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Fetterman warns he could leave the Democratic Party over Israel policy, threatening their Senate hopes
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Jul 17 • 1:26 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
China warns of reciprocal countermeasures after U.S. shortens foreign journalist visas

The Trump administration announced Thursday it will drastically shorten visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. to 240 days, down from years, and cut those for Chinese journalists to only 90 days, raising concerns over press freedom in the United States and prompting China to warn of possible reciprocal countermeasures.

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Jul 17 • 1:25 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
The Bull Case For Tencent Music Entertainment Group (TME) Could Change Following Its TMElive Awards Push Into Hong Kong

CTF Life recently announced a long-term partnership with Tencent Music Entertainment Group to bring the TMElive International Music Awards to Hong Kong for the first time in August 2026, with CTF Life as exclusive title sponsor. This collaboration positions Tencent Music to extend its brand beyond online platforms into a large-scale international live festival, deepening its presence in the fan-driven music ecosystem. We’ll now examine how hosting the TMElive International Music Awards in...

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Jul 17 • 11:29 AM EDT • Entertainment • simplywall.st
AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) Is Up 8.9% After Debt Refinancing And Note Conversion - Has The Bull Case Changed?

AMC Entertainment Holdings has advanced its balance-sheet overhaul by refinancing US$400 million of high-interest debt on better terms and converting about US$155.8 million of senior secured exchangeable notes into equity, while also preparing to report its second-quarter 2026 results on July 20. These moves reduce long-term obligations and loosen restrictive covenants, potentially giving AMC more room to support core theater operations and future refinancing efforts ahead of its upcoming...

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Jul 17 • 9:12 AM EDT • Entertainment • finance.yahoo.com
Whole Hog Politics: Trump’s election obsession is a midterm loser

It isn’t that Republicans couldn’t pass a single major piece of immigration legislation in the 18 months that their party has had unified control of Washington. It’s that they wouldn’t. None other than the late Sen. Lindsey...

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Jul 17 • 8:40 AM EDT • Politics • aei.org
AI Made Up a Science Term — Now It’s in Dozens of Papers

A scanning mistake and a translation error created scientific nonsense that AI models learned to repeat.

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Jul 17 • 6:16 AM EDT • Science • zmescience.com
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A new piece of Democrats' midterm strategy: Being 'practical'

Candidates are betting on affordability as their winning midterm issue, aiming to shift a perception that Democrats deal in the abstract.

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Jul 17 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • latimes.com
China warns of reciprocal countermeasures after US shortens foreign journalist visas

The Trump administration is drastically shortening visas for foreign journalists in the U.S. The new rule announced by the Department of Homeland Security limits visas to 240 days, down from

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Jul 17 • 5:56 AM EDT • Entertainment • yakimaherald.com
LG TVs and monitors said to surveil users and install bloatware without asking

Anyone who owns an LG smart TV must inform all guests and family members that they are being monitored – this is required by LG’s current terms of use. Meanwhile, LG monitors install potential malware and surveillance software on a connected Windows computer.

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Jul 17 • 5:17 AM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net
Portland councilors release draft term sheet as business coalition presses for public Moda Center funding

The draft term sheet kicks off a new round of negotiations with Trail Blazers owners over funding for arena improvements.

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Jul 16 • 9:25 PM EDT • Business • opb.org
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Sports without politics is a fantasy and the World Cup proves it

From ancient Greece to Nazi Germany, sport and politics have long been intertwined. Nevertheless, we still imagine that international sport can be kept above the fray and serve as a neutral arena where nations compete on merit alone. In this article, diplomacy scholar Geoffrey Allen Pigman argues the 2026 FIFA World Cup shows this is a dangerous illusion. When international sport is left entirely to revenue-maximizing private bodies like FIFA, it doesn't escape politics, but rather surrenders to its worst expressions. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics fast approaching, the IOC must decide whether to learn that lesson or repeat the same mistakes. The largest and most lucrative FIFA World Cup ever draws toward its climactic conclusion amidst a swirl of controversy. Team members, staff, fans, and spectators have been denied their right to enter the United States to participate, and US President Donald Trump intervened with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to overturn a referee’s call that Trump believed disadvantaged the US national team. It is a moment to step back and reflect on what the purposes of international sport mega-events like the World Cup, and international sport more broadly, are, and what they should be. Does international sport serve public purposes? Is there a public interest? Or is it primarily a private endeavor organized by commercial enterprises to entertain the global public (and generate profit in the process), which is occasionally used by governments and leaders for raisons d’etat? Central to the idea of sport is the principle of fair play, which in the international context demands that games be free from political interference. However, it is impossible to separate sport from politics, all claims to the contrary notwithstanding. The most positive political use of international sport through the millennia has been to facilitate diplomacy. The use of international sport for diplomatic objectives has existed since at least the time of the ancient Olympic Games, around which was instituted the custom of the Ekecheiria, or Olympic Truce, between participating states to facilitate fair competition and diplomatic achievements by ensuring that participants could travel safely to the Olympiad. In his seminal work On Diplomacy (1987), diplomacy scholar James Der Derian characterized the objectives of diplomacy as overcoming alienation and mediating estrangement between governments and between peoples. One increasingly important diplomatic tool in the technology-infused media environment over the past century has been public diplomacy, under which governments and non-state diplomatic actors (e.g. transnational corporations) communicate to global publics about their international policy objectives and to shape their global brand image. Political scientist Michał Kobierecki, in his important book Sports Diplomacy (2020), views sports diplomacy as falling broadly within the ambit of public diplomacy, as international sport intimately involves the participation of global publics as spectators and consumers of global media. Diplomacy scholar Stuart Murray and this author, in a 2013 article, distinguish between international sport used for diplomatic purposes and international sport-as-diplomacy, which encompasses the range of diplomacy that occurs as teams and competitors, spectators and fans, and government officials all converge for international sporting events like the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. Diplomacy scholar H.E. Chehabi, in a 2001 article on US-Iran sports diplomacy, describes the interaction between spectators and fans at international sporting events as “people-to-people diplomacy,” in which relationships develop independently of governments and their objectives. Diplomacy by the aforementioned definitions is often unsuccessful. Moreover, all too often the tools of diplomacy may be employed by governments and other actors to thwart or oppose the objectives of diplomacy as characterized by Der Derian. Governments routinely use the tools of public diplomacy to disseminate propaganda, spreading misinformation in the attempt to deceive global publics about their objectives and to create misleading impressions about their brand identity. Within sports diplomacy, the term “sportswashing” has been coined recently to describe how governments invest in and promote international sport to create positive global public impressions of their nations and, in doing so, to distract the global public from their deficient records in areas such as human rights and democratic governance. Murray, in his 2018 book Sports Diplomacy: Origins, Theory and Practice, introduces the concept of sports anti-diplomacy, wherein governments intentionally use international sport to advance aggressive and nationalistic objectives. Obvious historical examples include Hitler’s use of the 1936 Berlin Olympics to glorify his Third Reich and the 1969 El Salvador-Honduras football “war.” SUGGESTED READING The beautiful game made ugly By Emily Ryall FIFA argues that it is and seeks to be apolitical in its stewardship of international Association Football (soccer). FIFA policies governing bids to host the World Cup require uninhibited and non-discriminatory access for players, team staff, and spectators of all participating countries to host nations and venues. It became clear soon after Trump returned to power in the United States in January 2025 that Trump’s political intentions and objectives to limit non-US citizens from living and working in the United States and, in numerous cases, even visiting the country, would collide with FIFA’s host nation policies. Beginning soon after the start of the second Trump administration, US federal authorities imposed restrictions on entry to the United States of citizens of between 20 and 40 countries for any purpose, with only limited exceptions. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began arresting non-US citizens in the United States, including persons with and without legal status, holding them in jails, concentration camps, and other detention facilities until they were deported to their home or third countries, where they faced substantive risks to their personal safety. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, in an effort to ensure the most successful and lucrative World Cup in history, engaged diplomatically with President Trump in an attempt to facilitate entry to the US for World Cup participants. Infantino did all in his power to ingratiate himself with Trump, to the extent of creating a FIFA “Peace Prize,” which he awarded to Trump in December 2025 at a ceremony in the then Trump-controlled John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on the occasion of the World Cup draw. The prize was an ersatz consolation for someone who aspired in vain to win the rather more prestigious and well-known Nobel Peace Prize. And in the run-up to the World Cup, conditions became worse. In February 2026, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a war of aggression against Iran, illegal under international law, under the false pretence that Iran’s government was preparing to attack the United States and Israel. During the US aerial bombardment of Iran, US planes bombed Azadi Stadium, the facility where Iran’s national football team trained. As the 2026 FIFA World Cup began, it was clear that Infantino’s efforts had been for naught: the Trump administration would not adhere to FIFA policies governing access to World Cup host nations. World Cup referee Omar Artan, a citizen of Somalia, was denied a US visa to enter the United States to participate in the World Cup. Trump’s government only granted US visas to Iran’s football team ten days before they were scheduled to arrive for the tournament. Numerous members of the support staff for Iran’s team were denied US visas. Iran’s team, which had been scheduled to train in Arizona, was directed to shift its training site to Tijuana, Mexico, notwithstanding that all three of their group stage matches took place at US venues. The US Department of Homeland Security only permitted the Iranian team to enter the US on the day before each scheduled match and then to return to Mexico immediately after playing. Members of Iraq’s and Switzerland’s football teams were delayed for hours by US officials at the US border, and an Iraqi team photographer was refused entry. Spectators and fans from Haïti and Iran were denied entry to the United States altogether. A large number of fans from a range of countries had their applications for US visas rejected. There were multiple off-ramps through which participants could have avoided the negative consequences of Trump’s decisions for the 2026 World Cup. Once it was clear that the Trump government intended to violate the established expectations for World Cup hosts, FIFA could have shifted the matches scheduled to take place in the United States to Mexico and Canada. The three nations were already designated as co-hosts, and host cities and venues had been selected. Once it was clear that FIFA, governed by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino’s dependent and dysfunctional relationship with Trump, would never consider this option on its own, it fell to the national football federations to act. The national federations, particularly some combination of federations of the leading contenders (France, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, England, Germany, etc.), could have refused to participate under the US-imposed conditions or, at the least, demanded an ironclad agreement with the Trump government that FIFA policies on access would be respected. ___ International sport is inextricably entangled with diplomacy of different sorts, for good or ill, it cannot be considered to be in the purely private realm and left to revenue-maximizing private actors. ___ Why did neither FIFA nor the national football federations act to protect the interests of players, team staff, referees, fans, and spectators? In essence, the relentless engines of capitalism prevailed over norm observance, ethics, and fair play. The revenue interests of FIFA, sponsors, global media, and host cities won out. FIFA’s managers viewed hosting another World Cup principally in the United States as a veritable pot of gold for FIFA and its collaborators. FIFA has estimated its own revenue over the 2023-26 budget cycle, which includes the 2026 World Cup, at $13 billion, revised up from an initial projection of $11 billion, and 72% higher than the previous revenue cycle. Of that total, FIFA is estimated to have generated $8.9 billion from the Cup itself in revenue from TV rights ($3.92 billion), sponsorships ($2.69 billion), ticket sales ($3.1 billion), licensing rights, and other sources. A joint study by FIFA and the World Trade Organization estimates that the World Cup will contribute over $40 billion to global GDP, including nearly $14 billion in direct visitor spending in the three host countries (but principally in the United States, which hosted the lion’s share of the matches). The FIFA World Cup is now reportedly “the single most lucrative recurring commercial property in global sport.” And yet, notwithstanding the Trump government’s uses of the World Cup for sports anti-diplomacy, and the climate of anxiety that this created for participants and spectators, diplomacy that did not depend upon governments was able to thrive at the World Cup. Examples of successful people-to-people diplomacy were legion, as citizens of towns and cities across the States, as well as in Mexico and Canada, welcomed team members, their families and supporters, to training sites across North America. Fans of different teams joined together in person in stadiums for matches, at watch parties and bars, and at welcome events sponsored by host cities. The joy and camaraderie shared between the citizenry of Boston and Scotland’s “Tartan Army” of fans is but one example of how the “Beautiful Game” brings people together. Friendships forged across continents are likely to endure well beyond the Cup final. Even those achievements cannot be seen as unalloyed, however. As South African football fan Byron Pillay commented to Al Jazeera, “Football is called the Beautiful Game for a reason, for its ability to unite people. But it’s hard to believe in that magic with the politics and war rhetoric off the field of play, especially when one of the tournament hosts is central to that.” Ultimately, the experience of the 2026 FIFA World Cup illustrates that, as international sport is inextricably entangled with diplomacy of different sorts, for good or ill, it cannot be considered to be in the purely private realm and left to revenue-maximizing private actors. As long as there is the possibility of diplomatic progress in mediating estrangement between governments or between peoples, there is a broad and overarching public interest in international sport. Likewise, as it would be difficult to put on an international sport mega-event without international sporting organizations like FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), global media firms, and companies purchasing sponsorships, public and private interests in international sport must coexist, most likely somewhere on a shifting spectrum between partnership and rivalry or cross purposes. As the World Cup wraps up, the IOC needs to consider its lessons before the scheduled 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if they want to avoid a media-hyped Trump version of the 1936 Berlin Olympiad. The IOC and the National Olympic Committees need to set conditions on and make demands of Trump’s government with clearly articulated consequences for non-compliance, up to and including cancellation of the Games. Time is running out for the IOC, as unlike with the FIFA World Cup, there is no at-the-ready alternate venue for Los Angeles.

