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Kennedy to host cooking show with focus on inexpensive meals
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has launched a show geared towards teaching Americans how to cook healthy, inexpensive meals. “Thanks to President Trump, we flipped …
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Elsa Reichmanis spent decades collaborating with Chinese science teams and says research should remain distinct from tech rivalry.
Building the future, atom by atom — NSF deploys $108M for materials science at 6 research centers
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Upper Merion Township proposes $200 million sports stadium
Officials in Upper Merion, Montgomery County, want to develop a stadium to host professional baseball and soccer teams, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal. | KYW Newsradio
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Expert: Testosterone, masculinity and the politics of “low T”
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Most Americans are concerned about political pressure on elections, poll finds
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The No. 1 Habit That Slowly Dulls Your Sharp Mind, By A Psychologist
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The Real Reason AI Investments Fail To Transform The Business
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Halo: Campaign Evolved's 'death barriers' and ungenerous out-of-bounds restrictions are making the 42 skull grind a real bore
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The new "science golden age" looks suspiciously like a grift
This edition of PN is made possible by paid subscribers. Become one ⬇️ 🚀 Subscribe to PN 🚀 The Trump regime is trying to usher in a “Golden Age in Science” where scientific research is run like a Trump family business, artificial intelligence is all that matters, profit is everything, and expertise is for chumps. Or at least that’s the vision emerging from a new 123-page “Report to the President” from Michael Kratsios, the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In a normal administration, you could probably skip over learning about a science policy document — but this is no normal administration, and this is no normal science policy document. Instead, it’s Trump’s attempt to end the actual golden age of science that was kicked off in 1945 with the publication of '“The Endless Frontier” by Vannevar Bush. [ ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/harmeet-dhillon-portland) [ Harmeet Dhillon demonstrates danger of posting through it ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/harmeet-dhillon-portland) Liz Dye · Jul 29 [ Read full story ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/harmeet-dhillon-portland) Bush, at President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s request, laid out a vision of federal support for science that centered on funding universities to do basic research, saying that as long as those institutions were “vigorous and healthy and their scientists are free to pursue the truth wherever it may lead, there will be a flow of new scientific knowledge to those who can apply it to practical problems in Government, in industry, or elsewhere.” Kratsios’s report is supposed to be the successor to Bush’s, and even apes the format, but this isn’t really a document about science policy. It’s one about ending science research as we know it in favor of shoveling cash at big tech companies. While it might be temping to wave this away as an aspirational policy document, Trump has already begun to shift billions in research funds to AI projects and has taken a hatchet to science funding across the board. He’s teed up the shift Kratsios proposes here, and since neither Congress nor the Supreme Court seem inclined to stop him from doing whatever he wants with taxpayer money, it isn’t doomering or hyperbole to say we are staring down the barrel of a world where the only “science” the government intends to support is for-profit tech and defense advancements. Science for dummies Part of how you can tell this isn’t a document about science is that you are immediately faced with an absolute wall of business-speak of the worst sort. Did you know we must “tightly couple our science and technology enterprises to ensure that groundbreaking ideas invented in the United States are rapidly prototyped, tested, manufactured, and scaled domestically”? You do now! That tone isn’t surprising, because Kratsios has no background in science or research. He has a bachelor’s in political science and spent most of his career working for Peter Thiel at Thiel Capital. After a stint in the first Trump administration as Chief Technology Officer, where he also did not do any science, Kratsios was tasked in 2020 with overseeing the Pentagon’s research budget for a brief time, a position that, as the Wall Street Journal put it, “carries a great deal of power in terms of dictating investment allocations.” He spent the Biden years at Scale AI as “head of strategy,” which you will also note is neither a science nor a research job. But Scale AI has contracts with the Department of Defense and, as the Washington Post wrote in 2023, “has been aggressively pitching itself as the company that will help the US military in its existential battle with China.” And now you have the necessary background for our new golden age, which is going to be a golden age of taking money away from scientists and universities and giving it to companies like Scale AI. A note from Aaron: Working with brilliant contributors like Lisa takes resources. If you aren’t already a paid subscriber, please become one to support our work. 👇 Subscribe In a genuinely galling move, Katsios spends a lot of time slamming universities because of “administrative burdens on researchers” and the “well-documented inefficiencies” in academia, the message being that those damn universities waste the time of amazing researchers with paperwork. Except it’s the administration that is attempting to impose inefficient, unnecessary burdens on those researchers with a proposed Office of Management and Budget rule that would require senior political appointees to approve every science grant and ensure it aligns with Trump’s personal priorities. Researchers would also have to seek prior government approval to attend conferences or publicize their research. And political appointees could terminate any grant at any time if they feel like it. [ ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/omb-rule-science-funding) [ The murder of expertise ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/omb-rule-science-funding) Lisa Needham · Jun 11 [ Read full story ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/omb-rule-science-funding) But when it comes to AI, we’re going to “restore permissionless innovation.” The report proposes to give lucky ducky innovators a pile of cash up front for grants lasting five years or longer, saying “awards should be fully-funded in year one, with all resources earmarked upfront, to minimize administrative burdens and reduce pressure for researchers to generate intermediate results to secure continued funding.” Yeah, wouldn’t want to have to make the Very Special Tech Bros show results or get money parceled out year by year like the plebes at universities. The report also proposes that we should have “fast grants” with “simplified applications requiring just a few pages of writing” because that is definitely how science works, just writing a bit off the dome and getting some cash. [ ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-ai-action-plan-altman-llms) [ Tech elites are turning AI into ChatGPTrump ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-ai-action-plan-altman-llms) Paul Waldman · July 29, 2025 [ Read full story ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-ai-action-plan-altman-llms) Oh, and we should have prizes and challenges, where multiple teams compete. The proposed prizes include incentives like “advance procurement commitments,” which means the federal government agrees to buy whatever is being developed. There’s also “regulatory fast-tracking,” making sure all those great AI thingies don’t have to wait too long to be unleashed on a market. These aren’t incentives to do science. These are incentives to develop things with tax dollars that you can then sell to the government for more tax dollars. In the suggestion that might be the most unhinged, the most very opposite of how both government and research work, our new age will include “golden tickets.” That’s where an individual reviewer in an agency — yes, just one person — can “recommend unconventional proposals that may not pass consensus-driven review panels” because somehow this will “surface valuable ideas too divisive for committees and attract higher quality reviewers by empowering them to exercise independent scientific judgment.” Yes, that’s saying that a random person in an agency should be able to shovel money at some idea even if it can’t pass a review panel, and that the opportunity to do so will attract better employees because apparently all the best minds in science are chomping at the bit to be allowed to unilaterally fund AI research based on their personal vibes. But that isn’t at all how actual science works, and actual scientists aren’t unhappy about review panels. They work collaboratively, not siloed in some secret race to create the next AI chatbot. A 2020 study by the National Bureau of Economic Research examined whether peer review panels succeed in helping agencies predict which research ideas will best advance science. Peer review was better at finding “diamond in the rough” applicants than a single government program official. How about that. Trump always wants a taste It’s painfully clear that what Katsios is trying to do here is turn the whole of government science research and funding into the sort of “move fast and break things” paradigm that is the hallmark of big tech. That method works to line the pockets of tech executives, but it isn’t science. There’s a reason the government funds different kinds of research than private tech companies do. What Katsios either fails to understand or deliberately ignores is that the federal government is the main funder of basic research precisely because it can take a long time for it to bear fruit and is not intended to be profitable as such. “Basic” here does not mean rudimentary or simple, but rather research that is designed to advance scientific knowledge instead of achieving a specific outcome or product. Big tech companies don’t widely fund that sort of research, because it doesn’t make them money. Industry dollars account for only about 20 percent of basic research funding, while the government contributes around 60 percent. Big tech companies and startups do, however, rely on and benefit from that basic research. A 2019 study found that 35 percent of all patents obtained by venture-backed startups from 1976 to 2016 cited federally supported research. Basic research funded by the NIH contributed to every single drug the FDA approved from 2010 to 2016. [ ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-saudi-nuclear-deal) [ The Saudi nuclear farce and governance by whim and meme ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-saudi-nuclear-deal) Noah Berlatsky · Jul 27 [ Read full story ](https://www.publicnotice.co/p/trump-saudi-nuclear-deal) Unlike inventing the next ChatGPT, actual science is slow and iterative. Government funding of research that, on its face, would not appear to lead to any big new invention is actually what underpins those big new inventions. If the government hadn’t funded research into desert lizard venom, we wouldn’t know about semaglutide, and we wouldn’t have Ozempic. If research scientists hadn’t studied how bees optimize nectar foraging within a colony, we wouldn’t have the algorithm that assigns internet traffic across computer servers. The report assiduously ignores that a symbiotic, profitable relationship between the federal government, universities, and private companies already exists. Each federal research dollar generates about $1.50 to $3.00 in long-term economic benefits. The $36 billion the government awarded in NIH research funding in fiscal year 2025 generated $94 billion in new economic activity. Trump’s proposed new golden age is intended to strip those billions from universities, resulting in the dismantling of departments and the shuttering of labs. But Katsios has a plan for that: Universities should just become trade schools to churn out no-show STEM degrees! “Require universities and community colleges to embed practical technical training and externships into STEM curricula. Let hands-on experience and industry credentials count toward degrees.” It’s quite the feat to, on the one hand, strip schools of funding for scientific research while simultaneously demanding to control what is taught and, oh, also, colleges need to give degrees to employees at big tech companies just for being employees at big tech companies. The new golden age would also exacerbate the brain drain Trump’s policies have already caused. Nature found that in the first quarter of 2025, US scientists submitted 32 percent more job applications abroad than in 2024. A March 2025 poll by Nature of roughly 1,600 scientists found that over 1,200 said they were considering leaving the country. Europe is investing $565 million to make it a “magnet for researchers” and provide funding for scientists who relocate. The new golden age is also about embedding Trump’s xenophobia into the fabric of American science. The report complains of an “over-reliance on foreign students” that “creates a security challenge our institutions are ill-equipped to address” and that a “reliance on foreign talent sidelines American students.” This is, to put it mildly, nonsense. International students pay far higher tuition and often receive no financial aid. Their tuition dollars are what make it possible for American students to get financial aid. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, international students contributed $43.8 billion to the US economy and supported over 378,000 jobs. Those 1.1 million international students accounted for only six percent of the total number of students in higher education that year, but were such an economic engine that for every three international students, one job was created or supported. It’s impossible not to wonder whether part of Trump’s loathing for universities and their leading role in scientific research is that there is no way for him to corrupt the process and make money off it in the same way he can by giving millions and billions to Silicon Valley types who, in turn, give him millions in cash. There’s no way for his children to invest in universities that the government then gives no-bid contracts to, fattening the family’s bottom line, which is pretty much the Trump sons’ current venture capital practice. Trump and Katsios’s view of science is narrow, cramped, and wrong. We’re not in a crisis, we’re not a failed state. We’ve been a science superpower for decades, and the only thing that threatens that is Donald Trump. Tech bros are already living high off the hog in this administration. They don’t need any more of our tax dollars. Hopefully this new golden age never comes to pass. Thanks for reading Public Notice. This post is public so feel free to share it. Share We’ll be back with more tomorrow. If you appreciate today’s PN, please do your part to keep us free by signing up for a paid subscription. 🚀 Subscribe to PN 🚀 Thanks for reading, and for your support.
