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Victoria's Secret Fashion Show struts through the seasons in Los Angeles
By Danielle Broadway LOS ANGELES, Oct 15 (Reuters) - The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show returned to Los Angeles on Sunday with a celebration of the changing seasons, as the brand's
Pentagon grants DHS permission to test heat ray weapon for potential use at border
The Pentagon has given the Department of Homeland Security permission to test a military-grade heat ray and develop tactics to potentially use it in operations at the southern US border, according to a memo signed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth last month and obtained by CNN.
The Senate map expands (again): From the Politics Desk
Plus, the secretary of state races to watch.
Trump asks Zacharia to reconsider White House press secretary role
President Donald Trump has told press secretary Katie Zacharia to reconsider her role as his top spokesperson, he told reporters at the White House.
Whither Vladimir? (Part 1)
It’s no secret that a big part of the Blue Jays’ disappointing 2026 was the result of a disastrous season by superstar first baseman Vladimir Guerrero jr. Vlad’s offensive production cratered, from an average wRC+ of 139 from 2023-2025 to 95 this past season. If the team’s going to get back into contention in 2027 […]
‘No death should be fodder for public entertainment’ - Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson issues statement on the initial intention of the live broadcast of the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan
UCC General Minister and President, Karen Georgia Thompson issues a statement following Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's announcement that Nidal Malik Hasan's execution would be broadcast live.
Maui Coral Reef Holds Secrets Of The Past
Scientists have studied a two-century-old coral core from Maui's Olowalu reef, revealing how land use has impacted reef health.
Country singer's secret weapons for healing and staying healthy through life's ups and downs
Country music singer Karen Waldrup, based in Nashville, shares the importance of getting enough sleep, staying hydrated and embracing healthy routines to stay well through life's ups and downs.
New coalition aims to keep Virginians covered as Medicaid rules tighten
Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Marvin Figueroa on Monday announced the Virginia United Coalition, formalizing a partnership that builds on a series of roundtable meetings with him and Gov. Abigail Spanberger throughout the summer, as well as an executive order she signed.
Importing Russian diesel is 'incentive' to end war: energy secretary
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Trump's decision to waive new sanctions on Russia would motivate it to end its war with Ukraine.
Giannoulias opens big lead in Chicago mayoral poll as Johnson loses support
The secretary of state leads in first- and second-choice preferences, while just a quarter of Brandon Johnson's 2023 voters say they'd support him again.
DHS watchdog refers its Corey Lewandowski investigation to Justice Department for review
Lewandowski, the first manager on Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, was a top aide to then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem before she was fired.
Iowa 55-hour ‘FilmSprint’ comes to Cedar Rapids this fall
Cedar Rapids Independent Filmmakers launches the Iowa 55-Hour FilmSprint, Nov. 6-8, 2026, challenging teams to write, shoot and edit a short film with Iowa-themed secret elements.
‘Magic Mike’ Star Shares Graphic Photos From Secret Health Battle
The actor, whose marriage to Sofía Vergara ended during the 7-year struggle, says he lost 60 pounds in just a few weeks.
Can Katie Zacharia save her job after rocky debut as press secretary?
After a turbulent first week as President Trump’s new White House press secretary, Katie Zacharia is taking her case to the media. Will it be enough to save her job? Plus, the fallout from Ki…
Silicon Valley GTM and Business Development Veteran Dylan Gittleman Joins Dialogica's Founding Sales Team
/PRNewswire/ -- Dialogica ("Dia"), the voice-first AI secretary for the world's top law firms, today announced that Silicon Valley go-to-market business...
Scientists discover a surprising secret behind the human brain’s wrinkles
Scientists have discovered why common marmosets have unusually small, smooth brains despite starting development much like other primates. The secret lies in subtle changes to brain-building cells that slow neuron production, revealing new clues about how the large, folded human brain evolved.
Trump says press secretary Katie Zacharia should ‘reconsider’ her role
“Maybe it’s not for her,” President Donald Trump told reporters on Friday, saying that he would ultimately leave the decision to Zacharia.
Ex-Trump lawyer Ty Cobb slams Press Secretary ouster, alleges White House ‘double standard’
Anthony Scaramucci gives thoughts and advice to Katie Zacharia
Anthony Scaramucci, the person central to memes about Katie Zacharia, has thoughts for the now-former press secretary.