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Jul 16 • 8:00 PM EDT • Politics • iai.tv
New ClickLock macOS malware traps users into revealing login password

A new macOS information-stealing malware dubbed ClickLock terminates all visible processes to force users into entering their system login password.

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Jul 16 • 5:52 PM EDT • Technology • bleepingcomputer.com
GOP leaders forced to abandon signature veterans benefits bill amid intra-party dispute

Speaker Mike Johnson suffered another humiliating political defeat at the hands of his own party on Thursday when he was forced to abandon plans to pass a veterans’ benefits bill designed to be one of the GOP’s big legislative wins before the midterms.

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Jul 16 • 4:32 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
N.Y. spending risks long term financial stability, state comptroller report says

The report shows spending continues to grow on programs like healthcare, education and childcare, but total reserves haven't kept up pace.

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Jul 16 • 4:32 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com
GameStop CEO Says Physical Video-Game Sales Are ‘Irrelevant’ to Business

GameStop Corp. Chief Executive Officer Ryan Cohen dismissed concerns about the demise of physical discs for video games, insisting that those sales make up a small part of the company’s overall business and reiterating that his long-term strategy is to focus on gaming collectables and purchasing e-commerce giant eBay Inc.

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Jul 16 • 2:12 PM EDT • Business • bloomberg.com
Fetterman lays out ‘red line’ over leaving Democratic Party: Israel

Sen. John Fetterman bluntly warned on Thursday that he would leave the Democratic Party if it adopts an anti-Israel policy — one of his most direct threats yet amid the first-term Pennsylvanian’s intensifying battle with progressives over the direction of their party.

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Jul 16 • 2:10 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
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Fetterman reveals what it would take for him to leave Democratic Party

John Fetterman says the Democratic Party becoming officially anti-Israel would be his red line, raising concerns about progressive candidates in primaries.

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Jul 16 • 8:56 AM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Views on Fraud in Government Health Programs

As the 2026 midterms approach, health care costs remain voters' top health priority, but fraud in government health programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, is resonating with Republican voters, 55% of whom say it's extremely important for candidates to address. Most voters say there is at least “some” fraud in government health programs, but larger shares say there is fraud in the tax system, defense, and foreign aid, while the smallest share sees fraud in the ACA Marketplaces.

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Jul 16 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • kff.org
Poll: Costs Are the Top Health Care Issue for Voters in the Midterms, But Fraud Tops Republicans' List As Trump Administration Pushes Crackdown

Health care costs top the list of voters’ health care priorities for the midterm elections, though more than half of Republican voters say it is extremely important for candidates to discuss the issue of fraud in government health programs, according to a new KFF Health Tracking Poll. Most voters say there is at least “some” fraud in government health programs, but larger shares of voters see fraud in the tax system, defense, and foreign aid than in federal health programs. The smallest share of voters sees fraud in the ACA marketplaces.

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Jul 16 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • kff.org
Trump's Iran notice aims to reset war powers clock amid growing political risks

The Trump administration's notification to restart the war with Iran aims to reset a 60-day clock for military action, but questions are mounting about public support as midterms approach.

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Jul 16 • 4:43 AM EDT • Politics • npr.org
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Trump’s address is likely to cast new cloud over midterm elections

President Donald Trump has passed up multiple chances to explain to Americans how his latest escalation will win the war in Iran or how he’ll alleviate their perpetually high costs for groceries, housing and fuel.

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Jul 16 • 12:01 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Every Hit Counts: The new science behind football and dementia

After decades of debate fueled by courtroom battles, documentaries, and heartbreaking personal stories, the scientific picture linking repetitive head impacts to neurodegenerative disease is becoming sharper. A landmark study of nearly 20,000 NFL players replaces speculation with one of the strongest population-level analyses yet of how football, career length, and playing position influence the long-term risk of brain disease.

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Jul 16 • 12:00 AM EDT • Science • acsh.org
This middle-finger politics is 'dangerous': Reince Priebus

Fox News contributor Reince Priebus and Republican strategist Erin Maguire discuss the rise of socialism in the Democratic Party as the midterms approach on 'Hannity.'

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Jul 15 • 9:43 PM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
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Onondaga Co. Dems: Moving ahead with term limit bill

The proposed legislation would limit both the county executive and county comptroller to three four-year terms.

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Jul 15 • 8:56 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com
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ZeniMax Online Studios leadership to exit as part of Xbox cuts

