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Franklin County business ordered to stop operating child care center
The Department of Human Services has issued a cease-and-desist order to a Franklin County business for illegally operating a child care center.
Supreme Court says New Hampshire student IDs can’t be used to vote in November
The high court said a federal judge should not have changed the rules so close to the Nov. 3 election by blocking guidance issued by New Hampshire’ secretary of state.
Pennsylvania Department of Health issues measles alert for pregnant women
The Pennsylvania Department of Health has issued an alert giving healthcare providers guidance for caring for pregnant patients.
VSee Health Shareholder Letter
Projects a Transformative 2027HOUSTON, TX / ACCESS Newswire / October 22, 2026 / , Inc. (Nasdaq:VSEE) ("VSee" or the "Company"), a leading provider of telehealth and digital health solutions, today issued the following letter from Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dr.
Health department issues tips for return home after chemical leak evacuation
The Toledo - Lucas County Health Department has issued recommendations as evacuees from the North Toledo chemical leak return home.
Business run by Republican in key House district hit with new safety fine
A Washington state agency issued a fine of nearly $13,000 against Braun Northwest, led by John Braun, the Republican candidate in a pivotal House race.
Family of Bob Huggins shares health update
The family of former West Virginia University basketball coach Bob Huggins and the University of Cincinnati Athletics Department have issued a statement regarding Huggins’ health.
Dog walking, batteries: See the business licenses issued in Hamilton County last week
Business licenses issued Oct. 12-16, as provided by the Hamilton County Clerk's Office.
Arrest warrants issued for suspects in deadly robbery at southeast Las Vegas business
Arrest warrants have been issued for two men accused in a shooting inside a southeast Las Vegas business that left a worker dead.
Rice County Public Health urges vaccination as measles cases climb in Minnesota
By Rich Larson Rice County has not reported a single case of measles, but Rice County Public Health officials said they are concerned an outbreak could arrive soon as cases rise across Minnesota. In a news release issued Oct. 15, the department said 25 measles cases have been identified since
Netflix slides as weak profit, ad outlook intensify investor anxiety
Oct 21 (Reuters) - Netflix shares dropped 6% in premarket trading on Wednesday after the company cut its full-year advertising forecast and issued a tepid fourth-quarter profit outlook, deepening
Sony Issues New PS5 Firmware Update as Jailbreak Race Heats Up Ahead of GTA 6 Release
Sony has issued a new PlayStation 5 firmware update amid the homebrew community's ongoing effort to jailbreak the console.
Florida health department issues water quality advisory for Palm Beach County parks
The Florida Department of Health in Palm Beach County has issued a water quality advisory for several parks due to high levels of Enterococcus bacteria found in recent water tests.
SpaceX revenue soars 161% as AI business grows
Elon Musk-led SpaceX issued its second-ever quarterly earnings report on Tuesday.
Sports Entertainment Gaming Global Received Notice of Delisting
On October 14, 2026, Nasdaq staff issued a determination to delist the company’s common stock and warrants after it failed to file its Q2 2026 Form 10-Q, violating Listing Rule 5250(c)(1). Trading would be suspended on October 23, 2026 absent a hearing request; the company has requested a hearing a…
Tencent Music Entertainment Group Sponsored ADR (NYSE:TME) Stock Now Rated "Hold" by Wall Street Brokerages
Tencent Music Entertainment Group Sponsored ADR (NYSE:TME - Get Free Report) has been given an average recommendation of "Hold" by the thirteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, three have issued a bu
WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. (WBTN) - What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?
WEBTOON Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ:WBTN - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the seven analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and one has issued a
Executive order calls for creation of NIH Women’s Health Division
An executive order issued by the White House today directs the Department of Health and Human Services, through the National Institutes of Health, to establish a Women’s Health Division. The new division will focus on conditions that uniquely or disproportionately affect women.
How a Massive Chinese Crime Ring Hacked Staples to Steal Millions
A sophisticated organized crime gang hacked into Staples, issued millions of dollars worth of gift cards, and went on a spending spree across the U.S.
Live Nation Entertainment's (LYV) "Buy" Rating Reiterated at BTIG Research
BTIG Research reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of Live Nation Entertainment in a research report on Monday.
Obama Defends Rep. Ilhan Omar Amid Trump Administration Inquiry
Federal agents searched Ms. Omar’s Washington home last week and issued subpoenas to some family members in search of evidence of fraud in immigration paperwork.
Nestle, Unilever face regulatory action in India over misleading health claims
Investing.com -- India’s food safety regulator has issued notices to Nestle India and Hindustan Unilever over allegedly misleading nutritional and health claims on dietary supplements, as authorities intensify scrutiny of food manufacturers.
Does Debt Refinancing Change The Bull Case For Live Nation Entertainment (LYV)?
Live Nation Entertainment has issued US$730 million of 7.125% senior notes and €600 million of 6.125% senior notes, both due 2032, with guarantees from key restricted subsidiaries and plans to redeem its 6.500% senior secured notes due 2027. The refinancing reshapes Live Nation Entertainment's debt profile by swapping secured 2027 obligations for longer dated unsecured bonds, which can influence interest costs, covenant flexibility, and how much cash stays available for venue investment and...
State health department recommends annual flu and COVID-19 vaccines
With flu season officially underway, the state has issued a standing recommendation asking all health care providers to follow American Medical Association information on vaccines and when patients…
Improperly secured seats prompt Ford F-150 recall
Ford Motor Co. has issued a recall on thousands of 2025-27 F-150 pickup trucks after identifying improper securements for front-row seats to the vehicle. There are 2,276 vehicles included in
Rod Stewart, 81, issues health update ahead of bowing out on 'farewell' tour
Rod Stewart has issued a health update following his heart surgery and retirement news.
Amazon cuts 2026 Apple TV 4K, HomeView prices with preorder deals
Amazon has issued 2026 Apple TV 4K and HomeView discounts today, despite the devices being announced mere days ago.
Morocco health alert issued due to diphtheria: US Embassy
In the North African country of Morocco, the country’s Ministry of Health reported a small diphtheria outbreak with clusters in multiple regions in Morocco in late September. Moroccan health teams are tracing contacts and providing preventive treatment and vaccines. This has prompted the US Embassy to issue a health alert for U.S. citizens in Morocco. Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection. It spreads primarily from person to person through coughs and sneezes (respiratory droplets). Most Americans were vaccinated as children and have received Td or TdaP boosters as adults. The risk to U.S. citizens in Morocco remains low. U.S. Citizens may contact their local doctors if they would like immunizations. Embassy officials advise citizens to watch out for the following symptoms: Sore throat or hoarse voice, mild fever, a thick gray or white coating in the throat or nose, swollen neck and trouble swallowing or breathing. If you or a family member has trouble breathing or swallowing, please contact your local doctor. They also advise on the following actions concerning vaccines: Check your vaccination records and your family members’ records. Get a booster if you need one. Adults need a diphtheria booster (Td or Tdap) every 10 years. Make sure your children are up to date on their routine vaccines. Outbreak News Today is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
Plague is stoppable. The next health threat may not be.
