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How do political donations work… and why are there growing calls for a cap?
Mega-donors are coming under scrutiny after a crypto billionaire based in Thailand gave a £5m gift to Nigel Farage
Anker’s 3-in-1 Qi2.2 charging station is $95 off
The Beats Powerbeats Pro 2 also come with a $30 gift card.
Billionaire MacKenzie Scott just donated $20 million to support America’s youth mental health, as a fifth of teens struggle with suicidal thoughts
MacKenzie Scott, worth $35.8 billion, just donated a record-breaking gift to the U.S. nonprofit Active Minds to support a “new era of mental health.”
Bungie gives Destiny 2 players a final farewell gift as the game enters maintenance mode
Bungie had one last surprise for Destiny 2 players, and it makes the end of the game even sadder.
Destiny 2 Players Get One Last Surprise from Bungie, Developer Reveals Limited Support Plans
Bungie has given Destiny 2 one last surprise as a farewell gift and revealed its limited support plans for the game.
Small Business Spotlight: Business blooms beyond bouquets
BUSINESS: The Busy Bloom OWNERS: Amanda and Walter Adkins ADDRESS: 708 S. 17th St., Wilmington EMAIL: thebusybloomco@gmail.com WEBSITE: thebusybloomco.com PHONE NUMBER: (910) 742-0790 YEAR FOUNDED: 2024 NO. OF EMPLOYEES: 4 WHAT IS THE BUSY BLOOM? AMANDA ADKINS: “The Busy Bloom is a flower shop with a spin – a creative experience shop located in Wilmington’s Cargo District. Founded in 2024 by husband-and-wife team Amanda and Walter Adkins, we offer fresh flowers, botanical teas, a build-your-own bouquet bar, candle-making experiences, gifts, workshops, wedding florals and event services. Our mission is simple: to make flowers accessible, approachable and enjoyable for everyone – not just for special occasions.” WHY DID YOU START THE BUSINESS? AMANDA ADKINS: “The Busy Bloom was born from a lifelong connection to flowers and a desire to create meaningful experiences for people. After doing my own wedding florals and after years of working in healthcare management, I found myself returning to gardening and floral design as a creative outlet and source of healing. The loss of my mother-in-law, who always shared flowers from her garden, inspired me to pursue floristry full-time. My husband encouraged me and built a small flower cart for us to grow, and fast forward to now, two years later, it has grown into a community-centered business focused on bringing joy, connection and creativity through flowers.” WHAT KIND OF GROWTH ARE YOU HOPING FOR? AMANDA ADKINS: “We’re focused on sustainable growth that allows us to continue serving our community while expanding creative experiences. We hope to grow our wedding and event services, expand our educational workshops and creative programming and become a destination where people can gather, create and connect. We’re also passionate about creating opportunities that showcase floral design as an art form, such as our Fleur Couture fashion show and other community collaborations.” WHAT PAST EXPERIENCE HAVE YOU HAD WITH STARTING/WORKING IN BUSINESS? AMANDA ADKINS: “Before opening The Busy Bloom, I worked as a clinical manager in healthcare and spent years building leadership, operations and customer service skills. I’ve also worked in education and nonprofit programming, teaching people about nature and local ecosystems. Along the way, I designed flowers for weddings and events on the side, gradually turning a passion into a business. Walter has years of welding and construction experience, combined with entrepreneurship and a drive to own his own company. …The Busy Bloom has been a journey of combining creativity with entrepreneurship alongside my husband ... learning every step of the way.”
Labour calls on Farage to ‘come clean’ over £5m gift and work with crime agency over money laundering concerns
Lib Dems tell Reform UK leader ‘the game is up’ as political rivals vow to boycott ‘stunt’ Clacton byelection
London Business School Lands £25M Gift, Matching Its Largest Since 2013
London Business School has received a £25 million gift from David and Molly Pyott to rename its North Building at Sussex Place and fund MBA scholarships.
‘Serious consequences’: Farage attacks Sky News after question about George Cottrell
Reform UK leader confronts journalist after question about gifts from friend and convicted fraudster
Labour asks Electoral Commission to investigate claims Farage broke electoral law by not disclosing gifts
Parliamentary authorities are already looking into a £5m donation to the Reform Uk leader from the crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne
Molasky Family Gift Names Lee Business School's Department of Economics and Real Estate
UNLV’s first named academic department honors the Molasky family’s decades-long connection to the university; reflects investment in students, faculty, and region's future.