There are major changes happening atop Maryland-based ZeniMax Online Studios, developer of the Elder Scrolls Online, Game File has learned. Joe Burba, a 14-year veteran of the studio who was appointed to run it last July, is departing, along with ESO executive producer Susan Kath, studio game director Rich Lambert and production director Ala Diaz. Their roles were listed among hundreds of others cut last week from the Maryland offices of ZeniMax, in a WARN letter sent to the state by ZeniMax and obtained today by Game File. Tonight, BUrbam Kath, Lambert and Diaz notified Zenimax Online Studios workers of plans to “transition” to a new leadership team consisting of promoted ZOS veterans. That transition will occur “over the next few months,” they told workers, according to a copy of the notice reviewed by Game File. “We will remain in place during the transition period to help ensure a smooth handoff.” Last week, Microsoft laid off of 1,600 workers across its vast gaming teams in locations around the U.S. and abroad. Just who has been impacted and how hard various studios have been hit has been emerging day by day. Game File reported last week that Microsoft/ZeniMax notified officials in Maryland that 379 gaming jobs were being cut across the state. They tallied cuts in two locations: one for ZeniMax Media Inc. (covering Elder Scrolls/Starfield/Fallout-maker Bethesda Game Studios and central Bethesda game publishing) and one for ZeniMax Online Studios (Elder Scrolls Online). More than 200 jobs were cut at the latter. Last week’s totals did not reveal job titles, nor did Microsoft announce any leadership changes in the ZeniMax group. That has now happened. Earlier today, Game File obtained from Maryland officials a breakdown of the 379 impacted roles, which, extraordinarily, included “studio head.” Microsoft later confirmed to Game File which studio head that referred to: ZeniMax Online Studios’. Microsoft has since has notified studio employees and internally announced new leadership. ZOS will now be run by Josh Henderson, previously head of business operations at the studio, and Nick Giacomini, who was promoted to game director for ESO last August. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my journalism, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Last week’s news of 200+ cuts at ZeniMax Online Studios generated public sympathy for those workers and questions about the long-term viability of the Elder Scrolls Online. ESO is a massively multiplayer online game that inherently persists on the strength of new content being developed for it. Earlier today, fans and workers in Maryland protested the cuts at the ZeniMax teams in a rally organized by the Communication Workers of America, the union that represents many of the impacted employees. Regarding concerns around the game, a community manager stated on Saturday: “The plan is still to deliver great content, and we will hopefully have an update soon.” In their note to the studio today, the outgoing leaders of ZeniMax Online Studios predicted “growth” for the game: We have tremendous confidence in Josh and Nick, the future of this studio, and the continued growth of ESO. With exciting experiences still ahead for our players as we wrap up work for Update 51 and beyond, we believe that your passion, creativity, and commitment to each other and the community will continue serving as the heartbeat of ESO. The list of jobs cut in the ZeniMax WARN notice in Maryland includes several very senior roles, including: Studio Head Studio Operations Director Studio Game Director Studio Audio Director Studio Art Manager Vice President and Controller VP, Global Sales & Business Development While some of those job descriptions match the exiting ZOS leadership team, Game File couldn’t verify if all were from that studio. The full list of cut roles shared by Maryland officials also covers workers at Bethesda Game Studios and its central publishing office. The following is an excerpt: The list of 379 eliminated ZeniMax jobs in Maryland also includes: four animators three bilingual CS (community service) leads for Chinese, Italian, and Japanese a creative director for the Elder Scrolls Online Player Life Cycle two food service workers seven producers more than 60 senior QA testers. and many others The WARN notice states that almost all of the 379 workers were notified of their layoff on July 6. In fine print, it states: “Approximately 9 employees were notified of the elimination of their position prior to July 6, 2026.” A 2021 mega-merger scaled back Microsoft announced in 2020 that it intended to buy ZeniMax and its network of game studios in 2020, and closed the $7.5 billion deal in March 2021. The purchase, which preceded Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, added several award-winning studios to Microsoft’s portfolio, including Bethesda (Elder Scrolls, Fallout), Arkane (Dishonored), and id Software (Doom). The studios’ output since then included a 2024 Game of the Year contented from MachineGames in the form of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle along with Starfield from Bethesda and the poorly-received Redfall from Arkane Austin. In recent years, a Microsoft repeatedly in cutback mode closed ZeniMax’s Tango Gameworks (which was reconstituted by Krafton) and closed Arkane Austin. The Xbox cuts last week have hit the ZeniMax group hard, with 158 jobs eliminated in Texas, many of them at id, and 379 from the ZeniMax teams in Maryland. Xbox also said last week that it would be entering a consultation process around Arkane Lyon, a process expected to end in a sale, shutdown or other form of divestment. The Lyon team has been working on a game tied to Marvel’s Blade vampire-hunting super-hero.

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Jul 15 • 7:42 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news
Trump rule that would politicize grants faces fight from scientists and many others

A Trump administration proposal would give political appointees power to screen and terminate federal grants. Scientists, local governments and a Republican senator are resisting.

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Jul 15 • 7:13 PM EDT • Science • nbcnews.com
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90-year-old Boise business acquired by Minnesota firm

A Minnesota company has acquired a 90-year-old Boise business. Loffler Companies of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, purchased Fisher’s Technologies of Garden City, the companies announced. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Fisher’s Office Equipment first opened in Downtown Boise with an office on 9th St., later moving to the Union Block building on Idaho […]

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Jul 15 • 5:25 PM EDT • Business • boisedev.com
Biden will publish 'Promise Me, America' memoir after the November midterm elections

The timing of the book — two weeks after midterm elections in which Democrats seek to regain control of Congress — could raise concerns within Biden's party by putting him back into the spotlight.

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Jul 15 • 5:19 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Trump relished in being compared to dictators like Hitler and Stalin, journalist says

The New York Times journalist Jonathan Swan says the president is fixated on becoming a "great man of history" during his second term. Swan's new book, written with Maggie Haberman, is Regime Change.

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Jul 15 • 2:56 PM EDT • Politics • npr.org
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Many at Onondaga Co. term limits hearing support proposal

The legislation, if signed, would need voter approval before becoming law, and it would take effect to coincide with 2030 elections.

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Jul 15 • 11:33 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com
House G.O.P. Releases Budget to Unlock $95 Billion for Iran War and SAVE Act

The plan faces a rocky path amid Republican divisions and would pave the way for votes months before the midterm elections to fund a war that polls show is deeply unpopular.

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Jul 15 • 9:41 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Trump’s Section 122 Tariffs Have Delivered Nothing for American Businesses, Workers, or Communities

The Trump administration’s short-term Section 122 tariffs, which are due to expire next week, have not delivered a single policy win.

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Jul 15 • 9:01 AM EDT • Business • americanprogress.org
“Worse Long-Term Outcome” – Sports Medicine Doctor Has Grim Prognosis of Conor McGregor’s Recovery After Upcoming Surgery

Conor McGregoris preparing for yet another major surgery after blowing out his knee at UFC 329 against Max Holloway. On X, ‘The Notorious’ confirmed that a grueling medical procedure is on the horizon, with subsequent reports also revealing that he is scheduled to undergo an MRI soon.

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Jul 15 • 8:53 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Biden Will Release Memoir Just After the November Midterms

The former president announced that the book, “Promise Me, America,” will come out on Nov. 17, and will cover the tumultuous events of his presidency as well as his re-election bid.

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Jul 15 • 8:19 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Trump will speak on elections in primetime address

The topic suggests he could revisit long-debunked conspiracy theories about his 2020 defeat to President Joe Biden as he's escalated calls for Republicans to pass tighter federal voting rules before November's midterm elections

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Jul 15 • 7:56 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com
Atlanta leaders hope FIFA World Cup sparks long-term business investment and economic growth

Metro Atlanta's business leaders say the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup is creating new international partnerships they hope will translate into lasting future economic opportunities.

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Jul 14 • 11:15 PM EDT • Business • cbsnews.com
High-Signal Publisher
Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi Criticizes Protect College Sports Act In Letter To Sen. John Fetterman

Multiple Big Ten and SEC schools have opposed the Save College Sports Act in the past week.

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Jul 14 • 8:49 PM EDT • Sports • onwardstate.com
Small Business Case Outcomes in U.S. Supreme Court Term

Small Business Case Outcomes in U.S. Supreme Court Term

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Jul 14 • 8:22 PM EDT • Business • nfib.com
Going to museums, movies, and theater may help your body stay younger

Going to the cinema, visiting museums, or attending concerts may do more than entertain. Researchers found that older adults who regularly participated in cultural activities tended to have bodies that functioned like those of people about three years younger. They believe stronger social ties, better mental health, and healthier habits could help explain the link, although more research is needed to determine whether cultural activities directly slow aging.

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Jul 14 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com
47 revelatory hours with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