The word plague is scary. Centuries ago, the Black Death killed tens of millions of people and changed the course of history. Plague still kills people around the world, and the word still evokes catastrophe. New fears of plague surfaced on October 2, when a lab worker in Irkutsk, Russia, died of pneumonia. Reports suggested that she may have contracted plague through a laboratory exposure. Understandably, people were alarmed. On October 7, the World Health Organization called for the Russian Federation to be transparent about what it knew. WHO issued an update on October 10. Russian authorities told WHO that testing did not identify plague and that investigations found no laboratory release. WHO said confidence in its risk assessment remained limited and that further clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory information was needed. The cause of the woman’s illness remains unknown, and WHO says a laboratory-associated exposure cannot be excluded. As I explained in a recent interview, this incident is very unlikely to lead to a pandemic. Plague is still active, including in the U.S., which sees a handful of cases each year. But it is a disease we can prevent and treat. Plague doesn’t spread readily, and it responds to antibiotics. The standard response—isolate the patient, trace contacts, and administer antibiotics and monitor for symptoms among contacts for seven days—works. We have even planned for antibiotic-resistant plague. At CDC, we developed a playbook for antibiotic-resistant plague and ran exercises on how to find and stop it. CDC guidance anticipates engineered resistance and recommends two different classes of antibiotics if there’s reason to suspect it. There is no evidence that resistance—or even confirmed plague—is involved in this incident. We have thought through how to address plague, but we’re not ready for the next major health threat that emerges from a lab or from animal spillover to humans. What should concern people is how little stands between the world and the next pathogen to get loose. Since peak COVID, epidemic preparedness has fallen off the political agenda, but the risk is greater than ever. More labs handle dangerous pathogens with more ways to make those pathogens deadlier, and more people live and work in close contact with animals. There are actions we can take now: We need better lab safety in every country. The number of labs that work with dangerous pathogens has increased worldwide over two decades, but there’s no enforceable international standard and no inspection regime; the Biological Weapons Convention, fifty years on, still has no verification mechanism. Labs that study dangerous germs need strong safety systems, training, and oversight. We need to reduce spillover events. Three in four emerging human infections start in animals, and there’s a lot we can do to reduce spillover risk, but the world is doing very little of it. Live-animal markets are one place to act. For instance, closing live-bird markets helped control H7N9 influenza in China. Reducing opportunities for people to encounter infected animals can prevent infections before they become outbreaks. In The Formula for Better Health, which is now out in paperback along with the hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook versions, I argue that labs do too many risky experiments with too many dangerous pathogens in too many institutions, and that every experiment should first answer one basic question: Is the likely benefit greater than the risk? Spillover risk can also be reduced: In the book, I discuss how Brazil cut its deforestation rate by 70% from 2004 to 2012 while increasing agricultural production and reducing risky contact between people and forest animals. We need faster detection and response. Delay costs lives. Strong surveillance, good labs, and trained responders can turn a single case into a small cluster of infections instead of an epidemic. Resolve to Save Lives has worked for nearly a decade to help countries find and stop outbreaks faster. The 7-1-7 target, which Resolve to Save Lives developed with partners in Uganda and elsewhere, provides a clear standard: detect within 7 days, notify within 1 day and complete all essential early response actions within 7 days. In Uganda’s Kasese district, for example, a review of a measles outbreak using 7-1-7 identified shortages of accessible funds, fuel, and vehicles that delayed the response. District leaders established funds they could access quickly. When, a few months later, the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever appeared, the district detected it in three days, notified authorities in one, and mounted an effective response in two. Only one case was confirmed, and the patient survived. Because funds were available before the emergency, authorities were prepared and able to act. This kind of preparation can’t wait until the next crisis begins. Plague is an old disease we that know how to stop. The next threat may be harder to recognize, harder to treat, and easier to spread. Safer labs, less risk of spillover, and faster outbreak detection and response need sustained investment now, while we still have time to prevent the next emergency. Share
Tolland warns potential adult entertainment purveyors to follow the laws
TOLLAND, Conn. (WTNH) — The Tolland Town Manager has issued a warning for anyone wanting to reopen an adult entertainment business in the town — follow the laws or they will shut you down. First, i…
Employee Retention Credit Eligibility for Healthcare Staffing Agencies: Legal Analysis of Southern Arizona Health Services v. United States
Southern Arizona Health Services Phoenix, LLC v. United States , No. 25-62T, Fed. Cl. , 2026 WL 29374 (Oct. 14, 2026) The United States Court of Federal Claims has issued a published opinion granting summary judgment to the government in Southern Arizona Health Services Phoenix, LLC v. United S
Rutgers Board of Governors Approves Bachelor of Science in Real Estate Degree
The Rutgers Board of Governors voted to approve a new Bachelor of Science degree in Real Estate, according to a press release issued Oct. 13. Students at Rutgers Business School…
Par Health recalls 22 lots of IV blood thinner, its 3rd US product pull in a month
U.S.-based generic drugmaker Par Health has issued
US bishops' president urges Catholics 'to put their faith before politics' in November elections
Ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections, Archbishop Paul S. Coakley, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, issued a statement Oct. 14 reminding the faithful that
Maximum Entertainment Announces Attachment of Funds in the Company's Bank Account
Stockholm, Sweden, October 15, 2026 - Maximum Entertainment AB (Nasdaq: MAXENT B) (“Maximum Entertainment” or the “Company”) was informed today that the Swedish Enforcement Authority (Kronofogden) had issued an attachment order on October 14, 2026, concerning funds in the Company’s bank account wit…
Transferra Launches Visa Cards for Business and Private Clients
Transferra Transferra Launches Visa Cards for Business and Private Clients Transferra London, UK, Oct. 15, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transferra Launches New Virtual And Physical Visa Cards For Business Accounts And For The People Behind Them A black Visa Business card for company spending and a Visa card in purple-to-silver gradient for personal use, each issued as a virtual and a physical card, linked directly to clients' Transferra accounts. Transferra today announced the launch of new Visa pay
Digital Science Report Examines Federal Research Security Policies
Digital Science issued a report that looks into whether current federal research security policies adequately account for visiting scholars and other short-term researchers. ...
Rep. Ilhan Omar's phone seized and relatives subpoenaed in criminal probe, AP source says
Federal authorities investigating Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar have seized the Democratic lawmaker’s phone and have issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, according to a person briefed on the probe.
Grimes growth surges behind residential, commercial development
The city of Grimes’ population now stands at just under 18,000 following a special census last year, and that growth is representative in the number of building permits being issued, both residential and commercial, which for the year to date have already surpassed the previous high number by 32%. As of Oct. 1, the city…
Gov. Tina Kotek issues new executive order on healthcare access, costs
Gov. Tina Kotek on Oct. 13 issued a wide ranging executive order aimed at protecting access to healthcare ahead of looming federal changes.
Federal complaint alleges Rogers Behavioral Health illegally fired 6 workers in West Allis
Federal labor regulators last week issued a formal complaint against Rogers Behavioral Health, alleging the nonprofit illegally fired six workers at a West Allis treatment center during a union drive.
Piles permit issued for Advocate Health Care new Trinity Hospital
A foundation piles permit has been issued for Advocate Health Care’s new $300 million Trinity Hospital at the former U.S. Steel South Works site near the lakefront. Located at 8000 S. DuSable Lake Shore Drive, the hospital will be built on 23 acres between Brandon Ave to the west, DuSable Lake Shore Drive to the north and east, and 81st Street to the south.
New York opting in on Trump administration's education tax credit
The Internal Revenue Service issued proposed regulations in how the credit will be run.
Judge orders Trump admin to halt work for a day on historic DC golf course
Judge Ana Reyes issued the order following a tense hearing in which she blistered the government for having deceived her with its actions over the weekend
Citigroup Begins Coverage on Melco Resorts & Entertainment (NASDAQ:MLCO)
Citigroup began coverage on Melco Resorts & Entertainment in a research report on Monday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $9.40 price objective on the stock.
