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Zay Flowers on His Health, Declan Doyle's Offense
WR Zay Flowers shares a positive health update despite being limited in Wednesday's practice, discusses his feelings about the season, and more.
Howard reappointed to lead NIOSH, World Trade Center Health Program
Dr. John Howard receives another six-year term overseeing NIOSH and a health program serving more than 140,000 9/11 responders and survivors
Las Vegas CFP host committee seeks small businesses for 2027 title game vendors
Southern Nevada small businesses are being invited to sign up for potential vendor opportunities tied to the 2027 College Football Playoff National Championship
These small Seattle theater spaces are making big moves
How new energy at Theatre Off Jackson, Annex Theatre and Seattle Open Arts Place is reinvigorating Seattle’s fringe theater scene, and why that matters.
Apple's new iPhone cases include a $129 folio for iPhone Duo
Apple's new iPhone lineup has been announced, and so has the annual crop of first party cases, wallets, and straps to go with it.
Dolly Parton paid for her longtime driver’s gender-affirming care
If people need another reason to understand why Dolly Parton was so beloved in American culture, the entertainer, who died Aug. 25 at age 80, was known for being genuinely
Trump administration proposes dropping huge swath of immigrants from U.S. census
The proposal would block immigrants in the country legally from being counted in the 2030 census and would drop some questions about race and ethnicity.
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox goes toe to toe with Jon Stewart on ‘The Daily Show’
Jon Stewart grilled Spencer Cox about his new book and disagreeing better in a disagreeable age.
Never Forget: Advocates question pace of hiring for 9/11 survivor health program
A promise to fix staffing shortages in a program for 9/11 survivors is being questioned this week. Advocates say rehiring positions cut in 2025 is not happening fast enough for those who are sick and applying for the World Trade Center Health Program.
Skip iPhone Duo and Slap $300 Off Galaxy Z Fold 8
It might be iPhone Duo day, but Samsung still has two excellent new foldables it doesn’t want you to forget about. Both the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 8 are discounted heavily with no trade-in required. Instead of being an iPhone Duo beta tester, you can go with the best foldables...
New Apple Watch Series 12 highlights: improved health sensing system, Readiness app
In an update with few visible changes to the Apple Watch Series 12, in conjunction with watchOS 27, the new model has a new health app called Readiness, and a series of new health monitoring features.
iOS 27 launches on September 14th with Siri AI
iOS 27 also includes Liquid Glass improvements, new icons, audio changes, and more.
Rockport community remembers 71-year-old woman killed crossing Business 35
A 71-year-old woman struck and killed while crossing Business Highway 35 South Monday morning is being remembered by those who knew her as an “abuelita” and a familiar face in the Rockport community.
Paul Becht
Sheehan & Company is pleased to welcome Paul Becht, CPA, as Partner. Paul brings over 30 years of experience overseeing audits and reviews of
Meet The Hyangle, the San Diego art gallery dedicated to mental health
Artist Stephen Williams focuses his abstract paintings on mental health and wellness topics, and he opens his gallery to a variety of organizations and events that support San Diegans’ well-being. Written by Kate Morrissey, Edited by Lauren J. Mapp Author’s Note: This story includes mention of suicide. If
RWJBarnabas Health Opens New Food Farmacy at Monmouth Medical Center
RWJBarnabas Health and Monmouth Medical Center (MMC) today celebrated the grand opening of the system’s sixth Food Farmacy to provide patients with nutritious foods and individualized nutrition counseling from registered dietitians to support long-term health and well-being.
Red Sox Minor Lines: Tanner Houck rehabs
Worcester, Game 1: L, 5-4 (BOX SCORE) With Greenville and Salem being done for the year, all eyes are on the teams closest to the Major Leagues as the Red Sox make a mad dash towards October. This year played out a bit differently, as many of the guys that may be able to make […]
Peter Katzenstein receives triennial James Madison Award
The APSA James Madison Award recognizes professor Peter Katzenstein for distinguished contributions to political science.
Community members raise concerns about Flock cameras, New Chauncey
The addition of Flock cameras and updates to the New Chauncey neighborhood plan led to community concerns being voiced at Tuesday’s city council meeting.
September 2026 Apple Event Spoiler-Free Video Stream
Apple's "Surprise and Shine" media event kicks off at 10:00 am Pacific Time today with members of the media in attendance. We know that some MacRumors readers who can't follow the event as it's being broadcast are interested in avoiding all of the announcements and waiting until the event video is available for on-demand viewing so as to experience it without already knowing the outcome.
Johnsonville Votes For Sausage Over Political Ads - Midland
Johnsonville has jumped back into electoral politics, this time asking people to vote for something sensible: affordable protein for dinner. The humorous campaign targets viewer fatigue, as record spending on political ads threatens to drain the fun out of every last game, sitcom and streaming pleasure. This time, the company is throwing its hat in the ring for Dinner 2026. Backed by research it conducted with Harris Polls, Johnsonville has learned Americans are already overwhelmed by both politics and meal planning. Sausage is running the dinner race on a core promise to simplify dinner decisions, the company says.
The Rwandan eyeing Champions League history against Man Utd
Rwanda forward Joy-Lance Mickels has helped Azerbaijan's Sabah reach the Champions League proper on their competition debut, and is now looking to down the team he supports.
Valheim’s Metacritic Review Score Is In And Ties A 2026 Record
After being in early access for five years, Valheim is out and has a Metacritic review score at long last. Here's what it is.
The ‘amnesia tax’: How frictionless payments fuel mindless spending
The rise of frictionless payment technology may be making it easier for consumers to lose track of their spending, contributing to what the author calls “budget amnesia,” The Washington Post reports. One single mother with $80,000 in student debt reviewed a year of bank statements and discovered that her finances weren’t being undermined by major […]
Police launch criminal investigation into Reform UK donations
The investigation, which follows a broadcast by Channel 4 News, is being folded into the inquiry that has been underway into other donations.
The Blood of Dawnwalker controller issues tackled in latest hotfix, and Rebel Wolves talks more about a sequel
Having technical issues with The Blood of Dawnwalker? You're not the only one. But it's being patched. Here's a new hotfix that might help.
