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Phillies on the Pharm: 7/5/2026
Painter with another solid start for the IronPigs
Eagles News: Philadelphia’s defining number for 2026
Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 7/5/26.
Phillies legend Mike Schmidt talks about post-playing career health issues
Hall of Famer will throw out the first pitch at the All-Star Game in Philadelphia
Roob's Eagles Observations: Bryce Huff's hilariously misguided memory of 2024
Why Jeff Lurie is the best owner in Philadelphia sports history, Bryce blaming everyone but himself and more in Roob's Eagles Observations.
Phillies bring all the fireworks to Royals’ fourth straight loss
The Royals fell to the Phillies 6-1 after Michael Wacha allowed four runs on three homers in six innings. This was Wacha’s first start after being named a 2026 American League All-Star. While it was among his worst starts of the season, it wasn’t a terrible start overall. He even struck out 7! But the […]
France ready for ‘war’ at World Cup after winning the ‘disgrace’ of Philadelphia
“Today we showed that whoever wants to go to war against us we’re ready to go to war as well," said one France player after winning
Ducks Should Let Leo Carlsson Walk
The Philadelphia Flyers rocked the NHL world on June 3 when the team announced it had signed restricted free agent center Leo Carlsson of the Anaheim Ducks to a five-year offer sheet for $90 million. At $18 million per season, Carlsson is now the highest-paid player in the NHL, beating the ...
MLB All-Star rosters announced, with Dodgers, Braves and Phillies tied for most players named
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. will start at first base despite having, so far, the worst season of his career.
Five Phillies named All-Stars for 96th Midsummer Classic at CBP
Brandon Marsh, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Cristopher Sánchez and Jhoan Duran will represent the Phillies in the 2026 All-Star Game.
Royals vs Phillies, July 4 game discussion
The Royals must battle for their independence from the MLB cellar against one of the best teams in baseball
Proposed 76ers Trade Swaps Joel Embiid for $175 Million All-Star
A proposed blockbuster centered around Joel Embiid would not make sense for the Philadelphia 76ers.
Former CIA official left Google to start AI business: Career advice
Candice Bryant spent nearly 16 years at the CIA before joining Google. She shares why she left Big Tech and the philosophy that's guided her career.
Surviving since Lincoln: How six generations beat the small business curse
Sixth-generation owner Alex Bassett Strange leads a Philadelphia ice cream business that has survived 165 years with new flavors and global exports.
Phillies’ Bryce Harper Tabs Superstar Teammate For New Job
The Philadelphia Phillies’ franchise superstar singled out a teammate for a new role after retirement.
Andre Drummond posts goodbye to Sixers after signing with Knicks
Andre Drummond posts a heartfelt goodbye to the Philadelphia 76ers after signing with the New York Knicks.
Report: Drummond to join defending champion Knicks
Andre Drummond will reportedly sign with the Knicks in free agency.
Carolina Panthers' Jaelan Phillips Named NFL's Most Overpaid Edge-Rusher
The Carolina Panthers signed Jaelan Phillips to a massive four-year, $120 million contract.
Health Department joins Pride is Power and bolsters Philadelphia’s proud Independence Day legacy
Health Department joins Pride is Power and bolsters Philadelphia's proud Independence Day legacy
Teammates of Travis Kelce and others around sports expected to attend his wedding to Taylor Swift
Some of Travis Kelce's teammates on the Kansas City Chiefs, retired Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl-winning brother Jason and other players from around the NFL and other sports are expected to be in attendance for his wedding to pop superstar Taylor Swift.
America’s Time Capsule will be buried for 250 years. Here’s how to watch.
The high-tech historical repository will be buried in Philadelphia on July Fourth.
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul confirms Sixers have LeBron James' attention: 'Everything has changed'
On Friday morning's edition of his podcast, "Game Over," Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul spoke glowingly about the Sixers as a potential fit for LeBron James.
10 Reasons Philadelphia Is the Best Sports City
The birthplace of the United States has another reason to rebel 250 years later. Philadelphia didn’t get enough votes to register in a recent Sports Business Journal poll of best American sports cities. New York City led the way at 20%, followed by Pittsburgh (16%) and Chicago (13%).
