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Chicagoans grapple with higher health insurance premiums
Health insurance premiums for Affordable Care Act plans have gone up about 25%, according to Illinois officials.
Sleepy in the morning? That could be a red flag
A new study links frequent, longer daytime naps in older adults to higher health risks — especially when they start in the morning.
German Business Outlook at Worst Since 2023 as War Hits ‘Hard’
Germany’s business outlook deteriorated more than expected, adding to fears that higher energy costs stemming from the Iran conflict will derail the country’s economic revival.
Generali tightens link between solvency, pay and shareholder cash returns
Generali’s AGM signed off on a higher dividend, fresh buybacks and new equity‑linked pay plans
Political science department to be renamed after former Mississippi Governor Ray Mabus
The Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees approved renaming the department of political science at the University of
M Resort tower’s December opening boosts 1st-quarter earnings for Penn Entertainment
CEO Jay Snowden also says higher gasoline prices haven’t affected casino visitation yet, likely because tax refunds have been higher than they’ve been.
Butler County health workers 'pause and celebrate' reducing infant mortality rate
Data from the Butler County General Health District shows that while infant mortality rates have improved consistently since 2012, Black infants continue to die at a higher rate than white infants.
WELL Health Patient Volumes Surge As Primary Care Margins Improve
WELL Health Technologies (TSX:WELL) reported record patient volumes in Q1-2026, supported by higher activity in its Primary Care segment. Operational changes and an expanded affiliate network were key drivers of Primary Care growth and improved clinic margins. The company continues to add clinics to its network, extending its reach across its core markets. For investors watching TSX:WELL, the latest Q1-2026 update focuses on patient volumes and clinic performance rather than headline...
Base Mac Mini Sold Out From Apple Online Store
Apple appears to be sold out of the base Mac mini, and the machine is listed as “Currently Unavailable” from the Apple Online Store. The base Mac mini is the model with an M4 chip, 256GB of storage, and 16GB RAM. M4 Mac mini models with upgraded storage are still in stock, as are Mac mini models that are equipped with the M4 Pro chip. Configurations with 24GB RAM are also still available, but some models that use 32GB RAM or higher are out of stock.
Rochester businesses dealing with higher seasonal energy bills: 'Chills you to the bone'
Rochester, N.Y. (WHAM) — Spring may have started, but winter's wrath seems to be lingering on for at least two businesses in the South Wedge.
Health District Encourages Precautions Against Impacts of Wildfire Smoke - Georgia Coastal Health District
The Coastal Health District is encouraging residents to take precautions as wildfire smoke impacts air quality across the Coastal Health District. Wildfire smoke can make anyone sick, but some people have a higher risk of health problems associated with wildfire smoke.
Gamers sue Nintendo over tariff refunds, saying consumers should get the money back
Two gamers have filed a class action lawsuit against Nintendo, alleging that the company will be unjustly enriching itself with any refund it secures from the U.S. government over widespread tariffs last year that, among other things, hiked the prices of Nintendo hardware and accessories. “Unless restrained by this Court, Nintendo stands to recover the same tariff payments twice—once from consumers through higher prices and again from the federal government through tariff refunds, including interest paid by the government on those funds,” the suit states. Nintendo sued the U.S. government to secure a tariff refund in March, after the Supreme Court struck down the tariffs a month prior, saying they were illegally implemented by President Donald Trump.. The gamers who have sued, California-based Gregory Hoffert and Washington-based Prashant Sharan, both say they purchased Nintendo goods that had increased in price due to tariffs, according to the complaint. They filed their suit in the Western District court of Nintendo of America’s home state of Washington and are seeking class action status to represent all people in the U.S. who purchased price-hiked Nintendo goods between February 1, 2025 and February 24, 2026. They allege that Nintendo’s recovery of any tariff refunds would constitute unjust enrichment and violate Washington state consumer protection law. Similar class action lawsuits pressing companies to pass on tariff refunds have been previously filed against FedEx, UPS and eyeglass importer EssilorLuxottica. The tariffs were announced in early April, and by mid-month, Nintendo had announced $5 price increases for controllers for the then-forthcoming Switch 2. In August, it raised the price of the original Switch. In their suit, the gamers cite comments from Nintendo executives connecting the tariffs to price increases. In May 2025, a month after the tariffs were imposed, Nintendo CEO Shuntaro Furukawa told investors “Our basic policy is that for any country or region, if tariffs are imposed, we recognize them as a part of the cost and incorporate them into the price.” Nintendo’s March lawsuit, along with tariff-recovery suits from hundreds of other companies was immediately put on hold pending the implementation of a refund system. The U.S. government announced the beginning of the refund process earlier this week. Companies could receive as much as $160 billion, per CNBC. In March 2026, after Nintendo filed its lawsuit to recover the cost of the tariffs, I asked the company if they planned to pass their refund on to customers who’d paid increased prices. The company’s response acknowledged the existence of the lawsuit but avoided answering that question: “We can confirm that we filed a request. We have nothing else to share on this topic.” Even a promise to consumers may not have spared Nintendo this week’s lawsuit. FedEx previously promised to pass its tariff refunds on to consumers. They’ve been sued over them anyway.
