breaking News saying that an n=5 study showing that large portion sizes increase support for terrorism. Psychology is centrally ideas like brain waves, GABA receptors, reinforcement learning, twin studies, and connectionism. People who think differently are worrying too much about BREAKING NEWS!!!, and should stop. The key distinction isn’t “recent research in social psychology” vs. “recent research in cognitive/bio/behavioral psychology”, as my essay last week unfortunately implied. It’s recent research in general vs. the deposit of settled science, battle-tested hypotheses, and carefully-earmarked speculation. And part of the reason social priming in particular was such a disaster was that it defied that heuristic, building itself up over hundreds of studies until it approached or even entered the pantheon of settled science - before collapsing (5-HTTLPR was also sort of like this). This isn’t a claim that settled science is always right - Freud was “settled science” for a long time - just that there’s an intuitive distinction between the level of credence you should have in the existence of power posing vs. the existence of Broca’s Area. (I compounded this error by calling the last post “Psychology Research Is Mostly Fine”, which suggested I was talking about the new research rather than the settled science. I actually meant to distinguish between research-psychology-the-field vs. clinical-psychology-aka-therapy, but this framing unintentionally pushed against the point I wanted to make) Some commenters on the previous article understood this point, but challenged its weight. It’s very cool, they said, to know how many neurons are in which brain lobe, but the main way that Psychology affected their lives was through bad clickbait studies used to buttress dumb policies; some p = 0.049 study says that exposure to microaggressions makes minorities’ brains shrivel into raisins, and now their company has to implement punitive DEI or be sued for hazardous work conditions. I won’t dispute this as an accurate description of how the sausage gets made, but it’s worth examining the trains of thought that connect this observation to a campaign against psychology in general: The dumb woke psychology was wrong and bad, and I don’t have good heuristics for distinguishing dumb woke psychology from other psychology, so I’m going to assume it’s all wrong and bad. The dumb woke psychology was wrong and bad; it seems useful to punish/discredit psychology as a whole to assist my campaign against it, so for propaganda purposes I will try to discredit psychology as a whole. To people in the first camp, my response is: come on, your heuristics aren’t that bad. “Microaggressions makes minorities’ brains shrivel up like raisins” is in the woke category; “the hippocampal theta rhythm seems to be associated with both memory and pathfinding, suggesting an unexpected yet surprisingly compelling relationship between the two” is in the not-woke category, don’t play dumb here. To people in the second camp, my response is: deliberately exaggerated propaganda campaigns are bad and this is a confession, not an excuse. Inability to view science through anything but a political lens was what got us into this problem; doubling down on it is a temporary solution but a recipe for permanent disaster. If you pronounce entire fields of science to be acceptable collateral damage in your campaign against bad political actors, you will alienate not just scientists but patients, clinicians, and general lovers of truth. Instead, you can say the thing you mean - that woke partisans shouldn’t try to occupy and exploit the otherwise-noble science of psychology for their own political gain - and wage the same campaign with a halo rather than a comic-book-villain goatee. From the font of oracular wisdom that is Weird Sun Twitter: [ Vessel Of Spirit@VesselOfSpirit i love you all conditionally but i love the good part of you unconditionally. even if it becomes a very small part 2:11 AM · Jan 22, 2015 1 Reply · 5 Reposts · 29 Likes ](https://x.com/VesselOfSpirit/status/558084551772471298) This is how I feel about psychology1, too, but with a touch more optimism. The good part of psychology is enormous, a hoard of endless treasures. You just have to look past the headlines! 1 To play devil’s advocate - should one always be so magnamious? Astrology? Phrenology? These seem different in that their entire orientation was flawed from the start; they didn’t simply fail to find the correct constellation-personality connections, the whole project of searching for connections between constellations and personality was doomed from the start. More difficult might be asking the same question about education research, which is notoriously bad. I don’t know enough about education research to know if there’s some settled science of correct and enlightening results lurking in the background beyond the day-to-day froth of poorly-conducted and politically-motivated studies. I think if it’s 90% bad, 10% good, it’s correct to call it bad as a compact way of communicating a useful truth; I think psychology is better than that, but admit it’s a tough judgment call.

Aug 4 • 5:33 PM EDT • Science • astralcodexten.com

Hoskins rejects Missouri congressional redistricting map referendum, setting up court fight

The GOP Secretary of State’s decision was expected. Proponents of placing the GOP-leaning map up for a statewide vote will go to court to put a vote on the plan on the November ballot.

Aug 4 • 5:30 PM EDT • Politics • stlpr.org

Leaked Galaxy S26 FE firmware shows wallpapers, hints at One UI 9.5

One UI 9 is still limited to the Galaxy S26 series and Samsung’s Galaxy Z8 foldables, so we weren’t expecting to see anything related to One UI 9.5 for a while,

Aug 4 • 4:15 PM EDT • Technology • sammobile.com

Devin Bush Makes Noise at Chicago Bears Practice

One of the biggest standouts based on what I’ve seen from those covering Chicago Bears training camp today, August 4th, is Devin Bush. It’s been discussed in a previous Athlon Sports article that Bush was essentially brought in to replace Tremaine Edmunds in Chicago. Following the season that Bush had with the Cleveland Browns, where he recorded 125 tackles and three interceptions, expectations are high.

Aug 4 • 1:54 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Apple Starts Preparing for September iPhone Event

Apple is getting ready for its big September iPhone event, which is expected to see the debut of the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and an all-new foldable iPhone. Ahead of the event, Apple is holding an Event Support Experience Program lottery for U.S. retail employees who want to travel to its Apple Park campus to staff the in-person media gathering.

Aug 4 • 1:18 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

ADM raises 2026 outlook as biofuels drive growth

The Chicago-based company’s second-quarter adjusted earnings also handily beat analysts’ expectations.

Aug 4 • 12:14 PM EDT • Business • chicagobusiness.com

‘I did not steal’: Jacksonville businesses accuse influencer of taking money without delivering. He denies it

A social media influencer accused by Jacksonville-area businesses of taking money for food reviews and failing to deliver what they expected is pushing back against the allegations, saying he never stole from anyone and that some of the claims against him are false.

Aug 4 • 12:12 PM EDT • Business • news4jax.com

MrBeast Sales Slow, Angel Stock Falls, MUBI and Neon Look for Hits, and Will an NBA Franchise Set a Sales Record?