Blizzard Workers Ratify Union Contract With Microsoft
Blizzard's many disparate unions are also being condensed into three groups for ease of future bargaining
Small Business Spotlight: Guitar shop aims to strike a chord
WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO OPEN STRING THEORY GUITARS INC.? ALLISON & LEE WILLIAMS: “We are lifelong musicians with a passion for playing. We love Wilmington and the live music scene here, and we wanted a way to be a part of the music community without having to start work at 9 p.m. We also want to be a destination for residents and musicians performing in and around the downtown area.” WHAT DOES YOUR BUSINESS PROVIDE, AND HOW DO YOU THINK IT HELPS CUSTOMERS? We love Wilmington and the live music scene here, and we wanted a way to be a part of the music community without having to start work at 9 p.m. We also want to be a destination for residents and musicians performing in and around the downtown areaTHE WILLIAMSES: “We’re a true basics-to-boutique destination. If you’re someone who’s just starting out, we can set you up with high-quality, brand-new equipment at a great entry-level price point. When you’re ready for your dream guitar, we can help you design and create a fully custom electric or acoustic guitar to your specifications. We have a broad selection of both guitars and amplifiers for players of every level. We also have a community board in the store to connect bands, students, instructors, repair technicians, and anyone providing a service to the local music community.” WHAT PAST EXPERIENCE DO YOU HAVE THAT LED YOU TO CREATE STRING THEORY GUITARS? THE WILLIAMSES: “Lee has played guitar for almost 40 years, from middle school band to gigging rock bands. Allison has a background in orchestra and musical theater, as well as retail management. We worked together as a husband-and-wife team in manufacturing for many years prior to moving to Wilmington. Having shopped in countless music stores over the years, we set up our shop with the goal of being welcoming and inviting. Our philosophy is ‘if it’s on display, it’s for play.’ No instrument or amplifier is out of reach in our store.” WHAT GOALS DO YOU HAVE FOR GROWTH? THE WILLIAMSES: “We would love to grow the bluegrass and folk instrument segment of our business. We carry banjos, mandolins, resonator guitars, ukuleles and related accessories. We’ve seen and heard plenty of talented bluegrass and folk musicians around Wilmington, and we look forward to expanding our selections to support this growing segment of the local music scene.” WHAT CHALLENGES ARE YOU FACING RIGHT NOW IN YOUR BUSINESS? THE WILLIAMSES: “Getting the word out about our brand and some of the unique brands we represent is a challenge for any new business. Online exposure through the Cargo District, Wilmington Downtown Inc. … and our online following is steadily growing. Our other challenge is the logistics of our streets. Our neighborhood is amazing, and you could spend the entire day walking around the Cargo District. As the District continues to grow, we’re seeing more pedestrian traffic, particularly in crossing 16th and 17th streets. We’ve seen some improvements in traffic calming, but the sooner we can improve safety with crosswalks and pedestrian signals, the more welcoming our neighborhood will be.”
The Cost of Cutting American Science: How Federal Cuts Diminish Public Health Capacity
Among the federal government’s many responsibilities is the work it does to protect public health. Federal agencies monitor our food supply to ensure safety, conduct research to better understand emerging health threats, provide funding for public health programs in communities and work to detect and respond to disease outbreaks. Americans rely on these efforts every day—in a 2024 online survey, 74% of respondents said that “if the federal government issued safety guidance about food you eat regularly,” they would follow it. Changes to Federal Public Health Capacity The Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the federal government have resulted in significant impacts on our nation’s public health capacity over the past 20 months, affecting the response to health concerns such as measles, Ebola and cyclosporiasis. Agencies with core public health, food safety and disease prevention responsibilities experienced large workforce decreases during the first year of the administration. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for instance, the workforce in February 2026 was 26.7% smaller than in September 2024 before the start of the Trump administration. The Food and Drug Administration saw a similarly steep decline of 21.6%. Agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Food Safety and Inspection Service also experienced large workforce decreases. (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); Changes can also be seen in crucial public health occupations. The number of federal food inspectors, for example, decreased by more than half between September 2024 and February 2026, going from 1,035 to 473. This is the lowest number of food inspectors employed by the federal government since at least 2005. By February 2026, there were also 33.3% fewer federal public health program specialists, whose work includes advising federal funding recipients on public health activities and analyzing the effectiveness of public health programs. Government’s capacity is diminished as employees with specialized knowledge and experience in protecting the public and responding to health risks depart, leaving agencies less prepared to carry out their public health missions. There also have been vacancies in critical high-level leadership positions at public health agencies, most notably at the CDC, which had a permanent Senate-confirmed director for less than a month between January 2025 and early August 2026. Although the CDC has previously been led by acting directors at the start of an administration, the nearly yearlong gap since the departure of the administration’s first permanent director in August 2025 is without precedent. As of August 2026, the FDA is also currently without a Senate-confirmed commissioner following the previous commissioner’s resignation in May 2026. Additionally, public health agencies are experiencing increased politicization of their leadership ranks. In agencies such as the CDC and Food Safety and Inspection Service, the number of individuals in the Senior Executive Service—the most senior career leaders in government—has declined significantly, while at the same time the number of political appointees has reached record levels. (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); At the CDC, for example, the number of career SES decreased 42.9% between December 2024 and February 2026, while the number of non-Senate confirmed political appointees at the agency was six times larger than the agency’s historical average from 2009 and 2024. Knowledgeable career leaders are integral to the ability of public health agencies to carry out their work with scientific integrity and professional judgment, and rapid leadership turnover and increased politicization threaten agencies’ ability to make evidence-based decisions to protect our health. The upheaval and politicization in public health agencies have also negatively affected employee engagement. Strong employee engagement is crucial to the ability of agencies to carry out their mission and successfully provide essential services to the public. In the 2025 Public Service Viewpoint Survey conducted by the Partnership for Public Service, the Department of Health and Human Services—which encompasses major public health agencies such as the CDC and FDA—had an employee engagement and satisfaction score of 20.4 out of 100, one of the lowest among large agencies. Only 2.8% of HHS employees indicated trust in their political leaders and only 8.7% reported confidence that they could report a suspected violation of law or regulation without retaliation. Employees at HHS also reported that the agency’s ability to provide services to the public had suffered. Nearly half of employees at HHS, 47.5%, said their work unit was worse at delivering quality services compared to its performance in 2024. In addition, 57.8% said their work unit was performing worse at fulfilling stakeholder needs. In addition to the work done within federal agencies, the federal government also distributes significant funding for public health and disease prevention work to state and local governments, nonprofits and small businesses—funding which has been significantly disrupted. At the CDC, for example, there was a 71.9% decrease in the amount of project grant funding issued in fiscal year 2025 compared to fiscal year 2024. The FDA also issued far less funding in fiscal year 2025—a 21.3% decrease from its fiscal year 2024 funding. Changes in