Philip Morris Sales Rise on Smoke-Free Business Growth
Philip Morris International logged higher revenue in the first quarter, with particularly strong growth in its smoke-free business.
Alliance Entertainment: Higher Margins And A Low Float
Alliance Entertainment is demonstrating clear margin expansion, with gross margin rising to 13.5% and EBITDA tripling since FY23. Learn more about AENT stock here.
More naps, higher risk? Research links daytime sleep to health warnings in aging adults
Excessive daytime napping may signal health decline in older adults and is linked to higher mortality risk, a Mass General Brigham study suggests.
When the CEO Becomes the Brand
Research suggests that Elon Musk’s political stance appears to have reshaped how different groups perceive Tesla. Overall sales trends hint at trouble. The company’s growth stalled in 2024, and deliveries fell 8.5% in 2025. But those headline numbers hide what is happening beneath the surface. When the data is broken down by political orientation and by changes in views of Musk, a more complicated pattern emerges. Among right-leaning respondents and those whose opinion of Musk has improved, Tesla’s brand appeal is significantly higher and willingness to pay exceeds that for many competing brands, including Ford, Chevrolet, and Rivian. Among left-leaning consumers and those whose view of Musk has worsened, the opposite is true: Preference and willingness to pay for Tesla drop sharply. The outcome is not a uniform decline but a polarization of demand. Some consumers appear to feel alienated, while others feel more aligned with the brand. This raises an important strategic question of whether companies can influence purchasing decisions across these divided segments by strengthening the underlying value proposition.
The Death of Public Health
During the recent measles outbreak, the largest in more than 30 years, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. refused to clearly recommend the measles vaccine, saying instead that it was a “personal decision,” and that parents should “do their own research.” Similarly, during her recent confirmation hearing for United States Surgeon General, Casey Means was questioned by Senator William Cassidy (R, La). “You’re the nation’s doctor,” said Cassidy. “Would you encourage [a mother] to have her child vaccinated!” “I’m not an individual’s doctor,” Means said. “And every individual needs to talk to their doctor before putting a medication in their body.” In June 2025, Marty Makary, Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), said that COVID vaccines for pregnant women should be a “personal choice”, even though every other country in the world recommended the COVID vaccine during pregnancy due to a higher risk for severe disease. It doesn’t end there. On January 5, 2026, RFK Jr. reduced the number of routinely recommended vaccines from 18 to 10. For vaccines that protected against influenza, COVID, and rotavirus, parents were urged to speak with their doctors—to make an individual choice. (On March 16, 2026, in a ruling by a federal court in Boston, RFK Jr.’s revised schedule was invalidated.) What’s happening? Why are public health officials moving away from making recommendations for the public? The origin of this change might be rooted in the first two years of the COVID pandemic. In 2020, during the first year on the pandemic, we didn’t have anything to stop a virus that was killing hundreds of people a day and could be spread asymptomatically. We didn’t have antivirals until October, monoclonal antibodies until November, and vaccines until December. All we could do was restrict travel, close businesses, shutter schools, and mask, isolate, quarantine, test, and social distance. During the second year of the pandemic, when we had vaccines to prevent COVID, people couldn’t go anywhere without their vaccine cards. They couldn’t go to their favorite bar or restaurant or sporting event or place of worship without proof of vaccination. Some people were fired from their jobs for refusing to get vaccinated. For many, this was seen as massive government overreach and energized what has been called the “medical freedom movement.” Indeed, a headline in the New York Times declared, “How Health Freedom Became a Winning Rally Cry.” As expressed in the comments of RFK Jr., Casey Means, and Marty Makary, the medical freedom movement focuses on the individual not the community—the opposite of public health. In an article titled “Ethics and Social Value Judgments in Public Health,” ethicists from Yale University distinguished public health from medical freedom. “Public health policies,” they wrote, “are population oriented. Because individual health affects the health of others, public health measures regulate individual behavior to achieve population health goals. All raise questions about how individual autonomy and freedom should be balanced against public health interests…which respects individuals’ sovereignty over their bodies and actions as long as their actions do not harm others.” The medical freedom movement fails to recognize that it often limits the freedom of others. For example, a parent who is afraid to send a child to school where many of the students are unvaccinated. Or immune compromised children who depend on those around them to for protection. The question then becomes “Freedom for whom?” Is it your right, in the name of medical freedom, to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection—and in so doing, take away the freedom of others? In Four Essays on Liberty, Isaiah Berlin sums it up best. “Liberty for the wolves,” he wrote, “is death to the lambs.” Thanks for reading Beyond the Noise! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe
RTX Boosts Guidance on Defense Business Strength
The defense contractor logged higher first-quarter profit and sales, with growth in each of its segments.