Opinion | Trade Uncertainty Is Bad for Business
The Trump administration’s failure to renew the U.S.-Mexico-Canada pact in its current form is a gift to lobbyists and will discourage investment.
Expanding a legacy of leadership: The Dr. Ann E. Nolte Trust gifts over $300K to ISU health sciences
The Department of Health Sciences at Illinois State University has received a generous gift of over $300,000 from the Dr. Ann E. Nolte Trust.
Liverpool gifted golden chance to repeat Mohamed Salah deal
Liverpool have a golden chance to repeat the Mohamed Salah deal. Will they go for it, though?It's easy to forget that Mohamed Salah didn't arrive at Liverpool as a sure thing. The Egyptian had already...
Trump Accounts are now live. Here's how to register.
Billionaire CEO Michael Dell said he and his wife will gift $250 to the first 25 million children who sign up for a Trump Account.
Beyoncé Releases New Song ‘Morning Dew (Donk)’ As Fourth Of July Surprise
Beyoncé is setting off some Independence Day fireworks of her own, releasing a new song called “Morning Dew (Donk)” as a surprise 4th of July gift to fans. Listen to the slow-groove tune below. The so...
BEYONCÉ RELEASES NEW SONG, 'MORNING DEW (DONK)' 4TH OF JULY HOLIDAY SERVES A TREAT FOR HER FANS
/PRNewswire/ -- Beyoncé marks the 4th of July Holiday with a special gift to her fans with the release of "MORNING DEW (DONK)," a new song that also starts a...
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's rehearsal dinner guests leave with special gift boxes featuring wild party favor
Several members of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's inner circle were spotted leaving the couple's rehearsal dinner with mysterious gift boxes in hand.
Trump's new Air Force One: differences, design, cost, photos of inside
Donald Trump flew on the new Air Force One, a luxury jet gifted from Qatar, for the first time. Here's how it compares to the old presidential plane.
Gift From Phil Hochberg ’61 Combines His Passion for Newhouse, Sports and DC
A prominent lawyer, Phil Hochberg is also well-known in Washington, D.C., as a former MLB, NFL and college public address announcer.
Trump ‘excited’ for inaugural flight on Qatari-gifted Air Force One
President Donald Trump shared his excitement for the inaugural flight of the new Air Force One, a luxury jet donated by the government of Qatar, saying the US “couldn’t build a plane like this.”
Appalachian State strikes again on trolling Michigan football program
It's the gift that keeps on giving. Appalachian State trolled the Michigan football program once again for the loss in 2007.
Johns Hopkins Layoffs Reach Carey Business School As Federal Cuts Deepen
JHU is shedding about 110 jobs, Carey School included, just 6 weeks after Carey banked a $50 million gift.
Japan's workplace culture reshaped my expectations of work
Moving to Japan presented challenges in practices like gift-giving and limited sick leave, and reshaped what I expected from work.
Granger family pledges largest gift in history of UM-Health Sparrow
The Granger family has pledged the largest gift in University of Michigan Health-Sparrow history for a new behavioral health hospital.
Project manager says America’s Time Capsule is a ‘gift to the future’
The vessel will move from Washington to Philadelphia starting Friday.
$10 Million Gift to UAB Aims to Improve Rural Health Care Across Alabama
A $10 million gift to the University of Alabama at Birmingham will help train more primary care physicians in rural communities and encourage them to stay and p
Sister’s Gift Represents Transplant First at Sutter Health
Photo caption: Dr. Eric Miller adjusts the image focus on the da Vinci 5 robot as he performs Sutter’s first fully robotic living-donor kidney transplant. | June 2, 2026 Sutter’s California Pacific Medical Center (Sutter’s CPMC) in San Francisco has performed its first fully robotic living-donor kidney transplant, marking a significant milestone for the system’s […]
Buc-ee’s is finally open in Goodyear. A nearby small business prepares for its impact
As Buc-ee’s opens its first Arizona location in Goodyear, a nearby hot sauce manufacturer and gift shop prepares for an influx of tourists and road-trippers while weighing the impact on local business.
