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Top global climate science body suspends meeting without deal on major review timeline
By Sudarshan Varadhan Oct 16 (Reuters) - A meeting of the members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was suspended without an agreement on a timeline to publish its next review of
Top global climate science body suspends meeting without deal on major review timeline
By Sudarshan VaradhanA meeting of the members of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was suspended without an agreement on a timeline to publish its next review of the latest science on the warming planet, the IPCC said on Friday.The impasse over the timeline, which has lasted near…
Suspicious powder sent to Rep. Ritchie Torres’ Bronx office in latest mail scare targeting New York Democratic pols
An envelope containing a suspicious substance prompted a hazardous materials response at U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres' Bronx district office Friday afternoon,
Belief in change matters more than political anger when it comes to voting intentions, study suggests
With the 2026 midterm elections around the corner, voters may be feeling everything from excitement to fear. But how might anger motivate political activism and, ultimately, influence who turns out to ...
Meta updates business terms, sparking AI training fears among news outlets
Tech giant’s revised rules could allow automated scraping across entire websites, legal experts warn
Top Global Climate Science Body Meet Ends Without Deal on Review Timeline
By Sudarshan Varadhan and Kate Abnett Oct 16 (Reuters) - The meeting of the members of the world's leading authority on climate change ended on Friday without an agreement on a timeline to publish its next review of the latest science on the warming planet, four sources familiar with the ...
Top global climate science body meet ends without deal on review timeline
By Sudarshan Varadhan and Kate AbnettThe meeting of the members of the world's leading authority on climate change ended on Friday without an agreement on a timeline to publish its next review of the latest science on the warming planet, four sources familiar with the matter said.The meeting of rep…
National 2D materials research hub names new director
Stephanie Law, associate professor of materials science and engineering at Penn State, has been named director and principal investigator of the Two-Dimensional Crystal Consortium-Materials Innovation Platform, a U.S. National Science Foundation-supported national user facility within Penn State’s Materials Research Institute.
Doja Cat’s Seattle arena concert was a scorching, slapstick spectacle
Doja Cat brought ‘80s excess, pop-rap and pyrotechnics to Climate Pledge Arena.
Dave & Buster's Entertainment Sees Unusually High Options Volume (NASDAQ:PLAY)
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY - Get Free Report) was the target of unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors purchased 5,009 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of approximately 37% compared to the typical daily volume of 3,653 call options.
Trump says press secretary Katie Zacharia should ‘reconsider’ her role
“Maybe it’s not for her,” President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday, saying that he would ultimately leave the decision to Zacharia.
Scientists Kept Finding The Same Mysterious DNA In Their Samples. The Marine Microbe It Belongs To Has The Smallest Genome Ever Identified
This tiny marine organism may demonstrate just how little genetic material a cell needs to survive.
Exclusive-US Strikes One-Year Deal to Fund Maternal and Newborn Health Donations in Poorest Countries
By Ammu Kannampilly, Jennifer Rigby and Victoire Mukenge NAIROBI/LONDON/NYANGEZI, Democratic Republic of Congo, Oct 16 (Reuters) - The US government has struck a deal to continue supplying some of the world's poorest nations with free life-saving medication and equipment for mothers, infants and ...
What a subscription business actually automates when it sets up recurring billing
The word "automatic" in subscription billing can mean two very different things depending on which part of the process it describes.
Fastest Warming Congressional Districts Where Politician Is Funded By Fossil Fuel Industry
The midterm elections are less than a month away, and 35 seats in the U.S. Senate, as well as...
Can AI solve our mental health access problem?
Last week I asked you what worries you most about AI in health. It was close, but your top answer was “AI giving bad health advice.” Last week’s poll results: You’re in good company. This concern was top of mind at a conference I joined at Stanford last week, where researchers, clinicians, and people who build AI systems spent a day debating trust and safety in health AI. Stepping back, I’m also hearing your emerging concerns about AI’s impact on our well-being generally. I see this as a matter of public health, and we’ll take it in pieces as we learn together. Today we’ll focus on AI chatbots used for therapy for mental health. Early this month, Governor Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 903, California’s most ambitious attempt to regulate AI use for mental health. It’s at the center of active debate, and raises the questions patients, family members, citizens, and voters will face as AI moves deeper into health care. Let’s work through it. What is “AI-based therapy”? It’s really two things: purpose-built mental health apps designed to deliver structured support, and general chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini that people increasingly use for emotional support—even if they weren’t built for it. Spoiler alert: I don’t know whether the shift toward AI therapy is good or bad. The evidence isn’t there yet. But I do know it’s already happening, and I have some ideas about how we can roll it out with safety in mind. The therapy dilemma, in a nutshell Mental health challenges are common, and strain health and well-being across populations. Therapy (interactive dialogue with a trained, empathetic practitioner) helps many people heal. The demand for licensed therapists far exceeds the supply in California, and AI-based therapy can narrow that gap. AI-based therapy remains novel, unproven, and not well tested. Right off the bat, we can see we’re dealing with trade-offs here. Since the main driver of demand for therapy from a robot is lack of access to therapy from a human, we’ll start there. It’s too hard to find and afford a human therapist California is short roughly 55,000 licensed, non-prescribing therapists and counselors, about 40% of what we need. Psychiatrists, who rely on talk therapy as a complement to prescribed medications, are even more scarce. Eight counties have none, and density ranges from 1.7 per 100,000 residents in San Benito County, to 68.1 in Marin County. My wife is a psychiatrist in Marin, and even here access is tight. If it’s hard in the best-supplied county, imagine rural Sierra County, or the San Joaquin Valley. In 2024, more than half of Californians who tried to make a mental health appointment struggled to find a provider who took their insurance, compared with 14% for physical health care. When Senate staff posed as “secret shopper” patients and called 120 mental health providers in Medicare Advantage networks, they landed an appointment less than once for every five tries. Insurers pay behavioral health clinicians about 22% less than medical and surgical clinicians for comparable office visits. On top of that, billing denials and prior authorizations hit hardest at the solo and small practices common in mental health. Psychiatrists opt out of Medicare at the highest rate of any specialty. In many places, a cash