Brad Stevens Messed Up Badly With Awful Jaylen Brown Trade
What were the Boston Celtics thinking? What was going through team president Brad Stevens' mind when he decided to trade Jaylen Brown to the Philadelphia 76ers? On July 1, the internet broke when ESPN's Shams Charania revealed that Brown -- the subject of trade rumors ever since the Celtics were ...
Here's Jaylen Brown's Statement After Trade From Boston Celtics
The 10-year veteran was dealt from the Celtics to the rival Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Anfernee Simons agrees to 2-year deal with Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a two-year, $12.3 million contract with guard Anfernee Simons. Simons averaged 14.3 points per game last season.
Jaylen Brown Releases First Statement On His Stunning Celtics Trade
Jaylen Brown's time in Boston is over. The former NBA Finals MVP was traded from Boston to Philadelphia in a stunning move on Wednesday afternoon. Brown is heading to Philadelphia, while Paul George, two first round picks and two second round picks are heading to Boston. The NBA world was ...
Ben Franklin Bridge's 100th anniversary celebration will feature live entertainment and special light shows on July 11
The free event in Camden will include food trucks, carnival rides, historical exhibits and blue and green light displays after sunset.
2026 Phillies MLB Draft Preview: Caden Sorrell, OF
Just as I was trying to figure out who to write up next, Baseball America popped out their 5th mock draft, this time with a new name as the Phillies pick. It doesn’t sound like there’s sourcing for this or actual rumors of Phillies interest so much as there is “It’s the 36th pick. Who […]
Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Philadelphia Phillies: Jared Jones vs. Alan Rangel
The Pirates are on the road looking to grab a win today.
Daughter of Darryl Kile raising heart health awareness during Phillies-Pirates series finale
City Hall visit, packed entertainment slate highlight 2026 HBCU Swingman Classic schedule
Major League Baseball today announced the pregame and philanthropic details for the 2026 HBCU Swingman Classic presented by USA Baseball, highlighted by a team visit to City Hall, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s first pitch, uniform patches honoring HBCU legend Roger Cador and pregame entertainment by Grammy-Award winner Durand Bernarr
Eagles 2026 most important list: Cam Jurgens
Center Cam Jurgens takes his place on the list of the most important Eagles of 2026.
Philippines' 80-year bet on America
Eight decades after the US recognized Philippine independence, Manila remains closely tied to Washington through treaties, military cooperation and billions in trade. DW went to Manila and Washington to ask what this partnership delivers — and who pays the price.
Telling themes to take away from Tuesday’s primary elections
Let’s be clear about how Colorado’s primaries arrived at these unexpected results. The most significant voting cohorts on both the Democratic and Republican sides were women from 65 to 75-plus. These senior women voters selected Phil Weiser and have given Barb Kirkmeyer a chance. They may be on the farther side of their lives, but […]
Can Jaylen Brown lift the Sixers and prove his doubters wrong? Breaking down Philadelphia's big swing
‘The Gunfighter’: RXM Entertainment Vigilante Movie Sets Patrick Perez Vidauri To Direct
EXCLUSIVE: Patrick Perez Vidauri will direct the RXM Entertainment action movie, The Gunfighter. Written by Tom Jenkins, The Gunfighter follows Johnny Bandit, a philosophy student by day and a mysteri...
Immigrant-owned small businesses take center stage at pop-up storefront in Philadelphia's Market East
The Welcoming Center has opened a pop-up storefront for immigrant small business owners.
Center Ariel Hukporti agrees to one-year contract with Sixers
The Sixers agreed to a deal with 24-year-old center Ariel Hukporti on the second day of free agency.
Gift From Phil Hochberg ’61 Combines His Passion for Newhouse, Sports and DC
A prominent lawyer, Phil Hochberg is also well-known in Washington, D.C., as a former MLB, NFL and college public address announcer.
This is not politics as usual
Today’s candidates for political office are finding their Jewish identity and support for Israel at the center of the conversation in an unprecedented way.