Katie Zacharia is out after 5 days as White House press secretary
Zacharia had gotten off to a bumpy start with her first and final press briefing, followed by an onslaught of headlines about whether she had misrepresented herself as a lawyer.
Kiggans, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Discuss Healthcare Workforce Challenges, Tour Regional Health Professions Center at TCC
VIRGINIA BEACH, VA — Today, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans (VA-02) welcomed U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F....
Can AI solve our mental health access problem?
Last week I asked you what worries you most about AI in health. It was close, but your top answer was “AI giving bad health advice.” Last week’s poll results: You’re in good company. This concern was top of mind at a conference I joined at Stanford last week, where researchers, clinicians, and people who build AI systems spent a day debating trust and safety in health AI. Stepping back, I’m also hearing your emerging concerns about AI’s impact on our well-being generally. I see this as a matter of public health, and we’ll take it in pieces as we learn together. Today we’ll focus on AI chatbots used for therapy for mental health. Early this month, Governor Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 903, California’s most ambitious attempt to regulate AI use for mental health. It’s at the center of active debate, and raises the questions patients, family members, citizens, and voters will face as AI moves deeper into health care. Let’s work through it. What is “AI-based therapy”? It’s really two things: purpose-built mental health apps designed to deliver structured support, and general chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini that people increasingly use for emotional support—even if they weren’t built for it. Spoiler alert: I don’t know whether the shift toward AI therapy is good or bad. The evidence isn’t there yet. But I do know it’s already happening, and I have some ideas about how we can roll it out with safety in mind. The therapy dilemma, in a nutshell Mental health challenges are common, and strain health and well-being across populations. Therapy (interactive dialogue with a trained, empathetic practitioner) helps many people heal. The demand for licensed therapists far exceeds the supply in California, and AI-based therapy can narrow that gap. AI-based therapy remains novel, unproven, and not well tested. Right off the bat, we can see we’re dealing with trade-offs here. Since the main driver of demand for therapy from a robot is lack of access to therapy from a human, we’ll start there. It’s too hard to find and afford a human therapist California is short roughly 55,000 licensed, non-prescribing therapists and counselors, about 40% of what we need. Psychiatrists, who rely on talk therapy as a complement to prescribed medications, are even more scarce. Eight counties have none, and density ranges from 1.7 per 100,000 residents in San Benito County, to 68.1 in Marin County. My wife is a psychiatrist in Marin, and even here access is tight. If it’s hard in the best-supplied county, imagine rural Sierra County, or the San Joaquin Valley. In 2024, more than half of Californians who tried to make a mental health appointment struggled to find a provider who took their insurance, compared with 14% for physical health care. When Senate staff posed as “secret shopper” patients and called 120 mental health providers in Medicare Advantage networks, they landed an appointment less than once for every five tries. Insurers pay behavioral health clinicians about 22% less than medical and surgical clinicians for comparable office visits. On top of that, billing denials and prior authorizations hit hardest at the solo and small practices common in mental health. Psychiatrists opt out of Medicare at the highest rate of any specialty. In many places, a cash practice for therapy fills quickly with patients paying $250 or more an hour, with no insurance paperwork at all. Families who can pay cash find providers more easily. Those who rely on insurance, including Medi-Cal enrollees, older adults, rural residents, and non-English speakers, compete for what’s left. So we can’t pretend the human system works, and we can’t blame people for turning to AI for support when they’re in distress. AI is filling the gap It’s estimated that roughly a quarter of AI users use it for mental health support. If you have internet, it’s available 24/7, it’s cheap, and it speaks your language. Uninsured adults are about twice as likely as insured adults to do it (30% vs. 14%). It feels anonymous in ways that may enable people to ask things they’re unsure or embarrassed about. The largely hidden, personal use makes it hard to study whether it’s actually helping people with their mental health issues, but researchers are trying. Does AI therapy work? A 2026 analysis of nearly 40 randomized trials found chatbots showed a real but small reduction in depression symptoms. But most of these trials were compared to an alternative of no therapy, not a human therapist. So the benefit of AI therapy is probably real, but modest, and mostly untested against the alternative of human contact. We need more studies. Serious concerns OpenAI’s own estimate is that more than a million ChatGPT users each week show signs of suicidal planning or intent. These are high stakes encounters, and AI doesn’t always get it right. That’s partly because a chatbot can sound like a therapist, but it has no license, no duty of care, and it’s not clear