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Las Vegas Summer Entertainment Is Stacked! Fireworks, Concerts & More
Las Vegas has something for everyone this summer from weekend fireworks in July to concerts and comedy!
The New Roku Update Is Terrible And Everyone Hates It
Stop fucking things up just to shove more ads and algorithm nonsense into my face
Tilly Norwood’s New Movie Rekindles Hollywood Concerns That AI ‘Actor’ Is Just Ripping Off Human Performances
The news of Tilly Norwood’s feature-length movie debut again brought out the digital pitchforks surrounding her existence, with commenters weighing in on everything from the concept of an AI actress l...
How Maine's Democratic meltdown could shape the Senate midterms
Collapse of Democrats' Maine Senate campaign highlights divisions within the party.
Joe Klein: At 80, Here’s What I’ve Learned About Politics—and Life
I am 80 years old, this year of our 250th anniversary, and I find myself a cliché. My life has been a common political journey, from left to center. I recently took the Pew Research Center’s “political typology” test and found that I was a “pragmatic and polite conservative,” which seemed a rather abstruse basket: A politically mixed (though Republican-tilting) group, they lean conservative on economics and the role of government, while tilting more liberal on issues related to race and foreign policy. They prize civility and cooperation in politics. Well, that sounds pretty mushy—and I find it hard to square with the strong opinions I have on many issues. I’ve voted for Democrats in federal elections, but I grow more Republican the closer I get to local politics. Democrats, I’ve found, simply aren’t very good at running things, especially school systems, where they are in the thrall of the teachers unions. My friends joke about my obsession with the unions. They know all my lines. If industrial unions are organized against the power of capital, who are the public employees organized against? But enough of that. I’ve ranted that rant too often, and my political journey has been more complicated than that one issue. It has been empirical, based on actual experience—on a lifetime of reporting and a lot of reading. An early example: I was a journalist with the underground press in Boston at the turn of the 1970s and considered myself a member of the antiwar and civil rights movements. The first big issue I covered was busing to achieve school integration. Yes, the white bigots were disgusting. But I couldn’t find any black parents who favored the plan to bus their children to schools outside their neighborhoods either. Black activists and politicians—and white liberals—were gung ho, but not actual parents of black kids in school. Busing was a form of social engineering imposed from on high, by a judge—W. Arthur Garrity—who lived in a wealthy liberal suburb. Wealthy liberal suburbs were not affected by his plan, of course. I began to see that there were limits to what government could do, especially when it came to changing a society’s culture.
Your resting heart rate could reveal more about your health than you think, doctors say
Here is what your resting heart rate reveals about cardiovascular health and when to see your doctor. Pulse checks and wearable devices can help with measuring the rate.
NC’s first full budget since 2023 reflects transformed health policy landscape
It’s been more than 1,000 days since the legislature passed a state budget, but sweeping federal health care changes may force North Carolina to rethink how it funds Medicaid, food assistance and other health programs.
Scientists Say We May Need to Nuke Asteroids—But Not How You Think
A new study favors buried explosions over Hollywood-style head-on impacts.
How to set healthy summer screen time limits for kids: '3 hours of anything is probably too much,' says expert
Summer often means more free time — and more screen time — for kids. Two parenting experts share their best advice for setting healthy screen time limits.
Scientists Used AI to Find Hidden Earthquake Signals Along the San Andreas Fault
Scientists used to think so-called “slow slip events” were “theoretically impossible.” Now these subtle tectonic shifts could be the key to predicting future earthquakes.
Crews are draining the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool again as part of Trump's troubled revamp
The president at first suggested his renovations would last a century. But, within weeks of the project originally reaching completion last month, the water was beset by an algae bloom and pieces of the new coating appeared to be peeling off the bottom.
Can a pro-Israel Jewish Democrat be the party’s 2028 nominee? Hear what progressive House candidate Brad Lander thinks
Romney weighs in on 2028: Those 80 and older shouldn't be 'running the world'
Former Sen. Mitt Romney, who will turn 80 next year, indicated that he does not think individuals 80 and older should be at the helm of the nation.
Leak reveals LEGO Donkey Kong Arcade Set
Get a first look at the LEGO Donkey Kong Arcade Set coming from Nintendo and LEGO as part of a new leak.