Sony will cease production of discs for new PlayStation games in 2028
New games sold for PlayStation consoles will only be available digitally and won’t be sold on discs effective January 2028, Sony has announced. The move applies to all PlayStation games released from that point on, including those made by Sony and those released by third parties. The PlayStation group calls the change “a natural direction for Sony Interactive Entertainment to adapt to consumer trends as the general preference for digital media significantly outpaces physical discs,” according to a PlayStation blog post reviewed by Game File in advance of its publication. As movies, TV and music have shifted from physical media to an age of downloads and streaming, Sony’s move could speed the demise of physical media in a gaming. The industry has offered consumers games via cartridges, cassettes, floppy discs, CDs, DVDs and Blu-Rays across a 50-year stretch. Sony has been reporting to investors in recent years that PlayStation games have been increasingly purchased as downloads, not as discs. The most recent figures show nearly four in five purchases of full games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 were purchased digitally in the past year. Stats like that may cause today’s news to carry an air of the inevitable. But Sony’s declaration for 2028 is still likely to produce a shock, as the biggest gaming platform on the planet that uses game discs leaves them behind. Discs going away, but the fate of game boxes is unknown Sony is committing to still selling games in physical retailers even after they drop discs in 2028. Just how those games will be sold—in boxes with codes inside, as cards marked with digital redemption codes—is unclear. Digital games will also continue to be sold in the online PlayStation Store. New games released for PlayStation consoles prior to January 2028 will be unaffected by the policy change, Sony says. That means the PS5 games of 2027, be they a new Madden, a new God of War, a new Call of Duty, a new Sly Cooper (one can dream?), would still potentially be offered on disc. PlayStation 6 implications Sony’s timeline for a transition to a no-disc era will also spin up more speculation about the timing and configuration of Sony’s next-generation console, the probable PlayStation 6. “This pretty much guarantees that PS6 won’t arrive until 2028 at the earliest,” Piers Harding-Rolls, senior games research analyst at Ampere Analysis tells Game File. Harding-Rolls also concludes from today’s news that “the base version of a PS6 will not include a physical media drive,” as Sony looks to keep costs down on the device. Sony itself is saying nothing about the PS6 today: not its timing, nor how it might or might not support internal or external disc drives in order to run disc-based PS4 and PS5 games, should the console be backwards compatible. The many signs this was coming Industry support for games being released on physical media has been waning. As has consumer interest in them. PC games effectively went all-digital years ago, thanks to the popularity of playing games through Steam and other digital storefronts. The Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns that kept much of the global population home helped shift shopping patterns toward downloads. Sony’s own data shows PlayStation game downloads being an uncommon consumer choice a decade ago and now becoming the norm. On consoles, physical media has been in such decline that Sony and Microsoft both launched their current gen Xbox Series and PS5 consoles in 2020 with cheaper versions that lacked disc drives. In early 2024, Phil Spencer, then head of Xbox, told me that ““[w]e ship games physically and digitally, and we’re really just following what the customers are doing.” He added that the game industry had become an outlier in still supporting disc-based entertainment, even as movies and TV have bailed on discs in favor of downloads and steaming: “Gaming consoles themselves have kind of become the last consumer electronic device that has a drive. And this is a real issue, just in terms of the number of manufacturers that are actually building drives and the cost associated with those. And when you think about cogs that we’re going to go put in a console—and as you have fewer suppliers and fewer buyers—the cost of the drive does have an impact.” Last year, the Nintendo’s Switch 2, which uses cartridges rather than discs, introduced the concept of game-key cards, which are physical media that contain no game, just a prompt for a download. Even disc-based games aren’t what they once were, now frequently containing just stubs of games rather than the whole thing. The website Does It Play has tested over 3000 games and found that, for example, that the disc version of this year’s hit 007: First Light, only contained the game’s first mission, with the rest needing to be downloaded. Beyond all that, last week brought the news that Grand Theft Auto VI, likely the biggest game launch this decade, will debut for PS5 and Xbox Series without a disc-based version. Today’s big news comes to you for free. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and ensure more of my work is possible, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Discs helped define PlayStation However the trends in entertainment may be going, it is still remarkable to see PlayStation ditch discs given their importance in PlayStation history: In the late 1990s, the first PlayStation’s support for games on relatively cheap CD-ROMs instead of traditional game cartridges allowed the upstart console to outmaneuver cartridge-based systems from Nintendo and Sega, as it drove down game prices down in the process. (The cheaper disc format even prompted Final Fantasy VII maker Square to taunt Nintendo in a magazine ad, saying that if the game was “available on cartridge, it’d retail for around $1200.”) PlayStation devices often doubled as machines for watching movies and TV on the latest disc-based formats. In the late 2000s, for example, Sony’s pricy PS3 gained traction as a go-to device for playing then-novel Blu-Ray discs. In 2013, Sony effectively roasted the digital game-sharing restrictions proposed by rival Microsoft for its upcoming Xbox One console by showing how games could be shared for the then-upcoming PS4. In a 21-second clip that has over 20 million views on YouTube, one PlayStation executive simply handed a game box—presumably with disc inside—to another, who said “thanks.” Sony’s possible motivations The PlayStation announcement today cites “consumer preferences” and a shift away from discs among “the broader entertainment industry,” but does not delve into the decision-making process that brought Sony to this point. Sony is not discussing the economics of this move (I asked!), but there are a number of potential factors: Abandoning discs will spare Sony the cost of manufacturing and shipping them, which analysts and industry veterans I spoke to said could account for $1 or so of a game’s retail price. For first-party games, that’s direct savings for Sony, though the amount is limited by the winnowing percentage of people who were even buying the disc-based versions. For third-party games, Sony could pass the savings on to partners or just retain the better profit margin for themselves. As the 2024 comments from Phil Spencer alluded to, leaving discs behind could mean leaving disc-drives behind, allowing Sony to produce consoles more cheaply. Switching to digital-only for games could diminish the risks of copies of new games leaking. It would also seemingly make second-hand sales of used games impossible, pushing more people to buy their own copies of games. These economic benefits for Sony could be boons for the games industry overall, Ampere analyst Piers Harding-Rolls tells Game File. Among other things, it could free publishers and retailers from having to worry about securing an inventory of game discs when trying to sell games, he noted. “If there is a way to streamline the business of games retail, I generally think it’s a good thing for the industry as it removes unnecessary costs,” Harding-Rolls said. “This will help offset pressure on margins from other directions – development and staffing costs for example.” Should the industry shift from game boxes that contain discs to smaller, cheaper game cards, Harding-Rolls said, that reduces pressure on publishers and retailers. “The advantage of everything going digital for the industry is that sales can be tracked much more easily and there is less commercial risk for publishers wanting to continue selling via retail,” he said. The shift to no discs will also likely impact game development timelines, as developers will no longer face the same urgency to have a build ready to submit to PlayStation for the production of a disc, as industry experts noted around GTA VI’s no-disc news last week. Instead, projects may gain weeks of development time, in the event delivery deadlines for platform approval move closer to release date. Preservationists’ likely worries While millions of gamers have shifted to digital, there are still people who associate game discs—and only game discs—with actual ownership of PlayStation games. That portion of the gaming community spoke up last week about wanting to buy a version of GTA VI that they could hold in their hands, could lend to a friend and could potentially pop into a well-preserved PS5 console three decades from now and still see it run. Such gamers didn’t want to worry that they’d merely purchased a digital copy that could lose access to the game if, say, the company behind the game someday turns of the servers that transmit downloadable copies. Digital copies of games are inherently less long-lasting, because consumers aren’t actually buying a game (on a disc), just buying access to the game. The fine print in online gaming shops notes this, as does a recent law that went on the books in California in 2025. That lasw requires game publishers doing business in the state to refrain from words like “sell” when offering digital copies of games, unless they explicitly tell consumers that what’s being sold isn’t the game itself but a potentially revocable license to access it. A Sony spokesperson noted to Game File that “[w]ith all digital content, including games, movies, and music, players are purchasing a personal license for non-commercial use.” Regarding the fears of PlayStation games being lost to time in an all-digital era, the rep also noted that Sony remains “committed to delivering experiences from past generations to the new platforms our players are using.” They noted that PlayStation has used emulation and remasters to keep offering its classic games to modern gamers. It’s true that many consumers have become accustomed to not having physical copies of new music albums or movies, but the relative precariousness of digital copies of games is in fact being highlighted today by…. Sony’s other big announcement: the upcoming closure of the PS3 and PS Vita online stores Sony said today that it will be closing the online marketplaces for its PlayStation 