(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) You probably remember egg prices spiking a few years ago. This led to a lot of debate between the pro-market/pro-competition/antitrust/Neo-Brandesian crowd and the center/center-right/center-left/abundance/libertarian crowd over the cause, whether it was the avian flu outbreak or whether industry consolidation led to price fixing, using avian flu as a convenient cover. Basel Musharbash wrote a whole investigation at BIG looking at it. Well, two years later, we have our answer: it was price fixing. The Justice Department found proof, via emails, of price fixing. Indeed, just the threat of an investigation brought prices down two years ago: I bring this up because at least half a dozen of my favorite political writers and pundits, who were skeptical about price fixing at the time, haven’t written any mea culpas on this issue. It’s really dispiriting and makes it much, much harder to trust their work on other issues. If you take a hard stand on an issue, then you get it wrong, you need to explain how and why you got it wrong. Or update your priors. This is how epistemological bubbles are formed! All of which is to say, it’s time for another installment of “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong”. Last issue, I mostly focused on the “wrong” side of the equation, so today’s is a bit more balanced, but with one big mea culpa (though I still stand by my original concerns). Let’s dive right in! Subscribe CORRECTION: UFC Didn’t Release Subscriber Data (But Seems to Have Bragged About It Internally) In my analysis of the viewership of UFC Freedom 250, I wrote... “Paramount has also released datecdotes bragging about their subscriber numbers. Earlier this year, they claimed that the first UFC fight on Paramount+ brought in 1 million subscribers.” Well, that datecdote did not come from a PR rep, but from great reporting from James Faris at Business Insider. The actual quote was this: “Paramount’s flagship streaming service generated about a million new subscribers on the day of its first-ever UFC event, Paramount product chief Dane Glasgow told employees in a town hall on Tuesday morning, three staffers who attended the meeting told Business Insider.“ This wasn’t the biggest goof in the world; even Faris emphasized to me that this is more a “clarification” than a correction. Still, it sounds like, internally, the folks at Paramount were very happy about this result—and I’m guessing they were happy with this news getting out—even though the gains didn’t last through the quarter, dropping to 700K adds. RIGHT: MrBeast’s Struggles Continue... I’m very skeptical about MrBeast’s burgeoning media “empire” and, in particular, its $5 billion valuation, as I wrote earlier this year and last year. Sure enough, according to Business Insider, regarding its “booming” consumer products division_:_ “US sales volume grew 13% year-over-year in 2025, following a 33% leap the previous year, according to a presentation deck dated May 2026....A February 2025 investor deck viewed by Business Insider showed Feastables’ net revenue more than doubled in 2024 from 2023, to $215 million, and was forecast to grow 74% in 2025, to $375 million.” [Emphasis mine.] If you told investors that you projected 74% growth but delivered 13%,1 that’s not ideal. But it’s not just MrBeast. Logan Paul and KSI’s Prime had sales drop in half for their energy drinks. It’s one thing to build a successful entertainment company and an entirely different thing to succeed in the heavily-consolidated-but-also-very-competitive consumer packaged goods space! CPGs are dominated by a few firms with very wide moats compared to YouTube, which has few barriers to entry. These businesses require different skill sets and have completely different business environments. WRONG: Does the NBA Have an $8 Billion Bidder? Almost as soon as I published my article about the NBA’s finances, casting skepticism on NBA expansion, I saw this Front Office Sports headline: One group “claims to have already raised $8 billion” for the Vegas expansion team. I mean, wow. That’s just $2 billion less than what the Los Angeles Lakers were valued at when they were sold just last year. And they’re arguably the most popular team in the NBA. (Side note: the new owner is now under an investigation for fraud in how he went about financing the Lakers and the Dodgers purchases.) So much for the “dried up” language I used in that article. (This is why I usually stick to my “Entertainment Nuance Guy” tone in articles...) I went off old information—from April, when I read/heard about the NBA downplaying expansion efforts—instead of doing a quick double-check for new news. That said...if you read the article, the market for Seattle is “slow”, with just one reported bidder. So I wasn’t entirely off. This goof has annoyed me since I first published it, mainly because it undercut that article’s real point, which I stand by: NBA franchises are really overvalued right now. Now, I get why NBA teams are overvalued. When it comes to owning sports teams, it’s basically never wrong to assume that some rich person somewhere will care more about owning a team (or just being part of a group since they’re so expensive) than the actual financials. There are only so many teams to own, and opportunities to buy in preferred markets don’t come along very often. This explains why the teams sell for such high multiples (usually above a 10 to 12.5 revenue multiple, which is very high). You only need one person to overpay! Beyond the ultra-wealthy luxury good explanation, I worry NBA teams are becoming speculative assets. More and more private equity investors are buying into NBA teams. But the value, in owning a team, comes from selling it later, not any meaningful relationship to revenue or profit growth. In other words, the newer NBA owners are increasingly expecting someone later to buy their inflated asset. That’s not sound economics; that’s the “greater fool” theory at work.2 At some point, actually making money has to matter. Especially since revenue growth is now below the growth of the stock market. (And this matters because the NBA doesn’t have easy levers to pull to drastically lower their costs—half of their revenue has to go to players and then you actually have to run a team, including coaching, training, travel, media expenses, and more—or raise revenues aside from one-off expansions in America and overseas.) I just don’t see how investors make their money back buying NBA teams, except for selling at a higher price later on down the line. But if revenue/profit growth continues to slow, at some point, someone will be left holding the bag. RIGHT: Baseball and Basketball are about equally popular. Related to the above, I wanted to cite two quick pieces of evidence for one of my other theories: that the NBA and MLB are about as popular as each other, but the NBA gets much, much better media coverage. One YouGov survey has that fans prefer basketball to baseball by 52% to 48%, which I’m guessing is within the margin of error for that poll. That’s virtually even, meaning they’re about the same popularity. Over on NBC, a recent Red Sox-Yankees game averaged 4 million viewers, higher than Sunday Night Basketball’s average of 3.4 million on the same network. A Yankees-Dodgers game averaged 3.9 million two weeks ago. Not every game averages this much, but it shows you that baseball isn’t far off from basketball, depending on the matchup. Altogether, the NBA is just slightly more popular than baseball, but NBC is paying MLB a fraction of what they pay the NBA, a point I’ve made before. RIGHT: Angel, MUBI and Neon Updates... I’ve long been skeptical about many of Hollywood’s buzziest startups/smaller indie studios. It’s not that they don’t make great movies—films like Anora and Everything Everywhere All at Once are amazing—or that they’re not (rightfully) pushing the majors to make better films, but...they get a ton of hype, and that hype often doesn’t live up to the reality or difficulty in scaling up. Starting with MUBI, well, The Wall Street Journal wrote a feature on MUBI’s struggles last April, best summarized by the subheader “After Sequoia valued Mubi at $1 billion, a left-wing revolt sent the indie film company into a tailspin”. MUBI lost $7.3 million on $200 million in revenue in Q4 2025, but reportedly hit a record 1.7 million subscribers at the end of Q1. As for Neon, Department M purchased a “significant stake” in the company earlier this year. How much is that “stake” worth? According to Deadline, “No financial figures for the Neon-Department M deal were disclosed.” So...that’s not great! If it was a big valuation, we’d hear about. Also, I found this curious: “Both Neon and Department M already have separate partnerships with Qatar. The Qatar Film Committee has a slate deal in place with the former, and a biopic production pact with the latter.” Color me skeptical about much Middle Eastern investment dollars. See: LIV Golf. Finally, as for Angel (formerly Angel Studios), their stock very, very slightly popped last month after Young Washington ($20 million budget) which made $45 million in the US, but their stock is still way down from its opening. Smaller Updates RIGHT: The WGA should focus on antitrust concerns! I’ve been on this for years. Post-WGA/AMTPT deal in 2023, I wrote an article for the Ankler calling on the WGA to focus and organize against industry consolidation. Sure enough, the WGA filed a lawsuit against the Paramount-WBD merger, and people are organizing around this issue now. I wish this energy had coalesced earlier (specifically to lobby Washington much earlier), but better late than never! WRONG: Actually, the chip shortage might be due to market manipulation. In my last “Long Reads for the Long Summer” article, I shared an article about how LLMs are causing memory chip prices to spike, which will make all electronics more expensive. Well, turns out, three RAM manufacturers control 90% of the market, and now a private lawsuit accuses them of price-fixing. So yeah. WRONG/UPDATE: The Odyssey will hold! Two weeks ago, I wrote, “As of this moment, we haven’t had a super-blockbuster, though The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day and Avengers: Doomsday could all cross the $500 million mark. (At this point, The Odyssey would need a very strong hold to get there.)” Well, it’s safe to say it’s going to have that hold! It only dropped 30% in weekend two and IMAX screenings are sold out all month. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is also off to a great start. RIGHT: People are rushing to get shows out yearly. I’ve long been bullish on yearly, weekly-released shows, and Leslie Goldberg at The Ankler wrote about how many people in town are now listening. WRONG: Mark Carney reverses Canada’s stance on homegrown production. After writing about Canada installing domestic production quotas, Canada has backed off. WRONG: I don’t trust Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s online “views”. When I originally wrote about the latest Spider-Man film’s record-breaking trailer, I thought this was just YouTube views, but after watching this Corridor Crew video and doing more research, well, it’s all social views of the trailer globally. Really? That stat includes TikTok, Reels and YouTube Shorts views. Basically, I don’t trust it anymore. (This film will probably set record, but I trust the pre-sales data more.) RIGHT: Celebrity Production companies are still struggling. I’ve written about this for years, but the company that I didn’t track was Kevin Hart’s HartBeat, which was valued at $650 million but is struggling now and might just end soon, especially after Kevin Hart pulled his endorsement deals. And Bad Robot is moving to NYC. CORRECTION: SpongeBob is a “second run” title. In my 2025 recap article, I had _SpongeBob SquarePants_labelled as a “library” title, when it is still a “second run” show, with new episodes still coming out on Nickelodeon. CORRECTION: In my last “What I Got Right, What I Got Wrong” update, I offered a correction from Doug Creutz and misspelled TD Cowen. Thanks, Grammarly! 1 Though he could have increased prices to make up for the gap, he couldn’t have increased them that much. 2 There’s a theory, which I think that Daryl Morey created and Bill Simmons popularized, that, to be successful building your team, you only need a handful of bad GMs in the league to take advantage of. To be clear, Daryl Morey’s theory was also for signing bad contracts, that you could always get out of bad contracts. Basically, there’s always someone who will make a bad trade. It’s not the same exact thing, but similar enough to the Greater Fool Theory that I really like it.