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The US ‘golden age’ science strategy: what Europeans need to know
The US has unveiled what officials claim is the most radical overhaul of the public R&D system in a generation, which if implemented could have significant implications for transatlantic research collaboration. Science: A New Golden Age derides universities as “legacy institutions” and instead wants to prioritise funding on technological challenges, new research labs and funding that follows individual scientists, rather than being linked to their institutions. “Too much of our research enterprise has come to serve itself rather than the scientists within it,” writes Michael Kratsios, director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), the only named author of the report. “Federal funding agencies should support a broader range of performers.” But some critics argue that the strategy is a smokescreen, using genuine problems in academia as an excuse to further weaken US universities, which US vice-president JD Vance has labelled “the enemy..”Even as it talks of a “golden age” for science, the White House has proposed halving the 2027 budget of the US National Science Foundation (NSF), and has put forward double-digit cuts for other funding bodies, such as the National Institutes for Health. It asked for similarly steep savings in 2026, but Congress stopped them going through. Science: A New Golden Age says success will be measured by the extent to which scientists are “free” to pursue the most “vital questions,,” painting academia as currently hidebound by bureaucracy, sluggishness and consensual conservatism. And yet the Trump administration is simultaneously planning new rules that will hand political appointees unprecedented powers to screen and cancel grants. The report has pretentions to be the successor to Science: The Endless Frontier, the seminal 1945 document in which presidential science advisor Vannevar Bush set out the case for post-war government funding of basic research, helping to spur the creation of funders such as the NSF. Even the title page font is the same. But it remains unclear if the latest report will leave anything like as lasting a legacy.Here, Science|Business explains some of the biggest proposed changes in Science: A New Golden Age, and how Europeans think it might change the landscape of their biggest science partner.Universities under fireA key target of the report are US universities, which it repeatedly suggests are outmoded as research institutions. It criticises the NSF for channelling resources “overwhelmingly to a single type of performer, the university-based, principal investigator-led research group..” Universities “extract” money from researchers’ grants to support “growing administrative bloat,” alongside legitimate uses. The Trump administration has been trying to cut the overhead costs in federal research grants that flow to universities. Instead, new institutions are being built. In May, the NSF announced it would spend $1.5 billion on two new so-called X-Labs, focused on scientific instrumentation and quantum systems. The idea is that they fill a niche in the landscape, tackling problems that are too big for a university lab, but too early stage for private start-up funding. Parallel with Europe?This shift to new research organisations parallels moves in Europe to set up new innovation agencies, such as Germany’s Sprind, the UK’s Advanced Research and Invention Agency, and the EU’s European Innovation Council. The Dutch and French governments are looking to set up their own entities too. There’s now an emerging consensus, evident in a number of new strategies, that public R&D needs to be shaken up, Charles McIvor, an economist at the OECD, has written in response to Kratsios’s plans. “What stands out for me across these strategies [in the US, Germany, South Korea and Japan] is that governments are realising that the old ways of delivering STI [science, technology and innovation] programming no longer works,” he said in a LinkedIn post. Metascience wins?The document is, at least on the face of it, also a big win for some policy thinkers in the US who want far more experimentation with new forms of research grant and institution.It name-checks a litany of new public R&D ideas, from focused research organisations and advance market commitments to “golden tickets,” which allow grant reviewers the power to hand applicants money without requiring the consensus of other review panellists.Related articlesEuropean researchers sound the alarm that Trump rule changes will hit cooperationFocused research organisations: what are they, and how do you set them up? NIH turmoil risks reciprocal EU-US access to health research funding In addition, every federal research funding agency should set up a metascience unit, the strategy says, “with authority to run controlled experiments on review and funding mechanisms.” The UK has already set one up, the strategy points out. This mirrors recommendations to the European Commission. In 2024, a report led by former Portuguese science minister Manuel Heitor also advised the EU to set up an “experimental unit” to test out new methods of funding research. So far, however, Brussels hasn’t put forward any plans to do so. Bypass universitiesBut there’s a worry that the Trump administration is using the metascience movement to justify an overhaul of public R&D that punishes universities, which it sees as centres of political resistance. Last year, it threatened to cut Harvard University’s federal funding unless it hired and admitted a “critical mass” of new faculty and students to create “viewpoint diversity” across campus. It’s also attempted to strip academics of funding for working on politically forbidden areas, like LGBTIQ people’s health.The new strategy appears to be a “move to bypass the power of universities full stop and allow funders and political bureaucracies to handpick the projects and people who will execute them,” said Jean-Claude Burgelman, a former senior official in the Commission’s research directorate, on LinkedIn.The EU’s science counsellor in Washington, Florent Bernard, wrote that the plans risk diverting public research funding so that it “solely serves private interests.” “Who, if not independent universities, will do research that demonstrates the impact of tobacco on lung cancer or the role of human activities in our current climate crisis?” he wrote.Should we take it seriously?“I would view the overall document as a bad faith argument,” said Cole Donovan, director of science policy at the campaigning group Stand Up for Science, and a former OSTP official. “I don’t see the project itself as something that can be isolated from the broader attack on the system.” He thinks the argument that academia has become dysfunctional and in need of radical reform is being deployed as part of a “PR argument” to legitimate moves against US scientists. The strategy presents ideas like metascience units as new, whereas there were moves to set them up at the NSF during the previous administration of Joe Biden, Donovan said. The other caveat here is that the OSTP has limited power to carry out any of these recommendations. While Kratsios has issued a memo to research agencies telling them to implement the recommendations in the report, he doesn’t have direct budgetary control. “As a former OSTPer myself, this does not seem like a document that is realistic,” said Donovan.