Forget Taylor Swift's Wedding—The Best Thing to Hit MSG This Week Was Bon Freakin' Jovi
Everyone was buzzing about Taylor Swift's wedding to Travis Kelce at MSG this week. But the real hit MSG event? Bon Jovi's incredible 2026 concert. Here, my honest review.
Motorola has the chance to do something special with the Edge 70 Max, so why am I skeptical?
Following the Signature, Razr Fold, and Edge (2026), Motorola is preparing to release yet another very promising device... that's unlikely to ever achieve its true potential.
From Vision to Joint Health: A Full-Body Guide to Staying Well
When you think of wellness, what comes to mind? Is it eating healthy? Exercising regularly? Or going to the doctor when you’re feeling under the weather? Wellness can mean many different things depending on who you ask, but to the healthcare providers at The Baton Rouge Clinic and Affinity Health Group, true wellness comes from […]
MAGA's attack on science is even worse than it looks
In my post on America’s 250-year anniversary, I argued that respect for the individual was the “secret sauce” in the U.S.’ long-lasting preeminence among nations. But it was certainly not the only factor. There were plenty of institutional innovations that helped the U.S. stay on top — economically, militarily, and in terms of the attractiveness of its society. One of these was American science. Today we take things like the modern research university, government grants for science, public-to-private research spinoffs, etc. for granted, but a lot of that infrastructure wasn’t there before World War 2. It was either invented or scaled up massively by the U.S. government in the postwar period, led by far-sighted scientist-bureaucrats like Vannevar Bush (pictured above). If you want to read about this history, a good place to start would be Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson’s excellent book Jump-Starting America. Those scientific institutions didn’t exist in a vacuum, however. They were backed by the U.S. government’s abiding faith in the power of science — and, even more fundamentally, by deep popular trust in the scientific enterprise. Science gave us radar and the atom bomb in wartime, and in peacetime it gave us plastics, vaccines, cheap food, and a thousand other things that made our lives easier. Science was also the driver behind American industry — chemicals, aerospace, telecommunications, computers, electronics, and so on. We owed science our jobs, our livelihoods, our comfortable living standards, and our greatness and power as a nation. It’s little wonder that both political parties, even as they fought viciously over other issues, were steadfast in their support of science. For a long time, the only people who distrusted science were a hippie fringe on the left who disliked modernity (or thought they did, anyway), who also disliked American industry and American power, and who subscribed to an early version of degrowth environmentalism. America’s scientific enterprise is still strong, especially compared to the systems in Europe, Japan, Korea, and other developed countries. It has lost a lot of ground to China in a relative sense, but a lot of that is because of China’s incredible growth; as China has poured untold amounts of money and talent into its research labs, spending and output have overtaken the U.S. by some measures. There are a few ways in which China’s rise creates problems for American science — for example, top scientists can choose to work in China instead of in the U.S. — and of course there’s the concern that China’s technological strength will help its military to reign supreme. But overall, China’s rise in science should be good for American science, since American scientists can use Chinese discoveries for free and build on them. The much bigger problem is that the scientific enterprise America built during and after World War 2 is now being threatened with absolute decline. The biggest problem, of course, is that much of the country — the Republican half — has basically lost faith in the scientific enterprise. To what degree this loss of faith is justified is an open question, and deserves to be discussed openly. But the larger point — that the system that powered American dominance is under threat — is true either way. Most Americans still trust science, but MAGA Republicans don’t There’s a myth, popular in right-wing circles, that scientists have lost the trust of regular Americans — either due to the increasingly left-wing composition of academic departments, or to misbehavior during Covid, or to DEI-related research taking over science, etc. This also fits with a wider narrative that Americans are losing trust in all of our institutions. But it just isn’t true. Poll after poll shows that on the whole, Americans still trust scientists and want to spend more on science. For example, here’s a Pew poll from late 2025 showing that although about a fifth of Republicans did lose confidence in science in 2020, two thirds still have at least “a fair amount” of confidence: That same poll found that scientists are among America’s most trusted groups — even better trusted than the military! In fact, Americans trust scientists more than people in most other countries do. Other polls show that although Republican trust in science has dropped somewhat, Republican support for spending more on science remains very strong: A Pew poll in 2023 found the exact same thing: So when MAGA types tell you about scientists losing their credibility, or a drop in trust in science, they’re only talking about themselves. Whatever left-wing politicization of science happened during the Biden administration — and there was definitely some of that — it was not enough to make most Republicans lose faith in the scientific enterprise, or favor research cuts in order to purge unwanted ideology from the system. That doesn’t mean I think progressives should continue down the path of politicizing scientific research. They should not, and Biden made real missteps in this area. Objectivity clearly matters for public trust of science in the long term. But as of right now, there’s no crisis of trust in science, except among the smallish minority of people who are running around screaming that there’s a crisis of trust in science. But despite science’s overwhelming popularity and public trust, Trump and his administration are launching an unprecedented and devastating attack on American science — cutting funding, and forcing science projects to undergo ideological review by government commissars. Trump’s comprehensive attack on science
There's now one factor that decides more of your lifespan than anything else, scientists say
What do your genes have to do with your lifespan?
