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House Momentum, Senate Headwinds, and the Return of Shutdown Politics

With the House finally beginning to break its floor paralysis, appropriations may be back in motion. However, the path to funding the government for FY27, and keeping the lights on past September 30, remains complex. Last week, the House passed the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP) appropriations bill, which included a closely watched vote on Rep. Thomas Massie's amendment targeting aid to Israel.

Jul 20 • 4:10 PM EDT • Politics • akingump.com

Apple Watch Series 12 Coming in September With These New Features

With the Apple Watch Series 12 now just two months away, we have created a recap of rumored new features, with some more likely than others. Below, we have outlined everything rumored so far for the Apple Watch Series 12. More Likely New Chip After One-Year Hiatus While the Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra 3, and Apple Watch SE 3 all contain the same S10 chip as the previous year's models, leaked Apple code showed the Apple Watch Series 12 will get a new chip.

Jul 20 • 4:00 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

Sen. Darline Graham running for full Senate term after being appointed to Lindsey Graham’s seat

Sen. Darline Graham announced that she will run for her late brother’s seat this November, after being appointed last week to serve out the rest of Lindsey Graham’s term.

Jul 20 • 2:58 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 announces open beta for Nintendo Switch 2

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is getting an open beta on Nintendo Switch 2, it’s been announced. This will be happening during the weekend of August 28. You’ll have until September 1 to participate. Here’s the rundown on what’s included in the beta: Get ready to drop into multiple Multiplayer maps and modes, choosing from a wide selection of...

Jul 20 • 1:10 PM EDT • Technology • nintendoeverything.com

The new, wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 revealed by BTS member J-Hope

J-Hope's tour footage gave fans an early, unofficial look at the upcoming Samsung Galaxy foldable.

Jul 20 • 11:28 AM EDT • Technology • mashable.com

Four TWICE Members Reportedly Exploring Departures From JYP Entertainment

Jihyo, Tzuyu, Chaeyoung, and Jeongyeon are all said to be weighing individual agency moves while staying committed to TWICE group activities under a reported "separate but together" model.

Jul 20 • 11:11 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com

MTG pounces on Hegseth, claiming US troop casualties 'fuel' his 'bloodlust for a senseless war'

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene accused War Secretary Pete Hegseth of "bloodlust" in response to a post Hegseth issued about fallen U.S. service members.