Penn LDI and Monogram Health Announce Second Research Partnership
The University of Pennsylvania’s Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and Monogram Health have launched a second research initiative, backed by a $600,000 gift, to improve care for patients…
Farage says £5m gift spending details 'not public's business'
Rival parties have raised concerns over the gift received by the Reform UK leader before he became an MP.
Mark Lewyn: Treasurer’s $8.65 check for the pope reveals the politics of unclaimed money
When Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs met Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, he brought an unusual gift: a check for $8.65. The money came from an old PayPal account that had been turned over to Illinois as unclaimed property before Robert Prevost, an Illinois native, became the pope. The amount
Man accused of embezzling thousands from Gwinn business with gift card scheme
Jonathan A. Barnes was arraigned in Marquette County District Court on one count of embezzlement of $20,000 to $50,000.
Princeton joins powerhouse network for theoretical physics with major gift from the Leinweber Foundation
With this gift, Princeton will become the ninth member of the Leinweber network for theoretical physics, which is focused on advancing curiosity-driven research on the theoretical principles underlying the physical universe.
The surprising science of how fatherhood changes the brain
Recent studies suggest that, like mothers, fathers may undergo a profound shift in their biology and brains in preparation for and response to the responsibilities of parenthood.
10 Father’s Day Gifts For Dad’s Health And Longevity, From A Doctor
Give dad the gift of more time this Father's Day. 10 evidence-based healthy habits and screening tests that can add over a decade to a man's life.
Hope from Science and New Polling on America’s Creed
John West discussed the meaning of equality, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, when it’s obvious that individual humans are not all equally gifted.
Aura's impressive e-ink photo frame doesn't even look digital
What's the most cliche possible gift you can give a relative? A digital photo frame, displaying a rotating slideshow of family photos. Now Aura has
New School of Public Health receives largest donation in WashU history
Andrew (left) and Jane Bursky (right) gifted the School of Public Health $200 million - the largest donation in WashU history (Photo courtesy WashU Bursky School of Public Health) WashU’s new School of Public Health received $200 million, the largest donation in the history of the University, from the Bursky Family Foundation in May. The
Kansas City’s Black-owned businesses court World Cup visitors with a new shopping guide
The hope is that the World Cup, predicted to bring in more prospective shoppers than Kansas City has ever seen at once, jumpstarts long-term growth.
Science Center to Become Zimmer Hall
Harvard will rename the building following a $100 million gift from Stuart Zimmer ’91.
HHS’ Office for Civil Rights Settles Ransomware Investigation with Health Plan
HHS, Office for Civil Rights (OCR) today announced a settlement with Spencer Gifts LLC Flexible Benefits and Welfare Benefit Plans.
Bronco Women’s Sports Programs Gifted $30K from Maddyn Homes Matching Gift Initiative
Bronco Women's Sports Gifted $30K from Maddyn Homes Matching Gift Initiative EmpowHER Play fuels the future of female athletes at Boise State and beyond
Pokémon News Weekly Roundup: Champions Free Gifts, Worlds Promos and PokémonXP Reveals
Welcome to your ‘other’ Pokémon News Weekly Round Up, volume 1! Each week I’ll round up the best Pokémon news (that isn’t Pokémon GO related) from around the globe and other games, and share it here. Pokémon Champions kicks off the Monthly Challenge Series starting with June 2026! This competition takes place Friday, June 26, […]
$25 million ‘anonymous’ gift to build multipurpose science facility at Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University said Wednesday that “anonymous” donors have given the school $25 million to build “a bold new hub of innovation and discovery.”
