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Opinion | Millions for rural health care mean little to those priced out
Alabama is spending millions of dollars to make rural health care better. New technology and expanded services are being sourced to communities that are in dire need of them. At face value, there is not much to dislike. I mean, who in their right mind would refuse increased resources? This August, Gov. Kay Ivey announced...
Opinion | Health Savings Accounts Can Curb Rising Costs
Congress should expand a tool that lets Americans keep more of their money and spend less on healthcare.
Speak Up: Reader opinions on New Mexico politics, data centers and more
Readers share views on data centers, elections, campaigns, public lands and more in today’s Speak Up.
Opinion: Kansas may surprise the nation and elect a Democrat to the US Senate. MAGA politics reshaped state.
Opinion from H. Edward Flentje: In 1932, Kansas voters elected Democrat George McGill to the U.S Senate. In the 32 senate elections since then, voters have consistently elected Republicans to represent them.This historic streak makes Democrat Adam Hamilton’s bid to prevail in his challenge to the reelection of U.S. Senator Roger Marshall an uphill climb. However, Marshall’s embrace of MAGA politics has changed the dynamics of the race and given Hamilton a credible shot at a dramatic upset.
Opinion: Deb Haaland for governor on New Mexico health care
A UNM resident physician urges voters to support Deb Haaland’s plans for health coverage and more doctors.
Opinion: Politicians need to be honest about Social Security's insolvency
If politicians don't find a solution to Social Security's insolvency now, one will be forced upon them later, Joseph Stango writes.
Opinion | Republicans Have the Money. Democrats Have the Momentum.
This week in politics: Which Democrats? And whose A.I. morals?
Don't let America lose our title as world leader in research
The United States spent more than two centuries becoming a world leader in science and humanities research, but we’re quickly losing that title.
John Turley: Who pays for American politics? (Opinion)
In January 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court issued one of the most consequential and controversial campaign-finance decisions in modern American history. In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Court
More Than Crew Room Politics. Our Careers Are on the Line.
This week, former Missouri House Speaker Tim Jones published an opinion piece questioning whose interests the Teamsters are really representing as they continue to push back on the Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern merger. Read on to hear his logic.
Gears of War: E-Day sells 230K copies
Gears of War: E-Day has sold 230K copies since its advance-access launch on October 1 and full release on October 6. Steam accounts for 168K of those, with Xbox (console and PC) selling 62K. But there’s more to this story, as Xbox makes up the bulk of revenue. E-Day is the best-reviewed Gears game in nearly two decades (and the best one ever made, in my opinion). The Coalition has made a banger here (it’s currently in my top 10 of the year). Despite E-Day’s undeniable quality, this is a soft result. And it’s down to the business model, really. E-Day has made $37M so far, thanks to the Premium upgrade On Xbox, Game Pass is cannibalising much of the premium revenue. Our estimates show that 1.7M folks accessed E-Day via their subscription rather than a copy. But Xbox is having it both ways – or having it halfway, at least – via its Premium Edition Game Pass upgrade. Game Pass subscribers could pay $30 (or their local equivalent) for up to five days of early access starting October 1. Our estimates show that of the 1.7M who accessed E-Day through Game Pass, 722K paid for the upgrade. Between the review embargo lifting on October 1 and the full release, E-Day managed to shift another 250K early-access upgrades – no doubt helped by the campaign’s rave reviews. So despite selling far fewer copies on Steam, Xbox accounts for almost three-quarters of the revenue (roughly $26M of the $37M, versus about $11M on Steam). So “230K copies” undersells the paying audience. Including the 722K upgrades, nearly 950K people actually paid something for E-Day. The $30 upgrade is a halfstep from cannibalisation, but will Xbox go all the way? While E-Day is a sublime game, these are soft numbers for a flagship when Xbox badly needs revenue wins. E-Day sold 62K copies on Xbox against 722K Premium upgrades, so for every one copy sold on Xbox, nearly 12 Game Pass upgrades were sold. The $70 premium SKU is – functionally – dead on Xbox. Normally you can’t see what a Game Pass player would have paid, because the game’s just there in the subscription. But the $30 early-access upgrade estimate shows that 722K people demonstrated they’ll spend real money on this game. In a world without day-one Game Pass, many of these folks would have bought E-Day at $70. They paid $30 for five days early access to something they don’t own. Xbox is, in effect, charging its most valuable customers the least, based on a hangover from a tried-and-exhausted strategy from a previous administration. Those 722K willing-to-pay players generated about $21.7M via the upgrade. If three quarters of this group – mostly US and European audiences – bought E-Day outright, that’s nearly $40M. Of course, Game Pass does bring in meaningful recurring revenue, and E-Day is adding value for hundreds of thousands of subscribers. However, Game Pass is no longer growing, so Xbox is at a crossroads. Xbox is reportedly looking to do a Netflix and bolt on an ad-supported tier to pad it further. But that will just set a new floor, and leadership keeps telling us the priority now is revenue growth, which is subscriber-speak for ARPU. Xbox has already pulled Call of Duty from day-one Game Pass after day-one inclusion hammered its sales, with new CoD titles now arriving on the service around a year late. We know that some Microsoft executives believe the service devalues games outright, and rumours (which Microsoft has dismissed so far, to be fair) suggest that day-one releases could be taken off Game Pass. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe When a game this well-reviewed does this softly on its home platform, the model – not the game – gets brought into question. What else E-Day’s early adopters have played (including this month so far) Looking at E-Day‘s players on Xbox, most have played the franchise before (86% have played Gears 5, 76% Gears 4), and every game on the crossover list is either a shooter or a title from an Xbox-owned studio (though Game Pass is inflating those numbers, of course, more on that later): As for what else Xbox’s E-Day players have played this month, the top three are Fortnite (16%), Roblox (7%), and Call of Duty (6%). Another 5% played Minecraft Dungeons II, which is also on Game Pass and launched a couple of days before Gears‘ advance-access date. Many Game Pass players are happy to check out most big new additions. Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe Over on Steam, the top crossover games are also mostly shooters (slightly more PC-coded ones), including Space Marine 2, which was itself heavily inspired by Gears: Looking at what E-Day‘s Steam players are into this month shows who they are – as subscriptions don’t skew the data. The top three are Wardogs (13%), Deadlock (12%), and CS2 (10%), so you’ve got the restless shooter crowd checking out the new hotness. A little further down are Helldivers 2 and Space Marine 2, your co-op PVE shooter players who’ll feel right at home in Horde mode. Game Pass is skewing the playtime distribution on Xbox Looking at the playtime distribution in our platform, E-Day players on Steam are – relatively speaking – playing for longer: 54% of E-Day players on Xbox have played for five hours or less (versus 32% on Steam) 19% of Xbox players played for over 15 hours (versus 33% on Steam) 14% of Xbox players played for over 20 hours (22% on Steam) The absolute number of people playing for over 15, 20, and 50 hours is, of course, bigger on Xbox, thanks to the sheer volume of folks who came in through Game Pass (upgraders included). None of that is cause for alarm. Game Pass is the reason Xbox playtime skews lower, as when a game is free to try, people try it and bounce without putting in even an hour (17% under an hour on Xbox versus 6% on Steam). Want more free estimates and insights in your inbox twice a week? Subscribe below! Subscribe The subscription brings in tourists alongside the committed, dragging down the average even when the game is excellent (but also perhaps winning over the uninitiated). It’s standard across every subscription-included title, on PS Plus too. Forza Horizon 6, for instance, had 11% of its Xbox players bounce under an hour, versus just 2% on Steam. So, Xbox’s crossroads So there we have it. Gears of War: E-Day is an incredible game whose revenues have been stifled by subscription inclusion and exclusivity. It’s the best-reviewed entry in the series in fifteen-odd years, but it still turned into one of the year’s softer flagship launches, not because players didn’t want it, but because Xbox’s own storefront gave its most willing buyers a reason not to pay. Which leaves Xbox at a crossroads. Will it keep making Gears games when the financial returns are this thin and the margins this low? And if it does, does the next one arrive off Game Pass at day one – the way CoD now does, or even on PlayStation? I think it should. Alright, back to E-Day for me! The last word Reply to this email – or reach out here – if you have any feedback for the newsletter – or want to request a game for us to cover. [Alinea Analytics boasts the most accurate PC and console estimates in the business. Game makers use our platform to understand their audience, keep an eye on the competition, monitor sales trends, and spot new opportunities. We equip game studios and financial institutions with accurate data and the confidence to make smarter, data-driven decisions. Want to talk about all things games market data? We’d love to chat!]
Opinion: Chicago’s housing crisis demands more solutions and fewer debates
Chicago's housing affordability crisis calls for more construction, less confrontation and better cooperation among those seeking solutions.
World Mental Health Day: a Miami film can help us see through someone else’s eyes
I made the film while studying at Miami Dade College. Choosing to write a film about myself was one of the most vulnerable things I had ever done. | Opinion
Opinion | Screens Are Not the Problem
If we make screens the villain, then we let the people who control children’s health care — Congress, insurers and health systems — off the hook for their failures.
Opinion: Trust fall: ads for Kansas candidates address voters’ slumping faith in almost everything
Opinion from Eric Thomas: I watched 52 Kansas campaign commercials today so that you don’t have to. Actually, for the next few weeks you will still be watching them. Whether you want them or not, they will still be on during the nightly news, college football games and re-runs of “Everybody Loves Raymond.”
Video: Opinion | How TikTok Warps Our Politics
What are the political consequences of the era of video? TikTok is overwhelming our world with emotional appeals that print media can’t capture, according to the Times of London columnist James Marriott, and it’s making us more mystical, tribal and autocratic.
Opinion: ‘Responsible AI’ will be proven on Chicago’s factory floors
Chicago’s AI advantage is its buyers. If artificial intelligence can work in our plants, hospitals and insurance giants, it can work anywhere.
Guest Opinion: Tanya Murren: A Business Owner Invested in Madras—and My Friend
I’ve enjoyed getting to know Tanya Murren and have come to appreciate the energy, creativity and enthusiasm she brings to everything she does. With 38 years of experience building and […]
Former Super Bowl champion changes tune on Patrick Mahomes
Image Press Agency/Depositphotos Jason McCourty reverses Chiefs opinion Former NFL defensive back and Super Bowl LIII champion Jason McCourty said he felt like an idiot for doubting Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City after watching the Chiefs open the 2026 season with 3 victories. McCourty made the admission during an ESPN discussion before Kansas City’s Week…
Horror Movies, Politics Are Killing Film Festivals: Opinion Column
The film festival circuit is drowning in bloody genre fare and ideological theater. Whatever happened to indie cred?
GUEST OPINION: New Denver parking policies will backfire on business
Recently, the city of Denver announced an expansion of its parking enforcement efforts and new curbside restrictions.
Idaho deserves a competent lawyer and politician for attorney general
An attorney general can have personal views on political issues but cannot ethically inject them into legal advice or court. | Opinion
OPINION: Flippo's follies are making Nevada politics interesting again
OPINION: Flippo’s follies are making Nevada politics interesting again. Read more at The Nevada Independent.
Opinion: The politics of gambling
Despite the restrictions, gambling is often an issue in Utah politics
Opinion | Shaul: Missouri Employers Need More Choices to Control Health Care Costs
For Missouri grocers, the rising cost of health care isn't an abstract policy debate. It's a cost they deal with every month as they work to provide health insurance for their employees and their families.
KFF Midterms Data Presentation: What Do Voters Think About Health Care Now?
Join KFF for a virtual event at Noon ET on Wednesday, October 14, featuring KFF public opinion and survey experts who will provide analysis and insights on the latest findings from recent public opinion surveys about health care issues in advance of the midterms, including current public sentiment about Medicare-for-All and how it compares historically. After the presentation, experts will take questions from attendees.
OPINION: An oligarchy is slowly taking over American politics
The United States was founded on what people call, “the American Dream.” Well, that dream is becoming harder and harder to obtain for the average American, but some seem to be unaffected. To begin, it may be helpful to define oligarchy in this context. Oligarchy, for the sake of this article, will be defined as...
How to Intertwine the Science of Teaching With the Art of It (Opinion)
The best teachers rely on many strategies to meet the challenges that arise in the classroom.
Opinion: The science that has oil companies running scared
Opinion: The science that has oil companies running scared
KFF Health Tracking Poll: Health Care Issues in the Lead-Up to the 2026 Midterm Election
Affordability worries continue to top the public’s list of midterm election issues, with health care and gas costs tying as the top economic concern, finds KFF’s new Health Tracking Poll conducted on the SSRS Opinion Panel. Overall, voters trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle health care costs and the cost of living. A quarter...
Another sign of rapidly expanding political map: Pollsters can’t keep up
Increased demand for polling has strained call centers that conduct surveys, squeezed capacity and complicated the task of getting accurate reads on public opinion, according to pollsters.
Opinion: El Paso women cannot underestimate the danger in Texas’ extreme reproductive policies
After experiencing miscarriages in El Paso and Ciudad Juárez, Rebecca Guerrero reflects on why she felt better supported across the border and urges Texans to vote for reproductive health protections.
Opinion | Meta Is Crushing Small Online Retailers
Meta is crushing small online businesses by charging more for less effective ads, a sign of its extraordinary grip on the market.
Current and Historical Public Opinion on Medicare-for-All and Other National Health Plan Proposals
This chart pack summarizes KFF polling data on public opinion on Medicare-for-all and other national health plan proposals. The latest update finds that two-thirds of the public supports Medicare-for-all, while support changes drastically as respondents hear arguments from proponents and critics.
Deshaun Watson's Rollercoaster Performances for the Cleveland Browns
I'm going to focus on EPA for this piece. EPA stands for Expected Points Added, which measures the value of individual plays based on how much they increase or decrease a team's likelihood of scoring.Here is a fantastic video explaining what EPA is and why it is a measure that looks at years on NFL history rather than one person's subjective opinion on a certain play.Deshaun Watson's Current...
Why I Don’t Think Ride Or Die Should Have Been Cancelled (And What Company Should Save It...)
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) So…I recently came across a Reddit thread, talking about films on streaming, wondering why there are no reliable sources out there for streaming ratings data. Sigh. Honestly, as annoyed as I am that so many still don’t realize that we have streaming ratings, I somewhat get it. Until now, there was such a long delay between when a show or film came to streaming and when we got its viewership data; I understand why people were confused. (But, as you know, this just changed.) Also, even back in the day, how many people knew how well films did on television? Luckily, as a reader, you’re in the know. Okay, on to this week’s issue. I want to take a look at Prime Video cancelling Ride or Die and whether I agree with that decision. Overall, we didn’t have any breakout hits (no TV shows landed over 20 million hours according to Nielsen) but we have a lot of steady performers on the streaming charts. Plus, we’ll look at where $50 million in missing box office dollars went. (Spoiler: straight-to-streaming.) All that, plus new episodes of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Supergirl heads to streaming, a new YA show does well on Netflix, the viewership for the Daily Wire’s $50 million fantasy show, what TV show hit-maker can’t make streaming hits, CD sales, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of September 7th to September 13th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Television - Ride or Die Is a Hit…But It Got Cancelled? What The Data “Says” I hate the phrase “here’s what the data says”, even though sometimes I find myself using it. If data just told us everything, we data folks would be out of a job! Data is often messy, complicated and nuanced. When it comes to strategy, many of the best decisions can’t actually use “data”, since it’s vastly too complicated to model. Anyways, I’ve been singing the praises of Prime Video’s Ride Or Die this summer, a show that did very well for them. And yet…it got cancelled. Now, usually when a show gets cancelled, a bunch of websites say “a hit show got cancelled”... Here’s the thing, though: in this case, they’re right! The data “says” that this show was a hit. Specifically, out of 522 first seasons to make a week on the Nielsen charts since 2020, it’s the 75th biggest. On Amazon, Ride or Die is eighth out of 41 first seasons: That’s top 15th percentile all time, almost exactly, which is my definition of a “hit”! I mean, outside of Reacher, Amazon needed a hit this summer! (Admittedly, Off Campus did well for Amazon in the spring, but Ride or Die performed even better.) So what happened? Why did Amazon cancel one of their rare 2026 bright spots? Well, Deadline reported a reason—which I’ll get to—but I’d break it down into three relevant questions: What is a given streamer’s reasoning? Is that reasoning sound? Could the stated reason not be the real reason? According to Deadline, Amazon felt the show “over-indexed” in middle-aged women. (This was based on leaks from within Amazon.) The logic is this: Amazon already reaches this demographic because of unlimited two-day shipping bundled with Prime, so they don’t really need more shows like this. Now, it’s my job to ask if that’s a good reason, and I’ll be honest, in this case, I don’t think it is. Sure, this show may “over-index” in middle-aged women—I’ll just assume that’s the case here—but I think folks often oversell how important over-indexing actually is. When a show is a “hit”, it isn’t a bit bigger than its rivals; it’s usually multiples bigger. For example, Elle only made the charts for two weeks at 8.3 million hours each. So Ride or Die was 80% bigger in its first two weeks, and likely had a much stronger hold, with its terrific 13 million hours in week three. Ride or Die was nearly three times bigger than Sterling Point through three weeks too. And that means that _Elle, Sterling Point a_nd other Amazon YA shows need to not just over-index a little with younger women (assuming that’s who Amazon prefers over middle-aged women), but massively over-index. Otherwise, more people in that demo (and a bunch more besides) likely watched Ride or Die. (I’ll try to explore this concept more in a future article.) And don’t get me started on how Ride or Die did compared to a certain (very, very popular, possibly the world’s most popular) YouTuber’s reality show…which didn’t make the charts after its first week and likely cost much, much more than Ride or Die. All to say, Amazon-MGM Studios/Prime Video can tell reporters that this show didn’t reach the right audience, but that excuse feels weak to me. So this leads to the third question: could other reasons have come into play? Yes! Renewal or cancellation decisions rarely (I’m tempted to say “never”) boil down to one variable. At its simplest, it’s two things: budget versus viewership. But often factors like critical acclaim, ownership and, yes, personal opinion come into play. In this case, Amazon has a new executive running things, and this show isn’t owned by Amazon-MGM Studios (unlike Elle). And yes, it may not have indexed with the right target viewers, too. Likely all of those factors came into play.1 My guess is ownership ended up mattering most. Amazon doesn’t own Ride or Die. It’s actually produced by another major studio. Fortunately/allegedly, this show is being shopped around. I can think of one brand new CEO who should consider it for one of his two major streamers…especially if he wants to rebuild goodwill in Hollywood. His name is on this list of exec producers of Ride or Die… If David Ellison needs some goodwill—and he does—rescue this female-led show tomorrow and grab some good headlines for a day. The data justifies it. Quick Notes on TV We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… How The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives latest season did on Hulu, post-controversy... Whether Supergirl soared on HBO Max... Why the box office is losing money due to the streamers... The viewership for the Daily Wire’s $50 million fantasy show... Updates on The Gentlemen, Lanterns, Outer Banks, King of the Hill and more... What former hit-maker has three streaming flops in a row... Whether The Mandalorian and Grogu popped in week two... All the flops, bombs and misses... And a whole lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. If you want an idea of just how much content you’d get in a full issue, check out this older issue. Coming Soon! Oh man, we’re almost caught up! We just have two more issues, then the streaming Ratings Report will be coming out just two weeks after a TV show premieres! Next issue, I’ll be looking at the first two weeks of the NFL Thursday night games on streaming, a huge new spinoff, Reacher’s Neagly on Prime Video, and the latest edition of Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on Netflix, the return of Slow Horses on Apple and MobLand (quietly one of their biggest shows) on Paramount+, and Dancing with the Stars on both ABC and Disney+. Plus I’ll take a look at animation for adults in 2026. The week after, a ton of movies are coming to streaming: Toy Story 5 on Disney+, Backrooms on HBO Max, Jackass: Best and Last on Paramount+ and The Breadwinner on Netflix, plus a Unabomber film on Netflix and a romcom on Prime Video. Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey have a show on Apple, along with a game show inspired by Willy Wonka that everyone seems to hate. Long term, some crazy (but hopefully crazy like a fox) IP news. FX ordered a new Sons of Anarchy show from Charlie Hunnam, but it’s not about the biker gang. No, it features the show’s cast playing themselves in a new “meta-thriller”. Huh. And a lot of the cast is coming back. Next, Ryan Gosling is producing a Flintstones movie about a “grown-up Bamm-Bamm Rubble”. Also, huh. This one is in “early development” so we’ll see what happens. Both projects are based on IP, but also seem to have crazy takes on the IP, which I like.
Opinion: Pay for performance, not for politics
North Carolina should link teacher pay growth to hard-to-staff roles and performance, not seniority, credentials or political pressures, columnist John Hood arg...
Opinion: Pay for performance, not for politics
North Carolina should link teacher pay growth to hard-to-staff roles and performance, not seniority, credentials or political pressures, columnist John Hood arg...
OPINION: Pay for performance, not for politics
The North Carolina General Assembly approved substantial pay increases for public schoolteachers earlier this year. If a bipartisan commission has its way, teacher compensation will soar over …
I have ALS. The promise and potential perils of AI are personal
OPINION: While concerns over AI safety are warranted, the technology could help us design bigger, smarter and more inclusive trials for people with diseases like ALS, Kevin J. Morrison writes.
The Millennial Internet Is Dead, and Politicians Killed It. (opinion)
Social media use is declining, and what's left has shifted from conversation to passive scrolling.
My students are politically apathetic. Here’s what colleges can do to get them involved and engaged. (Opinion)
Although colleges might not think it’s their job to teach their students how to talk about civics, government and American democracy, it is. Instead of leaving families, the internet, and the nation’s K-12 schools to do the heavy lifting, i…
Opinion/Guest column: When politics, science collide over vaccination
These actions ignore the 300-plus-year history in the United States of prioritizing the health of people and communities.
Opinion/Guest column: When politics, science collide over vaccination
These actions ignore the 300-plus-year history in the United States of prioritizing the health of people and communities.
Opinion/Guest column: When politics, science collide over vaccination
These actions ignore the 300-plus-year history in the United States of prioritizing the health of people and communities.
Opinion/Guest column: When politics, science collide over vaccination
These actions ignore the 300-plus-year history in the United States of prioritizing the health of people and communities.
Opinion/Guest column: When politics, science collide over vaccination
These actions ignore the 300-plus-year history in the United States of prioritizing the health of people and communities.
Some of NC’s weirdest and worst political ads probably aren’t on your TV
We’ve all seen the ads in North Carolina’s U.S. Senate race, but they aren’t the only memorable ads airing right now. | Opinion
OPINION | OTHERS SAY: Put an end to resentment politics
American politics is being hijacked not by one ideology, one party or one faith but by influential voices who have discovered that resentment attracts attention, outrage builds audiences and division produces political power.
Is Sun Life (TSX:SLF) Quietly Redefining Its Health Ecosystem With Disability Care Navigation?
In late September 2026, Sun Life U.S. introduced Disability with Health Navigator, integrating personalized care navigation into disability coverage to help employees access specialized opinions, providers, and employer-specific benefits while facing major health conditions or seeking ongoing support. This move extends Health Navigator’s reach across disability, standalone offerings and medical stop-loss coverage, underlining Sun Life’s focus on year-round health support within employer...
Opinion: Voting rights for young Americans remain unfinished business
Broadening democratic participation should be a national priority, including in the newly proposed Youth Voting Rights Act
Opinion | Opinion: What the Cornell Lawsuit Reveals About Sexual Violence in America
The columnist David French argues that “we have privileged getting wasted over taking care of people.”
Opinion | We Surveyed 50,674 Americans. This Is What Brings Them Together.
Americans are divided in their politics but not as sports fans.
Harold Branam: Talking back to money in politics (Opinion)
At the midterm Republican Convention last month, President Donald Trump promised to send every American adult a $5,000 check if the Republicans retain control of the House and Senate.
RFK Jr.'s AI claims spark physician backlash as debate over medical AI intensifies
Robert F. | Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, said on Tuesday that artificial intelligence can provide patients a second opinion that is "much better informed than any doctor in the country."
Five Best Books on Women in the Movie Business
The author of ‘Jungle Red!’ on revelatory stories from women on camera and behind the scenes in Hollywood.
(LETTERS) Kelly Walsh sports debacle and GOP leadership
Oil City News publishes letters, cartoons and opinions as a public service. The content does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Oil City News or its
Opinion: UChicago’s growing gender imbalance deserves answers
A former UChicago admissions officer questions why the university is enrolling more male students when substantially more female students applied.
Opinion: As AI political deepfake advertisements go viral, state lawmakers struggle to keep up
Opinion from Stefani Langehennig: Imagine watching a political campaign video in which a candidate admits to taking a bribe. You recognize the face and voice. But the confession is entirely fabricated, thanks to artificial intelligence.Now imagine that your state has passed a law against these AI-generated election deepfakes. Would that mean the video has to be removed from the airwaves?
Letter: Politics shouldn’t be dirty
Letter: Grand County Sheriff Jamison Wiggins, a candidate for re-election, calls for local campaigns built on accountability, not personal attacks.
OPINION | Let’s get political, in person
Are college students engaging in authentic political discourse in person? I’m not sure. In a survey conducted by Professor Neil Gross at Colby College, 4 in 5 college students said that they were aware of their college’s political reputation when applying. Of those students who were aware, nearly half said it played a part in...
What Does Your Office Say About Your Business? by Jennifer Kraner
What does your space say about you and your business? More importantly, does it give you the best possible first impression? The minute a client, customer or patient walks through your door, they’re forming an opinion about your business – sometimes consciously, sometimes without even realizing it. Your space is communicating something about you, whether you intend it to or not. At Big Sky Design, we work with all kinds of commercial businesses, including many medical practices, law firms and other corporate offices, and I’ve seen first hand how much thoughtful design can influence that first impression. For businesses in medical, legal, and financial fields, three things are particularly important: trust, privacy and professionalism. Your space should communicate all three while also reflecting who you are as a business. That can be challenging, especially in a new construction project. Often, so much of the budget goes toward the actual construction that things like lighting, comfortable seating, artwork and finishing touches get pushed to the side. But those are often the elements that make a space feel complete – and memorable. Think about your waiting room. Is it comfortable? Is the lighting welcoming? Does the layout make sense? When someone walks through the door, do they immediately know where to go and whom to speak with? In a medical office, there’s another important consideration: privacy. Reception areas can become surprisingly noisy places, with phone calls, conversations between staff and patients, and people discussing personal information. Hard surfaces throughout a space allow sound to bounce around, making it difficult to maintain privacy. We recently worked with an eye doctor's office that had exactly this problem. The reception desk had a large opening, and staff were making and taking phone calls right next to patients who were waiting. We designed an acoustic treatment that acted as a divider between the staff and waiting areas. It absorbed sound, but it also became a branded design element. It was a visual reminder to everyone in the space to be mindful of their voices and what others might be able to hear. Those kinds of thoughtful details can make a tremendous difference. And good commercial design doesn't have to mean making your space flashy. Sometimes it’s as simple as a calming color palette, beautiful artwork, plants, carefully selected lighting or comfortable upholstered furniture. In a medical setting, those touches can help soften what might otherwise feel clinical and reduce anxiety for patients who are already nervous about an appointment. I’ve been in waiting rooms where everyone feels packed together, and you can hear every conversation – even what’s happening in the restroom next door. That’s not the experience you want to create. Your office should also feel like your business. Are you telling people that you’re clean and modern? Sophisticated and unique? Warm and welcoming? Or, unintentionally, are you telling them that your business is outdated? You don’t necessarily need a complete renovation to change that message. Fresh paint, updated lighting, new artwork, better seating or a few branded design elements can make a space feel current and intentional. At Big Sky Design, we’ve worked with radiology, dermatology, and dental practices, among many others. Every practice is different, but the goal is always the same: creating a space that reflects the business behind it and gives every person who walks through the door a positive first impression. Because your office is part of your brand. Make sure it’s telling the story you want people to hear. Read more at bigskydesignonline.com.
Opinion | Deepak Hegde | Taxing the Talent that Builds American Science
Professor Deepak Hegde op-ed: “Taxing the Talent that Builds American Science.”
Opinion | Blackwell: Missouri Must Address the Mental Health Crisis in County Jails
Every day, sheriffs, detention officers, nurses, and other jail staff across Missouri care for people whose serious mental illness requires treatment that a county jail was never designed to provide.
Debt service and the Pentagon. Private equity and the politics of the US housing market. The return of black lung disease & the Franco-Prussian War in color.
Thank you for opening your Chartbook email. RALPH BALSON. 1890—1964. Oil and enamel, signed. Source: Gavekal This going to hurt - the two 7s in the US: diesel and mortgage rates Source: Gavekal In the US housing market, costs are soaring and the role of corporate, private equity-backed buyers is high on the mid-term election agenda. HEY READERS, THANK YOU for opening the Chartbook email. I hope it brightens your day. I enjoy putting out the newsletter, but tbh, what keeps this flow going is the generosity of those readers who clicked the subscription button. If you are persuaded to click, please consider the annual subscription of $60. It is both better value for you and a much better deal for me, as it involves only one credit card charge. Why feed the payments companies if we don’t have to. Subscribe It is striking how, since 2020, big banks have dropped out of the political spotlight in the US. For contributing subscribers only. Subscribe Rates of the lung disease pneumoconiosis among working US coal miners have risen to levels not seen in nearly 40 years Source: Bloomberg Chinese Clean Technology Exports For contributing subscribers only. Subscribe Ralph Balson (1939) Portrait of Grace Crowley Cole, G. O. & Haseman, S. M., (2023) “‘The Substance of Paint’: Class and Materiality in the Work of Ralph Balson”, Open Library of Humanities 9(2). Ralph Balson (1890–1964) was an English plumber and house painter who emigrated to Australia in 1913 and subsequently became a key member of Sydney’s artistic avant-garde. He is credited with having the first solo exhibition of purely abstract painting in Australia in 1941. Despite his role in developing Australian non-objective painting, Balson remained principally a house painter, working on his art practice at weekends. In 1955 he retired on a state pension and became a full-time artist. Balson’s artistic education and methods were critically shaped by his working-class background. He did not travel abroad until 1960 and was an avid auto-didact. His materials, palette, techniques and compositional strategies were likewise informed by his trade. Balson’s profession as a painter-decorator made him conspicuous within the predominantly middle-class Sydney art scene, though his painting partner Grace Crowley considered it an advantage in their pursuit of constructive painting. This paper explores the impact of Balson’s trade on his trajectory towards pure abstraction. While his art was at odds with the predominantly figurative mode of class-conscious art in Australian Modernism, we argue that it is embedded in the experience of class through its creative adaptation of labour into aesthetics. Source: OLH Svetlana Alexievich, The Art of Oral History No. 1 Paris Review Issue 257, Fall 2026 Interviewed by Elena Kostyuchenko INTERVIEWER How were you able to go to Chernobyl? Did you need special papers? ALEXIEVICH It was a time of chaos. They let me right into the zone. … More than anything, there was confusion. Adamovich [Ales Adamovich, the Soviet Belarusian writer], I remember, persuaded Gorbachev to send in the scientists, who showed up without even bringing their shaving kits. They were told that there had been an explosion at a nuclear power plant, but for some reason they thought that they’d be there for only a day or two. The first time I went was several months later, and people kept telling me about things they didn’t understand—how the fishermen couldn’t find worms, because they’d burrowed deep into the earth, how the milk wouldn’t curdle at the cheese factories. The honeybees wouldn’t come out of their hives. The evacuations started, I think, in the first month. The old women hid, they wouldn’t leave. I mentioned radiation to one of them and she said, “I’ve seen that radiation, all right! It’s yellow with green in it. I saw puddles of it in my garden, and I told the other women, and we ran and looked, and she had it in her garden, and the other one, too!” God, it was wild, the way the mind made sense of it. There was a story going around about Gorbachev telling the scientists to show him the radiation. “We can’t, it’s invisible.” “But I want to see it!” I also ran into the soldiers who’d been flown in on helicopters from Afghanistan. I asked them, “What are you doing here with your machine guns?” They said, “We’re collecting the radiation, that’s what.” So you had some of them running around with their guns, others out in the village washing off firewood or burying soil in the soil. These were the kinds of things that exploded our worldview. They made you realize that culture was just a chest filled with old manuscripts. There were no books in there that could help me. Our philosophers turned out to be useless when faced with the unprecedented. Derrida, Baudrillard—philosophy fell silent. What was happening? How would we live with it? That’s when I decided it simply needed to be witnessed. Which is what I did. INTERVIEWER I wanted to ask about how you talk to people. … ALEXIEVICH Yes, we sit and we talk—about what interests me and about life in general. About love, about everything in the world. That way, what comes out is three-dimensional. If you cut straight to the part you need, which is what journalists do, it won’t be interesting, and it won’t be the truth, either. Not the whole truth. INTERVIEWER Do people always open up when you ask questions, or can questions get in the way? ALEXIEVICH You have to ask questions, of course. Your job is to scour away the banality and return people to their true selves, to make them face what they rarely tap into. With every new person, you have to find a new way to do it. When you ask an interesting question or you share what happened to you, you help people really think about what they’re saying and not just repeat whatever they’ve picked up from the newspaper. But not everybody is capable of it, not everyone wants to put themselves through that. Either the chemistry starts to kick in or it doesn’t. A person might be wonderful, but you can tell that the conversation just isn’t going to happen. You can try to push it, but it will be a product of your own intellect, rather than of that mysterious connection. Life doesn’t come from the mind. Some people I can call two years after our last conversation, and they’ll say, “Oh, Svetochka! I think of you all the time,” and we’ll start talking again. With others, that won’t happen. That doesn’t mean they’re not extraordinary people, just that you can’t connect with them. They might have some insight, but you don’t have the right antenna to pick up their signal. Source: The Paris Review Colorized Franco-Prussian war … the ruins of Strasbourg with a French photographer and his mobile dark room. Ralph Balson (1961) Matter Painting If you’ve scrolled this far, you know you want to click: Subscribe
Opinion | Religion Is the Roberts Court’s Unfinished Business
This case has flown under the radar, but it won’t stay there.
Opinion | Trump Has Become Just Another Disappointing Politician
His winning brand — outsider businessman — has withered.
'Chaos and uncertainty'
If you had the impression that the saga over Manchester City's 115 charges was almost over, think again. Two years since the hearing began, the Premier League has confirmed that City have been found guilty of all charges related to breaches of its financial rules between the 2009-10 and 2017-18 seasons. City have said they are "innocent of the accusations made by the Premier League" and would pursue "appeal avenues open to it, on the basis that the opinion contains clear material errors, of law, principle and fact, and is unsafe."
Opinion: How I learned to love science again by becoming a cautionary tale
An important anniversary passed without fanfare. We don’t appreciate Alexander Fleming enough
Opinion | Trump’s Deliberate Blurring of Foreign and Domestic Politics
In the final week of September 2026, the American political landscape appeared more complicated than the headlines suggested. Much of the attention focused on President Donald Trump’s September 22 …
Opinion | I’m Exhausted. You’re Demoralized. We Weren’t Built for a World Like This.
A greatly underappreciated virtue of other presidents was that you could forget about them for weeks at a time.
Opinion | Kansas Hasn’t Elected a Democrat to the Senate Since 1932. Adam Hamilton Could Change That.
This campaign could be a compelling model for Democrats.
Opinion: Well-being of Coloradans is strengthened by a commitment to arts and creativity
Public health conversations across the state need to be more than just the number of hospitals or the frequency of doctor visits.
OPINION: Indecisive politics behind U.S.-Iran ceasefire extension without agreement
A 60-day ceasefire between the United States and Iran expired in August without an agreement to extend it, underscoring what can be viewed as "indecisive" politics common to both countries.
Mann says voters are ready for a change from ‘Politics as it is’ during recent campaign fundraiser in Emporia Monday
It is the opinion of Democratic Candidate Chris Mann that voters are tired of "politics as it is" and ready fo...
Opinion: Brandon Johnson is wrong about Michael Sacks
As leaders of unions representing more than 100,000 working families across Chicago, we strongly disagree with Mayor Brandon Johnson’s recent attacks on Michael Sacks.
iPhone 18 Pro First Impressions: What Do You Think So Far?
It's been a little over a week since the iPhone 18 Pro models launched, and we want to hear from MacRumors readers. What do you think of Apple's newest iPhones? If you upgraded from an older phone, was it worth it? What about upgrading from an iPhone 17 Pro? What problems are you running into? Anything you love so far? MacRumors readers have already been sharing early opinions on the MacRumors forums, and there are interesting discussion threads to read through.
Ohio gas tax holiday is easy politics. Paying for it isn't
Opinion: Ohio gas tax holiday sounds great. The math doesn't.
Opinion | Trump Revealed Something Essential About Elites
There are always elites. The people get to decide which ones rule.
Will Ipswich stay in the Premier League?
Cameron asked: Will Ipswich stay in the Premier League this season? Also, what are your opinions on summer transfer business? Graeme: Obviously I can't say for certain that Town will stay up, but I am confident they will.
Peyton and Peter’s Power Hour: Professional athletes and their political opinions
What’s more important in fandom: an athlete’s play or what they say?
How Scientists Can Shape Public Opinion Over A.I. Risks
Artificial intelligence workers may have leverage to make the world safer.
Opinion | Sherry Turkle says, with AI, we've entered 'a state of emergency'
The MIT professor’s new book examines the hazards of ‘pretend empathy.’
Opinion: It’s time to put political ads on pause and think.
A cloud has descended over the United States of America. I’m not talking about an actual weather system, of course, but a phenomenon that has shaken the nation to its core. As long as you are near any screens, you will find yourself a target for waves of mass messaging campaigns. That’s right, it’s everyone’s...
Opinion: Duplicate billing fix can lower cost of health care
Addressing duplicative billing in healthcare is critical for New England’s Medicare beneficiaries -- and for taxpayers.
Wes Moore’s AI framework is missing a healthcare pillar
Opinion: Healthcare should be a central focus of AI governance in Maryland, writes Sreedhar Potarazu.
Can Science Solve Smoke Taint?
With wildfires an increasing problem worldwide, Chris Boiling investigates the solutions to smoke taint. Read the latest wine news & opinion on wine-searcher
Opinion: A proven way Pa. can bring down healthcare costs
Opinion: High hospital prices are a leading driver of both high and rising health care costs and of insurance premium growth.
Opinion: Remembering Hurricane Helene, recognizing climate change, regardless of politics
Two years after Hurricane Helene devastated Asheville, the author argues leaders are ignoring climate change.
Guest opinion: Partisan judges bad for Montana businesses
Partisan money threatens to infect our courts with fickle partisan politics, and that’s bad for business in Montana.
Opinion | Genova: Three political platforms, three visions
American politics includes competing approaches to the economy, energy, immigration, abortion, taxation, transgender rights and the structure of our government. Comparing the published programs of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), the Democratic Party and...
Opinion: Liberal Democrats reflect profound political change in Britain
British politics today is fracturing into multiple parties, no longer 2 or even 3
OPINION: The importance of critical political media analysis
OPINION: I spent the back-half of my summer watching as young Wisconsinites fell victim to deceptive political information. Now, I caution others not to do the same.
Opinion: Prop. 40 will make California’s health care challenges even worse
A one-time tax on top earners creates a funding cliff, leaving the safety net with deep fiscal holes.
Opinion | ‘The MAGA Flag Is in Tatters’
This week in politics: Midwest realignment and what’s next for conservatives.
Video: Opinion | Will the Midterms Bring a Political Realignment?
This week in politics: Midwest realignment and what’s next for conservatives.
Opinion: Prop. 40 is the key to preserving health care access and saving lives
Passing this ballot measure forces the super-rich to fund emergency rooms, preventing disastrous statewide closures.
Missing 'Widow's Bay'? Consider the Matthew Rhys pipeline.
To be obsessed with "Widow's Bay" is to be obsessed with Rhys, the man of the hour and — in my humble opinion — the "it" man of television.
‘Other so-called improvements might even backfire’
Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
Can the Left Make America Fun Again?
Hi friends, I’ve got a piece in The New York Times today about how collective joy — participatory, youthful, anti-corporate — can defeat Trumpism and transform our lives. The basic argument is that politics used to be embedded in communal life: dances, sports leagues, union halls. As that infrastructure disappeared — and more of everyday life was atomized and privatized — politics became something broadcast at people rather than something they did together. NYC-DSA and Zohran provide another model, where socials and face-to-face organizing are tied to a fight vs the corporations that fenced off so much of the good life. Rebuilding that kind of collective fun, I argue, could help bring young people back into politics and, by redistributing America’s wealth, make everyday life more joyful. I would super appreciate it if you’d read the piece, share it, or post comments on it. Thank you! p.s. FYI, Opinion writers don’t get any say over their headlines! More Take action to support the fight of licensed deck officers at Alaska Tanker Company and Overseas Shipholding Group to win a first union contract. This is one of the most important, and underreported, unionization campaigns in America: these workers have a huge amount of power over domestic energy distribution and maritime supply chains, and they’re still without a contract two years after having voted overwhelmingly to unionize. Please sign the public petition here, and if you’re an academic you can sign this support letter.