More people started a business in Colorado last quarter than usual. They’re not all from here.
The 12.3% increase in new business filings is near an all-time record. The only time it was higher was when filing fees dropped to $1.
UnitedHealth Group Reports Flat First-Quarter Earnings
One of the nation’s largest insurers, the company’s profits were higher than analysts’ expectations but still fell short of showing a significant comeback.
UnitedHealth Group Reports Flat First-Quarter Earnings
One of the nation’s largest insurers, the company’s profits were higher than analysts’ expectations but still fell short of showing a significant comeback.
Stanislaus health officials watchful as serious skin rash cases rise in California
“This reinforces how important it is for people at higher risk to get both doses of the mpox vaccine.”
Trump's tariff revival sparks business pushback
(The Center Square) – Businesses worldwide are urging caution as the U.S. Trade Representative's Office prepares for key hearings central to President Donald Trump's renewed push for higher import taxes,
From The Sports Desk: Pistons in peril?
Detroit is the only higher seed to lose in the first batch of NBA playoff games.
Xfinity Kicks Off Member Celebration with Three Weeks of Exclusive Entertainment, Sports, Live Experiences and Savings from Comcast NBCUniversal
PHILADELPHIA, April 20, 2026--Comcast’s Xfinity today launched its Xfinity Member Celebration, a limited-time event running through May 10 that delivers three weeks of bonus benefits, sweepstakes, and exclusive experiences for Xfinity members. Members can also unlock special Xfinity product offers, featuring savings on mobile devices, smartwatches, and smart home technology, with even more value available at higher membership tiers. The celebration spotlights the unmatched power of Xfinity membe
The State of Education Politics Today
What does partisan polarization mean for schooling and higher education?
Opinion | This is why health insurance isn't working
High deductibles and flawed incentives are pushing prices higher while leaving patients less protected.
Samsung Galaxy S27 Will “Most Likely” Ship With A Silicon-Carbon Battery With A Much Higher Lifespan
Samsung refused to adopt the silicon-carbon battery tech until it was truly ready, taking a moral stand that cost it dearly in China.
Gathering of Nations’ ‘Last Dance’ could signal big loss for local businesses
Albuquerque’s Gathering of Nations powwow is approaching its final ‘Last Dance’ this weekend, and local businesses are hoping the event goes out with a bang as they brace for the loss of up to $30 million in annual economic activity and hotel occupancy rates roughly 20% higher than average.
Millions risk health coverage as they skip paying higher Obamacare premiums
A new report showed about 14% of Affordable Care Act enrollees didn't pay their premiums in January, signaling that millions more could be losing health coverage in the coming months.
Healthy diet, higher lung cancer risk? Deciphering surprising link in new study
Researchers have found a link between healthier diets containing fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and higher rates of early onset lung cancer in nonsmokers. Here's what experts say about these findings.
College basketball rankings: Indiana lands higher quality of transfers, jumps in way-too-early Top 25 And 1
Hoosiers coach Darian DeVries' transfer haul looks better than last season's
It’s not rocket science: UNC System leaders make the case for increased funding
There's perhaps no better advocate for North Carolina’s higher education system these days than NASA Astronaut Christina Koch.
Apple to Upgrade These Two Devices With OLED Displays Later This Year
Apple plans to release iPad mini and MacBook Pro models with OLED displays this year, according to industry sources who spoke to South Korea's ETNews. The current iPad mini and MacBook Pro models have LCD displays with either LED or mini-LED backlighting. The move to OLED technology would result in improved image quality, thanks to richer colors and higher contrast ratio with true blacks. Samsung will supply the OLED displays for both devices, the report said.
69 Switch 1 & 2 Games To Check Out In Nintendo's 'Spotlight Sale' (North America)
Every game we scored 9/10 or higher, plus a personal pick
Childhood Acid Load May Affect Adult Kidney Health
Higher net acid excretion in childhood and adolescence is linked to signs of declining kidney function in adulthood.