To review this month’s supposed remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, I must first correct the record. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced isn’t a game about pirates (and assassins) in the 18th century Caribbean. Sure, sure, that’s what the trailers would have you believe. They’ve go their clips of Edward Kenway swinging his swords and steering his pirate ship into cannon-blasting combat against British frigates. Is Resynced truly a pirate game? Of the 47 hours I spent playing Resynced over the past few weeks, I will admit I spent maybe 44 (?) of them collecting plunder with Blackbeard, drinking rum with Anne Bonny and debating the pros and cons of the lawless pirate-run settlement Nassau with Benjamin Hornigold. I may in fact have spent dozens of hours sailing to remote islands, reading treasure maps, opening messages left in bottles, sinking the odd Man o’ War with a well-timed broadside, collecting sea shanties for my crew, befriending a pet monkey, and hunting whales. I am nevertheless neither so Gullible nor so Narrow-Minded as to call the magnificent Resynced a “pirate remake.” Oh no. Forget any reviews of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced you may have read. Forget what you yourself may have played, if you’ve spent any time with the game since its launch. What Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is really about I’m here to give you the scoop (spoilers for Resynced’s Animus menu lore, which many players are probably not going to see): Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the new game whose development was led by Ubisoft Singapore, is set in the year 2096. It’s about a societal split, about revolution, about an old Assassin’s Creed adventure repurposed in the series’ distant future as propaganda or samizdat. It’s about the overheated future of 2096, essentially conquered by the series’ well-established nefarious Templar-run company Abstergo. (In this future, Abstergo is, among other things, remaking a 2013 pirate movie called Devils of the Caribbean, but this time in VR. The VR version will be backed by a marketing plan that involves AI influencers, a 10,000-avatar “metaverse premiere event” and that manufacturing of memes aimed at “50 million VR nodes.” See what I mean about Abstergo being evil?) Resynced is about a late 21st-century population mollified by the widespread use of Abstergo’s Animus devices which let people experience the lives of historical figures culled from “genetic memories.” It’s about an insurgent faction of Assassins. And it’s about a plan to wake the population into revolutionary fervor by showing them the memories of 18th century pirate Edward Kenway, who—as depicted in the original Black Flag and again in Resynced—gradually comes to an understanding about the Assassins of his day and their centuries old fight for freedom. Resynced is also about an AI developed within the late 21st-century Animus, called Ego. It has found a way to alter genetic memories, to create and show Animus users false ones. The game is about Ego’s efforts to tell the people experiencing Edward Kenway’s memories that Kenway was wrong, that fighting against order is folly, that we should crave a world where “compliance is rewarded with power.” Who are we in this game? We’re an unnamed Animus user in 2096 who experiences Kenway’s journey virtually. At four moments during Kenway’s exploits in the Caribbean our virtual jaunt can be interrupted for 10-15 minutes, as we explore Animus “rifts” where Ego explicitly tries to tell us how wrong Kenway was. None of this is what 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was about, of course. That was a different game, even if you also spent dozens of hours pirating as Kenway in that game, across missions and a map that’s been faithfully reintroduced and rebuilt for Resynced. The 2013 Black Flag was about you playing as an unnamed researcher newly hired in 2013 by Abstergo Entertainment, the video game development wing of the Templars’ evil-corp. In that game, you were assigned to use the Animus to dive into the genetic memories of Desmond Miles, a man who died in Assassin’s Creed III and who was descended from a long line of Assassins (and at least one Templar) whose adventures were featured across the prior AC games. In 2013’s Black Flag, your mission was to plumb the Edward Kenway experience for material that Abstergo could use in productions such as the motion picture Devils of the Caribbean, though the Templars had some ulterior motives for the assignment. Resynced is therefore not a remake of 2013’s Black Flag. It’s a sequel. It is a new game about a new exploration of Edward Kenway’s pirate/assassin journey, set 83 years after the framing sequences of the original game. Resynced provides a new narrative framework that, thanks to the concept of an AI that wants to alter historical memories, arrives with creative justification to tweak a now-classic 13-year old game. That makes Resynced, already a hot seller, a tantalizing hint of where Ubisoft could go with a line of Assassin’s Creed remakes. They could remake the first game, the Ezio games, even the recent ones set in ancient Egypt and Greece. And for each, they could not just modernize the graphics and controls but expand and alter their sequences of events to use them as reference points for a conflict set in the late 21st century, as rival factions try to weaponize historical memories. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, even when that work consists of ravings about Assassin’s Creed’s modern day plot, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe A story most players will probably miss If you didn’t know any of this, I’m not surprised. If you played the game and still didn’t catch it, I’m not a bit shocked. If Ubisoft has no plans to do more of this, I won’t fall down. Almost all of what I’ve described is optional and missable in Black Flag Resynced. I nearly missed it myself, as I planned for a breezy playthrough of an old Assassin’s Creed favorite. Instead, I found myself in a 40+ hour hunt for the “real” story, buried deeper in Resynced than any gold-filled chest. The story of 2096 is Resynced’s meta-story, told in two remote pockets of the game: 1) four optional playable “rifts” that players may find as they proceed through Resynced’s pirate fantasy , 2) in dozens of text files tucked three menus deep in the game’s barely-interactive Animus hub. Assassin’s Creed games have almost always had a meta-story about people in the 21st century (usually matching the game’s release year) and their connections to the main history portions you play. Those meta-stories have always been squeezed into the margins, though seldom as severely and as, uh, graphiaclly simple, as in recent games. Back in 2013, the modern-day exploits of you as an Abstergo Entertainment employee were prominent. They were portrayed via first-person portions that occasionally interrupted the third-person Kenway experience and could be explored for hours, complete with their own missions, side quests and puzzles. Resynced’s 2096 story—of Assassin “Watchers” vs. Abstergo/Tempar goons, of rogue AIs, of panicking scientists, of a woman wondering why her Animus-addicted husband is muttering about Mary Read (“What does he mean by Assassins?”), of a fight for the population’s hearts and minds via varying interpretations of Edward Kenway’s life choices—is mostly told through unlockable text files. The files are interesting. Offered via diary entries, intercepted chats and news reports, they present varied perspectives of a world in crisis. One set works as a narrative puzzle as it reveals the Rashomonic interpretations of a massacre, or was that a successful Assassin hit? Another favorite reveals the rising bitterness of a person who, through Edward Kenway’s journey, now shakes at the ignored evil around him. One surmises that Ubisoft is averse to putting the Assassin’s Creed’s meta-story in the way of more marketable pirate playgrounds and ninja/samurai epics. Instead, we get a better-than-nothing text-in-menus approach introduced in 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In Shadows, players unlocked the meta-story text files largely via time-gated missions that called on the user to kill X number of enemy type Y, clear three enemy castles, re-win a three-phase fighting tournament, and other grinds. Time restrictions on accessing these missions and unlocking the files meant it could take players months to access the full story in-game. But even in the most hardcore Assassin’s Creed hangouts, the fanbase instead seemed to throw up their hands rather than grind to keep up. In Resynced, Ubisoft has shown some mercy, diminishing the amount of new text files that are tied to timed grinds. Now, most of the text-based 2096 lore are associated with “data file” collectibles that players can find in the world. That includes a batch of written entries that explain a historical link between the feudal Japan era in Shadows and the piracy adventures in Black Flag. Players who explore a lot will find dozens of data files, though the game does not appear to offer any in-game tracker for finding each one. You just need to keep looking for them. As of this writing, I have most of them, but not all. I can’t find any full guide for them online. And even Ubisoft’s optional $5 microtransaction that reveals lots of items in-game does not appear to reveal the locations of the text files (at least the official description omits them from its collectibles list). That’s not a huge bother, because tracking the data files down compelled me to re-explore the waves and islands of Black Flag. That was a thoroughly pleasant task to do for the first time in a dozen years. I expect many players, though, will be content to wait for the files to be reproduced in an online AC wiki somewhere, the easier to read on a web page. It may not seem enticing to play a video game in order to gradually unlock pages of text to read. Why not, you may ask, just read a book, where they put the pages in order? For one, they’ve not tucked this latest installment of Assassin’s Creed’s meta saga in a book. I also enjoy the unordered delivery, the dawning comprehension of a story about 2096’s desperate people and questionable tech, which I glimpsed first at its middle, then the end, then the front, then other moments in between1. I am also enamored with the idea of the Assassin’s Creed games I’ve previously played, including Black Flag, being repurposed for an information war. The ideas in Resynced’s meta-story, which builds off characters and ideas in Shadows’ chunks of text, are strong. The potential of where they could go with it is exciting. As for the pirate stuff? Looks great, controls pretty well, is fun to play and oh so speedy in terms of how much of a good time you can have with each sit-down. It never gets old to chase a new shanty page across a rooftop, bombard a fort with upgraded mortars or use a diving bell to explore sunken wrecks (hats off to the team at Ubisoft Barcelona that worked on the underwater portions in Resynced; that team is now facing layoffs, such is the misery of modern gaming and oft-troubled Ubisoft). New pirate missions in Resynced involving new ally characters are brief, dramatic and add more to Edward’s story, even if the gameplay perks they provide barely enhance the gameplay. A new denouement for high-class pirate Stede Bonnet is affecting; a new hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure is a welcome extra moment. A new epilogue to hunt down a pirate killer, on the other hand, over-complicates Kenway’s character. The ending credits remain my favorite of any game I’ve ever played. Black Flag provides great source material. The revisit is well-made and a great sign of what could be. It is offered in a different wrapper that hints at an opportunity for more interesting remakes to come, should Ubisoft choose to pursue such treasures—and as we brace to resist or comply with an Abstergo future. 1 The messages that Edward Kenway finds in bottles tell another out-of-order story, one about a man reckoning with the strange memories and voices he’s heard in his head since he was a boy. That tale was also in the 2013 game and develops into one of Black Flag’s most compelling character arcs. In Resynced, it has lost its climax, because the bottle story previously paid off in the halls of the first-person Abstergo Entertainment, which is exclusive to the older game. An altered resolution, written by the 2013 game’s lead writer is fine, doesn’t invalidate the 2013 version, but makes for an inferior final note.

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Jul 14 • 3:17 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news
College students reveal political ignorance on Trump, Iran and socialism

Fox News’ Johnny Belisario questions college students on the Jersey Shore about current events. Students struggle to identify recent Trump actions, describe the situation in Iran or explain political midterms and socialism.

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Jul 14 • 10:05 AM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Vanderbilt Health statement about its ongoing commitment to patients and families of Williamson County

Vanderbilt Health has been proud to partner with Williamson Health for more than a decade in delivering a wide variety of adult and pediatric services and in the immediate term we look forward to continuing our current joint operations, including our pediatric ED and inpatient services, as conversations with Williamson Health evolve.

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Jul 14 • 9:43 AM EDT • Health • news.vumc.org
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How the 20th anniversary iPhone will provide a 'single slab of glass' look

Former Apple design chief Jony Ive always described his long-term vision for the iPhone design as “a single slab of...

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Jul 14 • 9:39 AM EDT • Technology • 9to5mac.com
Opinion: The AI question colleges need to address now

The future will not be determined by who adopts AI first but by who uses it to build systems that better serve the people they exist to support, the dean of U of I's Gies College of Business writes

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Jul 14 • 6:40 AM EDT • Business • chicagobusiness.com
Michael Dell has nailed his relationship with Trump. It's paying off.

Michael Dell has developed one of the more visible and steady corporate relationships of President Donald Trump's second term in the White House.

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Jul 14 • 5:32 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
Mental health grant cancellations at issue in new lawsuit from 15 states

The attorneys general say the department plans to terminate the grants despite a prior injunction protecting them.

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Jul 14 • 1:00 AM EDT • Health • k12dive.com
LAPD lets agreement with Flock Safety expire over privacy concerns

LAPD will not renewed its agreement with Flock Safety, citing concerns over "civil liberty" and a lack of clarity over terms regarding privacy.

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Jul 13 • 8:01 PM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
Who is Darline Graham Nordone, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's sister?

Nordone, who was appointed to serve the remaining months of the Senate term that her brother left behind when he died over the weekend, hasn't been in office before.

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Jul 13 • 6:44 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Enzo Fernandez: Xabi Alonso determined to keep wantaway Argentina World Cup star at Chelsea
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Jul 13 • 6:30 PM EDT • Sports • skysports.com
Soccer, not just American football, may affect long-term brain health, study suggests

As the World Cup nears its final, a new study raises questions about whether long-term soccer head impacts could affect brain health.

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Jul 13 • 5:56 PM EDT • Health • kcci.com
Amex Platinum digital entertainment credit updating Aug. 1

Beginning Aug. 1, Peacock bundles, add-ons and third-party subscriptions will no longer qualify for the Amex Platinum digital entertainment credit.