federal funding include the ending of grants to community organizations that worked on HIV prevention and the cancellation of funding for research into improvements to patient safety and healthcare quality. These changes go beyond federal agencies to impact the broader public health ecosystem, including the state and local health departments responsible for much of the on-the-ground public health work in their communities. About 80% of the CDC’s domestic funding is directed towards state and local partners—meaning that cuts to CDC funding can ultimately result in cuts to state and local public health capacity. Federal agencies also provide expertise and assistance to state and local health agencies as they deal with particular health challenges, but workforce cuts have resulted in fewer federal employees available to help. The Impact of Changes to Public Health Capacity These changes to federal public health capacity are not abstract concerns. Disrupted programs, reduced funding and lost expertise at public health agencies across all levels of government threaten the public’s physical well-being and safety. In some cases, this has already led to harm. The most immediate impacts of federal cuts were seen in interruptions to ongoing public health programs and crisis responses. In one instance, when CDC grants were canceled during the 2025 Texas measles outbreak—the most severe measles outbreak in 25 years—public health officials in Lubbock, Texas were forced to pause parts of their measles response work supported by the frozen funding. Lubbock’s director of public health further said that a lack of available CDC experts to reach out to for advice “definitely” impacted the department’s response to the measles crisis. Cuts to federal funding also forced Dallas County Health and Human Services to cut staff and cancel 50 community vaccination clinics during the outbreak. Public health work outside of major outbreak responses was also disrupted. For example, in April 2025, the Milwaukee Public Health Department was unexpectedly unable to reach experts on lead poisoning due to firings at the CDC when responding to concerns about lead contamination in Milwaukee public schools. Due to federal workforce cuts, several programs at the CDC, including Alzheimer’s and epilepsy programs, have also become trapped in limbo—existing on paper, but without the staff necessary to operate. More recent crises reveal how federal cuts have weakened the public health infrastructure needed to prevent and respond to dangerous new outbreaks. Internationally, cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development eliminated funding for disease testing and contact tracing abroad, which delayed detection of and responses to the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While international outbreaks may seem far removed, the unchecked spread of disease in any country can quickly pose a danger to economic well-being, security and health around the world. Within the United States, public health cuts inhibited responses to the summer 2026 outbreak of the food-borne parasite cyclospora. At the federal level, cuts to funding for lab equipment and for CDC staff with expertise in parasitic infections—including 9 out of 11 staff members at the lab responsible for identifying parasitic outbreaks in 2025— contributed to the largest reporting delay in outbreak cases at the CDC in 15 years. Conflicting communications from the FDA about the source of the outbreak, which followed cuts to the agency’s communications department, additionally led to confusion among the public about how to best avoid infection. At the same time, cuts to HHS funding and support for local and state public health slowed some health departments’ responses to the crisis. The exact costs of these delays, constraints and confusion in public health responses are difficult to estimate. However, their message is clear: federal cuts have already made containing threats to public health even more of a challenge. Conclusion Protecting public health—from food safety to disease prevention—is one of the federal government’s most important missions. Dramatic and haphazard cuts to federal agencies and funding have already disrupted the public health system, impacting the response to challenges such as measles, lead poisoning and cyclosporiasis. The U.S. public health system needed improvement before these disruptions. Since 2022, federal leadership and coordination in response to public health outbreaks has been on the Government Accountability Office’s High-Risk List of areas in need of attention to improve government effectiveness and efficiency. Recent cuts only compound these concerns. The chaotic dismantling of government and resulting disruptions to crucial functions like public health and disease prevention highlight the need for meaningful reform and concrete policy proposals to reimagine how government can better serve the public and be more effective, responsive and accountable. To learn more about the impact of federal cuts to public health and science more broadly, visit The Cost of Cutting American Science. Learn more For more information on the Partnership for Public Service’s government reform initiative, visit Government for a New Era. View here In line with The Cost of Cutting American Science, federal workforce data in this brief is as of February 2026
The Cost of Cutting American Science: How Federal Cuts Diminish Public Health Capacity
Among the federal government’s many responsibilities is the work it does to protect public health. Federal agencies monitor our food supply to ensure safety, conduct research to better understand emerging health threats, provide funding for public health programs in communities and work to detect and respond to disease outbreaks. Americans rely on these efforts every day—in a 2024 online survey, 74% of respondents said that “if the federal government issued safety guidance about food you eat regularly,” they would follow it. Changes to Federal Public Health Capacity The Trump administration’s efforts to reshape the federal government have resulted in significant impacts on our nation’s public health capacity over the past 20 months, affecting the response to health concerns such as measles, Ebola and cyclosporiasis. Agencies with core public health, food safety and disease prevention responsibilities experienced large workforce decreases during the first year of the administration. At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for instance, the workforce in February 2026 was 26.7% smaller than in September 2024 before the start of the Trump administration. The Food and Drug Administration saw a similarly steep decline of 21.6%. Agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and Food Safety and Inspection Service also experienced large workforce decreases. (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); Changes can also be seen in crucial public health occupations. The number of federal food inspectors, for example, decreased by more than half between September 2024 and February 2026, going from 1,035 to 473. This is the lowest number of food inspectors employed by the federal government since at least 2005. By February 2026, there were also 33.3% fewer federal public health program specialists, whose work includes advising federal funding recipients on public health activities and analyzing the effectiveness of public health programs. Government’s capacity is diminished as employees with specialized knowledge and experience in protecting the public and responding to health risks depart, leaving agencies less prepared to carry out their public health missions. There also have been vacancies in critical high-level leadership positions at public health agencies, most notably at the CDC, which had a permanent Senate-confirmed director for less than a month between January 2025 and early August 2026. Although the CDC has previously been led by acting directors at the start of an administration, the nearly yearlong gap since the departure of the administration’s first permanent director in August 2025 is without precedent. As of August 2026, the FDA is also currently without a Senate-confirmed commissioner following the previous commissioner’s resignation in May 2026. Additionally, public health agencies are experiencing increased politicization of their leadership ranks. In agencies such as the CDC and Food Safety and Inspection Service, the number of individuals in the Senior Executive Service—the most senior career leaders in government—has declined significantly, while at the same time the number of political appointees has reached record levels. (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); (function(){function e(){window.addEventListener(`message`,function(e){if(e.data[`datawrapper-height`]!