Aug 4 • 11:55 AM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com

Pixel Watch 5 Specs Tell Us the Upgrades to Expect

Are there any unanswered questions surrounding the launch of the Pixel 11 series and Pixel Watch 5? Not many. A new specs list leak for the Pixel Watch 5 may have just about cleared up any...

Aug 4 • 11:46 AM EDT • Technology • droid-life.com

iPhone 18 Pro will have three upgrades that have been rumored for years

iPhone 18 Pro is coming very soon, and expected to feature three upgrades that have been rumored for years. Here’s what’s coming.

Aug 4 • 11:28 AM EDT • Technology • 9to5mac.com

Senate panel expected to advance Blanche's attorney general nomination

Tuesday's vote comes after Blanche secured the support of Republican senators who threatened to block his confirmation

Aug 4 • 10:53 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

'We are not Superman': How Boston is pushing to improve men's health

To reach more male patients, the Whittier Street Health Center in Boston runs a men’s health clinic and hosts an annual summit to focus attention on men’s health issues. In June, Boston health leaders announced plans to invest $1 million a year to help close the gap in Black men’s life expectancy.

Aug 4 • 10:18 AM EDT • Health • wbur.org

Trust, accountability and the behavior we expect from political leaders

Coming up at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, MPR News host Angela Davis and her guests talk about the standards we hold elected officials to and how power, race, gender and politics shape how we think about allegations against public figures.

Aug 4 • 10:00 AM EDT • Politics • mprnews.org

Yankees news: Lombard Jr. called up after quiet Trade Deadline

Lombard Jr. promoted as Volpe gets demoted; Yanks kicked tires on Skubal and Rutschman; Judge still expected back, timeline unclear; Mantle’s sons throw out first pitch.

Aug 4 • 5:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Bayer Earnings Beat Estimates on Crop Science Strength

Bayer AG posted better-than-expected profit in the second quarter, helped by a strong performance in its crop science business.

Aug 4 • 1:36 AM EDT • Science • bloomberg.com

Packers’ First Preseason Game Becomes Super Bowl Reunion

The Green Bay Packers will get another chance to see their former quarterback face off against their team. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is expected to play the first two games of the preseason this year, according to a report by Mike Silver of The Athletic. The Steelers’ first preseason game happens to be hosting […] The post Packers’ First Preseason Game Becomes Super Bowl Reunion appeared first on HEAVY.

Aug 3 • 5:46 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Google may start Pixel 11 pre-orders way sooner than expected

Countdown clocks have started for the Pixel 11 series on the Google Store and Best Buy. The clocks suggest pre-orders will start early.

Aug 3 • 5:18 PM EDT • Technology • androidauthority.com

Browns partake in first padded practice without numerous key players

As the Browns held their first padded practice of the summer, they did so without Carson Schwesinger and other expected key contributors

Aug 3 • 4:45 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Board of Peace demands Netanyahu cease Gaza airstrikes

The Board of Peace is struggling to get Israel on board with its peace plan for Gaza as Israeli militia airstrikes continue to bombard the war-torn strip despite expectations for a ceasefire and de-escalation. Gaza City was hit repeatedly by Israeli airstrikes on Saturday and Sunday, despite Hamas having agreed to a framework for demilitarization […]

Aug 3 • 4:18 PM EDT • Politics • coloradopolitics.com

'Expect the best': Wide receivers give OU speedy weapons

The Sooners are looking to go into 2026 with an explosive attack at wide receiver.

Aug 3 • 3:00 PM EDT • Sports • oudaily.com

If Not AOC, Then Who?

