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How Science Works

The 2nd Weather and Climate Livestream is now underway. It is organized by a group of early-career researchers concerned about declining funding for the field and eager to demonstrate how weather and climate research makes a difference in our lives. Last year’s event was a great success, drawing terrific press coverage including a piece in the NY Times. This year features a strong lineup of talks aimed at a general audience — I highly recommend tuning in. Share I gave a talk yesterday about How Science Works in Three Steps. You can see the short presentation here (I’ve appended a transcript below): And please tune into the livestream here. It runs through tomorrow at 6 pm ET. Thanks for reading The Climate Brink! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support our work. Subscribe Cleaned up transcript: Thank you, and thanks to everyone tuning in. I want to talk about something I think a lot of people don’t really understand: how science actually works. Arguments over any scientific topic — climate change, vaccines, you name it — revolve around competing claims. For climate change, the claims are: Is the Earth warming? Are humans to blame? What will the impacts be? Over the last 150 years, the scientific community has developed a remarkably robust method for sorting out which claims are true and which aren’t. That method is what I want to walk through. So how does science generate knowledge? If you ask a high schooler, they’ll give you the version they learned in ninth grade: an individual scientist forms a hypothesis, runs an experiment, and draws a conclusion. That’s more or less what happens at the individual level, though in practice it’s more iterative — you design, test, and refine all at once, landing on a slightly different idea each time until you reach a conclusion about whatever hypothesis you’ve ended up with. But this isn’t science. It’s only step one. Any individual scientist can make mistakes — scientists are human. Maybe there’s a bug in the code, maybe there’s an error in the experiment. Just because someone ran an experiment and reached a conclusion doesn’t mean it’s right, and scientists don’t treat a single result as settled truth. Step two is peer review, the first layer of quality control. The scientist writes up what they did and submits it to a journal, which sends the paper to other experts in the field. Those experts judge whether the methods are sound, whether it properly references prior work, and whether the conclusions actually follow from the data. Ask any scientist and they’ll tell you peer review is miserable — the comments come back brutal, often harsh, and you have to revise and resubmit, sometimes multiple times, before an editor finally accepts the paper. Peer review catches an immense amount of bad science, but it can’t catch all of it. Reviewers get sloppy or overworked, they miss obvious mistakes, and they can’t catch hidden errors — a bug in the code, a misread instrument. So a peer-reviewed paper making it into a journal doesn’t mean the paper is right. Nobody treats a single paper as the final word. That’s where step three comes in: the crucible of science. Important results get retested by the broader community. If you publish something interesting, it gets dissected. Sometimes people try to reproduce your work directly but more often they test its implications. If someone claims X is true, and that implies that Y is also true, then scientists will go check Y. If a claim survives this gauntlet long enough, it becomes accepted. That’s how we generate knowledge. Let me give an example: the ozone hole. In 1985 — and I doubt many people watching were around then, but I remember it well — Joe Farman and his colleagues published observations from Antarctica showing that a huge chunk of ozone was disappearing every year. This was shocking because most atmospheric chemists had expected ozone loss to occur at mid-latitudes and high altitudes, not over the South Pole. When scientists see something they don’t understand, they rush to explain it, and several competing hypotheses quickly appeared in the peer-reviewed literature. One pointed to chlorine chemistry from chlorofluorocarbons. A second blamed nitrogen chemistry, possibly driven by solar proton events — meaning the sun was responsible. A third argued it wasn’t chemistry at all but dynamics: winds were carrying naturally low-ozone air from the lower atmosphere up into the stratosphere. Then the community went to work testing which theory could survive the crucible. Aircraft flew into the ozone hole and found no nitrogen, ruling out the nitrogen theory. Measurements showed the air in the polar vortex was descending, not rising — which would bring high-ozone air down, eliminating the dynamics theory. Meanwhile, those same flights measured enormous amounts of chlorine, strongly correlated with exactly the regions where ozone was being destroyed. That became known as the “smoking gun” paper, and it established that chlorine chemistry was the cause. Through this process, a consensus emerged. And it’s worth being clear that this consensus is organic. There’s no vote, no poll, no meeting where it gets decided. Scientists go to conferences, talk to one another, and independently arrived at the same answer. It’s the ultimate free market of ideas. After the consensus was established, the peer-reviewed literature doesn’t even mention the rival theories — it simply takes chlorine chemistry as given. That’s what a consensus looks like. It doesn’t mean every single scientist agrees, but it does mean there’s no longer any legitimate debate. So where can you see what scientists actually think? It’s all in the peer-reviewed literature, which contains the entire historical record of the argument: the discovery, the competing theories, the debate, the testing, and finally the community coalescing around one answer. But there’s a lot of room for misrepresentation. You can dig up an old paper claiming the ozone hole was caused by dynamics and wave it around as if there still was a debate about the cause of the ozone hole — without mentioning that the idea was disproven long ago and that even its own authors no longer believe it. There’s a bigger problem, though: the peer-reviewed literature is written in a language I call “nerd.” It’s extremely hard to read — honestly, some of it is hard for me to follow. It takes graduate students years to work through the literature in a single field, so we can’t expect policymakers or ordinary people to do it. This is where scientific assessments come in. The most famous is the IPCC — the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The job of an assessment is to read and summarize the peer-reviewed literature, synthesizing what’s settled, what’s been disproven, and what remains genuinely debated. To ensure the assessments accurately summarize the peer-reviewed literature, assessments are written by large teams, which are far less prone to bias than individuals and which dilute the influence of any one scientist with an axe to grind. The teams are deliberately assembled to avoid stacking the deck, and the reports themselves go through multiple rounds of peer review. That rigorous process is exactly why you can trust them and why people consider the IPCC to be the gold standard of what we know about the climate system. An assessment produced through a different process may well not be credible. You can even watch the consensus evolve across assessments. Take the attribution of warming. The 1990 IPCC report said the observed warming was broadly consistent with model predictions but also comparable to natural variability — in other words, we don’t know whether humans are responsible. By 1995, it concluded that the balance of evidence suggested a discernible human influence — a sentence only a committee could write, and one that barely commits to anything. By 2001, most of the warming over the previous 50 years was judged “likely” due to greenhouse gases; by 2007, “very likely”; by 2013, “extremely likely.” The 2023 report says essentially the same as 2013 — there’s not much stronger language available. So, to wrap up: science is our ultimate tool for deciphering the universe — the most successful method we’ve ever developed for determining what’s true and what isn’t. Our understanding is written into the peer-reviewed literature, so if you want to know what scientists think, that’s where to look. And for those of us who don’t speak nerd, scientific assessments are the Rosetta Stone — they translate nerd into English. Let me open the floor to questions. Thank you.