Healthcare disparities at the forefront during Black Maternal Health Week, as one AZ mother shares her journey
Experts say most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, but gaps in care and communication continue to put Black women at higher risk.
Climate Knowledge Linked to Student Stress
A new study from Quinnipiac University finds that greater awareness of climate change affects students’ mental health—but also drives them to rethink habits and career paths.
Station Orbits Higher as Crew Runs New Science Experiments
The International Space Station is orbiting higher today after the Progress 93 resupply ship, docked to the Zvezda service module, fired its engines for just over five minutes Wednesday night. The orbital reboost places the space station at the correct altitude for the upcoming Progress 95 cargo mission scheduled to resupply the Expedition 74 crew at the end of April.
MIT scientists just found a hidden problem slowing the ozone comeback
The ozone layer has been on track to recover thanks to the Montreal Protocol—but a loophole may be holding it back. Chemicals still permitted for industrial use are leaking into the atmosphere at higher rates than expected. Scientists now estimate this could delay ozone recovery by up to seven years. Closing this gap could speed up healing and reduce harmful UV exposure worldwide.
The 2026 International Academicians Hong Kong Forum Held in Hong Kong, Focusing on AI-Driven Innovation in Health and Higher Education
The 2026 International Academicians Hong Kong Forum, jointly organised by the International Alliance of Academicians (IAA) and the Hong Kong Association of Overseas-Returned Scholars (HKAORS), was successfully held in Hong Kong on April 14. As one of the major events of the Business of Innovation and Technology Week 2026, the Forum focused on two core themes: "Aging and Chronic Disease Management: Challenges and Innovations" and "AI and Innovation in Higher Education." It brought together more t
Common IBS medications linked to higher risk of death in major study
A massive, nearly 20-year study tracking over 650,000 Americans with irritable bowel syndrome is raising new questions about the long-term safety of common treatments. Researchers found that some widely used medications—including antidepressants and certain antidiarrheal drugs—were linked to a small but noticeable increase in the risk of death over time.
How low should blood pressure go? Science has the answer
New research suggests that aiming for a lower blood pressure target may deliver bigger heart health benefits than previously thought. Using large datasets and simulation models, scientists found that keeping systolic blood pressure below 120 mm Hg could reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, and heart failure more than higher targets.
Study: Vaping decreases; no increase in smoking when prices increase
The study found that higher pre-tax prices reduced e-cigarette use, which was measured by product units purchased.
Microsoft prepares display upgrades and two stage launch for new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop with Intel and Snapdragon chips this year
New Surface PCs from Microsoft will consist of new chips, display upgrades, and higher starting prices this spring and summer.
Lynch Scholarship assists Ashland-area business majors
Discover the David A. Lynch Scholarship Endowment at Morehead State University, supporting aspiring students pursuing higher education in business.
Americans stand out internationally for their pessimism about the nation’s political system
People in higher-income countries are generally less likely to say their nation’s political system needs major changes or complete reform. Americans are an exception.
Microsoft Raises Prices for All Surface PCs, Making Them More Expensive Than Equivalent Macs
Microsoft increased prices for all of its Surface PCs this week, with most models priced hundreds of dollars higher than they were when launching. Windows Central highlighted the increases, which now see Microsoft's mid-range models priced above $1,000 and flagship models priced starting at $1,500. A Microsoft spokesperson said the price increase was due to "recent increases in memory and component costs".
Tennessee ranks #2 in the country for first-year business closures, study finds
Opening a business takes a leap of faith, but in Tennessee, the odds of falling are higher than most.
Pregnancy is more risky for Black moms. What a doctor says partners can do to help
Locally and nationally, Black women are at a much higher risk than women of other races of dying during pregnancy, or the year after.
Cattle futures up ahead of direct business
At the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, live and feeder cattle were higher, ahead of the week’s direct business and taking into consideration the tight supply of ready numbers. June live cattle closed $2.90 higher at $251.42 and August live cattle closed $2.07 higher at $246.52. May feeder cattle closed $2.02 higher at $374.85 and August feeder […]
U.S. wholesale prices surged 4% last month during the Iran war
The surge in prices complicates the work of the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve, who have faced intense pressure from President Donald Trump to lower their benchmark interest rate. But some Fed policymakers are inclined to raise rates instead, as higher energy costs increase the inflation threat.
Prisco's Better-Than Team for 2026 NFL Draft: The 20 prospects he's higher on than scouts
R Mason Thomas headlines Prisco's list of 20 undervalued prospects
US small businesses are adapting to higher fuel prices, supply issues
Rising fuel prices are affecting US small businesses like Wonderstate Coffee, which said it's grappling with higher costs and supply chain challenges.