What do we do if Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez decides not to run for president in 2028? It makes sense that many leftists are currently focused on calling on her to take the plunge. But the absence of a Plan B, or even much discussion about one, is worrisome. The US Left can’t afford to sit out the 2028 Democratic primary. Doing so in 2024 was a disaster: our abstention self-marginalized anti-billionaire politics from the national conversation and thereby gave space for Harris to pivot to the “center” (i.e. the policy preferences of corporate donors, establishment hacks, and AIPAC). Abstaining again in 2028 would be especially counterproductive since democratic socialists now have so much wind in our sails after our big electoral wins in NYC and across the country. It’s time to deepen our momentum, organization, and profile — not to retreat to the margins during America’s single most important political battle. Even more urgently, keeping Trump’s heir out of the White House may depend on whether leftists and the party’s unprecedentedly disenchanted base can force the Democrats in 2028 to take meaningful steps towards a very angry electorate and away from the corporate-consultant blob that has helped get us into this mess. If AOC (or Abdul El-Sayed) decides to run, we should enthusiastically go all in — DSA, fighting unions, progressive organizations, anybody who wants to see a better country and world. But, as far as I can tell from the outside, there’s a real chance that she doesn’t run. And we can’t just wait and see where she lands before discussing alternatives, since AOC’s decision might not come for quite a while, giving us little time to scramble at the last minute for an alternative. So we should start working now on getting a Plan B into motion, and recruiting a good candidate for the role. Here’s one idea. A Worker Candidate — Healthcare Not Warfare 2028 Run a union worker Leftists don’t need to always run experienced, well-known socialist politicians for high-profile contests. Lula, the current president of Brazil, began his political career as a metalworker militant who ran for governor of São Paulo in 1982. Especially in an era of institutional distrust, it’s possible to lean hard into making a virtue out of a working-class comrade’s distance from traditional politics. Experience abroad shows this clearly. Rachel Kéké — an immigrant hotel housekeeper — ran as the candidate of the leftist La France Insoumise for the National Assembly in 2022, defeating a former minister in the Macron government. The Belgian Workers’ Party in 2024 won its first Flemish seat in the European Parliament by running Rudi Kennes, a three-decade veteran of the Opel Antwerp auto factory. And the South Korean left in 2024 elected auto factory militant Yoon Jong-oh to the National Assembly. If a tiny French Trotskyist organization could make such a big splash in 2002 and 2007 by running a well-spoken postal worker cadre for office — the LCR’s Olivier Besancenot received about 1.5 million first-round votes — it’s not far-fetched to expect that a much larger organization like DSA, together with a broader coalition of the willing, could run this playbook to much greater effect. This is especially the case now that almost everything DSA does immediately becomes a national news story. We don’t need someone famous. We just need a charismatic, well-vetted comrade who works in a relatable working-class occupation — e.g. a nurse, or a worker in auto or construction, or at Amazon. Ideally, they have a compelling personal story or have been part of a significant strike or organizing campaign, but even those criteria don’t necessarily have to be deal-breakers. The main lesson of the Graham Platner fiasco isn’t that we should never run outsiders for office (the momentum he generated proves the exact opposite), but that they need proper vetting and roots in democratic membership organizations like DSA or a union. In any case, there are plenty of ways to signal working-class authenticity without resorting to Platner’s or Fetterman’s performative macho white dude affect. Better to have someone of any gender or race who is actually working class, with firm socialist politics, who can speak from experience about the day-to-day realities of trying to make it in America. There are surely at least a dozen such worker leaders in our movement nationwide; we just need to sit down and convince one that their personal sacrifice for the greater good (i.e. running for president) will be worth it. If we don’t have a frontrunner with a clear path to victory like AOC (or El-Sayed, were he to win Michigan), it’s better to embrace someone whose decision to run in itself tells an important story about US politics: workers have been iced out of our political system and are now fighting hard to break back in. The novelty factor, in itself, would generate press. And it would help democratic socialists signal to the American public that our movement’s defining characteristic is that we represent workers vs. bosses, not that we’re “the furthest left” force in American politics — a framework that suggests we’re extremists and that helps our opponents isolate us from non-college-educated voters by highlighting extremely minoritarian (and misguided) stances included in DSA’s platform like prison abolition. We don’t get many opportunities to speak to tens of millions of Americans; we need to use these opportunities to broaden our appeal beyond those already in our orbit. Run to polarize the 2028 primary and general election around “Medicare for All” and “End All Aid to Israel” Why should democratic socialists use our scarce time and volunteer energy to run in a race we’re unlikely to win? Running in the 2028 primary will not only recruit us scores of members (imagine having a DSA member intervening in eleven nationally televised primary debates!), but — more importantly — it has the potential to be a decisive leap forward towards an America that finally starts meeting the needs of working people instead of HMO and AIPAC billionaire donors. Polarizing litmus tests are good, actually — as long as they’re fought for around popular demands in a thoughtful and strategic way. Democratic socialists have an opportunity and responsibility to make the 2028 primary about two of the most widely and deeply felt issues of our moment: domestically, America’s unaffordable, family-breaking private healthcare system; internationally, America’s bankrolling of the genocidal Israeli government. A candidacy relentlessly demanding Medicare for All and No Aid to Israel would pose a sharp question to the American public, the Democratic Party, and other 2028 contenders: Why can’t working-class Americans afford their healthcare bills at the same time that our government is spending at least $3.8 billion yearly to fund an Israeli regime eager to keep dragging us and the world into more forever wars? Our candidate can agitate around a clear message: I’m running to give voice to all those working-class Americans who are struggling to get by. No matter what state you live in, who you voted for in 2024, or your background, it’s just plain common sense that we should make healthcare more affordable instead of spending billions to enable the Israeli government’s crimes against humanity. Every American who agrees with me when I say ‘Medicare for All — Not a Dime for Israel’ should make their voice heard through our campaign. Racking up a high number of votes for this agenda is a crucial way to show the Democratic Party and the country as a whole that we can’t keep supporting a life-destroying status quo in our healthcare system and in the Middle East. If we want to defeat Trump’s handpicked crony this coming November, we need to speak to ordinary people’s frustrations with the status quo — we can’t keep running the same tired establishment playbook and expecting a different result. For those highly engaged voters (or skeptical media pundits) who raise concerns about wasting votes, the candidate can take the time to explain why this isn’t the case: It's true I'm a long shot. But Zohran showed anything can happen — and voting for me is a pragmatic decision, not a wasted vote. In a heavily divided primary with a large number of candidates and a very discredited establishment, my campaign and the democratic socialist movement I’m part of are positioned to be the balance of power if we can get a large enough number of voters to loudly demand Healthcare Not Warfare. Since there’s a high chance no candidate will get to 50% in the 2028 primaries, the Democrats could very well be heading towards a brokered convention, where a disciplined, principled current committed to breaking from corporate donors can play an outsized role in making sure whoever ends up with the nomination raises the banner of single-payer healthcare and cutting aid to Israel. How exactly could running this sort of primary campaign be translated into actual leverage? The candidate replies: I’m aiming to win the nomination, but if I don’t achieve that goal, my delegates and I will pledge our support in the primary only for a candidate who agrees in the general election to call for ending US aid to Israel and establishing Medicare for All at home. These are both winning planks for November against the Republicans, and the only reason I can see that other candidates haven’t yet raised these is that they’re still more scared of the donor class than they are of the people. That needs to change. If Democratic leaders want young people, workers, and those sick of the status quo to show up in big numbers this November, they need to meet us halfway. In this way, whether or not we win the nomination, democratic socialists could still play a decisive role in 2028. The approach outlined here is similar to what radical left parties periodically do in parliamentary democracies like Denmark or Sweden when they find themselves as a junior partner electorally: they dictate to center-left allies what their terms would be for enabling, from the outside, the formation of a new government. Running a Healthcare Not Warfare candidate will make it significantly more likely that the 2028 Democratic candidate stands with ordinary people instead of donors on these two pivotal planks — a shift that will, in turn, make it easier to achieve the existentially important task of defeating MAGA’s heir in November. Look at how much popular traction the Uncommitted movement got with a similar strategy in 2024 with so little on-the-ground organization — surely we can go much further with a working-class candidate, a much bigger DSA, and a Democratic Party base that has turned against Israel, billionaires, and the hacks in the party who prop them up. Objections and Responses There are quite a few objections to this proposal, many of which are very reasonable. Let me briefly address each here. Socialists shouldn’t waste their scarce time and resources on a candidate unlikely to win. This is a good rule in general, but there are important exceptions, and presidential elections are the main one. There’s no other political contest that gets anything like this level of attention and engagement in the US, so if you want to be a serious force in nationwide politics, you basically can’t afford not to have a candidate. Far from being an overall drain on our resources, running a dynamic 2028 campaign would likely result in a major net increase in members and capacity. In that spirit, the very pragmatic Milwaukee sewer socialists — who mostly ran to win at home in Wisconsin — supported Eugene Debs’s propagandistic presidential campaigns, which they correctly saw as a crucial means of recruiting to the Socialist Party. And now that the (post-1972) Democratic Party gives more weight to voters than party operatives in determining its presidential nomination, it’s become feasible to run as a socialist in primaries without risking a split in the vote against the Republicans in November. We should just support Ro Khanna, who also supports M4A and ending aid to Israel. I like Ro Khanna and would enthusiastically vote and canvass for him for president were he to get the nomination. But there’s a real chance that Khanna’s bid for office doesn’t catch on; he lacks the grassroots organizational apparatus of DSA, and, because he’s not really of the Left or labor (despite his current very good positions), he’s unlikely to generate the type of buy-in and enthusiasm that a DSA candidate would. Moreover, Khanna would be running as an individual, not as someone emerging from and building an organized movement — his campaign would not likely focus on building sustained power from below, nor would it likely polarize the 2028 primary around M4A and Israel aid. Also, and not inconsequentially, the poor electoral results for Tom Steyer and Saikat Chakrabarti this spring suggest that there’s perhaps not much of a popular appetite in the Democrats’ base to support multi-millionaire class traitors. Much better, then, to run a democratic socialist worker. If by Super Tuesday it’s clear that our campaign has captured the main left lane in the primary, Khanna should drop out and endorse us; conversely, if he’s managed to capture this lane, DSA could at that point transform its Healthcare Not Warfare campaign into an independent campaign to elect Ro Khanna focused on winning (and holding him accountable to) those two critical planks. An openness to consolidating an anti-corporate candidate by Super Tuesday is a necessary component of the strategy I’m proposing, because otherwise we risk splitting the primary votes (per DNC rules, you need at least 15% to get any delegates to convention). We should convince Shawn Fain or Sara Nelson to run for president instead. I agree it’d be great if either ran for president, but my impression is that there’s basically no chance that will happen in 2028, because both are firmly focused on their union leadership duties (and, in the case of Fain, beating back a federal witch-hunt). This plan could have DSA end up endorsing a non-socialist, non-DSAer for president. That’s against our principles. It’s a myth, and bad politics, that socialists can’t ever support candidates who aren’t members of their organization and/or who don’t call themselves socialists. Bernie, after all, was not a DSAer. And socialists abroad regularly make tactical decisions about if and when supporting a non-socialist candidate makes sense from the standpoint of promoting working-class interests, defending democracy, and building a socialist current in the process. If your “principles” prevent you and DSA from helping achieve the momentous stride forward of having a Democratic candidate in 2028 run on Medicare for All and ending aid to Israel, those “principles” are not very good. In fact, they actively undermine the causes they’re aiming to support. We shouldn’t confuse principles (working-class independence) with tactics (the best way to advance this in a given context). In my recent article in Catalyst on Milwaukee sewer socialism (I’ve uploaded the full text here), I have a section showing how similarly rigid rules about endorsements had to be eventually discarded in the old Socialist Party nationwide after WWI because they tended to lead socialists towards a sectarian abstention from broader anti-corporate electoral insurgencies beyond their party’s control. For what it’s worth, Lenin’s current under Tsarism frequently backed bourgeois candidates in the second round of elections and Lenin himself advocated that British Communists support Labour Party candidates; for his part, Kautsky in 1912 defended the German Social Democracy’s electoral pact with the Progressives in the runoffs. If our predecessors could be that tactically flexible in an era before the limits of their underlying strategic assumptions about intransigent class politics in capitalist democracies were made clear, then there’s no need to insist on being more tactically rigid today, after a century’s worth of accumulated experience. As long as you maintain your own political profile and organization while engaging in broader coalitional efforts, there’s zero inherent contradiction with the principle of political independence. More specifically: DSA and allied organizations should enthusiastically back Michigan’s Abdul El-Sayed if AOC declines to run and he throws his hat in the presidential ring. (I have no idea whether he’s even considering this path, but there’ll surely be chatter about it if he wins his Senate race this November.) Though he doesn’t call himself a socialist, El-Sayed is a principled Berniecrat, a consistent fighter for Palestine, and would have a clear path to victory. Using the “s” word is far less important than whether a campaign fights for the interests of working people at home and abroad — and whether actively participating in it can grow the organized working class and the Left. And the same holds true if a less anti-corporate candidate were, under pressure, to adopt our two Healthcare Not Warfare planks. Why focus only on M4A and ending US aid to Israel? There are so many other important issues to fight for! Obviously there are many pivotal issues beyond healthcare and Israel, and our candidate — and especially our organizations involved in the campaign — should be prepared to speak on all of these. But one of the crucial lessons of the Zohran campaign is that you have to relentlessly stay on message if you want to cut through the noise. CNN and Fox News will want to talk about DSA’s views on Venezuela and abolishing the police; we need to polarize the debate on the widely and deeply felt issues that are most favorable for growing the Left, isolating our opponents, and winning urgently needed changes. One recent poll found 63% of Americans support M4A, even after respondents were told it would raise taxes and eliminate most private insurance. Another found that 74% of Democrats opposed “providing additional economic and military support to Israel.” And focusing on two demands sets the campaign up to be able to leverage its mandate to make clear demands upon other candidates (which we can’t do if we run with a laundry list of demands). Talking about a Plan B is a distraction from the more urgent work of building a groundswell of calls on AOC to run. It’s good for DSAers, fightback unionists, and progressive organizations to try to convince AOC to run. This proposal is meant as an addendum to pushes to get AOC to run and to line DSA up for that eventuality, not as a substitute for those efforts. But I’m worried that, like in 2024, we might eventually find ourselves with no time to find a viable alternative unless we start now. DSA, with its abundant deliberative processes, moves slowly. The approach you’re suggesting seems risky. If a DSA candidate runs but doesn’t receive a lot of votes, it’ll undercut our current national momentum. This is a reasonable worry. All big initiatives always carry risks, and the path I’m advocating is certainly not free of these. That said, if a Healthcare Not Warfare campaign doesn’t catch on like we envisioned, it’s a pretty simple pivot in March 2028 to explain that in the future we really need our standard-bearers like AOC, or our growing bench of national electeds, to step up in presidential primaries. Moreover, it’s worth noting that the risk of my Plan B proposal is on the whole significantly less than the risk entailed by an AOC run. We should all back her if she runs, since she’d fire up the base, provide huge openings for organizing, have a real shot at defeating a Republican (especially given MAGA’s unpopularity), be a great standard-bearer for our issues, particularly M4A and ending aid to Israel, and be less willing than mainstream candidates to capitulate to any anti-democratic machinations from Trump and co. But it’s also true that AOC could lose, which would be a devastating setback to the country and the Left. Or she could win and find herself unable to pass much, if any, of her (and our) program, a demoralizing prospect. So if we’re willing to take these risks with AOC (and we should), it follows that we should be able to take lower-level risks if she doesn’t throw her hat in the ring. What’s Your Plan B? The US Left is facing its biggest opening for growth and influence since the 1930s. Initiatives that would have been impossible a few months ago are now potentially feasible. A President AOC is now easier to imagine, but if she ultimately assesses that the risks aren’t worth the potential reward in 2028, we can’t be left flat-footed. So even if you’re not convinced by the specifics of my Plan B, I hope you can at least agree that it’d be a disaster for us not to have one — and not to start getting a Plan B into motion. Hopefully other organizers and political currents will put forward their responses and alternative ideas ASAP. The stakes are too high to just wait and see. More As always, please share this article widely. This newsletter depends on all you lovely people to get the word out. Thank you! I uploaded the full text of my Catalyst article on Milwaukee sewer socialism here (it’s updated and 3x as long as the version published earlier on this substack). If you haven’t yet, please make sure to subscribe to Catalyst here; I read every issue front to back, highly recommend. 🌹🎵 Ivan Lins (arranged by Arthur Verocai) — “General da Banda” 🌹🎵