==void 0){var t=document.querySelectorAll(`iframe`);for(var n in e.data[`datawrapper-height`])for(var r=0,i;i=t[r];r++)if(i.contentWindow===e.source){var a=e.data[`datawrapper-height`][n]+`px`;i.style.height=a}}})}e()})(); At the CDC, for example, the number of career SES decreased 42.9% between December 2024 and February 2026, while the number of non-Senate confirmed political appointees at the agency was six times larger than the agency’s historical average from 2009 and 2024. Knowledgeable career leaders are integral to the ability of public health agencies to carry out their work with scientific integrity and professional judgment, and rapid leadership turnover and increased politicization threaten agencies’ ability to make evidence-based decisions to protect our health. The upheaval and politicization in public health agencies have also negatively affected employee engagement. Strong employee engagement is crucial to the ability of agencies to carry out their mission and successfully provide essential services to the public. In the 2025 Public Service Viewpoint Survey conducted by the Partnership for Public Service, the Department of Health and Human Services—which encompasses major public health agencies such as the CDC and FDA—had an employee engagement and satisfaction score of 20.4 out of 100, one of the lowest among large agencies. Only 2.8% of HHS employees indicated trust in their political leaders and only 8.7% reported confidence that they could report a suspected violation of law or regulation without retaliation. Employees at HHS also reported that the agency’s ability to provide services to the public had suffered. Nearly half of employees at HHS, 47.5%, said their work unit was worse at delivering quality services compared to its performance in 2024. In addition, 57.8% said their work unit was performing worse at fulfilling stakeholder needs. In addition to the work done within federal agencies, the federal government also distributes significant funding for public health and disease prevention work to state and local governments, nonprofits and small businesses—funding which has been significantly disrupted. At the CDC, for example, there was a 71.9% decrease in the amount of project grant funding issued in fiscal year 2025 compared to fiscal year 2024. The FDA also issued far less funding in fiscal year 2025—a 21.3% decrease from its fiscal year 2024 funding. Changes in federal funding include the ending of grants to community organizations that worked on HIV prevention and the cancellation of funding for research into improvements to patient safety and healthcare quality. These changes go beyond federal agencies to impact the broader public health ecosystem, including the state and local health departments responsible for much of the on-the-ground public health work in their communities. About 80% of the CDC’s domestic funding is directed towards state and local partners—meaning that cuts to CDC funding can ultimately result in cuts to state and local public health capacity. Federal agencies also provide expertise and assistance to state and local health agencies as they deal with particular health challenges, but workforce cuts have resulted in fewer federal employees available to help. The Impact of Changes to Public Health Capacity These changes to federal public health capacity are not abstract concerns. Disrupted programs, reduced funding and lost expertise at public health agencies across all levels of government threaten the public’s physical well-being and safety. In some cases, this has already led to harm. The most immediate impacts of federal cuts were seen in interruptions to ongoing public health programs and crisis responses. In one instance, when CDC grants were canceled during the 2025 Texas measles outbreak—the most severe measles outbreak in 25 years—public health officials in Lubbock, Texas were forced to pause parts of their measles response work supported by the frozen funding. Lubbock’s director of public health further said that a lack of available CDC experts to reach out to for advice “definitely” impacted the department’s response to the measles crisis. Cuts to federal funding also forced Dallas County Health and Human Services to cut staff and cancel 50 community vaccination clinics during the outbreak. Public health work outside of major outbreak responses was also disrupted. For example, in April 2025, the Milwaukee Public Health Department was unexpectedly unable to reach experts on lead poisoning due to firings at the CDC when responding to concerns about lead contamination in Milwaukee public schools. Due to federal workforce cuts, several programs at the CDC, including Alzheimer’s and epilepsy programs, have also become trapped in limbo—existing on paper, but without the staff necessary to operate. More recent crises reveal how federal cuts have weakened the public health infrastructure needed to prevent and respond to dangerous new outbreaks. Internationally, cuts at the U.S. Agency for International Development eliminated funding for disease testing and contact tracing abroad, which delayed detection of and responses to the 2026 Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. While international outbreaks may seem far removed, the unchecked spread of disease in any country can quickly pose a danger to economic well-being, security and health around the world. Within the United States, public health cuts inhibited responses to the summer 2026 outbreak of the food-borne parasite cyclospora. At the federal level, cuts to funding for lab equipment and for CDC staff with expertise in parasitic infections—including 9 out of 11 staff members at the lab responsible for identifying parasitic outbreaks in 2025— contributed to the largest reporting delay in outbreak cases at the CDC in 15 years. Conflicting communications from the FDA about the source of the outbreak, which followed cuts to the agency’s communications department, additionally led to confusion among the public about how to best avoid infection. At the same time, cuts to HHS funding and support for local and state public health slowed some health departments’ responses to the crisis. The exact costs of these delays, constraints and confusion in public health responses are difficult to estimate. However, their message is clear: federal cuts have already made containing threats to public health even more of a challenge. Conclusion Protecting public health—from food safety to disease prevention—is one of the federal government’s most important missions. Dramatic and haphazard cuts to federal agencies and funding have already disrupted the public health system, impacting the response to challenges such as measles, lead poisoning and cyclosporiasis. The U.S. public health system needed improvement before these disruptions. Since 2022, federal leadership and coordination in response to public health outbreaks has been on the Government Accountability Office’s High-Risk List of areas in need of attention to improve government effectiveness and efficiency. Recent cuts only compound these concerns. The chaotic dismantling of government and resulting disruptions to crucial functions like public health and disease prevention highlight the need for meaningful reform and concrete policy proposals to reimagine how government can better serve the public and be more effective, responsive and accountable. To learn more about the impact of federal cuts to public health and science more broadly, visit The Cost of Cutting American Science. Learn more For more information on the Partnership for Public Service’s government reform initiative, visit Government for a New Era. View here In line with The Cost of Cutting American Science, federal workforce data in this brief is as of February 2026
A photon from the biggest cosmic explosion since the Big Bang appears to have defied Einstein. Scientists may finally know how
"We started from a very simple question: how did this photon survive a journey that, according to known physics, should have destroyed it?"
Goodwin sells part of defence business for £1.1bn to US firm
The group strikes a deal with Cerberus, a firm set up by US defence official Stephen Feinberg.
Guelph meat science faculty went from five to zero
Federal funding flowed to Protein Industries Canada and plant proteins after 2018 while a $32-billion meat industry went without its share.
Peter Stanbury on the business case for sustainablity in drinks
As we count down to next month’s Sustainability in Drinks event in London (October 21), Dr Peter Stanbury, research director of the influential Sustainable Wine Roundtable , makes the case for why all drinks companies should be taking not just taking sustainability seriously but how increasingly it is being seen by banks and insurance houses as a vital part of running an effective and competent business and a prerequisite for their continued support.