Are We Moneyballing The Goalies?
Is the Actual Plan a Trio, or is Something Else Out There?
We pay nearly $50,000 for childcare. I think it's worth it.
Karina Monesson says staying in the workforce has strengthened her family's long-term financial future despite high childcare costs.
⚽️ Y! Sports AM: Liberté, Égalité, Mbappé
Kylian Mbappé delivered yet again, leading France to a 2-0 victory over Morocco to bring Les Bleus within one win of reaching the World Cup Final.
Melissa Gilbert names the most progressive episode of original ‘Little House on the Prairie’
Melissa Gilbert is looking back on the original ‘Little House on the Prairie’ ahead of the new Netflix series, and singing the praises of this progressive 1977 episode: ‘I don’t think we get more woke than that.’
Graham Platner and the Politics of ‘Star Search’
It’s now a talent show, with agents and casting directors combing the countryside to find the next big thing.
Everything to know about Yahoo Sports' new fantasy college football
Yahoo Sports nearly broke the internet when they announced fantasy college football would be introduced for the 2026 season.
New beers are doing everything they can to look old
A fleet of retro-branded light lagers is coming to the beer aisle and tapping into shifting consumer tastes.
Minnesota high school sports moments we’re still thinking about
Looking back at the Minnesota high school sports moments from the past school year that Strib Varsity reporters are still thinking about.
The primary care crisis paradox
“Solving the health crisis in the United States will require confronting things far harder than readjusting a fee schedule.”
Virginia moves up to 3rd in CNBC’s ‘top state for business’ ranking. Here are 6 things to know.
Virginia’s score rose or stayed the same in seven of 10 categories. The biggest drop was in “economy,” which CNBC blamed on federal cutbacks.
From marijuana to Maine, 3 lessons from a wild week in politics
We got a chance this week to see some things about politics that are usually hidden from public view.
Price of doing business continues to rise in NIL era
One thing has been consistent since the name, image and likeness era began: The price of doing business in college football continues to rise.
AJ Dybantsa "Wanted to Showcase Everything" In Wizards Debut
AJ Dybantsa wanted to showcase his full arsenal after anchoring the Washington Wizards to a four point win over the Utah Jaaz
Tunable resonant metasurfaces enabled by atomically thin semiconductors
Light: Science & Applications - Voltage-tunable hybrid metasurfaces integrating 2D transition metal dichalcogenides with photonic bound states in the continuum enable dynamic control of...
Romney on running in 2028: 80-year-olds ‘shouldn’t be running the world’
Former Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) supported growing calls from voters across the country for a younger generation of political leaders in a new interview released Wednesday. “I basically think…
Hometown Entertainment: Things to do this weekend in the Roanoke Valley
Here’s everything happening in the Roanoke Valley this weekend — from bluegrass to glam metal
Just Don’t Use the Super-Long Zoom on Sony’s RX10 V for Anything Creepy, Okay?
Your iPhone can't compare to this camera's built-in zoom.
Best of Santa Cruz County entertainment, arts & food events this weekend, July 9-12
With the weekend nearly here, check out things to do around Santa Cruz County with a recommendation from Lily Belli and a specially curated list from Lookout's BOLO events calendar.
