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Medicare opens door to covering blockbuster drugs for weight loss
Some Medicare enrollees may soon be able to access super-popular drugs for obesity under a voluntary model program, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Tuesday. Eligible beneficiaries will only have to pay $50 a month.
In Memoriam: Remembering those in politics, culture and media who died in 2025
Meet the Press NOW looks back at the icons in politics, culture and media who we lost in 2025.
Bengals Dominate Dolphins, 45-21 in Miami: OBI podcast
The Bengals had a big bounce-back win against the Dolphins on Sunday.
Southern Californians, your health insurance costs could rise in 2026
Covered California warns that some people may be at risk of dropping their health insurance. It all comes as the deadline to enroll nears.
The best DirecTV deals: Save on entertainment, sports, news, and more
The best DirecTV deals offer discounts on everything from budget genre packs to pricier signature plans.
GOP Rep. Harriet Hageman launches Senate run in Wyoming
Hageman is looking to replace retiring Republican Sen. Cynthia Lummis, and touted her support for Trump's agenda in her campaign launch video.
Michigan Matters: An anniversary at The Henry Ford, and looking back at politics in 2025
The disunity of science is a feature, not a bug
Mathematical models wield miraculous power, but mistaking them for reality has trapped science in a destructive quest for a “Theory of Everything.” Physicist and philosopher Ragner Fjelland argues that this leads to bloated, Frankenstein theories kept alive by clumsy, ad-hoc amendments, which reduce rather than boost science’s power. Fjelland calls for a radical shift in our attitude: we must reorientate towards creating entirely new theories, celebrating rather than lamenting disunity and diversity in science. Science, from the scientific revolution in the seventeenth century to the present day, has more or less developed in a “reductionist” way. The fundamental assumption is that all sciences may be ordered in a hierarchy that can be represented as an upside-down pyramid. At the top we find the human sciences, and at the bottom physics. Strong (or “ontological”) reductionism maintains that all theories at one level can be completely reduced to the lower level, all the way down to theories of atoms and elementary particles, or whatever is “at the bottom.” In the end, all diversity in the world can be unified in one fundamental theory. Hence it is called a final theory, or a Theory of Everything.One of the central figures in developing the idea of a Theory of Everything is the Dutch theoretical physicist Gerard 't Hooft, who received a Nobel Prize in physics in 1999 for his work. He emphasizes the non-empirical status of the theory:There exists no closely resembling alternative theory. This means that any slight change brought about in the rules would make the theory unlikely or inelegant. The theory will be a "package deal": take it, or leave it. This should hold both for the local laws and for the boundary conditions.This endeavor is not new. On the contrary, it goes all the way back to the birth of Western philosophy 2,500 years ago. The Babylonians made regular astronomical observations during a period of 600 years, from 747 BCE until 150 ACE. They developed mathematical techniques to predict astronomical phenomena, but they made no attempts at explaining them. However, the Greeks developed models, both material and theoretical, to explain the observed phenomena.The best example is Plato’s late dialogue Timaeus. Here he introduces a divine craftsman, the Demiurge, who has constructed the universe according to an original plan. Plato seems to have thought that the original plan is what is actually real, while the material world is merely an imperfect realization of it. He therefore does not, in the Timaeus, reconstruct the material universe, but the original plan, which can then be used to explain the material universe.Plato’s aim in producing a theoretical model is to reconstruct the original plan. That is what he carries out in Timaeus—and some modern physicists have embarked on the same project. For example, Einstein’s basic attitude is reflected in the title of Abraham Pais’ biography: “Subtle is the Lord...,” echoing Einstein’s comment, “Subtle is the Lord, but malicious He is not.” In an interview Einstein compared our situation to a child who enters a huge library. The child knows that someone has written the books, but he does not know the languages in which they are written. He suspects that there is a mysterious order, but he does not know what it is.