Epic v. Health Gorilla: “Working as Designed”
We’ve been on a bit of a legal bender since just before Labor Day, so let’s keep a good thing going! As predicted, Epic does not want its case against Health Gorilla consolidated with the data breach cases, so it filed a motion to vacate the conditional transfer. And because they had to explain to the Panel why this case is different, they put a good chunk of previously unseen Epic v. Health Gorilla discovery record on the public docket! Roll the tape! The Case Against Consolidation Before we get to the fun stuff, let’s do the housekeeping. Epic's motion boils down to three arguments (sorted in ascending order of how well they land): A judge has already decided this. Judge Olguin declined to relate the fraud action to another ELU case (Patterson v. UVA Health), holding that the two do not call for determination of substantially similar questions of law or fact. Epic asks the Panel to treat that (a Rule 42 ruling) as law of the case. The overlap is thin. The three common questions Health Gorilla and the Panel identified are neither numerous nor complex (the qualities the Panel looks for before centralizing). Moreover, they are outnumbered by the questions unique to each side: The breach cases turn on security architecture, notification timing, and patient-level access. The fraud action turns on false treatment attestations and breaches of the framework agreements. Consolidation costs more than it saves. 17 of 21 parties in the fraud action do not appear in a breach case. The cases are also at very different stages: Olguin has a scheduling order running through a January 2028 trial while the breach actions are much more nascent. I like the last two more than the first because they attack the basic economics of an MDL: there just may not be enough shared discovery here to justify dragging all the defendants and a relatively mature fraud case all the way to Florida. On the other hand (while I know exceedingly little about MDL and Rule 42), I have a hard time seeing why a district judge's decision about his own docket would control what the Panel does with the separate § 1407 question. I might be reading between the lines too much, but I sorta think Epic's own brief half-concedes this, framing the two provisions as "two sides of the same coin" but then adding "respectfully submit" (which is often lawyer speak for “we know this is a reach”). The Ladder Gets More Rungs Anyway, the arguments are not why you're here (aside from the lawyers, maybe). Back in June, we discussed how Epic was using the smaller defendants to build an evidentiary ladder toward Health Gorilla and Unit 387. Turns out discovery has been adding a few rungs of its own.
Lisandro Martinez's chances of agreeing new Man United contract revealed
Lisandro Martinez in action with Michael Carrick celebrating with fans left inset
We Need to Have a Conversation About Angel Reese
Angel Reese gets treated like a superstar. But are we sure she actually is one? Nobody can deny the rebounding. Nobody can deny the production. Reese is averaging 16.1 points and 12.4 rebounds this season, which is objectively impressive. But the WNBA is becoming increasingly loaded with elite players, and the bar for being called…
South Park is being renamed 'South America' in jab at Apple and Google
The show's creators said they were "Inspired by the bravery and patriotism of Apple and Google," who recently renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America.
Eagles' Tanner McKee Continues Being Top Trade Candidate
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Tanner McKee continues to be named a top NFL trade candidate.
Real Madrid, PSG, Liverpool: Ranking Europe's greatest dynasties
Paris St-Germain are eyeing a third successive Champions League crown, but where do they rank against Europe's most dominant clubs?
Draymond Green's Klay Thompson Defense Reveals Miami Heat's Promising Plan
Draymond Green's defense of Klay Thompson offers a useful blueprint for Miami Heat expectations. Thompson's role should center on shooting gravity, off-ball movement, and complementary offense-not recreating his 2017 Golden State Warriors production. Green's Ray Allen comparison reinforces that approach after Thompson's move to Miami. What Did Draymond Green Say About Klay Thompson and the […] The post Draymond Green's Klay Thompson Defense Reveals Miami Heat's Promising Plan appeared first on S
Traditional Inuit Diet: Foods, Nutrition, and Health Effects
Traditional Inuit diets combine nutrient-dense marine and terrestrial country foods that remain important sources of protein, vitamin D, vitamin B12, iron, and other essential nutrients. The transition toward market foods is occurring alongside changes in cardiometabolic health, micronutrient intake, and gut microbiome patterns, while food insecurity, socioeconomic conditions, physical activity, colonial processes, and environmental change complicate the relationship between diet and health.
50 countries and counting, she now finds value in slow travel
Social media made travel feel like a competition. Seeing country counts in people's bios made Macie Strum start keeping score.
Cleveland Clinic, RIKEN and IBM Team Advance to Finals for 2026 ACM Gordon Bell Prize
Joint research team modeled a 12,635-atom protein, the largest-known to be simulated using quantum computers. Breakthrough was achieved through quantum and classical methods working together, expanding quantum-centric supercomputing’s potential in life sciences research.
More Than 5,000 Leaders Across Entertainment, Academia and Public Life Unite to Reject “Genocide” Accusation Against Israel
Boris Johnson, Deborah Lipstadt, Sir Niall Ferguson, Shari Redstone, Steven Pinker, Sherry Lansing, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Chief Rabbi Warren Goldstein, Irwin Cotler, Debra Messing and thousands of others reject the genocide accusation against Israel and warn that it fuels antisemitism
Bigdeli leaves athletics department
Eintracht Frankfurt have parted ways with Schahriar Bigdeli, the head of the Eagles’ athletics department.Schahriar Bigdeli had been in charge of athletic conditioning and management of the Eintrach...
Aaron Judge Is Finally Back. But Right Now, The Yankees Just Need Him To Play It Safe
On Tuesday at Yankee Stadium, Aaron Judge was back after being sidelined for over three months. But he was on a leash, and that bothered him.
Allegheny County Council proposes bill that could regulate AI use in political campaign materials
Members of Allegheny County Council on Tuesday introduced a bill that would require political candidates to disclose their use of artificial intelligence in campaign materials, an effort aimed at preventing voters from being misled by AI-generative content. If passed, the ordinance would establish disclosure requirements for AI-generated campaign content used
Five Plays: Ole Miss First Quarter
Louisville went down to Nashville and battled Ole Miss to the final second on the clock. There were a lot of questions that the Cards needed to answer quickly, with the main one being how Lincoln Kienholz would play in his first career start. But UofL came out with a great plan, and they took […]
Southwest Harbor's newest Select Board member resigns
SOUTHWEST HARBOR — Kalie Hess has announced her resignation from the Southwest Harbor Select Board, stepping down less than a year after being elected.
Another Nugget For Syracuse Basketball Schedule Comes into Focus
According to a report from Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, we now when the Orange will kick off Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Pirates Trying to Find This Balance With Konnor Griffin
The Pittsburgh Pirates need Konnor Griffin in the lineup, while also being mindful that he's still coming back from injury.
People in Wausau work to build mental health wellness kits
100 kits are being made with tools and resources to support mental well-being.
18 Sports Commentary – the first day of the school year
ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – It’s time for another special 18 Sport Commentary. On this edition, we discuss the very first day of school in the New York region of The Southern Tier. The first day of school symbolizes much more than just being the first day to go back to the classroom. It’s symbolic of […]
More than 200 registered nurses at Jefferson Health in Greater Philadelphia announce plans to unionize
Nurses at Jefferson Bucks Hospital, Einstein Center One and Jefferson Health Willowcrest plan to join PASNAP.
ICE raid targets Danville area workers
Danville, Pa. — Multiple traffic stops in the Danville area led to the detention of people suspected of being in the country illegally Sept. 2, while a separate account from
Video: Opinion | The ‘Hyperpoliticization’ of American Politics
Anton Jäger argues on “The Ezra Klein Show” that we’re in a distinct era of “hyperpolitics” — where politics feels volatile, ubiquitous and intense, but is not securely attached to institutions and structures.
Colts Part Ways With 29-Game Starter
Jaylon Jones did well to turn himself from a seventh-round pick into a consistent contributor the Indianapolis Colts. Those contributions didn’t end up being big enough, though. The Colts waived Jones on Tuesday. It was part of a three-pronged roster move that the Colts announced in an official press release like this: “The Indianapolis Colts […] The post Colts Part Ways With 29-Game Starter appeared first on HEAVY.