UAB Launches EA Sports College Football 27 Dynasty Challenge
BIRMINGHAM – Think you have what it takes to lead the Blazers to college football glory? With the release of EA SPORTS College Football 27, UAB Athletics is ...
Here's the worst thing about the best World Cup
The video assistant referee (VAR), with its incessant replays and gutting goal reversals, is the worst thing about the best World Cup.
A career worth the call: After 52 years in four sports, umpire Rene Arsenault hangs up his gear
When Rene Arsenault began his career behind the dish as an umpire, things certainly looked different across the landscape in the country. It was 1974 in Fitchburg. He was a plucky high school graduate. The average home cost about $21,000. Gas prices hovered around 30 cents a gallon and a loaf of bread listed for […]
Everything you need to know about Yahoo Sports College Fantasy Football
Yahoo Sports makes an impactful fantasy football announcement
Victor Marx defeats Barb Kirkmeyer as Colorado’s Republican gubernatorial primary crosses finish line
Republican Victor Marx won Colorado’s Republican gubernatorial nomination on Thursday after maintaining a razor-thin lead over state Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer for more than a week as county clerks finished reporting final, unofficial vote totals. Marx, a missionary leader and first-time candidate, will face Democratic nominee Attorney General Phil Weiser in November for the office held […]
Dragon Age creator reckons the series is dead following Veilguard flop, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't have another go at it if given the chance
Dragon Age creator David Gaider has said he thinks it's "unlikely" the fantasy RPG has a future under EA.
Office Politics: Five Things Coworkers Say And What They Mean
Your coworkers are not saying what they mean. These five office politics phrases reveal what is really happening beneath the surface before it costs you your career.
SpaceX stock in focus as launch, Starlink business hit new milestones
SpaceX (SPCX) stock was in focus on Thursday after the company hit two major launch milestones, offering investors something positive to latch onto following a rough patch for the stock.
Scientists Say We Should Nuke Dangerous Asteroids—Just Not the Way You Think
It's sort of like Armageddon, but with less oil drills.
Games are almost always cheaper in shops, says new report, just as Sony announces an end to PlayStation discs and brings retailers' futures into question
Why are people angry at Sony's decision to stop making PlayStation game discs? Well, the price of games, for one thing.
Mouse: P.I. for Hire 1.2.0 update out now, patch notes - uncapped VRR, 40 FPS mode, Level Revisit, more
Major version 1.2.0 update comes to Mouse: P.I. for Hire with uncapped VRR, 40 FPS mode, Level Revisit, and more - read the patch notes here.
College Fantasy Football 101: Learn how to play Yahoo's newest game
Excited to learn more about Yahoo's new college fantasy football game? Analyst Eric Froton has everything you need to know.
Kern County Science Fair Leads Students to International Stage
The Kern County Science Fair equips students with the curiosity, critical thinking, perseverance, and problem-solving skills to tackle real-world challenges, empowering young innovators like Simar Singh and Eric Nahama to achieve international STEM...
How to Bring More Data Science to YouTube and Creator Media
I am constantly writing about the challenge facing agencies and brands when in comes to YouTube. Is it TV? Social video? Search? Commerce? Do you fund it from all of those respective budgets, and measure it using all their respective metrics? Sean Odlum, Chief Product Officer at Tinuiti, says it may not make sense to try and “bucket'“ YouTube. “You kinda gotta treat it as its own thing,” he said. “Years ago, we had debates [along the lines of] ‘what is this?’ Ultimately we decided, it’s YouTube. It is hard to categorize because it is so protean.” Which ultimately means that almost every part of a media department or marketing group will likely touch YouTube in some fashion. And that it probably needs its own sets of metrics and measurement tools. At Tinuiti, that need has led the agency to develop the YouTube Intelligence Suite, which aims to help brands optimize YouTube campaigns while using all the traditional marketing tools they are used to, such as MMMs. “I wouldn’t say there is a YouTube playbook,” Odlum said. “[For media planners] there is this vast bubbling ocean, so where do you start?’ A lot of brands and agencies struggle.” “You don’t want to just brute-force it—spray dollars everywhere and eventually learn. You want to start intelligently and then learn iteratively.” The problem, Odlum and his team have found, is that “brands have largely defaulted into demand generation campaigns because they’re easier to measure.” However, “you can really build your own content ecosystem around these trusted experts.” Check out the full interview here: Thanks for reading Next in Media! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe
Russia heads to sports court to overturn its ban from international track and field
Russia's track and field federation says it has gone to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn a World Athletics ruling suspending its athletes from international events due to the war in Ukraine. World Athletics excluded all athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus from its international events in March 2022, days after Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Since then, the International Olympic Committee has eased its restrictions on Russia ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics — something the Kremlin hailed as an “important step” — and recommended other sports bodies do the same.