Jul 20 • 10:20 AM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com

Shaky political "science": breakdown of the peer review process

[This article is the latest in our “Shaky Political Science” series. In our 38 page report, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting,” released in December 2025, we examined over 40 studies focused on ranked choice voting (RCV). Many of these studies suffered from puzzling research methodologies, poorly constructed surveys, unrealistic simulated elections, cherry picked data and faulty analyses that often were contradicted by results from real-world elections (a link to our full paper is here). Here are links to the first four articles in our series: the first one summarizing the overall results of our report; the second one analyzed a study co-authored by University of Minnesota academic Larry Jacobs, which was one of the most error-prone of all the research we reviewed in our report; a third article showing an admirable example of two political scientists holding two other political scientists accountable for their flawed, sloppy research; and a fourth article that analyzed seven studies sponsored by New America’s political reform program that deployed flawed methodology based on “simulated” elections instead of real-world elections, which when combined with some basic misunderstandings of RCV, produced odd and misleading results]. In this fifth article in our “Shaky Political Science” series, we examine two flawed studies on the impact of RCV on voter turnout authored by San Francisco State University professor Jason McDaniel. McDaniel’s research in these two papers stands out for its puzzling methodology, inadequate and cherry-picked data, and faulty analyses that not only misunderstands ranked choice voting but reflects a basic misunderstanding of politics in general. The first of the McDaniel studies actually passed through a peer review process and then was subsequently published by the Journal of Urban Affairs, despite its obvious errors. It is perplexing that a jury of peer political scientists did not catch the errors and send it back to McDaniel for a rewrite or outright rejection. This calls into question the credibility of the peer review process itself. The peer review process is supposed to represent the intellectual pinnacle of the profession – a way for academics to certify the quality of each other’s work, and to act as a check against sloppy research. In the case of the McDaniel study, the peer review process failed. Yet his flawed study has been cited dozens of times by other political scientists in their own flawed works — an unvirtuous circle of academic research. Here is the first Jason McDaniel study that we analyzed: “Writing the Rules to Rank the Candidates: Examining the Impact of Instant-Runoff Voting on Racial Group Turnout in San Francisco Mayoral Elections,” by Jason McDaniel, 2016, Journal of Urban Affairs. This study covered San Francisco’s use of ranked choice voting (RCV) in mayoral elections, purporting to show that RCV reduces voter turnout overall, increases voter errors, and has a negative impact on “marginal populations,” i.e. racial minorities, mainly as the result of the alleged complexity of RCV asking voters to rank candidates and having to be familiar with multiple candidates and related dynamics. McDaniel reached these conclusions by examining five San Francisco mayoral elections taking place in odd years (i.e. where there are no federal or state races on the ballot) from 1995 to 2011, comparing three earlier non-RCV races (in 1995, 1999 and 2003) with the later two RCV races (in 2007 and 2011). Only two RCV races were studied, and as McDaniel acknowledged, only the contest in 2011 was “competitive” (that contest in 2007 was the first mayoral election using RCV, and incumbent mayor Gavin Newsom won easily in the first round of counting, earning 74% of first choices and far ahead of the second place candidate who had just 6.3% of first choices). Yet even the allegedly competitive contest in 2011was won by an incumbent with a landslide margin of nearly 20 points. No other elections were studied by McDaniel, even though San Francisco elects 17 other offices besides mayor with RCV, including the 11 seats on the Board of Supervisors (the name for the city council) in even years, and six other citywide offices in odd years. Previous academic research has found that competitive elections can stimulate greater voter involvement and higher turnout. For unexplained reasons, this study ignored at least 34 other RCV races between the years 2004 to 2011, many of which were very competitive and had high voter turnout. Instead, McDaniel’s analysis based its conclusions on data from only a single, marginally-competitive mayor’s race using RCV. These 2007 and 2011 mayoral elections were the only two RCV elections that McDaniel used as the sole basis for his small data set to determine the impact of RCV on voter turnout. Despite having no meaningful data to inform his study, McDaniel nonetheless concluded that RCV lowered turnout when compared to the previous three mayoral non-RCV elections using two-round runoffs. Then, using the same inadequate database of San Francisco elections, McDaniel also found that “Instant-runoff voting is associated with a significant decline in Black voter turnout and White voter turnout…On average, Black voter turnout decreases by 18 points and White voter turnout decreases by 16 points …” But how could he credibly arrive at that conclusion when his study was based on voter turnout in two RCV contests that were not even remotely competitive? Beyond that, McDaniel tacitly admits that the key determining factor driving Black voter turnout was not RCV vs non-RCV elections, but the presence of a viable Black candidate. McDaniel wrote, “Black voter turnout was about 17 percentage points higher for the two elections that featured an African American candidate compared to the three elections that did not” — but one of those three elections did not use RCV. The same dynamic was present for White voter turnout, in which higher turnout was not correlated with RCV vs non-RCV elections, but the presence of a viable White candidate. Beyond that, McDaniel’s voter turnout results, whether correlated with the race of the candidates or RCV vs non-RCV elections, showed no clear patterns. In his Figure 1, he shows low Asian voter turnout in the non-RCV elections in 1999 and 2003 when there was no viable Asian candidate running, but in the 2007 mayoral election using RCV, there is still no viable Asian candidate, yet Asian turnout increases dramatically. For Latinos, voter turnout is virtually the same in 1999 (no viable Latino candidate, non-RCV elections), 2003 (leading Latino candidate, non-RCV elections), 2007 (no viable Latino candidate, RCV elections) and 2011 (leading Latino candidate, RCV elections). Meanwhile White voter turnout increased dramatically from a low in the 2007 mayoral election, in which the leading candidate was a white incumbent, to the 2011 election in which there were no leading white candidates that finished any higher than sixth place with 5.6% of the vote. Clearly other factors were determining voter turnout than either the race of the candidates or RCV vs non-RCV elections. Despite these inconsistent findings, McDaniel boldly marches forth to render conclusions about the impact of RCV on different groups of racial voters, even though his conclusions are not remotely supported by his data. This looks like the worst kind of “data cherry picking” to cover up a puzzling conclusion based on a poor data set involving only two RCV elections, neither of which were remotely competitive. McDaniel’s cherry picking didn’t stop there. In calculating voter turnout for the three non-RCV mayoral elections in 1995, 1999 and 2003, he failed to mention that in each of these years there was a two-round runoff election, with a first round election in November in which no candidate garnered a winning majority of the vote, followed by the decisive runoff in December. So there were two non-RCV elections in each election year. But McDaniel only decided to include one of the two elections in his data set, apparently the December runoff in each year (which had higher turnout in two out of the three mayor’s races, and lower turnout in the third). So he ignored the November 1995 election, the November 1999 election when turnout was only 45 percent, and the November 2003 election when turnout was only 45.7 percent. This is flawed methodology based on blatant cherry picking, since McDaniel simply omitted three elections worth of data that did not fit within his frame. His study should never have made it through a peer review process, and it is an embarrassment to political science that not only was it approved for publication, but it has been uncritically cited by dozens of other political scientists. Share A “study” without wider context or credible data Lacking a data set that included even a single competitive RCV mayoral race, McDaniel declared that RCV lowered voter turnout in 2011, when turnout was 42.5 percent. But he also ignored -- or did not realize -- that voter turnout in mayoral elections during 2011 had sharply declined in all big cities, including far more steeply in nearby Los Angeles and other cities. In fact, San Francisco’s election in 2011 had the second highest turnout of any mayoral election in the nation’s 22 largest cities from 2008-2011. Was 2011 just a particularly low turnout year all across the country, perhaps because the country was still reeling from the aftermath of the housing market collapse in 2008-2010? McDaniel ignored this factor and did not search for alternative explanations beyond his flawed thesis. Furthermore, while McDaniel suggested that RCV leads to more “overvotes” – which is an invalidated ballot in which a voter, in either a non-RCV or RCV race, makes a mistake and selects two candidates for a single choice – he failed to address that in the June 2012 US Senate primary contest, which used the typical “one-choice” plurality method and did not use RCV, there was more than five times as many overvotes in San Francisco and Oakland than in the RCV mayoral elections in those cities. Additionally, turnout had been significantly higher and more representative in RCV elections for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors races -- that McDaniel didn’t even bother to study -- as compared to previous “delayed two-round runoffs” for those offices, often higher by as much as 40% in the RCV races. Perhaps the most surprising irony was that an earlier study co-authored by McDaniel (Overvoting and the Equality of Voice under Instant-Runoff Voting in San Francisco by Francis Neely and Jason McDaniel, 2015, California Journal of Politics and Policy) found that overvotes are often more common in lower-income precincts, but that the pattern of overvoting is similar in both RCV and non-RCV contests. Wrote Neely and McDaniel: “[Overvote] errors appear to be a function of complexity in general and not IRV per se…. the pattern of overvoting is similar in both IRV and non-IRV contests…Even among votes cast in a top-of-the-ticket race like U.S. Senate, overvoting occurs in an uneven fashion” (IRV, or ‘instant runoff voting,’ is another name for ranked choice voting in single-winner contests). So McDaniel not only contradicted his own conclusion in his earlier study with Neely, but the earlier study had been an important corrective for one of the most frequently made mistakes made by anti-RCV political scientists – a continual failure to provide crucial context by pairing a comparative analysis of real world RCV elections with an analysis of real world plurality or other electoral methods. Unfortunately McDaniel’s earlier study does not get cited much by other researchers, and McDaniel did not even cite it in his own flawed study analyzed above. Incredibly, McDaniel cherrypicked McDaniel, even as his flawed study has been cited dozens of times. Despite being a textbook example of poor political “science,” featuring both inadequate as well as cherrypicked data, the shelf life of McDaniel’s study has been extended endlessly by other political scientists and media outlets who have cited it uncritically. Equally troubling, the Journal of Urban Affairs put this paper through its peer review process and published it despite its numerous flaws. McDaniel gets it wrong, Part II Not content with producing one shoddy, confused paper, McDaniel produced another one a few years later, here is the link: Electoral Rules and Voter Turnout in Mayoral Elections: An Analysis of Ranked-Choice Voting by Jason McDaniel. San Francisco State Univ. (McDaniel, 2019). In this paper, McDaniel extended his previous flawed research focused on San Francisco, about voter turnout and voter impact, to multiple RCV cities through the 2018 elections. In his data set he included San Francisco, Minneapolis, St Paul, Oakland, Berkeley, San Leandro and Santa Fe. He then compared their turnout in mayoral elections to non-RCV cities, and to mayoral elections in those cities held before first RCV usage, and concluded “a significant decrease in voter turnout of approximately 3–5 percentage points in RCV cities after the implementation of RCV.” But he replicated many of the same mistakes as his first study presented above. While in this study McDaniel attempted to distinguish between various factors, such as odd year vs. even year elections, competitive races vs. noncompetitive, contests with open seats and other factors, the analysis is superficial and inadequate. He attempts to incorporate so many often-conflicting variables that his conclusions are once again unsupported by the actual data, and ultimately unconvincing (this second study never underwent a peer review process). For example, McDaniel declared that for RCV cities “in elections that are more competitive than average (margin of victory less than 20%), there is no significant RCV effect on voter turnout.” Yet McDaniel is a professor in a city, San Francisco, in which the 2018 special election using RCV to fill a mayoral vacancy was exceedingly close, decided by a margin of only one percentage point, and resulted in the second highest turnout in San Francisco history for a mayoral election. Illustrating the complexity involved in assessing the critical factors in turnout, that special election was held on the same election day as federal and state offices, which tends to boost turnout. Yet more voters participated in that RCV mayoral election than voted on the same day in the non-RCV primary for governor in which former San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom was running. Even more puzzling, in this study McDaniel inaccurately cited his own previous study from 2015 with Neely. McDaniel wrote, “Neely and McDaniel (2015) examine individual ballot image files within a natural experiment, and find higher rates of ballot errors in RCV elections compared to non-RCV elections” (emphasis added). However, we quoted from that 2015 study several paragraphs above, and in actual fact Neely and McDaniel actually concluded the opposite -- that the pattern of overvoting – which is the most common form of ballot error – is similar in both RCV and non-RCV contests. McDaniel also ignored the fact that in Bay Area RCV elections held in even years – at the same time as federal and state elections, when turnout is highest -- the “undervote” (that is, the dropoff in ballots cast for governor or mayor) has declined, which contradicts his thesis that the act of ranking ballots in RCV elections is too complex and presents a barrier for certain demographics of voters. To his credit, McDaniel actually acknowledged another contradiction in his own paper, which found a negative RCV turnout effect in some odd-year elections but not others, admitting that “may present a challenge to the theory that increased complexity [from RCV] will have a marginal negative effect on voter turnout.” But he tried to wallpaper over that contradiction by blaming it on an unlikely source -- bad election administration. McDaniels wrote, “This would suggest that the negative impact of RCV on voter participation may be alleviated by high quality election administration,” without presenting any data or even anecdotes to support such an unfounded theory. While competent election administration of any election, whether RCV or non-RCV, is crucially important, there is no credible research that supports the far-fetched notion that the quality of election administration has much of an impact on voter turnout in US elections, whether using RCV or otherwise. Upgrade to a $5 subscription The unvirtuous circle of academic research It is puzzling how McDaniel’s first study could have survived the peer review process for the Journal of Urban Affairs. The mistakes in McDaniel’s first study above should have been obvious to anyone with a basic understanding of ranked choice voting as well as elections in general, and elections in San Francisco specifically. It undermines faith in the credibility of the peer review process to think that a jury of peer political scientists did not catch the egregious errors and reject McDaniel’s sloppy research and paper. And it remains a black mark on political science that this thoroughly discredited study has been cited dozens of times by other researchers. Indeed, in our research paper it became apparent that many political scientists cite each other’s flawed research to pad their list of citations and to legitimize their own flawed research, creating an unvirtuous circle of political science. More broadly, McDaniel’s voter turnout studies, like other studies evaluating RCV’s impact on turnout, lacked a recognition that no credible opinion or research can claim that RCV increases voter turnout merely because so many voters are excited to vote for their favorite candidates instead of “lesser evil” candidates without worrying about spoilers. Instead, with respect to turnout, the advantage of RCV has always been that, in most places where it has been used, it has eliminated a pre-November primary or post-November runoff, which usually saw about half the turnout of the November general election. This is especially true during even years when there are state and federal elections on the ballot which substantially drive turnout more than local contests. Any study that does not adequately account for this non-November primary/runoff vs November general election dynamic, or odd year vs even year election factors, is simply not credible. Both of McDaniel’s studies largely failed on those grounds. Steven Hill and Paul Haughey Share Upgrade to a $5 subscription Thanks for reading DemocracySOS…your digital portal for the pro-democracy movement. Subscribe for only $5 per month to receive full benefits and to support our work. Subscribe