3 console and PS Vita handheld in most countries in July 2027 (sooner elsewhere: August 2026 for the PS3 store Mexico, Honduras and Nicaragua; late 2026 for PS3 in other Latin American countries and the Middle East). “We know this news may be disappointing to PS3 and PS Vita players who hold a special place in their hearts for this generation of gaming,” Sony said in its announcement, saying the move “was not an easy decision for us to make.” Sony said that PS3 and Vita marketplaces “are no longer able” to support modern commerce systems, prompting a “need” to close the shops and focus on more modern PlayStation platform stores. The news may spark some deja vu. Sony announced back in March 2021 that it planned to take the PS3, Vita and PlayStation Portable marketplaces offline that summer. The move would have caused some 2,000 digital-only games to become unavailable for new purchasers, according to a VGC analysis at the time. Fans complained loudly. By April 2021, Sony walked back the PS3 and Vita shop closures, with then PlayStation boss Jim Ryan saying “it’s clear that we made the wrong decision here.” This time around, Sony is giving a longer notice period in most regions. The closure of those stores is still likely to cut off access to new purchases of digital-only PS3 and Vita games. The current PlayStation 5 marketplace sells PS5 and PS4 games, as well as a selection of PS1 and PS2 games. It does not sell PS3 games, because games for that platform can’t run on the system (some are offered via a PlayStation Plus streaming option). Vita games also aren’t sold via PS5. Sony says digitally purchased PS3 and Vita games will be downloadable after the stores’ shutdowns “for the foreseeable future.” Sony’s move contrasts with Microsoft’s Xbox platform, which continues to sell and support games from all four Xbox console generations. But it puts it in line with Nintendo, which disabled purchases in the marketplace for its Wii console (a contemporary of the PS3) in 2019. Nintendo discontinued purchases in the online shop for its 3DS portable (a contemporary of the Vita) in 2023. The big questions about Sony’s 2028 post-disc era Will Microsoft follow suit, ending support for new disc-based games on Xbox platforms and therefore all game consoles, too? Whether Microsoft does or not, will third-parties that can no longer release games on discs for PlayStation, simply ditch the disc options across the board? Given the GTA VI no-disc experiment launching this November, will more game publishers decide to forgo disc-based offerings even in 2027? How will no-disc PS5/6 games be packaged and sold in brick-and-mortar retail stores? What becomes of game sharing in an all-digital era? Will Sony modify its current set-up, which currently allows some sharing of digital games across a pair of consoles, to allow more casual lending? (See for example, Nintendo’s year-old system of letting players lend a digital game to another player in a “family group” for up to 14 days.) Will there be a version of a PS6 with a disc drive? Or will a drive be offered as an add-on? And how will gamers who want to retain access to PS4/PS5 disc-based games react to whichever configurations Sony chooses to offer? What will the final disc-based PlayStation game be?
Eagles 2026 most important list: Riq Woolen
Cornerback Riq Woolen takes his place on the list of most important Eagles of 2026.
How Would LeBron James Fit on the Philadelphia 76ers?
Imagine King James joining Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey. While his elite playmaking could spark a title run, complex salary cap hurdles and roster age remains significant risks.
Phil Weiser defeats Michael Bennet in Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary
Attorney General Phil Weiser took an early lead over three-term U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary and held onto it, defeating the state’s longest-serving senator in more than 50 years to win a nomination that’s likely to land him in the governor’s office. Weiser led Bennet 55% to 45% just before 8 […]
Phil Weiser leads Michael Bennet in early returns in Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary
Attorney General Phil Weiser took an early lead over U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet in Colorado’s Democratic gubernatorial primary as election officials posted initial returns soon after polls closed Tuesday night. In the first round of results, Weiser had secured 60% of the vote to Bennet’s 40%, with just over 200,000 total ballots counted statewide. The […]
COVID Loans Were Meant For Businesses. DOJ Says $170K Went To His Personal Account
A North Carolina man has pleaded guilty after federal prosecutors said he obtained more than $170,000 from COVID-era business loan programs using false applications. Phillip ... Read More
Peter Grove, award-winning science educator and lifelong environmentalist, has died at 82
He arrived in Philadelphia in 1972 and spent the next 44 years teaching science, horticulture, and civic responsibility to students young and old.
Philadelphia Health Department announces Heat Health Emergency ahead of forecast high temps
A Heat Health Emergency has been declared in Philadelphia by the city's health department beginning at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 1 through 8 p.m. on Saturday, July 4.
Jon and Mindy Gray Bet on AI Science Research to Prevent Cancer
Blackstone Inc. President Jon Gray has steered his firm to more artificial-intelligence investments, and the same is true with his science philanthropy.