Scientists found evolution repeating itself in the Galápagos Islands
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After Hobbes vs Rousseau: Politics must move beyond human nature
Since the great debate between Hobbes and Rousseau, our political theory has been organised around a single question: is human nature essentially good or essentially corrupt? Graham Harman, the philosopher behind object-oriented ontology, argues that this is simply the wrong question to be asking. The real forces governing our collective fate - climate change, artificial intelligence, geography, and pandemics - are non-human; therefore, questions about human nature are not the central ones. Instead, Harman proposes a politics reorganised around our relationship to non-human objects and environments, in which quasi-government institutions incentivise and deter actions with the aim of extending the survival of the human race. “It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism.” This has become one of the most popular phrases among twenty-first-century intellectuals. Often misattributed to Fredric Jameson, it has been warmly embraced by such influential authors as Slavoj Žižek and the tragically departed Mark Fisher, and has fueled the notion that the major problem with the political Left is that it simply needs to become more speculative and creative. Naturally, this is never a bad idea in any human pursuit. But what if the political distinction between Left, Right, and Center itself results from a failure of imagination? SUGGESTED READING Hobbes vs Rousseau: are we inherently evil? By Robin Douglass This particular division has been with us only since the summer of 1789. During the simmering prelude to the French Revolution, it referred originally to the physical position in the National Assembly of radical figures on one side and loyal monarchists on the other. These positions are linked with two entirely different camps of modern political theory. On the Left we find a series of authors ranging from the moderate (Locke) to the supercharged (Rousseau) to the truly radical (Marx), all of them contending that exploitation of the many by the few justifies revolutionary overthrow of the existing order. On the Right they are countered by the likes of Machiavelli, Hobbes, and Schmitt, a group of thinkers convinced that corrupt human nature can be tamed only by force. In the words of the Nazi supporter Schmitt: “One could test all theories of nature and state and political ideas according to their anthropology and classify these as to whether they consciously or unconsciously presuppose [humans] to be by nature evil or by nature good.” This is the division we continue to face today, even in the daily retail politics of Western democracies.___Our species has regularly proven itself capable of both the noblest gestures and the most scathing cruelties, making it hard to define us as essentially either emancipatory or brutal in our aims.___The most refreshing feature of David Graeber and David Wengrow’s 2021 book The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity was their awareness that the forced choice between Rousseau and Hobbes (as they put it) is no longer sufficient. Our species has regularly proven itself capable of both the noblest gestures and the most scathing cruelties, making it hard to define us as essentially either emancipatory or brutal in our aims. Far from being stationed “beyond good and evil,” we seem to be fully entangled with both. We are not naturally good or evil, Graeber and Wengrow contend, but naturally experimental and imaginative. They rest their case on the archaeological record, which seems to bear witness to numerous episodes of seasonally shifting governments and festivals, which vacillate in the same society (even in the same year) between the egalitarian and the dictatorial. Such praise of political experiment makes a good fit with the generally anarchist position defended by these authors. Yet it is also what I find most disappointing in their position. Although they are right that the forced choice between Hobbes and Rousseau falls short of what our new situation requires, the authors simply replace it with praise for the human being as a political tinkerer and performer. In other words, they give us just another theory of human nature, one that would not have been out of place in the sixteenth or seventeenth century. What other options might we have?___The time is ripe for a retheorization of politics on the basis of something other than human nature… We are not just alienated and limited by objects, but also empowered and unleashed by them___One fresh approach would be to treat politics within a broader framework than human nature, given that the polis does not exist in a vacuum filled exclusively with people. When Bruno Latour went to observe the baboons of Kenya with the San Diego anthropologist Shirley Strum, they jointly concluded that these primates were more socially interdependent than our own species. Each baboon is so reliant on the dynamics of the group that they find themselves locked into constant surveillance of their potentially dangerous peers. The group structure turns out to be inherently volatile. Humans, by contrast, are able to stabilize their societies to a large degree through the mediation of inanimate objects. Although one’s position in society may seem to fluctuate over time, considerable stability is produced through such items as apartment keys, wedding rings, and identification cards, all of them serving to secure us a place distinct from that of our fellows. The Italian philosopher Maurizio Ferraris has written at length about the crucial role of documents in establishing social relations, making him a hero among notaries in his country. Proper names and license plates cement our position amidst other humans, as do symbolic achievements such as graduation from a top university or distinguished wartime service with its various medals and ribbons. None of this is found among baboons, despite their closeness to us on the evolutionary tree: after all, we did share a common ancestor just 25 to 30 million years ago. SUGGESTED VIEWING The goodness paradox With Richard Wrangham The time is ripe for a retheorization of politics on the basis of something other than human nature, whether understood in the manner of the Left or of the Right. We are not just alienated and limited by objects, but also empowered and unleashed by them. But initially, it is true, we face non-human things primarily in the form of constraints. It would be difficult, perhaps impossible, to form a human civilization underwater, deep underground, atop Mount Everest, or in outer space. Human dependence on the non-social background takes on subtler form in discussions of political geography, especially unloved on the more idealistic Left. Consider the luckless position of Poland during World War II, sandwiched between Hitler on one side and Stalin on the other. By contrast, note the good fortune of the United States in not having a military peer positioned on any land border. Anglo-American