Jul 20 • 9:29 AM EDT • Science • democracysos.substack.com

How Fox News, MS NOW and CNN Are Building Beyond the Cable Bundle

Fox News, MS NOW and CNN are using profitable linear TV businesses to invest in streaming, memberships and digital products.

Jul 20 • 9:15 AM EDT • Business • thewrap.com

Switch 2 modding scene makes new breakthrough, but Nintendo safe from piracy

A new breakthrough was recently made within the Switch 2 modding scene, but Nintendo can rest easy knowing that piracy still isn’t an issue at the moment. You may remember that with the original Nintendo Switch, piracy became a major problem pretty early on. Significant vulnerabilities were discovered less than a year after the console launch. Nintendo was unfortunately unable...

Jul 20 • 9:05 AM EDT • Technology • nintendoeverything.com

'Real Housewives of Orange County' star diagnosed with tongue cancer

"The Real Housewives of Orange County" original cast member Jeana Keough has been diagnosed with tongue cancer at 70.

Jul 20 • 8:19 AM EDT • Entertainment • centraloregondaily.com

Science can serve dark as well as light

I’m not sure how many of you are watching “Star City,” Apple TV’s spin-off of its “For All Mankind” program (2019-present), but it’s one of the better sci-fi series I’ve seen in a while, with an impressively dark political message. (Some light spoilers below.) For the uninitiated, “For All Mankind” presented a slightly tweaked history of the U.S. space program in which it was the USSR that landed on the Moon first in 1969, and shortly thereafter put a woman cosmonaut on the lunar surface. This sparks an ongoing space race that, in the original series, yields a lot of benefits for humanity. President Nixon’s insistence on a female astronaut corps to compete with the Soviets boosts the feminist movement of the 1970s and the ERA passes. New fuels generated for the space program create clean and cheap energy around Earth. There are also some darker changes — the USSR is thriving well into the 2000s, there are terrorist counter-technology movements around the globe, laborers on Mars work in nightmarish conditions and organize strikes and riots, etc. the @smotus report is a reader-supported publication. To support this work, please become a paid subscriber. Subscribe That show offers glimpses into the subtle ways this Earth is different. Teddy Kennedy never went to Chappaquidick because he was racing back to Washington to deal with the space program crisis; he gets elected President in 1972. John Lennon survives his early 1980s shooting but Pope John Paul II does not. The Apple Newton succeeded. Pretty much the whole of season 4 is a setup for an Al Gore joke. Again, mostly, the vision that “For All Mankind” presents is a positive one, with technology advancing many human interests. “Star City” goes in a very different direction. This spin-off show is about the same set of events but from the Soviet perspective. As we meet them, the team of scientists and cosmonauts responsible for the lunar landing are still basking in their hero status, but their program is embedded deep in the Soviet security state of the late 1960s. Everyone’s apartment is bugged. Whole teams of clerical staff spend their days transcribing recordings of people’s lives. People in the program, including respected cosmonauts, are regularly arrested. An incredibly menacing Colonel Lyudmilla Raskova (Anna Maxwell Martin) forces confessions and tortures and kills, expressing little more than annoyance in the process. Meanwhile, the space program’s highly respected Chief Designer (Rhys Ifans) has a vision for the program that he knows the government will not approve. He insists that they need to think past the Moon to focus on colonizing the solar system, starting with Venus. (This is a rough parallel to the Americans’ pivot to Mars in the original show.) He essentially builds a secret space program within the space program, calculating that the government will embrace the mission after it has succeeded. (As an aside, I’m not sure why the Venus obsession, as a successful mission can’t produce the biggest public relations payoff: a cosmonaut standing on the surface holding the Soviet flag. Anyone standing on Venus would be immediately crushed by the 92-bar atmosphere and then cremated in the 900°F temperatures. But in a country with no free press perhaps the visual payoff was less valued.) But the overall vision is that the technological advances have only amplified the most fearsome aspects of the Soviet system. The state is paranoid (but not incorrect) about American spies and does monstrous things to protect its secrets. People are terrified to trust each other. Classic banality-of-evil figures order people to harm those they care about; those people comply rather than get shot. Others are forced into criminal behavior to protect loved ones. We’re reminded all the time these days of what happens when a government despises science. It manifests in the defunding of schools, the elevation of fossil fuels as the rest of the world pivots to solar, outbreaks of measles and diarrhea, etc. But “Star City” offers a vision of a bad government that likes science. It’s not encouraging. It’s not yet clear if there will be a season two of this show. But I strongly recommend season one. It’s both thoughtful and gripping. Share

Jul 20 • 8:04 AM EDT • Science • smotus.substack.com

AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Arizona’s state primary

Arizona Republicans will choose a nominee in a state primary Tuesday to challenge Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in November.

Jul 20 • 7:09 AM EDT • Politics • wsls.com

Apple's Secret Siri Interface Buried in macOS 27 Beta: How to Enable

Apple appears to be testing a hidden popover interface for Siri AI in the macOS 27 Golden Gate beta that surfaces Writing Tools and contextual actions whenever the user selects some text. Spotted by a member of Reddit's r/MacOSBeta community, the floating icon appears at the top-left of the selected text, expanding when the pointer hovers over it to a compact popover of Writing Tools and contextual actions.

Jul 20 • 7:09 AM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

Former Jack Daniel’s Cooperage closes in Alabama

Alabama Cooperage, previously known as Jack Daniel's Cooperage, will close in September, resulting in 71 job losses.

Jul 20 • 4:29 AM EDT • Business • thespiritsbusiness.com

Alliance influx ‘reflects growing relevance of science diplomacy’

EU Science Diplomacy Alliance adds 26 members and partners, aiming for “sustainable, inclusive community”

Jul 20 • 2:00 AM EDT • Science • researchprofessionalnews.com

Free science program for middle-school students, offered by NSHS students

Through the Newton Summer Science Program (NSSP), Newton South HS students offer free, high-school-level, summer STEM classes for students entering Grades 7-9 in September. Classes are held for...