Annapolis' Storm Brothers Ice Cream expands menu as City Dock construction hurts business
Owner Sveinn Storm said high rents and seasonal crowds have always made running a business downtown challenging, but the City Dock construction has added to the strain.
UNC Charlotte's Truman Lab awarded new $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health
UNC Charlotte’s Truman Lab has secured a new $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance fundamental research on how cells maintain protein health, a process central to diseases ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative disorders. The five-year Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences will support the […]
UNC Charlotte's Truman Lab awarded new $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health
UNC Charlotte’s Truman Lab has secured a new $2.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance fundamental research on how cells maintain protein health, a process central to diseases ranging from cancer to neurodegenerative disorders. The five-year Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences will support the […]
TRUE Community Credit Union Highlights Business Services
Airdate: September 8th, 2026 TRUE Community Credit Union Highlights Business ServicesSeptember 8, 2026Purple Rose Theatre to Present World Premiere by Devin ScillianSeptember 8, 2026Dr. Grant Brown on Autumn Vaccine RecommendationsSeptember 8, 2026Silver Maples of Chelsea Hosting Jackson Art Association Member ShowcaseSeptember 8, 2026Jackson County Genealogical Society Hosting Cemetery TourSeptember 8, 2026Otterbein SeniorLife Jackson Dedication &…
S&P 500 falls as AI worries hit software makers
The S&P 500 declined as AI competition fears hit software stocks and Middle East tensions lifted oil prices, with investors eyeing upcoming inflation data.
BREAKING: Key Rams Player Is OUT Against The 49ers
Well, so much for seeing Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett together in Week 1. Donald will not travel to Australia with the Rams and has been ruled out for Thursday night’s season opener against the San Francisco 49ers. That’s a major break for Brock Purdy and the 49ers. Donald recently came out of a two-year…
Gymnastics, fitness and range of motion: See 4 health-focused business updates in Spring-Klein
There are several health-focused businesses that recently opened or plan to open in the Spring area.
North Carolina MCO Alliance Health Taps Cortica to Rein in Autism Spending, Improve Outcomes
Ready to dive into what's shaping autism therapy-payer relations? Be a part of the Autism Investor Summit East this November 9–10. Get your tickets here.
988: September 8 marks nationwide awareness campaign for mental health crisis lifeline
Georgians are being asked to tell a friend about 988 as part of a nationwide campaign marking September 8.
Sports law professor explains the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard’s NBA punishments
Ken Jacobsen, director of Temple Law’s sports law program, discusses the recent Kawhi Leonard scandal and the heavy punishments being administered by the NBA.
Sports law professor explains the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard’s NBA punishments
Ken Jacobsen, director of Temple Law’s sports law program, discusses the recent Kawhi Leonard scandal and the heavy punishments being administered by the NBA.
How the 800-Pound Butter Sculpture From the State Fair Is Being Recycled
It took 11 days to sculpt and 70 minutes to deconstruct.
Are the Chargers being disrespected?
Are the Chargers not receiving enough support from the media ahead of the season despite back-to-back 11-win campaigns?
Endometriosis can go undiagnosed for years. Here's what to know
Endometriosis afflicts 1 in 10 women worldwide, but diagnosing the painful disease is a challenge. New tests being used in other countries could help.
The U.S. bishops are speaking out forcefully on politics—and finally being heard
Prompted by the beginnings of both Leo XIV’s papacy and the second term of Donald J. Trump, the bishops are using their voice in a new way.
Stand Up for Science Demands Congress Stop Transfer of National Institutes of Health Research Funds to
New petition urges Congress to stop an interagency agreement that would allow health research money to fund War Department’s unspecified priorities.
Stand Up for Science Demands Congress Stop Transfer of National Institutes of Health Research Funds to
New petition urges Congress to stop an interagency agreement that would allow health research money to fund War Department’s unspecified priorities.
Pritzker, Eyeing 2028, to Help Midterm Democrats With a $20 Million Group
JB Pritzker, the billionaire governor of Illinois, is continuing to expand his national footprint, this time by using a new group to target Republicans in battleground races.
Penguins unveil roster for upcoming prospect tournament in Detroit
The Penguins have announced the roster for the team’s upcoming prospect tournament that’s being held in Detroit, starting this weekend. Pittsburgh, along with Columbus, Dallas and Detroit will be participating in a prospect tournament in Detroit with games on Saturday, Sunday and Tuesday. All of the games will be streamed on the Penguins’ website. 27 […]
Tulsa Fire Department marks 10 years of mobile health care
The program helps Tulsans address health needs before they become 911 emergencies, with clients seeing major reductions in emergency calls.
Aaron Rodgers praises Karl Ravech for ‘phenomenal’ ESPN tenure
Aaron Rodgers loves to hate on ESPN, and the Worldwide Leader may have given him a little more ammunition by parting ways with Karl Ravech. Rodgers was recently interviewed by Adam Schein on his SiriusXM Mad Dog Sports Radio show. At the end of the segment, Schein boldly gave Rodgers the open forum to share…
Are rich people really worse behaved? Here’s the science
Who’s more likely to steal sweets from a child? According to science, it’s the rich. A study seemingly confirming our suspicions about the moral behaviour of the wealthy was one of the winners of the 2026 Ig Nobel prizes, which honour research that makes you laugh and then think. Science editor Ian Sample tells Madeleine Finlay what the researchers think could be behind the phenomenon, and they explore some of the other awards, including one for a surprising quality we look for in our friends and another for a biomechanical definition of kissing
Liverpool’s hunt for a new sporting director: Julian Ward and the standout internal options
FSG president Mike Gordon is leading the search for Richard Hughes' replacement, with both internal and external candidates being considered
'Practical Magic 2' review: Sequel honors the original by being a similarly dopey mess
The original "Practical Magic" wasn't a great film — but its fans might appreciate this similarly muddled sequel more than our film critic did.
Terry Steiner Built a Global Entertainment Business by Serving a Market Hollywood Overlooked
The in-flight entertainment guru made her own lane in the industry by building on her relationships and betting on herself.
Terry Steiner Built a Global Entertainment Business by Serving a Market Hollywood Overlooked
The in-flight entertainment guru made her own lane in the industry by building on her relationships and betting on herself.
Miami Heat's Davion Mitchell Eyeing the Most Improved Player Award
A cryptic beach message signals high ambitions for the Miami Heat’s starting point guard. Surrounded by superstars, Davion Mitchell aims to leverage his facilitating role into a career-defining season.