Memories of Catamount sports glory days lead to $100K gift to WCU ath
Memories of attending Western Carolina University during the glory days of Catamount sports inspired a retired furniture corporation executive and his wife, already longtime supporters of the institut
Newsom sees Trump DOJ investigation as a political gift
An investigation by the Department of Justice (DOJ) could have put California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on defense. Instead, it is giving Newsom, seen as a leading Democratic White House contender…
Despite claims of financial troubles, Newark wants to gift outgoing councilman lifetime health benefits
The Newark City Council wants to reward retiring City Councilman Carlos Gonzalez with lifetime health benefits in appreciation for his “long and faithful
MSU announces naming of Greene College of Science & Engineering, cementing eastern Kentucky family legacy
Morehead State University is honored to announce the naming of the Greene College of Science & Engineering in recognition of a significant and generous gift from Drs. Randy (Class of 1967) and Judy Greene. Approved by the MSU Board of Regents at the meeting on June 12, the college naming will take effect on July 1. A formal recognition and transition will occur later in the year. To learn more about the College of Science & Engineering and its programs, email dsci@moreheadstate.edu or call 606-783-2626. For more information on the Greene Family Scholarship Endowment, or to establish your own, contact MSU’s Office of Alumni Relations & Development at 606-783-2033 or email giving@moreheadstate.edu.
Chicago teen entrepreneur to have pet treats sold at Obama Presidential Center gift shop
Can Iraola release the real Wirtz?
Florian Wirtz arrived at Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen last summer amid great fanfare in a then-British record £116m deal - but remained an enigma as he fell far short of expectations. Liverpool still have huge hopes for a gifted attacking player who has only just turned 23, which means one of Andoni Iraola's main tasks is to find a settled position for the German to release the talent he demonstrated before moving to Anfield. This is why Iraola will have been intrigued by what he saw from Wirtz in Germany's 7-1 win against Curacao in their opening World Cup game.
14 Healthy Father’s Day Gifts Dad Will Actually Use
Looking for healthy Father’s Day gifts? From walking shoes to sleep-friendly gadgets, these 14 ideas can help support your dad’s health.
'Best, worst and only Deadhead store' in French Quarter holds closing sale as construction drags on
Dead on Decatur, the Grateful Dead-themed handicrafts and gift shop in New Orleans' French Quarter, will close its Decatur Street storefront at the end of June, with owners citing the impact of a months-long Sewerage & Water Board infrastructure project. The closure follows the recent departures of Cafe Sbisa and Michelin-recognized LUFU NOLA from the corridor.
Big money is pouring into South Florida health systems. What it means for patients
Just weeks ago, Baptist Health South Florida announced the largest single philanthropic gift in the organization’s 66-year history.
CMS creates office dedicated to health technology
The Office of Health Technology and Products is the latest technology development from the CMS as it doubles down on digital tools.
Nearly a dozen kids gifted shopping spree at Academy Sports + Outdoors
Farage suddenly returns to political stage – but dodges questions about £5m gift
Reform UK leader has been unusually quiet in recent weeks – at great cost to the party during a crucial byelection
Valve kills its retail gift card program due to scammers
Move also cuts off a massive market of legit users who buy cards with physical cash.
Valve is phasing out physical Steam gift cards due to scammers
Valve says “scammers have adapted.”
Valve Is Killing Physical Steam Gift Cards In A Bid To Combat 'Scammers'
According to Valve, Steam gift card scams have become such an issue for the platform that its made the 'difficult' decision to discontinue their physical sales altogether
Physical Steam gift cards are being ended by Valve because scammers keep using them to trick people
Valve is making a major change to Steam gift cards by completely getting rid of the physical option.
Reform deputy says ‘not aware’ of more financial gifts but unable to check all members
Richard Tice grilled at first party press conference since £5m gift to Nigel Farage from crypto billionaire revealed
"Scammers have adapted": Valve confirms that physical Steam Gift Cards are dead. Once the current stocks are sold through, they're done.
Valve's Steam Gift Cards have been a staple in major retailers throughout the world for quite some time. But today, the firm confirmed they're being phased out.
Steelers gift Joey Porter Jr. all the leverage
Joey Porter Jr.’s price may have climbed after Pittsburgh set a costly internal benchmark with Nick Herbig’s extension.
London Business School Lands £15M Gift From Alumni Couple
Anjuli and Raj Rao's transformational donation creates an endowed chair, a scholarship fund & LBS's first-ever endowed research fund.
