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Notre Dame Defense Could Dominate Matchups Against Michigan State

Notre Dame's defense has been off to a hot start in 2026, answering a lot of questions we might have had about this unit in during the offseason. They held Wisconsin's offense to 13 points in the season opener and shut out Rice in the home opener last weekend. This Saturday night, they host the Michigan State Spartans in the battle for the Megaphone Trophy. Their offense, now under the direction of offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, has scored 30 points or more in back to back games. If the Ir

Sep 16 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Ukrainian defence tech seeks new ways to scale up

Since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine's defence sector has expanded several-fold, becoming a significant source of military innovation, especially in unmanned systems, counter-drone technologies, electronic warfare and AI-driven combat systems. But finding the funds and personnel to scale up and to reach international markets remains a challenge.Spurred on by the demands of the front-line, Ukrainian defence companies say they can develop a minor component in a couple of weeks, or major hardware or software solutions within a year. This is several times faster than the usual development cycles in the sector. Tencore, founded in 2024, is now one of Ukraine’s largest providers of unmanned ground vehicles, well exceeding the production of NATO members in this category. Odd Systems, a Ukrainian combat cameras developer founded in 2023, launched its first thermal camera in 2024. Less than two years later, it is developing the fourth generation of the product, one that has evolved into a full vision system.According to Michael Singer, managing partner at Verne Capital, a venture capital fund supporting defence companies in Europe, this speed is down to the short feedback loop between the developer and the end user. “Ukrainian companies develop technologies in close interaction with soldiers and military units, test them under real combat conditions and rapidly incorporate feedback into the next generation of the product,” he says. “Sometimes we need to react to feedback and deploy an upgrade within hours,” says Polina Tymchenko, the spokesperson for Himera, which develops electronic warfare-resistant walkie-talkies. “It means that, as a company, you have to have a higher tolerance for risk, and also design your products in a way that fosters those quick changes.”Getting a product deployed by a combat command involves no paperwork other than a purchase order, says Perry Boyle, co-founder and chief executive of Mits Capital, a Ukrainian-US investment group focused on attracting capital for Ukraine's defence tech sector. “New weapons can be developed and deployed based largely on handshakes.”Nevertheless, the speed of development is largely subject to the level of funding, says Iryna Sukhomlyn, head of business development at RMachine, a developer of unmanned ground systems. “Financial support needs to start much earlier, particularly at technology readiness level 3-5, not only when most of the technological risk has already been removed,” she says.In 2025, Ukrainian defence tech companies attracted about $129 million in investment, with the true figure likely higher given the share of undisclosed security-sensitive deals, according to a report published by the Kyiv School of Economics. These investments were primarily concentrated in the AI and software segment, as they are considered a lower financial risk.Scaling production is a major barrierAccording to Iryna Supruniuk, business development director at Odd Systems, proving a defence product in Ukraine is not the end of the development process, but the beginning of a continuous evolution, since operational requirements change rapidly. “Continuous iteration remains our highest priority,” she says.It's also when production must scale up, which represents a major hurdle. “Scaling production requires capital, manufacturing capacity, components, certification, procurement access and reliable supply chains,” Singer says. Scale-up is also hampered by demographic pressures, especially a shortage of young specialists needed to expand engineering teams. Companies have reported struggling to replace specialists lost due to Russian attacks, mobilisation and emigration. In order to meet this scale-up challenge and finance arms production, begun allowing defence technologies to be exported, assuming it has an excess capacity. It has also announced the creation of ten defence and weapons export centres across Europe by the end of 2026.According to Singer, a technology that has demonstrated its value under real combat conditions has a fundamentally different credibility than a product that has only been tested in a laboratory or training environment. But combat validation alone doesn’t automatically create an international business. “Companies still need access to foreign defence ministries and procurement organisations, international certification, financing for production scale-up and, in many cases, local industrial partners,” he says.Already in 2026, the EU has signed several agreements with Ukraine that aim at joint defence technology development and production. These include allowing Ukraine to join the European Defence Fund, signing a financing agreement under the European Defence Industry Programme, and setting up the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance.For Singer, it is important that European defence companies don’t just see their Ukrainian partners as technology suppliers, but rather as potential innovation partners. “Ukrainian companies bring speed, operational experience and an exceptional ability to iterate. European partners can provide industrial capacity, capital, established supply chains and access to European procurement markets.”Procurement possibilitiesWhen it comes to exports, the procurement and compliance processes involved require time, taking months or even years, and money. In other words, resources that small defence tech companies need if they are to improve and scale up their technologies. According to Sukhomlyn of RMachine, if the priority is to rapidly increase available defence capabilities, then the processes need to reflect that urgency. “If Europe wants defence innovation at wartime speed, its administrative processes also need to operate much closer to wartime speed,” she says, highlighting a need for support with certification, market access and mutual recognition of relevant testing. “Otherwise, we risk having excellent technology available but spending years making it administratively eligible to be purchased.”Related articlesRussia widens targeting of European research centresEU must support research managers in central and eastern Europe, says Visegrad fund headThis is a lesson Europe’s defence sector would do well to learn, Singer says. “Defence innovation needs to be organised around the speed and requirements of the end user, not around the speed of the bureaucracy.”Supruniuk says the European defence sector should rethink the balance between quality and quantity. “In many cases, a good-enough system available in thousands of units creates greater operational value than a perfect system available in dozens.”“For decades, everyone has been looking for that all-powerful, exquisite system that can protect everyone,” adds Tymchenko. “We see in crime that only scalable, dedicated, affordable solutions can actually defend democracies.”

Sep 16 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencebusiness.net

Trump is set to campaign in N.C. with his Senate nominee, Michael Whatley

Whatley, who was Trump’s pick for the Senate race, faces a challenging contest against Democratic former Gov. Roy Cooper.