Jun 2 • 10:35 AM EDT • Science • theclimatebrink.com

A.J. Brown breaks silence on Eagles departure, relationship with Jalen Hurts

Former Eagles receiver A.J. Brown answered questions about his departure from Philly, relationship with Jalen Hurts and more.

Jun 2 • 10:26 AM EDT • Sports • nbcsportsphiladelphia.com

Reimagining the SEBS Campus as a Health and Wellness Arboretum

What if a walk across campus could be as restorative as it is educational? That question is inspiring a new vision for the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS), where faculty, students, and campus leaders are exploring how the grounds of the George H. Cook Campus might evolve into a Health and Wellness […]

Jun 2 • 10:20 AM EDT • Health • sebsnjaesnews.rutgers.edu

The work you can't always see: Beer is political, part 2

Recently I published a piece about beer, politics, and the question of who speaks up and who doesn’t. I meant every word of it. I still do. And then my inbox opened up. Cleveland Prost is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe I’ve been writing about beer since 2014. For most of that time, I kept things deliberately light — taproom profiles, new releases, the people behind the pints. Gradually, over years of building this thing, you gave me something I didn’t expect: permission. Permission to go deeper. To say what I actually saw in this industry and what I actually believed about it. That trust isn’t something I take lightly. It’s why that piece existed at all, and it’s why this one does too. I’m not walking anything back. But I want to go further. In that piece, I wrote that beer has never existed outside the system. That immigration policy affects who staffs breweries and harvests ingredients. That labor policy affects taproom workers. That civil rights policy affects who feels safe walking into a taproom. That “beer does not exist in a vacuum. The idea that it does is comforting. It is also false.” I believe that as much now as I did when I wrote it. But one idea came back at me, in different forms, over and over (from reader emails, comments, and conversations): that beer itself isn’t political — that it only becomes political when someone decides to make it that way. That what we’re really seeing is a choice by individuals to inject division into something that doesn’t inherently require it. It’s a comforting idea. It’s also wrong — and I think it’s worth being precise about why. That framing assumes that breweries operate outside the conditions shaping everything else. That politics is something you choose to bring into a room that was, until then, clean and neutral. That if you stay quiet, you stay clear of it. But the room was never neutral. It was never clean. Politics is already in the room. It’s in who walks through the door comfortably and who hesitates. It’s in whether a space can be used for organizing without fear. It’s in whether helping someone quietly might carry consequences you have to think carefully about in advance. It’s in who staffed the brewery, who harvested the grain, who can afford to be a regular. The idea that you opt out of all that by staying quiet is an illusion. You only change how visible your response to it is. This is, I realize, a hard thing to hear if you came to a beer newsletter for something lighter. I wrote recently that “beer, for me, has always felt like a refuge — a third place in an increasingly fractured world.” I meant that. I still do. But a refuge is not an escape from reality. It’s a place to gather strength to face it. Here’s what I actually missed — and what I want to correct. Multiple people in the industry reached out to me. I’m not naming them and I’m not identifying their businesses, because that’s not my call. If and when they want to be loud about what they’re doing, that agency belongs to them. What I can share is the substance of what they said, because it complicated something I presented too cleanly. The overall message: *You don’t know what we all are doing.* And they’re right. I don’t. One example involved a collaboration brewed quietly to support another business facing serious challenges in a whole different region, with proceeds directed toward solidarity, community, and keeping operations afloat. No announcement. It could have been broadcast widely. The point was never publicity. Another example involved logistical support for community efforts: organizing safe transportation, providing space for meetings on otherwise closed days, facilitating gatherings under difficult conditions. All of it happening while balancing real financial pressure and genuine concern for personal safety. None of what they described is a brewer “deciding to make beer political.” It’s people responding to the conditions around them — conditions that are already shaping who feels safe, who has access, who can gather, who needs help, and who has the capacity to offer it. Politics, again, already in the room. Already shaping choices. Whether anyone announced it or not. I’ve spent decades in taprooms, at barrel releases, at festivals, in back offices and brewing floors, talking to the people who built this industry from nothing. I know how much happens that never makes it onto social media. I know the owner who quietly comp’d a tab for someone having a crisis. The brewer who drove an hour to pick up a stranger who needed a safe ride. The taproom that stayed dark on a Tuesday so a community group could use the space without it becoming A Whole Thing. None of that gets a post. Most of it never will. So when I wrote recently about silence — when I said that “silence right now doesn’t feel neutral, it feels like complicity” — I was writing about what I could see. And I was right about what I saw. The public silence of breweries that have the platform, the stability, and frankly the safety to say something and choose not to? That still troubles me. I’m not softening that. But some of what I read as silence is actually something else entirely. It’s people doing the work with their hands instead of their phones. It’s people who are genuinely afraid — not of being canceled, but of real consequences for their families, their employees, their ability to keep the doors open at all. That deserves more than a footnote. It deserves to be named clearly. Here’s the tension I want to sit with honestly: public statements matter. They matter because people can’t rally around something they can’t see. Visibility creates awareness and solidarity. It helps people find each other. It tells someone standing outside your taproom door, uncertain whether they’ll be welcomed inside, something they need to know — or whether it’s even safe for them to be in public at all. That’s not performative. I wrote recently that the craft beer movement “was built on collective defiance. It was built on rejecting consolidation. On pushing back against homogeneity.” I believe that too. And I’ll extend it: breweries should be at least as loud about their values as they are when they drop a new seasonal. Your hazy IPA gets a full rollout — the label art, the tap handle photo, the countdown post. Human dignity deserves the same energy. Be as loud about human rights as you are about your beer. There is no reason those two things should require different levels of courage from you. But visibility isn’t the only form of courage. And not everyone can be visible right now without real consequences — financial, personal, sometimes physical. There are people in this industry doing hard, unglamorous, sometimes risky work in the background, and announcing it would compromise it or paint a target on someone who’s already stretched thin. That’s not silence as complicity. That’s operational discipline under pressure. What I want to push back on — clearly, not gently — is the idea that behind-the-scenes action and public visibility are in competition with each other. The person organizing quietly in the back room and the person posting a statement of solidarity on a Tuesday morning are both doing something real. We need both. We need the quiet infrastructure and we need the visible signal. We need people to know that this industry — at its best, at its most independent, and human — gives a fuck. I closed that piece with a question: “Reactive and fearful? Or clear and values-driven?” That question still stands. But having heard from you, I’d add a corollary: the values-driven path isn’t always the loudest one. Sometimes it’s a phone call and a recipe. Sometimes it’s a room made available on a closed Tuesday. Sometimes it’s a drive across town for someone who needed a safe ride home. All of it is political. All of it was always political. You don’t get to opt out of that — you only get to decide what you do with it. I’ve spent more than a decade writing about this industry because I believe it can be exactly that. I’ve been lucky enough to build an audience that lets me say so plainly. That’s a privilege I intend to use. The work is happening. Some of it you’ll see. Some of it you won’t. Support it either way. Cleveland Prost is a reader-supported publication covering beer and brewing across New York state. To receive new posts and support this work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Cleveland Prost is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe

Jun 2 • 10:13 AM EDT • Politics • clevelandprost.substack.com

Ask our politics team your questions about the Maine primary election

Join editor Kirby Wilson and reporter Billy Kobin for a live Q&A the day before the election.