$1.5M Gift Establishes the Chase-Bear-Dyer Advanced Triage Unit at UConn Health and the Chase-Bear-Dyer Family Classroom at the UConn School of Law
The gift will expand the emergency care department at UConn Health and enhance learning spaces for School of Law students
30 Graduation Gift Ideas
Whether the grad you have in mind is completing 8th, 12th, or beyond….whether you want to buy a small token or something significant…you’ll find a graduation gift pick below. It’s often hard to think of a great graduation gift. Sometimes you just want to give a token to show that you’re proud, and sometimes graduation […]
UPS CEO’s $20M Gift Expands Full-Ride Scholars Program To University Of Wyoming Business School
UW alumni Carol and Ramon Tomé’s new gift will fund full-ride scholarships, expand applied learning, and launch a business-focused scholars program in 2027.
How an Española cleaner became New Mexico’s top small business owner
Performance Maintenance Inc. started as a side gig for Eric and Celina Quintana to afford Christmas gifts for their sons more than 30 years ago. Now, its an award-winning family business employing over 200 people and serving one of the state's major laboratories.
Haslam College Of Business To Receive Bulk Of The Largest Gift In U Of Tennessee History
Cleveland Browns owners give back to Knoxville in a big way, with $100M going directly to the B-school that bears their name.
UW School of Medicine receives major donation for new scholarship
A gift from the Franke family will help cover half of tuition for about 30 UW medical students.
$13 Million Gift Creates Cedars-Sinai Holoman Health Equity
Learn more about the $13 million donation from Eric and Terri Holoman to Cedars-Sinai that will seek solutions to systemic lapses in equitable healthcare.
Collier gift funds new Columbia business reporting program
Nathan S. Collier’s $2.4M gift will fund a new Columbia Journalism School program to train journalists in business reporting through a weeklong seminar.
Cubs CF Pete Crow-Armstrong loses ball in lights to gift A's inside-the-park HR, then finds redemption with walk-off
The Cubs standout posted a rare defensive gaffe, a homer and a walk-off single.
The Vikings Receive an Early Gift for Week 1
For only the third time in 66 years, the Minnesota Vikings will play the Green Bay Packers to start the […]
Rubio torches Democrat after bizarre hearing questions about his shoes: 'Is this a circus?'
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing "a circus" after Democratic California Rep. Sara Jacobs questioned him about shoes gifted by Trump.
The Knicks Represent the Best of New York Sports
An ode from a long-suffering fan
SGMC Health Foundation Receives Transformative Gift from Stalvey Family for Women & Infants Center
The SGMC Health Foundation announces a generous donation from the Stalvey family, owners of Ace Electric, Inc., in support of its Women & Infants Center.
Why Anna Faris thought she'd never do another 'Scary Movie': 'A concession of my soul'
Anna Faris never thought she'd return to the 'Scary Movie' franchise, fearing 'a concession of my soul.' Now, she tells EW that coming back as Cindy Campbell after 20 years has been a 'huge gift.'
TAHOE FUND AND BARTON HEALTH LAUNCH $25,000 MATCH FOR THE MARSH CAMPAIGN
250 donors can help unlock a $25,000 matching gift from Barton Health for the Upper Truckee Marsh The Tahoe Fund and Barton Health have launched an exciting new fundraising campaign to help restore the Upper Truckee Marsh South in South Lake Tahoe—the former site of the Motel 6 property. If 250 community members donate $50 […]
Science reveals the one simple habit that keeps couples together for life
You probably did something small for your partner today. Maybe you made coffee before they woke up, or handled an errand they forgot about. And chances are, it went completely unnoticed. We tend to assume that love is sustained by grand gestures – the vacations, the surprise gifts, the big declarations. But what if the...
Perplexity gifts Mac Minis in push for Personal Computer tool
Perplexity is sending out Mac Minis for people to test its new Personal Computer technology with.
Where's Ma Keys: Meet the pupils running their own business in school
Their company, called Where's Ma Keys, makes and sells gifts, key-rings and sensory items.
CAMC Foundation announces $5 Million gift for Vandalia Health Neuroscience Institute
The new facility is expected to open in Fall 2027
Longtime retailer closes, entertainment center expansion coming soon at Wind Creek outlets
General Store, offering a wide array of gifts, greeting cards, holiday decor and more, closed this past weekend at The Outlets at Wind Creek Bethlehem.
$1 million gift will support business students at La Salle University
The gift will assist students through two connected components: scholarships and financial aid and experiential learning and internship support.