Par Health recalls more IV bags on cellulose risk weeks after similar action
Par Health issued a
Oregon public health officials investigating possible foodborne outbreak
Deschutes County Health Services, working with the Oregon Health Authority and other partners, has issued a Health Alert Network advisory telling health care providers in Deschutes County and the surrounding Central Oregon communities that it is investigating a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis infections. The advisory does not name a
Nashville health officials approved nearly 400 tattoo festival permits in 4 hours
Nashville health officials issued nearly 400 permits to tattoo artists, body piercers, and technicians in just four hours for the 2026 Villain Arts Tattoo Festival.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Recommends Science-Based Thresholds to Target Dangerous Enhanced Kratom Products
Kratom products credit: CDPH DEA takes action based on updated recommendation from HHS October 11, 2026 - WASHINGTON - On Friday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services relesed the following: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provided a new recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) that establishes science-based thresholds for 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) and mitragynine pseudoindoxyl (MGPI), potent opioid compounds associated with products marketed as kratom. The Department of Justice today announced that DEA issued new Notices of Intent reflecting HHS’ updated scientific analysis and recommendations, including a new Notice of Intent for 7-OH and MGPI incorporating HHS’ recommended concentration and ratio thresholds. Following a review of available scientific data and comments, HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brian Christine, M.D., recommended that DEA use concentration or ratio-based thresholds to determine which products containing 7-OH and MGPI are subject to Schedule I control for purposes of temporary scheduling of these substances under the Controlled Substances Act. The recommendation is designed to target concentrated or chemically altered products while distinguishing them from natural botanical kratom products, which may contain trace amounts of 7-OH and MGPI. “We are drawing a clear line between natural kratom and dangerous, enhanced opioid products,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “We listened to the public, followed the science, and developed a clear recommended threshold for temporary scheduling that targets concentrated 7-OH and MGPI without sweeping natural botanical kratom into Schedule I. The Trump Administration will continue taking decisive action against dangerous products that fuel addiction while making sure our policies are grounded in rigorous science.” Under the recommendation, 7-OH and MGPI would be controlled in Schedule I for purposes of temporary scheduling when either substance alone, or their combined amount when both are present: Exceeds 1 milligram per gram in solid powders, encapsulated material, or other solid forms, or exceeds 1 milligram per milliliter in liquid preparations; or When the mass of mitragynine present divided by the mass of 7-OH, or MGPI, or the combined amount of 7-OH and MGPI if both present, is less than 100. The ratio-based approach reflects the alkaloid composition of natural kratom products and provides a way to identify products intentionally enhanced or concentrated with 7-OH or MGPI. Available scientific data indicate that 7-OH occurs naturally in botanical kratom at relatively low or trace levels, while some evidence reviewed by FDA suggests MGPI may also occur at trace levels in some natural or kratom-derived products. FDA's scientific review found that 7-OH is substantially more potent than morphine in preclinical studies, with available data indicating approximately two to nine times greater potency depending on the study. FDA also identified evidence supporting a meaningful risk of opioid-like physical dependence and withdrawal from MGPI. “Our recommendation gives DEA a scientifically supportable framework to distinguish natural botanical kratom from products that have been concentrated or manipulated to deliver dangerous levels of potent opioid compounds,” said Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Brian Christine, M.D. “This approach allows us to focus on the products that pose the greatest threat to public health.” In July 2025, following an FDA scientific and medical evaluation, HHS recommended that 7-OH above a specified threshold be placed in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. In July 2026, DEA announced its intent to temporarily schedule 7-OH above a specified threshold, and HHS simultaneously sought public comment on the proposed threshold. DEA subsequently temporarily placed MGPI and two synthetic 7-OH derivatives, MGM-15 and MGM-16, in Schedule I. Since then, questions have emerged about how scheduling could affect natural botanical kratom products potentially containing trace amounts of MGPI. The new HHS recommendation responds to those concerns by providing DEA with a more precise threshold based on both the concentration of 7-OH and MGPI and their relationship to mitragynine, the predominant alkaloid in kratom. HHS and FDA will continue working with DEA to protect Americans from dangerous concentrated and synthetic opioid products while ensuring federal policy is grounded in the best available science. Source: HHS
Health advisory issued for Toms Bayou in Valparaiso following wastewater release
Officials emphasized that local drinking water is not affected.
Hurricane Isaias Update
Review the latest update from NBAA Air Traffic Services with operational guidance for Hurricane Isaias. This update includes information from the National Hurricane Center’s Advisory #15, issued at 1300z.
John Turley: Who pays for American politics? (Opinion)
In January 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court issued one of the most consequential and controversial campaign-finance decisions in modern American history. In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Court
Health advisory issued for CJ Strike Reservoir due to algal bloom
The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) is issuing a health advisory for CJ Strike Reservoir.
Hurricane Isaias Update
Review the latest update from NBAA Air Traffic Services with operational guidance for Hurricane Milton. This update includes information from the National Hurricane Center’s Advisory #13, issued at 2100z.
CFTC Can’t Tell the Difference Between Sports Betting and Derivatives Trading
WASHINGTON, D.C.— Benjamin Schiffrin, Director of Securities Policy for Better Markets, issued the following statement after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) proposed a rule that treats event contracts on sports, elections, and pop culture as financial derivatives and adopted a rule that attempts to distinguish ‘casino-style gambling products’ that it says are not swaps from
Hurricane Isaias Update
Review the latest update from NBAA Air Traffic Services with operational guidance for Hurricane Milton. This update includes information from the National Hurricane Center’s Advisory #11, issued at 0900z.
Mental Health, the Church's Commitment: "It is not a marginal issue; it belongs to the heart of the mission" - Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development
On the occasion of World Mental Health Day, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development has, for the first time, issued a message signed by ...
Stephen A. Smith apologizes to Lane Johnson for mental health comments
ESPN host Stephen A. Smith issued an apology at the beginning of "First Take" on Thursday regarding the comments he made earlier this week surrounding Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson's retirement.
River respond! Production firm blames CARP for Messi farewell errors
The problems at Messi's farewell to the Argentina national team remain at the center of controversy, as production company Marketing Sports issued a statement this Thursday blaming River for all the i...
Supreme Court asked to weigh political ad rates
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to step into a lower court dispute over television advertising rates paid by political candidates and joint fundraising committees weeks before the midterm elections. The application asked the justices to set aside a 2-1 ruling issued Wednesday by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th […]
Business interruption claims soar: Allianz report
Business interruption claims severity is rising sharply, with average claim values rising by more than 30% annually over the past two years, according to a report issued Thursday by Allianz Commercial.
Open science is compatible with research security, says Canada’s chief science advisor
Open science is “not incompatible” with research security and science leaders and policymakers should “demystify” the false dichotomy between the two, according to Mona Nemer, Canada’s chief science advisor. More than a decade ago, EU policymakers were promoting open science, open innovation and open collaboration across the world. It was a political movement that aimed to make scientific research, data, software, publications and methodologies transparent, accessible and reusable for everyone.But that rhetoric has changed over the past few years. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and Donald Trump came back to power in 2025, international partnerships have become more pragmatic. Countries are trying to implement protectionist policies and governments are increasingly worried about technology espionage. According to Nemer, science can remain open if the sector can come up with improved security protocols that would protect research data from undue manipulation by foreign actors. “If anybody can fiddle with the with the data, then [open science] is actually quite dangerous and quite useless,” she told Science|Business. Universities and research institutions are increasingly vulnerable to attempted espionage and other types of foreign interference. In September, the UK’s domestic counter-intelligence service MI5 issued a security warning against collaborations with the China General Technology Research Institute. And earlier this year, Germany’s Helmholtz Center for Information Security was criticised by federal research minister Dorothee Bär, who told a parliamentary hearing that “existing rules and systems” at the institute “were not suitable” for preventing leaks to China. According to Nemer, universities and research institutions should perhaps follow the example of the private sector, as companies have been able to safeguard their research while still publishing results. “I think that there is a level of research security hygiene that researchers and institutions need to just adopt,” she said. “You don't have to tell Sanofi or IBM how to safeguard their research, which they end up publishing anyway.”While certain areas of research will not be open for collaboration with certain partners, in other areas cooperation is necessary even with researchers based in adversarial countries. “I stress this because politics change,” she said. “Science and politics don't make for good fellows, and whether we like it or not, politics will influence certain things.”Researchers will play an important role in “protecting the integrity of science,” said Nemer. “I think that it's time that there's a commitment to a certain scientific compact, so that citizens don't think that science is actually an open door for espionage and for anti-nationalism.”New partnershipsNemer spoke with Science|Business on the margins of the Hamburg Science Summit on September 17, the day when Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney called for increased cooperation with the EU, including in science and technology. Canada is looking to strengthen ties with partners in other corners of the world, after the Trump administration threatened to put tariffs on Canadian goods and services and even openly suggested Canada could become the 51st state. In parallel, the US government has indicated it wants to retreat from international science projects, including US collaboration with Europe’s CERN particle accelerator and other big science labs.Related articlesThe stats we need to better understand R&DCanada looks to deepen research and education links with the EUCan researchers trust that AI models won’t leak their ideas?Nemer said the US is still a science “powerhouse,” but Canada and Europe will have to work closely together on global challenges. “It’s important for both [sides], but I think it's also important for the rest of the world, because the cut in funding for development, in health, in regions like Africa and other places, have dramatic effects.” The Trump administration is also planning a review of the Nelson memo, a Biden-era document that mandated that results of federally funded research would be openly available. With that idea being called into question, Nemer said it could be “very disruptive” to scientific collaborations and could jeopardise research on climate change, the Arctic and global health. “When your collaborator suddenly tells you I'm not going to share the data with you as a researcher, if this happens, I think it's very worrisome,” she said. “I'm certainly hoping that a lot of the Canadian institutions, funders, researchers, have started looking at joining forces on databases and using more European research infrastructures,” Nemer added.
Concern after Europeans endorse US science agenda
Germany’s biggest research funder has said it is “concerned” after Berlin, plus several other European countries, endorsed a controversial US-led science policy statement. On October 4, the White House announced that 16 countries, including Germany, the UK, Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Poland, Japan and South Korea had backed the Kyoto Vision for a Golden Age of Science.The document, agreed on the margins of the annual Science and Technology in Society forum in Kyoto, which gathers science ministers from across the world, appears uncontroversial at first sight. It’s a one-page statement, without any concrete measures, that touches on reducing administrative burden on scientists, experimenting with new funding models and the use of “super intelligence” in science, the Trump administration’s preferred term for artificial intelligence. However, what’s controversial is that much of the language in the Kyoto Vision reflects Science: A New Golden Age, a major policy document released by the White House in July.That document attracted criticism for deriding universities as “legacy institutions” and suggesting money be diverted to new research labs. In a speech in Kyoto on October 4, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office for Science and Technology Policy and the report’s author, said that the US was seeking to “diversify the ways that we support research to meet our best scientists where and when they do their best work.” The worry is that the Trump administration may be using genuine dysfunctions in academia as a pretext to defund and disempower universities, which US vice president JD Vance has labelled “the enemy.” Many in Europe also want more experimentation and reform of how science is organised and funded, and agree with criticisms of academia made by Science: A New Golden Age. But some also fear that if the US pushes for reform partially in bad faith, it could politicise and undermine the whole agenda. Washington is currently trying to change federal funding rules so that political appointees can block and cancel scientific grants. It has cut grants mid-project on topics related to diversity and other politically forbidden areas. And last year, it threatened to cut Harvard University’s federal funding unless it admitted a “critical mass” of new faculty and students to create campus “viewpoint diversity.” “Particularly concerned”Because of this wider US political context, the Kyoto Vision’s otherwise innocuous sounding statement that “we encourage experimentation with new institutional models for science that provide varying levels of autonomy, resources and direction” has caused consternation in Europe, particularly from some of Germany’s biggest science organisations. A spokesperson for the German Research Foundation (DFG), the country’s biggest funder, said that it would “closely monitor whether the current US administration uses the Kyoto Vision to restructure research funding to the detriment of research institutions such as universities and their autonomy.” The DFG was “particularly concerned” with the statement’s references to Science: A New Golden Age, they continued. A spokesperson for the German Rectors’ Conference, which represents the country’s universities, said that the reference to “new institutional models” raises “questions on the underlying understanding of academic freedom and autonomy.” Research funding must “guided first and foremost by scientific not political principles,” they went on. Dampen criticismEuropean endorsement of the Kyoto Vision might dampen domestic criticism of the Trump administration’s science policy, some in the US fear, by suggesting international support. “What we saw from Germany, Japan, the UK and other countries, is an impulse that the administration has exploited with our own science reform movement, a belief they can use dialogue to make things better,” said Cole Donovan, director of science policy at the campaigning group Stand Up for Science. “In practice, the administration has done the opposite.” Not a binding statementThere’s been so much concern in Germany that the country’s federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space put out a statement defending its endorsement of the Kyoto Vision, which it has posted on its website. Related articlesIs metascience being co-opted?European researchers sound the alarm that Trump rule changes will hit cooperationThe US ‘golden age’ science strategy: what Europeans need to know The ministry said that it “should be regarded as a basis for discussion and does not constitute a binding statement.” Backing the statement gives Germany the chance to raise “issues and concerns” with the US during upcoming talks on science and technology scheduled for November. “Although these intentions appear, in principle, to be worthy of support, they will be scrutinised and examined more closely as the process continues,” the statement continues. Super intelligence?A ministry spokesperson confirmed to Science|Business that Germany had broadly endorsed the Kyoto Vision.However, they said Berlin had not agreed to final changes in the statement to refer to AI as super intelligence. In September, facing protests against data centres and polling that suggests US citizens are far more concerned than excited by the technology, Trump issued an executive order that attempts to rebrand AI as super intelligence, following polling on social media.The name change is to “reflect the transformative capabilities of these technologies and the limitless opportunities they create for the American people,” the order says. EU askedThe UK and Italian science ministries did not respond to a request for comment on their endorsement of the Kyoto Vision. Although most EU countries did not endorse the statement, it’s not clear which states the US asked. The White House Office for Science and Technology Policy did not return a request for comment. A European Commission official, speaking under condition of anonymity, said that the US had approached the EU, but too late for the EU to quiz all its member states on whether Brussels should endorse the statement.
Fans are not happy with Stephen A. Smith’s apology after mocking Lane Johnson’s mental health
Stephen A. Smith issued an apology to retiring Philadelphia Eagles OT Lane Johnson after mocking the mental health factors that led to the 36-year-old’s decision to retire.
Tropical storm Isaias triggers business, organization closures across the Gulf Coast
Video above: WKRG TROPICS: Tropical Storm Isaias Forms, Tropical Alerts Issued for the Gulf Coast (WKRG) — Multiple businesses and public facilities have announced that they are closing ahead of Tr…
Health Officer issues mask order in specified health care facilities, encourages residents to get vaccinated for flu and COVID-19
To protect against the elevated risk of respiratory virus-related illnesses, such as COVID and flu, during the fall and winter, Sonoma County’s Health Officer Dr. Mia Shim issued a health order requiring health care personnel and others to mask in patient care areas of specified health care facilities. The health order, designed to protect the most vulnerable people in our community, will be in effect from Nov. 1, 2026 through March 31, 2027.
Government Watchdog: Trump Illegally Blocked Health Research Funding
Washington, D.C. — Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued the following statement on a Government Accountability Office (GAO) decision issued today, which concludes that President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. illegally impounded fiscal year 2025 funding for health research conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research […]
$4.6 Million Construction Permit Issued for Upcoming 49,000 SF Round1 Entertainment Venue
Round1 Bowling & Arcade has received a permit valued at $4.6 million to build its upcoming location at Westfield Wheaton. The nearly 49,000 SF entertainment venue will transform the former […]
Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited (NASDAQ:MLCO) Stock Rated "Moderate Buy" by Wall Street Brokerages
Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited (NASDAQ:MLCO - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, five have g
Ben Shapiro Issues Statement On 'Pawn Shop' Production Shutdown
Ben Shapiro has issued a statement on the shutdown of production on his Daily Wire movie 'Pawn Shop,' decrying it as a first amendment violation.
Beach advisory issued in Miami-Dade for elevated bacteria levels
The Florida Department of Health issued a health advisory for a Key Biscayne beach due to elevated levels of bacteria in nearby waters.
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:FUN) Stock Has Average Target Price of $21.50
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:FUN - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Hold" from the sixteen ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recomme
Swedish regulator temporarily revokes Charm Entertainment’s casino license
The Swedish Gambling Authority (Spelinspektionen) has issued a temporary revocation of Charm Entertainment AB’s license to operate commercial land-based casino
We issued a Water Advisory for Thea Foss Waterway - Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department
Last revised Oct. 5, 2026 While the advisory is in effect, avoid contact with the water for 48 hours after it rains.
Hochul declares emergency over measles outbreak
The governor declared the state of an emergency in an executive order issued Monday, citing a growing number of cases.
Hochul declares emergency over measles outbreak
The governor declared the state of an emergency in an executive order issued Monday, citing a growing number of cases.
Health officials issue urgent warning after four Utah deaths tied to herbal supplements
Utah health officials issued a public health warning after four deaths across the state were linked to certain herbal supplements, including kratom products and
Alexandria Health Department no longer offering free COVID-19, flu tests
The department is providing flu shots only to uninsured residents and has issued guidance for the respiratory virus season
Permits issued for $22 million Perkins Road elementary school, new Southern Classic Chicken location
Here is a list of commercial and residential building permits issued by East Baton Rouge Parish Government from Sept. 28-Oct. 2.
International Coalition Endorses Kyoto Vision For A Golden Age Of Science
An international coalition of 17 countries have endorsed the Kyoto Vision for a Golden Age of Science. A joint declaration issued at the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Science and Technology in Society Forum held in Kyoto, reflects a shared ambition to renew and strengthen our science ecosystems and usher in a golden age of discovery and prosperity.
Swedish regulator temporarily revokes Charm Entertainment AB’s casino licence following investigation
Spelinspektionen issued an interim revocation of Charm Entertainment AB’s licence to operate commercial land-based casino gaming.
How Americans’ Financial Health Is Faring In The “K-Shaped” Economy
Hey all, Jason here. Money20/20 is still two weeks away, but I’ve already started packing (not procrastinating for once!). My calendar is already filling up with various sessions I want to catch, meetings, and of course happy hours, dinners, and other side events. If you’ll be in Vegas and want to catch up, let me know by replying to this email, and we can try to find a time amidst the chaos of the Venetian. A big if not totally unexpected piece of news dropped on Friday: the Independent Community Bankers of America, a trade group that represents smaller U.S. banks, filed a lawsuit against the OCC and Comptroller Jonathan Gould, arguing that the regulator’s move to grant trust bank charters to firms seeking to use them to conduct substantial non-fiduciary activities exceeds the authorities granted to the OCC by Congress. I haven’t had time to fully digest the legal filing or speak to folks in my network about it, but you can expect to see coverage and analysis on it in next week’s newsletter. Subscribe or Support by Upgrading The NerdCon agenda just dropped. It’s stacked. Partner content: Nubank built an AI-first bank. Chime built its own banking core. Figure and Valon are rebuilding the mortgage stack. At NerdCon, you’ll hear from the people behind those bets: what they chose, what they learned, and what they’re still figuring out. The agenda is live, with leaders from Nubank, Chime, OpenAI, Remitly, Mercury, Figure, Valon and more. Follow the mainstage conversations, bring the problem your team is wrestling with to a hands-on workshop, or pull up a chair at a roundtable. Pick your quests. Meet us in San Diego, November 18–20. Fintech Business Weekly readers save 20% with code FBW20. Explore the Agenda Things To Know & Other Good Reads Federal Reserve Board finalizes changes to enhance the transparency and public accountability of its stress test and reduce volatility in its stress test-related capital requirements (Federal Reserve Board of Governors) FDIC Announces Conclusion of Independent Monitorship (FDIC) Modernizing Financial Regulation: Initial Observations from eSLR (Fed Vice Chair for Supervision Michelle Bowman) The Data Version of Godzilla versus Kong: FRED Takes on AI (Fed Governor Christopher Waller) Financing the AI buildout (Brookings) Q3’26: Rules for Banks but Not for Crypto (Fintech Takes Banking) The Inevitability of Local Stablecoins (Lombard Notes) Delusions of AI Governance: The Human-in-the-Loop Comfort Blanket (Fintech Snark Tank) Stripe agrees to acquire Parafin to expand revenue opportunities for platforms and help small businesses grow (Stripe) Listen: Fighting Fraud in the Age of AI, with SEON’s Tamas Kadar (Fintech Business Weekly) How Americans’ Financial Health Is Faring In The “K-Shaped” Economy If there is one overarching theme across the economy and politics in the U.S. at the moment, it’s “affordability.” The term is vague enough to encompass a panoply of factors shaping Americans’ day-to-day lives: rising costs for the hallmarks of being “middle class,” including healthcare, housing, childcare, and education, inflation and rising interest rates, and a job market with the specter of AI hovering over it. At the same time, policy shifts under the Trump administration have resulted in reduced subsidies to those who get health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and new restrictions on qualifying for Medicaid and SNAP, the impacts of which have yet to be fully felt. These factors are contributing to declining consumer confidence and general dissatisfaction with the economy, despite continuing GDP growth and stock market records. This divergence is encapsulated in the idea of the “K-shaped” economy, in which a small proportion of Americans have seen their wealth balloon, while the majority of American households struggle to preserve the lifestyle they have. Perhaps the greatest determinant of which branch of the “K” a household is on is whether their wealth and income are primarily derived from employment vs. from assets. Nearly two decades of low interest rates and, more recently, elevated rates of inflation have benefited asset owners, while those whose income is primarily or solely derived from labor have largely seen real purchasing power stagnate or decline. This is reflected in recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data showing that labor share of U.S. GDP — the fraction of economic output that accrues to workers as compensation in exchange for their labor — dropped to just 52.8% in Q2 2026, the lowest since the BLS began keeping records. In 1947, approximately 2/3rds of economic output accrued to workers; even as recently as 2001, labor’s share of GDP was 64.1%. Against this backdrop, we’ve seen the rise of more credit and credit-like products: cash advance apps, “no-fee” overdraft, earned wage access, and buy now pay later, which are often used as small-dollar short-term borrowing mechanisms to meet immediate consumption needs or pay other bills (eg utilities, cell phone, other debt payments). With the markers of a middle class existence and, increasingly, basic financial stability seemingly out of reach for many, it should be no surprise there’s been an increase in “financial nihilism,” something industry peers like Alex Johnson and Frank Rotman have discussed and analyzed the roots of. The explosion of gambling and gambling-adjacent products and services — often marketed under the guise of being an “investment” — is inextricably intertwined with the rise of financial nihilism. Crypto, sports betting, and, more recently, prediction markets offer an escape or even hope of sorts, like a contemporary, digital version of a scratch-off lottery ticket, while leaving the overwhelming number of people who use such products worse off. Share of Households That Are Financially “Vulnerable” Ticks Up The Financial Health Network’s 2026 Financial Health Pulse® report adds context on how American households are faring. (I linked to this report in last week’s newsletter, but wanted to take time to further unpack the data in the report this week.) The Financial Health Network publishes the report annually, providing insight into how Americans’ financial circumstances are changing over time. The 2026 report is derived from a survey fielded in April and May 2026. The report leverages survey responses to assess indicators of financial health across spending, saving, borrowing, and planning/protecting and to determine a zero to 100 “FinHealth” score. Those with scores between 0 and 39 are considered “Financially Vulnerable,” consumers with scores ranging between 40 and 79 are defined as “Financially