geopolitics, since the writings of the American naval commander Alfred Thayer Mahan and the British geographer Sir Halford Mackinder, has been wedded to the notion that one or more liberal offshore naval powers should prevent any authoritarian “heartland” regime from gaining effective control of Eurasia. That remains the case whether the opponent is the impatient Napoleon, the swashbuckling German Kaiser, the villainous Hitler, the murderous Stalin, or the industrial juggernaut Chinese. In their current Foreign Affairs article “Heartland vs. Rimland,” Michael Beckley and Hal Brands analyze the current and coming state of the world on the basis of these same rather durable principles. In recent years a similar outlook has been embraced, in inverted form, by the Putin-loving Russian philosopher Aleksandr Dugin, an icon of the Rightist intellectual underworld. For Dugin, the Anglo-Saxons are an evil force bent on destroying the spiritually superior people of the land: much like Athens in its failed war with Sparta, or Carthage in its eventual collapse against Rome. But the shared notion on both sides is that any strategy that fails to take geography into account is likely to end up as a defeated form of excessive optimism.___When dealing with environmental degradation, then, we are doing business with forces that promise dire effects on our species as a whole.___More striking for us today than geography is the non-human object called climate, which threatens rimland and heartland equally. Even if we contend that humans are one hundred percent responsible for triggering the climate crisis, it remains non-human in the sense of being an independent force beyond our effective control. In a major work published just before his death in 2002, The Structure of Evolutionary Theory, the American paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould noted the tendency of evolutionary theorists to focus too closely on the fate of individuals in view of their successful or failed adaptation to circumstances. With climate change, however, we confront a force that goes well beyond the scope of any individual life. Whereas Richard Dawkins extended evolutionary questions downward from individuals to the sub-individual gene, Gould pushed it upward, speaking of entire species or clades as impacted by environmental change. The asteroid that struck the Yucatán 66 million years ago is only the most famous example of this sort. In the wake of that catastrophe, large animals needing abundant supplies of food were at a fatal disadvantage by contrast with the smaller birds and mammals of the planet. When dealing with environmental degradation, then, we are doing business with forces that promise dire effects on our species as a whole. The effect is to shift our attention away from individual beings towards the survival of the group.In the United States in particular, the COVID-19 pandemic sparked considerable backlash among those who asserted a nearly absolute degree of individual freedom. In California I encountered those who demanded that their businesses be allowed to reopen, that it was enough to cover their mouths but not their noses, or that they should have the right to enter any public area despite refusing vaccination. Yet public health is probably the clearest argument against libertarianism, which often merely asserts the autonomy of individuals against any claims of the commons. In normal times the individual is worth defending; under conditions that threaten the survival of part or all of our species, compulsion may be our only resort, as with perfectly reasonable blackouts and rations in wartime. To rebuild human society under the constraints of climate change will be one of the great challenges of the century to come, as will our improvised grappling with artificial intelligence. Such phenomena pose existential risks for humanity, and leave far less room for tolerance of individual brattiness. Cases are mounting of devastating wildfires caused by arson. Recently it was reported that there is even a website where one can bet on the location of coming wildfires, raising the specter of deliberate blazes set to collect on wagers. The death penalty has steadily lost support in a world where many stress the infinite value of human life. But if we focus instead on entire ecosystems, those who purposely burn the forests may begin to look worse than serial murderers.___The politics of the future may be splintered by disagreement over such topics as how to manage our environing background and how to permit or restrict the entry of new objects into the political sphere.___So far I have spoken of force, authority, and punishment: measures sure to have greater appeal to those who identify with what we know as the Right. But other implications of the post-anthropocentric world are likely to have different backers. If non-human objects are seen as structuring political space, it stands to reason that they can no longer be introduced solely by the pace of technical breakthrough. Fields ranging from cybernetics to energy will demand increased politicization once they are reconceived not just as products of individual human investment, but as renovations of collective political geography. This need not involve world government, with its inherent risk of tyranny, but may involve quasi-governmental enforcers of prestige along the lines of a less corrupt FIFA or International Olympic Committee, punishing deviant states not with violence but with less tangible incentives.Politics will never lose its historic links with conflict and faction. But rather than factions aligned by differing theories of human nature, the politics of the future may be splintered by disagreement over such topics as how to manage our environing background and how to permit or restrict the entry of new objects into the political sphere. This will prove just as incommensurable with the modern Left/Right spectrum as a globe is with a two-dimensional map.
Sphere Entertainment Q2 revenue rises 11% to $313.6 million
Sphere Entertainment (SPHR) reported second-quarter 2026 revenue of $313.6 million, up 11% from the prior-year quarter. The company reported an operating loss of $61.3 million and adjusted operating income of $50.9 million.The Sphere segment posted revenue of $226.4 million, up 29%, while MSG Networks revenue fell 18% to $87.3 million. The company also cited progress on Sphere Abu Dhabi, National Harbor plans, new content and an extended Formula
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Mifepristone and the Midterms
Amid an ongoing FDA re-review of mifepristone, awareness of the safety and prevalence of the abortion pill remains limited. This KFF poll also finds that the voters who say abortion policy is an important issue for 2026 midterm candidates to discuss are disproportionately Democrats.
The Vampire Squid Discovery That Science Had to Correct
For decades, the vampire squid stood alone as the last survivor of an ancient cephalopod order, until a strange specimen hauled from the deep South China Sea changed everything. Or so scientists thoug...