Eagles’ post-A.J. Brown offense will define training camp
In addition to the continuing evolution of the Eagles' offense, an NFL writer points to the new additions at wide receiver.
Live Results: Colorado midterm primaries
The Democratic gubernatorial primary between U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and state Attorney General Phil Weiser will not only determine who might lead Colorado, but it could also create an opening in the closely divided U.S. Senate.
Eagles 53-man roster prediction: Updated after spring practices
Here’s a look at how Philadelphia’s 2026 team could be shaping up.
Philadelphia health officials making plans to keep residents safe during "dangerous heat wave"
Philadelphia will declare a heat health emergency when the heat index reaches 100, which is expected on Wednesday.
What we know about Sixers' situation heading into free agency
Mike Gansey’s first free agency window as the Sixers’ president of basketball operations is about to begin.
Comcast CEO on media business spin off: 'Our philosophy has always been to invest for growth'
Comcast chairman and co-CEO Brian Roberts calls CNBC to discuss the company's decision to spin off their media business.
MLB Power Rankings: Are the Phillies ready to make a declaration on the NL East?
The Phillies have surged into the top five at the same time the Braves are struggling
Eagles 2026 most important list: Dallas Goedert
Tight end Dallas Goedert takes his spot on the list of most important Eagles of 2026.
After months of unanswered pain, a Philly woman learned she had Stage 3 colon cancer. Now she’s pushing for equitable care
Medical advances mean that more people are surviving cancer. But not everyone is benefiting from those gains equally, a new report shows.
PPDS Brings 'Limitless' TV Entertainment To Historic 5 Star Bellevue Syrene Hotel With Philips MediaSuite
PPDS, the exclusive global provider of Philips Professional Displays, has announced that its Philips MediaSuite TV range has been chosen to deliver seamless access to a virtually limitless world of | Delivering modern luxuries to the 18th century hotel in Sorrento, Philips MediaSuite TVs with cast built in are now bringing seamless access to millions of movies, TV shows, games, and streaming apps to guests at one of Italy's most prestigious and exquisite hospitality destinations.
How Jonathan Greenard changes the math for Eagles defense
Jonathan Greenard gives the Eagles a proven veteran edge rusher, easing pressure on Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt while helping Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis inside.
Eagles Fifth Round Pick Being Viewed as Next Brock Purdy
If there's one guy I trust around the NFL, it's Howie Roseman. Roseman, who has continued to prove that he can find talent at a very high level at any given moment, is hopeful that he did so in the NFL Draft once again with his fifth-round pick of Cole Payton.
Philippines leads the world in rush to solar as power prices soar
People in the Philippines are flocking to install solar power on rooftops and escape the burden of soaring electricity prices, making it the world's biggest spender on solar panels since the war in Iran started.
Philippe Stern, Heir to the Patek Philippe Watch Brand, Dies at 88
In an era of electronic timepieces, he marketed $40,000 handmade watches as status symbols, breathing new life into a struggling industry.
Usher makes the case for R&B in stadiums
LOS ANGELES — As Usher prepares to launch a stadium tour with Chris Brown, he says the criticism and legal troubles surrounding the singer never factored into his decision to
🥜 Still nutty after 50 years
Center City snack shop Nuts To You marks 50 years in business and looks to TikTok for sustained growth. Plus: Olney update here TK, and we compare Revolutionary history in Philly vs Boston.
Ghanaians celebrate culture, business and World Cup pride
Ahead of Ghana's World Cup match against Croatia Saturday, Ghana supporters gathered at Girard College for a business event to expose Philadelphians to Ghanaian culture.
Scientists Challenge a Fundamental Assumption About Consciousness
A new philosophical study challenges the idea that consciousness requires human-like biology.
Flyers hope to hit on another fifth-rounder from Minnesota high school level
The Flyers have had some success with fifth-rounders from the Minnesota high school level. They’ll hope Kent Sauer adds to it.
8 Eagles named to CBS Sports ‘Top 100 NFL players of 2026’
Which players out of Philadelphia were snubbed? Were any ranked higher than expected?
Mets Make Roster Decision After 7th Straight Loss
The New York Mets have made roster decisions before game two against the Phillies.
Flyers continue to add on defense with first of two second-round picks
With their first of two second-round picks in the 2026 NHL draft, the Flyers selected Brek Liske.