Tensor G7 Could Arrive With A Key Upgrade That’ll Make Nearly Everything Better About The Pixel 12, Assuming You’re Incredibly Patient
What the Tensor G7 lacks in raw performance, it could make up for in the form of a major upgrade that could make you wait for the Pixel 12
‘A special place to be’: Fussell’s in Dickson celebrates 90 years in business
On North Main Street in Dickson, it may look like a men’s clothing store, but you’re stepping into nearly 90 years of local history.
MLS’ Newest Billionaire Owner Thinks Investors Can Do Better Than Buying A Sports Team
Months after spending hundreds of millions of his own cash to buy Sporting Kansas City, wealth advisor Peter Mallouk says he still prefers stocks as an investment.
GOP tightens grip on Senate amid Dems' dysfunction in Maine
As Democrats scramble to contain a political disaster in Maine, the Republicans on the front lines of the GOP's fight to hold the U.S. Senate majority are breathing a sigh of relief.
The weirdest things that mess up WiFi - and how to improve your signal
The world runs on WiFi, but strange things can stand in its way – including your lunch.
Walnut Creek street festival implements new entertainment zone
On Wednesday evening, the Locust Street Festival in downtown became the first event to utilize Walnut Creek's new entertainment zone initiative so restaurants and bars can sell alcohol outside for people to enjoy outdoors within the designated festival area.
How To Win on TikTok Shop
As beauty brands rethink distribution, TikTok Shop is becoming an increasingly important piece of the puzzle. On the final morning of The Business of Beauty Global Forum, TikTok Shop’s Ajay Salpekar and BoF’s Yasmine Dahlberg joined BoF’s Shenel Wickramaratne to discuss where the platform fits within a modern channel strategy.
Gonzaga Hands Out First Offer in 2028 Recruiting Class
The first July live recruiting period is open, and the Zags made their initial move within the 2028 recruiting class.
Willson Contreras injury overshadows Red Sox’ sixth straight win
EVERYTHING SUCKS AND WE’RE ALL GOING TO DIE!
Eagles' Jalen Carter Still Being Considered Trade Candidate
I still don't see how the Philadelphia Eagles can go into next season thinking anything less than keeping Jalen Carter on the roster for a very long time.
Graham Platner drops out of Senate race, allowing Maine Democrats to replace him
His decision comes within days of a key deadline, allowing Maine’s Democratic Party to select a new candidate to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a critical contest for Senate control.
Everything Coming in the 2026 Apple TV 4K
The Apple TV 4K hasn't been updated since 2022, and it's due for a refresh. An update is planned for 2026, but Apple is likely going to wait to launch it after Siri AI launches in iOS 27. Design Apple TV design updates don't happen often, and that's not changing. The next Apple TV is going to have the same squircle shape as the current model, and it'll continue to be made from a black plastic material.
Sponsored: July brings live entertainment across the Bay Area
Summer is one of the busiest seasons for live entertainment, with everything from outdoor concerts and music festivals to immersive theater experiences happening across the Bay Area. The only chall…
Why Smart Business Leaders Read Past the Monthly Jobs Numbers
The jobs report may not mean what you think it means.
Google Photos just ditched its clunky bottom bar for something way cleaner
Rolling out now
Why Trump left NATO summit on a positive note after seething about Iran, Spain and Greenland
As European leaders were walking into Wednesday’s NATO summit here, the mood was dark. But within hours, they’d seemingly managed to appease President Donald Trump.
Trump's support for Venezuela opposition head Machado wanes
Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate María Corina Machado says she wants to return to her earthquake-ravaged homeland. Yet neither Venezuela's government nor the United States thinks that's a good idea.