Aug 3 • 12:50 PM EDT • Politics • laborpolitics.com

Brewers among most likely landing spots for Clay Holmes

While other teams are interested, the Brewers are heavily pursuing Holmes, who is expected to be moved by the Deadline.

Aug 3 • 12:03 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

2026 officially has an unexpected new GOTY frontrunner

The co-op game is currently the best reviewed new release of 2026

Aug 3 • 11:36 AM EDT • Technology • polygon.com

Antarctica’s Blood Falls teems life from unexpected source

Despite being over 20 miles from the ocean, it's organisms are pretty salty.

Aug 3 • 11:00 AM EDT • Science • popsci.com

New leaks cover iPhone Ultra timing, iPhone Pro’s design next year

New leaks have just been shared on when to expect iPhone Ultra, and the unique design of next year’s 20th anniversary iPhone models.

Aug 3 • 9:32 AM EDT • Technology • 9to5mac.com

What are your expectations for trade deadline day?

What is Dave thinking?

Aug 3 • 9:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in the Kansas state primary

Kansas Republicans will narrow down a crowded field for governor in a state primary Tuesday as they look to retake the state’s top office after eight years of Democratic rule.

Aug 3 • 8:54 AM EDT • Politics • wsls.com

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Missouri’s state primary

St. Louis-area congressman Wesley Bell faces a Democratic primary rematch Tuesday with former congresswoman Cori Bush, who lost the seat to Bell in 2024.