'She likes that he's outside of the entertainment world': Reese Witherspoon happy that new boyfriend is not an actor
Reese Witherspoon loves that her boyfriend is not in the entertainment industry. The Legally Blonde actress – who was previously married to her Cruel Intentions co-star Ryan Phillippe and former CAA t...
Phillies vs Mets Prediction, Picks & Odds for Today's MLB Game
The Phillies have been hot, and our expert MLB predictions expect their winning ways to continue against the lowly Mets.
When will Los Angeles host the NFL draft next?
L.A. last hosted the draft in 1956, splitting time with Philadelphia
New Details Emerge on Phil Mickelson and Wife Amy’s Family Health Crisis
The cause of the health crisis for Phil and Amy Mickelson has been revealed in a new report. The post New Details Emerge on Phil Mickelson and Wife Amy’s Family Health Crisis appeared first on HEAVY.
Rank the Derek Hill catch in Phillies history
It’s got to be up there
Who plays in the World Cup today, June 26?
Here's your daily rundown on Philadelphia's Fan Festival hours and entertainment.
Sam Fuld, player-turned-business exec, is a new Wharton grad. Up next: The Phillies’ future.
Last month, Fuld graduated from Penn's Wharton School and formally assumed his new role as the Phillies' president of business operations.
Phillies’ Byron Buxton rumor won’t come true, but another trade with Twins still makes sense
Who else could the Phillies land?
What we learned as Bryce Harper caps Phillies' shocking comeback trilogy
The Phillies erased another five-run deficit, rallied late again and reached the season’s halfway point with another reminder of how much has changed.
Project manager says America’s Time Capsule is a ‘gift to the future’
The vessel will move from Washington to Philadelphia starting Friday.
Jalen Hurts Receives Strong Praise From Philadelphia Eagles QB Coach
Philadelphia Eagles QB coach Parks Frazier loves working with Jalen Hurts.
Gov. Scott vetoed the Legislature’s latest attempt to lower health insurance costs. What’s next?
Governor Phil Scott's veto of a health insurance bill sparks debate over lowering healthcare costs in Vermont. Discover the proposed alternatives and political tensions.
How should European scientists respond to the US AI kill switch?
Earlier in June, Europe’s worst fears of technological dependence were confirmed when the White House ordered the AI firm Anthropic to stop non-US citizens using its leading models. This kill-switch moment crystalised anxieties in Brussels that the continent, lagging the US on the creation of leading-edge AI models, is now a technological of vassal of Washington. The shock has specific implications for European scientists and universities. Some governments are now worried that with AI being integrated into labs, Donald Trump now has his finger hovering over an off switch for European science. “Having restrictions on this tool, it can have an impact on our own research,” said France’s research minister, Philippe Baptiste, at the VivaTech conference in Paris on June 18.Baptiste, himself a former academic, said that colleagues in mathematics had recently warned him they were now cut off from leading-edge US models, risking their work. “This model is not available anymore now because of the US restriction, and for the first time this had an impact on mathematics,” a field where large language models (LLMs) are making a significant contribution, said Baptiste. So, should European scientists avoid relying on US models in the future? Or would this be a self-harming overreaction? And how is AI being used in science, anyway? What happened?On June 12, it emerged that Washington, citing cybersecurity concerns, had ordered Anthropic to stop non-US citizens using two models: Claude Mythos 5, and Claude Fable 5, a version of Mythos but with guardrails to prevent abuse. Anthropic said Washington’s concerns were overblown. But forced to follow the order, yet with no way to check who was using the models, the company suddenly shut down access for everyone, US citizens included. There’s still no agreement on how to restore broad access. But last week, Bloomberg reported that select US companies, and the US government, still had access to Mythos despite the ban, but the EU’s cybersecurity agency Enisa had been shut out. Class division of researchersIn the longer term, access outside the US should be restored, said Marcel Salathé, co-director of the AI centre at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL), because a permanent restriction would be financially ruinous to US AI firms. “Even Trump will eventually budge to economic pressure,” he said.However, US AI firms might end up operating rather like banks, doing due diligence on users of their leading-edge AI models, he went on.European scientists are unlikely to fall foul of such checks, he said. But having a Chinese postgraduate in their lab, or doing a type of research the US disapproved of, could potentially result in access being denied. “It will create a sort of class division of researchers,” he said. More than frontier modelsHowever, successfully deploying AI in science is about far more than just having access to leading LLMs such as Mythos.Instead, many science-specific tools, most famously Alphafold, which predicts protein folding