Graham Platner, Bob Dylan and the concept of leverage
Graham Platner is the only one who can make a decision about his role in the Senate race going forward. And Platner has nothing to lose.
Google Photos adds a new AI 'Video Remix' tool
The feature can do things like apply cinematic relighting to brighten up a dark clip, swap out a plain background for something fun, or add artistic styles to videos.
DDA’s Poultry and Animal Health Section monitors impact of New World Screwworm within U.S.
New World Screwworm is a serious pest that affects livestock, pets, wildlife, and less commonly, people and birds.
We remember little to nothing of early childhood — and a recent mouse study may help explain why
Early in life, neural networks in the brain's memory center are highly connected, and they are only later refined into precise systems, a mouse study finds.
Google Photos rolling out ‘Video Remix’ powered by Gemini Omni
Google Photos is using Gemini’s “create anything from any input” model to offer a new Video Remix capability for fast and stylized editing.
Yoshi and the Mysterious Book demo now available on Nintendo Switch 2
Nintendo has just announced that a demo for Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is now available for free on Nintendo Switch 2. Players can experience the game’s first chapter, and save data can be transferred to the full version if they decide to purchase it later. Originally released on May 21, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book is a platformer that...
There Was Only One Solution to My Problem … Down There. It’s Opened Up Pandora’s Box.
I'm trying everything.
Ubisoft bringing The Crew Motorfest to Nintendo Switch 2
The Crew Motorfest is receiving a new version for Nintendo Switch 2, according to retailer listings. The game will be out on October 8, 2026. The Crew Motorfest originally released in 2023, but is still going strong today with new seasons. The open world driving game lets players explore the island of O’ahu in Hawaii and participate in Motorfest, an...
BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Meet Marblehead Custom Jewelry
The following is an interview with Steven Manchini, co-owner and jeweler of Marblehead Custom Jewelry. Marblehead Custom Jewelry is a local studio located at 66 Washington St. Specializing in custom jewelry design, in-house gemstone cutting and expert repairs, the team works closely with clients to bring meaningful, personal designs to life. With everything done under one
Cowboys fans must pick an interceptions leader for 2026
Who do you think will lead the Cowboys in interceptions this season?
Money isn’t everything in politics — just ask Thomas Massie and John Cornyn
Money is simply the megaphone, and amplifying an unpersuasive message doesn’t produce victory.
Rock the Dome with Queen, improv evening and an orchid show: 3 things to do this weekend
Check out these 3 top events for your weekend
Editorial: The Politics of the Armenian Genocide
If recognizing a genocide is the right thing to do, should governments wait until doing so becomes politically convenient?
Health Trends Explained: High Cortisol Issues, Berberine, More
Health trends on social media promise to fix everything from sleep to weight gain but how much of that advice is backed up by science? NBC’s medical contributor Dr. Akshay Syal joins TODAY to separate fact from fiction on trends like issues with high cortisol, berberine supplements for weight loss, Japanese walking and more.
Nintendo announces 2026 San Diego Comic-Con lineup, including first hands on with Nintendo Switch Sports Resort and chance to compete against The Rizzler
Nintendo today revealed its lineup for the 2026 San Diego Comic-Con, which is lead by Nintendo Switch Sports Resort. Those attending the expo will be among the first in the U.S. to try out the game. Also, fans will have the opportunity to go on stage to compete against social media creator The Rizzler. Nintendo has more in store for...
Morning 4: Michigan Cyclosporiasis outbreak tops 700 cases as health officials search for source
Morning 4 is a quick roundup of stories we think you should know about to start your day.
The retreat from mobile games continues as Mario Kart Tour and Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis will be taken offline later this year
Two of Nintendo and Square Enix's biggest mobile games will go offline this year as gaming giants continue to rethink their overall strategies.
‘I don’t know anything about his politics, but I think he should be popular’: Trump dodges question on Netanyahu endorsement
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Balancing mental health with sound
How do we take care of ourselves when we are so busy working and taking o stress and exhaustion because we are taking care of everything and everyone else?