New graduate makes philanthropic gift to Penn State Smeal College of Business
Palmer Moore, who recently graduated with a degree in finance from the Penn State Smeal College of Business, recently made a gift to benefit two programs that contributed to his success: the Sapphire Leadership Academic Program and the Center for Business Ethics and Social Responsibility. Palmer was a member of the centers' Business Ethics Team.
Celebrate the DIV Anniversary
Celebrate Diablo IV’s 3rd anniversary with resplendent free gifts, March of the Goblins, Mother’s Blessing, and more.
Gift expands undergrad research opportunities in wildlife and fisheries science
Paul and Jane Miller, through a six-figure pledge, have created the Paul and Jane Miller Undergraduate Research Fund in the College of Agricultural Sciences' Department of Ecosystem Science and Management. With the goal of seeing their philanthropy in action, the Millers have also committed to a five-year, $25,000 pledge to early activate their research endowment.
Veteran-owned business gifting custom fishing rods to Gold Star families
Matt Moore, a veteran and owner of Hellbender Outfitters in Elizabethton is giving back to families with lost U.S. service members.
Reform MP refuses to say whether Farage should produce evidence for Russian hack claim
Danny Kruger says matter is ‘private’, after party leader claimed hack was behind Guardian story about £5m gift
The Bites and Boutiques of Bellevue's Historic Business District
Take a walk down Fairfield Avenue for vintage finds, sweet eats, and other gifts and goodies.
Farage under mounting pressure to prove Russian hack claim
Reform UK leader claims ‘counter-espionage experts’ suggest state-sponsored hackers are behind the disclosure of £5m gift
$1.75 million gift will allow Kent State to expand health outreach
The $1.75 million gift will provide funding for the college’s community health and outreach programs such as the Mobile Flashes program.
Alexandria Launches Duke Street Land Use Plan Business Passport Program
The customer who visits the most unique businesses will be eligible for a $100 gift certificate to a participating business of their choice.
Bond breakout? Big effects of bad data. Immigration and thermostatic politics & dad-chat is coming for dad-books.
Thank you for opening your Chartbook email. Anna Airy, A Shell Forge at a National Projectile Factory, Hackney Marshes, London, 1918 Bond breakout - John Authers Across the developed markets, bond markets are staging a slow-motion car wreck. Looking at the drastic moves in the US, Japan, the UK and France, Barclays’ Ajay Rajadhyaksha commented: “Last week, long bonds broke. Not in one country. In all of them. Simultaneously. Four countries. Four different political systems. Four different central banks. But the same trade — “get me out of duration!”” Each country has its own contributing political problems, but the uniformity of the shift out of long-term bonds with high duration makes clear that something broader is afoot. For Rajadhyaksha, it is “simple and uncomfortable.” The developed world “has too much debt, too little fiscal discipline, and no political appetite for fixing either.” If there’s a trigger, it has been the Iran war and the resulting shock to oil supply. Source: Bloomberg G7 countries are now borrowing at rates that were enjoyed by EM in the early 2020s For contributing subscribers only. Subscribe Trade between China and Russia has grown in recent years For contributing subscribers only. Subscribe Big effects of bad data A decade ago nearly nine in ten Americans, when approached, agreed to fill out the Current Population Survey, which is administered to about 60,000 households each month and asks about, among other things, employment. Fewer than seven in ten do so now (see chart 1). For the Consumer Expenditure Survey, which tries to capture 3,700 households monthly, the response rate is down from 68% to 40%. … When the information becomes less reliable, investment decisions get more difficult to make. Some may be delayed, creating a potential drag on the economy. A new working paper by Nicholas Bloom of Stanford University, Erica Groshen, former head of the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) now at Cornell University, and Duncan Hobbs and Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute, a think-tank, hazards an estimate. Preserving trust in “the integrity and quality of official statistics”, the authors claim, generates economic benefits of about $25 for every $1 spent on the BLS, the agency with an annual budget of $700m that is responsible for many of these data. To arrive at their conclusion the quartet analysed an ignoble episode in the BLS’s recent history. On August 1st 2025 Donald Trump sacked Erika McEntarfer, appointed as the agency’s commissioner by his predecessor, Joe Biden. The president alleged, without evidence, that the BLS’s steep downward revision to recent jobs numbers had been “RIGGED in order to make the Republicans, and ME, look bad”. In fact, it was the wanton dismissal that looked bad in the eyes of many observers. In the following seven days there was a 50% leap, relative to the week