structures, require “far less” computing power to train than frontier models, well within the capabilities of European supercomputers, according to a recent analysis by the Arq Foundation, a Brussel-based AI think tank. Instead, tools such as Alphafold are possible because certain fields, like protein folding, weather prediction or astronomy, have large, clean, standardised datasets that can be used to train predictive models. Rather than compute, “data is the central constraint for AI for science,” the report says. For example, a less powerful physics model trained on CERN’s data “will be more valuable than the best model without certain data,” said Bengüsu Özcan, author of the report. European advantage?Europe could therefore steal a march by using its scientific data and infrastructure to create models US digital giants cannot. “They might actually match or go even beyond what these big [US] companies are doing,” said Özcan.Indeed, some European start-ups hope to create automated testing labs to create the kind of standardised data that could speed up the discovery of new materials. Materials scientists say there’s currently too little data to train models. AI scientistsHowever, even if the bottleneck for AI in science is often data, rather than compute, being at the mercy of the US for LLM access could still become a problem for European scientists. A new class of “AI scientists” based on leading LLMs is also emerging, Özcan’s report says.Unlike domain-specific tools like Alphafold, these try to automate day-to-day scientific work, by providing an overarching tool that coordinates specific models to synthesise existing literature, generate hypotheses or run analysis of data. The problem for Europe, however, is that these tools are sometimes based on US leading models. Google Deepmind’s AI Co-Scientist, for example, is built on Google’s Gemini LLM. Systematic failureThese scientific automation tools are still in their early stages, and still exhibit “systematic failures on scientific tasks,” Özcan’s report says. One of the problems is that the messy, day-to-day process of scientific discovery is largely not documented, meaning LLMs don’t have a good source of data to learn how scientists actually work. Meanwhile, some tasks, such as literature synthesis, don’t typically require access to leading edge models.However, the performance of AI scientific assistants could improve as companies such as Google pour resources into developing them. Rely on US“Unfortunately, for scientific assistants, there is not much we can do right now except rely on US frontier AI,” said Antoine Bosselut, a natural language processing expert based at EPFL. Chinese-built open models, which can run on local computers, lessening the risk of a shutdown, are touted as one alternative to US dependence. There’s also Mistral, once seen as Europe’s main AI hope, but the Paris-based company has seen its recent models fall behind in performance. But the Chinese alternatives are generally not as capable as US frontier AI models, said Bosselut, unless paired with fiddly, custom tools that allows them to act as independent agents. “Most scientists do not have the time,” he said. Don’t jump ship yetAlthough the kill switch moment is seen a warning shot for European scientists, it doesn’t mean labs should abandon US AI tools immediately. “I do not think the right response is simply to abandon US-based models and systems under the banner of sovereignty or independence,” said Mattias Björnmalm, secretary general of the Cesaer university association. “That would be an overreaction.”Related articlesEuropean sovereignty in AI requires ‘ugly trade-offs,’ say experts Robotic lab start-up makes case for €500M EU-funded materials testing facilityAI in science: is it useful? Instead, European researchers need to ask themselves whether they’re becoming dependent on technology that could be turned off in Washington, said Özcan. “They might not see this today, but they should really start asking this question,” she said. European researchers need a plan B, said Salathé. “I would recommend to every researcher, very proactively explore alternatives.”Own toolsIn addition, Björnmalm and others want European research institutions to develop their own scientific AI tools.Instead of signing AI deals with US digital giants, European universities should be using this money to create their own models, which may end up being superior for research, said Sabine Leonelli, an expert on the use of AI in science at the Technical University of Munich. “Universities in Europe seem to be happy to sign commercial contracts with US companies on the assumption [their AI tools] are better,” she said. But US frontier LLMs are typically opaque, and have been developed without independent scientific input, she said. “This is not good enough for science.”Last year, Swiss researchers released Apertus, an LLM designed to be completely transparent, from its development methods to its training data. The idea is that this makes scientific tools built on top of the model far more reproducible than with closed, commercial alternatives.“Europe needs more of this: serious capacity-building that gives researchers, universities and companies credible options,” said Björnmalm.
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