Through the teargas, I saw something missing from German politics for too long: hope
I joined thousands of people blockading the AfD’s congress. A civil disobedience movement is showing how to beat the far right, says the journalist Scott Roxborough
iPhone Ultra Reportedly in Mass Production, No Delay Envisaged
Apple's foldable iPhone is on track to ship in September despite rumors of a delayed launch, reports Chinese financial outlet Cailian Press. The outlet says it spoke with several people within Apple's supply chain, who indicated that the device's design was locked in some time ago and that the foldable is now in mass production.
Apple to invest $30 billion in US chip manufacturing
Apple announced it is investing more than $30 billion in chip manufacturing in the U.S. that will produce a whopping 15 billion chips as part of its $600 billion long-term investment within America.
Hungary moves to overhaul university models banned from Horizon Europe
Hungary’s new government is aiming to overhaul the governance model of the institutions and universities that lost access to Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ funds “in a short timeframe,” according to Péter Horváth, the new state secretary for science policy and innovation. “As of today, the two non-university foundation-controlled institutions under my remit have been transformed,” he told Science|Business. “We hope the universities will follow and that this will be enough to satisfy the EU’s demands.”Under the previous government, led by Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz party, many academic and scientific institutions were restructured and made into special public trust foundations, with members strongly linked to the government given lifelong mandates and significant decision-making powers with little oversight. The European Commission deemed that this undermined academic freedom and transparency in the country, leading to a ban on 34 institutions in 2022, including 21 universities, which saw academics in Hungary lose access to Horizon Europe grants. The new Hungarian government, elected in May and led by Péter Magyar and his Tisza Party, has promised to dismantle this governance model and restore the institutions to EU programmes. As a result, the European Commission has promised to return access to the Erasmus+ education mobility programme, but so far no concrete agreement has been made on the Horizon Europe programme for research and innovation. Hungary has already made legislative changes in June to allow the institutions to be reformed and set a timeline for the implementation.The non-university foundations, which are mainly cultural centres such as the Foundation for Hungarian Culture or the Makovecz Campus Foundation, will all be dissolved by August 31 this year, a date tied to EU-set milestones that Hungary must meet to unlock frozen funds, with control transferred to relevant ministries. Meanwhile, the universities will have until 31 August 2027. For each university foundation, the government will set the dissolution date and the body to take over operations. There is no final decision on a permanent new model for the universities, according to Hungarian MEP Eszter Lakos, who is shadow rapporteur for the Horizon Europe specific programme, a separate piece of legislation detailing implementation rules for the EU’s next research programme, due to start in 2028. “The aim of the transition year is to settle this with [the universities], not to impose a model, and not to put them under state control,” she told Science|Business. “The goal is to give academic independence back to universities.”There are three models that are most likely to be implemented. One would be a return to a traditional, state-run model. Another could be a newer, more self-standing public institution. A third option would be a reformed version of the foundation models that meet EU standards. According to Lakos, the dismantling of the system put in place by the Orbán government is well underway and if all goes according to plan, Hungary could regain access to EU research money by the start of the next academic year in 2027. “I believe that the Hungarian government is doing the necessary changes so the universities could return as beneficiaries to Horizon from the next school year,” she said. In the meantime, “the universities, institutes and cultural assets carry on under proper public stewardship rather than a handful of unaccountable trustees,” said Lakos. The laws passed in June impose new safeguards: board terms are capped at four years and renewable only once, appointments are made through open competitions and sitting politicians cannot join joining these boards.It remains unclear whether a domestic science funding programme set up as a back-up scheme by the former government following the EU funding ban, called HU-rizon, could be continued. “This programme should never have had to have been established in the first place, but it has proven to be quite popular,” he said. “I am considering continuing this programme with a refined focus on helping international collaborations.”Re-organising the research network One of the first priorities for Horváth and his cabinet is to resolve questions over the future of the Hungarian Research Network, Hun-Ren. The network of academic institutes was taken away from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2019 and turned into a quasi-private organisation, with similarities in its governance to the public trust foundations.Horváth and his team have consulted over 5,000 representatives from the network and the conclusion is broad unhappiness with the directors of all the institutes involved. “We have presented the results to the president and the chief executive of the