Judge Rules Green Party Candidate Accused of Being GOP Plant Can Be Kicked Off Ballot in PA-07
A Commonwealth Court judge ruled Friday afternoon that Andrew Tupone, a hopeful Green Party candidate in the 7th Congressional District, can be removed from the ballot despite collecting sufficient signatures to appear on it. Tupone, however, said he plans to appeal. “The establishment parties are fighting to keep me off…
New report finds little short-term health risk from air pollutants in South Portland, Portland
Six years of air sampling found benzene levels above state guidelines at one location and elevated acrolein levels across the study area.
AZ's R&D chief Barr touts internal 'science success story' after IL-33 antibody's stellar showing in COPD
With a detailed data drop that AstraZeneca’s R&D chief described as an internal “science success story,” the British Big Pharma has secured an FDA priority review for what it believes could become a flagship biologic in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In detailed results from the late-stage Oberon and Titania trials—first teased in March and detailed in full at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona this week—the drugmaker laid out the extent of its IL-33 inhibitor’s potential to reduce moderate and severe exacerbations in a wide range of COPD patients still struggling with those “lung attacks,” as AstraZeneca’s Sharon Barr, Ph.D., called them, despite using standard-care inhaled therapy. In the headline results, a 300 mg dose of tozorakimab given once every four weeks curbed those moderate and severe exacerbations in the studies’ primary population of former smokers by 29% in the Oberon study and 34% in Titania. In the overall population of both current and former smokers, these reductions were 30% and 29%, respectively, versus placebo and inhaled standard of care. The benefits also extended to clinically meaningful exacerbation reductions in all prespecified patient subgroups and specifically turned up promising signals in patients across a range of blood eosinophil counts, with Barr telling Fierce that “it’s the details that make this even more exciting than the high-level results that we’ve already shared.” In fact, during AZ’s tozorakimab poster presentation at the ERS 2026 Congress this past weekend, attendees were so enamored by the data that event organizers had to encourage people to clear the room and look at the other presentations on offer, Barr said in an interview. “I think it really speaks to the fact that there is a lot of buzz around these data because the entire respiratory community has been so desperate for new therapies for these patients,” she explained. The respiratory disease continues to represent a “staggering unmet medical need,” Barr said, highlighting the COPD exacerbations that the Oberon and Titania studies homed in on, which she added carry a greater mortality risk than a heart attack. “When a patient has a severe exacerbation, only about half of them are still alive within three and a half years,” she pointed out. As for tozorakimab specifically, Barr christened the molecule “an AstraZeneca science success story,” harkening several years back to the point at which researchers began to explore IL-33 as a driver of respiratory disease, and COPD in particular. At the same time, “there was still so much that wasn’t understood,” she admitted, highlighting the insight that IL-33 signals through both ST2 and EGFR through the RAGE pathway, a discovery Barr attributed to AstraZeneca's own scientists. Understanding the need to tackle both pathways in COPD—and aware of competitor candidates in the hopper, including one that bound ST2—the company ultimately had to make some “courageous decisions,” Barr said. These included taking a prior COPD molecule offline and going back to the drawing board to reinvent its potential IL-33 label “to make sure that we had a molecule that could block signaling through both arms of the pathway, through both the reduced form and the oxidized form, knowing that we wouldn’t be first, but striving to be best.” “When we put [tozorakimab] into the clinic, we firmly believed that we had a differentiated molecule, and we saw the other molecules blocking just ST2 or partially blocking IL-33, unable to deliver two positive pivotal studies in COPD,” Barr explained. “We kept marching forward because we believed our molecule was differentiated, and now I think we have the clinical validation that supports that.” Ultimately, AstraZeneca finds itself on much better footing these days when it comes to potential biologic rivals to tozorakimab in COPD. Sanofi and Regeneron’s Dupixent, for instance, is approved to treat COPD exacerbations in patients with high eosinophil counts, but not low ones. Meanwhile, the future has become cloudier for other next-gen IL-33 candidates from Sanofi and Regeneron, as well as Roche, which have suffered trial flops in recent years. One other potential ingredient for AstraZeneca’s success in its duo of studies was that the company was “ambitious in the trial design, willing to look at an all-comers population,” Barr said, “and willing to enroll the most severe patients.” Prior studies for would-be biologics rivals in COPD “avoided enrolling” those patients, she pointed out. She also highlighted the Big Pharma’s painstaking design of exacerbations in its trial, which “gave us a very rigorous readout,” and pointed to “the extra effort and investment” the company put in to understand the effect of mucus plugs in patients. Barr described mucus production as a “key feature in disease diversity,” noting that mucus plugs—obstructing clumps of mucus that block patients’ airways—are associated with worse outcomes in COPD. In its data announcement, AstraZeneca noted that an integrated analysis of Oberon and Titania found tozorakimab “demonstrated a reduction in patients’ mucus plug score,” with the pharma claiming its biologic is the first to deliver such results in a broad COPD population. “So being able to reduce those mucus plugs, we expect, is an important part of driving benefit for patients who are living with COPD,” Barr said. Again touching on the breadth of the study populations, Barr added that tozorakimab “worked across all eosinophil levels in both current and former smokers across all levels of lung function,” which she suggested “really simplifies decision-making for clinicians, and it allows them to offer therapy to the broadest possible patient population.” In the highest patient eosinophil count group, tozorakimab helped chart a 43% reduction in exacerbation risk, which Barr stressed were “unprecedented data.” In the mid-level group, AZ’s drug delivered a 23% reduction and, in the lowest group, a 34% reduction in eosinophils, which Barr said suggests efficacy “in all patient subgroups.” As for AZ’s recent guidance upgrade on the medicine’s sales opportunity, the lift from a $3 billion to $5 billion range to $5 billion plus was informed by multiple factors, Barr said, including the fact that “in 2024, there were multiple competitors, and there aren’t anymore.” Additionally, “we know that this is a massive unmet medical need, and this is a really incredible set of data that we think will be very convincing to the clinical community,” Barr said. Looking ahead to a potential evolution of the COPD treatment landscape, Barr noted that most patients start treatment in the community with an option like a triple therapy, and for them, having an option like AstraZeneca’s inhaler Breztri will remain a “really important part” of that journey. But of the patients uncontrolled on triple therapy, which Barr described as “about half of them today,” just a “small fraction” are currently eligible for biologic therapy, which she emphasized AstraZeneca is working to change. Understanding that COPD is not a “one-size-fits-all” disease, AstraZeneca is also looking at its antibody drug Tezspire for patients with T2-driven disease, and the company continues to think about new mechanisms for tackling COPD through both systemic and inhaled drugs, Barr said.
Apple Arcade unveils five new games being added soon
Apple Arcade adds new titles to its library of games every month. And next month, five new games are coming per Apple’s latest announcement.