___“We have all been working in what Husserl called the Galilean style; that is, we have all been making abstract mathematical models of the universe to which at least the physicists give a higher degree of reality than they accord the ordinary world of sensation.”Steven Weinberg, Nobel Prize in Physics (1979)___This Platonist view is contrary to a widespread impression of science, symbolized by the picture of the “father” of modern science, Galileo Galilei, with his telescope. According to this impression, Galileo liberated himself from the dominating metaphysics of his day—basically Aristotelian philosophy—and constructed a telescope that he directed towards the sky, showing that Jupiter has four moons. He also performed experiments with bronze balls rolling down inclined planes and found the law of freely falling bodies.However, in other cases Galileo emphasized the unreliability of our senses. It is easy to see why. He defended Copernicus’ heliocentric hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, we are not at rest at the center of the universe, but moving at a tremendous speed through space. Why don’t we observe this motion? Galileo praises Copernicus because “with reason as his guide he resolutely continued to affirm what sensible experience seemed to contradict.” In other places he directly refers to Plato. SUGGESTED VIEWING The quest for a final theory With Michio Kaku Galileo’s Platonism goes back to his early writings. In The Assayer, published as early as 1623, Galileo compared the universe to a grand book that is written in the language of mathematics, and “its characters are triangles, circles, and other geometric figures without which it is humanly impossible to understand a single word of it.” Therefore, things that cannot be described by mathematics—for example, colors, smells and odors—are not real. They are merely subjective.This division into subjective and objective, advocated by Galileo and his younger contemporary René Descartes, is normally associated with a mechanistic world view, which is regarded as the opposite of Platonism. When we reduce something to, for example, molecules and atoms, we move “downwards.” In contrast, the Platonist moves “upwards,” to abstract entities. However, it only shows that when we address fundamental questions, we should be careful in applying everyday spatial metaphors like “up” and “down.”___Nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world.___The endeavor of finding a Theory of Everything has been heavily criticized. In 2006, the theoretical physicist Lee Smolin published “The Crisis in Fundamental Physics.” He argued that one of the most fundamental principles of science is that we should only regard theories as scientific if we have the possibility to show that they are false by experiments. Although he did not refer to Karl Popper, other critics have referred to Popper and argued that a theory is not scientific if it cannot be falsified (see for example Ellis & Silk 2014).These were not the first physicists to be anti-reductionists. In 1972, the journal Science published an article by the physicist Philip Anderson with the title “More Is Different.” This is the kind of article a scientist would normally write only after he has won a Nobel Prize. However, Anderson won the Nobel Prize for physics five years later, in 1977. The article is amazing, not primarily because it argues in favor of anti-reductionism in general, but because it argues for anti-reductionism within physics itself. Anderson’s conclusion was:At each stage entirely new laws, concepts, and generalizations are necessary, requiring inspiration and creativity to just as great a degree as in the previous one. Psychology is not applied biology, nor is biology applied chemistry.We may say that Plato started the “unity of science movement,” based on Euclidean geometry as the model of all knowledge. A distinguishing mark of geometry is that all possible constructions can be reduced to a few fundamental principles. We have to acknowledge that this approach has limitations. In general, we can easily model technological systems. In addition, we may construct simplified and idealized models that capture important aspects of systems, from various perspectives and for various purposes. But nature is complex, and we cannot in general construct mathematical models that adequately describe the world. In a complex system, each level has its distinct, emergent, properties that are characteristic of this level. Therefore, a complex system should be investigated at different levels and from different perspectives. Instead of exclusively pursuing a scientific ideal based on the unity of science, we should acknowledge the diversity—or even the disunity—of science.
From the Texas Legislature: 5 big moves that shaped your life this year
Decisions in Austin reset taxes, schools, gaming and the balance of power across the state.
How America’s Health Care System Broke in 2025
2025 exposed the consequences of political interference, rising costs, workforce strain, and unregulated AI.
'Call of Duty' co-creator Vince Zampella dead at 55
Zampella also founded Respawn Entertainment, which created hits like " Titanfall." He was a leader at DICE, of "Battlefield" fame.
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4750-4762: See You on the Other Side of the Sun
Written by Lucy Thompson, Planetary Scientist and APXS team member, University of New Brunswick, Canada
Roman Henry named Sports Illustrated National Player of the Week
Henry has scored 155 points in his first 6 games
10 things to watch for 2026: From the Politics Desk
The political storylines that will shape Washington and beyond in the new year.
Twin Cities exercise business mogul Dick Enrico dies at 85
Dick Enrico, the man behind 2nd Wind Exercise Equipment, died earlier this month. He was 85 years old.