network and this is currently being discussed,” Horváth said. The plan is to re-integrate the network back into the Academy of Sciences but in an improved way, “learning from mistakes of the past,” he added. The government also wants to reintegrate four humanities and social science research centres into the network that the previous government had transferred to Eötvös Loránd University. The transfer brought sharp criticism from the academic community, with a group of Hungarian research heads, including European Research Council grant recipients, sending an open letter to Orbán warning that the transfer would “cause historically significant harm to the entirety of Hungarian scientific life.” The transfer was “one of the biggest shames in Hungarian research in the past 20 years,” Horváth said. “We want to immediately re-integrate them back into the research network and to regain the trust of these institutions, because the way they were treated was really unfair.”Another pressing issue is the Élvonal Excellence Research and Talent Development Foundation, led by Nobel laureate Ferenc Krausz. The foundation signed a financing agreement with the former government earlier this year for a budget of over €730 million over the next five years. The goal is to create a world-class centre to attract top talent from abroad and to develop local researchers. But there was little transparency about this foundation, and news of its huge budget, which is nearly as much as Hungary’s entire research budget, caused a stir in the media following the recent elections. Another issue is that, as with the foundation boards of the institutes banned from Horizon Europe, there was little-to-no oversight of decisions led by Krausz. “It was an excellent idea but an unacceptable execution,” Horváth said of the foundation. “The fact that this is out of the Hungarian funding scheme, mostly concentrating on one person who decides on the budget is unacceptable for us.”The government plans to merge the centre with the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, the country’s R&D funding agency, with a reduced budget. Horváth is hopeful that Krausz will still be involved. The new government’s R&D goalsA phrase that crops up regularly during the discussion with Horváth is “democratic process.” The new state secretary is determined to involve Hungary’s research community in shaping future policies. This marks a departure from the previous government’s approach, and several people in Hungary’s research community have commented on the openness of the new government. In terms of concrete goals, Horváth and his team already have plans. He wants to create a new science fund in Hungary, based on the best practices of other European countries. The fund would not be tied to annual government budgets and would provide long-term, stable financing. “If we were to succeed in creating this fund, then I think it would be one of the biggest achievements for me in this period of government,” Horváth said. On the innovation side, he is looking into how best to bring in the private sector. “We want to make sure that we are working with the private sector to support innovation,” Horváth said. One of his big aims is to introduce entrepreneurship teaching into high schools. Hungary already has a reputable national academy offering research and innovation training in the field of natural sciences, and Horváth wants to expand this to all disciplines and across the whole country. “One of the main ways to elevate our innovative businesses is to teach our children to be innovative,” he said. “This will probably need ten years to pay off, but this is what we should do. Our aim is to make Hungary strong in our region, and this is what is needed.” Related articlesHungary’s Horizon Europe performance in numbersCommission unlocks Erasmus+ cash for Hungary, Horizon could be next‘Academic Huxit.’ Hungarian researchers speak out on impact of EU ban A more difficult task will be funding. The new government is aiming to increase research spending to 2% of the GDP by 2030, and then increase it to 3% in line with EU objectives. Currently, spending sits around 1.3%. But according to Horváth, the current budget, inherited from the previous government, is “heavily in the negative,” so any plans to increase research spending will have to start next year. Achieving 2% by 2030 already needs a big push, almost doubling the research budget. “This is something we’d definitely like to reach, and something I can see us achieving,” he said. “From the 2030s, I’d like to see an innovative generation growing up that can help us reach the 3% target.” Positivity in the new governmentDespite the many challenges facing Horváth and his team, the mood is positive. “It feels a bit like a start-up right now. Everyone is working 24/7, day and night, trying to do as much as they can. There is a lot of energy,” he said. It is a big change for the state secretary who, like many in his cabinet, is coming from a background in research or business, and not in politics. “Six weeks ago, I was sitting with my microscope and my research PhDs, so it’s been a big change for me,” said the computer scientist, who was previously the director of the Institute of Biochemistry at the Hun-Ren Biological Research Centre in Hungary and worked at the Institute for AI for Health at Helmholtz Munich. But he is relishing the task to transform the country’s R&D landscape. “We feel enormous support from the Hungarian people, but also from Europe,” he said. “We’ve received a lot of letters of support from around Europe. There is big trust there, and huge responsibility on our side. We want to get everything back on track, and there’s a lot to do.”
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