Coping,” and those with scores of 80 to 100 are “Financially Healthy.” The report found that moderate improvements in 2025 were reversed, with the share of respondents considered financially “vulnerable” rebounding to 17%. The longitudinal data reflect the impact of pandemic-era programs, like expanded unemployment, cash stimulus payments, and pauses of federal student loan payments. The positive impacts of those programs, as reflected in the Financial Health Pulse reports, had largely disappeared by 2023. While pandemic-era inflation — to be fair, in part caused by the various support and stimulus measures — had come down from as high as 9% in 2022, it has rebounded since the start of Trump’s second term, with tariffs and energy market disruptions owing to the war in Iran pushing prices back up. Specific indicators in the survey that deteriorated from 2025 to 2026 include the share of respondents spending less than their income over the past 12 months, the share paying all bills on time over the past 12 months, the share that have a manageable amount or no debt, the share that are “moderately” or “very” confident their insurance is adequate to cover them in an emergency, and the share that “somewhat” or “strongly” agree that their household plans ahead financially. Unsurprisingly, lower- and moderate-income households are more likely to struggle to pay their bills on time and have any funds leftover to save. The share of low-income households whose income exceeded their spending dropped from 35% in 2025 to 31% in 2026, while the share of upper-income households whose income exceeded expenses remained unchanged at 63%. Households with student loans or revolving credit card debt reported having “a bit more” or “far more” debt than was manageable at rates far higher than those not carrying these types of debts. The share of those with student loan debt indicating their debt load was too high to manage increased from 50% in 2025 to 55% in 2026, while the share of those with revolving credit card debt saying the same ticked up from 51% in 2025 to 54% in 2026. Households that had student loans were markedly more likely to be financially “coping” or “vulnerable” vs. those without student loans. In 2026, 27% of households with student loans were considered financially vulnerable, a jump of 6% points vs. 2025. Households without student loans saw just a 1% point increase (not statistically significant) in those considered financially vulnerable. Households’ perception of the affordability of categories of goods and services paints a stark picture, with less than one-fourth considering higher education affordable, about a third deeming childcare affordable, and less than half viewing healthcare as affordable. Fintech Business Weekly is made possible by the generous support of paying subscribers — bringing you independent analysis of banking, fintech, and crypto without fear or favor. You can support my work by becoming a paying subscriber if you aren’t already. Paying subscribers enjoy: access to the entire archive of nearly six years of newsletters extended versions of the weekly newsletter, with additional content and analysis and (for founding member tier) quarterly personal 1:1 fintech Q&A / strategy calls with me, tapping into my unparalleled knowledge of the intersection of banking and fintech and experience working in the sector, including helping to launch Goldman Sachs’ retail bank Marcus Support Fintech Business Weekly You can also support Fintech Business Weekly by sponsoring a newsletter or podcast, putting you in front of 93,000+ of the most influential decision makers in banking, fintech, and crypto. Learn more about sponsor opportunities or request a media kit by dropping me an email. Democratic Senate Report Highlights How Iran Uses Tether to Evade U.S. Sanctions Iran uses stablecoins, specifically Tether, to evade sanctions, fund regional proxies, and to purchase military drones, a report released last week by the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations says. The report was authored by committee ranking member Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and the minority staff. Crypto and stablecoin proponents will often push back on criticism that criminals make use of these assets by arguing that, on an absolute dollar basis, far more illicit funds flow through traditional banking systems and payment rails than via crypto and stablecoins. And while that is likely true, it elides the reality presented in news story after news story: whether state actors — Russia, Iran, North Korea — or criminal groups, those looking to engage in illicit transactions increasingly favor stablecoins and, specifically, Tether (USDT). The report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released last week adds context to how Iran uses Tether has a lynchpin in its shadow banking system. The report analyzed 846 wallets that have been sanctioned or targeted for seizure, finding that 84% of them transacted exclusively or primarily in Tether. The ability to create near limitless, anonymous wallets and to move funds effectively instantaneously and irreversibly have made crypto a favored financial mechanism for bad actors. Stablecoins solved key drawbacks of bitcoin, namely, the original cryptocurrency’s highly volatile value in dollars. And while Tether (the company) has the technical ability to “freeze” or destroy funds, the company is often limited and reactive in its approach to doing so, the Senate report argues. Tether, which is nominally based in crypto-friendly El Salvador, “has stated that its compliance with OFAC sanctions is ‘voluntary’ and that it follows ‘OFAC guidelines,’” the Senate report says. Owing to these favorable attributes, Tether “became a primary cryptocurrency for Iran, Hamas, Hizballah, and the Houthis beginning in 2023 and has expanded in scale since,” according to the report. Tether’s role in Iran’s shadow banking system, the report says, is enhanced by crypto exchanges like Bybit, Kyrrex, OKX, Gate, and Binance, and through “over the counter” exchanges and hawala networks. The consequences of these financial flows aren’t hypothetical. The Senate report links Tether as a funds transfer mechanism to Iranian proxies in the region, including Hizballah, the Houthis, and Hamas. Tether has also been used to make payments to secure components necessary to manufacture drones, the report says. The report concludes by arguing that “[s]tablecoin issuers with a significant nexus to the United States, particularly those that offer dollar-denominated stablecoins, should be subject to American sanctions law rather than being allowed to hide behind foreign jurisdictions.” Stablecoin issuers like Tether must be held accountable for repeated failures to prevent illicit finance and sanctions violations by law enforcement, the Department of Justice, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and OFAC, the report argues. [Paying Subscriber Exclusive] OUSD Goes Live, Make Your Own Neobank, U.S. Sanctions Russia’s A7 Network As “Transnational Criminal Organization” OpenUSD, the stablecoin issued by the Open Standard consortium that includes Stripe, Visa, Mastercard, core providers, crypto firms, and numerous banks, went live last week. Social commerce platform Whop raised eyebrows in fintech by offering creators on its platform the ability to launch their own neobanks, which the company describes as “great businesses that are easy to run,” in just 15 minutes. And OFAC and FinCEN target Russia’s “shadow banking” A7 Network — more on these stories after the paywall.
Global tech policymakers agree to embrace AI in science
A joint statement issued by the United States and 15 other countries touts the technology’s potential for accelerating scientific progress.
Voter guide: Prop 134 asks Colorado voters to bar transgender student athletes from certain school sports
Here’s a closer look at Proposition 134, a measure that’s similar to a controversial 2025 executive order issued by President Donald Trump.
Starz Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ:STRZ) Stock Has Average Price Target of $32.71
Starz Entertainment Corp. (NASDAQ:STRZ - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nine analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, four have
Person Behind Viral AI-Generated Fallout: New York Game Hauls It Offline, Says Bethesda Issued Cease and Desist
The person behind a viral AI-generated Fallout: New York game has pulled it offline after receiving a cease and desist from Bethesda.
Kim Jong Un champions education and science as North Korea harvest gathers pace
North Korean state media kept domestic audiences in the dark about rising tensions with South Korea this week. Kim Jong Un’s sister Kim Yo Jong issued a statement aimed at Seoul after a landmine blast at the border injured South Korean soldiers, but it did not appear in domestic outlets. Instead, state media covered the […]
Extreme Heat Warning Health Alert Issued for Santa Barbara County
A long-duration heat wave is forecast to bring dangerously hot weather this Friday through next Thursday.
Trump says he’d consider issuing pardons to administration officials before he leaves office
The president referenced pre-emptive pardons that President Joe Biden had issued on his last day in office to people Trump had threatened.
How Washington Funded the Politicization of Science
Over the last half-decade, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on projects designed to influence academic policies, both in the sciences and other disciplines. The aim was to foster a progressive conception of social justice in these fields. In pursuit of this end, the foundation earmarked nearly a million dollars for a project titled “Creating Inclusive Scientific Societies through Policies and Practices,” over a million for a project on “Faculty Online Learning Communities for Gender Equity,” and over $2 million to foster “racial equity focused departmental change.” Through a public records request, I’ve obtained the proposals and progress reports for dozens of NSF grants designed to promote social justice. Although funding for these grants was eventually halted by the Trump administration, the projects illustrate an important facet of recent higher-education policy. Many of the university policies that promised “social transformation” didn’t arise in a vacuum. They were actively encouraged by outside funders—often by the federal government itself. Subscribe Accreditation—the peer-review process which enables universities to receive federal grants and student loans—has recently become a policy battleground, with accreditors wielding significant power over both universities and academic disciplines. In 2020, when Oregon Health and Science University’s medical school issued an extensive diversity action plan—which promised “consequences” for employees who failed to support “DEI, anti-racism and social justice”—it specifically pointed to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the medical-school accrediting body, to justify the overhaul. The NSF actively promoted DEI-focused accreditation policies. The proposal for a $1.2 million program on promoting “community engagement” in STEM, which I obtained through a records request, notes that the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology was exploring changes to its criteria “that would incorporate JEDI [justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion].” The proposal promised to “support broader JEDI efforts in the general criteria for engineering.” Another grant funded a conference designed to “identify and share best practices and strategies to integrate IDEA principles in accreditation criteria”—referring to an acronym that stands for “inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.” Scholarly societies have become another flashpoint in debates over higher education. Critics argue that many of these societies, which have the power to shape entire disciplines, have become increasingly politicized. Again, through its giving, the NSF played a role in promoting this politicization. In one million-dollar grant that received funding in 2024, a group of psychologists proposed a series of social-justice reforms to the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. The proposal, which I obtained via a records request, asserts that “[r]edistributing resources (such as moving different people into leadership roles) is not enough” and that the society’s “governance structures do not yet reflect its stated values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Its solution: review and rework the society’s criteria for leadership development, academic awards, conferences, and publications. Adjusting review criteria informed by “intersectionality” designed to fight “epistemic exclusion” is an easy way to introduce de facto ideological litmus tests into the peer-review process. For many of the grants I obtained, such litmus tests seem to be the point. “Academic departments are racialized social systems that produce and sustain the byproducts of systemic racism,” a proposal for a $2.7 million project funded in 2024 asserts, promising to develop “departmentally-focused change efforts that cultivate values, assumptions, and behaviors that advance racial equity.” The University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s million-dollar “I-ADVANCE” project, which effectively created a small DEI bureaucracy on campus, promised to Embed 28 ADVANCE faculty fellows in STEM departments” to amplify its equity goals. Another $1.2 million project promised to create “faculty online learning communities,” made up of scientists at universities around the country, that would eventually build department-level diversity action plans. “Ultimately,” the proposal asserts, perhaps more perceptively than its authors realized, “both organizational change and intersectionality frameworks deal with power.” Indeed, such grants confer a great deal of power to administrators and scholar-activists, who can even use the mere availability of funding as a tool to advance their causes. That history is worth remembering amid today’s debate over federal involvement in higher education: Washington has been shaping university priorities for years, including by financing efforts to instill progressive ideas about race, gender, and equity into academic institutions—and many of the policies those grants encouraged remain embedded within universities long after the federal money has stopped flowing. John D. Sailer is the director of higher education policy and a senior fellow at Manhattan Institute. Share
Republicans’ New Health Care Budget Cuts Take Effect Today, Stripping Lifesaving Health Coverage from Lawfully Present Immigrant Children and Families
Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA, issued the following statement in response to the new H.R. 1 restrictions.
Ace Combat 8 developer apologises for Belkan War pre-order backlash, explains why it happened and vows to explore possible solutions
The team behind Ace Combat 8 has issued a statement in response to the controversy surrounding the game's pre-order bonus game, The Belkan War.
Overall dietary patterns matter more for heart health than nutrients
A healthy, balanced dietary pattern, rather than one focused on individual nutrients or foods is key to maintaining heart health, according to a Scientific Statement issued by the American College of Cardiology and published in JACC, its flagship journal.
Heart health guidance shifts focus from individual nutrients to overall diet quality
A healthy, balanced dietary pattern, rather than one focused on individual nutrients or foods, is key to maintaining heart health, according to a scientific statement issued by the American College of ...
Huge Deadlock Update Propels Valve's MOBA Hero Shooter to the Top of the Steam Charts, Smashes Peak Concurrent Player Record
Valve has issued a huge update to its in-development MOBA hero shooter Deadlock, propelling it to the top of Steam’s most-played games chart.
'Revolutionary scenario' - German women's Bundesliga mulls play-offs
The German women's Bundesliga is considering introducing play-offs for the championship, promotion and relegation after launching the sale of media rights for the first time since announcing a split from the German Football Federation. The split will fully come into force at the start of next season and the Bundesliga has issued TV rights tenders including a "revolutionary scenario" featuring play-off games for the first time.
iOS 26.7.1—Update Now Warning Issued To iPhone Users
Apple has released iOS 26.7.1, an emergency iPhone update fixing a vulnerability that has already been used in real-life attacks. Here's what you need to know.
MSU health officials warn campus about dangerous synthetic opioid
Michigan State University health officials issued a warning to the campus community about cychlorphine, a synthetic opioid linked to more than 100 deaths in the United States, including a 16-year-old boy in California.
LDF Strongly Opposes Passage of the Protect College Sports Act, Urges House to Reject the Bill
On Sept. 28, the U.S. Senate passed the Protect College Sports Act (PCSA), an irresponsible piece of legislation that threatens the financial security and success student-athletes, including low-income Black student-athletes, have earned. The Legal Defense Fund previously issued a letter urging all members of Congress to reject the bill. Altogether, the PCSA lacks employment rights […]
Bobby Kotick’s lawyers sent me a bad email (and later apologized)
The message I had received was unsettling—for a moment. Then it was just really confusing. Back on January 20 of this year, at 5:15pm ET, I received an email with the subject line “Legal Correspondence re Bobby Kotick.” It was from the law firm Clare Locke, a firm I’d heard had been emailing reporters in recent years about their coverage of Kotick, the former, longtime CEO of Activision Blizzard. The letter was threatening. A lawyer from the firm introduced themselves as “defamation counsel to Bobby Kotick.” They issued a “demand” that I “correct” a Game File article I’d published a week prior. The article that had irked them had been a scoop of sorts. I’d written about a a 2022 lawsuit brought by a Swedish pension fund, AP7, over Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. The suit wasn’t news, but I was first to review and report about Kotick’s extensive pushback to the fund’s claims. The pension fund’s core contention was that the sale had been rushed by Kotick to avoid the consequences of sexual misconduct scandals swirling around the company in 2021. (He’d not been accused of misconduct himself in those suits, to be clear.) As I wrote at the time, Kotick had denied the allegations of the rushed sale. Beyond that, Kotick used a December 2025 reply to the Swedish fund’s lawsuit to assign blame for those workplace scandals, the bad press and even for the AP7 lawsuit. I’d found Kotick’s arguments novel and newsworthy. Across nearly 3,000 words, I explained Kotick’s take: that a Swedish gaming company was behind the Swedish fund’s lawsuit (the Embracer group; they denied it); that the Microsoft-Activision deal was not rushed and was secured at what Kotick felt history had proven to be an optimal price for shareholders; that he believed a conspiracy of people at unions government agencies, PR firms and the media had spun up claims of widespread workplace misconduct at Activision Blizzard in 2021. The article gave context for all of this, letting readers assess the claims and weigh their credibility. As I’d later write to Kotick’s lawyers: I would