Scientists claim 'Lucy' may not be our direct ancestor after all, stoking fierce debate
Recent fossil finds could mean that "Lucy" wasn't our direct ancestor, some scientists say. Others strongly disagree.
These 50+ Houston scientists rank among world’s most cited
Fifty-one scientists and professors from Houston-area universities and institutions were named among the most cited in the world for their research in medicine, materials sciences and an array of other fields.
Gender Politics and the Weaponization of Personal Data
Katelyn Ringrose, CJ Larkin, Os Keyes, and Jay T. Conrad explain how federal policies are weaponizing data to target transgender and gender diverse communities.
This Louisiana 20 year old turned four years in a hospital into a business idea
Hunter Henry received a heart transplant in 2021. Four years later he owns his own business, inspired by his time eating hospital food.
This cancer-fighting molecule took 50 years to build
MIT scientists have achieved the first-ever lab synthesis of verticillin A, a complex fungal compound discovered in 1970. Its delicate structure stalled chemists for decades, despite differing from related molecules by only two atoms. With the synthesis finally complete, researchers created new variants that showed strong activity against a rare pediatric brain cancer. The breakthrough could unlock an entire class of previously unreachable cancer-fighting molecules.
Kennesaw State senior earns national scholarship from CVS Health
As her journey at Kennesaw State University nears completion, senior Anna Spruill will end her penultimate semester on a high note after being awarded a scholarship from the National Retail Federation Foundation (NRF).
The Metadata Mission: How the ARC Project's Legacy Enriches Earth Science Data
The Analysis and Review of the Common Metadata Repository (ARC) project is transitioning to ESDIS management and will continue to ensure that NASA’s Earth observation metadata records are correct, complete, and consistent.
Comptroller Auditing Troubled Health Benefits Fund for City Workers
In audio obtained by THE CITY, District Council 37 executive director Henry Garrido railed against the Comptroller’s probe as “outrageous,” “unprecedented” and a “political stunt.”
University of Nevada faculty research black hole binary systems
Faculty, grad students at the University of Nevada, Reno, studying brightness of black hole jets
Week 16 Instant Reactions: December Derrick Henry shows up for fantasy football, but Drake Maye has final word
Sound Smart: 7 Observations from the NFL in Week 16
Who's the Super Bowl favorite? Are the Bears for real? Are the Jaguars? Henry McKenna offers a big-picture look at Week 16.
NFL DFS picks, Ravens vs. Patriots: Daily Fantasy lineup advice for 'Sunday Night Football'
Daily Fantasy multimillionaire Mike McClure reveals his daily Fantasy football picks for Baltimore vs. New England on 'SNF'
Best space board games to play this Christmas
Enjoy some out-of-this-world fun this Christmas with my selection of the best space board games available right now.
NH's Business: Tackling unresolved issues in NH heading into 2026
Fred Kocher sits down with Matt Mowry with Business NH Magazine and Mike Cote with the New Hampshire Business Review to talk about key issues across the state heading into the new year.
Top Eugene-Springfield high school fall sports moments of 2025
From walk-off wins to dominant state championship performances, athletes from Lane County made the 2025 fall sports season one to remember.
Commentary: She went to jail for Trump's Big Lie. He's trying to get her sprung
The president issued a symbolic and meaningless 'pardon' for Tina Peters, who was convicted on seven criminal counts tied to Trump's Big Lie about a stolen 2020 election. She remains unrepentant.
Derrick Henry explains the secret behind Mike Vrabel’s success
Who better than Derrick Henry to explain what makes Mike Vrabel as good as he is?
Blackburn's pink slip is a lump of coal from Rams
Up 30-14, everything wrapped in a bow – a punt return, a missed field goal, an overtime dagger. By sunrise, the only gift left for Chase Blackburn was a pink slip.
Trump endorses Bruce Blakeman in New York governor race after Elise Stefanik drops bid
Blakeman became Stefanik's first notable challenger after entering the primary earlier this month.
Toilet rats? Washington health officials warn of possible rodents in sewer systems after floods
The rodent advisory comes after Washington was hit with devastating floods this month.