Aug 3 • 8:24 AM EDT • Politics • wsls.com

Good Communication Is Good Business by Geoffrey Losee

The following column was contributed by J.D. Fisher. Mixed-use communities are increasingly common. Restaurants, breweries, retail stores, entertainment venues, and professional offices often operate within walking distance of established neighborhoods. That proximity creates tremendous opportunity, but it also means that a business's decisions may affect more than just its customers. Many business owners understandably focus on obtaining the permits necessary to open their doors. However, municipal approval is rarely the end of the conversation. As a business evolves, whether by adding outdoor seating, live entertainment, extended operating hours, or other new amenities, the applicable zoning ordinance may require additional approvals or impose operational standards designed to balance commercial activity with nearby residential uses. From a business perspective, the question should not simply be, "Can we do this?" It should also be, "Have we communicated with everyone who may be affected?" Recent local news coverage highlighted how differing interpretations of a municipal ordinance can quickly become the subject of public hearings, legal arguments, and significant uncertainty for a business. While every situation turns on its own facts, one common theme emerged: practical solutions are more difficult to achieve if communication breaks down. Businesses can often reduce that risk by engaging early with the relevant stakeholders. That begins with municipal staff. Planning departments are oftentimes willing to discuss how an ordinance applies before substantial investments are made. Seeking clarification in advance may identify permitting requirements or operational limitations that can be addressed proactively rather than after enforcement action. Communication should not stop with local government. Nearby property owners and neighborhood representatives frequently appreciate being informed about proposed changes before they occur. A brief meeting, an informational email, or an invitation to discuss concerns can foster goodwill and reveal potential issues while there is still flexibility to adjust operations. That’s why such meetings often required for substantial projects and may be a good idea even if not required. Perhaps most importantly, businesses should view compliance as an ongoing process rather than a one-time event. Operational changes that seem minor from a business standpoint may have regulatory implications under local development ordinances. Periodically reviewing proposed changes with experienced land-use counsel or planning professionals can help identify issues before they become disputes. No ordinance can eliminate every conflict between commercial activity and residential expectations. Nor should every disagreement become a legal controversy. But businesses that invest in transparent, proactive communication place themselves in the strongest position to protect both their operations and their relationships within the community. In today's regulatory environment, good communication is more than good public relations, it is good risk management. If your business is planning to expand its operations, introduce a new use, or simply wants to better understand how local land development regulations apply, the attorneys at Rountree Losee LLP are available to help. Our land use and local government practice works with businesses throughout southeastern North Carolina to navigate municipal approval processes, identify potential issues before they become disputes, and keep projects moving forward with confidence. Read more at rountreelosee.com.

Aug 3 • 8:00 AM EDT • Business • wilmingtonbiz.com

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Washington state's primary

Nine contenders for one of the nation’s most hotly contested congressional seats will compete in the Washington state primary on Tuesday.

Aug 3 • 7:55 AM EDT • Politics • wsls.com

Game changers: How EA Sports made a video game the epicenter of soccer culture

Long before the EAFC video game franchise nestled itself at the epicenter of soccer culture, FIFA International Soccer was an unexpected bestseller.

Aug 3 • 5:00 AM EDT • Technology • espn.com

Game changers: How EA Sports made a video game the epicenter of soccer culture

Long before the EAFC video game franchise nestled itself at the epicenter of soccer culture, FIFA International Soccer was an unexpected bestseller.

Aug 3 • 5:00 AM EDT • Sports • espn.com

Accel Entertainment (ACEL) Q2 Earnings Report Preview: What To Look For

Slot machine and terminal operator Accel Entertainment (NYSE:ACEL) will be reporting results this Tuesday after market close. Here’s what to expect.

Aug 3 • 2:29 AM EDT • Entertainment • finance.yahoo.com

The ‘Science of Reading’ Movement Is Evolving. Is Math Next?

Schools can expect more change—and continued debate—as the push for evidence-based instruction continues.

Aug 3 • 12:01 AM EDT • Science • edweek.org

Daiwa Profit Beats Estimates as Equities Business Surges

Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s quarterly profit rose more than analysts expected to the highest in 13 years, as Japan’s second-largest brokerage benefited from the global stock trading boom.

Aug 2 • 10:42 PM EDT • Business • bloomberg.com

Pixel 11 Made by Google 2026 launch event: How to watch and what to expect

From the new Pixel 11 series, the new Pixel Watch 5, and everything in between, we've got you covered.

Aug 2 • 8:14 PM EDT • Technology • androidcentral.com

Detailed Pixel 11 series leak suggests the situation is worse than expected

The Pixel 11 could cost more and offer less than before.

Aug 2 • 7:34 PM EDT • Technology • phonearena.com

Intermountain Health introduces new pancreatic cancer drug in western Colorado

Cancer center offering first-in-class treatment shown to more than double patients' expected length of life

Aug 2 • 6:35 PM EDT • Health • kkco11news.com

Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra: Weird camera designs and higher prices tipped

We’re halfway between the Galaxy S26 launch and the next big Galaxy Unpacked event and the rumors surrounding the Galaxy S27 series expected in January or February 2027 are starting to heat up. For the first time, four Galaxy S27 phones are set to hit the market at the same time, the top-of-the-line Galaxy S27 Ultra might not only get more expensive, it may also feature a weird camera design if you ask the wrong people.

Aug 2 • 1:28 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Air Quality Alert Remains in Effect

An air quality alert remains in place for the region. Air quality is expected to significantly deteriorate tonight and Monday as westerly and…

Aug 2 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • srhd.org

Dark matter’s secret force does the opposite of what scientists expected

Dark matter particles may exert a hidden force on one another, but its effects are stranger than expected. An extra attraction helps the particles cluster, yet it also makes dark matter effectively lighter as the Universe expands. That weakens its gravitational impact and usually slows the growth of cosmic structure rather than accelerating it.

Aug 2 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Mohamed Amoura set for surprise Bundesliga switch

RB Leipzig are on the verge of completing the signing of VfL Wolfsburg striker Mohamed Amoura, according to reports from France and Algeria. The 26-year-old is expected to remain in the Bundesliga des...

Aug 2 • 6:24 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Here’s when One UI 9.0 Beta 5 update could release

Official One UI 9.0 will begin rolling out next week, but Samsung plans to release the Galaxy S26 Beta 5 update as well. Internal testing is reportedly underway, and users are expected to welcome the next Beta this August. On July 22, Samsung showcased One UI 9 full experience at the Unpacked event. It comes […]

Aug 2 • 12:46 AM EDT • Technology • sammyfans.com

M's doing just enough to keep fans believing glory awaits

This year's Mariners have been fascinating and infuriating. They've fallen way below expectations, but not far enough where a trade-deadline sale is warranted.

Aug 1 • 10:56 PM EDT • Sports • seattletimes.com

Cowboys OLB Donovan Ezeiruaku expects more sacks than last season

Aug 1 • 7:02 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

ASU adds 2 ahead of expected special transfer portal

ASU's late additions come ahead of an expected special transfer portal window following a Friday court order granting eligibility to class of 2022 players who haven't redshirted.

Aug 1 • 5:33 PM EDT • Sports • arizonasports.com

Source: Former MLB executive Tim Brosnan to head Big East

The Big East is expected to hire former MLB executive Tim Brosnan as the league's next commissioner, sources told ESPN.

Aug 1 • 5:09 PM EDT • Sports • espn.com

After years of teasing, Michael Adams makes surprising decision in 2027 KY governor’s race

Republican Secretary of State Michael Adams has long hinted at his interest in running for governor. So what led to this unexpected decision?

Aug 1 • 5:02 PM EDT • Politics • kentucky.com

Trump’s Polling Numbers Hit a New Low. Don’t Expect Him to Change Course.

Barely a third of Americans approve of Mr. Trump’s handling of the job, putting him at historic depths for a second-term president at this stage of his tenure.