Jul 19 • 11:20 PM EDT • Science • figcitynews.com

Here’s what the wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 looks like in real life [Gallery]

Thanks to a member of BTS, we've got a fresh look at the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in real life, showing off the wide new form factor.

Jul 19 • 4:50 PM EDT • Technology • 9to5google.com

56 days till Arizona Cardinals' opener: Remembering the 1956 season

With 56 days until the Arizona Cardinals' 2026 opener, let's look back at their 1956 season.

Jul 19 • 1:39 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Maine Democrats rally around logger Troy Jackson to replace Graham Platner

Jackson, a progressive who champions worker rights and Medicare-for-all, has quickly emerged as the favorite to take on Republican Susan Collins in the Senate race in November.

Jul 19 • 1:26 PM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

Jamestown Councilmember Tony Dolce dies

Dolce was 64 years old.

Jul 19 • 11:05 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

Will progressive or moderate candidates help Democrats win in November?

Jul 19 • 10:52 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Best things to buy at Costco, from executive member and dietitian

I'm a registered dietitian with a Costco executive membership. I always buy frozen blueberries, rolled oats, and ground turkey in bulk for easy meals.

Jul 19 • 9:14 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

Bernie blowback: How Sanders’ primary endorsements have sparked a Democratic midterm war

Sen. Bernie Sanders had just announced his intent to unseat a sitting House Democrat — this time, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus from North Carolina — when Rep. Hakeem Jeffries decided it was time to confront Sanders himself.

Jul 19 • 6:30 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Why the Trump effect is different in 2026 than 2018

The brightest warning light for Democrats in this year’s election is the consistent finding in early national and state polls that they are not winning nearly as large a share of voters who disapprove of President Donald Trump’s performance as they did during his first term. Paradoxically, that dynamic could represent a major danger for Republicans if it proves unsustainable through November.

Jul 19 • 6:30 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

For Gainesville High alum, acting in ‘Spamalot’ at Fox Theatre means a lot

Meet Delaney Benson, a Gainesville native who is returning home as a cast member of the touring company of "Spamalot," which plays at the Fox Theatre from July 21-26.

Jul 19 • 6:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • ajc.com

Kansas City's World Cup small business efforts forged bonds between founders

On top of organizing a Union Station marketplace that drew more than 120,000 visitors, City of Entrepreneurs’ Open Doors! program led to unexpected collaboration opportunities between cohort members.

Jul 19 • 5:00 AM EDT • Business • kcur.org

'A force for Utah politics': Family, friends remember Merrill Cook at state Capitol

Many gathered at the state Capitol in Salt Lake City on Saturday to celebrate the life of former congressman Merrill Cook.

Jul 19 • 12:31 AM EDT • Politics • ksl.com

Mamdani says he’s still looking into arresting Netanyahu if Israeli leader visits New York

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his office is still looking into arresting Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister visits the city for the United Nations General Assembly in September.

Jul 18 • 9:01 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Beware the unintended consequences of testosterone screening for military servicemembers

“I fear that the widespread rollout of testosterone screening may lead to some surprising and unintended consequences,” writes a urologist who studies testosterone.

Jul 18 • 5:21 PM EDT • Health • statnews.com

2 US troops killed during Iranian attack, Pentagon says

The US service members were killed in Jordan on Friday after American and partner forces came under Iranian missile and drone fire, the Pentagon says.

Jul 18 • 2:04 PM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

Two US service members killed, one missing following Iranian strikes in Jordan

Two US service members were killed and one is missing in action, US Central Command announced Saturday, marking the first American military deaths in the Iran war since March.

Jul 18 • 1:41 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Florida Panthers, Team USA staff member arrested and suspended

The Florida Panthers have suspended head equipment manager Teddy Richards following his arrest.

Jul 18 • 10:54 AM EDT • Sports • al.com

One lucky guy was officially allowed to leak the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8

Although an Instagram Story didn’t provide the very first glimpse, it did offer the first official look at the new Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, which will be unveiled next week during the Galaxy Unpacked launch event. One of the BTS members was allowed to go ahead and "leak" the device in full glory.

Jul 18 • 9:15 AM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

ESPN announces NHL opening night tripleheader

The 2026-27 NHL season begins on Tuesday, September 29, and ESPN will celebrate the festivities with an opening night tripleheader. ESPN recently announced that the network will televise three NHL games on opening night, beginning with the banner-raising ceremony for the defending champion Carolina Hurricanes. The Hurricanes will host the Florida Panthers at 5 p.m.…

Jul 18 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Doctors question evidence behind Pentagon plan for testosterone screening

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members age 30 and older, which he says will help to maintain military readiness.

Jul 18 • 6:03 AM EDT • Health • reuters.com

WATCH: Lawmakers reveal where they stand on congressional term limits after recent health scares

Ted Cruz says he authored a constitutional amendment to limit senators to two terms and House members to three as Congress debates term limits.

Jul 18 • 4:22 AM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com

Ranking Member Markey, Senator Hirono Reject Trump’s SBA Policy Proposal that Harms Underserved Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs

Letter (PDF) (Washington, July 17) – Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) submitted a comment letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) opposing a proposed rule change by Trump’s SBA to the 8(a) Business Development Program that would harm underserved small business owners and entrepreneurs. The 8(a) Business Development Program was created by Congress more than 50 years ago to level the playing field for small business owners and entrepreneurs who have faced discrimination in starting and operating their businesses. The SBA’s proposed change ignores the existence of historic discrimination that minority and underserved small businesses have faced and continue to face. In the letter, the lawmakers wrote, “SBA’s proposed rule ignores present-day barriers that entrepreneurs from minority and underserved communities face. Discrimination is not dead; minority entrepreneurs continue to face reduced access to contracting opportunities and capital, as well as racial threats and targeting, including unequal treatment, refusal by others to work with minority-owned firms, being called racial slurs, and bias in the workplace. These barriers lead to wide underutilization of, and less revenue for, minority-owned businesses compared to majority-owned businesses, as supported by decades of disparity studies. The proposed rule diminishes the history of systemic racial and ethnic discrimination in the United States by claiming that remedies for discrimination create discrimination in and of themselves.” The lawmakers continued, “The program has always been open to anyone who can prove they have experienced prejudice or cultural bias in education, employment, entrepreneurship, and other facets of our society. Nonetheless SBA has moved forward with the proposed rule. It lacks a reasoned basis, purporting that the federal government has discriminated against White Americans, but offering no substantive qualitative or quantitative data or research in support. If the examples provided in the proposed rule are the only basis for what constitutes discrimination to the agency, they are woefully insufficient. The final rule must provide strong evidence that there is discrimination against White individuals and show how the rule is narrowly tailored to address it. The record remains devoid of evidence of discrimination against White individuals on the basis of race.” Ranking Member Markey is fighting to protect federal programs that address historic discrimination against small business owners from minority and underserved communities, and for a small business agenda that ensures economic opportunity for all. In June, Ranking Member Markey released a statement condemning the SBA’s proposed changes to the 8(a) Business Development Program. Also in June, Ranking Markey released a new report highlighting Trump’s drastic reduction in federal contracting dollars awarded to American small businesses, including minority-owned small businesses. In February, Ranking Member Markey, alongside Senators Hirono and Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Representative Ayanna Pressley (MA-7), introduced the Strengthening Place-based Access, Resources, and Knowledge (SPARK) Act to spur entrepreneurship and increase access to capital and resources for underserved entrepreneurs nationwide. Ranking Member Markey previously held a field hearing in Roxbury, Massachusetts, to discuss how government and the private sector can come together to make entrepreneurship more accessible for underserved communities. Earlier in February, Ranking Member Markey secured funding with the Appropriations Committee for Small Business Development Centers, Women’s Business Centers, SCORE Chapters, and Veterans Business Outreach Centers and provisions to rein in the Administration’s attempts to eliminate programs that support women, veterans, and underserved entrepreneurs. In January, Ranking Member Markey sent a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to oppose rule changes that would gut protections against discriminatory lending practices that harm small businesses. In December 2025, Ranking Member Markey sent a letter to SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler expressing significant concerns with the SBA’s overly burdensome request and unclear guidance for extensive financial documentation over the holidays, as a part of their sweeping attempts to dismantle the 8(a) Business Development Program. In July and December 2025, Ranking Member Markey sent letters to the SBA Administrator demanding answers about the Trump administration’s efforts to limit economic opportunity for American entrepreneurs, including immigrants. In May 2025, Ranking Member Markey sent a letter to the SBA Administrator rejecting President Trump’s FY 2026 budget proposal and calling on SBA to immediately release funding for the entrepreneurial development programs, which include programs like the Women’s Business Centers and the Veteran’s Business Development Centers that support underserved small business owners. In April 2025, Ranking Member Markey introduced the New Start Act of 2025 to establish a five-year pilot program providing grants to support entrepreneurial development training for currently or formerly incarcerated individuals. In February 2025, Ranking Member Markey sent letters to the SBA Administrator and Government Accountability Office (GAO) condemning President Trump’s war on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) policies and asking how the SBA intends to implement Trump’s anti-DEIA executive orders. ###