Practical Theatre Company's new revue at Studio5 sends up politics, pop culture
Victoria Zielinski, Paul Barrosse and Dana Olsen in a scene from their new show Quick! Before We're Cancelled!!! Question: What do Abigail Adams, the pope
NC native transforms passion into nationwide small business creating custom wood and acrylic gifts
Donna Clayton's living room now doubles as a home office, transformed to house her 1,000-pound laser cutter.
NC native transforms passion into national business creating custom wood and acrylic gifts
Donna Clayton's living room now doubles as a home office, transformed to house her 1,000-pound laser cutter.
Congress leaves town until 2026 with no health care deal, forcing premium hikes
Four Republicans teamed up with Democrats to require a vote to revive ACA funds in early 2026. But Senate Republicans tell NBC News that bill is dead on arrival across the Capitol.
4-H Youth Explore Future STEM Careers at UW–Madison Science Expedition - KFIZ News-Talk 1450 AM
On November 5, 2025, thirty-three 4-H members from Fond du Lac, Ozaukee, and Washington counties kicked off their day before sunrise—boarding a bus to UW–Madison for the first annual Tri-County […]
Trump hits the road in his campaign to change perceptions of the economy
The president's speech in North Carolina included lengthy asides that had little to do with the core message the White House is trying to push about his economic agenda.
Blackstone business seeks city relief from streetcar construction impacts
A Blackstone District business owner is asking city officials for financial relief after reporting significant revenue losses during streetcar construction on Farnam Street.
3 Trump interview takeaways: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Americans' sports gambling concerns.
Washington West African Center to host community health fair
The center, along with local health departments, will provide health insurance enrollment assistance, free vaccines and other health services.
Henry Ford Health reaches contract with Rochester hospital nurses, radiology techs
Here's Your Entertainment Round Up for the Long Holiday Break
Wether you want a big blockbuster or you'd rather curl up at home with a classic, Fandango's Nikki Novak stops by TODAY with a list of the best movies to watch over the long holiday break.
Another big Oregon clinic surprises patients by dropping women’s care services
Patients say the closure disrupts pregnancy care and limits local access to women’s health services in the Corvallis area.
Safey Holiday Travel Tips - Richmond City Health Department
As you and your family prepare to travel during the holiday season, Richmond and Henrico Health District (RHHD) remind you to take important steps now to keep you and your […]
EXCLUSIVE: James Van Der Beek Reacts to Concern Over His Appearance on 'Dawson's Creek' Reunion
The actor, who is being treated for colorectal cancer, said the weight he lost did not have to do with his cancer.
Lauryn Massic defines her future in public health science
UNR Med Ph.D. candidate, Lauryn Massic M.S., is engaged in work around antimicrobial resistance, genetics and infectious disease. She's also a student-athlete.
Nurse failed to provide CPR to unresponsive Hilltop Healthcare resident, health department finds
The resident’s wishes were for resuscitation and life-sustaining efforts to be offered if found with no pulse or not breathing.
Trump not ruling out war with Venezuela
In an exclusive phone interview with NBC News, Trump talked about his offensive against Venezuela, his plan for health care and his outlook for the midterm elections.
Poll: Americans fear sports betting is threatening the integrity of games
In the NBC News Decision Desk Poll, 70% of respondents said betting is harming sports' integrity, and 63% worry about the potential for games to be rigged.
National Rural Health Day energizes health care
On Nov. 20, the Nevada State Office of Rural Health hosted National Rural Health Day (NRHD)
The Best Co-Op Games Of 2025 According To Metacritic
Between Borderlands 4, Battlefield 6, and Split Fiction, the co-op game genre was firing on all cylinders in 2025.
The nation’s cartoonists on the week in politics
Every week political cartoonists throughout the country and across the political spectrum apply their ink-stained skills to capture the foibles, memes, hypocrisies and other head-slapping events in the world of politics. The fruits of these labors are hundreds of cartoons that entertain and enrage readers of all political stripes. Here's an offering of the best of this week's crop, picked fresh off the Toonosphere. Edited by Matt Wuerker.
Congress leaves for holidays without deal to extend health care subsidies: Here's how it affects you
Monday marked the deadline for Covered California enrollees to select their health plans for 2026, with many waiting until the last minute, hoping for congressional action. But with Congress now on break, those who rely on Affordable Care Act coverage will see premiums climb significantly in the new year.