A Look At Caesars Entertainment (CZR) Valuation After Its Mixed Earnings-Driven Share Price Move
Caesars Entertainment (CZR) is back in focus after its latest earnings report, where revenue topped analyst forecasts while adjusted operating income and EPS came in below expectations, yet the share price moved higher. See our latest analysis for Caesars Entertainment. The latest move higher in Caesars Entertainment's share price comes after its earnings release, with the stock showing a 13.54% year to date share price return while the 5 year total shareholder return is still down 69.86%...
Universe is expanding faster than expected: Scientists struggle to explain cosmic acceleration
Science News: Not only is the Universe expanding, but its expansion is actually happening at a speed higher than was thought possible until recently. For many years.
Reach Heroic Heights in Reign of Talon
The climb continues as a new Hero rises and the fight for a better future pushes Overwatch higher than ever.
2026 Bluebird Banter Top 40 Prospects: Matt’s Pref List
The last instalment in the Top 40 series on this off-day is my list of prospects I was somewhat higher on and would have either had on or in the mix for the back of my list alone. As Tom noted on his list, these are deep(er) sleepers, generally low probability, but usually they’re be […]
Men and women with obesity face very different hidden health risks
New research reveals that obesity affects men and women in surprisingly different ways. Men are more likely to develop harmful abdominal fat and signs of liver stress, while women show higher inflammation and cholesterol levels. These differences could help explain why health risks vary between sexes. Scientists say this could lead to more tailored treatments for obesity.
Why college oversight could get more political
The Trump administration is forging ahead in its quest to rid higher education of “radical left” oversight organizations.
‘Chilling effect’ of Trump science cuts – even if reversed again
Congress likely to once more block plans to cut billions from agency budgets, but experts fear they will have long-term impact anyway
Trump says gas prices could be same or 'a little bit higher' before midterms
One of the sticking points in the negotiations held in Islamabad has been Iran's stranglehold over the Strait of Hormuz.
Snapdragon X2 Elite Offers A Solid Foundation For A Windows On ARM Ecosystem, But OEMs Current Strategy Risk Its Future
Qualcomm has made incredible strides with the Snapdragon X2 Elite, but OEMs using the SoC risk that higher adoption with their current strategies
Why Ozempic doesn’t work for everyone: Scientists just found a hidden reason
A new study reveals that popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy may not work as effectively for about 10% of people due to specific genetic variants. These individuals appear to have a puzzling condition called “GLP-1 resistance,” where their bodies produce higher levels of the hormone targeted by these drugs—but don’t respond to it properly.
‘Aggie docs’ coming to San Antonio’s South Side with new medical collaboration
Texas A&M medical students will begin clinical rotations at University Health’s Palo Alto Hospital and Vida clinic in 2028.
Memorial Hermann and BCBSTX reach a new deal, restoring in-network coverage, hospital says
The Houston-based health system and the insurance giant had previously let an April 1 deadline pass without a new agreement, meaning many patients across the region were forced to pay higher medical costs or find new doctors.
Ahead of fishing opener, health officials update fish consumption guidelines
The new fish consumption guidelines include warnings about eating too much fish caught in northeastern Minnesota lakes and rivers, where fish tend to have higher mercury levels. And the state warns against consuming fish from the Vermillion River, south of the Twin Cities, because of PFAS contamination.
MSI MPG 322UR QD-OLED X24 Review - Less Expensive and Even Better
MSI MPG 322UR QD-OLED X24 brings fifth generation V-Stripe QD-OLED technology to a 32-inch 4K panel, pairing a 3840×2160 resolution with a 240 Hz refresh rate, a 80 Gbps bandwidth DisplayPort 2.1a UHBR20 interface, and a price tag that undercuts its predecessor by $200. Improved text clarity, higher SDR brightness, and an AI Care Sensor make for a strong all-around package.
Amazon launches ‘Prime Video Ultra’ with new features, higher price
Last month Amazon announced that Prime Video Ultra would be launching soon in the US, and that day has officially arrived.
This superconductivity dies then comes back to life
A strange new kind of superconductivity has been uncovered in uranium ditelluride (UTe2), where electricity flows with zero resistance—but only under extremely strong magnetic fields that should normally destroy it. Even more surprising, the superconductivity disappears at first and then dramatically reappears at even higher fields, earning it the nickname the “Lazarus phase.”
Ohio wants to ban mobile sports betting. It's about time
Ohio’s legalization of sports betting has turned a game into something with much higher stakes.