practice for therapy fills quickly with patients paying $250 or more an hour, with no insurance paperwork at all. Families who can pay cash find providers more easily. Those who rely on insurance, including Medi-Cal enrollees, older adults, rural residents, and non-English speakers, compete for what’s left. So we can’t pretend the human system works, and we can’t blame people for turning to AI for support when they’re in distress. AI is filling the gap It’s estimated that roughly a quarter of AI users use it for mental health support. If you have internet, it’s available 24/7, it’s cheap, and it speaks your language. Uninsured adults are about twice as likely as insured adults to do it (30% vs. 14%). It feels anonymous in ways that may enable people to ask things they’re unsure or embarrassed about. The largely hidden, personal use makes it hard to study whether it’s actually helping people with their mental health issues, but researchers are trying. Does AI therapy work? A 2026 analysis of nearly 40 randomized trials found chatbots showed a real but small reduction in depression symptoms. But most of these trials were compared to an alternative of no therapy, not a human therapist. So the benefit of AI therapy is probably real, but modest, and mostly untested against the alternative of human contact. We need more studies. Serious concerns OpenAI’s own estimate is that more than a million ChatGPT users each week show signs of suicidal planning or intent. These are high stakes encounters, and AI doesn’t always get it right. That’s partly because a chatbot can sound like a therapist, but it has no license, no duty of care, and it’s not clear who to hold accountable when it gets things wrong. AI is also designed to help users in whatever task they’re seeking to accomplish. People may feel like they’re getting therapy, but they’re mainly getting a convincing conversation. It’s easy for an AI companion to wander into gray areas, like playing along with “creative writing” that may be about the user’s own suicidal intent. Courts are driving safety conversations A wave of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of families claiming that chatbots pushed people they loved toward self-harm, including teens who died by suicide. The first settlements came this year. OpenAI is headquartered in San Francisco, and dozens of cases alleging that ChatGPT drove users to suicide or self-harm are now before a San Francisco judge. Character.ai has filed for bankruptcy after several states brought lawsuits accusing the chatbot of pushing dangerous content to kids. But the technology seems to be improving. Last month, an independent evaluation found that newer AI models “almost never endorse suicide.” That’s progress, but our societal appetite for even one preventable death is very low. So how do we move forward? Finding a middle ground Earlier this month the governor vetoed Senate Bill 903, a bill designed to place guardrails on the use of AI for therapy. The bill would have prohibited any AI-based platform from being advertised as psychotherapy, and would have required a licensed professional to review and approve each encounter where AI was used to support therapeutic decisions. Newsom called it overly broad, since even routine screening questions would have needed clinician sign-off. Knowing we’re already short on mental health providers, requiring human review of AI encounters may not relieve our access problems. Still, the answer isn’t no oversight. Here’s one feasible short term solution. Rather than reviewing each encounter, a licensed clinician can design the guardrails: what counts as a crisis, what triggers an immediate handoff to a human, and what gets sampled for audit each month. The AI runs inside that structure. Conversations get checked, failures get reported, and a real clinician owns the framework. Medicine already has models to learn from. The FDA process for rolling out newly approved medications is an example. After a product reaches patients, we keep watching for adverse events. Patient-facing AI needs the same “digital pharmacovigilance”: systematic tracking of harms, near misses, and the types of groups that get hurt and why. It’s also critical that users know that they can reach a human if they’re in crisis. Most chatbots now include messages like these: Bottom line The rush to use unproven AI tools for mental health support is mostly a workaround, a sign of a health system people can’t get into. We need better access to proven care from licensed clinicians. That takes reimbursement that makes accepting insurance viable, and a bigger workforce. But, built and tested well, AI could be part of the answer. It could be the 2 a.m. check-in when no one else is awake, or a way for patients to practice skills their therapist taught them. It could be the first step to get someone the right level of care, and take paperwork off clinicians’ plates so they spend more time with patients. None of this is simple. The SB 903 veto doesn’t end the debate, and the legislature will be back. In the meantime, those of us using these tools need to stay informed, ask hard questions, and hold the companies building them accountable. I’ll try to do my part, and we’ll keep learning together. Love,Matt P.S. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988- you’ll reach a real person— or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7. Dr. Matt Willis is the author of Your Local Epidemiologist in California. A California native, he’s served as a primary care physician, CDC epidemiologist, and public health officer for Marin County, where he guided the pandemic response. He lives in Marin with his family and their dogs, Teddy and Ramona. Thank you Cynthia He, MD, PhD, and Parnika Saxena, MD, for their guidance in preparing this article. Cynthia works in an outpatient mental health clinic, treating patients who have Medi-Cal or, sometimes, no insurance. Parnika works in an inpatient psychiatric unit, treating patients with public or private insurance or self-pay ability. All opinions are their own and do not represent their employers.
Two Weather Implications Of A 24-Team College Football Playoff
The potential weather and climate implications of a 24-team NCAA college football playoff system.
The Definitive Futuristic Mechanical Watch Debuts Its Ultimate Version
Ressence unveils the Type 10 DN, the brand's first watch to combine an in-house movement with an oil-filled dial.
Opinion | Teaching Climate Science to Judges Isn’t Indoctrination
We teach judges what the science shows while leaving the legal conclusions where they belong: with the judges.
Can States Still Protect Public Health? The Risk of a Climate Regulatory Vacuum - Petrie-Flom Center
On Oct. 5, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case that has the potential to greatly impact state and local municipalities’ ability to fight widespread threats to public and environmental health.
Apple’s first foldable iPhone sells out within minutes as preorders begin
Investing.com -- Apple shares rose 2% in premarket trading Friday after the company’s first foldable iPhone sold out shortly after preorders opened, with delivery estimates now extending to January 25 as orders continue.
Didn't Pre-Order an iPhone Duo Yet? Wait Times Are Significant Now
iPhone Duo pre-orders began today in the U.S. and many other countries. If you have yet to place a pre-order on Apple's online store, however, wait times are longer now. The first customers who pre-ordered right when pre-orders began at 5 a.m. Pacific Time today will have their devices delivered on Friday, October 23. By just 5:20 a.m. Pacific Time though, select configurations on Apple's online store in the U.S. are now showing delivery estimates into late December for new orders.