Erika Kirk endorses JD Vance for president in 2028
The widow of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk threw the organization's support behind the vice president, who hasn't yet announced his 2028 plans.
Manor College Receives Commonwealth Grant for Dental Health Center Expansion
The grant will go towards increasing the size and modernizing the Dental Health Center on Manor College’s campus. The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development has granted Local Share Account funds that will benefit the expansion and renovation of Manor College’s Dental Health Center. “We are thrilled to move this project forward in such Read more >
Patriots-Ravens Preview
Mike Vrabel knows as well as anyone how difficult it is to stop Derrick Henry.
BYU vs Abilene Christian Preview: BYU Huge Favorite Once Again
BYU continues its home stand when they welcome Abilene Christian to the Marriott Center Friday night. This is a Quad Four game for BYU and the first since the end of Fall Semester. KJ Perry and Abdullah Ahmed are both able to join the team now as mid-year enrollees. KJ Perry must redshirt this semester, […]
MAGA sticks with Trump on Venezuela – for now: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Virginia's district-level results from the 2025 provide new midterm clues.
Pediatrician says HHS grant cuts ‘clearly detrimental to the health of America's children’
Dr. Peter Hotez joins Meet the Press NOW to explain how grant cuts to the Department of Health and Human Services could impact millions of American children and their parents. NBC News Medical Reporter Erika Edwards reports on the Trump administration's moves to end transition-related care for minors nationwide.
Trump signs order to expand access to marijuana, lower taxes on cannabis businesses
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that puts in motion the reclassification of marijuana as a Schedule III drug.
Syracuse women’s basketball: an updated look at the Orange’s metrics
The numbers are loving ‘Cuse so far this season.
Rand Paul criticizes National Science Foundation for wasteful grants and irresponsible spending
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., joins ‘Varney & Co.’ to criticize U.S. pressure on Venezuela, reject military escalation, warn that extreme gerrymandering fuels unrest and unveil alarming examples of government waste.
HHS moves to slash funding and access to care for transgender minors
The proposals announced Thursday would bar hospitals that receive federal funding from providing transition-related care to minors.
House passes narrow health care package; sets up a vote on EPTCs in January
The House yesterday passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act (H.R. 6703), legislation to expand association health plans, increase transparency requirements for pharmacy benefit managers, and fund cost-sharing reductions for some Health Insurance Marketplace enrollees. The measure advanced by a 216-211 vote and will now move to the Senate for consideration.
House narrowly passes GOP-backed health care bill
House narrowly passes GOP-backed health care bill
Fact-checking Trump's speech and centrist Republicans' health care revolt: Morning Rundown
Plus, HHS terminates millions in funding to the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Americans Facing Soaring Health Insurance Costs May Get a Lifeline in 2026, Experts Say
By Amina Niasse and Ahmed Aboulenein NEW YORK/WASHINGTON, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Americans facing skyrocketing Obamacare health insurance premiums could still get a break from expanded government subsidies in 2026 through retroactive legislation and possibly a special enrollment period, investors,
Starbucks is doubling down on its free bachelor's degree program as enrollment surges 60%
Starbucks' Chief People Officer Sara Kelly spoke to Business Insider about the company's increasingly popular free college program.
Fact-checking Trump: Economy, wages, immigration and more
The president made a wide variety of claims Wednesday night. Some were true, some were misleading, and others were false.
Trump talks lower prices, health care costs, military bonuses in year-end address
Watch full coverage as President Donald Trump addressed the nation from the White House, highlighting his achievements and outlining future objectives. He announced a “warrior dividend,” stating that more than 1 million military service members will receive a bonus payment. NBC News' Tom Llamas and Peter Alexander provide analysis of Trump’s remarks.
Stauber votes for Republican health care bill
The bill does not extend enhanced subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. If left to expire on Dec. 31, 22 million ACA enrollees would see their monthly health insurance premiums double on average.
House passes GOP health bill without subsidies
The vote all but assures that out-of-pocket premiums will more than double for roughly 20 million ACA enrollees.