These Password Managers Are Consumer Reports' Top Picks For Keeping Your Data Safe
If you're looking for a password manager to keep all your login credentials safe, 1Password, Keeper, and Dashlane all get top scores from Consumer Reports.
Colorado’s 72-hour social media warrant law takes effect Aug. 12
A law requiring social media platforms to respond to search warrants within 72 hours goes into effect on Aug. 12. Senate Bill 011 also requires platforms to create a staffed hotline for Colorado law enforcement agencies to contact regarding pending search warrants. The bill is a pared-down version of last year’s Senate Bill 086, which […]
Proposals to lower health costs get broad support in battlegrounds
Voters in battleground states and congressional districts tend to voice support for proposals in Congress that would expand access to health care or lower drug costs — often irrespective of their party affiliation — according to new polling from the University of Maryland. The poll, first shared with CQ Roll Call, surveyed people in 11 competitive states like Pennsylvania, Georgia […]
North Star Health Alliance public hearing draws crowd in Ogdensburg
Residents, nurses, and elected officials gathered Wednesday night for a second public hearing on North Star Health Alliance's planned cuts.
Will Killie find goalscoring touch in time for season opener?
Four games, no defeats or goals conceded in 90 minutes, it's been a stellar start to the season defensively for Kilmarnock. Across 360 minutes of Premier Sports Cup action, Neil McCann's side could only muster two goals: a last-minute winner against Elgin City and a second-half strike against Hamilton Academical. A strong finish to last season avoided any relegation trouble, with Joe Hugill scoring eight goals in 15 appearances, while Tyreece John-Jules scored five in his final four games before an injury ruled him out of the last stretch of matches.
Mistaken Username Sent Man to Prison for 18 Months, Court Finds
An appeals court in Canada acquitted Brandon Klayme of child pornography-related charges. His Kik username had one less underscore than another account that was involved.
Digital habits that rob attention and energy — and how to combat them
There's a reason why double- or triple-screening your devices makes you feel tired, says NPR's Manoush Zomorodi. She explains the science of information overload and how to reclaim calm and focus.
Pediatricians and health officials are sidestepping Trump's CDC on vaccine advice
The Trump administration's upending of years of vaccine advice puts many pediatricians in a quandary. Some are steering patients away from the CDC to other authoritative websites, including their own.
The Lumbee Tribe of N.C. wants better healthcare, but plans to fund it are in limbo
Robeson County, N.C., where most of the Lumbee Tribe's citizens live, ranks as one of the worst counties in the U.S. for health. The tribe can access the Indian Health Service now, but it's not likely to be sufficient to improve the health of the community.
Xbox revenue plunges $1.7bn, with hardware dropping 29% YoY
Platform holder also faced losses during Q4, with content and services revenue falling 10% and hardware dropping 13%
Vikings Get Intriguing Message Involving Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield
The Minnesota Vikings are having a QB battle between Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy to determine their starter for the 2026 NFL season. In a perfect world, one of McCarthy or Murray emerges and solves the Vikings’ issue under center for the foreseeable future.Nonetheless, there’s also the possibility that neither is the answer after having […] The post Vikings Get Intriguing Message Involving Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield appeared first on HEAVY.
iOS 26.6—Apple Just Gave iPhone Users 90 Reasons To Update Now
Apple has released iOS 26.6, along with a long list of nearly 90 iPhone security fixes. Here's what you need to know.
Northern Lights Forecast: 10 States May See Aurora Thursday Night
NOAA forecasts a potential G1 geomagnetic storm on Thursday, July 30, through Friday, July 31, with aurora possible on the northern horizon of northern U.S. states.
Journal of Business announces 2026 Rising Stars
The Journal of Business has selected 10 Spokane-area young professionals to be honored as the 2026 Rising Stars. This year’s slate of honorees includes six women and four men. They mark the 13th class of Rising Stars to be spotlighted by the Journal.
Small Business Administration state director visits GJ to learn about local biz needs
During her stay in Grand Junction this week, Frances Padilla met a hotel worker who also happened to own a small business, with her hotel work as a second job.
AI Tokenomics Explained: What Every Business Leader Needs To Know
AI tokens determine how generative AI systems process information, calculate usage and generate costs, making tokenomics essential for effective AI budgeting.
Merck, Wellcome partner with global health group to make Ebola vaccine for clinical trials
Hilleman Laboratories, a Singapore-based joint venture between Merck and the global charity Wellcome, is gearing up to manufacture doses of a promising experimental vaccine against the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for a fast-spreading outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Merck, Wellcome partner with global health group to make Ebola vaccine for clinical trials
CHICAGO, July 30 (Reuters) - Hilleman Laboratories, a Singapore-based joint venture between Merck and the global charity Wellcome, is gearing up to manufacture doses of a promising experimental vaccin...
ArtBeat: Arts & Entertainment Showcase
Whether you’re looking for Broadway-style theater, live music under the stars, family-friendly films, art exhibitions, or community festivals, there’s plenty to enjoy across East Tennessee this week. Week of July 29–August 5 This week’s highlights are compiled from the Arts & Culture Alliance and participating arts organizations across East Tennessee. On Stage Through – August […]
LA County health officials issue warning due to flea-borne typhus outbreak in Pico-Union
Los Angeles County Department of Public Health officials on Wednesday issued a warning to the public due to a localized outbreak of flea-borne typhus in Pico-Union, where five people were hospitalized from the infection.
Health officials announce 2 human cases of West Nile Virus in the South Bay
The West Nile Virus has infected two adults living in the South Bay, the Santa Clara County Public Health Department announced Wednesday.