before, in the average value of the index of Economic Policy Uncertainty (EPU), which tracks the number of articles mentioning such uncertainty that are published daily in American newspapers. This was a discernible jump even when compared to the chaos caused by Mr Trump’s trade war in April 2025 and his real one in Iran in the past two months (see chart 2). Based on Mr Bloom’s earlier study with other colleagues of the EPU’s impact on business investment, industrial production and employment, the authors estimate that the jump reduced American GDP by over $100bn (0.3%) and non-farm payrolls by 168,000 (0.1%). Source: The Economist Immigration and thermostatic politics (Sarah O’Connor in the FT) A strange thing happened a year and a half ago. No sooner had Americans elected Donald Trump as president on an explicitly anti-immigration platform than US public opinion began to swing much more favourably towards immigration. … to political scientists who study “thermostatic” politics, this development is no surprise at all. Public opinion often moves against the prevailing party, especially if they are perceived to have gone “too far” in one direction. The phenomenon was first explored in the 1990s with reference to fiscal policy, but in recent years it has been particularly evident in the realm of immigration policy. While these swings in opinion polls can make it seem as if people don’t know their own minds, they can be a useful democratic check on governments by sending bright flashing warning lights when policies stray too far from the public’s comfort zone. The problem comes when politicians misinterpret those signals. When people tell pollsters they want less immigration, or think it is bad for the country overall (or the converse), they are often expressing an opinion about how things appear to be going in that moment relative to their preferences, rather than a deep shift in their underlying views. According to Alexander Kustov, a political scientist, most Americans’ views are quite stable and moderate: they support immigration that is controlled and in the national interest, and oppose flows that are disorderly or under-enforced. In the US, he argues the Trump administration over-interpreted dissatisfaction with high immigration under Joe Biden, and implemented policies that went too far for many voters. “People don’t necessarily change their idea about their ideal immigration policy, but they can react to what the government is currently doing,” he told me. “A lot of people are not happy with what the Trump administration are doing — right now we’re not talking about border enforcement, we’re talking about people not just getting harassed, but killed.” But similarly, he added, pro-immigration advocates would be making a mistake to interpret the recent, more favourable swing towards immigration as a deep-seated ideological shift in attitudes. The recent history of UK immigration policy offers another cautionary tale. After the 2016 Brexit referendum, public concern about immigration fell. This was partly because net migration statistics declined, but also because people felt a sense of catharsis and control, says Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, a think-tank. By 2019, the public ranked immigration as only the ninth biggest issue of concern, according to Ipsos polling. But when the Conservative government liberalised visa routes for students and care workers between 2019 and 2022, that helped net migration to surge. And so, too, did public concern. Today’s Labour government has implemented another sharply restrictive turn in immigration policy. As Kustov and researcher Caitlyn Yates argue, thermostatic public opinion should be a useful check on politicians. Instead it seems to have helped to magnify the pendulum swing in the UK. The government over-interprets and overreacts to a change in public opinion, which reacts in turn, prompting a sudden swing the other way. Source: Financial Times HEY READERS, THANK YOU for opening the Chartbook email. I hope it brightens your day. I enjoy putting out the newsletter, but tbh, what keeps this flow going is the generosity of those readers who clicked the subscription button. If you are persuaded to click, please consider the annual subscription of $50. It is both better value for you and a much better deal for me, as it involves only one credit card charge. Why feed the payments companies if we don’t have to. Subscribe Anna Airy, Shop for Machining 15-Inch Shells: Singer Manufacturing Company, Clydebank, Glasgow, 1918 Racing for a vaccine … we have been here before! The deadly Ebola outbreak in two African countries driven by a virus species with no vaccine has triggered an urgent search for a potential jab, in a test of troubled global efforts to avert threats posed by emerging diseases. A World Health Organization advisory group is due to would meet on Tuesday to recommend candidate jabs to prioritise for clinical trials, the global health body said. It will assess data including an analysis by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi), which was set up after failures in the international response to a previous Ebola crisis. The