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Jul 13 • 5:30 PM EDT • Entertainment • thepointsguy.com
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The Quintessential Trump-era Politician

In 2020, I wrote an article about collaboration and collaborators. The title was History Will Judge the Complicit, and it started with the story of two famous East Germans, Markus Wolf and Wolfgang Leonhard, who both landed in East Berlin just after the end of the war. Although they came from very similar backgrounds, the former stuck with the regime, eventually becoming its spy boss; the latter, horrified by the brutal reality of Soviet-style communism, escaped. By way of juxtaposition, I also wrote about Lyndsey Graham and Mitt Romney. These two men also made very different decisions when confronted by Donald Trump’s assault on the ideals that they had both grown up believing: A glance at their biographies would not have led many to predict what happened next. On paper, Graham would have seemed, in 2016, like the man with deeper ties to the military, to the rule of law, and to an old-fashioned idea of American patriotism and American responsibility in the world. Romney, by contrast, with his shifts between the center and the right, with his multiple careers in business and politics, would have seemed less deeply attached to those same old-fashioned patriotic ideals. Most of us register soldiers as loyal patriots, and management consultants as self-interested. We assume people from small towns in South Carolina are more likely to resist political pressure than people who have lived in many places. Intuitively, we think that loyalty to a particular place implies loyalty to a set of values. But in this case the clichés were wrong. It was Graham who made excuses for Trump’s abuse of power. It was Graham—a JAG Corps lawyer—who downplayed the evidence that the president had attempted to manipulate foreign courts and blackmail a foreign leader into launching a phony investigation into a political rival. It was Graham who abandoned his own stated support for bipartisanship and instead pushed for a hyperpartisan Senate Judiciary Committee investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden’s son. It was Graham who played golf with Trump, who made excuses for him on television, who supported the president even as he slowly destroyed the American alliances—with Europeans, with the Kurds—that Graham had defended all his life. By contrast, it was Romney who, in February, became the only Republican senator to break ranks with his colleagues, voting to impeach the president. “Corrupting an election to keep oneself in office,” he said, is “perhaps the most abusive and destructive violation of one’s oath of office that I can imagine.” In the wake of Graham’s unexpected death on Saturday, I wrote about him again. He was, in many ways, the quintessential politician of Trump’s Washington, a man who shifted 180 degrees. Graham had been a fervent American patriot, proud reserve officer and military lawyer; he became one of the most important defenders of a president who believes soldiers are “suckers and losers” and shows no respect for law of any kind. As his politics changed, his language grew coarser and his behavior grew worse: He urged Israel to “level the place” in Gaza, and insulted the Danish prime minister in Munich, prompting a colleague, Senator Elissa Slotkin, to issue an apology. Here’s an excerpt from the article, which you can read in The Atlantic (gift link here) Like his close friend John McCain, Graham believed that America should stand at the center of a broad democratic alliance. The few times I met him were in that context, at the Munich Security Conference or at other European-American gatherings, which he once attended with great regularity. He also took seriously the practice of American democracy at home. In a 2014 conversation with The Atlantic, he described himself as a pragmatic politician who eschewed populist slogans. “I know Washington is broken, but what’s broken about it is everybody yelling and nobody trying to fix it,” he said. “I’m trying.” When Donald Trump first appeared in U.S. politics, Graham recognized him immediately for what he was: the spokesman for an alien ideology, one radically different from the idealistic patriotism that Graham had practiced and preached since childhood. Trump privately mocked the military that Graham loved as nothing but “suckers and losers.” He put falsehoods, cynicism, and personal greed at the center of his politics, while expressing disdain for transparency, accountability, and democracy itself. In 2015, Graham described Trump as a “race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot” who should “go to hell.” Also as a “nutjob.” When Trump won, Graham understood, as did so many others, that he would have to make some important choices. For a while, he went silent. In the spring of 2016, I saw him at one of those conferences in Europe. He seemed too depressed to speak. But then, like many other Republicans—and, more important, like many other people who have lived under political occupation or experienced radical regime change—he made the decision to abandon his previous ideals, to bury the patriotism that was once so important to him, and to become, instead, a loud, opportunistic collaborator. As I wrote in 2020, it’s very hard to look in to anyone’s heart and to understand their motivations from the outside. But it does seem that Graham had a deep need to be relevant, to be in the game, to be a player, at any cost. And that, rather than any particular achievement, is what he will be remembered for. Continuing to monitor conflicts of interest, ostentatious emoluments, outright corruption and policy changes that will facilitate outright corruption. (Read my original article, Kleptocracy Inc and check out the SNF Agora Institute chart) June 27 Trump diverted funds from more than 900 projects nationwide—including safety upgrades at national parks—to finance beautification projects around Washington, including $700,000 used to fix a White House walkway. June 28 After a years-long Department of Justice investigation into Abbott Laboratories over its management of a baby formula facility where potentially deadly bacteria turned up enough evidence to criminally charge the firm, top department officials instead opted for a financial penalty—illustrating the department’s move away from strict corporate enforcement under the Trump administration. June 29 Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stacked the Defense Policy Board—which is charged with providing independent national security recommendations to the Office of the Secretary of Defense—with Trump allies, including tech billionaire Marc Andreessen, who has invested in defense contractors like OpenAI and SpaceX, after purging the panel last year. Trump purchased between $1 million and $5 million worth of stock in Axon—which makes about 90% of US tasers—two weeks before ICE solicited bids for a $220 million taser contract. The White House unveiled limited-edition US passports for America’s 250th birthday, featuring a portrait of Trump overlaid on the Declaration of Independence. June 30 Trump made around $1.2 billion from his various crypto companies last year, including more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial and $600 million from sales of his meme coin. Trump is considering issuing 250 pardons to commemorate America’s 250th birthday. These are expected to be largely doled out through the Office of the Pardon Attorney’s informal network of intermediaries. White-collar defense attorneys say they can typically win pardons for clients for $2 million. Last year, Trump administration officials awarded a no-bid contract worth up to $500 million to Clark Construction for the White House ballroom—negotiations in which the president was directly involved. July 1 The Amazon MGM Studios documentary about Melania Trump earned the First Lady more than $10 million. Trump made hundreds of individual stock purchases worth as much as $12.8 million the day before his announcement pausing “Liberation Day” tariffs for 90 days sent the S&P 500 soaring nearly 10%—one of the largest single-day gains ever. Mar-a-Lago and Trump National Doral saw record surges in revenue during Trump’s first year in office, earning $77.5 million and $121.9 million respectively, compared to average annual revenues of $25 million and $75 million during Trump’s first term. Entities across the Persian Gulf paid more than $300 million to Trump’s businesses last year, including $263 million from the sale of half his stake in World Liberty Financial to a firm backed by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a top UAE royal and brother of the country’s president. Kash Patel failed to properly disclose his stock purchase of a Department of Justice contractor, MicroStrategy, worth up to $250,000 last year, despite laws requiring disclosure within 45 days of the trade. July 2 Trump has been directing administration officials to steer more government contracts—so far worth more than $2.4 billion—to Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin aerospace firm, after Amazon gave $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, donated to the White House ballroom project, and reached a $40 million deal to license a Melania Trump documentary. Alongside the billions he made from cryptocurrency last year, Trump earned millions of dollars from real estate licensing fees, including $21 million from organizations in the UAE and $9.2 million in Saudi Arabia, along with smaller sums from merchandise sales, including $4.7 million from Trump Watches and $35,920 from 45 Guitar, a guitar brand endorsed by the president. House Democrats accused consultants tied to the Trump administration of financial fraud, alleging they gave prospective donors to America250—the bipartisan committee created by Congress to celebrate the nation’s semiquincentennial—the banking and routing numbers for Freedom 250, the White House’s fund for events like the UFC cage fight. Democrats also allege that Freedom 250’s CEO traveled to the World Economic Forum in Davos to solicit donations from foreign government officials and business leaders. The Trump administration’s proposed rollback of gun regulations would lift the prohibition on mailing handguns to individuals, a significant win for GrabAGun—the direct-to-consumer firearm retailer on whose board Donald Trump Jr. sits and in which he holds a 1.1% ownership stake. GrabAGun currently must rely on a middleman to transfer firearms to customers. Trump’s financial disclosure revealed that he made more than 21,000 securities trades during his first year back in office, growing his investment account to at least $858 million across stakes in around 1,600 companies, compared to the 13 total trades Joe Biden made during his entire presidency. July 4 Nearly 1 million people who bought the president’s meme coin—Trump Coin—collectively lost $3.8 billion on the token, while he walked away with $636 million. July 6 Shares of Dell closed up 4.4% after Trump recommended people buy the firm’s computers during a speech announcing the launch of Trump investment accounts for children, boosting the more than $1 million worth of shares the president owns in the company. July 9 Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh named crypto investor and Trump ally Marc Andreessen to a task force aimed at modernizing the Federal Reserve, including rethinking its approach to inflation—a key factor keeping interest rates elevated. Palm Beach International Airport has officially changed its name to Trump International Airport—a move that will require Florida to pay royalties to the president’s family for licensing his name. I was there a few months ago, during a trip to Barcelona. The sculptures were a revelation, I’d never seen so many together before. Each one has its own personality. Enjoy the good weather, if you are lucky enough to have it. History Will Judge the Complicit The Quintessential Politician Autocracy Inc Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe

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Jul 13 • 4:19 PM EDT • Politics • anneapplebaum.substack.com
South Carolina's governor names Lindsey Graham's sister to serve out his term

South Carolina's governor says he is appointing Darline Graham Nordone to finish the term of her late brother. Top Republicans, including President Trump, have coalesced around the pick.

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Jul 13 • 4:17 PM EDT • Politics • npr.org
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Darline Graham Nordone has little political history beyond praising her brother

Darline Graham Nordone, the late senator Lindsey Graham’s younger sister, has the backing of President Donald Trump and Sen. Tim Scott to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term.

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Jul 13 • 2:07 PM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
Lindsey Graham’s sister appointed to Senate as GOP rushes to protect fragile majority

Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Trump-endorsed Darline Graham Nordone, sister of the late Lindsey Graham, to fill his seat for the remainder of his term.