Why a key group of Republicans broke ranks on Obamacare subsidies: From the Politics Desk
Plus, humanitarian crises surge as global aid dries up.
HHS cuts millions in grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics
The move marks an escalation in the agency’s clash with the medical group, which is suing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.
Heading into 2026, Commissioners reaffirm commitment to business community
Douglas County has a strong history of eliminating barriers for business investment, creating effective partnerships, and maintaining a low-tax environment. The Board of Douglas County Commissioners reaffirmed its commitment to…
Jack Smith tells Congress he could prove Trump engaged in a 'criminal scheme' to overturn 2020 election
Smith testified about his investigations into Trump during a closed-door hearing with members of the House Judiciary Committee.
Industry Ink: Keith Urban, Ashley McBryde, Provident Entertainment, Margo Price
Keith Urban visited patients and their families at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at [...]
Prosecutors claim Terry Rozier paying for co-defendant's legal defense in sports betting case
An attorney for the Miami Heat guard didn't deny that his client has helped childhood friend and co-defendant Deniro Laster.
A giant in Monroe County politics and government honored by Morelle on the House floor
In a one-minute speech on the House floor , Congressmember Joe Morelle paid tribute Wednesday to Lucien Morin, Monroe County's first elected executive.
Trump administration plans to break up largest federal climate research center
Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said the National Science Foundation "will be breaking up" the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Colorado.
A new era for sports communication at UNC Hussman | UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media
As director of UNC Hussman’s Sports Communication Focus Program, Distinguished Associate Professor of Sports Communication Livis Freeman is building on the work of the school’s legendary Distinguished Professor for Sports Communication John Sweeney. Sweeney, who retired last year, developed one of the most respected sports communication programs in the country. Freeman, now in his 12th year at the school, is launching an ambitious expansion of the program that is transforming how UNC prepares students for careers in sports media. The most visible change came this fall with a reimagining of “MEJO 377: Sports Communication.” Previously offered as two sections with 30 students each, the course expanded to 96 students and welcomed former UNC basketball star and NBA veteran Tyler Hansbrough as the co-instructor with Freeman, bringing real world professional experience directly into the classroom every week. The course has been a huge success. Students have participated in recording a podcast with Hansbrough and learned from an impressive lineup of guest speakers. Steve Kirschner, UNC’s senior associate director of athletics for communications, was the first in the course’s guest speaker series, followed by UNC Hussman alumni including Kaitlyn Schmidt ’23 from Bleacher Report, Deaton Bell ’90 from Turner Sports and Becca Royer ’19 from the Philadelphia 76ers. Travis Tygart, CEO of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, also shared his insights with the class. The highlight of the semester came when Roy Williams, who coached Hansbrough and the Tar Heels to a national championship in 2009, visited the classroom. Former UNC men’s basketball players Luke Maye and Marcus Ginyard showed up to support their former coach and Hansbrough, creating an unforgettable experience as Williams entertained students with stories and insights that captivated the room. Student demand has been overwhelming. The course reached capacity within two days of registration opening, with more than 40 students on the waitlist. “Students want to learn from people who have actually lived these experiences,” Freeman said. “Tyler shares insights into media relations, broadcast production and athlete communications that you simply can’t get from a textbook.” The model proved so successful that the school secured funding to continue it for the next five years, with a different former professional athlete co-teaching each fall. The school’s curriculum committee approved a proposal to expand the course to 150 to 200 students starting in fall 2026. This change will make it an introductory course accessible to students from across the University, transforming it into a showcase course for the entire campus. The course redesign represents just one piece of a broader sports communication program overhaul. This fall, the curriculum committee approved “MEJO 390: Sports Play by Play,” the first course of its kind at UNC. Limited to 10 advanced students, the course will be taught by Matt Krause, the current voice of UNC women’s basketball and an ACC Network broadcaster. Students will call actual games across multiple sports including women’s softball, soccer, volleyball, field hockey and lacrosse, as well as men’s soccer and lacrosse. They will also shadow broadcasts of men’s and women’s basketball games. “The sports broadcasting industry is exploding with streaming platforms and conference networks creating unprecedented demand,” Freeman said. The course emerged directly from student advocacy, led by Anna Laible ’26 and others who pushed for