Starmer says he’s ‘fed up’ with Trump and Putin’s actions pushing up energy bills for Britons
Prime minister explicitly blames US president for British consumers’ higher bills as he concludes tour of Gulf states
In this era of political violence, candidate security costs are higher, new report says
Security spending for congressional and presidential campaigns has jumped fivefold over the past decade as an increasingly hostile political environment has led to escalating threats against public officials, ranging from doxing to assassination plots, according to a report released Thursday.
As Trump throws lifeline to coal plants, critics warn of higher costs and health risks
The United States is undergoing a dramatic shift in energy policy as President Donald Trump wields government's sweeping powers to benefit coal and suppress cleaner alternatives. It could lead to more expensive electricity and dirtier air.
UNC chancellors sidestep political questions at forum on challenges facing higher education
At a forum on challenges facing higher education, UNC chancellors mostly dodged pointed questions about budgets and Trump.
As Trump throws lifeline to coal plants, critics warn of higher costs and health risks
WASHINGTON (AP) — Before Donald Trump returned to the White House, the Biden administration and many electric utilities were building a future dominated by renewable energy. They aimed to replace coal, slashing greenhouse gases and reducing air pollution that kills more than a thousand people ann...
Sterling ticks higher, remains driven by Middle East developments
The pound inched higher on the dollar on Thursday and held onto the bulk of U.S.-Iran ceasefire-inspired gains the previous session, though with that deal looking fragile it failed to climb any further.
Leaders Across Sports, Business and Higher Education Affirm the Value of Academics in College Football
IRVING, Texas (April 9, 2026) – As the National Football Foundation marks 20 years of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society and a record-setting 2026 class, leaders from the highest levels of sports, business and higher education are praising the organization's role in elevating academic achievement as a core part of the game. Their perspectives reinforce the Foundation's long-standing commitment to ensuring education remains central to the student-athlete experience.
Leaders Across Sports, Business and Higher Education Affirm the Value of Academics in College Football
IRVING, Texas (April 9, 2026) – As the National Football Foundation marks 20 years of the NFF Hampshire Honor Society and a record-setting 2026 class, leaders from the highest levels of sports, business and higher education are praising the organization's role in elevating academic achievement as a core part of the game. Their perspectives reinforce the Foundation's long-standing commitment to ensuring education remains central to the student-athlete experience.
Policy mitigation, human drivers and health risks of antibiotics in global aquatic environments
Communications Earth & Environment - Antibiotic contamination in global aquatic environment exhibits significant regional disparities with low-and-middle income countries experiencing higher...
Simple dinner table habit linked to poor diet and higher health risks in adults over 60
New research links the common habit of reaching for the saltshaker at dinner to troubling health patterns in older adults, including blood pressure and poor diet.
Are AI scribes actually driving higher health care costs?
In this edition of STAT's AI Prognosis: A closer look at a recent analysis that implied AI scribes are driving up the health care costs, and more.
Baton Rouge General's Health Tip of the Week: What to know about new cholesterol guidelines
Sponsored by Baton Rouge General Heart health is getting a head start—and the new guidelines say your 30s are the time to begin. Updated recommendations call for annual cholesterol screenings starting at age 30, lower LDL (“bad” cholesterol) targets (under 100, or 70 if you’re higher risk), and additional tests like lipoprotein(a) at least once. […]
‘Marathon’ Is Now Plagued With A Cheater Infestation
Marathon has many challenges, but its latest is dealing with a lot of cheaters infesting its higher-end matches.
Oil rises above $110 as Trump deadline looms for Iran to reopen strait
IMF head warns Middle East war will lead to higher inflation and slower global growth
2 CSU Campuses Receive $77M to Support Mental Health in L.A.
The Ballmer Group has donated $77 million to two California State University campuses to improve mental health services in the Los Angeles area.
Health insurers score major win with higher 2027 Medicare Advantage rates
The stocks of major Medicare Advantage insurers surged on the announcement.
How fuel surcharges are squeezing small business margins
Rising fuel costs are hitting small businesses with a new wave of shipping expenses, as major carriers pass along higher diesel prices through surcharges many owners say feel like “tariffs 2.0,” The Wall Street Journal writes. FedEx and UPS have pushed fuel surcharges above 26%, while diesel prices have surged sharply in recent weeks, driving […]
‘Passive’ screen time may raise dementia risk. How to keep your brain engaged
People who spent more time in mentally passive activities while sitting had a significantly higher risk of developing dementia later, according to a new study.
Centene Latest Health Insurer To Shakeup Management Ranks
Centene is bolstering its management team by creating two new senior executive positions as health insurers battle higher costs and new policies at the federal level.