be surprised if you could point to any news article about Bobby Kotick in the last five years that has spent more of its wordcount articulating his point of view. He is welcome to do an interview with Game File any time. Nonetheless, there they were in my inbox that Tuesday evening: Clare Locke, the law firm that secured a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over false statements about voting machines. They were emailing me, threatening that failure to comply with their demand could support a claim of “actual malice,” a legal standard for libel. Unless… Unless, they said, I added a key paragraph to my article. This was a paragraph that I already knew Kotick’s lawyers had been emailing reporters about for at least a year, and it was a paragraph that was already in my article. The paragraph they wanted is from a 2023 settlement that California’s Civil Rights Department struck with Activision Blizzard. The settlement had closed a two-year-old lawsuit over alleged sexual discrimination at the game maker. The paragraph basically said that claims of systemic or widespread sexual harassment—or of execs like Kotick tolerating such behavior—had never been proven. I’d already seen proof that Kotick’s lawyers had pushed for the settlement’s language to be added to reports about 2021 sexual discrimination and misconduct lawsuits brought against Activision Blizzard by California and, separately, by the U.S. federal government (both suits were since settled). I knew that Kotick and his lawyers felt that the California settlement language should be mentioned in the same breath as references to an article he hated and denied, a November 2021 Wall Street Journal article claiming Kotick knew “for years” of sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard. So, in the Game File article that Clare Locke emailed me about, in the interest of ensuring I was being fair and balanced regarding the person I was covering, I had already included the following excerpt from the California settlement [emphasis added in bold]: (Kotick has repeatedly pushed back against that November article in the Wall Street Journal, citing among other things, language from a court-approved consent decree as part of Activision’s 2023 $54 million settlement over the California suit. It states: “no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard [or] that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored, condoned, or tolerated a culture of systemic harassment, retaliation, or discrimination.”) On the evening of January 20, I was incredulous. How do you write a four page legal threat about a week-old article and miss this? While scrambling to also make my kids dinner, I wrote a lengthy reply to Clare Locke’s lawyers, basically asking them to cool it with the threats and to start making sense. In part, I wrote: I hope you can understand why I am having trouble understanding what you’re asking for, when the statement you’re demanding to see in Game File’s article already appears in Game File’s article. Actual malice, as you know, refers to a reckless disregard for the truth. I’m not sure what your argument is when my article already states your client’s position. Here is where I should remind you, the reader, that I am an independent journalist. I publish on Substack, and have availed myself of the Substack Defender program that provides writers on the platform with legal support. But I’m no Wall Street Journal or New York Times, nor even IGN or GameSpot when it comes to such things as, well, having a legal department. There are more fun things for me to do as an independent journalist than writing back to a powerful law firm representing a very rich person. On the evening of January 20th, I was just trying to cook some pasta, broccoli and chicken nuggets for hungry twins. Nevertheless, I wrote back to them. Two hours later, I got a reply. Summarizing: A lawyer for Clare Locke said they’d “reviewed an incomplete version” of my article and they “apologize for the confusion.” (My guess: Someone didn’t read past the piece’s paywall, even though they’d had a full week to scrounge up the funds to do so. What I’d published above the paywall was balanced, as was what came after.)1 That was almost that, but something about the situation bothered me. The letter had been marked “confidential.” I hadn’t agreed to that, and I disliked the idea that powerful people on the beat that I cover would act like they could unilaterally control what I might tell my readers about. On the morning of the 21st, having already gotten the powerful law firm to back off, I oh-so-wisely re-approached them with just one more thing. I thanked them for clearing things up the night before but noted that I’d never agreed to keep their letter confidential. I’m all for agreeing with a source to keep things off the record, but that’s the thing. We have to agree. You can’t just declare it. I’m not bound by that. I wrote to Clare Locke’s lawyer and said, in part: I trust the matter is resolved. It was disappointing to have to spend less time with my kids last night in order to address your legal letter. Family time’s precious. I will add, for clarity’s sake, that, while your letter stipulated that it was confidential, I did not agree to those terms. In the future, should you wish to communicate with me confidentially, I am happy to agree to classifying our communication as “off the record” prior to the actual communication—as is standard with any professional journalist. The firm’s lawyer replied, not directly addressing the confidentiality issue but asserting that the matter was resolved. Why I didn’t write about this until now In May, I told this story on an episode of Simon Parkin’s podcast My Perfect Console, but I held off on sharing it directly with Game File readers. I held off to avoid stepping on the toes of another reporter, the journalist Mikhail Klimentov. He’d interviewed me in the spring of 2025 about an investigation he was working on regarding Bobby Kotick lawyers pressing the media to add the California settlement language to stories referencing the 2021 lawsuits. And about how some outlets had changed their stories and how some simply deleted them. Initially, I was a third-party source for Klimentov’s reporting, providing on-the-record context about the state of the games media. I’d heard about the letters but hadn’t put the time into pursuing the story. I thought it was interesting, and I was glad he was covering it. When the outlet that Klimentov was going to run his reporting in dropped the story, I began talking to him about potentially publishing his reporting on Game File. This was tentative. Then, in January, when I got my own Clare Locke letter, I told Klimentov that I didn’t think it would make sense for me to publish him, not with me now being part of the story. I had my own version of this situation to tell. But I wished him well and said I’d refrain from telling my tale until he could get his reporting out there. Last Friday, Klimentov finally ran his investigation, in a nearly 48-minute video report for People Make Games. It covers various Clare Locke letters, how media outlets reacted to them and what to make of all this. His video weighs the merits of Kotick’s request and looks at some of the articles that were changed (one of which had a glaring error). I highly recommend watching it: (Note, I did some editorial consulting for a People Make Games video last year but nothing to do with this report.) While many outlets haven’t left any public evidence that they updated their Kotick coverage at Kotick’s counsel’s request, at least one has. Back in October 2025, the mainstream outlet Reuters applied the most transparent article update I’ve seen. On the 3rd of the month, they published an article about the state of the Swedish pension fund’s lawsuit. Days later, they added this: In an October 7 letter sent after publication of this article, Kotick’s defamation counsel disputed claims of widespread harassment at Activision. “Not a single investigation, court finding, verdict, or ruling ever concluded that there was any merit” to the allegations of widespread harassment at Activision, Tom Clare and Nick Brechbill of Clare Locke wrote. I’ve never added a statement to my article on Game File, because none was needed. Not for fairness’ sake, nor to meet any demands of Kotick’s lawyers. I’ve nevertheless wanted to be transparent with Game File readers. If someone powerful is questioning my reporting, is threatening a lawsuit over it… if that threat is part of a pattern involving other games media outlets and if, in my case, the whole thing ran into a ridiculous ditch, I want you to know about it. I also share this as a real example of how I handle threats to Game File. I stand up for my own reporting, even when it’s not comfortable to do so. (In that same category of standing up for the work I do, I’ll point to an incident in late August. Asocial media post I published to X/Twitter regarding reporting I did about Take Two and GTA VI was hit by bogus copyright claim by a firm working for the publisher. I pushed back and got it reversed; even while a bigger games media outlet let themselves be censored. This is the other reason I’m sharing this story: To emphasize that dealing with threats from powerful people is one of the costs of covering the video game industry independently and as fearlessly as possible. This is where you come in. Your support, through free and paid subscriptions (sign up here!), can help me keep doing that. It can ensure that I’ve got the back-up I need. And it can help make fiascoes like this even less of a worry, so I can spend my evenings dealing with more important things, such as making sure I steam the kids’ broccoli just right. 1 That pension fund lawsuit I wrote about in January has all but gone away. In May, the fund and Activision Blizzard owner Microsoft agreed to settle. Lawyers for the fund brokered a $250 million settlement for former Activision Blizzard shareholders. In the settlement, the fund’s lawyers changed their rhetoric. Where once they’d questioned the meaning of the California settlement language, they adopted a version of it for themselves. Several weeks ago, while seeking to get a court to sign off on the terms of the settlement, they proposed their fee for their work in the case: $60 million.