Jun 2 • 10:01 AM EDT • Politics • pressherald.com

The Latest: Rubio testifies before Congress for the first time since the start of the Iran war

Secretary of State Marco Rubio faces a litany of questions Tuesday about the Trump administration’s fragile or stalling diplomatic efforts around the world

Jun 2 • 8:21 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

OneFootball University: Can the USMNT win World Cup 2026?

Can the USA men's national team win the World Cup in 2026? It's the question that all US fans want to know.Here’s some reasons why it’s plausible that Mauricio Pochettino's men can claim the bigge...

Jun 2 • 5:59 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

From Rocafonda to the World Cup: Lamine Yamal's meteoric rise

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo will play at a record sixth World Cup in 2026, but years from now the tournament may instead be remembered as Lamine Yamal's first.Over the past three years Abdul has answered plenty of questions about Lamine, but with concerns over the winger's fitness heading into the World Cup, he doesn't feel like speaking for now.

Jun 2 • 12:32 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Scientists produce more novel but less disruptive work as they age

Analysis poses tough questions on who should receive more funding - younger researchers or older ones?

Jun 1 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • chemistryworld.com

iOS 27: What We Know About the New Siri App

iOS 27, iPadOS 27, and macOS 27 will include a standalone Siri app for the first time, providing a dedicated space for interfacing with Siri. Siri Chatbot Apple needs a Siri app because Siri is turning into a chatbot. Siri will work like ChatGPT or Claude, able to pull information from the web to provide answers to questions. Siri will be integrated into iOS, iPadOS, and macOS at the system level, and can draw on device information.

Jun 1 • 7:25 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

Unnecessary care? OIG questions vascular procedures billed by surgeons, cardiologists and radiologists

The Trump administration believes Medicare paid up to $105 million for questionable vascular procedures in 2023 alone. No accusations have been made at this time, but the government believes 139 different physicians deserve "further scrutiny."

Jun 1 • 5:02 PM EDT • Business • cardiovascularbusiness.com

Hector Mujica adds another federal endorsement as questions about CD 28 campaign’s viability persist

The new nod comes days after Florida Politics reported that Mujica has not been a registered Democrat long enough to qualify for the race.

Jun 1 • 2:56 PM EDT • Politics • floridapolitics.com

What every cardiologist should consider before signing a contract

Cathie Biga, MSN, MACC, explains why salary is just one thing a cardiologist should ask about before signing any contract.

Jun 1 • 12:39 PM EDT • Business • cardiovascularbusiness.com

Is Mina the Hollower too hard? The debate is on, as players discuss the challenge of Yacht Club's smash hit

The action adventure has proven mighty popular, though some have questioned the challenge of this retro-inspired hit.

Jun 1 • 10:27 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net

Brooks senior develops national index tracking AI healthcare policy

As artificial intelligence reshapes health care, new questions are emerging about oversight, accountability, and patient safety. Brooks senior Will Moss ’26 developed the Health and AI Policy Index (HAPI), a public database designed to help policymakers, researchers, and health systems track emerging health care AI governance efforts.

Jun 1 • 9:37 AM EDT • Health • news.cornell.edu

‘A question for Mainers to weigh’: Congressional Democrats speak out about latest media reports around Graham Platner

Jun 1 • 8:11 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Josh Shapiro couldn’t avoid the questions about him. He decided he doesn’t want to

For now, Josh Shapiro says his focus is on Pennsylvania – “the state that decides it all,” as he likes to say. But a politician who alludes to a famous passage from a rabbinic text in nearly every major speech has also decided to talk more about his views on Israel, whether for a future presidential campaign’s sake or just to influence a conversation that tends to land on him more than any other Jewish politician in America.

Jun 1 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Navigating Mental Health In The AI Era: Why Guardrails Are Essential

With more people using AI chatbots, the question is - how safe are they?