Trump Says He’s Calling Iran’s Bluff In WSJ Interview | WSJ Politics Newsletter for April 6
Plus, Jamie Dimon warns of higher inflation and interest rates from the Iran War
Kids, Competition & Pressure: Keeping sports fun
Research shows adults who played sports as kids report better mental health and higher levels of persistence and “grit” later in life.
Scientists found a protein that drives brain aging — and how to stop it
Scientists have uncovered a powerful new clue in the mystery of brain aging: a single protein called FTL1. In aging mice, higher levels of this protein weakened connections between brain cells and led to memory decline. But when researchers reduced FTL1, something remarkable happened — the brain began to recover, rebuilding lost connections and restoring memory performance.
Egypt raises electricity prices for higher-use households, businesses from April
Egypt raised electricity prices for higher-use residential consumers and commercial users starting in April, the electricity ministry said in a statement on Saturday, citing a severe global energy crisis linked to the war in the Gulf region.
Binge drinking just once a month may triple your risk of liver scarring
Many people think that occasional binge drinking is harmless if they otherwise drink in moderation, but new research suggests that assumption may be dangerously wrong. A large U.S. study found that people with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), a condition affecting about one in three adults, face a much higher risk of serious liver scarring if they engage in heavy drinking even just once a month.
Young Adults With High Blood Pressure Face Higher Risk of Heart, Kidney Disease
Recent research suggests that adults ages 30 to 40 with high blood pressure may face a higher risk of cardiovascular and kidney disease later in life. These findings highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy blood pressure at a younger age.
KU trade expert says 70% of regional businesses feel impact of higher tariffs, local flower shop is among them
A year after President Donald Trump's Liberation Day, which imposed tariffs on countries around the world, Kansas City flower shop Fiddly Fig is still navigating changing tariff rates.
A light round of direct cattle business on Friday
Direct cash cattle trade activity was relatively quiet Friday, with a few deals reported in the South. For the week, live deals in the South were at $245 to $246, $8 to $9 higher than the previous week’s weighted averages. Dressed deals in the North were at mostly $385, $13 higher than the prior week’s […]
Gemma 4 and what makes an open model succeed
Having written a lot of model release blog posts, there’s something much harder about reviewing open models when they drop relative to closed models, especially in 2026. In recent years, there were so few open models, so when Llama 3 was released most people were still doing research on Llama 2 and super happy to get an update. When Qwen 3 was released, the Llama 4 fiasco had just gone down, and a whole research community was emerging to study RL on Qwen 2.5 — it was a no brainer to upgrade. Today, when an open model releases, it’s competing with Qwen 3.5, Kimi K2.5, GLM 5, MiniMax M2.5, GPT-OSS, Arcee Large, Nemotron 3, Olmo 3, and others. The space is populated, but still feels full of hidden opportunity. The potential of open models feels like a dark matter, a potential we know is huge, but few clear recipes and examples for how to unlock it are out there. Agentic AI, OpenClaw, and everything brewing in that space is going to spur mass experimentation in open models to complement the likes of Claude and Codex, not replace them. Especially with open models, the benchmarks at release are an extremely incomplete story. In some ways this is exciting, as new open models have a much higher variance and ability to surprise, but it also points at some structural reasons that make building businesses and great AI experiences around open models harder than the closed alternatives. When a new Claude Opus or GPT drops, spending a few hours with them in my agentic workflows is genuinely a good vibe test. For open models, putting them through this test is a category error. Something else to be said about open models in the era of agents is that they get out of the debate of integration, harnesses, and tools and let us see close to the ground on what exactly is the ability of just a model. Of course, we can’t test some things like search abilities without some tool, but being able to measure exactly the pace of progress of the model alone is a welcome simplification to a systematically opaque AI space. Share The list of factors I’d use to assess a new open-weight model I’m considering investing in includes: Model performance (and size) — how this model performs on benchmarks I care about and how it compares to other models of a similar size. Country of origin — some businesses care deeply about provenance, and if a model was built in China or not. Model license — if a model needs legal approval for use, uptake will be slower at mid-sized and large companies. Tooling at release — many models release with half-broken, or at least substantially slower, implementations in popular software like vLLM, Transformers, SGLANG, etc due to pushing the envelope of architectures or tools. Model fine-tunability — how easy or hard it is to modify the given model to your use-case when you actually try and use it. The core problem is that some of these are immediately available at release, e.g. general performance, license, origin, etc. but others such as tooling take day(s) to week(s) to stabilize, and others are open research questions — with no group systematically monitoring fine-tunability. In the early era of open models, the days of Llama 