Brush fire destroys over 100 tile pallets at Kern County business, sparking fire safety concerns
A brush fire destroyed 100+ tile pallets at a Kern County business. Officials urge defensible space as fire season peaks.
Rabid bat found near playground at Renton’s Gene Coulon Park, health officials say
A bat found at a Renton park has tested positive for rabies, Public Health – Seattle & King County officials said Wednesday.
Arizona Cardinals Over/Under Win Total: Can They Outperform Low Expectations?
Check out the 2026 O/U win total for the Cardinals, who won 3 games and finished last in NFC West last season.
Brown Sugar Bakery, neighboring business broken into in Greater Grand Crossing, Chicago police say
The owner of Brown Sugar Bakery on the city's South Side says her business was broken into for a third time. Chicago police are also investigating a break-in at a neighboring business.
Employment or autonomy? Comparing pathways and tradeoffs for PCPs
Primary care physicians who are on the payrolls of hospitals and health systems enjoy well-supported practice infrastructure and robust peer engagement. But they’re sometimes vexed by red tape and style-cramping oversight. Meanwhile independent PCPs …
Health officials warn of another measles exposure at Gresham urgent care
Oregon health officials warn of possible measles exposure at Legacy GoHealth Urgent Care in Gresham on July 26, 3:05 to 7:09 p.m. Anyone there should contact a provider and check MMR status.
Childcare Gaps Cost NJ Businesses $2.28B
In New Jersey, childcare is often framed as a family issue, a social issue, or an education issue. It is all those things – but it is also a
Political Science 101: Socialism vs. Communism
Now, either the President of the United States doesn’t understand the differences between democratic socialism, which is an economic philosophy that is gaining some momentum on the far left right now, particularly among younger voters, and communism; or Trump is merely slinging emotionally-charged rhetoric at people who also don’t understand the distinctions. There is a word for that technique; it’s called “propaganda.”
Caesars Entertainment (CZR) Stock Faces Debt Strain Despite Narrower Quarterly Loss
Caesars Entertainment stock barely flinched after earnings, slipping only 0.6% to about US$29.77, yet the headline numbers still ask investors to be patient. The casino operator posted another quarterly loss, with basic earnings per share of US$0.30 in the red and net income excluding extra items also in loss territory. That keeps the focus on a slower burn story. The real question now is whether Caesars can turn a low price-to-sales multiple and a multi-year profitability goal into something...
St. Louis Cardinals vs Chicago Cubs Game Discussion Wednesday
The St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs will play again Wednesday night with hopefully better results (for the Cardinals) than the previous two nights. According to MLB.com, Dustin May will make the start for the Cardinals while LHP Matthew Boyd will take the mound for the Cubs. First pitch scheduled for 6:45pm central time […]
European soccer officials eye Qatari sports executive to challenge Infantino
Anger over FIFA’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup has pushed European soccer leaders to rally behind a potential challenger: Paris Saint-Germain boss Nasser al-Khelaifi.
Animal spillover? Lab leak? What the science says about the origins of COVID-19
The release of Dr. Anthony Fauci's pandemic diaries has rekindled the debate over the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Here's how scientists have weighed in.
Animal spillover? Lab leak? What the science says about the origins of COVID-19
The release of Dr. Anthony Fauci's pandemic diaries has rekindled the debate over the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Here's how scientists have weighed in.
Health officials say cuts to nursing aid for disabled children being reversed
An executive councilor is calling for an immediate investigation into the health and well-being of severely disabled children covered by Medicaid who might have seen their nursing care cut in recent months.
Duchess Meghan reveals Prince Harry's sweet advice for 'hard days'
If Prince Harry has taught Duchess Meghan anything over the years, it's how to look on the bright side.
Sandra Oh reveals 'privilege' she had in leaving 'Grey's Anatomy'
Even 12 years later, "Grey's Anatomy" fans are still not over Dr. Cristina Yang's exit.
Official PC Requirements & New Gameplay for Silent Hill: Townfall
Konami has revealed the PC system requirements for Silent Hill: Townfall. We also got a video with 15 minutes of new gameplay footage.
Ancient Chinese cosmology comes alive in Jackson Park
Audience members cooled themselves with handmade fans as Amanda Maraist danced through the sultry air among the stainless steel lotus petals of Yoko Ono's “Sky Landing” sculpture in Jackson Park
How To Turn AI Time Savings Into Real Business Growth
Small business owners save 5+ hours weekly with AI. Here are four growth levers to pull to turn that time into real revenue growth.
A mechanically tunable molecular switch for circularly polarized light emission
Over the past few decades, scientists have become increasingly interested in developing materials that do not simply withstand mechanical forces but instead respond to them in useful, detectable ways. ...
Packers great Ahman Green reveals that he has Parkinson's disease
Green, who was diagnosed in 2025, advocated for awareness and early detection of Parkinson's disease.
Health Institute at Hardy fosters the future of healthcare professionals in Philadelphia
This Philadelphia high school is taking a healthcare-focused approach while building the next generation of professionals.
Federal appeals court hears Maine test case on regulating super PACs
The U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision that struck down limits on independent political spending does not need to be overturned to rein in Big Money in politics, Neal Katyal argued before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston on Wednesday in defense of Maine’s 2024 referendum regulating political spending.
Trump increasingly ‘exasperated’ on Iran as top officials can’t agree on strategy
The president erupted at some of his top national security officials during a recent meeting, according to a U.S. official and a person familiar with the discussion.
North Star Health Alliance seeks to eliminate OB services at Claxton-Hepburn, officials push back
Leaders are calling on the state to uphold a 2024 agreement as North Star Health Alliance and the state health department take public comment Wednesday on a proposal to eliminate labor and delivery services at Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center.
‘Not out of the woods’: Delaware doctor predicts more measles cases as the state’s outbreak rises to 5
The CDC and Delaware public health officials urge unvaccinated residents exposed to the measles virus to get the shots within three days.
Chemical mix-up leads to hazmat response at Huntington Beach business
A hazardous materials team responded to what appeared to be a chemical mix-up that caused a reaction Wednesday morning at a business in Huntington Beach. The business in the 15200 block of News Boy Circle was evacuated after firefighters and hazardous materials experts responded to the property. Authorities said a chemical was mixed into another chemical in a 55-gallon drum,…
Nebraska football players set to receive $7.5M from NIL deals once denied by CSC
Athletic director Troy Dannen said the deals have been resubmitted and were approved by the College Sports Commission.
Saints' Bresee, Bengals Stewart' and Panthers Brezzell Suffer Leg Injuries
New Orleans Saints DT Bryan Bresee, Cincinnati Bengals DE Shemar Stewart and Panthers WR all suffered leg injuries at training camp.
BTS Foxborough tickets sold out but these deals are still available for Aug. 5, 6
Correction to C.4 Planetary Science Enabling Facilities
C.4 The Planetary Science Enabling Facilities (PSEF) was recently added to ROSES-25. It solicits proposals for experimental and analytical research facilities
Former Democratic staffers, DEI leaders shape Smithsonian leadership amid political firestorm
A Fox News Digital review of public biographies and social media profiles identified roughly two dozen individuals employed by the Smithsonian in leadership positions or as curators who worked for Democratic offices or progressive nonprofits before being hired.
Some Louisiana lawmakers backing out of NDAs as questions arise over data centers, other deals
The use of nondisclosure agreements for projects, including with companies like Meta and Hyundai, has drawn community criticism and concern about transparency. But some state officials say they’re necessary for closing economic development deals.
Trump wants the Supreme Court to give him the unilateral power to rewrite election law
Trump threatened to arrest state election officials who distribute mailed ballots. Then, the courts got involved.
Shohei Ohtani biceps injury adds new wrinkle to Dodgers plans
It’s been almost four weeks since Shohei Ohtani last pitched in a game, still managing the left knee inflammation that still isn’t 100 percent. But that’s not the only injury the Dodgers superstar is dealing with. After Tuesday night’s game, Ohtani revealed that his right bicep has also been bothering him. That was part of […]
Akron hospitals to host free family health fair with experts, entertainment
Akron Children’s Hospital and Summa Health are hosting a free Mother, Baby and Family Health Fair on Saturday, Aug. 1. The free event will feature professionals from both hospitals who will offer information and answer questions about a variety of specialties.
Fans celebrate death of ‘horrid’ Gotham Sports App: ‘Rest in hell’
The bane of many New York sports fans’ existence is soon to be no more, with YES and MSG Networks abandoning the Gotham Sports App for DAZN. With DAZN set to acquire local broadcast rights for several NBA teams next season, it will also overtake the joint streaming venture known as the Gotham Sports App,…
Texas health issues alert after 4 Montgomery County residents infected with measles
Texas health officials are warning residents and health care providers to stay alert after four cases of measles were confirmed in an unvaccinated Montgomery County family.
Essentia Health to offer walk-in sports physical blitzes
Essentia Health will offer walk-in sports physical blitzes in early August to area student-athletes in preparation for the 2026-27 school year.
Essentia Health to offer walk-in sports physical blitzes
Essentia Health will offer walk-in sports physical blitzes in early August to area student-athletes in preparation for the 2026-27 school year.
The FCC Just Banned Chinese Humanoid Robots. That's Not the Story Business Leaders Should Focus On
The real lesson behind the FCC's ban isn't politics—it's what China's robotics dominance reveals about cost, manufacturing scale, and competitive strategy. The FCC's ban on foreign-made humanoid robots grabbed headlines.
Croc 2 Kingdom of the Gobbos revealed for Nintendo Switch, a remaster of the 3D platformer
Today, Argonaut Games announced Croc 2 Kingdom of the Gobbos for Nintendo Switch. The game will be available in Q4 2026. Croc 2 Kingdom of the Gobbos is a remaster of the original 3D platformer with enhanced visuals and a range of quality-of-life improvements. It’s also restoring the name used during the game’s development. Here’s a bunch of information about...
American Summer: Steve Guttenberg, Christie Brinkley Film Gets Release
Mia Talerico also stars in Michael W. Gray's coming-of-age feature that hits theaters later this year from Blue Harbor Entertainment.
Bournemouth’s Eli Junior Kroupi out for three to four months after foot surgery
Kroupi, 20, was Bournemouth's top scorer in the Premier League last season with 13 goals in 33 games.
Cincinnati Bengals Over/Under Win Total: Will Healthy Burrow Equal Wins?
Check out the 2026 O/U win total for the Bengals, who won six games and finished third in the AFC North last season.
Jays @ Nationals Game Thread
Game three of the three game series. And it is an afternoon game. Tomorrow’s an off-day, so we are going to see the Odyssey, so if you were going to bet on when the Jays first ‘deadline’ trade will happen, sometime in those three hours would be a sure thing.. Today’s lineup, no Vlad. They […]
Northeast State Community College launching Small Business Series
BLOUNTVILLE, Tenn. (WJHL) – Officials with Northeast State Community College are hoping to equip residents with the tools they need to successfully grow a small business. From artificial inte…