Aug 1 • 3:30 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com

Microsoft to optimize Windows 11 for PCs with 8GB of RAM

Microsoft is preparing Windows 11 optimizations designed to improve performance on PCs with 8GB of RAM, targeting high idle memory use. The updates will roll out gradually, with broader improvements expected by the end of 2026.

Aug 1 • 1:49 PM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

Should the Pirates flip to sellers at the trade deadline? Here's why Paul Skenes thinks they should still buy

CINCINNATI — Last Sunday, Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said he wasn’t expecting results between then and the trade deadline to shift...

Aug 1 • 12:28 PM EDT • Sports • post-gazette.com

I knew caring for my 88-year-old mom would be hard. I didn't expect to spend so much time on tech support.

Aug 1 • 10:25 AM EDT • Technology • yahoo.com

Massive shopping/entertainment zone planned for Fresno corner

The 27-acre development is expected to feature restaurants, stores, a brewery and an entertainment venue.

Aug 1 • 8:30 AM EDT • Entertainment • fresnobee.com

Science Inquiry Comes Alive for Jacket Middle Schoolers

Snails, sidewalks and Double Stuff Oreos... At Partnership Middle School, instructors are finding innovative ways to help students connect the classroom to what they see in the real world every day. By integrating hands-on experiences and scientific investigations into weekly lessons, 6th and 7th grade science teachers push their classes to explore the curriculum standards through the lens of critical thinking, communication with their peers, experimentation, and scientific inquiry. Last week, two different approaches for two different grade levels saw Jacket teachers ignite the same spark for learning. On Tuesday, 6th graders in Lydia Jones' science class took their lessons outside as they explored the school grounds to identify living and non-living things. Despite the warm temperatures, they engaged in discovering unexpected objects on the campus and connecting that to what they learned in class about the criteria for what qualifies a thing as "living". Ms. Jones tasked students with walking the grounds and listing as many living and non-living things they could find in just a few minutes. Students spotted a fire hydrant, construction vehicles, grass, trees, soccer equipment, rocks, sidewalks, and even a snail hidden in the plants. After they finished the exploration, students returned to the regular classroom to discuss their results and whether their objects were classified correctly. On Thursday, 7th graders in Omini Parks' science class participated in their first lab of the semester as they explored and identified the physical properties of a favorite snack -- Oreos. Ms. Parks identified the class objective before the lab activity began by writing the academic standard on the dry erase board in a declarative statement: "I can collect and evaluate qualitative data to describe substances using physical properties." Students watched a video about how Oreo sandwich cookies are made, and then engaged in a question and answer discussion to give observations on the manufacturing process, review various types of physical properties and their scientific terminology, and talk generally about how the lab inquiry would work. The Q&A ended with a predictable question from students... "Will we be able to eat the Oreos?" The hands-on lab exercise required the 7th grade scientists to observe and record the differences between regular Oreos and the Double Stuff variety based on their physical properties. They followed the instructions in their lab brief to chart a comparison between the two types of cookies by observing properties with their magnifying lenses, measuring the height and diameter of both, and weighing the cookies with and without their filling. The activity let students put their lessons about physical properties into practice with real objects while also practicing vocabulary and writing skills to record their observations and using math skills from the last school year like taking measurements and calculating averages. Of course, they ended the lab by charting the taste of the cookies as well! These types of activities allow students to see the science standards they are learning come to life in the real world and engage with the content in new ways. Beyond that, they serve as a foundation for encouraging and growing scientific inquiry. Later in the school year, students will use the scientific method they are learning to complete science projects that require real research and the ability to explain and answer questions about their process and results. At the school-level competitive Science Fair last year, 41 Partnership students earned a place in the 2026 regional Science Fair held at MSU. From there, 14 advanced to the State Science Fair conducted at Northeast Mississippi Community College in April.

Aug 1 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • starkvillesd.com

3-Point Stance: Patriots’ training camp expectations have changed

New England’s no longer rebuilding; it’s refining amidst Super Bowl expectations.

Aug 1 • 7:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

In 2009, Scientists Drilled 183 Meters Beneath An Antarctic Ice Shelf And Found A Surprising Lifeform

Sometimes when you gaze into the abyss, something really does gaze back.

Aug 1 • 5:00 AM EDT • Science • iflscience.com

PENN Entertainment (PENN) Nears Earnings, Is The 74% Undervalued View Too Optimistic?

PENN Entertainment (PENN) is back in focus as investors look ahead to its upcoming June quarter earnings report on August 6, with Wall Street expecting higher revenue and year over year earnings growth. See our latest analysis for PENN Entertainment. PENN Entertainment's recent share price has held around $20.53, with a 90 day share price return of 18.88% and a year to date share price return of 38.25%. The 1 year total shareholder return of 15.34% contrasts with weaker 3 and 5 year total...

Aug 1 • 12:15 AM EDT • Entertainment • finance.yahoo.com

Diabetes Drug Used For More Than 60 Years Found to Unexpectedly Affect The Brain

A hidden pathway is emerging.

Jul 31 • 9:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencealert.com

Karol G grabbed by fan onstage in viral video

Karol G's return to the stage took an unexpected turn.

Jul 31 • 6:33 PM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com

FDA clears autoinjector drug for home treatment of heart failure edema

A new drug delivery system may help reduce heart failure hospitalizations and related healthcare costs, which are expected to reach $70 billion by 2030.

Jul 31 • 4:40 PM EDT • Business • cardiovascularbusiness.com

SuperFair Adjusts to Rain, Entertainment Continues Uninterrupted

The Lancaster County SuperFair is adjusting to this week's rain, but organizers say visitors can still expect ...

Jul 31 • 3:20 PM EDT • Entertainment • klin.com

Minnesota Vikings Over/Under Win Total: What To Expect In 2026

Check out the 2026 O/U win total for the Vikings, who won nine games last season and finished third in the NFC North.

Jul 31 • 12:30 PM EDT • Sports • foxsports.com

AbbVie touts double-digit sales jump, future prospects following Apogee acquisition

AbbVie’s immunology and neuroscience businesses drove sales and profits beyond expectations in the second quarter.

Jul 31 • 11:22 AM EDT • Business • chicagobusiness.com

"We will not live on past successes or be trapped by past failures" – Xbox CEO outlines priorities to turn platform around in FY27

Asha Sharma expects growth to return to Xbox by "investing in what players value"

Jul 31 • 9:40 AM EDT • Technology • gamesindustry.biz

Live Nation Entertainment Q2 Earnings Call Highlights

Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE:LYV) executives said demand for live music remained strong across markets and venue types during the company’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call, with management raising its expectations for full-year fan growth, revenue, adjusted operating income and margin expansion

Jul 31 • 9:03 AM EDT • Entertainment • finance.yahoo.com

Sony Says PlayStation Disc Backlash Not Making ‘Any Impact’ On Business

In its new earnings report, Sony says that fans upset about PlayStation no longer making new discs in 2028 has not impacted its business so far, and it doesn't expect it to.

Jul 31 • 8:44 AM EDT • Technology • forbes.com

Sony Says PlayStation Disc Backlash Not Making ‘Any Impact’ On Business

In its new earnings report, Sony says that fans upset about PlayStation no longer making new discs in 2028 has not impacted its business so far, and it doesn't expect it to.

Jul 31 • 8:44 AM EDT • Business • forbes.com

Why Hybrid Healthcare Is a Business Imperative for Indiana Employers

Access to healthcare is more than a recruiting or retention tool. It’s one of the largest line items on the balance sheet and a critical factor in workforce stability. As costs and expectations rise, employers and employees want a simpler, more integrated healthcare experience.

Jul 31 • 8:37 AM EDT • Business • ibj.com

Survey: Small business optimism picks up in Iowa, nation

Many small businesses around Iowa and the nation are seeing “encouraging developments” while also experiencing challenging times, according to a recent survey. The NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business ) Small Business Optimism Index rose 2.1 points in June to 97.4, nearing its 52-year average of 98. Expectations for better business conditions and real sales […]

Jul 31 • 8:35 AM EDT • Business • quadcitiesbusiness.com

Amazon stock soars as e-commerce giant's AWS cloud business booms in 'home run' quarter

The e-commerce and cloud giant topped second quarter expectations as accelerating cloud growth at Amazon Web Services (AWS) helped drive strong results.

Jul 31 • 8:24 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com

Former Tennessee senator shares lessons from decades in public service

Through his decades of public service, one might expect former U.S. Senator of Tennessee Lamar Alexander to offer complicated guidance on what makes a successful and long-lived career. But his insights are surprisingly simple: “Lose your sense of purpose, and there's really not much reason to be in public life.” At a virtual event held by the McCain Institute on July 23, Alexander discussed his latest book, “The Education of a Senator: From JFK to Trump.” The memoir was published in May of this year.

Jul 31 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • news.asu.edu

Cowboys, NFL Headlines: Position switch cancelled? Romo open container

The second day of training camp is in the books. Dak Prescott, Tyler Guyton, DaRon Bland and others gave their thoughts on their 2026 expectations.

Jul 31 • 5:53 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

CMS announces end to Medicare Part D prescription drug subsidies

With the change, premiums are expected to rise. However, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services confirmed they cannot inflate by more than 6%, as capped by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Jul 31 • 5:13 AM EDT • Health • healthexec.com

Latest iPhone 18 news, leaks, and rumors: Release date, colors, and pricing

The iPhone is almost old enough to vote. So, what do we expect from the upcoming iPhone 18 and iPhone 18 Pro Max?

Jul 31 • 5:00 AM EDT • Technology • mashable.com

AMD Radeon GPU and memory kit prices reportedly rising 10% in August

AMD reportedly delayed its Radeon GPU kit adjustment from July to August. AIB partners are now expected to pay at least 10% more.

Jul 31 • 4:38 AM EDT • Technology • videocardz.com

Forvia sales fall less than expected, but China business declines

French car parts supplier Forvia reported ‌a smaller-than-expected drop in its half-year sales on Friday, even as an unfavourable customer ​mix weighed on its China business.

Jul 31 • 1:27 AM EDT • Business • reuters.com

Microsoft Adds $450 Billion In A Day, Beats Nvidia. What's Behind The Surge

Azure, Microsoft's cloud computing platform, reported stronger-than-expected growth as companies continued spending heavily on AI infrastructure.

Jul 31 • 12:55 AM EDT • Business • ndtv.com

Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) Could Be 16% Undervalued Following Its Earnings Report

Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) moved into focus after its latest quarterly report. The company posted a Q2 net loss alongside higher sales, and the stock reacted positively as results topped market expectations. See our latest analysis for Sphere Entertainment. Sphere Entertainment's latest results came after a strong run, with a year to date share price return of 57.29% and a 1 year total shareholder return of 244.53%. This hints at building momentum despite a 30 day share price pullback of...

Jul 30 • 9:07 PM EDT • Entertainment • finance.yahoo.com

MacBook Ultra's New Design Won't Stay Exclusive for Long

The touchscreen and the OLED panel have dominated discussion about Apple's next high-end laptop, but the redesign wrapped around them may prove to be an equally consequential change, largely because it is not expected to stay unique to the machine for long. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week laid out Apple's plan to refresh every Mac it sells over the next two years.

Jul 30 • 9:00 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

Scientists uncover how muscles preserve their repair cells

Researchers discovered an unexpected role for TRF2 in preserving muscle stem cell identity, offering new insights into muscle regeneration and muscular dystrophy.

Jul 30 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • pennmedicine.org

Dak Prescott setting high expectations for Cowboys and their offense

When Dak Prescott arrived at training camp Tuesday, he wore a vintage t-shirt celebrating the Dallas Cowboys’ last Super Bowl win as a statement of intent. After 10 years in the NFL without a meaningful playoff run for an organization that has not claimed a championship since after the 1995 season, their star quarterback is ready to end those droughts through his deeds, words, and even wardrobe choices. “To go into training camp and to go into the season to say that those are our goals, I mean, it’d be stupid or we’d be remiss not to own that, and take accountability in that, and take pride in saying this is what we want to be and what we want to do,” Prescott said Thursday.

Jul 30 • 7:58 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Salt Lake County Health Department reports first human West Nile Virus case of 2026

The Salt Lake County Health Department reported the area's first human West Nile Virus case of the year.The health department expects the infected adult, who wa

Jul 30 • 6:39 PM EDT • Health • kutv.com

Amazon CEO: AWS could be a ‘trillion-dollar’ business

Amazon (AMZN) CEO Andy Jassy explained on the company's earnings call that while the company expects to spend approximately '$220 billion in cash capex in 2026' to meet soaring demand, he believes AWS could "very possibly be a trillion-dollar annual revenue business for us in time.'

Jul 30 • 6:01 PM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com

Apple revenue, profits beat expectations on iPhone, Mac sales

Apple on Thursday reported sales and profits that beat Wall Street expectations, fueled by its customers snapping up iPhones and MacBooks amid ​price increases across the consumer electronics sector.

Jul 30 • 4:31 PM EDT • Business • reuters.com

Apple Stock Falls Nearly 2% Before Earnings as Upgrade Program Launches

Investors are weighing expected double-digit revenue growth against margins, component costs and Apple's new device-leasing strategy.

Jul 30 • 3:53 PM EDT • Technology • finance.yahoo.com

Backrooms perfectly captures the lost art of '90s boredom

The hit thriller is making younger viewers unexpectedly nostalgic for an era they never actually experienced.

Jul 30 • 3:28 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com

Sphere Entertainment’s (NYSE:SPHR) Q2 CY2026 Sales Beat Estimates, Stock Soars

Content production and distribution company Sphere Entertainment (NYSE:SPHR) reported Q2 CY2026 results exceeding the market’s revenue expectations, with sales up 11% year on year to $313.6 million. Its non-GAAP loss of $0.62 per share was 55.6% above analysts’ consensus estimates.

Jul 30 • 3:08 PM EDT • Entertainment • finance.yahoo.com

Sphere Entertainment’s (NYSE:SPHR) Q2 CY2026 Sales Beat Estimates, Stock Soars

Content production and distribution company Sphere Entertainment (NYSE:SPHR) reported Q2 CY2026 results exceeding the market’s revenue expectations, with sal...

Jul 30 • 3:08 PM EDT • Entertainment • stockstory.org

NVIDIA RTX 50-Series GPUs Could See Another 20-30% Price Hike in 2026

We've previously reported on expected price increases for NVIDIA GPU kits that the company sells to OEMs, thanks to the AI boom and its resulting impact on the DRAM supply chain. Now, thanks to a report by Taiwanese publication, Economic Daily Times, it's been revealed that NVIDIA's price hike...

Jul 30 • 12:09 PM EDT • Technology • techpowerup.com

PENN Entertainment (PENN) Earnings Expected to Grow: Should You Buy?

PENN Entertainment (PENN) doesn't possess the right combination of the two key ingredients for a likely earnings beat in its upcoming report. Get prepared with the key expectations.

Jul 30 • 10:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • finance.yahoo.com

PREVIEW: Gears of War: E-Day's 'Horde Siege' is the most fun I've *ever* had in the entire history of the Gears franchise

Last week I had the opportunity to go hands on with Gears of War: E-Day and its new "Horde Siege" mode, which is far more chaotic, bombastic, and cinematic than I expected.

Jul 30 • 9:00 AM EDT • Technology • windowscentral.com