who to hold accountable when it gets things wrong. AI is also designed to help users in whatever task they’re seeking to accomplish. People may feel like they’re getting therapy, but they’re mainly getting a convincing conversation. It’s easy for an AI companion to wander into gray areas, like playing along with “creative writing” that may be about the user’s own suicidal intent. Courts are driving safety conversations A wave of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of families claiming that chatbots pushed people they loved toward self-harm, including teens who died by suicide. The first settlements came this year. OpenAI is headquartered in San Francisco, and dozens of cases alleging that ChatGPT drove users to suicide or self-harm are now before a San Francisco judge. Character.ai has filed for bankruptcy after several states brought lawsuits accusing the chatbot of pushing dangerous content to kids. But the technology seems to be improving. Last month, an independent evaluation found that newer AI models “almost never endorse suicide.” That’s progress, but our societal appetite for even one preventable death is very low. So how do we move forward? Finding a middle ground Earlier this month the governor vetoed Senate Bill 903, a bill designed to place guardrails on the use of AI for therapy. The bill would have prohibited any AI-based platform from being advertised as psychotherapy, and would have required a licensed professional to review and approve each encounter where AI was used to support therapeutic decisions. Newsom called it overly broad, since even routine screening questions would have needed clinician sign-off. Knowing we’re already short on mental health providers, requiring human review of AI encounters may not relieve our access problems. Still, the answer isn’t no oversight. Here’s one feasible short term solution. Rather than reviewing each encounter, a licensed clinician can design the guardrails: what counts as a crisis, what triggers an immediate handoff to a human, and what gets sampled for audit each month. The AI runs inside that structure. Conversations get checked, failures get reported, and a real clinician owns the framework. Medicine already has models to learn from. The FDA process for rolling out newly approved medications is an example. After a product reaches patients, we keep watching for adverse events. Patient-facing AI needs the same “digital pharmacovigilance”: systematic tracking of harms, near misses, and the types of groups that get hurt and why. It’s also critical that users know that they can reach a human if they’re in crisis. Most chatbots now include messages like these: Bottom line The rush to use unproven AI tools for mental health support is mostly a workaround, a sign of a health system people can’t get into. We need better access to proven care from licensed clinicians. That takes reimbursement that makes accepting insurance viable, and a bigger workforce. But, built and tested well, AI could be part of the answer. It could be the 2 a.m. check-in when no one else is awake, or a way for patients to practice skills their therapist taught them. It could be the first step to get someone the right level of care, and take paperwork off clinicians’ plates so they spend more time with patients. None of this is simple. The SB 903 veto doesn’t end the debate, and the legislature will be back. In the meantime, those of us using these tools need to stay informed, ask hard questions, and hold the companies building them accountable. I’ll try to do my part, and we’ll keep learning together. Love,Matt P.S. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988- you’ll reach a real person— or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7. Dr. Matt Willis is the author of Your Local Epidemiologist in California. A California native, he’s served as a primary care physician, CDC epidemiologist, and public health officer for Marin County, where he guided the pandemic response. He lives in Marin with his family and their dogs, Teddy and Ramona. Thank you Cynthia He, MD, PhD, and Parnika Saxena, MD, for their guidance in preparing this article. Cynthia works in an outpatient mental health clinic, treating patients who have Medi-Cal or, sometimes, no insurance. Parnika works in an inpatient psychiatric unit, treating patients with public or private insurance or self-pay ability. All opinions are their own and do not represent their employers.
NHS faces more challenging winter than normal, health secretary warns
Yvette Cooper has announced £140m investment in England's urgent care system, after summer heatwaves piled pressure on the NHS.
Having insurance doesn’t mean you can get a mental health appointment
Americans with commercial insurance are generally told they have access to a strong network of mental health providers. But when researchers called providers listed in those networks, securing an appointment was usually difficult or impossible, according to a new study.Researchers, posed as “secret shoppers” looking for appointments for issu...
White House press secretaries with tenures lasting under two months
Katie Zacharia, former White House press secretary, served a five-day stint. She's among three others who held the position for under two months.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to visit Eau Claire Tuesday with Small Business Administrator
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WQOW) — Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will visit Eau Claire on Tuesday as part of the Arsenal of Freedom Tour.
‘All INdiana Politics': Secretary of State candidates face off on voting reform and business portals
INDIANAPOLIS - The race for Indiana Secretary of State is taking center stage as four candidates vie to lead the office responsible for state elections and business licensing. The contest features for...
Leavitt opens up on helping Trump find new press secretary after Zacharia debacle: 'Wasn't for her'
Karoline Leavitt says she's helping Trump find a new press secretary after Katie Zacharia lasted just five days in the demanding White House role.
Robert Wagner reveals secret to success of 36-year marriage to Jill St. John
Wed in 1990, the “Hart to Hart” star and St. John first met in the late 1950s.
Georgia: Secretary General Alain Berset calls for safeguarding democracy and political pluralism ahead of opposition ban hearings
Council of Europe to closely follow developments and continue dialogue with Georgia
Top Georgia election officials clash over Trump-fueled conspiracy theories
Georgia’s election board and secretary of state are feuding over whether the state’s elections need federal intervention.
Hilary Swank reveals how she kept her pregnancy at 52 a secret
Hilary Swank says it wasn’t that difficult to keep her third pregnancy a secret thanks to people in her life being so ‘respectful of my privacy.’
Rubio heads to Central Asia as some wonder if he's keeping the most pressing matters at a distance
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has left Washington on his 31st trip abroad as America’s top diplomat, heading to Uzbekistan and India amid rumblings that he’s ignoring pressing matters in favor of more politically safe visits and meetings.
'All INdiana Politics': Secretary of State candidates face off on voting reform and business portals
INDIANAPOLIS — The race for Indiana Secretary of State is taking center stage as four candidates vie to lead the office responsible for state elections and business licensing. The contest features former congressional aide Max Engling running as the Republican nominee, lawyer and former Marine Corps infantry officer Beau Bayh carrying the Democratic banner, small […]
New White House Press Secretary denies misrepresenting her legal credentials
Katie Zacharia is out as White House press secretary after just 5 days on the job
Zacharia had come under scrutiny after a shaky first news briefing and the revelation that she represented herself as a lawyer but did not pass her bar exam after law school.
Business Starts for Oct. 19, 2026
In June, 1,412 new businesses filed InCorporation paperwork with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, in order to do business in the state. Here is a selection of some of […]
Embattled cannabis business CEO accused of failing to pay $1.5 million in federal payroll taxes
Her company, La Mota, is linked to the 2023 resignation of former Oregon Secretary of State Shemia Fagan.
Press secretary Katie Zacharia admits to failing the bar
Zacharia said she was "incredibly distracted and overwhelmed" at the time.
Trump’s election fraud task force is going after the people who investigated him
President Donald Trump has made no secret of his demands to see charges against former officials.
Katie Zacharia, Trump’s New Press Secretary, Is Ousted After 5 Days
Ms. Zacharia was shadowed by questions about how she had presented her legal career and handled her first press briefing.
Google Labs' 'secret society' way of thanking its MVP employees
Google Labs chief Josh Woodward revealed the "secret society" ritual and quirky awards used to thank top employees.
CT secretary of the state warns businesses of phishing email scam
Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas warns businesses about a phishing email scam impersonating her office.
Scientists Examine 5,000-Year-Old Skulls and Uncover a Disturbing Secret of Egypt’s First Kings
Serving Egypt’s earliest kings may have carried a deadly cost, and overlooked skull injuries are giving a century-old suspicion new weight. Some of Egypt’s earliest royal tombs at Abydos are surrounded by hundreds of smaller graves. When Flinders Petrie excavated the site in the 1920s, he suspected that so many people could not have died
Paul Pate returns $5K campaign contribution after ethics complaint
Republican Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate returned a campaign contribution from the Indiana secretary of state following an ethics complaint.
'The Traitors' recap: 'Fruitgate' theory has the secret killers sweating
Spoiler alert: Major spoilers for "The Traitors: New Blood" follow. A new theory exposing "The Traitors" may be coming to fruition.
This election ‘may break our campaign finance laws,’ warns Idaho secretary of state
Opponents of Proposition 1 have been particularly noncompliant, the secretary of state says.
Garlin Gilchrist: Media Q&A at Detroit business luncheon
Michigan Democratic Secretary of State candidate Garlin Gilchrist joined the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 16, and took questions from the media before the event.
Trump casts doubt on press secretary Zacharia's future
"I told her, 'I think you're better off being happy,'" Trump said
Opinion | Has Hyannis found the secret to a fun, thriving downtown?
Zoning changes plus beautification money raised from local businesses spur housing construction and attract businesses.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter & a New ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos Poll, Sunday on “This Week” with Co-anchor Martha Raddatz
Energy Secretary Chris Wright & Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter will be on "This Week" airing on Sunday, October 18.
‘All INdiana Politics': Secretary of State candidates face off on voting reform and business portals
INDIANAPOLIS - The race for Indiana Secretary of State is taking center stage as four candidates vie to lead the office responsible for state elections and business licensing. The contest features for...
Katie Zacharia is out after half a Scaramucci
A record-breaking five days as White House press secretary proves once again: Mar-a-Lago face will never save you.
10 things that lasted longer than Zacharia's WH press secretary role
From space missions to a hard-boiled egg, here are 10 things that lasted longer than Katie Zacharia's tenure as White House press secretary.
Kristi Noem quietly moves to her third job in Trump administration
(CNN) — Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has quietly moved into a new role at the State Department after her special envoy status expired last month.
Predicting Knicks’ Full Rotation for Opening Night vs. 76ers
The defending champion Knicks' starting five is no secret to anybody, but who will make up the rest of the rotation on opening night Tuesday?
Georgia: Secretary General Alain Berset calls for safeguarding democracy and political pluralism ahead of opposition ban hearings
Council of Europe to closely follow developments and continue dialogue with Georgia
Scientists discover a plastic-eating “Pac-Man” enzyme with a surprising secret
Scientists have discovered a remarkable “Pac-Man enzyme” that helps bacteria devour certain types of plastic and may offer new hope in the fight against plastic pollution. Researchers found that several biodegradable plastics completely broke down in soil within about a year, while conventional plastic remained largely unchanged.
Commission announces plan for polar hub to step up research coordination
The European Commission plans to develop an EU polar research hub to strengthen coordination and improve the alignment between science and policy. The objective, according to a Commission official, is to “better connect research, observation and scientific infrastructure, improve access to research resources and strengthen coordination with stakeholders, including Indigenous people.”Announced in a new EU Arctic strategy on October 20, there is little detail yet on how the hub will be implemented, only that it will “reinforce and expand” the European Polar Coordination Office (EPCO), which is hosted and managed by the European Polar Board (EPB) at Umeå University in Sweden. EPCO was born from the EU-PolarNet projects funded through Horizon 2020 and currently coordinates the EU Polar Cluster, a network of EU-funded collaborative polar projects.While the practical details remain to be defined, the decision sends “a clear and positive signal,” said Maria Grigoratou, head of EPCO and executive secretary of EPB. “By reinforcing EPCO, the Commission has an opportunity to build on the legacy of EU-PolarNet 2, strengthen European polar research coordination and expand cooperation with a broader range of Arctic stakeholders,” she told Science|Business.The move has been welcomed by the polar research community. “The polar research hub could play an important role in connecting existing research communities, observation systems and infrastructure, and in bringing scientific knowledge closer to policymaking, in cooperation with local communities and Indigenous people,” said Katrine Moland Hansen, director of operations at Norway’s Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center.But money will be an issue. “It is clear that EPCO will need more resources and structure to function well and to make research reach policymakers,” said Kati Lindström, vice-chair of the Polar Research Committee of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. “European polar research is big if we pool the resources, and it should not only be left to enthusiastic scientists to develop networks of strategic importance in their free time.”The Arctic strategy makes a point of saying that local communities should have a greater involvement in Arctic science. “All EU Arctic research consortia are mandated to invite Indigenous people representatives to participate in projects,” it reads. “The EU also supports research that is directly led by Indigenous communities and address their challenges.”It also underlines the importance of reinforcing collaboration with like-minded partners such as Norway, Iceland, Canada, the UK, Japan and South Korea, as well as deepening its engagement with NATO. This includes the US, with which “the EU is committed to continuing a pragmatic transatlantic engagement based on shared interests and values.”Related articlesViewpoint: Does Europe dare to invest in the Arctic?Anchor Greenlanders in Arctic climate research, experts tell EU ahead of policy updateFor Moland Hansen, this open and inclusive approach to cooperation is encouraging. “The Arctic is also a strong example of why equal participation of associated countries in EU funding instruments matters.”Overall, she finds the new Arctic strategy to be ambitious, timely and comprehensive. “We particularly welcome the recognition that climate change, environmental protection, security, resilience and competitiveness are closely interconnected,” she said. “Research, observations and forecasting capabilities are essential to understanding the rapid changes taking place in the Arctic and addressing these challenges together.”Security focusWhile the Arctic strategy foregrounds security, with pledges to protect undersea cables, boost satellite monitoring, deploy more icebreakers and improve military mobility, the polar community is satisfied that environmental concerns have not been forgotten.