Sep 16 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

Truth and Politics in the Age of Post-Truth

Get E-International Relations delivered to your inbox, free of charge. As you sign up, consider becoming a paid subscriber, or make a donation, to support our work. Subscribe This is an excerpt from Global Politics in a Post-Truth Era. You can download the book free of charge from E-International Relations. The term post-truth is by now so ubiquitous in describing the state of politics in the Western world and even beyond that the most pressing issue of the day appears to be about making democracy work in the era of post-truth rather than questioning the normalisation of the term itself in the first place. The critical turning point appeared to have occurred in 2016 when the term was chosen by the Oxford English Dictionary as ‘The Word of the Year.’ On its website, the Dictionary notes the transformation of post-truth from ‘being a peripheral term to being a mainstay in political commentary and connects ‘the spike in frequency’ directly with the Brexit referendum in the United Kingdom and the election of Donald J. Trump in the United States – both occurring in 2016. Paired with the noun ‘politics,’ post-truth is defined as an adjective ‘relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.’ The Oxford English Dictionary traces the first use of the term to a 1992 essay in The Nation by the playwright Steve Tesich as he reflected on the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal and the 1990–91 Gulf War: We are rapidly becoming prototypes of a people that totalitarian monsters could only drool about in their dreams. All the dictators up to now have had to work hard at suppressing the truth. We, by our actions, are saying that this is no longer necessary, that we have acquired a spiritual mechanism that can denude truth of any significance. In a very fundamental way we, as a free people, have freely decided that we want to live in some post-truth world (Tesich 1992, 13; emphasis added). He then continued, The Gulf War is over but the war at home goes on. The gulf between rich and destitute widens – between those of us who live in a modern post-industrial nation and those of us who live in the Third World countries of our inner cities. The present administration’s response to this internal crisis has shifted from benign to malignant neglect. The current levels of misery and decomposition of our cities and the economic gulags of our ghettos are acceptable. Since there is only so much hope to go around, there is a freeze on hope. The have-nots have now been reclassified as never-will-haves (Tesich 1992, 13). In the context of Tesich’s essay, truth includes both facts, as in what happens, and ‘moral absolutes,’ as in the ‘self-evident truths mentioned in our Constitution’ (Tesich 1992, 14). Together, these two notions of truth entail the obligation to both act and react. The two passages cited above show that even in the early post-Cold War years, Tesich was already deeply concerned that the American people are neither prepared to act on truth nor react to truth that is disconcerting, or what he calls ‘bad news’ (Tesich 1992, 12). Accordingly, Tesich’s insight as captured by the term post-truth is not that truth is irrelevant to what we know, but rather it is irrelevant to how we act. In contrast, ‘post-truth politics,’ as defined by Oxford as a term that pitches ‘objective facts’ against ‘emotion and personal belief’ such that the latter appears to have overtaken the former in shaping ‘public opinion’ and thereby, democratic politics. When Tesich’s post-truth politics and its current usage are juxtaposed, the two are in fact not identical in terms of what truth is and how it relates to politics. Against such consideration, this chapter provides a critical survey of selected historical events and theoretical considerations for the purpose of gaining a more nuanced understanding of the relation between truth and politics. Truth and Language One notable impact of post-truth politics is that language is being overtly deployed as a political weapon not only by politicians and those in power, but among the general population. It seems that once facts are irrelevant to the validity of what is being said, language becomes the platform for an all-out political contest in which what is said is no more than an act of will expressed as an assertion of power and/or an exercise in defiance. As early as in the writings of Thucydides (460–400 BCE), the vulnerability of logos – which is the human capacity for rational discourse in tumultuous times – was already noted. Thucydides belonged to a school of Greek thought which maintained that language is conventional and that the association between name and things is a result of ‘human use and habit’ rather than ‘nature or divine dispensation’ (Connor 1984, 99). The conventional nature of language means that it is incapable of providing its users with any independent criteria for judgement. In Thucydides’ study of the Peloponnesian War (431–405 BCE), the subversion of logos as seen in the manipulation of language was introduced through his account of the civil war in Corcyra (Thucydides 1972, 236-245). The war first broke out in 427 BCE between the pro-Athenian democratic faction and the pro-Spartan oligarchic faction before it spread to the rest of the Greek world. There was a general breakdown of law and order, resulting in extreme violence and death. Language underwent changes that were reflective of the events of the time. The English philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) translated Thucydides’ description of the situation as follows: The received value of names imposed for signification of things, was changed into arbitrary. For inconsiderate boldness, was counted true-hearted manliness: provident deliberation, a handsome fear: modesty, the cloak of cowardice: to be wise in everything, to be lazy in everything... he that had been so provident as not to need to do the one or the other, was said to be a dissolver of society, and one that stood in fear of his adversary. In brief, he that could outstrip another in the doing of an evil act, or that could persuade another thereto that never meant it, was commended (Hobbes 1839–1845, 8: 348; Thucydides 1972, 242-243). What concerned Thucydides most was that the meanings of words are no more than linguistic conventions that require logos to support them. The Corcyrean civil war was a reminder that such capacity cannot be assumed. This is why history understood as an authentic account of what happens matters. Guided by logos, the historian’s task is ‘the search after truth’, which is established through ‘the absence of the fabulous,’ including ‘the rejection of myth and unverifiable stories’ (de Jonge 2017, 2). Thus, history plays an important role in facilitating the stability of language – without which distinctions and judgements cannot be rendered communicable. Just like Thucydides, Hobbes was a nominalist who subscribed to the view that there is no inherent meaning to words. Hobbes’ state of nature, where there is no common authority, is precisely one in which distinctions cannot be made. As Hobbes put it, there is ‘no Mine and Thine distinct’ nor is there distinction between ‘the notions of Right and Wrong, Justice and Injustice’ (1968, 188; emphasis in original). This is clearly an unsustainable condition for everyone. Behind Hobbes’ famous words that life in the state of nature is ‘solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short’ is his uncompromising argument for the ‘Leviathan’, which is described by the late American political theorist, Sheldon Wolin (1922–2015), as the ‘sovereign definer’ (Hobbes 1968, 186; Wolin 2004, 238–243). Accordingly, the social contract is importantly a ‘linguistic contract’ that binds all parties to ‘general names agreed upon’ (Peters 1979, 125; Hobbes 1968, 111). Through Thucydides and Hobbes, we can identify a line of thinking that sees politics as a contestation over the use of language, which is based on shared conventions and norms. Thus understood, politics is not a collective quest for the true nature of our being or an epistemological exercise in pursuit of true knowledge. Rather, politics is about humans living with one another by finding a shared language to communicate with one another on matters that affect them all. Truth is in that sense contingent on what is being said as opposed to setting the standard for it. In other words, truth is the embodiment of shareability among us. While truth as such ensures the viability of a political entity, truth by no means represents a normative standard to adjudicate among contesting actors in what they say, let alone in what they do. During Thucydides’ times, ancient China was also experiencing a tumultuous time as the ruling Zhou dynasty deteriorated into the period of the Warring States (481–221 BCE). This was when the rulers of Zhou no longer presided over the territories brought under its control through conquest. Instead of professing allegiance to the Zhou royalty, the lords of these territories became kings themselves to rule over their own land. The period was one marked by endless military campaigns as each of the seven major states aimed to conquer the rest (Lewis 1999). Yet, the period was also known for its intellectual vibrancy as different thinkers challenged the restoring of order among these warring states – including offering ideas and advice to rulers on good governance. Among these thinkers was Confucius (551–479 BCE). His thought, which came to be known as Confucianism, went on to become the state ideology of China from the Han dynasty (206 BCE–222 CE) until the end of the Qing dynasty in 1911 when China became a republic. The founding text of Confucianism was the Analects, which is a collection of dialogues between Confucius and his students as recorded by them. One key concept Confucius advanced is the ‘rectification of names’. Though the term only appears in one exchange in the Analects, it is considered a major aspect of Confucius’ thought. Generations of Confucian scholars from past and present, including Western academics, have debated over its interpretation (Makeham 2003). The passage in question reads as follows: Zi Lu said: ‘The monarch of the state of Wei wants you to govern the country, what is the first thing you plan on doing?’ Confucius said: ‘First it is necessary to rectify the names.’Zi Lu said: ‘Is that really what has to be done? You are being too pedantic, aren’t you now? How will you rectify these names?’Confucius said: ‘Zhong You, you are too unrefined. A gentleman, faced with a matter that he does not understand, takes a skeptical attitude. If names are not correct, one cannot speak smoothly and reasonably, and if one cannot speak smoothly and reasonably, affairs cannot be managed successfully. If affairs cannot be managed successfully, rites and music will not be conducted. If rites and music are not conducted, punishments will not be suitable. And if punishments are not suitable, the common people will not know what to do. So, when the gentleman uses names, it is necessary to be able to speak so that people understand. If one can say it, one can definitely do it. A gentleman should not be careless with words’ (Analects 13:3 in Cao 2016, 148). This translation is offered by the contemporary philosopher Cao Feng. As Cao notes, the passage is what started the whole debate over ‘exactly what kind of names did Confucius... wish to rectify’ (Cao 2016, 148). Of the three major groups of interpretation examined by Cao, beginning with classical Confucian scholarship, one is arguably the most influential and certainly most pertinent to the issue of language and politics. This is the interpretation that was first associated with the Neo-Confucian master, Zhu Xi (1130–1200), who argued that the ‘rectification of names is simply the rectification of politics’ (Cao 2016, 149). Within this interpretive framework, rectification has the dual functions of correction and prescription by ensuring that predetermined hierarchical roles are strictly adhered to through following ‘the system of rites and propriety’ (Cao 2016, 151). In addition, the rectification of names entails ‘using names to rectify actuality’ (Cao 2016, 151). Yet Cao rejects this whole body of interpretive works by arguing that these were ideas developed later. Instead, Cao suggests the following: The original meaning of Confucius’ rectification of names may, then, be quite simple. Confucius did not mean to establish a concrete, normative system of “names”; rather, Confucius was simply the first person in history to realize or remark upon the importance of language in politics. As a politician, he noticed and foresaw the impact that the indeterminacy, ambiguity, and arbitrariness of names would have on politics. Confucius recognized the political consequences of language’s not accurately expressing meaning or not being accurately received by people. He realized the great role that names, as a means of distinguishing right and wrong and establishing norms, could play in society and politics (Cao 2016, 168). Scholarly debates aside, Cao’s view has the advantage of identifying an interpretation of this controversial exchange in the Analects that enables its readers to extrapolate from it the observation that the meaning of words depends as much on their users as on their interpreters; neither of which can be predetermined. Accordingly, a good ruler is someone who can speak without ambiguity to his subjects and make good his words through actions. Stated differently, Cao’s view on what concerned Confucius then, who was living through times of protracted political upheaval, is that language is an indispensable political tool for those in power and can be deployed by both good and bad rulers alike. To sum up, this historical survey shows that politics as a war of words is by no means a distinctive marker of contemporary politics nor the Western world. Be it ancient or current, east or west, language is subject to manipulation to serve political purposes and when there is an outright war of words that defies existing norms, it is indicative of a political situation in which people no longer share a language and truth becomes irrelevant. Accordingly, political order entails stability in language use. Truth and Politics As previously noted, current use of the term post-truth as an adjective to the term ‘politics’ suggests that once there was a time when politics aligned with truth. Indeed, if we start with Plato’s Republic as the key founding text of Western political thought, we see that the ideal polis (city-state of ancient Greece) is where truth and politics converge, and justice is achieved. Written around 380 BCE when Athens was still coping with its defeat by the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War, the Republic is a defence of the rule of the ‘philosopher king’, defined as someone who is ‘guided by the truth’ and is ‘always and in every way’ in pursuit of the truth (Plato 1974, 490a). For Plato, truth converges with virtues and hence, letting the philosopher take charge of politics is to let the wisest and the most virtuous lead the less wise and the less virtuous even if it requires compulsion (Plato 1974, 499b). In Plato’s words, ‘…until the philosophers attain power in a city there will be no respite from evil for either city or citizens…’ (Plato 1974, 501e). The uncompromising rule of philosopher-kings is made palatable by the claim that we are all ‘earth- born brothers’ with random mixtures of gold, silver, bronze and iron, but only the gold can rule (Plato 1974, 414–415). Understandably, academic debates over the interpretation of Plato’s Republic revolve around the question of whether truth as attained in philosophy can be realised in politics as action and whether such a connection is even desirable. Without getting into the details of these scholarly exchanges, I suggest that they all share the concern that truth acquired through the rigorous process of philosophical reasoning is not without problem when applied to the real world of living humans. This is because not all humans are philosophers – and indeed, in Plato’s view, not everyone is capable of becoming a philosopher given the protracted and arduous training that one needs to endure to become one. Hannah Arendt (1906–1975), a highly influential political philosopher of the twentieth century, notes that ‘Plato was the first to introduce the division between those who know and do not act and those who act and do not know’ and that such a separation has remained ‘at the root of all theories of domination’ (Arendt 1958, 223, 225). What Arendt points out in this remark is not the gap between theory and practice, but rather that Plato provides the normative ground for those who know the truth to tell those who do not know what to do. Arendt herself took on the challenge of understanding the relationship between truth and politics through her analysis of Nazism and Stalinism. Arendt’s insight, which was controversial when The Origins of Totalitarianism was published in 1951, was to identify Nazism and Stalinism as representative of a new form of political rule – totalitarianism – making it distinct from ‘other forms of political oppression... such as despotism, tyranny and dictatorship’ (Arendt 1973, 460). Arendt defines totalitarianism as a self- contained system of ideas driven by their ‘logic’ and marked by a mode of reasoning called ‘ideological thinking.’ Ideological thinking as such is a distinctive form of political reasoning defined by three characteristics. First, ideological thinking claims to provide a ‘total explanation’ of all historical happenings, encompassing the past, the present, and the future. Second, while ideological thinking is an attempt to account for ‘factual reality’ in its totality, this mode of thinking is paradoxically divorced from reality and experience. This is because experience, being rooted in specificity, is clearly limited in its claim to totality. It follows that as its third characteristic, ideological thinking aims to emancipate thought from the limitation imposed by experience through a ‘specific method of demonstration.’ The method involves arranging facts into an ‘absolutely logical procedure’ that starts from an ‘axiomatically accepted premise’. It is, in short, a ‘process of deduction from a premise’ – which is the only possible movement in the realm of logic that leads to one definitive conclusion. This is how the ‘logicality of ideological thinking’ provides the basis for total explanation and the ‘principle of action’ for totalitarian movement (Arendt 1973, 468–474). Stated differently, totalitarianism is a form of uncompromising idealism that exists in one’s head irrespective of shared reality as experienced. It is the perverse form of what Arendt later refers to as ‘rational truth’, which is the product of the ‘speculative mind’ that belongs to philosophy, mathematics and the sciences. The ‘speculative mind’ is the mind working on its way to generate axioms and theories by relying on the cognitive capacity of the human brain (Arendt 1977, 231). The presence of others has no bearing whatsoever on rational truth. In contrast, ‘factual truth’ is what happens when humans are ‘living and acting together’ (Arendt 1977, 231). Factual truth is therefore particular and temporal by definition. But more importantly, factual truth is ‘political by nature’ because it can only be validated in the context of the human community (Arendt 1977, 238). In other words, factual truth is about humans in their plurality rather than in their singularity. For factual truth to be sustainable, we need what Arendt calls ‘common sense’ – understood as ‘community sense’ (Arendt 1982, 72). There is also another distinction about truth that Arendt makes which is pertinent to understanding how totalitarianism works. The issue is whether the so-called totalitarian ideology is simply an unnecessarily cumbersome way of saying that it is an all-round and polished lie. Here, Arendt calls totalitarian ideology the ‘modern lie’ – in contrast to the ‘traditional lie’. The latter is restricted by two conditions: that it is a lie about the ‘particulars’ and that it deceives only the ‘enemy’ – which means that the liar is not engaged in self- deception. The modern lie, however, involves a ‘complete rearrangement of the whole factual texture’. It also intends to deceive everyone alike, to the extent that those who initiate the lie eventually ‘fall victims to their own falsehood’ (Arendt 1977, 249–254). This distinction between the traditional and modern lie is important. It indicates that not only is totalitarianism a lie, but the lie is in fact too big to fit into the standard meaning of the word. To tell a lie from truth, we need a common standard. In the case of a traditional lie, the common standard is precisely ‘the fabric of factuality’. As such, a lie always appears as a ‘tear’ to that fabric. Yet, modern lies require making a surrogate reality with a completely different context for facts to fit ‘without seam, crack, or fissure, exactly as the facts fitted into their original context’. Arendt notes that as long as those who concoct the surrogate reality are prepared to engage in self- deception to ‘create a semblance of truthfulness’, there is nothing to prevent ‘these new stories, images, and non-facts from becoming an adequate substitute for reality and factuality’ (Arendt 1977, 253–254). Totalitarianism therefore requires a person to stand outside of the system itself in order to make sense of it. Arendt points out that it is futile for us to argue with (for example) a Nazi or a Stalinist on race or class. To confront totalitarianism requires more than just a confrontation with specific facts. It is a more fundamental confrontation between reality as experienced and its total rejection. This means that Nazism and Stalinism are more than radical ways of conducting racial conflict or class struggle. Rather: Totalitarian politics – far from being simply antisemitic or racist or imperialist or communist – use and abuse their own ideological and political elements until the basis of factual reality, from which the ideologies originally derived their propaganda value– the value of struggle, for instance, or the interest conflicts between Jews and their neighbours – have all but disappeared (Arendt 1973, xv). Accordingly: The ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the convinced Communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction (that is, the reality of experience) and the distinction between true and false (that is, the standards of thought) no longer exist (Arendt 1973, 474). Who then is the ‘ideal subject’ of totalitarianism? Although there is a revival of interest in Arendt’s observation on truth and politics since the onset of post- truth politics, not enough has been said about her reply to the question (Hyvönen 2018; Klinkler 2018; Lee 2019; Zerilli 2020). Yet if we take a look at Arendt’s portrait of this ideal subject, her view is even more pertinent to our current challenge. As a self-contained system of ideas that is detached from experience, totalitarian thinking offers consistency in ways that reality cannot. Arendt notes that this kind of consistency is especially appealing to those who have lost a sense of bearing in the world (Arendt 1973, 353). They constitute what she calls the ‘masses’. The ‘mass man’ is thus a highly isolated and atomised individual, who is ‘obsessed by a desire to escape from reality’ (Arendt 1973, 318, 352). In his ‘essential homelessness’ the mass man can ‘no longer bear its accidental, incomprehensible aspects’ (Arendt 1973, 352). This longing for escape from reality is a ‘verdict against the world’ in which one is ‘forced to live’ but ‘cannot exist’ (Arendt 1973, 352). Such a situation is ripe for the ‘revolt of the masses’ against ‘common sense,’ which is ‘the result of their atomisation, of their loss of social status’ and with it, the ‘whole sector of communal relationships in whose framework common sense makes sense’ (Arendt 1973, 352). In short, the masses are people who are considered to be ‘superfluous or can be spared … [who] cannot be integrated into any organisation based on common interest’ (Arendt 1973, 311). Whether one agrees with Arendt’s analysis of the social conditions in the interwar years that led to the formation of the ‘masses’, her portrait of the ‘mass man’ is a powerful account of what can happen to an individual who has become disposable to the society that they used to belong to. Hand in hand with this phenomenon is indeed the collapse of ‘common sense’ that leaves the dislodged individual scrambling for reconnection. By offering the masses a substitute reality validated by the ‘logic of an idea’ rather than by experience, totalitarianism makes it possible for them to live in a world where there is no condition of plurality. Between ‘facing the anarchic growth and total arbitrariness of decay’ and ‘bowing down before the most rigid, fantastically fictitious consistency of an ideology’, the masses will likely ‘choose the latter’ (Arendt 1973, 352). A world created by ideology, then, is more attractive to the masses not because ‘they are stupid and wicked, but because in the general disaster this escape grants them a minimum of self- respect’ by conjuring up ‘a lying world of consistency which is more adequate to the needs of the human mind than reality itself’ (Arendt 1973, 353). Moreover, it is precisely this ability to guarantee consistency that makes it possible for the leaders of totalitarian movements to demand ‘total, unrestricted, unconditional and unalterable loyalty of the individual member’ (Arendt 1973, 323). While this chapter is not a study of the social factors that led to specific contemporary developments such as the result of the Brexit referendum or the election of Donald Trump in 2016, Arendt’s ‘mass man’ seem to have found their counterparts among the supporters of Brexit and Trumpism. Studies of voters’ profiles in both events point to a disproportionate share of supporters from white male lower income backgrounds without university educations. These are individuals who have either already lost their jobs to globalisation or who are at high risk of losing their job with very little capacity to be retrained for the twenty-first century market economy of advanced industrialised states (BBC 2016; Pew Research Center 2018). In short, these displaced workers are part of the tapestry forming the modern equivalent of Arendt’s ‘mass man’ – ready to be the recruits of totalitarianism. Conclusion If we step back to take a more comprehensive approach to the relationship between truth and politics, both historically and theoretically, it is not so obvious that 2016 is a defining moment. From ancient China and ancient Greece to our so-called post-truth age, the indeterminacy of language appears to be a persistent political challenge. Language is always open to manipulation by its users to serve power. Nonetheless, the tendency these days is to single out the ubiquity of social media and the proliferation of Internet platforms as the incubator for the countless cyberwars of words that in turn fuel the real world of politics. In this context, language is no longer the conveyor of objective facts and accurate information, but rather the medium for expressing subjective opinions and feelings, as captured by the Oxford Dictionary’s definition of the term ‘post-truth politics’. In contrast, the historical approach used in this chapter shows that it is in fact too easy to point the figure at the Internet and digital communication for the political challenge that we face today. What is being suggested here is that with or without the Internet, language, be it used to convey facts or emotions, is simply a tool for communication that humans have invented. While language per se cannot adjudicate what is true or not true, what is right or wrong, it embodies such capacity when language is a shared norm. That shared norm cannot be sustained without some semblance of cohesion in any given community. Any war of words, irrespective of its platform, is indicative of the breakdown of such cohesiveness. Returning to the original context in which the term post-truth politics was first used by Steve Tesich helps to identify the important distinction between truth as the standard for knowledge and truth as the standard for action. The two do not necessarily coincide. Placed in the context of the history of political thought, this distinction is in fact at the heart of Plato’s Republic. Yet when the philosopher as the quintessential bearer of truth becomes king, the polis that he rules over is far from the ideal of a just state that it purports to be. Instead, it is one that is held together by lies and coercion. What Arendt reveals through her study of Nazism and Stalinism is that it is dangerous for the kind of truth that philosophy generates – ‘rational truth’ – to become the guide to politics. Politics guided by rational truth can only be uncompromising and follows a logic of its own that cannot afford the ambiguity and indeterminacy of reality as lived experiences of humans. A world of post-truth politics can be an opportunity for a new kind of politics if it is indeed about dismantling the idea that truth is the ideal that politics should strive for. But as it stands, the post-truth politics of today is more about invoking a past that never exists to judge the presence as a crisis in naming when the real crisis is about rebuilding a shared space that has room for all – be they of the left, right or centre; cosmopolitan or parochial; civic-minded or self-centred; liberal-minded or bigoted. Politics is and always will be about striving for that space, without which no human can thrive. References Arendt, Hannah. 1958. The Human Condition. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. Arendt, Hannah. 1973. The Origins of Totalitarianism. Rev. ed. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Arendt, Hannah. 1977. “Truth and Politics.” In Between Past and Future, 227–264. New York: Penguin Books. Arendt, Hannah. 1982. Lectures on Kant’s Political Philosophy, edited by Ronald Beiner. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2016. “Brexit vote: The breakdown.” BBC News, December 7, 2016. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-38227674 Cao, Feng. 2016. “A New Examination of Confucius’ Rectification of Names.” Journal of Chinese Humanities 2: 147–171. https://doi-org.subzero.lib. uoguelph.ca/ doi/ 10.1163/23521341-12340032. Connor, W. Robert. 1984. Thucydides. Princeton: Princeton University Press. de Jonge, Casper C. 2017. “Dionysius of Halicarnassus on Thucydides.” in The Oxford Handbook of Thucydides, edited by Sara Forsdyke, Edith Foster, and Ryan Balot. Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/ oxfordhb/9780199340385.013.17 https://www-oxfordhandbooks-com.subzero. lib.uoguelph.ca/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199340385.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780199340385 Hyvönen, Ari-Elmeri. 2018. “Careless Speech: Conceptualizing Post-Truth Politics.” New Perspectives 26 (3): 31–55. https://www.proquest.com/ scholarly-journals/careless-speech-conceptualizing-post-truth/ docview/2204515132/se-2?accountid=11233. Hobbes, Thomas. 1839–1845. The English Works of Thomas Hobbes, edited by Sir William Molesworth. London: John Bohn. Vol. 8. Klinkner, Melanie. 2018. “Reasonable Truth.” International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics 14 (3): 393–99. doi:10.1386/macp.14.3.393_7. Lee, Haiyan. 2019. “When Nothing Is True, Everything Is Possible: On Truth and Power by Way of Socialist Realism.” PMLA/Publications of the Modern Language Association of America 134 (5). Cambridge University Press: 1157–64. https://doi.org/10.1632/pmla.2019.134.5.1157 Lewis, Mark E. 1999. “Warring States Political History.” In The Cambridge History of Ancient China: From the Origins of Civilization to 221 BC, edited by Michael Loewe and Edward Shaughnessy, 587–650. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Makeham, John. 2003. “Zheng ming (Rectification of names).” In RoutledgeCurzon Encyclopedia of Confucianism, edited by Xinzhong Yao. Vol. 2: 813-814. New York: Routledge. Oxford Languages, n. d. “Word of the Year 2016.” Accessed 19 August 2017. https://languages.oup.com/word-of-the-year/2016/ Peters, Richard. 1979. Hobbes. Westport: Greenwood Press. Pew Research Center. 2018. “An examination of the 2016 electorate, based on validated voters.” Report, August 9, 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/ politics/2018/08/09/an-examination-of-the-2016-electorate-based-on- validated-voters/ Plato. 1974. Republic. Translated by G. M. A. Grube. Indianapolis: Hackett. Tesich, Steve. 1992. “Watergate Syndrome: A Government of Lies.” The Nation: 12-14. January 6/13, 1992. Thucydides. 1972. The Peloponnesian War. Translated by Rex Warner. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books. Wolin, Sheldon. 2004. Politics and Vision: Continuity and Innovation in Westen Political Thought. Expanded Edition. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Zerilli, Linda M. G. 2020. ‘Fact-Checking and Truth-Telling in an Age of Alternative Facts.’ Le foucaldien 6, no. 1: 2, 1–22. Theresa Man Ling Lee is an Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Guelph (Canada). Lee is a political theorist who specializes in contemporary political thought. Her research and teaching areas include continental philosophy, Marxism and critical theory, feminism, postmodernism, philosophy of social science, psychoanalysis, multiculturalism, human rights, disability studies, modern Chinese political thought and comparative political theory. Lee has published on a wide range of subjects in these areas, including intercultural pedagogy and the challenges of teaching as a person with multiple minority designations in a Canadian university classroom.