Alonso on injuries, Estevao reports and being 'self-demanding'
Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso has been speaking to the media before Wednesday's Carabao Cup third-round tie against Leeds United at Stamford Bridge (kick-off 20:00 BST). Caicedo could be back for Saturday's Premier League game against Hull City, though. Levi Colwill will be available for selection, but Jordan Henderson and Emmanuel Emegha will not feature.
The final season of ‘Yellowjackets’ is not holding back: ‘We get a little crazy’ (exclusive)
They’re being rescued! An exclusive first look at the final season of ‘Yellowjackets’ digs into the aftermath of the wilderness (and Wilderness) as co-creator warns, ‘Buckle up.’
Preview: Eagles travel to Mainz
Eintracht are looking to claim their first league win of the season at 1. FSV Mainz 05. Adi Hütter says his players are still developing, while Mario Götze has called for maximum performance.Backdro...
Six decades of politics (but little government)
The first aired episode of “Star Trek,” entitled “The Man Trap,” premiered on September 8, 1966 — 60 years ago today. I’m actually editing a political science fiction issue of The Forum right now, and it’s prompted to me think a lot about the ways that Trek deals with politics and government and what it’s offered us as commentary. The @smotus report is a reader-supported publication. To support this work, please become a paid subscriber. Subscribe The original TV series ran from 1966 to 1969. It had a loyal but modest following, but the audience grew substantially with the series in syndication for years after that. The franchise developed its first motion picture in 1979, followed by five sequels, and then a whole other series of films built around the “Next Generation” series that first aired in 1987. In recent decades, several more TV series have built up around it, including the current “Strange New Worlds,” now in its fourth season. Throughout the past six decades, the franchise has offered us a good many insights into US politics and international relations, although often disguised as science fiction yarns. The original series was largely a Cold War fable, with the United Federation of Planets (a stand-in for the US) perpetually at odds with the Klingon Empire (a stand-in for the USSR). The “Let That Be Your Last Battlefield” episode (1969) posited a planet divided into two races, largely indistinguishable to outsiders, but nonetheless constituting a brutal racial hierarchy. “Patterns of Force” (1968) showed a struggling planet where the leader had attempted to construct a benevolent dictatorship — literally Nazism without bigotry — and found that authoritarianism could not exist apart from hierarchy and oppression. (Relatedly, I’d put “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country,” high on a list of dad films about the end of the Cold War, near “The Hunt for Red October.”) Get 20% off for 1 year Indeed, the original series itself was something of a political statement, with a multi-racial crew running the Enterprise, a diverse and largely peaceful Federation mostly free from want and oppression, and protected by Starfleet, an armed force whose scientific mission was at least as important as its military one. Famously, when Nichelle Nichols wanted to walk away from the role of Uhura on the original series, none other than Martin Luther King, Jr. met with her and urged her to remain on the show, discussing the importance of viewers seeing an intelligent Black woman as part of the command team three centuries hence. Later series in the Trek franchise offered a good deal of political commentary on their own, but probably none as explicitly and incisively as “Deep Space Nine,” which ran from 1993 to 1999. The episodes surrounding the Dominion War, especially the “In The Pale Moonlight” (1998), showed the compromises, sacrifices, and moral rot associated with winning even a just war — probably better than any series would until “Andor” (2022-25). In “Far Beyond The Stars” (1998), Captain Benjamin Sisko is somehow transplanted to the role of a science fiction writer in 1950s New York. The writer is frequently sidelined and his ideas stolen because publishers don’t want to credit a Black writer. Several series have depicted the secretive Section 31 — an unacknowledged black ops security force operating within Starfleet. These episodes often end up using Section 31 as a foil to show the dangers of a lawless group within a lawful society, even (especially) when that group posits itself as essential for everyone else’s freedom to continue. The current “Strange New Worlds” has played with a few political themes. I found the first two seasons of this show among the best that the Trek franchise has produced in decades, but this season and the last have really been struggling for ideas. Yet one interesting thread is the idea that the diplomatic and enlightened leadership style of Captain Christopher Pike will not work in all situations. “A Quality of Mercy” (2022), which I wrote about here, puts Pike in the middle of a battle with a Romulan vessel in an alternate timeline, and finds that Pike’s conciliatory style would actually make a lengthy and deadly war more likely, while a quick and more violent approach might have prevented the war. This season’s opener, “Valles Marineris,” shows a pre-lightspeed civilization locked in a war to the death with a neighboring planet. The idea of an alliance or a federation hasn’t even occurred to them — their ship’s commander is curious but doesn’t see it as an option. For a franchise as political as “Star Trek,” one thing we almost never see is the government. We get occasional glimpses of Starfleet’s council — mostly uniformed people at a rectangular table — but almost no sense of how the Federation is governed. Are there elections? Who is in the legislature? How much power does the president have? What kind of factional divisions do they wrestle with and how? The shows and films are pretty silent on this. We’ve seen a few military tribunals within Starfleet, but little about how civilians deal with crime and injustice. With recent years seeing some of the franchise’s more interesting plot lines and casts, it seems clear that Star Trek is still full of energy and ideas. Given the erosion of American democracy and the reshuffling of the international order, there’s no shortage of material for future shows to comment on. I’m not sure we should toast to 60 more years, but cheers to a show that continues to teach us about ourselves. Share
New Apple Watch models launch this week, here’s what’s coming
Here’s what rumors say to expect from the new Apple Watch Ultra 4 and Apple Watch Series 12, both of which are being unveiled on Wednesday.
Joel Pollak on LA homelessness, Gavin Newsom's bills
California Post opinion editor Joel Pollak joins Cheryl Casone to discuss Mayor Karen Bass being pressed on Los Angeles homelessness spending, President Donald Trump's tax incentives for Hollywood and Governor Gavin Newsom's progressive bills.
Scientists confirm Newton’s gravity law
Gravity has survived its largest-scale test yet, holding up across distances of up to 230 megaparsecs, or about 750 million light-years. University of Pennsylvania physicists found that the force weakens with distance almost exactly as Newton’s equations predict, a relationship later incorporated into Einstein’s theory of general relativity. Galaxies and galaxy clusters move faster than...
Court-appointed CHP leader says jailed Erdoğan rival is not a political prisoner
Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, reinstated by a court as leader of Turkey’s Republican People’s Party (CHP), said Tuesday that jailed İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu was not a political prisoner but signaled that the two politicians’ parties could cooperate if İmamoğlu can run for president. “He is not a political prisoner. He was not jailed because of his […]
The rise of 'quantum gravity?' Einstein's theory seen in the quantum realm for 1st time
"These two pillars of modern physics have so far eluded all attempts at a unified theoretical framework, but this complex experiment gives more hints as to how such a unification may be achieved."
Joliet Chamber: The value of being connected and why business relationships still matter
With busy schedules and countless demands competing for their attention, simply putting a networking event on the calendar isn’t always enough. People want to know that their time will be well spent.