WNBA Superstar A’ja Wilson’s Next Big Play? Building A Business Empire
Beyond her $1.4 million Aces salary, Forbes estimates Under 30 alum A’ja Wilson will earn more than $5 million from sponsors including Nike, Chase and AT&T.
Regenerative Growers in Florida aim to improve soil for health of food, environment, consumers and workers
The broad set of practices is becoming more popular at a time when climate change is stressing the state’s land—and the people who work on it.
Miller-Meeks, Bohannan Congress rematch unfolds amid rocky Iowa economy
Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Christina Bohannan face a third showdown in Iowa's 1st District. Can a changed political climate alter the result?
Flutter Entertainment (FLUT) Stock Gets Fair Value Trim As Analysts Weigh Guidance Cuts
The analyst fair value estimate for Flutter Entertainment has been adjusted from US$136.12 to US$132.56, signalling a more cautious stance on what the stock may be worth today. This shift sits against a split analyst backdrop, with bulls pointing to FanDuel strength and product momentum, while more cautious voices highlight guidance resets, regulatory pressure, and heavier promotions. As you read on, you will see how this evolving narrative may shape the way you track Flutter Entertainment...
Who shapes climate science? The equity question facing the IPCC
Early publication of the next global climate science assessment reports risks excluding scientists and research from the Global South, which are key to ensuring the findings are fair
Rx for Virginians’ health, one grocery bag at a time
The Trump administration’s cuts to SNAP are sending an estimated 130,000 vulnerable Virginians off the food subsidy program. A network of nearly 100 food pharmacies in Virginia is struggling to fill the gap – and provide families with healthy produce and food.
A CDC survey finds 4 in 5 US teenagers fall short of high heart health scores
A CDC study of 5,192 US high school students found that approximately 80% had low or moderate cardiovascular health scores based on five measures assessed in a national survey. Diet, sleep, and physical activity received the least favorable scores, with differences observed across sex, grade, and racial and ethnic groups.
Gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand meets with small business owners, city officials in Marshalltown
MARSHALLTOWN – Slightly more than 10 small business owners and Marshalltown city officials met with Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand on Friday, Oct. 9, to talk about what was on their minds, and wages and healthcare were big topics. Alfonso Medina, the owner of La Carreta, hosted the small business roundtable discussion at his restaurant. […]
Annual UCLA survey responses cover public health issues, including housing, heat
A growing number of Californians are experiencing extreme heat and other climate-related events, according to UCLA’s annual California Health Interview Survey released Thursday. The percentage of adults who reported that they or a household member personally experienced wildfires in the past two years more than doubled – increasing from 2.9 million to 6.5 million from 2024 to 2025, according to the report.
Watchdog Questions Zeldin’s Tour With Embattled GOP Candidates
The EPA administrator is visiting battleground districts and states in the runup to the midterm elections. Are the trips for policy or politics?
Healthy lifestyle choices may help lower breast cancer risk
The American Cancer Society estimates that 85% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history of the disease, underscoring the importance of understanding risk factors beyond genetics.
Single 2D crystal transforms into transistor with built-in insulation and electrical contacts
A transistor normally requires several fundamentally different materials—a semiconductor to carry current, an insulating dielectric to control it and metallic contacts through which current enters and ...
Suspicious materials sent to members of Congress, police say
Several other pieces of suspicious mail were sent to state officials this week, according to FBI.
Federal maternal, infant health data collection system remains weak, puts health outcomes in jeopardy | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Medicaid funding cuts are jeopardizing the health of U.S. mothers and infants—and with a weak federal database to monitor maternal health outcomes, the consequences may be invisible, according to Harvard Chan School experts.
NVIDIA Joins European Commission Initiative to Expand AI Resources for Science
Oct. 15, 2026 — Much of today’s scientific progress begins with computation. But turning accelerated computing’s potential into scientific progress — modeling climate systems, designing molecules, simulating materials and more — depends on more than breakthrough technology. Especially for smaller labs, early-career scientists or science-based startups, the hardest part of research can be everything that […]
Nina Dietz to Discuss the Public Health Impacts of Wildfires at the Milken Institute
Image The Department of Global Health at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health will host Pulitzer Center grantee and freelance journalist Nina Dietz at a Research and Practice Seminar. On Thursday, November 12, 2026, from 2:00pm-3:00pm EST, Dietz will present on her Pulitzer Center-supported project The Toxic Side of Climate Change. The project investigates the hazards left behind by urban wildfires in Los Angeles and examines the long-term risks these toxins pose to affected communities. The project also explores what remains in the ash and debris after a fire, and how those materials impact public health. Dietz is a writer, documentarian, and journalist reporting from a background rooted in both science and the humanities. Her work has appeared in New Lines Magazine, Inside Climate News, Science Friday, and at Photoville, among others.
Want to cremate your pet (with water)? New business approved in Fauquier County
The Fauquier County Board of Supervisors has approved a special permit for a proposed pet aquamation facility in Bealeton.
Enhancing hidden defects to strengthen metal materials
Scientists have found a way to use defects in crystals to engineer stronger materials, according to a new study.These imperfections, usually caused by tiny distortions within the material, could be a powerful design tool for building complex, three-dimensional structures.Using a two-step process to strengthen a pair of metal alloys, researchers ...
California students post gains in math, science and English in 2025-26
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California students made gains across key academic and success measures during the 2025-26 school year, with test scores rising in English, math and science while the statewide graduation rate reached a record high of 87.9 percent. For the first time, the state released assessment results and California School Dashboard data together to give families and educators a more complete picture of student performance.English language arts scores increased 0.5 percentage points to 49.3 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced, while math scores rose 1.1 percentage points to 38.4 percent. Science showed the strongest improvement, jumping 3.3 percentage points to 36 percent of students scoring proficient or advanced.The statewide chronic absenteeism rate dropped 1.1 percentage points to 18.3 percent. The suspension rate declined to 2.8 percent, marking the third consecutive year of improvement."At a time when California continues to focus on accelerating learning and closing opportunity gaps, these results provide important evidence that our sustained investments are making a difference," Gov. Gavin Newsom said. "The continued progress we are seeing is a testament to the hard work of students, families and educators across the state—and we will continue working to build on these gains."The percentage of students prepared for college and career increased to 55.2 percent, up 2 percentage points from the previous year. More than 54 percent of graduates completed coursework required for admission to University of California and California State University systems, an increase of 0.9 percentage points."California has made important strides in expanding student supports and opportunities, but the pace of academic improvement reminds us that our work is far from finished," State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said.Eighth grade students posted the strongest score trends in both English language arts and math. Science performance improved across all tested grades, with the strongest gains at the high school level.African American students demonstrated larger-than-average improvements across English, math and science. Hispanic or Latino students showed larger-than-average improvements in English and math, with positive math score trends across all grades.Students who were socioeconomically disadvantaged made gains across all 3 subjects, including larger-than-average improvements in English and math. Students who were homeless continued to demonstrate gains across grades, with particularly strong improvements in math."We are encouraged to see students making gains across all 3 major assessments and are especially encouraged by the progress of African American students, Hispanic or Latino students, socioeconomically disadvantaged students and homeless youth," said Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the California State Board of Education.The progress comes as California's public school system undergoes significant demographic change. Statewide school enrollment declined to approximately 5.73 million students in 2025-26, nearly 500-thousand fewer students over the past decade.The number of students with disabilities increased approximately 25 percent over the same period, from about 680-thousand to more than 850-thousand students. Graduation rates increased across nearly all student groups, including notable increases for American Indian or Alaskan Native students at 4.3 percentage points and students with disabilities at 3.7 percentage points.In Downey Unified School District, the rate of students demonstrating proficient or advanced grade-level knowledge increased by 2.1 percentage points in English, 2.8 percentage points in math and 4.7 percentage points in science. The district aligned graduation requirements with college admission expectations and invested in inclusive special education practices, expanded career technical education and expanded learning opportunities."The gains Downey Unified is seeing in student assessment results and on the Dashboard are the result of years of focused, consistent work across the district," Superintendent Roger Brossmer said.In Exeter Unified School District, proficiency rates increased by 4.6 percentage points in English, 2.3 percentage points in math and 3.6 percentage points in science. The district placed a strong focus on phonics and the science of reading, particularly in kindergarten through second grade."The gains Exeter Unified is seeing in student assessment results and on the Dashboard are the result of having great people who are focused on the right work, and great students who want to do well," Superintendent Melanie Dorough said.Union Elementary School District saw proficiency rates increase by 1.5 percentage points in English, 2 percentage points in math and 4 percentage points in science. Teachers regularly analyze state and local assessment data to guide instruction, supported by strong core instruction and early literacy strategies."Union Elementary School District's achievement gains reflect a focused, data-driven approach to meeting the needs of every student while fostering a strong sense of belonging, safety and connection," Superintendent Carrie Andrews said.The California Department of Education is examining local results to better understand strategies and conditions associated with stronger student outcomes. The state has made significant investments in recent years, including literacy and math coaching, tutoring, expanded learning opportunities, community schools and universal transitional kindergarten.
LeBron James Believes the Miami Heat are 'Damn Good'
The NBA's oldest superstar breaks down why the Miami Heat's elite defense and revamped floor spacing, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Erik Spoelstra, make them legitimate Eastern Conference contenders.
AI helps detect media bias, informing voters and news consumers
In 2024, a collaborative Penn venture introduced a more objective way for people to examine how different outlets cover the same events and ultimately decide how they perceive and use information shared ...
Wildhorse Resort & Casino Selects Seattle Entertainment Group to Lead Entertainment Strategy and Concert Programming
/PRNewswire/ -- Key Expansion & Entertainment Highlights 325% increase in concert capacity, from approximately 400 to over 1,700 guests More than 410% increase...
AMS Science Preview: Santa Ana Fire Winds; Chatbots on Climate
Research in AMS journals discusses a new classification for dangerous Santa Ana winds, driver responses to snow squall warnings, the rainiest possible Earth conditions, forecasting extreme waves…
Climate extremes are the new health threats
Climate change is not only reshaping our weather - it may also be changing the way diseases like malaria spread. And: Prepping for El Niño across Africa.
Americans with disabilities worry over cuts to major health survey
NEW YORK • The federal government is planning to dramatically shrink its most influential health survey, and some researchers worry that the changes will underestimate how many Americans are disabled. At least half the survey questions could be axed. The cost-saving change is part of an ongoing effort to slim down the 69-year-old National Health […]
$1.18M NSF award expands UTulsa’s advanced research infrastructure
A $1.18 million NSF Major Research Instrumentation award will bring advanced XPS technology to UTulsa, expanding research capabilities in energy, aerospace, manufacturing and materials science.
Cirie Fields and Parvati Shallow discuss who would have won a “Survivor: Micronesia” final 3
The dynamic duo also reveals details of their upcoming Soulmate tour.