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Jul 13 • 1:49 PM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Nova Entertainment Presents “Hail Mary/Maria” by Playwright RJ Silva and Directed by Adam Reed, August 14 – 23 at Theater Wit

Theater Wit||

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Jul 13 • 1:18 PM EDT • Entertainment • theatermania.com
Trump recommends South Carolina’s governor appoint Lindsey Graham’s sister to finish his Senate term

Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, is expected to announce his appointment of a temporary replacement for Graham on Monday.

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Jul 13 • 12:56 PM EDT • Politics • nbcnews.com
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States sue Department of Education over alleged unlawful termination of mental health grants

State attorneys general sue the Department of Education over unlawful termination of mental health grants for public school students.

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Jul 13 • 11:58 AM EDT • Health • thehill.com
Trump recommends Lindsey Graham’s sister to serve rest of his Senate term

The president recommended that South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster select Darline Graham to serve into January. Her brother died suddenly amid a campaign for a fifth term.

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Jul 13 • 11:38 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
Lindsey Graham’s sister should finish his term, Trump says

A special election will be held next month to pick a new Republican nominee in the general election for Graham’s seat

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Jul 13 • 11:23 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com
Trump Backs Lindsey Graham’s Sister, Darline Graham Nordone, to Fill His Senate Seat

Darline Graham Nordone would serve as interim replacement for several months to finish her brother’s term

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Jul 13 • 11:22 AM EDT • Politics • wsj.com
Trump Backs Lindsey Graham’s Sister to Finish His Senate Term in South Carolina

Gov. Henry McMaster of South Carolina will name a replacement for Senator Lindsey Graham, who died on Saturday.

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Jul 13 • 11:15 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Business Monday: Hawaiʻi Island resident creates a new app to streamline hiring process nationwide

Jessica Cockrell of Hilo has launched ShiftPass, an innovative app that aims to ease the hiring process in the short-term and improve career possibilities for Hawaiʻi residents in the long-term.

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Jul 13 • 11:00 AM EDT • Business • bigislandnow.com
How is Mitch McConnell’s health? When is his term up? See the latest

When will Sen. Mitch McConnell's term end? GOP powerhouse says he is recovering from a fall and pneumonia while continuing to work on Senate business.

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Jul 13 • 9:41 AM EDT • Health • courier-journal.com
Mitch McConnell Breaks Silence With Statement and Photo Amid Questions About Health Status

The former GOP leader explained his absence from the Senate, saying he intends to finish his term, but some critics still have questions.

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Jul 13 • 6:03 AM EDT • Health • time.com
Iraola to speak to media shortly

Iraola was at the AXA Training Centre last week and met a number of players, but with the bulk of Liverpool's first team set to return to Merseyside this week, there's certainly a feeling that business is now really getting started. There are still 41 days before the Reds start their Premier League campaign, away at Newcastle, but Iraola will know of the importance of this first news conference in terms of outlining his vision and giving the fanbase something to look forward to, after a torrid 2025-26 campaign that resulted in the sacking of Arne Slot. The past two men to take the job won Liverpool the Premier League and the club's hierarchy firmly believes Iraola is capable of doing that long term.

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Jul 13 • 5:39 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Republicans feel increasingly upbeat about their chances in the midterms

GOP strategists who spoke to NBC News said they are less worried than they were a few months ago about the Iran war and rising prices hurting their party.

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Jul 13 • 5:14 AM EDT • Politics • nbcnews.com
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Handover of Health Commodities

Joint Handover of Health Commodities Speech of Chargé d’Affaires Steve Bremner (…) Thank you for joining us. I am here today to demonstrate how U.S. foreign assistance under President Trump’s America First Global Health Strategy and our bilateral health MOU makes America safer and stronger while helping Madagascar build a more self-reliant health system. Through our bilateral Global Health Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in December 2025 with the Ministry of Public Health, our two governments outlined shared priorities and responsibilities, including a strong focus on infectious disease threats and Madagascar’s increasing ownership and co-investment in its own health system. The MOU outlines the structure and terms of U.S. support to Madagascar’s health sector from 2026 through 2030, with a total commitment of $134,305,000 from the U.S. government and $41,216,252 from the Government of Madagascar to work jointly to address malaria, maternal and child health, polio and global health security issues. Stronger health systems help prevent instability and reduce the risk that infectious diseases reach the United States, making both our countries safer. America First foreign assistance is clear and disciplined: It is a tool of strategic engagement, not global charity. Every U.S. taxpayer dollar must show measurable results, reduce long-term dependence on U.S. taxpayer resources, and support greater self-reliance in recipient countries. Support must be efficient and targeted, with zero tolerance for fraud, waste, or abuse. This year, through the U.S.-funded Global Health Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management project, we are distributing: 989,250 long-lasting insecticide-treated nets, worth $2,000,000 to 63 districts and 1,661 Community Health Centers across Madagascar, with the third and final delivery of these nets having arrived in late June. Through the U.S.-funded Momentum Country and Global Leadership (MCGL) project, we are funding: The full cost of Starlink internet connectivity equipment procurement, installation, and one-year subscription for 31 priority District and Regional Health Offices. Through the U.S.-funded Strengthening Infectious Disease Detection Systems project, we are supplying: 908,523 pieces of critical medical equipment and a modernized digital surveillance system to the Ministry of Public Health. These materials will strengthen health systems, improve response capabilities, and help those most in need of protection from mosquito-borne diseases — particularly malaria, which continues to claim the lives of children and women at an unacceptable rate. Deployed effectively, they will contribute to reducing maternal and newborn mortality in rural and hard-to-reach communities where the need is greatest. In these same underserved areas, Starlink connectivity will play a critical role in enabling the rapid transmission of health data and information to central levels, ensuring that decision-makers receive timely, actionable intelligence and can mount swift, coordinated responses to protect populations. For Americans, this support delivers concrete benefits. Stronger health systems in Madagascar help detect and contain infectious diseases before they spread across borders, protecting American and Malagasy families. More stable, healthier countries can expand trade and economic cooperation with the United States. Our goal is not permanent support; it is temporary, targeted assistance that helps Madagascar save lives while achieving greater self-reliance and independence from foreign assistance. To the health workers and community health agents here that will use the products we’re delivering today: your dedication and skills save lives. Your work exemplifies the kind of local ownership that will enable Madagascar to reduce dependence on foreign assistance and manage the country’s health challenges. This targeted support delivers results today while helping Madagascar build toward a future where it can sustain and expand those health gains independently, ensuring that today’s U.S. support leads to Madagascar’s self-sufficiency. Thank you, Misaotra.

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Jul 13 • 4:49 AM EDT • Health • mg.usembassy.gov
United States Delivers Life-Saving Health Supplies and equipment to Madagascar

United States Delivers Life-Saving Health Supplies and equipment to Madagascar U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Steve Bremner presided over a handover ceremony to the Government of Madagascar, represented by President of the Refoundation Col. Michaël Randrianirina, marking the delivery of nearly one million mosquito nets, over 900,000 pieces of critical laboratory equipment, and 33 internet connectivity systems. The assistance – valued at more than $2.2 million – is part of a broader U.S.-Madagascar health partnership, outlined in our bilateral Global Health Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed in December 2025, totaling $134 million from the U.S. government from 2026 through 2030. “This assistance is clear and disciplined – it is a tool of strategic engagement, not global charity,” said Chargé d’Affaires Steve Bremner. “Every U.S. taxpayer dollar must show measurable results, reduce long-term dependence on U.S. resources, and support greater self-reliance. Stronger health systems in Madagascar help detect and contain infectious diseases before they spread across borders, protecting American and Malagasy families alike.” The assistance includes: 989,250 long-lasting insecticide-treated mosquito nets - worth $2 million – will be distributed to 63 districts and 1,661 community health centers across Madagascar. Malaria remains one of the leading causes of death in the country, claiming the lives of children and women at an unacceptable rate. The third and final delivery of these nets arrived in late June and will be distributed starting this July until mid-October, ensuring that those most at risk of mosquito-borne disease now have access to this basic but life-saving protection. U.S.-funded Global Health Supply Chain Program – Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project will ensure the distribution. 908,523 pieces of critical medical and laboratory equipment – valued at $180,000 – including personal protective equipment, laboratory supplies, diagnostic tools, and cold chain equipment – along with a modernized digital surveillance system to Madagascar’s Ministry of Public Health. This support through the STRIDES (Strengthening Infectious Disease Detection Systems) program bolsters Madagascar’s ability to detect and respond to outbreaks of diseases such as monkeypox, plague, rabies, polio, and Ebola before they become regional or global threats. Over $30,000 of funding for the full procurement, installation, and first year of service for 33 Starlink satellite internet systems at priority districts and regional health offices across the country. These systems will allow health workers in remote and underserved communities to transmit health data quickly to central decision-makers – enabling faster, better-coordinated responses when disease outbreaks occur. U.S.-funded Momentum Country and Global Leadership (MCGL) will implement this project. As the country’s largest bilateral health donor, the United States remains committed to the principle that a stronger, healthier Madagascar makes for a stronger, safer world – and a stronger, safer America.

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Jul 13 • 4:39 AM EDT • Health • mg.usembassy.gov
Trump moves to tighten federal control of elections ahead of midterms

President Donald Trump is working to gain more control of the 2026 U.S. elections through a series of unprecedented moves to intervene in states.