Jul 17 • 5:23 PM EDT • Business • sbc.senate.gov

Health Brief: Trump’s Obamacare gamble hits court trouble

Plus: A federal advisory panel is facing scrutiny over members’ ties to peptide products

Jul 17 • 4:27 PM EDT • Health • washingtonpost.com

Israeli Strike in Gaza Kills Seven People, Health Officials Say

The Israeli military said the attack targeted members of the second-biggest militant group in Gaza. It also said it was “aware of the claims that several uninvolved individuals” had been harmed.

Jul 17 • 3:23 PM EDT • Health • nytimes.com

Carmen Schools of Science & Technology Northwest Celebrates New Home with Ribbon Cutting and Community Block Party

MILWAUKEE (July, 2026) Carmen Schools of Science & Technology Northwest will officially celebrate the opening of its new campus with a ribbon cutting ceremony and community block party. The free event will welcome students, families, neighbors, alumni, partners, and community members to mark an exciting new chapter for the school on Saturday, July 25 from […]

Jul 17 • 2:25 PM EDT • Science • milwaukeecourier.com

Hearing rescheduled for Hunter Vanderwall after previous mental health evaluation surfaces

Hunter Vanderwall, 19, is charged in connection of the shooting death of Lawrence Boyd in November 2025.

Jul 17 • 1:57 PM EDT • Health • upnorthlive.com

Did this scientist solve humanity’s biggest mystery? The surprising theory explained - Futura-Sciences

From behind the Iron Curtain Gánti was born in Vác, Hungary, on September 10, 1933. He grew up during World War II and the subsequent Soviet occupation. Though he trained as a chemical engineer and worked in industrial biochemistry, his lifelong obsession was a fundamental question: what actually defines something...

Jul 17 • 1:00 PM EDT • Science • futura-sciences.com

William Shatner — yes, “that” William Shatner — to debut his heavy metal band The *uckers

The 95-year-old actor will make his Riot Fest debut in September.

Jul 17 • 11:54 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com

Meet Keyveatz, AOMG’s first girl crew redefining Korean Hip-Hop

“All you gotta know is that I rock the show,” raps Keyveatz on their debut single, “Key Beats,” a bold statement from the five-member crew carving their own

Jul 17 • 9:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • amny.com

Police investigate death threat against Reform's Cai Parry-Jones

Senedd member Cai Parry-Jones said the alleged threat was made against him and his family.

Jul 17 • 8:15 AM EDT • Politics • bbc.com

Elevating citizen science: How IUCN Members are advancing a global conservation tool

This article shares reflections from an IUCN Member organisation about its efforts to elevate citizen and community science within the global conservation community. We demystify the IUCN motions process and show how it contributes to the IUCN Strategic Vision and Programme through the IUCN World Conservation Congress and its quadrennial cycle. Specifically, we outline the steps to organise support for Resolution 125 'Advancing citizen science to support and democratise conservation'.

Jul 17 • 7:55 AM EDT • Science • iucn.org

Letters – Texas business ranking, Dallas City Council, Lindsey Graham

Readers discuss CNBC’s ranking of Texas, don’t like the Dallas furloughs, remember Sen. Lindsey Graham and question what ICE is doing.

Jul 17 • 5:30 AM EDT • Business • dallasnews.com

LG TVs and monitors said to surveil users and install bloatware without asking

Anyone who owns an LG smart TV must inform all guests and family members that they are being monitored – this is required by LG’s current terms of use. Meanwhile, LG monitors install potential malware and surveillance software on a connected Windows computer.

Jul 17 • 5:17 AM EDT • Technology • notebookcheck.net

New Board of Health Members Drop Restrictions On Proposed Woodland…

Nantucket Current is the island's leading online news source. We deliver the news, stories, and people of Nantucket, unbiased and unfiltered.