hands-on broadcasting experience. Professional equipment has been acquired, partnerships with UNC Athletics are in place and a soft launch began this semester with three experienced students calling games to test the system. The program’s growth extends into other specialized areas as well. Last spring, Stembler Professor Charlie Tuggle launched a new sports event management and hospitality course in partnership with On Location, a company that manages major sporting event experiences. The course provided students with opportunities to travel to the Super Bowl and NFL Draft, and Tuggle plans to take a group to the 2026 Milan Olympics this spring. Looking ahead to spring 2026, Associate Professor Ryan Thornburg will debut a sports data visualization course, adding another dimension to the program’s skill-building offerings. The curriculum expansion reflects the increasingly diverse career paths available in sports media, from traditional journalism and broadcasting to digital analytics and strategic communication. The program is also diving into one of college athletics’ most transformative developments: Name, Image and Likeness rights. Freeman’s “MEJO 466: Sports Marketing” class collaborated last spring with Associate Professor Gary Kayye’s “MEJO 371: Advertising Creative” class on a project with UNC’s Carolina NIL group to help rebrand their organization. That same semester, Kayye’s class envisioned Chapel Thrill, UNC football’s new pregame concert and entertainment experience. And Shaun Anderson, the school’s Knight Chair in Sports, Race and Media, continues to explore the broader implications of NIL through his research and teaching. These NIL-focused initiatives give students direct exposure to the business side of college athletics at a moment when the landscape is rapidly evolving. “Our students aren’t just learning about these changes,” Freeman said. “They’re actively helping shape how schools and athletes navigate them.” The transformation of UNC Hussman’s sports communication program reflects a broader philosophy about how to prepare students for careers in a rapidly changing industry. By bringing in professional practitioners like Hansbrough and Krause, partnering with industry leaders like On Location and ACC Network, and engaging with current issues like NIL, the program ensures students graduate with both theoretical knowledge and practical experience. For alumni who remember the foundations John Sweeney built, the expansion represents an evolution rather than a departure. The program still emphasizes strong reporting, strategic communication, ethical communication and critical thinking. But now it also offers students the chance to call live games, work on real NIL campaigns and learn directly from former professional athletes. “We’re not just teaching students about sports media,” Freeman said. “We’re giving them the tools, experiences and connections to actually build careers in it.” With new courses launching, professional partnerships deepening and enrollment expanding, UNC Hussman’s sports communication program is positioning itself as a national leader in preparing the next generation of sports media professionals. For current students, the message is clear: if you’re interested in sports communication, there’s never been a better time to be at UNC Hussman. And for the hundreds of students trying to get off waitlists and into these new courses, the school is working to create more opportunities. The program John Sweeney built is growing in ways that honor his legacy while meeting the demands of a new era in sports media.
Centrist Republicans revolt, signing a petition to force a vote on Obamacare funding
The Affordable Care Act subsidies are still expected to expire at the end of this year, however, raising insurance premiums for millions of Americans.
Trump to address nation as health care hangs in balance, Epstein files deadline nears | Sunrise
The latest videos from The Hill
How Sovato and AT&T Business are Redefining Access to Healthcare
AT&T helps Sovato unlock life-changing medical innovations, expanding access to top surgical, interventional and diagnostic expertise.
As ACA cliff approaches, Wisconsin small business owners, employees struggle to find affordable health care
With the loss of key Affordable Care Act tax credits on the horizon, some Wisconsin small business owners and their employees are scrambling to find health care as the final open enrollment deadline approaches.
Why health insurance is getting more expensive
The spike in what ACA enrollees pay will be acute, but workplace insurance is getting more expensive, too.
Winner of Lifetime Achievement Award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year revealed
Thierry Henry, Arsenal’s record goalscorer and Premier League legend, to be recognised at Sports Personality of the Year
Henry to be honoured with Lifetime Achievement award
Thierry Henry will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Thursday.
Thierry Henry wins 2025 Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement award
Thierry Henry will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year on Thursday.
The Anti-Sports Personality of the Year awards 2025
On Thursday night the BBC will honour the heroes. But here are the year’s best dark, devious and downright dumb sporting stories
The issue that's animating a key slice of the Democratic base: From the Politics Desk
Plus, Trump's chief of staff in the spotlight.