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Jul 13 • 3:01 AM EDT • Politics • usatoday.com
When regulation is good for business

By now, I think I have established both my view that I am a fan of ESG investing and the benefits of regulating what is and isn’t a sustainable investment, and my view that in Europe, ESG regulation has gone too far and become too costly. It almost feels like the old Aristotelian maxim of doing things in moderation that leads to the best outcomes is valid in regulatory efforts as well. To give you an example, let’s look at a study by the National Bank of Belgium on the impact of the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) on fund flows of conventional and ESG funds. The SFDR was announced on 27 November 2019 and came into effect on 10 March 2021. It was implemented in several stages and split funds marketed in the EU into three broad categories: (i) Art. 6 funds that are basically conventional funds without any specific ESG integration, (ii) Art. 8 funds that ‘promote environmental or social characteristics’, which must provide additional reporting how they do that, and (iii) Art. 9 funds that are impact funds. The gaps between the announcement and the phased implementation give us an idea of how fund flows were affected by the regulation. It is clearly visible in the figure below that once the new regulation was announced and when it was initially implemented, fund flows in Art. 8 and Art. 9 funds increased significantly. Conventional Art. 6 funds also saw more inflows, but the increase was not statistically significant. I should add that the data below is pure fund flow, cleaned of performance effects and of any reclassified funds that moved from one classification to another. Note also that once the initial rush in ESG funds was over, additional, stricter regulatory requirements didn’t create that many new flows. This implies that with additional regulation, the funds incurred higher costs to comply but didn’t benefit in terms of new inflows and higher assets under management. Fund flows as the SFDR regulation was implemented in the EU Source: Emiris et al. (2026) When examining the drivers of these flows, the authors of the study found that institutional investors were more likely to switch to ESG funds and particularly so in countries where concerns about sustainability are culturally more accepted. In a society where buy-in into environmental and social risks is higher, private investors were shifting more of their assets into ESG funds as the regulation made it clear which funds are really green and which ones are not. And institutional investors in these countries did so as well, given the societal pressures and reputational risks of sticking with conventional funds. Meanwhile, fund managers reacted to the changing regulatory environment as well. Many funds that were mildly green before the regulation was announced became greener and more sustainable as the regulation was introduced to attract new assets and new investors. Cleverly, and unsurprisingly, these ESG funds also charge on average higher fees, which means that not only did fund managers gather fresh assets, but their profitability increased as well.

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Jul 13 • 2:00 AM EDT • Business • klementoninvesting.substack.com
Trump voting losses in court shield New Jersey elections — for now

Weeks before midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, president is renewing push to exclude ballots

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Jul 13 • 12:05 AM EDT • Politics • njspotlightnews.org
Why Sen. Lindsey Graham’s death could impact Texas politics

Following the death of longtime Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), political leaders across the country, including in Texas, are reflecting on the senator’s legacy and what his death could mean for the political landscape ahead of the midterm elections. READ MORE: https://www.kxan.com/news/texas-politics/why-sen-lindsey-grahams-death-could-impact-texas-politics/

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Jul 12 • 10:55 PM EDT • Politics • kxan.com
McConnell says a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking weeks of silence about health condition

McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he was “briefly unconscious” around the time he was first taken to the hospital and has undergone a battery of tests to try and determine what led to his fall.

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Jul 12 • 7:17 PM EDT • Health • adn.com
After weeks of questions, McConnell provides information on health

Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Sunday ended weeks of speculation about his health with a statement saying he’s on the mend. The Republican, who was hospitalized June 14, issued a letter to fellow Kentuckians telling them he has been recovering from a fall, followed by what he termed “a mild case of pneumonia.” […]

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Jul 12 • 6:21 PM EDT • Health • rollcall.com
Graham’s death triggers a scramble to replace him

South Carolina governor will pick successor to serve out Graham’s term as Trump says ‘I have somebody I think would be great’

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Jul 12 • 1:08 PM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com
Why we need a new model for global emergency response

Opinion: In today’s environment, political interests and public visibility often determine funding, not urgency or need, writes Chris Skopec.

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Jul 12 • 11:12 AM EDT • Health • baltimoresun.com
What happens next with Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat

South Carolina's Republican governor is tasked with naming a replacement to serve out the rest of Graham's term, and a special primary is set for August.

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Jul 12 • 10:39 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
Lindsey Graham Was Facing Re-election in November. What Happens Now?

South Carolina law suggests his death triggers an Aug. 11 special Republican primary election, and the state’s governor can appoint a replacement to serve out the rest of his term, through early January.

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Jul 12 • 8:50 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
'America and the world have lost a determined leader': Tributes pour in after Sen Lindsey Graham's death

Trump called Lindsey Graham "a true American Patriot" on Truth Social as world leaders from Ukraine, Israel and NATO mourned the senator's sudden death.

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Jul 12 • 8:45 AM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Hornets GM says LaMelo Ball trade was made with long-term success in mind

Fans have questioned the decision to part with the popular point guard after Charlotte won 44 games and reached the play-in tournament last season.

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Jul 12 • 8:38 AM EDT • Sports • spectrumlocalnews.com
Report – Inter Set Sights on Highly-Rated Ligue 1 Wingback

Serie A champions Inter remain in the market for Denzel Dumfries’ long-term heir amid concerns surrounding Anan Khalaili’s arrival. According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Nerazzurri have identifie...

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Jul 12 • 8:20 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
It was supposed to be Trump’s big legislative achievement. It could be a weapon for Democrats to win in the midterms

One year after passing the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, it no longer seems like the easy win for Republicans to run on in November.

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Jul 12 • 6:30 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
Israel’s war in Gaza dominates US midterm races as Democrats split

Tensions between progressive and moderate camps of Democratic party on display in key Senate race in Michigan

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Jul 12 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • theguardian.com
Can Corn Really Make Maryland More Humid? Here’s The Science

CALIFORNIA, Md. — If you have spent a late summer afternoon in Maryland and wondered why the air feels especially sticky, you may have heard the term “corn sweat.” While the phrase sounds unusual, it describes a real process that can contribute to humid conditions during the growing season. Corn, like many plants, releases water vapor into […]

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Jul 12 • 6:00 AM EDT • Science • thebaynet.com
How PFAS chemicals move through the Great Lakes and into people

New long-term research from the University of Notre Dame deepens the understanding of how “forever chemicals” can move up the food chain to people.

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Jul 12 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • captimes.com
RFK Jr.’s focus on preventive health panel provokes new fears

Health and Human Services (HHS) Sec. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has his sights set on remaking another influential health panel, one that determines what preventive medical services insurers must cover …

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Jul 12 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • thehill.com
I'm a chauffeur. Tips determine if my side hustle is worth it.

A chauffeur in Florida discusses the importance of tips in black car services and the challenges of gig work for drivers.

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Jul 12 • 5:47 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
Getting campaign text messages ahead of midterms? There could be an AI bot behind it

Taught to sound like a candidate, bots are engaging voters with personalized text messages making AI-generated texting conversations the latest tool political campaigns are using to connect.

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Jul 12 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • npr.org
High-Signal Publisher
Khosla Family Get Strong Message After Record Seahawks Sale

On July 11, the Estate of Paul G. Allen announced that the Khosla family has agreed to purchase the Seattle Seahawks. Moreover, the group is led by San Francisco 49ers limited partner Vinod Khosla. As for the financial terms of the sale, Seth Wickersham and Adam Schefter of ESPN reported, citing multiple league sources with knowledge of the situation, […] The post Khosla Family Get Strong Message After Record Seahawks Sale appeared first on HEAVY.

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Jul 12 • 4:57 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
They're Building Half A Bridge to Save Science...

Today’s post is about science: what you can do now to protect it from unprecedented threats, and how your action is the first half of a long-term program that Congress must take up next. Let me start with describing the embryonic state of science advocacy. There are many well-meaning organizations: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Research!America, and subject-specific organizations such as the Society for Neuroscience and the American Physical Society. Their general approach is to emphasize the common good: the remarkable value that science and innovation have provided to all Americans. However, these organizations are offering an incomplete solution. Before I start, a preliminary: If you already know about the threat, go ahead and weigh in with OMB at this link. Ideas about what to say come from Research!America and the American Physical Society. You have until Monday, July 13 at 11:59pm Eastern. Then come back here and read the rest of this post. Finally, get in touch with whoever is likely to be your next member of Congress in 2027. The threat: An end to merit-based science… The onslaught of attacks on science is accelerating. It’s not just cuts to grants, which was the last battle. That battle is not done yet, but there is a new and worse threat. Now comes a proposed public rule from the Office of Management and Budget. The rule would take decision-making power over grants away from experts and put it into the hands of political appointees. Former NIH official Elizabeth Ginexi wrote an excellent summary of what OMB is trying to do, which is codify the executive branch’s ability to award or terminate grants, for arbitrary cause or no stated cause. Since World War II, a necessary step in scientific grant-making has been consideration of scientific merit. This approach has made America into a dominant scientific superpower, the envy of the world. Of course, political considerations do come into the mix. The proposed rule tilts the balance dramatically away from merit. …but why? Many people have difficulty comprehending why Russell Vought and OMB would want to damage science in this way. If you’re a working scientist, you are likely to be particularly uncomprehending. Who would hurt an activity so self-evidently good? The answer is: this is part of the program to replace the rule of law with a personalist regime. OMB Director Russell Vought, a Christian nationalist, would like to implement what legal scholars call a “unitary executive,” and what I would call a dictatorship. Or if you like, a personalist authoritarian regime. I am a working scientist. This rule will debilitate my research. It may chill the speech of scientists for speaking freely in the public sphere. It is a form of personalizing power and decision-making within the executive branch. In short, it sacrifices science in the service of tyranny. To Russell Vought, a decrease in the quality of science might be an acceptable cost. He might even consider it an added benefit to weaken a pillar of soft U.S. power based on knowledge and skepticism. The professional societies are building half a bridge The nonprofits are asking you to make public comment. Public comment is like building the first half of a bridge. Before implementation, OMB is compelled by law to have a period of public comment. Rules have to be consistent with the law and the Constitution. They express the federal government’s stance toward how those laws will be implemented. When a presidential administration works in good faith, these public comments are used to inform their eventual action, and sometimes mitigate it. The comment period reflects our First Amendment right to petition our government. The executive branch is then supposed to take those comments into account - completing the bridge between us, the people, and our government. Project 2025 seeks to take away the second half of the bridge. We have to replace it. The first half of the bridge Organizations like AAAS, Research!America, and SfN are partly right. You should certainly comment. Their core model is earnest: if enough of us make noise, then we will achieve change. This idealistic point of view is offered in good faith. That point of view is also currently bullshit. The fundamental reason is that the federal rulemaking process has two parts: There has to be a period of public comment. OMB makes the final rule…but is free to disregard public comment. Oops. That’s a loophole. However, not all is lost. Congress can complete the bridge Congress has enormous power. That power suggests a roadmap for how to proceed. This lawless administration is still going to issue that rule. Nonetheless, your comments still play an essential role. Here are two steps you can take. Step 1: Send your comment to your Representative and Senator. Whether they are Democrats or Republicans, many of them support science. Whatever you wrote as public comment in the Federal Register, also send it to your member of Congress. You can include information about jobs in your district or state by looking at Joshua Weitz’s ScienceMatters interactive map. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and give your town, zip code, or state, then deliver your message. Step 2: Politicize the hell out of science. You heard me, politicize it as an issue. We hear a lot from the old scientific establishment about science being nonpartisan. This is obsolete, sentimental thinking. Under normal conditions, it was true. But we can no longer make that assumption. We can keep on pretending, but we’re putting science at risk. There is a way forward. Rules are subordinate to the law…and Congress makes laws. Therefore Congress can step in. In this fall’s election, it is likely that Democrats will retake the House of Representatives. That puts at least one chamber of Congress in the hands of Democrats. They are far more inclined than the current Congress to investigate and legislate. This opens a path to undoing the damage. It also creates a permission structure for pro-science Republicans to find a way back from the brink. We have to encourage them. In the House, every district is up every two years. In your district, contact both of the major party candidates. If your state has a Senate race, contact those candidates too. Specifically mention the proposed OMB rule. Ask for two things: For this year’s appropriations process in August and September, ask that amendments be added to stop the implementation of the new rule. Those amendments should support peer-reviewed science and stop political interference. Looking ahead to next year, ask the Congressman/Congresswoman/Senator to work to hold hearings in 2027 on the importance and benefits of peer-reviewed science for health and prosperity. What hearings and amendments will accomplish Congress can use its investigatory power to summon heads of agencies and the director of the OMB. That will allow fact-finding regarding the consequences of this rule. Congress can override the rule through the appropriations process. They can write into statute a requirement to follow peer review and best scientific practices. In this way, Congress can stop the attacks on science. Postscript: Moving forward Now I have a request for you, to help me. As many of you know, I ran for Congress in order to save democracy and science. Although I did not win, that battle continues by other means. I met and heard from thousands of supporters both here in New Jersey and nationally. I learned that pro-science, pro-democracy activists have the potential to become a much greater force. In the weeks and months ahead, I will be building ways to harness that energy. I will be announcing those plans soon. In the meantime, an important step is to wind down the Congressional campaign, which has a few remaining bills to pay. Please help me retire that last debt.