Clinton Policy Institute outlines maternal health solutions for states
Health Care Clinton Policy Institute outlines maternal health solutions for states It’s the first major report from the project, which launched in July to foster nonpartisan policies to improve the wellbeing of children and families. Stephanie Akin 10:00 AM, Oct 15, 2026 Dr. Jacob Lenz performs an ultrasound at the Oklahoma State University obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Tulsa, Okla., on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Mary Conlon) The Clinton Policy Institute is calling on states to lead efforts to curb maternal mortality, releasing a 61-page playbook Thursday highlighting successful policies that could be adopted nationwide. The playbook is the first major report from the Clinton Foundation’s project, which launched in July to foster nonpartisan state and local policies to improve the wellbeing of children and families. “Eighty percent of maternal deaths are preventable, and we know what works,” CPI Chair Jennifer Klein said. “The solutions are well established and evidence-based.” CPI’s mission is to convene political leaders from both parties, policy experts, state officials and other stakeholders to explore solutions to longstanding problems. “What we aim to do is bring together people who are deeply engaged, but may not be meeting together in the same room,” Klein said, noting that state policymakers might not always be aware of what their peers are doing in other states. In May, CPI brought together lawmakers from Virginia and Pennsylvania, two of the 14 states that have passed bipartisan maternal health “Momnibus” packages modeled after a comprehensive federal proposal that has repeatedly stalled, called the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act. Other participants included Dr. Mona Hanna, founder of Rx Kids, a Michigan program that provides direct cash allowances to pregnant women and infants. Pennsylvania Rep. Morgan Cephas, who was part of the group, said she learned about funding opportunities she hadn’t come across during her decade in the Legislature. “As legislators we can issue grants, we can pass legislation, we can move policy, but we want to ensure that funding opportunities and programs that are tackling this issue are sustainable,” Cephas said. The playbook outlines broad areas where state policy can make a difference, such as allowing Medicaid to pay for doulas and remote patient monitoring, and using federal and private grant funding to pay for home visits to pregnant and postpartum women. For each category, it highlights innovative programs that can serve as models, with examples of specific actions state lawmakers and governors’ offices can take. Those include the Rx Kids model, which gets funding from the Michigan state budget; Pennsylvania’s Healthy Moms Vibrant Futures strategic action plan, emphasizing equity-centered maternal care, regional collaboration, Medicaid innovation, and workforce development that was launched this year with more than 160 stakeholders; and Kansas’s Bridging Plan, which reserves three slots and provides at least $26,000 in loan forgiveness for obstetric residents who commit to practicing in rural or underserved communities for 36 months. CPI emphasizes that its work is nonpartisan. Klein, the director of the White House Gender Policy Council under former President Joe Biden, acknowledged that CPI also takes positions on abortion, Medicaid funding, and the need to address the economic and social drivers of poor health, which might rankle some conservatives. “We don’t shy away from talking about those things that we think are part and parcel of the maternal health crisis in this country,” Klein said. “That said, there are so many policies that are both evidence-based and have been tried successfully in both red and blue states, and people can see that they can have real impact.” She pointed to the federal option to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months that was made available during the Biden administration and has since been adopted by every state but Arkansas. Other initiatives embraced across party lines include Medicaid coverage for midwives and doulas, as well as “bundled” payments for prenatal and postpartum care. That alternative payment model, pioneered in states such as Arkansas, Colorado and Tennessee, incentivizes fixed fees to cover all healthcare services associated with pregnancy and childbirth. Advocates say it promotes more coordination among caregivers, discourages unnecessary interventions, and expands postpartum support. In addition to maternal health, the initiative is also focused on addressing family economic security, children’s well-being, and democracy and civic resilience.
Maximum Entertainment AB (MAXENT_B) Funds Attached to Enforce SEK 160.9M Claim
Maximum Entertainment said the Swedish Enforcement Authority attached all funds in its SEB account to enforce an arbitration award claim totaling SEK 160,898,318 from a dispute with the sellers of Maximum Games.Material DetailsContext by AI AnalystThis is a late-stage escalation of a known arbitrat…
Trump says people who leak military plans ‘should be shot’
Trump attacked those leaking material to the media, calling them the "scum of the earth" during a rally in Bullhead City, Arizona.
Business thrives in giving industrial products new life
Although he’s run Repurposed Materials for 16 years, Damon Carson can still vividly recall the “Reese’s moment” that led to
Q&A: Expanding climate models to better capture the complexities of public health
About a decade ago, a group of climate scientists described five scenarios for the future. Called the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), these scenarios suggest how socioeconomic development could ...
GenomeWeb Best Places to Work Winner (26-50 Employees): Genomate Health
Genomate Health, a Cambridge-based computational oncology company, has won GenomeWeb's Best Places to Work award in the 26-50 employee category for the second consecutive year.
NVIDIA brings DLSS 4.5 controls to GeForce NOW, Ultimate members get up to 4X Frame Generation
GeForce NOW subscribers can now adjust DLSS 4.5 settings on supported cloud games. Ultimate members get additional controls through RTX 5080 cloud systems.
Kurtis Carsch Selected as a 2026 Packard Fellow
The fellowship will fund research on materials with applications in energy, medicine and drug discovery.
A former Nintendo employee is auctioning a wealth of classic items, including the original Donkey Kong art
The art, one of 49 pieces up for auction, has an estimated value of up to $150,000…
Mikel Merino Takes Zubimendi Injury Blame and Reveals Details
Mikel Merino has revealed his challenge was behind the ankle problem that ruled Martin Zubimendi out of Arsenal’s win over Lille, but insists his teammate will be back soon.
‘Business is booming:’ Broward welcomed many employers, expansions, Greater Fort Lauderdale Alliance says
Broward County welcomed a wealth of new companies in 2026 as the tri-county region remained an attractive landing spot for those seeking a better business climate.
WHO urges faster action to end lead exposure which kills 3.5 million annually
Countries must accelerate efforts to prevent lead exposure, which is estimated to cause more than 3.5 million deaths globally each year and affects hundreds of millions of children, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday.
‘VisionQuest’ review: ‘WandaVision’ sequel an excellent examination of humanity
U2 is set to release their first full-length album of new material in nine years, titled “Carnaval De Luz.” Interscope Records announced that the album will be available on Nov.
Regenerative Growers in Florida Aim to Improve Soil for Health of Food, Environment, Consumers and Workers
The broad set of practices is becoming more popular at a time when climate change is stressing the state’s land—and the people who work on it.
What Dolly Parton’s estate fight reveals about family business succession
Parton, the legendary American singer, actress, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, left an estate estimated at $450 million.
Ubisoft to reduce workforce across Düsseldorf, Berlin, and Mainz as part of "proposed voluntary departure plan"
Approximately 100 employees may be affected by cuts, which are reportedly taking place to "best position [its] German studios for the future"
The Business Case for Nature
As the climate crisis accelerates and geopolitical tensions disrupt fashion supply chains, executives are reckoning with relentless volatility. Could investing in nature hold the key?
Scientists reviewed studies covering 1.17 million children and found a major research gap
Researchers identified 104 pregnancy and birth cohorts representing more than 1.17 million children across 41 countries, documenting the availability of data on early-life nutrition and neurodevelopment. Approximately 99% of participants in the income-stratified analysis came from high- or upper-middle-income countries, while differences in data collection and assessment methods complicate future international comparisons.
Jean-Marc Jancovici: 'As long as there is no shared understanding that the impact of a heatwave is lasting, politicians will not act'
The energy engineer and founder of the Shift Project think tank lays out the major climate challenges facing future governments, with six months to go before France's 2027 presidential election.
Chinese scientists say they spotted possible Israeli electronic warfare units
PLA scientists publish algorithm used to estimate sources of GPS spoofing around Israel using flight data.
Climate Change Is a Given in Every Extreme Weather Event, Why Do We Keep Needing to Prove It?
It's time to break through fossil fuel industry's disinformation
Your Business Probably Has More Data Than Insight by Nathan Tayloe
Most businesses know more about themselves than they ever have. Leaders have access to financial reports, sales pipelines, customer data, employee metrics, website analytics, and dashboards for almost every part of the organization. CRMs track every stage of the sales process. Marketing platforms report results in real time. AI can analyze and summarize enormous amounts of information in seconds. Yet I've sat in plenty of meetings where all of that information is available, and some of the most important questions are still surprisingly difficult to answer. What's actually working? Why are customers choosing us? Where are we losing opportunities? What should we do differently? Having the data and understanding what it means are two very different things. More Information Doesn't Always Create More Clarity Over the past decade, businesses have invested heavily in visibility, and that's a good thing. We can understand performance with a level of detail that would have been unimaginable not long ago. But there's an unintended consequence. The easier something becomes to measure, the easier it is to assume it must be important. Website traffic goes up, so that looks positive. Leads increase, so marketing appears to be working. Sales activity climbs, so the pipeline looks healthy. Maybe. The numbers tell us what happened. Understanding why it happened, whether it matters, and what we should do next still requires judgment. Not Everything That Matters Fits on a Dashboard Consider a customer who ultimately contacts your company through Google. The data may attribute that lead to search. What it may not show is that the customer heard about you from a colleague six months earlier, saw your company mentioned in an industry publication, followed one of your employees on LinkedIn, and read several reviews before finally searching for your company. Google may have produced the click. It didn't necessarily create the decision. This happens throughout a business. Some of the things that matter most are difficult to reduce to a single metric: Why your best customers stay Why talented employees choose your company Why a prospect trusts one provider over another Why one service is gaining momentum while another isn't Why the market perceives your business the way it does Data can help answer those questions, but it needs context. Better Decisions Start With Better Questions One of the easiest traps for leaders is starting with the information in front of them rather than the decision they're trying to make. Instead of opening a dashboard and asking, "What does the data show?" it can be more useful to start with a different set of questions: What are we trying to understand? What decision are we trying to make? What would we need to know to make that decision confidently? That changes the role of data. Instead of looking at every number available and searching for meaning, you're using information to understand something specific about the business. Information Still Requires Judgment More sophisticated analytics and AI will continue to give leaders access to better information, faster. That's valuable, but I don't think it reduces the importance of experience and judgment. If anything, it increases it. Someone still has to decide which numbers deserve attention, which patterns matter, what context might be missing, and when the data isn't telling the whole story. The goal isn't to know more about your business simply because you can. It's to understand your business well enough to make better decisions. Good data can tell you what happened. Good leadership has to decide what it means. — Learn more about how we help organizations turn business, customer, and marketing insights into smarter strategies at tayloegray.com, or reach out directly at nathan@tayloegray.com.
Florida science standards debate heads to Orange County listening session
Florida Education Commissioner Henry Mack defended a proposed rewrite of public school science standards, saying it still includes evolution and climate science. An October 27 listening session in Orange County will give Apopka families and educators an opportunity to discuss the changes before a planned December vote.
Maternal Health Takes Center Stage at Xavier University
Expert panel addresses healthcare policy, advocacy
Champlain Valley Exposition brought animals, entertainment and crowds together in 2002
The 2002 Champlain Valley Exposition featured animals, agricultural exhibits, entertainment and an estimated 300,000 visitors
Basalt to host business roundtables for community
The town of Basalt is inviting local business owners to join Basalt Town Manager Gloria Kaasch-Buerger and Basalt Chamber President and CEO Kris Mattera for an open dialogue about the business climate and local economy.
International business is influenced by local political climate, study finds
A new study co-authored by Tang Yinuo, a tenured associate professor at Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS), reveals that conservative communities in the U.S. are more likely to resist mergers ...
International business is influenced by local political climate, study finds
A new study co-authored by Tang Yinuo, a tenured associate professor at Peking University HSBC Business School (PHBS), reveals that conservative communities in the U.S. are more likely to resist mergers ...
Ubisoft plans cuts at German studios, adding to wave of workforce reductions
Ubisoft is planning to reduce its workforce in Germany, where it operates a trio of studios, by about 100 workers, Game File has learned. The company wants to offer employees buyouts to, should enough people accept, avoid having to lay anyone off. “In Germany, we initiated discussions with the Works Council last week regarding a proposed voluntary departure plan across Ubisoft Dusseldorf, Ubisoft Berlin & Ubisoft Mainz,” a company rep told Game File. A “works council” is a union-like group representing employees. “The voluntary plan is the primary measure being proposed to support the intended organizational changes,” the Ubisoft rep added. The company declined to confirm the scale of the potential headcount cut. Of the impacted studios, Mainz might be the best known to the public. It leads development of the Anno series and shipped the well-reviewed strategy game Anno 117: Pax Romana in November 2025. Berlin and Dusseldorf operate as support studios within Ubisoft’s creative network. Berlin recently supported the development of Rainbow Six Siege and the Rayman Legends Retold remake. Dusseldorf also contributed to those projects, as well as The Settlers and Ubisoft-branded escape rooms. Dusseldorf is the biggest of the three studios, with some 400+ workers, compared to just over 100 at the other two, a source familiar with the reductions and the teams told Game File. More than half of these new reductions of about 100 people are expected to happen at Dusseldorf. The planned cuts were announced at a town hall for the German studios on Tuesday of last week. In an email follow-up, the studio group’s managing director, Benedikt Grindel, said the cuts were intended to “best position our German studios for the future... with a clearer focus on their role, capabilities and organizational setup needed for the work ahead.” The email was an echo of the past. In January 2025, Grindel had emailed the Ubisoft developers in his region (or studio “zone”) to explain that a round of 185 cuts at the time, including about 65 at Dusseldorf, were “essential to improve our operational efficiency and ensure the long-term sustainability of our studios, the zone and the company.” A half-decade of continued job cuts Ubisoft has been aggressively cutting its headcount for years. At the end of September 2022, it had 20,729 workers. By the end of March 2026, that total was down to 16,590. Studio management is trying to trim costs as it grapples with a changing industry and a drought of releases, let alone hits. The company announced earlier this year that it had reduced its costs since 2022 by “nearly €325 million” ($362m) and planned to lower them through 2028 by another €180 million ($200m). In June the company said it was closing down its Winnipeg and Belgrade studios and cutting roles in its Barcelona team. Even commercial and creative success hasn’t spared studios from this ongoing company-wide contraction. As Game File was nailing down details around the proposed cuts in Germany, Ubisoft management was informing workers of cuts in its Singapore studio, which shipped a hit remake of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag this past July. Some 70 positions in Singapore are being eliminated “to align the studio with upcoming production needs,” per a company rep’s statement to Game File. In early 2024, a large team in the Singapore studio launched the multiplayer pirate game Skull & Bones. It performed poorly but has been supported with regular content updates since. Many of Ubisoft’s studios around the world are heavily subsidized via regional grants and tax breaks. Singapore had been among them for years, but received no such local assistance in the 12 months ending this past March. News of the Singapore cuts broke today alongside word that Ubisoft is also proposing the closure of RedLynx, pending negotiations with officials. The Finnish studio behind the motorbike series Trials was founded in 2000 and sold to Ubisoft in 2011. As reported by VGC (and corroborated by Game File), Ubisoft management told employees it could not come up with a new, sustainable assignment for RedLynx. The 2025 workforce at Ubisoft Dusseldorf were straight-up cuts. This time, Ubisoft is hoping the reductions at its trio of German studios will largely come from workers taking a payout to leave. The company offered such voluntary dismissals at its Massive Entertainment studio (The Division) a year ago. For the German studios’ buyouts this time around, Ubisoft and the Works Council had discussed a formula that’d pay a worker’s monthly salary multiplied by 1.5 and by the number of years they’ve worked at the company, according to Game File sources. The formula is still subject to negotiations with the Works Council and has not yet been part of an official offer to workers. It could be adjusted up or down, and it could be supplemented with additional bonuses. Asked about the floated payout formula, a Ubisoft rep told Game File, “The terms of a potential voluntary departure program remain subject to negotiation with employee representatives. No final agreement has been reached, and we won’t comment on specific proposals while discussions are ongoing.” Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: Epic’s AI adventures Epic Games (Fortnite, the Unreal engine) is all-in on using AI to try to transform the way it makes video games and game-making tools. It’s leaders appear to be undeterred by any resistance among gamers and some game developers around generative AI—and instead emboldened by advances, particularly in AI-assisted programming. A recap of the last three days: On Monday, Bloomberg reported that Epic management told workers last week that development of an upcoming game combining Star Wars and Marvel characters would be “AI first.” Employees would be expected to use AI models such as Claude to code the game. A manager told Epic’s developers there would be “[n]o more hand-written code” and that art for the game would be “generated with full AI workflows,” per the outlet. Just ahead of that story running, Epic founder Tim Sweeney tweeted: “We have a huge pivot underway here at Epic, moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration. The aim isn’t to do the same stuff with fewer people, but to enable everyone here to build MORE and BETTER stuff, and to bring the benefits to all teams using Unreal.” In a follow-up, Sweeney predicted that most game development processes would be at least three times faster a year from now than they were in January 2026, thanks to AI. To a person on X who told him he was failing to read the room, Sweeney said: “Much of the room wants it to be 2016 again, but it’s not. Our job, as the provider of tools and technology to much of the industry, is to design for the present that is and the future that will soon be.” On Wednesday, Epic announced it was releasing a faster launcher for its Epic Games Store marketplace. It did so by stating in a blog post as clear as could be that the launcher is an AI-enabled, vibe-coded project: Programming is hard. So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that’s way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look. Programming is hard? That was unexpected phrasing from a company founded by a legendarily great programmer. Back in 2011, Sweeney told me that he’d picked up programming quickly as a kid and rejoiced at the power it gave him. “I could look at any program that anybody else had written and, with enough effort, build something cooler.” Item 3: The Xbox Labs experiment (and one of the people behind it) Microsoft’s Xbox division, which is flooding the zone with announcements lately, yesterday revealed a new internal tech-tinkering team called Xbox Labs. In the words of Xbox boss Asha Sharma Labs is “a small group of game makers, engineers and scientists whose job is to turn emerging ideas into things our players and developers can experience.” Conventional wisdom coming out of the announcement is that Labs is a team that’ll focus on ideas driven by generative AI. In her announcement, Sharma cited some of the dizzying achievements in tech and gaming over the past month as AI agents and other AI tools have been deployed to swiftly figure out how popular games work, then rebuild them and mix them up. She mentioned seeing ”games rapidly decompiled and rebuilt to run on hardware they were never originally designed to support” and said “[p]erhaps more surprisingly, we’ve seen many of the biggest games in the world have been remixed into the source code of another.” (Minecraft plus Elden Ring, for example, or Fortnite + Super Monkey Ball + Overwatch + Diablo + others.) Sharma also cited the work of Windows PC games being ported to run in browsers, a seeming reference to a recent AI-assisted fan port of Halo. Or perhaps Call of Duty or GTA. Sharma didn’t use the specific term “AI” in her memo, but she came close, citing AI “agents” and their potential for game-making tools that Labs could help craft: I think XBOX has an important role to play here. Coding became the first major workload for agents because they can write, run, and test software. Games share many of those same properties, and people spend more than 72 billion hours a year playing XBOX games, roughly five times the estimated time spent writing code worldwide. We’ve spent 25 years learning how to make great games, and I want our game makers to help shape what these new technologies make possible. As we learn, we’ll share the tools we build with developers across the industry, just as we always have. When I asked an Xbox rep if Labs was an AI-centric team, they said genAI was not the focus, describing it as having a broader mandate for using new tech in new ways in gaming. As an example, they pointed to Xbox’s recently launched disc-to-digital gaming usage rights program. Microsoft didn’t specifically name anyone involved full-time in Xbox Labs yesterday, but on social media and LinkedIn, I spotted Adrian Mato IDing himself as leading the creatio of tools at Labs and talking up the launch. Mato first caught my attention in late September, when he said on X that he was “starting to build a new team at Xbox focused on products and tools for how games get built and distributed as agentic tools become more capable.” At the time, he framed AI-based tools as a supplement to traditional game dev tools. “I don’t think we need to replace them,” he said. Since then, he’s publicly shown interest in AI and in games. He’s recently spent some of his X feed marveling at the power of AI agents and praising the lighting in the latest Gears of War. Following the Labs announcement yesterday, he enthused about the Xbox Labs’ stylish landing page. He wrote: “We built some fun tools to art-direct shaders in real time, experimented with interactive ASCII art, and sprinkled in lots of tiny details. “Move your mouse to leave a colorful trail that reveals the original footage, or interact with the video to trigger bursts of particles. “A lot of love went into making it all feel just right. “More to come”
Zodoc acquires health tech company Sohar Health for automated benefits eligibility checks
Zocdoc acquired insurance technology co | Zocdoc acquired insurance technology company Sohar Health as it pushes to evolve beyond an appointment-booking marketplace into broader healthcare access infrastructure.
Low-Income Countries’ Push For Climate Money For Health Meets German Pushback Ahead Of COP31
BERLIN – Germany's top climate civil servant pushed back on Monday against a call from the world's poorest countries for more climate finance for health. The money fight of COP31 opens officially in Antalya, Türkiye, next month. In the halls of the World Health Summit in Berlin, it's already started.
Some EGF businesses reporting lower operation costs compared to last year
Visits with 12 local businesses give details about workforce needs, increased insurance and material costs and the state's Earned Sick and Safe Time mandate.
For the future of green politics, look beyond the Green party
Environmentalists of all political hues must find the language and ideas that turn passion for climate action into impetus, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams
How a Damien Jurado song inspired Phoebe Bridgers’ ‘Lost Weekend’
The indie rock star behind one of 2026's most anticipated new albums plays a sold-out Climate Pledge Arena this month.
Lawrenceville Arts Center launches intimate live music series featuring rising artists
Music fans looking to discover their next favorite artist can find their next live music experience in downtown Lawrenceville with the launch of The Preview, a new intimate concert series
Building a More Equitable Maternal Health System, a Conversation with Ta’Sheena Williams of the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health
Michigan has taken a comprehensive approach to maternal and child health policy, with a focus on strengthening Medicaid coverage and reimbursement, expanding community-based care, addressing racial disparities, and investing in prevention and maternal health systems. We asked Ta’Sheena Williams, Policy Director of the Michigan Council for Maternal and Child Health (MCMCH), to reflect on Michigan’s […]
Federal watchdog says 9 large US banks denied service to customers over political or religious views
A federal banking watchdog determined that nine banks' sweeping internal guidelines lacked objective, risk-based criteria, effectively shutting out legitimate customers.
Harvard Global Health Institute announces 2026–2027 fellowship cohorts
The Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) is pleased to welcome its 2026–2027 fellowship cohorts across three programs: the HGHI Burke Global Health Fellowship, the HGHI-Salata Burke Climate and Health Fellowship, and the Harvard LEAD Fellowship for Promoting Women in Global Health.
MIPCOM Cannes Attendance Dips as AI, Creators and Vertical Dramas Reshape Global Entertainment Market
CANNES, France — Attendance at MIPCOM Cannes was down this year, but the world’s largest international television market is undergoing a transformation that organizers say reflects the dramatic changes sweeping through the global entertainment business. MIPCOM Cannes 2026 drew 10,100 delegates from 104 countries, down from approximately 10,600 attendees from 107 countries last year. The … Continue reading "MIPCOM Cannes Attendance Dips as AI, Creators and Vertical Dramas Reshape Global Entertainment Market"
iPhone Duo: Skipping AppleCare+ Could Be $1,499 Mistake
Apple today listed its estimated repair fees for the iPhone Duo without AppleCare+ coverage, with the maximum fee in the U.S. for "other damage" set at $1,499. If you only damage certain parts of the iPhone Duo, the fees are more manageable. For example, the repair fee for damaged back glass is set at $199. If you eventually want to replace the battery in your iPhone Duo, that will cost you $229.
Why the World Series will define the MLB lockout battle
The World Series is the ultimate PR battle in the lockut, but it shouldn’t be.
Op-ed: Brooklyn’s empty storefronts should become on-ramps for M/WBEs
A June analysis by New York City Comptroller Mark Levine found approximately 15,700 vacant storefronts citywide.
Danaher, Nvidia Ink AI-Driven Science Automation Collaboration
The firms will develop iterative automated solutions enabling artificial intelligence-guided scientific research.
Skill games become illegal in PA, small business workers lose their jobs: ‘It’s awful’
The last day of legality arrived Tuesday for an estimated 70,000 so-called “skill games” that were pulling in money at clubs and small businesses across Pennsylvania.
They Created a Cell That’s Almost Alive. What to Do With It Now?
SpudCells may one day produce new medicines and materials. But first scientists have to improve them — and make sure they aren’t misused.
Climate Change Is Accelerating Faster Than We Can Respond, Scientists Warn
“Earth’s climate system is moving deeper into uncharted territory,” scientists warn.
Climate scientists issue a sobering diagnosis about Earth's 'vital signs'
“The climate emergency is already here”
TLC’s Chilli Makes Emotional Plea as T-Boz Battles Health Crisis
TLC singer Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas has shared an update on bandmate Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins after her recent health crisis. Thomas asked fans to support Watkins as she takes time to recover from sickle...
Italy duo reacts as Doumbia scores first Champions League goal
Italy international Issa Doumbia scored his first Champions League goal in a 2-0 away win over Lens, prompting reactions from two of his Azzurri teammates.Italian midfielder Doumbia scored his first g...