latest Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has infected hundreds of people and killed more than 80, health authorities say. Cepi’s reaction will be a crucial indicator of its progress towards its wider goal of producing vaccines for pandemic threats in just 100 days, despite steep cuts to international health funding. “If there was ever a time that we could show the world why Cepi is needed and show the world why the 100-day mission is needed, it’s now,” Nicole Lurie, the organisation’s executive director for preparedness and response, told the FT. “We’re happy to accept that responsibility, but obviously we need help from partners — particularly financial help in the long run.” DR Congo and Uganda would make the final decision on whether to press ahead with any vaccine candidates endorsed for clinical trials by the WHO experts, the global health body said. “Other ethical and community acceptability issues will be considered,” said the WHO, which declared the latest outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday. “This will be important to make sure that the trial, if it happens, will be adequately communicated to the population.” Lurie said Cepi had provided information from a survey of research teams and companies working on drugs that might be effective against the Bundibugyo virus behind the outbreak. The organisation hoped soon to announce partners in the quest for a jab, she added, although she declined to give a timescale for when one might be developed. Cepi’s Nicole Laurie said global health bodies were ‘getting some live-fire drills’ with hantavirus and the latest Ebola outbreak. The hunt for a vaccine should be helped by scientific advances including the use of artificial intelligence to find drugs active against viruses, Lurie said. Existing jabs against the Zaire Ebola virus responsible for many previous outbreaks might provide a basis for tackling the Bundibugyo species, she added. “We’ll see how far and how fast we can get,” Lurie said, adding that Cepi had done preliminary work recently on a possible jab for the rat-borne hantavirus responsible for a recent fatal outbreak on a cruise ship. “Both with hantavirus and now with Ebola, [we] are getting some live-fire drills.” Source: Michael Peel in the Financial Times Dad-chat is coming for dad-books. (By Pamela Paul and Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg in the WSJ) They were the go-to gifts for Father’s Day: a book about some little-known chapter of World War II, the sweeping narrative of a shipwreck, perhaps the latest presidential biography. These days, dad books are a dying breed. Nonfiction book sales have been in decline for the past four years, and are now the most challenged segment of the print book market. Publishers say certain types of books still fare well—including celebrity memoirs and religious titles. But in recent years, print sales in such categories as biography, current affairs and business and economics—what publishers refer to as “serious nonfiction” and which tend to resonate especially with men—have fallen considerably. Sales of nonfiction print titles were down nearly 8% through May 9 this year, and sales of books about politics and current affairs were down 19%, according to book tracker Circana BookScan. Publishing has long been subject to cyclical changes, with trends in format and genre taking over bookshelves in grand sweeps. (Remember the adult coloring-book craze? Or the stratospheric rise of romantasy?) But many in publishing believe the decline in serious nonfiction is more existential. “The trend couldn’t be clearer,” said Jonathan Karp, the former chief executive of Simon & Schuster and publisher of the new Simon Six imprint. “This is a sea change and people should wake up and realize we’re living in a new world.” One culprit for the shift: a new media diet for fans of more serious nonfiction. … Sixty-two percent of men and 54% of women consumed a podcast in the prior month, according to a recent survey by Edison Research at SSRS, up from 46% and 39%, respectively, in 2023. “When we have internal meetings to talk about this problem, it always comes around to podcasts,” said Jonathan Burnham, president and publisher of the Harper Group at HarperCollins Publishers. “The man who wants to read American history is now tuning into one of the many good podcasts about history that lends the quiet attention to a serious subject he’s looking for. It makes the idea of sitting down with a 700-page Ron Chernow book less appealing. You’ve scratched that itch.” Source: Wall Street Journal Remarkable report by Novara from the nationalist rally in London in mid May. Anna Airy, Leopard Moth and Plums, 1915 If you’ve scrolled this far, you know you want to click: Subscribe
UW-Madison Science Hall receives gift
After receiving a large donation, UW-Madison's Science Hall will undergo a major renovation after receiving a large donation.
Iconic UW–Madison Science Hall to get major makeover thanks to $85.2M donation
MADISON (WKOW) — The University of Wisconsin–Madison will renovate its historic Science Hall starting in 2027 thanks to an $85.2 million gift from alumni John and Tashia Morgridge.