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Jul 12 • 2:14 AM EDT • Science • samwang.substack.com
The First Test of Bar Harbor's New Entertainment Rules.

The Bar Harbor Story is generously sponsored by the Bar Harbor Historical Society. BAR HARBOR—The Finback Alehouse was the first real test of the town’s new special amusement permit process, July 7 while eight other permits sailed through the process last week. The permit allows music in places where liquor is served. The town’s ordinance which was recently tweaked for a new process allows for the regulation of noise and hours of activity. The only discussion at the July Town Council meeting was about the Finback Alehouse on Cottage Street, in the heart of Bar Harbor’s downtown district. The Finback’s distinctive design—a front wall that is like a garage door that can be opened and closed—was a key to that discussion. The restaurant, which often hosts live bands, singers, and karaoke, at night, has had one substantiated noise complaint this season, which is documented on its application. According to Bar Harbor Police Chief David Kerns, most complaints about noise happen after 10 p.m., and if the Finback had two more violations within a year, they’d have to stop having music. One town councilor said that he’d have no problem reissuing the permit if the door was down. The permit passed through the process with no conditions. Vice Chair Earl Brechlin moved the motion with two time changes for two holiday weekend dates. It passed unanimously. The council asked the Finback why they’d chosen an indoor license with a wall that can be opened to the street. Dale Stockburger, representing the Finback, said he’d applied for an indoor permit rather than an outdoor structure or partial structure (which is usually applied to tents or pavilions). The restaurant has traditionally had an indoor license. Stockburger said that whether the door is open or closed is immaterial because he now stands outside with a decibel reader to make sure that the music isn’t too loud. OTHER SPECIAL AMUSEMENT PERMITS New Councilor Deborah Vickers worried that she had potential conflicts of interests on two other renewals due to the location of her employee housing. Vickers co-owns the Black Friar Inn. They have employee housing directly behind the Finback, which is also 300 yards from the Bar Harbor Inn, she explained. The Bar Harbor Inn also had a permit up for renewal. The councilors unanimously voted she did not have a conflict of interest. The councilors approved permits at The Bluenose Inn, 90 Eden St, Class A; Acadia Hotel Downtown, 20 Mount Desert St, Class A and C; the Bar Harbor Inn, 8 Newport Dr, Class A, B, C and D; C-Ray Lobster, 882 State Hwy 3, Class D; Holiday Inn Bar Harbor Regency, 123 Eden Street, Class B; Finback Alehouse, 30 Cottage St, Class B; Project Social, 278 Main St, Class C and D; Bar Harbor Beer Works, 119 Main St, Class B and D; and Mainely Meat BBQ Dreamwood Hill, 369 State Hwy 3, Class D. That process is laid out in the Special Amusement Ordinance of the Bar Harbor Town Code which is Chapter 14 of the town code. Special amusement permits have class codes. These are the meanings: Number - how many musicians are allowed by the permit. Class A - Indoor non-amplified entertainment. Class B - Indoor amplified entertainment or dancing. Class C - Outdoor non-amplified entertainment. Class D - Outdoor amplified entertainment. RESIDENCE LICENSES RENEWED AND A TAXI LICENSE The councilors also renewed the licenses for three specific sorts of residences that require that yearly renewal per the town code. The employee living quarters at Atlantic Oceanside Hotel, 119 Eden St and another at 278 Main Street were renewed. The shared accommodations license renewal at 39 Kebo Street also occurred. These are annual renewals. Bernard Taxi Services’ license was also renewed. This license had been added to the agenda at the meeting. Bar Harbor Update on Leaf and Grass Clipping Disposal BAR HARBOR — Bar Harbor residents will still have a place to throw away their leaf and grass clippings this summer. The town’s agreement with EMR in Southwest Harbor for disposing of those items will continue through November 30. The agreement, according to a town press release, will continue “while the Town continues evaluating long term composting solutions and the required state permitting process.” As of July 1, residents bringing their grass and leaves across the island to the facility in Southwest Harbor will have to fill out a property registration card. Each property can throw out up to 85 pounds of the grass and leaves. “Any disposal exceeding the 85 pound allowance during this period will be the responsibility of the property owner at the applicable disposal rate,” the press release explains. LINKS TO LEARN MORE Watch the meeting Meeting agenda QUICK NOTE: We’d released the Bar Harbor Leaf information as a brief, but wanted to make sure that people saw it, so we’ve included it here, too. HELP SUPPORT THE BAR HARBOR STORY When we started The Bar Harbor Story, we didn’t know if anyone would read it. But you showed up. You shared. You sent tips. Now—over 400,000 views every month later—it’s clear: people here care about their community and each other. We’ve kept everything free because news should never be out of reach, but every one of our stories takes time to write, and your support keeps The Bar Harbor Story going. If you value our work, please consider a paid subscription, a founding membership, or a sponsorship. It truly helps us cover one more meeting, tell one more story, shine one more light. Even $5 a month makes a difference. Click here to become a one-time supporter now. Thank you so much for being here. Founding member information can be found here. Have questions about sponsorships? Just send Shaun an email at sfarrar86@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you. Subscribe Share Bar Harbor Story Share Leave a comment

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Jul 11 • 4:22 PM EDT • Entertainment • barharborstory.substack.com
Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation 'Significantly' Improves Depression in Just 10 Days, Trial Finds

Short-term relief.

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Jul 11 • 3:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencealert.com
'Mirror life' technology worries Doomsday Clock scientists. This is why

This year, scientists included a new potential threat in their decision to move the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight. So what is 'mirror life' and why are they concerned?

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Jul 11 • 3:00 PM EDT • Science • abc.net.au
Astronomers discover unexplained spin pattern in early galaxies - Futura-Sciences

A consistent pattern in the deep universe Lior Shamir, an associate professor of computer science at Kansas State University, analyzed images of 263 early galaxies captured through the JWST Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey. Shamir used quantitative shape analysis to determine the rotation of each galaxy. The data revealed that roughly...

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Jul 11 • 1:30 PM EDT • Science • futura-sciences.com
Steelers Legend Hines Ward's Max Iheanachor Endorsement Raises Expectations

One of the Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest long-term projects is first-round pick Max Iheanachor. The athletic offensive tackle possesses tremendous upside, but much of that potential stems from the fact that he only began playing football a few years ago. A national analyst and a Steelers legend both believe that potential is real, offering strong endorsements of Iheanachor's future.

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Jul 11 • 11:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
US, Canada strike deal to open bridge linking Detroit and Windsor after dispute delayed launch

The U.S. and Canada settled on favorable terms on how to administer tolls on the newly-constructed Gordie-Howe International Bridge. It will open on July 27.

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Jul 11 • 9:35 AM EDT • Business • foxbusiness.com
Want to Boost Your Brain Health? A Neurologist Says to Change This 1 Thing About Your Daily Walk

A long-term study from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine revealed a powerful link between walking and cognitive resilience.

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Jul 11 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • inc.com
Jets appear to be building for today without sacrificing tomorrow

The Jets have found a healthy offseason mix of blending long-term solutions with a win-now mentality.

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Jul 11 • 7:45 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Remember, as midterm season heats up, politics and business just don’t mix

Leave your politics at the door — it rarely works out well.

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Jul 11 • 7:00 AM EDT • Business • thehill.com