“It is inevitable that there is a strong security angle to the EU Arctic strategy, but the impact of climate change and need for climate mitigation and resilience is also strongly recognised and includes a pledge to stay the course on climate commitments,” said Sian Prior, lead advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance, a coalition of campaigning non-profit organisations.“We need to remember that by the time the next Multiannual Financial Framework comes to an end, in 2034, the polar regions, especially the Arctic region, will be living under a new reality when it comes to ecosystem processes, when it comes to the climate,” Grigoratou went on. “And that will affect any ambition that humans may have in the region.”Lindström agreed. “All aspects of European security are dependent on climate change in the Arctic and consequently, on climate science,” she said. “We cannot close our eyes to issues like energy security, critical minerals, northern shipping routes, dual-use technologies and others. However, it remains to be seen how well the promises to protect the environment and Indigenous rights will hold when faced with critical mineral extraction under the Critical Minerals Act.”
Rubio heads to Central Asia as some wonder if he\'s keeping the most pressing matters at a distance
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has left Washington on his 31st trip abroad as America’s top diplomat, heading to Uzbekistan and India amid rumblings that he’s ignoring pressing matters in
France’s 100-year sealed science letters: secrets held by the Académie des Sciences
Letters held at the Académie des Sciences contain inventions, theories and historic discoveries
Energy Dept to loan part of home heating oil reserve to ease prices, drawing bipartisan praise
The Department of Energy plans to loan 315,000 barrels from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve as fuel oil prices surge 70% from a year ago.
Tadej Pogačar's Secretive Lactate Energy Gel Hits the Market
Enervit gel mix developed with Team UAE and used at the Tour de France joins a wave of new-era lactate fuels available to amateurs. Can they justify the price tag?
Iran Warns of More Devastating Response to Any US-Israeli Aggression
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei warned that Iran’s Armed Forces have prepared a more devastating plan for any new military adventure than their response during the previous 12-day and 40-day US-Israeli wars of aggression.
Astronomers uncover new secrets of the Universe’s first five minutes
Scientists have achieved a major breakthrough in understanding the Universe’s earliest moments, measuring the amount of helium formed in the first five minutes after the Big Bang with unprecedented precision. Using one of the world’s most powerful telescopes, an international team studied 15 remarkably pristine galaxies that act as cosmic time capsules, preserving clues from nearly 13.8 billion years ago.
AI-powered robots can be tricked into slicing off fingers
One secret code word is all it takes.
Trump casts doubt on press secretary Katie Zacharia's future
Trump said he'd spoken to Zacharia and that he felt she didn't deserve what he called negative media coverage.
MAHA's Calley Means resigns as a top RFK Jr. health adviser
Calley Means, a top advocate for the Make America Healthy Again movement, has resigned from his role a top adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Meeting Candice Swanepoel, spotting Timothée Chalamet: Inside the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show
Getting to attend the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show? Talk about a millennial Tumblr girl's dream come true.
Transportation Secretary Addresses NBAA-BACE, Announces Major AAM Milestone
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy addressed NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas and announced a major AAM milestone: the first manufacturer approved to operate eVTOL aircraft with passengers aboard for market research.
RFK Jr. adviser Calley Means resigns amid growing MAHA discontent over lack of progress
Calley Means, a top adviser to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a chief advocate for the Make America Healthy Again movement, resigned from his position with the Trump administration Thursday.
Kennedy, Bean to meet Florida health leaders in Orange Park on national nutrition pledges
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and U.S. Rep. Aaron Bean will meet with higher education and hospital leaders Wednesday for a closed roundtable in Orange Park about Florida institutions joining two federal nutrition initiatives.
Katseye On Being Victoria’s Secret Performers, Their LA Faves & Erewhon Orders
NYLON talks to girl group Katseye before their Victoria's Secret fashion show performance about their day-of prep, LA routines, and earliest VS Show memories.
Katie Zacharia reportedly leaving as Trump’s press secretary just 5 days into the job
President Donald Trump's new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, is "transitioning out of the role" after he told her to reconsider the job just five days in, according to a White House official.
Advancing Women's Health to Improve Outcomes in All Phases of Life
The Executive Order (“EO”) makes it federal policy to prioritize turning women’s health research into better clinical care at every life stage, and it directs HHS, through NIH, to set up a new Women’s Health Division within 90 days. In coordination with the NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health, the Division will focus on, among other things, understudied women’s health conditions, greater inclusion of women and girls in clinical trials and grant recipients’ adherence to NIH's policy on sex as a biological variable. The EO also creates a White House Women’s Health Task Force, co-chaired by the Secretary of HHS and the Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff and composed of officials from other departments and agencies.
The Secret to Life on Earth Was What Made It Stop Being a Poisonous Ice Ball
Ancient South African rocks expose the chain reaction behind life’s first real growth spurt.
The uranium cubes that exposed Nazi Germany’s nuclear failure
Scientists investigating Nazi Germany's secret nuclear program have uncovered evidence that its final experimental reactor was nowhere near as close to working as previously claimed. Analysis of surviving uranium cubes and wartime documents reveals that Germany lacked the enormous quantities of uranium and heavy water needed to make its reactor operational.
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show's biggest moments, including that surprise
LOS ANGELES – The Angels returned to Los Angeles on Sunday, bringing star power, dramatic wings, history-making bling and a big surprise to the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show after previously
Duo Andalus Will Perform in Wellfleet
As part of Cape Symphony Presents “Secret Planet Cape Cod” music series, Duo Andalus will play at Wellfleet Preservation Hall on Saturday, November 7, at 7 PM.
In Concord, RFK Jr. renews attack on hep B vaccine that inspired state anti-vaccine bill
In a visit to Concord Friday, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cast doubt on the safety of the hepatitis B vaccine but wouldn’t comment on state legislation in New Hampshire that his agency inspired.
NHS faces more challenging winter than normal, health secretary warns
Yvette Cooper has announced £140m investment in England's urgent care system, after summer heatwaves piled pressure on the NHS.
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.
Inside Hegseth’s political ambitions — and the risks threatening them
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has rarely shied away from controversy, but his latest spectacle — announcing that the convicted Fort Hood mass shooter’s execution would be livestreamed — proved a bridge too far even for President Donald Trump.
How Pittsfield’s Reid Middle School is making STEM learning hands-on
At Reid Middle School, students built scissor lifts as Education Secretary Stephen Zrike Jr. visited during STEM Week,
New White House press secretary Katie Zacharia defends her legal background
She said the results of the bar exam, which she did not pass, were “somewhat inconsequential”
New Richland Lab Could Transform How Scientists Study Microbes and Boost Regional Jobs
The BriefGroundbreaking held Tuesday: PNNL officially began construction on the M2PC lab, a 30,800-square-foot facility funded by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science that will study soil microbes to improve crop productivity and develop new biotechnology applications. The facility will be open to researchers from around the nation and the world.Research timelines could shrink dramatically: The facility's automation and AI capabilities could reduce experiments that currently take six months to just 72 hours, allowing scientists to explore more possibilities faster than ever before.New jobs coming to the Tri-Cities: The project is expected to create positions for automation engineers, AI experts, roboticists, technicians, and skilled craftspeople, with the facility opening in 2029.RICHLAND, Wash. — Pacific Northwest National Laboratory broke ground Tuesday on a first-of-its-kind facility that could accelerate scientific discoveries about the microscopic organisms living in soil—organisms that may hold the key to growing more food and developing new energy technologies.The Microbial Molecular Phenotyping Capability, or M2PC, represents a significant investment in automation and artificial intelligence to speed up research that traditionally takes years to complete. The 30,800-square-foot facility will house more than 100 connected automated instruments designed to study microbes at a pace and scale never before possible.Reshaping Agriculture's FutureThe M2PC facility will not put a new tool directly into a farmer's hands tomorrow morning, but it is actively reshaping the commercial pipeline to solve agriculture's biggest headache with biologicals: inconsistent field performance. For years, PNNL researchers have explored how microbes work and how they might help produce useful materials, advance energy technologies, and address challenges involving critical materials and minerals. But those experiments have been limited by what researchers could accomplish by hand."They can be used to provide nutrients to a plant so that the plant would grow more. So, like increasing your crop productivity, for example," said Douglas Mans, PNNL's Associate Laboratory Director for Integrated Discovery Sciences.PNNL's own research shows soil microbes can help plants access nutrients and withstand drought—benefits that could prove crucial as farmers face growing environmental pressures. The M2PC facility will allow scientists to identify and optimize useful microbes faster than ever before, accelerating the development of biological solutions that actually work consistently in the field.What Makes M2PC UniqueThe Microbial Molecular Phenotyping Capability differs from traditional research labs because it operates as a first-of-its-kind, AI-enabled autonomous laboratory designed to shrink experimental timelines from years down to months or weeks. The M2PC lab will connect more than 100 automated instruments to grow microbes, prepare samples, measure their behavior, and link observations to the molecular processes behind them. Artificial intelligence will help analyze results and guide the next experiments, allowing scientists to explore more questions faster.Deb Gracio, PNNL Director, emphasized the transformative potential during Tuesday's groundbreaking ceremony: "Research that has taken years will become possible in months and hopefully in weeks."That acceleration is already being demonstrated. PNNL's smaller automated lab, called the Anaerobic Microbial Phenotyping Platform or AMP2, completed three experimental cycles in just 72 hours—a process that normally would have taken about six months."That normally would have taken us about six months … and we were able to do that in 72 hours," Mans said.The AMP2 laboratory is not being closed or replaced. Instead, the current 1,800-square-foot laboratory serves as an active prototype and precursor for the much larger M2PC facility. AMP2 will continue operating as a separate lab designed to run anaerobic experiments—those conducted in the absence of oxygen—while M2PC will focus on aerobic research.Broader Applications Beyond AgricultureWhile improving crop productivity is one important application, the M2PC facility is designed to support research into multiple areas critical to national priorities. The lab will advance research into biofuels, manufacturing materials, and energy technologies. It will also help researchers understand how microbes respond to environmental changes and how to design biological systems for biotechnology applications.As a flagship component of the Department of Energy's Genesis Mission, M2PC represents a significant investment in using artificial intelligence and automation to accelerate U.S. scientific discovery. Dorothy Koch, Associate Director of the DOE Office of Science Biological and Environmental Research program, highlighted the facility's importance during the groundbreaking."M2PC will accelerate biological discovery and design," Koch said, noting that the facility is expected to conduct a minimum of 500 strain experiments per week, 100 microbiome experiments per week, and take a million measurements per month.Economic Opportunity for the RegionBeyond the scientific breakthroughs, the M2PC project represents significant economic opportunity for the Tri-Cities region. The facility will require hiring automation engineers, AI experts, technicians skilled in operating robotics, and specialized craftspeople to build and maintain the sophisticated equipment."We're anticipating that type of hiring," Mans said when asked about job creation.PNNL has already begun recruiting talent nationally and internationally for positions related to the smaller AMP2 lab, bringing automation engineers from cities like Boston and San Francisco to work in the region. The M2PC facility is expected to accelerate that trend."This capability won't really exist anywhere else in the world," Mans said, suggesting the facility could become a draw for scientific talent seeking to work on cutting-edge biotechnology research.Timeline and Next StepsThe M2PC facility is expected to open in 2029. Between now and then, construction crews will level and prepare the ground, while the building takes shape. Simultaneously, Ginkgo Bio Works, the automation contractor, will build the facility's automation components off-site so they can be installed as the building is completed.In the interim, PNNL researchers and the broader scientific community will begin planning the first experiments to be conducted in the facility, ensuring research is lined up and ready to begin as soon as the doors open.The groundbreaking ceremony included representatives from the Department of Energy, PNNL leadership, and elected officials at the federal, state, and local levels, underscoring the project's significance to the region and the nation's biotechnology future. News The U.S. Department of Energy Secretary tours Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Dan Hanson, Apple Valley News Now News Beyond DNA: Scientists Explore New Frontiers in Biology Research Dan Hanson, Apple Valley News Now News TRIDEC optimistic that Hanford, PNNL will see funding in national budget Robert Desaulniers News Big picture science: monitoring the Yakima River Basin News PNNL research could shape the future of fighting fentanyl COPYRIGHT 2026 BY APPLE VALLEY NEWS NOW. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
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