Jul 16 • 10:21 PM EDT • Health • nantucketcurrent.com

Sports without politics is a fantasy and the World Cup proves it

From ancient Greece to Nazi Germany, sport and politics have long been intertwined. Nevertheless, we still imagine that international sport can be kept above the fray and serve as a neutral arena where nations compete on merit alone. In this article, diplomacy scholar Geoffrey Allen Pigman argues the 2026 FIFA World Cup shows this is a dangerous illusion. When international sport is left entirely to revenue-maximizing private bodies like FIFA, it doesn't escape politics, but rather surrenders to its worst expressions. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics fast approaching, the IOC must decide whether to learn that lesson or repeat the same mistakes. The largest and most lucrative FIFA World Cup ever draws toward its climactic conclusion amidst a swirl of controversy. Team members, staff, fans, and spectators have been denied their right to enter the United States to participate, and US President Donald Trump intervened with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino to overturn a referee’s call that Trump believed disadvantaged the US national team. It is a moment to step back and reflect on what the purposes of international sport mega-events like the World Cup, and international sport more broadly, are, and what they should be. Does international sport serve public purposes? Is there a public interest? Or is it primarily a private endeavor organized by commercial enterprises to entertain the global public (and generate profit in the process), which is occasionally used by governments and leaders for raisons d’etat? Central to the idea of sport is the principle of fair play, which in the international context demands that games be free from political interference. However, it is impossible to separate sport from politics, all claims to the contrary notwithstanding. The most positive political use of international sport through the millennia has been to facilitate diplomacy. The use of international sport for diplomatic objectives has existed since at least the time of the ancient Olympic Games, around which was instituted the custom of the Ekecheiria, or Olympic Truce, between participating states to facilitate fair competition and diplomatic achievements by ensuring that participants could travel safely to the Olympiad. In his seminal work On Diplomacy (1987), diplomacy scholar James Der Derian characterized the objectives of diplomacy as overcoming alienation and mediating estrangement between governments and between peoples. One increasingly important diplomatic tool in the technology-infused media environment over the past century has been public diplomacy, under which governments and non-state diplomatic actors (e.g. transnational corporations) communicate to global publics about their international policy objectives and to shape their global brand image. Political scientist Michał Kobierecki, in his important book Sports Diplomacy (2020), views sports diplomacy as falling broadly within the ambit of public diplomacy, as international sport intimately involves the participation of global publics as spectators and consumers of global media. Diplomacy scholar Stuart Murray and this author, in a 2013 article, distinguish between international sport used for diplomatic purposes and international sport-as-diplomacy, which encompasses the range of diplomacy that occurs as teams and competitors, spectators and fans, and government officials all converge for international sporting events like the Olympic Games and FIFA World Cup. Diplomacy scholar H.E. Chehabi, in a 2001 article on US-Iran sports diplomacy, describes the interaction between spectators and fans at international sporting events as “people-to-people diplomacy,” in which relationships develop independently of governments and their objectives. Diplomacy by the aforementioned definitions is often unsuccessful. Moreover, all too often the tools of diplomacy may be employed by governments and other actors to thwart or oppose the objectives of diplomacy as characterized by Der Derian. Governments routinely use the tools of public diplomacy to disseminate propaganda, spreading misinformation in the attempt to deceive global publics about their objectives and to create misleading impressions about their brand identity. Within sports diplomacy, the term “sportswashing” has been coined recently to describe how governments invest in and promote international sport to create positive global public impressions of their nations and, in doing so, to distract the global public from their deficient records in areas such as human rights and democratic governance. Murray, in his 2018 book Sports Diplomacy: Origins, Theory and Practice, introduces the concept of sports anti-diplomacy, wherein governments intentionally use international sport to advance aggressive and nationalistic objectives. Obvious historical examples include Hitler’s use of the 1936 Berlin Olympics to glorify his Third Reich and the 1969 El Salvador-Honduras football “war.” SUGGESTED READING The beautiful game made ugly By Emily Ryall FIFA argues that it is and seeks to be apolitical in its stewardship of international Association Football (soccer). FIFA policies governing bids to host the World Cup require uninhibited and non-discriminatory access for players, team staff, and spectators of all participating countries to host nations and venues. It became clear soon after Trump returned to power in the United States in January 2025 that Trump’s political intentions and objectives to limit non-US citizens from living and working in the United States and, in numerous cases, even visiting the country, would collide with FIFA’s host nation policies. Beginning soon after the start of the second Trump administration, US federal authorities imposed restrictions on entry to the United States of citizens of between 20 and 40 countries for any purpose, with only limited exceptions. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began arresting non-US citizens in the United States, including persons with and without legal status, holding them in jails, concentration camps, and other detention facilities until they were deported to their home or third countries, where they faced substantive risks to their personal safety. FIFA boss Gianni Infantino, in an effort to ensure the most successful and lucrative World Cup in history, engaged diplomatically with President Trump in an attempt to facilitate entry to the US for World Cup participants. Infantino did all in his power to ingratiate himself with Trump, to the extent of creating a FIFA “Peace Prize,” which he awarded to Trump in December 2025 at a ceremony in the then Trump-controlled John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on the occasion of the World Cup draw. The prize was an ersatz consolation for someone who aspired in vain to win the rather more prestigious and well-known Nobel Peace Prize. And in the run-up to the World Cup, conditions became worse. In February 2026, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a war of aggression against Iran, illegal under international law, under the false pretence that Iran’s government was preparing to attack the United States and Israel. During the US aerial bombardment of Iran, US planes bombed Azadi Stadium, the facility where Iran’s national football team trained. As the 2026 FIFA World Cup began, it was clear that Infantino’s efforts had been for naught: the Trump administration would not adhere to FIFA policies governing access to World Cup host nations. World Cup referee Omar Artan, a citizen of Somalia, was denied a US visa to enter the United States to participate in the World Cup. Trump’s government only granted US visas to Iran’s football team ten days before they were scheduled to arrive for the tournament. Numerous members of the support staff for Iran’s team were denied US visas. Iran’s team, which had been scheduled to train in Arizona, was directed to shift its training site to Tijuana, Mexico, notwithstanding that all three of their group stage matches took place at US venues. The US Department of Homeland Security only permitted the Iranian team to enter the US on the day before each scheduled match and then to return to Mexico immediately after playing. Members of Iraq’s and Switzerland’s football teams were delayed for hours by US officials at the US border, and an Iraqi team photographer was refused entry. Spectators and fans from Haïti and Iran were denied entry to the United States altogether. A large number of fans from a range of countries had their applications for US visas rejected. There were multiple off-ramps through which participants could have avoided the negative consequences of Trump’s decisions for the 2026 World Cup. Once it was clear that the Trump government intended to violate the established expectations for World Cup hosts, FIFA could have shifted the matches scheduled to take place in the United States to Mexico and Canada. The three nations were already designated as co-hosts, and host cities and venues had been selected. Once it was clear that FIFA, governed by FIFA boss Gianni Infantino’s dependent and dysfunctional relationship with Trump, would never consider this option on its own, it fell to the national football federations to act. The national federations, particularly some combination of federations of the leading contenders (France, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Morocco, England, Germany, etc.), could have refused to participate under the US-imposed conditions or, at the least, demanded an ironclad agreement with the Trump government that FIFA policies on access would be respected. ___ International sport is inextricably entangled with diplomacy of different sorts, for good or ill, it cannot be considered to be in the purely private realm and left to revenue-maximizing private actors. ___ Why did neither FIFA nor the national football federations act to protect the interests of players, team staff, referees, fans, and spectators? In essence, the relentless engines of capitalism prevailed over norm observance, ethics, and fair play. The revenue interests of FIFA, sponsors, global media, and host cities won out. FIFA’s managers viewed hosting another World Cup principally in the United States as a veritable pot of gold for FIFA and its collaborators. FIFA has estimated its own revenue over the 2023-26 budget cycle, which includes the 2026 World Cup, at $13 billion, revised up from an initial projection of $11 billion, and 72% higher than the previous revenue cycle. Of that total, FIFA is estimated to have generated $8.9 billion from the Cup itself in revenue from TV rights ($3.92 billion), sponsorships ($2.69 billion), ticket sales ($3.1 billion), licensing rights, and other sources. A joint study by FIFA and the World Trade Organization estimates that the World Cup will contribute over $40 billion to global GDP, including nearly $14 billion in direct visitor spending in the three host countries (but principally in the United States, which hosted the lion’s share of the matches). The FIFA World Cup is now reportedly “the single most lucrative recurring commercial property in global sport.” And yet, notwithstanding the Trump government’s uses of the World Cup for sports anti-diplomacy, and the climate of anxiety that this created for participants and spectators, diplomacy that did not depend upon governments was able to thrive at the World Cup. Examples of successful people-to-people diplomacy were legion, as citizens of towns and cities across the States, as well as in Mexico and Canada, welcomed team members, their families and supporters, to training sites across North America. Fans of different teams joined together in person in stadiums for matches, at watch parties and bars, and at welcome events sponsored by host cities. The joy and camaraderie shared between the citizenry of Boston and Scotland’s “Tartan Army” of fans is but one example of how the “Beautiful Game” brings people together. Friendships forged across continents are likely to endure well beyond the Cup final. Even those achievements cannot be seen as unalloyed, however. As South African football fan Byron Pillay commented to Al Jazeera, “Football is called the Beautiful Game for a reason, for its ability to unite people. But it’s hard to believe in that magic with the politics and war rhetoric off the field of play, especially when one of the tournament hosts is central to that.” Ultimately, the experience of the 2026 FIFA World Cup illustrates that, as international sport is inextricably entangled with diplomacy of different sorts, for good or ill, it cannot be considered to be in the purely private realm and left to revenue-maximizing private actors. As long as there is the possibility of diplomatic progress in mediating estrangement between governments or between peoples, there is a broad and overarching public interest in international sport. Likewise, as it would be difficult to put on an international sport mega-event without international sporting organizations like FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), global media firms, and companies purchasing sponsorships, public and private interests in international sport must coexist, most likely somewhere on a shifting spectrum between partnership and rivalry or cross purposes. As the World Cup wraps up, the IOC needs to consider its lessons before the scheduled 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if they want to avoid a media-hyped Trump version of the 1936 Berlin Olympiad. The IOC and the National Olympic Committees need to set conditions on and make demands of Trump’s government with clearly articulated consequences for non-compliance, up to and including cancellation of the Games. Time is running out for the IOC, as unlike with the FIFA World Cup, there is no at-the-ready alternate venue for Los Angeles.

Jul 16 • 8:00 PM EDT • Politics • iai.tv

GTA 6 Hacker Moved to Prison for Retrial Two Years After Indefinite Sentence to Secure Hospital

The hacker behind the massive GTA 6 leak in September 2022 has been released from indefinite imprisonment at a secure hospital and is now awaiting a retrial.

Jul 16 • 6:39 PM EDT • Technology • ign.com

‘SNL’ Cast Member Announces She’s Leaving The Show After 7 Seasons

“It’s really hard to leave SNL but it does feel like the right time,” she wrote.

Jul 16 • 4:47 PM EDT • Entertainment • huffpost.com

SGMC Health Honors Ellis with BEE Award

SGMC Health recognized Tradessa Ellis, patient care technician on 5T, as the July recipient of the Being Extraordinary Everyday (BEE) Award, which honors non-nursing staff who demonstrate exceptional compassion, dedication, and service to patients and fellow team members.

Jul 16 • 4:07 PM EDT • Health • sgmc.org

BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: Best friends’ home interiors store starts new chapter with a move

Opening Clover last November fulfilled a longtime dream for best friends Kyle Donovan and Julie Pitt. Less than a year later, the Marblehead entrepreneurs are beginning a new chapter — relocating their home interiors store to a larger, more visible storefront at 9 Pleasant St. The Marblehead natives spent two years planning the business before

Jul 16 • 12:16 PM EDT • Business • marbleheadcurrent.org

Midco Sports® Launches NSIC’s New Streaming Home

A new era begins today for the NSIC on Midco Sports Plus®! Through an expanded partnership, Midco Sports® will power the NSIC Network and serve as the centralized home for NSIC digital content, delivering exclusive live and on-demand streaming coverage of all 16 member schools.

Jul 16 • 10:00 AM EDT • Sports • bsubeavers.com

Prinny Party: Going Overboard! launches November 12 in Japan and Asia, coming west

Nippon Ichi Software has officially announced four-player party game Prinny Party: Going Overboard! for PlayStation 5, Switch 2, Switch, and PC (Steam). It will launch on November 12 in Japan and A…

Jul 16 • 9:00 AM EDT • Technology • gematsu.com

Geography faculty member earns national research award

Zhenlong Li, associate professor of geography at Penn State, has received the 2026 Early/Mid-Career Research Award from the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science for research that has advanced the field of geographic information science.

Jul 16 • 8:16 AM EDT • Science • psu.edu

Every Team Has an Edge: EA SPORTS™ NHL® 27 Overhauls All 32 Arena Atmospheres and Presentation for Total Immersion

Powered by Real-World NHL EDGE™ Data and Unique Team Playbooks, NHL® 27 Releases September 11 with Generational Talent Macklin Celebrini Gracing the Cover Watch the Reveal Trailer HERE Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA) today unveiled EA SPORTS™ NHL 27 , launching September 11, 2026 on PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S. EA SPORTS™ NHL® 27 brings all 32 NHL arenas to life with authentic atmospheres: presentation that reflects each team’s identity, a new commentary team, a new dynamic crowd system, and a new modernized broadcast package. Alongside new social and competitive mode Connected Franchise, this year marks one of the most significant upgrades in franchise history. Generational talent and San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini headlines the Standard and Deluxe Edition covers, ushering in a new era of the EA SPORTS™ NHL franchise. NHL 27 Deluxe Edition Cover “Seeing the Shark Tank brought to life like that is honestly unreal,” said Macklin Celebrini, NHL 27 cover athlete. “The

Jul 16 • 8:00 AM EDT • Sports • news.ea.com

Sheikh Hasina’s return bid threatens to upend Bangladeshi politics

The ousted leader, who has been sentenced to death, plans a December homecoming in a high-stakes bid to resurrect her banned party.

Jul 16 • 7:30 AM EDT • Politics • scmp.com

Alabama state employees could see health benefit changes amid 'difficult choices'

Changes could be presented to the State Employees Insurance Board (SEIB) in September, CEO Stephanie Azar said.

Jul 16 • 6:01 AM EDT • Health • alabamareflector.com

Physician lawmakers introduce bipartisan fix for radiologist Medicare pay woes

Members of the Democratic and GOP Doctors Caucuses are proposing the Patients First Act, bolstering incentives to save independent practices and “reversing decades of consolidation.”

Jul 16 • 4:13 AM EDT • Business • radiologybusiness.com

U.S. and U.K. soldiers participate in Armed Forces Entertainment All-Star Soccer Tour

U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to V Corps subordinate units, Scottish soldiers from the U.K. army and professional soccer players touring with the Armed Forces Entertainment Heat Wave Summer Series, pose for a group photo after completing the scrimmage game during the All-Star Soccer Tour clinic at Tapa Army Base, Estonia, July 9, 2026. The AFE summer programming brings world-class entertainers, athletes, and performers overseas to connect with service members stationed around the globe. By providing unique opportunities for Soldiers to engage with professional talent, build morale, and share memorable experiences away from the mission, the program strengthens the resilience, camaraderie and sense of community that are essential to the military. V Corps is the U.S. Army's only forward-deployed corps, serving as the senior tactical headquarters for Army forces in Eastern Europe to deter conflict and provide combat-ready forces alongside our NATO allies. V Corps is operationalizing and expanding the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative with Allies, rapidly integrating emerging technologies into training and tactical plans. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Aaron Kaczur, 196th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment)

Jul 16 • 4:08 AM EDT • Entertainment • dvidshub.net

Colorado’s primary proved in this political climate money doesn’t buy electoral happiness

To catch you up, campaign committees from this 2026 election cycle already collected and shoveled out a lot of cash: $102.64 million. That’s contributions in all forms — dollars, in kind, loans, etc. — from December 2024 to now. Total expenditures just for advertising amount to $32.94 million. More to come for the general election. […]

Jul 16 • 3:00 AM EDT • Politics • coloradopolitics.com

Pete Hegseth’s Questionable Testosterone Plan

The secretary of defense wants to monitor the hormone levels of every service member over 30.

Jul 15 • 9:43 PM EDT • Health • theatlantic.com

Lowcountry business creates new job opportunities for locals, veterans

Sterling Helicopter plans to open its first South Carolina operation in Beaufort County this September.

Jul 15 • 9:36 PM EDT • Business • wsav.com

Lowcountry business creates new job opportunities for locals, veterans

Sterling Helicopter plans to open its first South Carolina operation in Beaufort County this September.

Jul 15 • 9:36 PM EDT • Business • yahoo.com

Debate over horse-drawn carriages in NYC goes back decades

An outright ban was first proposed by Council Member Tony Avella in 2007.

Jul 15 • 8:48 PM EDT • Politics • ny1.com

Trump says Iran released American woman held since 2024 in 'gesture of goodwill'

President Donald Trump said Iran released an American woman who he said had been wrongfully detained since December 2024. The woman was later identified as Dena Karari.

Jul 15 • 8:30 PM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com

Boyd named to WSAS board; nine WSU scientists elected members

University's researchers honored by election to the organization that serves as the state's scientific advisory body.

Jul 15 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • news.wsu.edu

Dave & Buster’s moves further into nightlife with nationwide rave series

Dave & Buster’s is teaming with Brownies & Lemonade on a nationwide rave series, bringing surprise DJs and multi-genre dance music lineups to seven U.S. cities through December.

Jul 15 • 7:40 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com

Chico City Council approves entertainment zones for downtown and Meriam Park

CHICO, Calif. - Chico City Council voted 6 to 0 to approve an ordinance creating entertainment zones in downtown Chico and Meriam Park.The ordinance, taking effect September 18, 2026, will allow customers to carry approved alcoholic beverages and walk around outside within those designated areas."I feel like the downtown could use all the help it could get right now," said Celeste Cramer, general manager of Downtown Chico Business Association. "In the other areas where they have been doing the entertainment zones and throughout California, it has increased their sales. They haven't seen an increase in violence, or tickets, or anything like that. It's a good thing to try out."Numerous other cities around California such as Redding, Sacramento and San Francisco have put their own entertainment zones into effect and have had success.Action News Now stopped by both designated locations and spoke with organizers and bar owners."I'm super excited, I think this is an opportunity for us," said Scott Baldwin, owner of Argus. "We can get a booth at the farmers market. You can order a cocktail from that booth and then we'll have it ready for you at the door as you walk through. Think of it as a picnic situation. You can grab some tacos, you can get a Kentucky Buck. You can sit down anywhere in the entertainment zone and enjoy Argus outside of Argus."Chico's Chamber of Commerce hosted community stakeholder meetings and community engagement sessions to tailor the ordinance to the city's needs as a university town and rural area.The ordinance will allow people 21 and older to walk around with open containers of alcohol within the entertainment zones as long as they have a wristband, stamp or another visible marker showing they're allowed to do so."To us it's more than an ordinance," said Jen Rothenwander, marketing manager at Meriam Park. "It's an opportunity to invest back into the community, and to continue to do what Chico does well – which is to create the spaces for people to stick around and gather, and shop and spend."The Meriam Park entertainment zone will be enclosed by Springfield Drive, Alcott Avenue, Notre Dame Boulevard and E. 20th Street.The Downtown Chico entertainment zone will span mostly from Highway 32 to Lost Park.Chico Chief of Police Billy Aldridge spoke with Redding Police and was informed they had zero problems with their entertainment zone.Chief Aldridge endorses the ordinance in Chico. freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: "actionnewsnow-com_blox_yup-rectangle-one", slotId: "actionnewsnow-com_blox_yup-rectangle-one", targeting: { "pos": "yup-rectangle-one" } });

Jul 15 • 7:37 PM EDT • Entertainment • actionnewsnow.com

Biden will publish 'Promise Me, America' memoir after the November midterm elections

The timing of the book — two weeks after midterm elections in which Democrats seek to regain control of Congress — could raise concerns within Biden's party by putting him back into the spotlight.

Jul 15 • 5:19 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Pokémon GO Wild Area 2026 Event Dates Announced

After the hype of the 2026 Pokémon GO Fest events and the excitement of Mega Mewtwo X and Y, we are buzzing to share that the Pokémon GO Wild Area is returning in November 2026! This year there will also be two in-person Pokémon GO Wild Area events, alongside the global event. The Pokémon GO […]

Jul 15 • 3:56 PM EDT • Technology • pokemongohub.net

STC Biology faculty member inspires students to see science beyond the classroom

For South Texas College STC Biology faculty member Xiomara Galvan Garcia, science isn’t just a subject to memorize, but a way of understanding the world.

Jul 15 • 3:47 PM EDT • Science • news.southtexascollege.edu

City Council settles November ballot: ShotSpotter in, ICE and pension questions out

A City Council standoff over advisory referendum questions means Chicagoans will vote on reviving gunshot detection technology and creating a permanent festival venue, while proposals on immigration costs, pensions and other issues won't make the November ballot.

Jul 15 • 3:28 PM EDT • Politics • chicagobusiness.com

NC State Health Plan adds Duke Health to its access tier, meaning members will pay more for WakeMed

The State Health Plan's board last week approved tiered benefits beginning in 2027.

Jul 15 • 2:37 PM EDT • Health • wunc.org

SGMC Health ICU Team Members Recognized as Health System Heroes

SGMC Health has named members of its Intensive Care Unit team as Health System Heroes, recognizing their compassion, empathy, and commitment to supporting patients and families through some of life's most difficult moments.

Jul 15 • 2:25 PM EDT • Health • sgmc.org

Hegseth announces annual testosterone screenings for service members

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday announced a new effort to annually screen service members’ testosterone levels and offer testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), framing it as a way to k…

Jul 15 • 1:21 PM EDT • Politics • thehill.com

Organizers of efforts to establish two new political parties in Nebraska submit signatures

The groups behind the effort to establish two new Nebraska political parties submitted required signatures to get a ballot line this November.

Jul 15 • 12:54 PM EDT • Politics • nebraskaexaminer.com

State employees, retirees to be charged extra for using WakeMed

For the 750,000 members of North Carolina’s State Health Plan, using WakeMed could cost thousands of dollars extra starting next year. But using UNC Health could lead to equally large discounts.

Jul 15 • 12:42 PM EDT • Health • wral.com

Duke Health to Continue Caring for State Health Plan Members Under New Access Provider Network

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke Health has been selected as an Access Provider in the North Carolina State Health Plan’s new tiered provider network for 2027, ensuring state employees and their families can continue receiving care through Duke beginning January 1, 2027.

Jul 15 • 11:49 AM EDT • Health • corporate.dukehealth.org

Biden will publish 'Promise Me, America' memoir in November

Biden describes the book as a reflection on national challenges and his faith in America

Jul 15 • 10:18 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

Watch the trailer for 'I Play Rocky,' the true story behind ‘Rocky,’ coming to theaters November 2026

Jul 15 • 9:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • aboutamazon.com

The 2026 Sports Humanitarian Awards honored Stephen Curry, Jeffrey Lurie, Laurie Tisch, the Baltimore Ravens & more

Tuesday, July 14, athletes and celebrities gathered at Gotham Hall in New York City to celebrate and honor athletes, teams, leagues and members of the sports industry who use the power of sport to make a positive impact on society for the 12th annual Sports Humanitarian Awards.

Jul 15 • 8:29 AM EDT • Sports • espnpressroom.com

Biden Will Release Memoir Just After the November Midterms

The former president announced that the book, “Promise Me, America,” will come out on Nov. 17, and will cover the tumultuous events of his presidency as well as his re-election bid.

Jul 15 • 8:19 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com

Trump will speak on elections in primetime address

The topic suggests he could revisit long-debunked conspiracy theories about his 2020 defeat to President Joe Biden as he's escalated calls for Republicans to pass tighter federal voting rules before November's midterm elections

Jul 15 • 7:56 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

UK's Reform Calls for 'Full Security' for Lawmakers After Politician's Murder

LONDON, July 15 (Reuters) - Britain's populist Reform UK called ⁠on ⁠Wednesday for all lawmakers ⁠to be given "full security" if they want it after the murder of Ann Widdecombe, a prominent member of the party led by veteran Brexit campaigner, Nigel ‌Farage. At a news conference, Zia ‌Yusuf,

Jul 15 • 7:21 AM EDT • Politics • usnews.com

Former Tiger Tom Southall Selected to Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame

Tom Southall, a member of the Colorado College football and track & field teams from 1981-85, has been selected for induction into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame.

Jul 15 • 4:52 AM EDT • Sports • cctigers.com