Sep 16 • 7:16 AM EDT • Politics • e-ir.org

Wisconsin vs. Eastern Michigan series history: Lopsided in UW's favor

The Wisconsin Badgers final non-conference game of the year sees Eastern Michigan come to town.

Sep 16 • 7:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Five things Wisconsin football fans must know about Eastern Michigan

The 1-1 Wisconsin Badgers are set to do battle with Eastern Michigan in Week 3.

Sep 16 • 6:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a section of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings can be safely reoccupied following a ricin exposure incident earlier this month.

Sep 16 • 6:24 AM EDT • Health • wlbt.com

Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a section of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings can be safely reoccupied following a ricin exposure incident earlier this month.

Sep 16 • 6:24 AM EDT • Health • kold.com

Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a section of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings can be safely reoccupied following a ricin exposure incident earlier this month.

Sep 16 • 6:24 AM EDT • Health • azfamily.com

Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a section of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings can be safely reoccupied following a ricin exposure incident earlier this month.

Sep 16 • 6:24 AM EDT • Health • kptv.com

Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a section of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings can be safely reoccupied following a ricin exposure incident earlier this month.

Sep 16 • 6:24 AM EDT • Health • fox5vegas.com

Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a section of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings can be safely reoccupied following a ricin exposure incident earlier this month.

Sep 16 • 6:24 AM EDT • Health • wowt.com

Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a section of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings can be safely reoccupied following a ricin exposure incident earlier this month.

Sep 16 • 6:24 AM EDT • Health • wcax.com

Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a section of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings can be safely reoccupied following a ricin exposure incident earlier this month.

Sep 16 • 6:24 AM EDT • Health • cleveland19.com

Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a section of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings can be safely reoccupied following a ricin exposure incident earlier this month.

Sep 16 • 6:24 AM EDT • Health • wdbj7.com

Health officials clear part of Hastings apartment building after ricin exposure

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services says a section of the Tyden Lofts apartment building in Hastings can be safely reoccupied following a ricin exposure incident earlier this month.

Sep 16 • 6:24 AM EDT • Health • kktv.com

The entwinement of religion and politics in modern life

Michael Wear, CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life, explained that religion and politics are essential and coexisting aspects of modern life on Monday. “What is essential to understand is that both the religious, the spiritual and political are essential aspects of life as it is today,” Wear said at the Memorial Union....

Sep 16 • 5:21 AM EDT • Politics • iowastatedaily.com

Pain and Misery: Dbacks 2, Marlins 4

The Dbacks had a real opportunity tonight to ride the momentum of the late heroics from last night as well as pick up a game on the Padres and the Cubs, yet the offense sputtered again in fantastic fashion. Michael Soroka pitched well giving the team 5 IP allowing only 1 ER while striking out […]

Sep 16 • 3:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Klopp plans to deploy captain Kimmich in Germany midfield

BILD reports Joshua Kimmich will be deployed in midfield for the Germany national team under the new coach Jürgen Klopp. The Bayern Munich midfielder played at fullback in each of Germany’s four ga...

Sep 16 • 2:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Science’s Pursuit of the I

A World Appears explores the new research into consciousness.

Sep 16 • 2:26 AM EDT • Science • splicetoday.com

UCB welcomes Matthis and Hambrick to commercial banking team

Sponsored by United Community Bank United Community Bank (UCB) is pleased to announce the addition of Michael Matthis and Felecia Hambrick to its commercial banking team at the Bluebonnet location in Baton Rouge. Matthis joins UCB as Senior Vice President, Commercial Lending Officer, bringing a relationship-focused approach to helping businesses achieve their financial goals. Hambrick […]

Sep 16 • 2:00 AM EDT • Business • businessreport.com

Norvell is Still Coaching FSU But Auditioning for His Future

Mike Norvell’s future at Florida State has never felt more uncertain. With Michael Alford gone and a new era of leadership beginning, Norvell is no longer just coaching to save his job. He’s coaching to prove he still has a future.

Sep 16 • 1:58 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Michael Bisping Reacts to Tom Aspinall Vacating UFC Title

UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping shared his reaction to former UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall vacating his title.Aspinall vacated the UFC heavyweight title this week due to lingering eye issues suffered against Ciryl Gane at UFC 321 in October 2025, and now Bisping has shared his thoughts on the situation.Michael Bisping Comments on Tom […] The post Michael Bisping Reacts to Tom Aspinall Vacating UFC Title appeared first on HEAVY.

Sep 16 • 1:55 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Why are Man Utd better without the ball?

Under Michael Carrick, Manchester United average 1.5 points per game when they have more than 50% of the ball. When they have less than 50%, this number is 2.6.

Sep 16 • 1:46 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Manchester United vs Brighton – Match preview and team news

Manchester United host Brighton & Hove Albion in the Carabao Cup third round on Wednesday, with Michael Carrick’s side looking to respond after a controversial 1-0 derby defeat to 10-man Manchester ...

Sep 16 • 12:25 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Michigan health officials express concern about common product growing in "recreational" use

Nitrous oxide has medical and culinary uses. But is also marketed for recreational use in grocery stores, smoke shops, vape stores, gas stations, convenience stores and online.

Sep 15 • 9:01 PM EDT • Health • michiganpublic.org

Vance tells House Republicans to ‘just talk about Abdul El-Sayed’ if their own opponents aren’t ‘that crazy’

Vice President JD Vance urged House Republicans to make Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed a boogeyman if their own opponents aren’t “that crazy” and stressed the importance of leveling with voters about their economic frustrations, according to a recording of the Tuesday closed-door meeting obtained by CNN.

Sep 15 • 8:41 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

What comes next? Sports attorney weighs in after FSU athletic director fired

One day after the surprise firing of Florida State University’s athletic director Michael Alford, speculation is swirling around what happens next.

Sep 15 • 7:15 PM EDT • Sports • wctv.tv

Conspiracy and politics: How a man ran a St. Louis County city from behind bars

While in the St. Louis County jail, now-former Riverview Mayor Michael Cornell made significant changes in the city’s government and police department, jail call recordings obtained by First Alert 4 Investigates uncovered.

Sep 15 • 7:10 PM EDT • Politics • firstalert4.com

Rural health data are complicated. And they’re getting harder to find

Sometimes, what’s missing from rural health data may be just as important as what's there, said ETSU's Michael Meit during an AHCJ webinar.

Sep 15 • 6:29 PM EDT • Health • healthjournalism.org

Pat Fitzgerald Wants Notre Dame Rivalry Back Every Year

Pat Fitzgerald made one thing clear about the Notre Dame rivalry before Michigan State heads to South Bend. #GoGreen

Sep 15 • 5:20 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Small businesses feel the squeeze as gas and diesel prices surge in Michigan

Rising fuel costs are forcing small business owners and their customers to adapt, with some restaurants already closing their doors.

Sep 15 • 4:57 PM EDT • Business • wxyz.com

From Ads to Entertainment: Why Brands Are Becoming Storytellers

Featuring Scott Brown, Founder and CEO, Second Rodeo Productions; Yasmin Dastmalchi, President, Maybelline and Essie USA, Maybelline New York and Michael

Sep 15 • 4:45 PM EDT • Entertainment • fastcompany.com

Briere says Michkov has ‘different swagger' heading into Flyers training camp

Danny Briere discussed Matvei Michkov and other topics in his pre-training camp press conference.

Sep 15 • 3:40 PM EDT • Sports • nbcsportsphiladelphia.com

'We respond together’: Venables, Arbuckle regroup ahead of Michigan loss

OU head coach Brent Venables and offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle spoke to the media on Tuesday following Saturday’s 17-10 loss against Michigan. The two hope to get the Sooners back

Sep 15 • 3:00 PM EDT • Sports • oudaily.com

4 thoughts ahead of Wisconsin Badgers clash against Eastern Michigan

The Wisconsin Badgers are days away from kicking off Week 3 against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at home at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin won big against Western Illinois in Week 2 with the 36-9 victory, but the win still left some fans unsatisfied with the team. The Badgers were forced to settle for three field [...]

Sep 15 • 2:34 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Ke Huy Quan recalls Michael Jackson visiting the set of “The Goonies”

The Oscar winner calls the late pop icon an ‘honorary Goonie.’

Sep 15 • 2:00 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com

Nick Reiner won’t face death penalty for parents’ death

Prosecutors won’t seek the death penalty in the murder trial of Nick Reiner. The 33-year-old son of Emmy Award winning performer Nick Reiner and his photographer wife, Michele Singer Reiner,

Sep 15 • 1:21 PM EDT • Entertainment • thederrick.com

Report: Wild Still Believe They Can Land Dylan Larkin

Michael Russo says the Wild still believe they can land Dylan Larkin. #RedWings

Sep 15 • 12:15 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Beloved ‘Buffy’ stars reunite 23 years after hit series ended

Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz reunited at the Emmys and revisited their characters’ romance on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”

Sep 15 • 11:29 AM EDT • Entertainment • cleveland.com

Viver Health has been named a 2026 Prix Galien Nominee

/PRNewswire/ -- Viver Health has been named a nominee for the 2026 Prix Galien USA Inaugural Patient First Award in Honor of Michael J. Fox for their...

Sep 15 • 10:44 AM EDT • Health • prnewswire.com

Eddie Howe to Man United odds slashed after latest developments

Eddie Howe smiling on touchline with Michael Carrick clapping fans

Sep 15 • 10:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Eligibility rules 'not particularly fair'

Northern Ireland manager Michael O'Neill says what upsets him the most regarding rules over international eligibility is the pressure put on young players to make an irreversible choice.

Sep 15 • 10:14 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Stellantis supplier to invest $93M in expanding to former Macomb County EV plant

A South Korean automotive components company is investing $93.2 million to expand its operations in Southeast Michigan.

Sep 15 • 10:05 AM EDT • Business • crainsdetroit.com

Jarrad Branthwaite 'high on Man United's list' amid scouts reveal

Jarrad Branthwaite in action for Everton, with Michael Carrick in a circular inset

Sep 15 • 10:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Nominations for Coaches Who Care Mental Health Hall of Fame Open Until Sept. 30

/PRNewswire/ -- Samaritas and be nice. are calling on Michiganders to nominate high school coaches for induction in the 2026 Coaches Who Care Mental Health...

Sep 15 • 9:00 AM EDT • Health • prnewswire.com

Michigan voters really 'just want results' from Washington, says U-M political expert

Beyond the polarizing partisanship and rhetoric, most voters really just want results—and maybe some relief—from Washington.

Sep 15 • 9:00 AM EDT • Politics • news.umich.edu

Carrick on bouncing back, Baleba and pursuing trophies

Manchester United boss Michael Carrick spoke to the media to preview Wednesday's Carabao Cup third-round tie against Brighton at Old Trafford (20:00 BST kick-off). On the importance of winning trophies this season, he said: "Trophies is the beauty and the feeling of winning, it's what we're in football for, what we're in sport for, and certainly what I'm at this club for is to try and win."

Sep 15 • 8:55 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Biggest moments of the 2026 Emmys, from Michael J. Fox to Taylor Swift

From surprise cameos and laugh-out-loud bits to heartfelt tributes, these are the moments everyone is talking about from the 2026 Emmy Awards.

Sep 15 • 8:22 AM EDT • Entertainment • detroitnews.com

Recruiting Roundup: OU win fuels massive recruiting weekend for Michigan

Saturday’s win vs Oklahoma was huge for Michigan Football, including for recruiting. Check out the latest recruit reactions in today’s Recruiting Roundup:

Sep 15 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

House Democrats add three seats to ‘Red to Blue’ target list

Democratic Party leaders had previously declined to promote Michigan activist William Lawrence, who has drawn attention for past social media posts.

Sep 15 • 7:55 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

Best moments of the 2026 Emmy Awards

From Mariska Hargitay's carefree hosting style and musical numbers to an emotional moment with Michael J. Fox and surprises by presenters, the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards were a pleasant evening of distraction.

Sep 15 • 6:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com

Michigan football still honing Kyle Whittingham staple trait: Discipline

“Every penalty is a teaching moment,” Michigan football coach Kyle Whittingham said Monday. “There were some ignorant, thoughtless penalties."

Sep 15 • 5:09 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

New Orleans Saints Drew Brees Almost Played With Denver Broncos

New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees almost unretired to play with the Denver Broncos after Bo Nix fractured his ankle during the NFL Playoffs earlier this year. After the Denver Broncos defeated the Buffalo Bills to enter the AFC Championship, former offensive coordinator Joe Lombari and offensive assistant Pete Carmichael discussed the […] The post New Orleans Saints Drew Brees Almost Played With Denver Broncos appeared first on HEAVY.

Sep 15 • 12:33 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

'We got his back': Teammates support John Mateer after OU's loss to Michigan

The ball was in fifth year quarterback John Mateer’s hands with the game seemingly on the line against Michigan in Ann Arbor on Saturday, but he blew it.

Sep 15 • 12:13 AM EDT • Sports • oudaily.com

Scientists to probe the source behind a massive 1946 tsunami

Eighty years ago, a massive tsunami devastated parts of Hawaii, Alaska, Washington and Oregon following an earthquake off the coast of Alaska. A Michigan State University team is launching a project to ...

Sep 14 • 11:00 PM EDT • Science • phys.org

Michael J. Fox receives Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at Emmy Awards

LOS ANGELES — At the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Michael J. Fox was honored with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and

Sep 14 • 10:39 PM EDT • Entertainment • thederrick.com

Michael J. Fox receives Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at Emmy Awards

LOS ANGELES — At the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday, Michael J. Fox was honored with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award for his contributions to Parkinson’s disease research and

Sep 14 • 10:39 PM EDT • Entertainment • recorderonline.com

Intriguing Prospect Emerges in Dylan Larkin Trade Rumors

Canadiens prospect Michael Hage has surfaced in Dylan Larkin trade speculation, but one major obstacle still stands between Detroit and Montreal.

Sep 14 • 10:04 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Michael J. Fox reflects on Parkinson's in emotional Emmys speech

Michael J. Fox accepted the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the Emmy Awards on Monday, Sept. 14, delivering an emotional speech marked by his signature optimism.

Sep 14 • 7:55 PM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com

‘Buffy’ stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz are asked to kiss, hold hands on Emmys 2026 red carpet

Sunnydale’s most star-crossed couple is back together again! Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz had an epic ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ reunion on the Emmys red carpet — and were even asked to kiss for the cameras!

Sep 14 • 7:50 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com

NIH awards multi-university team over $4M to improve women’s health

Backed by a new $4.6 million award from the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, Michigan State University researchers are launching a novel project to transform how medications are developed and prescribed for women. This is the first installment of an award worth up to $12.8 million over three years. Researchers from Rutgers, Emory, Tulane, University of Colorado Anschutz, University of Michigan and University of Utah are collaborating with the MSU team to accomplish this goal, which the lea

Sep 14 • 7:50 PM EDT • Health • newswise.com

Will Netflix’s Latest Horror Film Save Its Summer? And Introducing a New Data Source...

(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) All month, I’ve been polling you, my readers, on how we think the summer’s biggest blockbusters will do when they eventually land on streaming, and I wanted to share the results. First up, how readers think The Odyssey will perform when it comes to Peacock... People are pretty bullish that The Odyssey will smash it for Peacock. I don’t know that it will have as much rewatchability as Wicked did for kids, but we’ll see. It is now Universal’s highest-grossing film of all time. One note: almost half of Christopher Nolan’s films weren’t available for streaming the week The Odyssey came to theaters, including some of his biggest films like Inception, Dunkirk, Tenet, Oppenheimer and Insomnia. If you did want to watch the others, Prime Video had Memento and The Dark Knight trilogy, HBO Max only had The Dark Knight trilogy (even though Warner Bros. produced most of Nolan’s films), Hulu had The Prestige and Interstellar, and Paramount+ had Interstellar. So you needed at least two streaming subscriptions to catch the rest. Warner Bros. whiffed right here. I know they have long term licensing deals, but they should have tried to get as many Nolan films on HBO Max for launch as possible. Here are the results for Spider-Man: Brand New Day: The audience is a bit more mixed on this one, with everyone agreeing Spider-Man will swing to a big opening, but not necessarily elite or best all time. On to this week’s issue. Netflix continues searching for a hit straight-to-streaming summer film and Lioness and Ted Lasso allow me to look at the difference between a “hit” and a ‘hit for them”. All that, plus new YA/teen melodramas on Prime Video and Netflix, the House of the Dragon finale, USA Network claims a big opening, more big NFL ratings, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. But we start with a fun new data announcement. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of August 3rd to August 9th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe A New Data Source: Reelgood’s Data on Content Libraries Here’s a fun new treat for you. Reelgood—an online service and app that lets users track where shows or films are streaming—is providing data every month for the Streaming Ratings Report on the size of each streamer’s catalogue, along with the new shows and films for each streamer. Yay! Previously, I had pulled “new shows on streamers premiering on the first of the month”: While I liked that data cut, it was a big wonky since it didn’t show all of the new shows or movies that came to a streamer each month. Instead, I would have preferred something like this from Reelgood’s annual report: And now we have it! I’m going to feature Reelgood’s data monthly, showing both total catalogue size and new shows and films appearing on the charts. That’s going to make these two cool new charts. First, here’s the size of various streamers’ film catalogues… (By the way, Reelgood offered to make the charts for me, but I like doing that task by hand to understand the data better.) They also provided data back to last year. Here’s the number of films timeline: And here are the new films on each streamer for the month prior to Aug: As I get used to this data, I plan to keep tinkering with how I display it, but I’m excited to feature it monthly. Today, I’m sharing the film charts; next issue, I’m going to feature TV shows by streamer. Now, in full disclosure, Reelgood is a sponsor of this little-newsletter-that-could. But in my constant quest to figure out what streamer various shows and films are on, I was already a Reelgood user before this sponsorship. I go to their website all the time, and their data is very accurate on where shows are (or have been). Plus, I’ve been sharing their weekly top ten lists for years now, pre-sponsorship. For me, this is a great win-win, since I get to amplify a service I love, and I get a cool new data source to play with. Now, normally folks don’t usually mention their sponsors directly, but as I wrote before, as I start featuring ads in my newsletter, I plan to be extremely open about who is sponsoring my writing so you can trust what I write. Television - Two Big Returning Shows Look Set to Take Over The Charts One key question when it comes to judging streaming shows is whether a show is a “hit” or a “hit for them”. To be clear, the former means a show that’s one of the top shows on streaming, no questions asked. The latter means a show is one of the biggest, for a given streamer. That distinction makes a big difference! It’s really good to be one of the biggest shows on a streamer; it’s much better to be the biggest on streaming, despite the size of a streamer. Because, as we’ve seen now, nearly every streamer—while lacking the number of subscribers or usage of Netflix—can make hit TV shows: Paramount released Landman, whose first and second seasons were among the top two TV shows the year they came out. HBO Max’s The Pitt’s second season is the biggest show of the year so far. Love Island USA was the top show in 2025 for Peacock. And, crucially for today’s discussion: Wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy back in 2023, Ted Lasso was actually the top streaming show of the year according to Nielsen! So even Apple TV (formerly +) can make hit shows. It just doesn’t make them that often. And looking at the Nielsen charts this week, we have two prime candidates for this discussion: That’s right: Ted Lasso returned to Apple TV for its fourth season. Did it return in all its expected glory? Sure, though right now it’s still just a “hit for Apple TV”, but we’ll see how long it lasts on the charts. Its ten episodes are coming out weekly. (Smart choice, Apple!) Ted Lasso started out strong, actually making the Nielsen charts the week before new episodes dropped, which is a rare feat. (Shows like Stranger Things or Bridgerton have pulled that off. That’s terrific company to join!) On Nielsen, it opened to 14.4 million hours in its first week, and 16.6 million the week of 10-Aug. Here’s how that compares to previous seasons: Apple put out that this is their biggest TV launch through two days ever, and looking at the chart and Apple TV’s viewership history, I’d believe it. Here’s Apple’s top shows for season two and beyond: Other data tells a (mostly) similar story. Ted Lasso made Samba TV and it has elite IMDb scores, an insane 8.7 on 465K reviews. The only outlier is Luminate, where the latest season only had 7.4 million hours, and no other seasons made the top ten. As you’ll see below, that’s well below some other solid, but not spectacular shows like Sterling Point, Ride or Die or Furious. I’d be surprised if Ted Lasso isn’t bigger than those other shows, but it’s fine for different data sources to occasionally disagree. And while it’s sucky to bring this up, given that Warner Bros. produced this show, I do wonder how the streaming wars may have been different if Ted Lasso landed on HBO Max initially instead of Apple. I don’t think one show can make or break a streamer, but given HBO’s brand, it could have helped bring people to that streamer much earlier in its lifespan. (Though yeah, I don’t love calling out executives for passing on hit shows, since that’s just the nature of the job. Even the absolute best execs will pass on lots of successful shows. The key is not greenlighting the under-performers/misses.) The other show I’m thinking about in the “hit or hit for them” category is Lioness from Paramount+. Like Ted Lasso, its first season missed the charts, but it’s grown its audience since then. Here’s how season three opened: We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… How Lioness did on streaming... Two new melodramas for Netflix and Prime Video... Whether Netflix’s latest horror film saved its summer... Hulu’s Furious and Prime Video’s Ride or Die continuing their strong runs... The latest high profile showrunner to flop on streaming... All the flops, bombs and misses... And a whole lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Next week, we’ve got a double issue—since the week of 17-Aug had very few notable new shows or films—so I’ll look at HBO’s Lanterns, Prime Video’s Reacher, Netflix’s Tires, Outer Banks (which posted up huge numbers four years ago), an Aussie romance, and another baseball event (that didn’t resonate). And a bunch of movies like the latest dramedy from an Adam Sandler daughter, Don’t Say Good Luck, Camp Rock 3 on Disney Channel and Disney+, Michael on Starz, and more. Later this month, we’ve got a ton of shows and films to analyze! Movies will be the big story, featuring a box office bomb (Supergirl on HBO Max) and an “underperformer” (The Mandalorian and Grogu on Disney+) contending with a bunch of star-studded straight-to-streaming films like Netflix’s The Whisper Man (Adam Scott, Michelle Monaghan and De Niro!), Mayday on Apple TV+ (Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh!), The Runner (Gal Gadot) and The Last Sunrise (Eva Longoria and Maia Reficco) on Prime Video. Plus, a ton of TV shows have sophomore seasons coming out. Will The Gentleman put up big numbers on Netflix or suffer from a sophomore slump? Leanne and Beauty in Black on Netflix seem small, but they both might be bigger than you think. Hulu has a bunch of shows: a new season of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives (the first after all the controversy last year) and the second season of Chad Powers (from Peyton Manning’s production company and starring Glen Powell). This one flopped last year; can it score a touchdown this year? Same goes for FX’s Adults, which I didn’t track last year; will it hit this year? Peacock’s The Office spinoff, The Paper and Apple TV’s Dark Matter also return for second seasons. And Netflix has more Untold specials featuring Vince Young, Raygun (that horrible breakdancer) and Mr. T. Long term, Paramount+ is rebooting yet another franchise, Clueless, and I’m somewhat bullish on this new show. The talent attached (Alicia Silverstone) and creative Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (of The O.C. and Gossip Girl) also feel solid...if they make it funny like the original.

Sep 14 • 6:43 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com

Could Nets’ F Randle Make History Next Season?

Julius Randle looks to defy low expectations in Brooklyn, aiming to join Michael Ray Richardson as the only player ever named an All-Star for both New York franchises.

Sep 14 • 4:30 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer launches trade mission to South Korea

LANSING, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Monday that she's participating in a trade mission to South Korea, her fourth official trip overseas of 2026. Whitmer, a Democrat in

Sep 14 • 3:21 PM EDT • Entertainment • thederrick.com

Please Stop Conflating Sports Betting Handle With Spending On Entertainment

Editor’s note: The Cashout for paid subscribers will publish on Tuesday. Every September there’s a huge uptick in how much people bet on sports with the start of football season. Which means it’s time to get ahead of a ridiculous narrative before it picks up steam on social media or in mainstream media. Subscribe Every few months I see some version of this: [ Charlie Bilello@charliebilello Americans bet over $165 billion on sports last year, which is more than they spent on movies, books, concerts and sports tickets - combined. 1:00 PM · Jun 28, 2026 · 4.1M Views 258 Replies · 674 Reposts · 4.23K Likes ](https://x.com/charliebilello/status/2071217050328895935?s=20) Fortune published this in July. The headline and start of the story tell the same narrative (emphasis added): Gambling becomes America’s favorite pastime as Americans spend more on sports bets than movies, arts, museums, and music combined: The North American box office totaled $8.87 billion in 2025, which is still 22% below pre-pandemic levels. Recorded music revenue hit a record $11.5 billion. Live music like concerts and festivals brought in $18.51 billion. Meanwhile, book publishers tracked by the Association of American Publishers reported $14.6 billion for the year. And the U.S. museum industry generated an estimated $16.4 billion. Add it up and the total comes to roughly $70 billion, which is less than half what Americans wagered on sports. The story, to its credit, goes on to tell us why sports betting is entirely different, although people who only read headlines will miss that nuance. (The tweet above definitely skips over the nuance.) I will mostly be preaching to the choir here, but it’s worth saying out loud: Wagering money on sports is not the same thing as spending on entertainment from a financial perspective. When you spend money on a movie or concert ticket, that money is gone. You exchanged money for an experience. It’s a good trade! I get to have fun for “x” dollars. (Unless the movie sucks, I guess.) When you bet money on sports, the money is not necessarily gone every time you wager it. It could be gone, but sometimes it’s not and you actually get more money back! That’s not “spending” money or something you should try to compare directly to entertainment spend. A far better comp would be how much people lose at sports betting. That number was more like $17 billion in the US last year, at least for state-regulated sportsbooks. Why are we trying to equate handle and entertainment spending? I dunno. It makes for splashy headlines, I guess. Now, people should be betting for entertainment, and not because they expect to win in the long term; no doubt about it. Anyway, here’s hoping I don’t see people saying Americans “spent” hundreds of millions of dollars on sports betting this fall. Mindway AI and DraftKings Expand Responsible Gaming Drive with Launch of Gamalyze American Football In time for the NFL kickoff, Mindway AI has expanded its partnership with DraftKings to launch Gamalyze American Football the second title in the neuroscience-based Gamalyze Sports collection. Following the success of Gamalyze Football (soccer) during the FIFA World Cup, this gridiron-themed update replaces static questionnaires with immersive, stadium-inspired gameplay. Backed by 10+ years of Aarhus University research, Gamalyze evaluates real-time decision-making to deliver instant, unbiased player risk assessments. Integrated into DraftKings’ platform and nationwide activations, it engages fans when excitement peaks. Ready to upgrade your player protection? Contact Mindway AI to try Gamalyze Sports today. Gambling news roundup 🚨The important stuff 1st NFL Sunday of Season ‘Champagne-Popping Day for Bettors’ (Covers): “The first NFL Sunday of the season was a champagne-popping day for bettors, while the book was left cleaning up the corks,” Caesars’ head of football Joey Feazel said prior to the Sunday night game. “Caesars Sportsbook reported that Detroit’s Jahmyr Gibbs, Baltimore’s Derrick Henry, Indianapolis’ Jonathan Taylor, and Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson were among the top five most-bet players to reach the end zone, and all of them cashed tickets.” [ Ben Fawkes@BFawkes22 A @CaesarsSports oddsmaker on how Week 1 has gone so far: “The first NFL Sunday of the season was a champagne-popping day for bettors, while the book was left cleaning up the corks.” ➡️8 of 10 most popular anytime TD scorers cashed 1:31 AM · Sep 14, 2026 · 276K Views 16 Replies · 16 Reposts · 615 Likes ](https://x.com/BFawkes22/status/2099310001927995849?s=20) 🔍 Are we already getting a “customer-friendly results” narrative in Week 1? NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke with CNBC about the prediction markets industry: “We think that there needs to be stronger regulations into the predictive markets,” Goodell said. “We want to see that to protect the integrity of our game. We want to make sure we’re protecting the consumers that are on those platforms for the NFL. So, we’re continuing to have conversations with them and talk to them about the things that we think they need to do to strengthen that so that they could be potential partners at some point in the future.” More on the NFL + PMs: [ Straight to the Point Quid Pro Quo The NFL has asked Kalshi and other prediction markets to remove certain easy to manipulate markets. Does a potential partnership hang in the balance… Read more 6 hours ago · 19 likes · Steve Ruddock ](https://straighttothepoint.substack.com/p/quid-pro-quo?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web&embedding_publication_id=1472492) Kalshi was on my podcast?: Kalshi was on my podcast [ The Event Horizon Episode 32: Talking Prediction Market Enforcement With Kalshi’s Robert DeNault Kalshi? On my podcast? Yep… Listen now 5 hours ago · 6 likes · 1 comment · Dustin Gouker ](https://nexteventhorizon.substack.com/p/episode-32-talking-prediction-market-enforcement-kalshi?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web&embedding_publication_id=1472492) DraftKings Enhances Responsible Engagement Efforts With New Customer Initiatives, Tools and Education (press release): DraftKings Inc. today announced a series of new initiatives designed to promote responsible engagement and increase awareness and use of the tools and resources to help customers make informed decisions and engage responsibly. The efforts include a new digital advertising campaign featuring Kevin Hart and Nick Jonas that promotes responsible engagement, a PGA TOUR sweepstakes that promotes customer engagement with responsible engagement features, the launch of Gamalyze American Football in collaboration with Mindway AI, and new custom cool-off options that give customers enhanced flexibility when choosing a cool-off period. The initiatives build on DraftKings’ commitment to making responsible engagement an integral part of the customer experience and providing players with accessible tools and resources that help them make informed choices about their gaming experience. “At DraftKings, responsible engagement is embedded in how we operate and is essential to building trust with our customers and our long-term sustainability,” said Lori Kalani, Chief Responsible Gaming Officer at DraftKings. “We’ve continued to invest in tools and resources that give customers enhanced access to information about their play and more choices for managing how they engage. From My Budget Builder and My Stat Sheet to player-set limits and new custom cool-offs, we’re continuing to evolve our approach while promoting awareness and use of the tools and resources available to help customers play responsibly.” … DraftKings is launching a new digital advertising campaign featuring Kevin Hart and Nick Jonas that continues the pair’s road trip and promotes responsible engagement and awareness of the tools and resources available to help customers make informed choices about their gaming experience and engage responsibly. The campaign was initially launched on Sep. 10th and will reach customers through digital channels, bringing responsible engagement messaging to fans in an engaging way. bet365 Launches “The Matchup,” a New Weekly Video Podcast Hosted by Super Bowl Champions Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders (press release): "bet365, a global leader in online sports betting and gaming, today announced the launch of “The Matchup,” a new weekly video podcast hosted by former Super Bowl Champions Chris Harris Jr. and Emmanuel Sanders. Featuring current and former NFL players, the original series marks a significant, intentional investment in football as bet365 works to become a go-to destination for U.S. bettors throughout the season. “The Matchup” premieres September 10, with new episodes released weekly in both video and audio formats. Full episodes will be available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever podcasts are available, with clips and additional content rolling out across YouTube, X, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and TikTok. The show is being produced by Last Row Digital Media. Each week, Harris and Sanders will be joined by guests from across the game to break down the biggest NFL matchups, unpack the latest league news and share perspectives that go beyond the box score. By bringing together two former players with distinct perspectives and firsthand experience, “The Matchup” will give audiences timely context and a deeper understanding of the teams, players and storylines shaping the week ahead. “Every great football conversation starts with a matchup—who has the edge, what everyone is overlooking and what could change the game,” said Chris Harris Jr. “Emmanuel and I have experienced the game from different perspectives, and we want the audience to feel like they are part of the conversation and leave every episode knowing more about the week ahead.” Today’s iGaming companies face new litigation threats as expansive consumer protection statutes spark lawsuits with sky’s-the-limit aspirations, sometimes backed by private funders. Clients of Ifrah Law have a staunch defender in Robert Ward – an agile litigator and case tactician who responds to the changing state of play with creative legal defenses and efficient case-closing strategies. Robert draws on federal clerkship experience and appellate defense work to advise iGaming clients on litigation exposure, white-collar risk, and regulatory defense across multiple jurisdictions. Read More: Robert Ward on Helping iGaming Clients Outmaneuver Lawsuit-Obsessed Adversaries 🔮 Prediction markets Update on legal action in Connecticut: [ Daniel Wallach@WALLACHLEGAL Connecticut says gaming service license holders which received subpoenas over sports prediction markets “are not under investigation” by the @CTDCP but may possess information that could assist the state “in evaluating the conduct of prediction market platforms.” 2:31 PM · Sep 13, 2026 · 844 Views 5 Likes ](https://x.com/WALLACHLEGAL/status/2099143914271670576?s=20) American Gaming Association Opposes CFTC Bid to Block New York Prediction-Market Enforcement (DeFi Rate): “The brief points to the Ninth Circuit’s Aug. 28 decision in KalshiEX LLC v. Assad, which the AGA says supports New York’s authority to regulate sports contracts as gambling. It also cites Kalshi advertising, product comparisons and reporting on Kalshi’s sports volume to argue that the economic product resembles a sportsbook wager more than a conventional financial hedge.” [ Daniel Wallach@WALLACHLEGAL AGA intervenes in CFTC v. NY case to oppose CFTC request for preliminary injunction, says the CFTC’s arguments “obfuscate a simple truth: prediction markets offer sports betting.” Highlights CA9 decision, @DustinGouker (6x), and $1.32 billion in OSB taxes for NY (0 from PMs). Daniel Wallach @WALLACHLEGAL High stakes hearing on Monday in CFTC v. New York State. If SDNY judge Lorna Schofield denies the CFTC’s motion for preliminary injunction, the New York AG would have a clearer path for securing a state court geofencing order against Kalshi, Coinbase, and Gemini Titan. 2:08 AM · Sep 13, 2026 · 4.78K Views 1 Reply · 2 Reposts · 8 Likes ](https://x.com/WALLACHLEGAL/status/2098957043474280584?s=20) Gaming Commission remains member of gambling council after questions raised over ties to Kalshi (Mass Live): “The Massachusetts Gaming Commission will not follow the leads of gaming regulators in Ohio and Michigan and drop ties with the National Council on Problem Gambling over its new association with Kalshi.” Sponsor’s messageTrusted Voices: Conversations About Betting is designed to equip adults, including parents and coaches, with tools and resources to talk to young people about gambling, including information on warning signs, risks and proxy betting. The program is led by retired professional basketball player Randy Livingston and his wife, basketball agent Anita Smith, who share their personal stories related to problem gambling, with the hope of preventing others from experiencing similar harms. Learn more and join the conversation here. 📣 Industry news Gaming M&A: Latest Mergers, Acquisitions and Deals (SBC Americas): “But what else is happening in the world of gaming mergers, acquisitions, investments, and partnerships? Here, we round up some of the news you might have missed.” BetMGM Named Official Sports Betting and Online Casino Partner of the Minnesota Vikings in Canada (press release): BetMGM, a leading iGaming and sports betting operator, announced a multi-year partnership with the Minnesota Vikings, naming it the Official Sports Betting Partner and Online Casino Partner of the team in Canada. The agreement gives BetMGM rights to use Vikings marks across approved sports betting, online casino and marketing activities in Canada. In addition, Vikings Big Kick LuckyTap™, a casino game by Design Works Gaming, is available now exclusively at BetMGM Casino in Alberta and Ontario. “Vikings fans bring a level of passion and loyalty that extends well beyond game day,” said Matt Prevost, Chief Revenue Officer at BetMGM. “As the home of one of the largest collections of sports-themed casino content in North America, BetMGM is uniquely positioned to combine sports fandom with iGaming. We are eager to start football season off strong with another fantastic partnership especially as we expand our reach in Canada to Alberta.” Martin Nance, Minnesota Vikings Chief Marketing Officer, said, “As we continue to deepen our connection with Vikings fans across Canada, we’re proud to welcome BetMGM as the team’s official sports betting and online casino partner in Canada. Their commitment to innovation and fan engagement aligns well with our organization, and we’re excited to create memorable experiences that celebrate Vikings football and connect with Canadian fans in new and meaningful ways.” Caesars Entertainment Launches Ball Rush Jackpots™ in New Jersey,the Latest Proprietary Online Title from Empire Creative™ (press release): Caesars Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: CZR) (“Caesars”) today announced the launch of Ball Rush Jackpots™, a new ball-and-peg style online casino game developed by Empire Creative™, the Company’s in-house game development studio. Now live in New Jersey across Caesars Palace Online Casino, Caesars Sportsbook & Casino and Horseshoe Online Casino, Ball Rush Jackpots is expected to become available in additional jurisdictions where Caesars offers online casino gaming following regulatory approval. The title expands Caesars’ growing portfolio of proprietary online casino titles, following the successful launch of Ca$hline™ earlier this year and further diversifying the Company’s lineup beyond traditional slots and table games. Ball Rush Jackpots follows the traditional ball-drop gameplay experience where players drop a ball down a board filled with pegs to land in a prize slot. As balls navigate independently through a field of pegs, every drop creates new opportunities to collect feature symbols, unlock bonuses and pursue jackpots, delivering a different experience with every round. “Ball Rush Jackpots delivers a different kind of casino experience for our players, combining easy-to-understand gameplay with meaningful customization, exciting bonus opportunities and jackpot potential,” said Matthew Sunderland, Senior Vice President and Chief iGaming Officer at Caesars Digital. “As we continue expanding our proprietary content portfolio, we’re focused on creating games that are simple to pick up, rewarding to revisit and designed around the features players enjoy most.” Bally’s Corporation Secures New Financing to Support the Development of the Bally’s Bronx Project (press release): Bally’s Corporation (NYSE: BALY) (“Bally’s” or the “Company”) announced today that it secured new financing led by WhiteHawk Capital Partners, LP to fund further development of the Bally’s Bronx project and general corporate purposes. The new financing comprises closing date term loan commitments in an aggregate principal amount of $400 million and delayed draw term loan commitments in an aggregate principal amount of $160 million (together, the “Facilities”). … Bally’s Chairman of the Board, Soo Kim, commented, “This important financing allows us to progress the pre-construction planning process so that we are ready to complete the remainder of the capital raise and remain on schedule. Furthermore, the additional liquidity provides us greater flexibility for other capital opportunities.” WORLD JAI ALAI LEAGUE LAUNCHES CENTENNIAL SEASON AND ENTERS NEXT CHAPTER IN MIAMI (press release): The World Jai Alai League will open its 2026 fall season on Tuesday, September 15 at Miami’s JAM Arena, beginning a milestone season that marks 100 years since professional Jai Alai first arrived in Miami. Season X, the tenth season of the Battle Court team-based competition launched in 2022, will also be the first since entrepreneur and sports asset investor Rob Gough acquired the World Jai Alai League in August 2026. The acquisition marks the beginning of a new chapter for the league. World Jai Alai League will maintain the existing Battle Court competition and operating format, with Chief Operating Officer Scott Savin overseeing Season X. Gough and his team will use the coming months to listen to players and fans, evaluate opportunities across the league, and execute plans for a broader evolution of Jai Alai’s presentation, live experience, media, marketing and commercial strategy beginning in 2027. “This is a really unique moment for Jai Alai,” said Rob Gough, Owner of the World Jai Alai League. “We have a sport with more than 100 years of history in Miami, extraordinary athletes and incredible speed, but I also believe there is enormous untapped potential.” bet365 reveals most popular online slots in 3 US states in August (SBC Americas): “In its monthly Gaming Insights and Performance report, growing online casino operator bet365 tracks player trends and game performance in online slots across its North American online casino markets.” The Closing Line is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe

Sep 14 • 2:45 PM EDT • Entertainment • closingline.substack.com

Joe Manchin says he supports Republican candidates in battleground Senate races in Maine and Michigan

Former West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat-turned-independent, said Monday he supports two Republican Senate candidates running in battleground races in November.

Sep 14 • 2:23 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Science center retiring director

Sciencenter Executive Director Michelle Kortenaar with a snake at the Ithaca-based science museum. Kortenaar announced she will retire in Feb. 2027 after 17 years with the organization.

Sep 14 • 1:57 PM EDT • Science • ithaca.com

Where did MSU football land in latest bowl projections from CBS Sports?

Michigan State football remains left off the latest bowl projections from CBS Sports

Sep 14 • 1:34 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Michigan health officials confirm 11 cases of West Nile Virus

The data confirmed a possible human case in Oakland County.

Sep 14 • 1:32 PM EDT • Health • detroitnews.com

Owen Heinecke: Don’t Let the Michigan Loss Divide Oklahoma

Frustrated fans demand accountability after a sloppy defeat in Ann Arbor, but the Sooners must mirror last season’s resilience to prevent a winnable loss from fracturing the locker room

Sep 14 • 1:09 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Florida State fires athletics director Michael Alford

Sep 14 • 12:55 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Michigan State Defensive and Special Teams Grades: Week Two

Eli Coenen’s pass-rush dominance and a revitalized secondary fueled a second-half shutout, proving the Spartans corrected their Week One flaws to stifle the Eagles’ struggling offense.

Sep 14 • 12:42 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Florida State firing AD could spell doom for Mike Norvell

The Seminoles may have a decision to make about football coach Mike Norvell in the coming weeks, and Michael Alford won't be making that call.

Sep 14 • 12:19 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

I did fall decoration shopping at Michaels and Hobby Lobby: Comparison

I compared shopping for fall decorations at Michaels and Hobby Lobby to find the better chain. One was best for Halloween, the other for Thanksgiving.

Sep 14 • 12:11 PM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

Kyle Whittingham Speaks on The Power of Doing More

Driven by player initiative and a relentless new mantra, the Wolverines dominated the trenches to secure a 2-0 start through physical intensity and heightened preparation standards.

Sep 14 • 11:49 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Filling up with gas in Michigan is nearly $20 more than a year ago

The increased fuel price is both affecting the economy and adding to household expense burden.

Sep 14 • 11:09 AM EDT • Politics • freep.com

FSU fires athletic director amid football program’s struggles

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State fired athletics director Michael Alford on Monday morning, school president Dr. Richard McCullough announced.

Sep 14 • 10:16 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Michael J. Fox: “The disease has become more difficult, but science shows that we are getting closer”

The actor, diagnosed with Parkinson's at age 29, became a leading figure in the search for treatments and a cure through the foundation that bears his name.

Sep 14 • 10:06 AM EDT • Science • marca.com

McCuskey agrees to resign as LIG - Illinois Times, the capital city's source of news, politics, arts, entertainment, culture

You may know that embattled Legislative Inspector General Michael McCuskey has agreed to resign his post by the end of September. But this sorry saga shouldn’t end there. The Legislative Ethics Commission should immediately launch an investigation into why so many women over the years have said they believed they were mistreated and even belittled […]

Sep 14 • 9:58 AM EDT • Politics • illinoistimes.com

Monkeyflowers thrive in salty air that kills other plants

On the windswept coasts of Oregon and California lives an unassuming little plant called the monkeyflower, which can withstand salty blasts that kill its inland counterparts. Now, researchers at Michigan State University are beginning to understand how it manages to thrive in conditions that leave other plants burned, brown and withered.

Sep 14 • 9:49 AM EDT • Science • msutoday.msu.edu

Florida State has fired athletic director Michael Alford

The Florida State Seminoles will be going in a new direction as they have fired athletic director Michael Alford.

Sep 14 • 9:44 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Michael Burry says AI leaders' calls for slowdown are 'self-serving'

Michael Burry of "The Big Short" fame said AI companies were helping themselves by calling for slower progress to head off any threats to humanity.

Sep 14 • 9:27 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

When Hospitals Show Up, Communities Lean In - MHA | Michigan Health & Hospital Association

Brent Mikkola, MBA, PMP, manager of Community Health, MyMichigan Health Health is shaped by more than what's in a medicine cabinet. In fact, wellness is often a result of everyday lifestyle choices and the conditions in which we live, work, learn and grow. While establishing healthy habits may sound simple, it…

Sep 14 • 8:55 AM EDT • Health • mha.org

WEATHER REPORT: Notre Dame Fighting Irish VS Michigan State Spartans

What’s the weather going to be like for the prime time game between Notre Dame and Michigan State?

Sep 14 • 8:48 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

MyMichigan surgeons introduce breast neurotization procedure

MyMichigan launches breast neurotization, Members First earns three workplace awards and Yeo & Yeo receives its 13th wellness honor.

Sep 14 • 7:21 AM EDT • Business • ourmidland.com

Johnson needs a foil for his re-election fight. He picked Michael Sacks.

Mayor Brandon Johnson repeatedly targeted billionaire Michael Sacks as a symbol of wealthy interests aligned against his Chicago re-election bid.

Sep 14 • 7:00 AM EDT • Business • chicagobusiness.com

Johnson needs a foil for his re-election fight. He picked Michael Sacks.

Mayor Brandon Johnson repeatedly targeted billionaire Michael Sacks as a symbol of wealthy interests aligned against his Chicago re-election bid.

Sep 14 • 7:00 AM EDT • Politics • chicagobusiness.com

RB Leipzig Finally Find Their Spark as Hamburg Collapse

Antonio Nusa’s masterclass and Christopher Nkunku’s return fueled a five-goal demolition of HSV, silencing critics and reviving Martin Demichelis’s side despite a looming injury blow.

Sep 14 • 6:40 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Man United told Juventus full-back target not for sale

Manchester United have been dealt a blow after Juventus informed the club that transfer target Pierre Kalulu is not for sale.Michael Carrick had made Kalulu a focus ahead of the January transfer windo...

Sep 14 • 6:25 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Restoring public trust in science doesn’t have a simple solution. That’s OK

“Messaging can’t substitute for the relational infrastructure needed for building and sustaining trust,” write Michelle Groman and Caroline Montojo.

Sep 14 • 4:30 AM EDT • Science • statnews.com

Franciscan Health Trauma Services hosting free car seat safety events

NORTHWEST INDIANA — Franciscan Health Trauma Services is hosting free car seat safety events for Indiana residents during National Child Passenger Safety Month. The first event is scheduled to take place from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Central on Wednesday, Sept. 23 at Franciscan Health Michigan City’s Legacy Campus at 301 Homer St. in Michigan City. The next is scheduled to take place from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 25 at Munster Fire Station #2, 550 Fisher St. in Munster A nationally certified child passenger safety technician will teach participants how to properly install a car seat.

Sep 14 • 1:25 AM EDT • Health • wimsradio.com

Dolphins Rookie Michael Taaffe Has Inspiring Story

Michael Taaffe didn’t take long to make an impact in his NFL debut.Playing for the Miami Dolphins in Las Vegas against the Raiders on Sunday in Week 1, the rookie safety found a way to intercept Kirk Cousins.In a game that hadn’t been going particularly well for Miami, it was a key moment. Cousins missed […] The post Dolphins Rookie Michael Taaffe Has Inspiring Story appeared first on HEAVY.

Sep 13 • 9:28 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Eli Coenen Leads the Big Ten in Sacks

After a dismal year in the trenches, transfer addition Eli Coenen has ignited the Spartans' defense, racking up more sacks in two games than any 2025 predecessor.

Sep 13 • 9:01 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Michael Dell's DFO Management nears take-private deal for Baldwin Insurance Group, FT reports

Dell CEO Michael Dell's ​DFO Management is nearing a take-private ‌deal for insurance brokerage firm The Baldwin Insurance Group , the Financial Times reported ​on Sunday.

Sep 13 • 7:24 PM EDT • Business • reuters.com

Convicted sex offender offered opening prayer at rally for GOP Senate nominee in North Carolina

A North Carolina pastor who led the opening prayer at a recent campaign stop for Republican Senate nominee Michael Whatley is a registered sex offender, twice sentenced to prison. Records

Sep 13 • 7:00 PM EDT • Politics • wqow.com

Jayden Savoury Second in the Big Ten in Receiving Yards

Sophomore sensation Jayden Savoury has emerged as a dynamic weapon for Michigan State, leveraging explosive cross-field plays to climb the conference leaderboards and ignite the Spartans' passing attack.

Sep 13 • 6:45 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Is Michigan Ranked? Latest AP Top 25 Poll Revealed

The Michigan Wolverines dropped out of the Top 25 last week following a controversial win over Western Michigan. That had the college football world locked in on Saturday’s matchup against No. 11 Oklahoma.Michigan pulled off the upset, 17-10, and once again appear to be a legitimate contender. So how would improving to 2-0 be reflected […] The post Is Michigan Ranked? Latest AP Top 25 Poll Revealed appeared first on HEAVY.

Sep 13 • 5:45 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com