2 or 3 and Qwen pre v3.5, the architectures were fairly simple and the models tended to work out of the box. Some of this was due to the extremely hard work of the Llama, Qwen, Mistral, etc. developer teams. Some is due to the new models being genuinely harder to work with. When it comes to something like Qwen 3.5 or Nemotron 3, with hybrid models (either gated delta net or mamba layers), the tooling is very rough at release. Things you would expect to “just work” often don’t. I’ve been following this area closely since we released Olmo Hybrid with a similar architecture, and Qwen 3.5 is just starting to work well in the various open-source tools that need to all play nice together for RL research. That’s 1.5 months after the release date! This is just to start really investing more into understanding the behavior of the models. Of course, others started working on these models sooner by investing more engineering resources or relying on partially closed software. The fully open and distributed ecosystem takes a long time to get going on some new models. All of this is lead-in for the most important question for open models — how easy is it to adapt to specific use-cases? This is a different problem for different model sizes. Large MoE open-weight models may be used by entities like Cursor who need complex capabilities in their domain, e.g. Composer 2 trained on Kimi K2.5. Other applications can be built on much smaller models, such as Chroma’s Context-1 model for agentic search, built on GPT-OSS 20B. The question of “which models are fine-tunable” is largely background knowledge known by engineers across the industry. There should be a thriving research area here to support the open ecosystem model. The first step is to understand characteristics of different base and post-trained models to understand what they look like. The second step is to tune pretraining recipes for open models so they’re more flexible. Interconnects AI is a reader-supported publication. Consider becoming a subscriber. Subscribe For The ATOM Project and other Interconnects endeavors, we’ve put in substantial effort to measuring adoption trends in the open ecosystem. Everything takes a long time to unfold after a model is first publicly available — and adaptability is why. What we know for sure now, when Qwen has been going from strength to strength with its releases, is that technical staff across the industry has gotten comfortable working with Qwen models. Countless research methods and datasets were made to work with Qwen. It’ll take patience for any other model family to get to this point — a patience I’m not sure many open model builders have. This takes us to Gemma 4, Google’s latest open models. Gemma 3 was released more than a year ago, in March of 2025, and is a bit underrated. Gemma 4 comes in 4 sizes for now, with a bigger, MoE model of over 100B total parameters rumored but not released yet. The models we have today come in sizes of ~5B dense, 8B dense, 26B total 4B active MoE, and 31B dense. I’m most excited that they’re finally adopting a standard Apache 2.0 open source license. This’ll massively boost adoption. The standard of better licenses for strong open-weight LLMs was set by mostly Chinese open model labs in the last 1-2 years, and now U.S. companies are following suit. I will personally be so happy if the horrible Llama licenses and Gemma terms of service were an ~18-month transient dynamic of the industry being nervous about releasing strong open models. The Gemma 4 scores look very solid, the small models have incredible benchmark scores (especially in general domains like LMArena) and the 31B model rivals the recent Qwen 3.5 27B, which is the leading member of that class. The ~30B size range is an important one, as it’s accessible both to researchers and to enterprises looking to deploy the model in real use-cases. Where the 7B model scale is the default for tinkering and research, a 30B model is the default for seeing if an open model can unlock substantial value in your specific workflow — a good mix of intelligence, low price, tractability for downstream training, etc. This takes us back to the above adoption criteria I mentioned for open models and the bigger question — do I think Gemma 4 will be an overwhelming success? Previous Gemma models have been plagued by tooling issues and poorer performance when being finetuned. Gemma 4’s success is going to be entirely determined by ease of use, to a point where a 5-10% swing on benchmarks wouldn’t matter at all. It’s strong enough, small enough, with the right license, and from the U.S., so many companies are going to slot it in. I’m cautiously optimistic that Gemma 4 is going to work better here. Winds are shifting for open models built in America. We saw GPT-OSS go through a bumpy launch to become an overwhelming success. There’s a collective energy around the likes of Reflection, Arcee, Nemotron, Gemma, Olmo, and peers that show substantial demand for building new stacks around open models. There’s capital to be spent on AI stacks across the economy by those who want more ownership of everything, including the model. After launching The ATOM Project 240 days ago, the conversation is shifting into the next stage. Summer of 2025 was a crisis moment where the U.S. AI scene realized it can’t wait and figure out open models after building AGI. The two markets will capture different areas and proceed in parallel. Now that more companies in the U.S. are releasing strong models, we need to improve the ecosystem so that these models are easy to use, understand, and build value around. It’s the hard work to build another inflection point in these adoption plots I’ve been updating consistently, but that’s the work to be done. Join me in it. More data coming soon! Here’s a sneak peek: