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Funding College Sports With Private Equity Is Way Better Than Hitting Students With Higher Fees
Plus: Fix the NBA Cup by blowing it up, World Cup ticket prices or lotteries, and more.
Household air pollution
WHO fact sheet on indoor air pollution: includes key facts, definition, impact on health, impact on health equity, WHO response.
UH physician mentor honored for commitment to health equity | University of Hawaiʻi System News
Whitman College has honored Elliot Kalauawa with its highest alumni award.
WHO highlights health risks and opportunities in the global waste crisis
A new World Health Organization (WHO) report, Throwing away our health: the impacts of solid waste on human health – evidence, knowledge gaps and health sector responses, warns that poorly managed solid waste is driving a public health crisis and calls for urgent action to protect people and the environments they live in.Globally, the volume of municipal solid waste is growing at an unprecedented rate. Yet, many countries still lack the systems and resources to manage this waste safely. “Solid waste reflects how our societies produce and consume, and how we treat people and the environment in the process,” said Dr Ruediger Krech, Director a.i., Department of Environment, Climate Change, One Health & Migration at the World Health Organization. “If we continue to treat waste as an afterthought, we will lock in avoidable disease, climate pollution and deep social inequities. This report is a clear call to put health and equity at the centre of how we design, manage and ultimately reduce waste.”The report summarizes evidence on how solid waste – especially municipal solid waste – affects health through polluted air, water, soil and food. When waste is not collected, or is dumped, burned or not poorly treated, it can release hazardous chemicals, contaminate drinking-water sources and create breeding grounds for insects and rodents.Communities underserved by waste management services, those living near dumpsites and poorly managed landfills and incinerators, children and pregnant women, as well as waste workers – particularly those working informally – face the greatest risks. For the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) community, the report underlines that safe management of municipal and health care waste is integral to safely managed, climate-resilient systems.A large share of municipal solid waste is still not collected or is disposed of in uncontrolled conditions, including open dumpsites and open burning. These practices damage ecosystems, contribute to climate change and undermine efforts to build healthy cities. When waste is properly managed, however, it can become a resource – generating energy and creating green jobs. The report calls for a coordinated, multisectoral response grounded in the waste hierarchy: preventing waste where possible, then reducing, reusing and recycling, with safe recovery and disposal.Key actions for governments and partners include reducing waste generation at source; expanding affordable and reliable waste collection services, especially in underserved communities; improving control at recovery and disposal facilities; and eliminating open dumping and burning, including hazardous waste. The new report identifies a central role for the health sector in addressing solid waste as a public health threat. The health sector can prevent and minimize health-care waste at source, improve segregation and safe treatment, invest in cleaner climate-resilient technologies, and advocate for health-protective policies and standards. The report also encourages more surveillance, research and biomonitoring to strengthen the evidence base, and promotes social protection and inclusion of informal waste workers.“This report gives countries and health authorities a very practical agenda,” said Mr Bruce Gordon, Head, Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Unit, WHO. “Health ministries can start now by ensuring safe management of health-care waste, developing strong occupational health programmes for waste workers, and working with municipalities to reduce health risks from solid waste by closing open dumps and burn sites and gradually improving towards safe services. These concrete steps save lives today and will make cities cleaner and healthier in the future.
Dropping equity goals for businesses widens inequality
We call on the MMSD Commission to build on decades of progress and uphold policies that narrow long-standing racial and gender inequities.
Sources: Big 12 nearing private capital deal that could raise up to $500 million
The Big 12 deal closely follows the finalization of an equity partnership that one of the league’s members, Utah, struck earlier this week.
Private equity-backed group says it's pumping $10M into Bay Area sports complex
"It's a facility that needs some love and affection."
It abandoned DEI but it's still accused of being 'woke.' Here's why.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is accused of protecting “woke political goals" because of its support for diversity, equity and inclusion.
CNBC Sport: Utah breaks the private equity seal with historic $500 million investment
Utah may have designed a template for other schools to bring in private capital to help fund their athletic programs.
Wetzel: Beware, college sports, private equity has arrived
The University of Utah approved a groundbreaking private equity deal. Dan Wetzel writes that big changes could follow.
The New WHO Pandemic Treaty and Global Health Governance: Incorporating Common but Differentiated Responsibilities into PABS - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
On May 20, 2025, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, an international treaty designed to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The product of three years of arduous negotiations, the treaty marks a new era of global cooperation in public health. However, core aspects of the agreement remain unresolved—notably the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which is intended to ensure equitable access to pandemic-related materials and benefits. To support the successful implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Introduction For the first time, an international treaty has enshrined the principle of “One Health,” the compelling idea that the health of animals, humans, and the environment all contribute to pandemic risks. SARS (2003), H1N1 (2009–10), Ebola (2014–16), and COVID-19 all emerged through zoonotic spillover from animal hosts—respectively, civets, hogs, and bats. Together, they underscore the need for a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach. The Pandemic Agreement responds to this call, requiring state parties to acknowledge the ecological interplay and commit to a comprehensive “One Health” strategy. Specifically, Article 5 charges governments to address “the drivers of pandemics and the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease at the human-animal-environment interface,” including wild animal markets, deforestation, and antibiotic overuse. Yet the effectiveness of this “One Health” vision depends equally on the free flow of scientific information and data among countries and institutions. Just as environmental and animal health factors have been neglected in past global frameworks, so too has data sharing been marginalized, despite its centrality to timely detection and response. The Pandemic Agreement takes an important step by requiring governments to enhance data collection and cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, these provisions will remain aspirational without a robust Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex. The PABS system will determine whether countries and researchers can rapidly exchange pathogen samples and genetic data while ensuring equitable access to resulting research and development, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. Without such mechanisms, the treaty’s promise to operationalize “One Health” and strengthen global preparedness will risk becoming largely symbolic, echoing earlier failures to translate shared principles into coordinated action. Equity Concerns When the 2025 Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement, it left the difficult question of access to pathogens and the sharing of resulting benefits to be addressed in a separate agreement. Negotiations on this separate agreement, PABS, are now underway in Geneva. Yet governments remain divided over fundamental questions of equity between the countries that primarily contribute to the system and those that primarily draw from it—and consequently benefit. For example, wildlife in countries bordering the equator is likely to produce PABS materials, but companies in Europe are likely to use them to develop lucrative products. The most likely contributor countries are likely to be those biodiverse countries around the equator, such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, where the number of human-mammalian viral host interactions is large. Conversely, countries most likely to benefit from this material are those with the technology, investors, and infrastructure to capitalize on genomic data, such as the United States, EU member states, and Japan. This imbalance reflects a broader pattern seen in prior international frameworks. Now, as in the past, the wealthiest countries in the world (a useful heuristic is membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) disproportionately benefit from systems in which pathogens and genomic sequencing data are contributed to a common source. Under the International Agreement on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the “Plant Treaty” or “Seed Treaty”) and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, companies from Europe and North America disproportionately withdraw biological samples and data for development into lucrative medical products. Their governments and companies have both statutory and contractual claims to the products that those companies correspondingly produce. PABS appears poised to follow the same pattern. The text calls for strong language on access to pathogens and associated data, but the corresponding benefits that should flow to poorer countries are couched in equivocal or non-binding language. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities To address these inequities, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Common but differentiated responsibilities are often a feature of climate change negotiations. The basic principle is that, even though all countries should reduce carbon emissions, governments that became rich and powerful through massive carbon emissions (e.g., France, the United Kingdom, the United States) should have a greater obligation to address the resulting crises. Applied to PABS, it would require that governments hosting and supporting companies developing lucrative products carry greater obligations toward the cost of running the PABS system; share benefits or final medical products; and transfer technology to help countries worldwide develop their own capacities to innovate and manufacture vaccines during an emergency. For example, an annex could mandate that any company based in an OECD country that withdraws PABS material would be obligated to donate the resulting diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines to the WHO during a public health emergency or pandemic. Questions remain about how robust those donations would be, but the principle is that they should deliver highly significant lifesaving benefits to be equitably shared. Theoretically, this approach mirrors the PIP Framework, in which companies withdrawing influenza samples are required to pay half of the operating costs. In practice, however, the framework has fallen short. The PIP Framework Secretariat has struggled to secure payments from companies, with companies often disagreeing over how much is owed. Additionally, without another pandemic influenza to test the strength of the agreement during a public health emergency, corporate compliance with sharing mechanisms remains unknown. Even if these limitations did not characterize the PIP Framework, partially paying for operating expenses does not address the inequity in access to genetic data and pathogen samples that left less developed countries last in line for COVID-19 vaccines (and, before them, H1N1). Common but differentiated responsibilities would go further, addressing governments’ legitimate grievances regarding information sharing. It would make withdrawals of PABS material and resulting products more transparent, building trust across the board. Enforcement and Enduring Success A key implication of this approach is that the governing mechanism of the PABS must have real enforcement authority. The WHO Pandemic Agreement delegates its core governance responsibilities to a Conference of the Parties (COP)—a governing body composed of one representative from each participating government, similar to those established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement COP is charged with oversight functions but ultimately possesses no real authority to compel a government to take any action it does not wish to take. The text does not give the COP the ability to, for example, sanction a party that does not comply with either textual obligations or PABS provisions. In other words, there are no effective mechanisms in place to ensure compliance. Perhaps just as significant, establishing a meaningful enforcement mechanism within the PABS system would strengthen the WHO’s credibility and its ability to ensure compliance across global health governance. By setting a precedent for accountability, such a mechanism could enhance the organization’s authority not only within the Pandemic Agreement but also in enforcing the revised International Health Regulations and other frameworks for public health emergencies. Conclusion The PABS annex can—and should—be different. It should establish clear responsibilities for funding as well as for sharing the diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that result from contributions to the system. The system, in turn, must include a dedicated body empowered to hold governments and the corporations they sponsor accountable for their responsibilities before, during, and after pandemics. Doing so would restore trust in the broader agreement, which was eroded as commitments were repeatedly diluted while parties scrambled to meet their own self-imposed deadlines during the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. A robust PABS Annex would cement a grand social bargain. Wealthier countries and their corporations would gain unimpeded access to scientific information essential for developing and manufacturing lifesaving medical products. As such, they would stand to gain considerable economic benefit. Yet that privilege must be matched with responsibility. The grand bargain must include not only the right to innovate, but also the duty to ensure that innovation serves all. As medical products are developed and produced through collective contributions, every person must have equal access. All human beings deserve an equitable chance to survive—to save their own life, the lives of their families, and the well-being of their communities. … Sam Halabi, JD, MPhil, is the Bette Jacobs Endowed Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health and the Director of the Center for Transformational Health Law at Georgetown Law. He serves as the co-lead for the WHO’s Working Group on Regulatory Consideration on AI and Health’s training workstream. He earned his JD from Harvard, his MPhil from Oxford, and undergraduate degrees from Kansas State University. Lawrence Gostin, LLD (Hon.), JD, BA, is University Distinguished Professor and Founding Director and Timothy and Linda O’Neill Professor of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. He is the author of Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future (Harvard University Press, 2021); Global Health Law (Harvard University Press, 2014); Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2016); Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2018); Law and the Health System (Foundation Press, 2014); Principles of Mental Health Law & Practice (Oxford University Press, 2010). He also directs the WHO Collaborating Center at Georgetown University. Image Credit: United States Mission Geneva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Utah's landmark deal has officially brought private equity to college sports
In today's edition: Utah's landmark deal, Messi wins MVP (again), NFL power rankings, Teddy Bear Toss, A'ja Wilson named TIME's Athlete of the Year, and more.
Private equity makes its first college sports play
The University of Utah has agreed to a for-profit deal with Otro Capital.
Safran Agrees to Sell In-Flight Entertainment Unit to Kingswood
French aircraft engine maker Safran SA, which supplies Airbus SE and Boeing Co., entered into a definitive agreement to sell its in-flight entertainment and connectivity business to private equity firm Kingswood Capital Management LP.
Investment Firm APEX Is Raising $350 Million To Target European Sports Assets
Large private equity funds have mostly scorned the continent’s smaller teams and leagues, but CEO António Caçorino thinks he can generate outsize returns with deals from $15 million to $50 million.
University of Utah approves groundbreaking athletics plan to pursue private equity
While other schools like Clemson and Kentucky have spun off similar entities, Utah would be the first to include outside investors.
Utah to enter landmark private equity agreement worth $500 million, per report
The first-of-its-kind agreement could set a new precedent as universities seek competitive edges in the revenue-sharing era
University of Utah nearing deal with a private equity firm to help fund athletics
The U.’s board of trustees will vote on the matter Tuesday.
Jared Kushner's private equity web
Kushner formed his firm, Affinity Partners, shortly after leaving the White House.
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. Transfers the Majority of its Equity Investment in Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation to Sprott Mining for a Net Consideration of $24.1 million
LEAWOOD, Kan., December 05, 2025--AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AMC) ("AMC" or "the Company"), today announced that it has completed a transaction to transfer the majority of its equity investment in Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: HYMC) ("Hycroft") to Sprott Mining, a private Canadian corporation owned by one of the world’s leading gold and silver investors, Eric Sprott.
AMC Entertainment Holdings, Inc. Transfers the Majority of its Equity Investment in Hycroft Mining Holding Corporation to Sprott Mining for a Net Consideration of $24.1 million
AMC converted the majority of its Hycroft investment into cash, receiving an amount approximately equal to the original capital invested in…...
Goldman US equity chief on advice he'd give to young workers starting out: Figure out how you fit into the machine of the company
Goldman US equity chief advises young workers to focus on how their daily tasks contribute to business success amid AI and automation trends.
States Tighten Oversight of Private Equity in Health Care
Private equity’s footprint in health care has expanded rapidly over the past decade, and in response states have begun to retool long‑standing doctrines
Jennifer Lopez Reflects on ‘Selena’s’ Impact and Vows to Keep “Pushing for Inclusivity” While Accepting Equity in Entertainment Award at THR Women in Entertainment Gala
The 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' star was presented with the award by Kerry Washington, who received the honor in 2023.
The Hollywood Reporter Women In Entertainment 2025 red carpet:...
Gwyneth Paltrow received the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, while Jennifer Lopez was honored with the Equity in Entertainment Award.
Improving Community Health Through Project Health
While visiting her local CVS Pharmacy, a woman walked by a Project Health event happening in-store. Interested, she decided to take advantage of the free health screening offered there. What began as a simple shopping trip quickly turned into a moment of motivation.
AT&T commits to ending DEI programs
US wireless carrier AT&T said in a letter to the US telecoms regulator that it had committed to ending diversity, equity and inclusion programs, a move that comes as it seeks approval from the Trump administration to buy wireless spectrum assets.
Tenpin Entertainment acquires Fairgame
/PRNewswire/ -- Tenpin Entertainment ("Tenpin"), backed by Trive Capital ("Trive"), the Dallas-based private equity firm, announced that it has acquired...
Penn State Health, College of Medicine advance health equity with $205.8 million investment in community health
Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine invested more than $205.8 million to support health and well-being in the communities they serve during fiscal year 2024.
Logitech Named to Inc. Best in Business 2025 List
Logitech Sight's Smart Switching feature, powered by RightSight 2, recognized in Best AI Implementation Category for enhancing hybrid meeting equity Intelligent multicamera framing listed in Best AI Implementation category Honored for AI tech that fixes poor hybrid meeting experiences Company selected based on ingenuity, industry impact, superior execution Today, Logitech (SIX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) was named to Inc. Best in Business 2025 list. The annual awards celebrate the exceptional achievements and contributions of companies that have made a profound impact in their industries. Based on the AI-powered Smart Switching feature of Logitech Sight tabletop conference camera, the company has been recognized in the Best AI Implementation category. The AI-powered Smart Switching feature of Logitech Sight automatically selects the best angle between multiple cameras. The experience to the remote viewer is like that of a TV production. Logitech developed Smart Switching in response to a
Trump commutes sentence of private equity CEO convicted of fraud
President Donald Trump commuted the sentence of David Gentile, a private equity executive who was convicted and sentenced to seven years in prison for a fraud scheme, according to a White House official.
Australia's Star Entertainment names Mathieson Jr. as new chair
Star Entertainment has elected Bruce Mathieson Jr. as chairman, cementing the billionaire Mathieson family’s grip on the embattled casino firm after the family and U.S. gaming group Bally’s converted their rescue loans into equity.
UnitedHealth agrees to sell South American business to private equity firm Patria for $1 billion, sources say
UnitedHealth Group has agreed to sell its South American business Banmedica to a Brazilian private equity group, two sources with knowledge of the matter said.
ACA subsidies will be extended by 1–2 yrs: Healthcare strategist
Mizuho Americas healthcare equity strategist, Jared Holz, joins Market Catalysts host Julie Hyman to discuss the future of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies and why he believes they're not likely to be eliminated anytime soon. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Market Catalysts.