May 31 • 9:54 PM EDT • Health • forbes.com

AI roundup: Power redistribution | Governance playbooks | LLMs vs. search engines

More people are turning to LLMs for helpful answers to subjective questions. Might they be better off sticking with web search engines?

May 31 • 9:47 PM EDT • Health • healthexec.com

Cory Booker Has ‘Concerns’ About Platner Revelations in Maine Senate Race

Mr. Booker and other Senate Democrats faced questions Sunday about reports that Mr. Platner’s wife previously told his campaign he had exchanged sexual messages with women outside his marriage.

May 31 • 3:34 PM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com

Yankees' Carlos Lagrange Outlook is Positive for Near-Future Debut

With Major League Baseball's trade deadline only getting closer, as it's set for the beginning of August, there are plenty of questions about what the New York Yankees are going to do. The Yankees, who have arguably been the best team in the American League outside of a rough patch throughout parts of May, have to feel rather confident about what they can do come October as long as they make the right decisions at the deadline.

May 31 • 3:31 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Spurs vs. Knicks: The three biggest questions that will decide the NBA Finals

Can Victor Wembanyama cap off his historic season with a Spurs title, or will the red-hot Knicks break their 53-year drought?

May 31 • 10:58 AM EDT • Sports • cbssports.com

Chinese scientists leave posts after whistle-blower raises alarm over their work

The trio faced heightened scrutiny after a former doctoral student and blogger known as Student Geng raised questions about their work.

May 31 • 7:28 AM EDT • Science • scmp.com

Small Business Tech News This Week: Uber, Starbucks, OpenAI, TikTok And 20 Great AI Tools

AI hype meets reality: Uber questions ROI, Starbucks drops AI inventory, TikTok shopping booms, and 20 AI tools worth exploring.

May 31 • 7:00 AM EDT • Business • forbes.com

Trump enters perilous polling territory, raising questions over base support

Pollsters are questioning long-standing assumptions about the president’s floor of support, wondering whether it is at risk of giving way.

May 31 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • latimes.com

China’s Factory Activity Slows in May, Raising Questions Over Its Economy

BEIJING (AP) — China’s factory activity was flat in May, according to an official survey released Sunday, raising questions about how much further the country’s economy can shield itself from the fallout of the ongoing Iran war and pressure on demand. The official manufacturing purchasing managers ...

May 30 • 11:17 PM EDT • Business • usnews.com

When used in the ‘wild’ conditions of the real world, large language AI stumbles

Asking medical questions of AI with language spoken “in the wild”—meaning with consumer-level LLM prompts—brings back answers with decidedly mediocre accuracy—76%—a new study shows.

May 30 • 5:37 PM EDT • Health • healthexec.com

Before Turning A Hobby Into A Business, Ask Yourself These 4 Questions

A hobby can become a side hustle, but monetizing it may turn private joy into another obligation. Here’s how to know what to protect.

May 30 • 1:42 PM EDT • Business • forbes.com

Billionaire Mark Cuban Asks Why Insurance Companies Pay $2,500 for an MRI When ‘a Center Down the Street’ Only Charges $350

Mark Cuban questioned why insurers pay $2,500 for MRIs priced at $350 elsewhere. The debate exposed huge gaps in health care pricing.

May 30 • 11:00 AM EDT • Health • finance.yahoo.com

Is JD Vance the 2028 Front Runner? Trump Has Questions.

President Trump appears to see the matter of his heir as unsettled, adding a layer of tension to his relationship with Vice President JD Vance.

May 30 • 5:01 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com

Trump’s doctor says he is in ‘excellent health’ after latest checkup

While the president’s medical reports says he remains fit to serve, independent physicians have raised questions about the recurrent bruises on his hands and swelling in his legs.

May 30 • 12:17 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com

Trump’s doctor says he is in ‘excellent health’ after latest checkup

While the president’s medical reports says he remains fit to serve, independent physicians have raised questions about the recurrent bruises on his hands and swelling in his legs.

May 30 • 12:17 AM EDT • Health • washingtonpost.com

Giants reassign 3B coach Borg, name Wotus interim coach

The San Francisco Giants have reassigned third base coach Hector Borg to a new role within their player development staff, the team announced Friday. Ron Wotus, a special assistant to baseball operations with San Francisco, will serve as the third base coach on an interim basis. Borg, 41, who was named third base coach before the season, was replaced after a series of questionable in-game decisions, the latest coming in a 3-2 loss against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday when Willy Adames was thrown out at home trying to score on a single to center by Luis Arraez in the eighth inning.

May 29 • 8:02 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

DuckDuckGo's 'No AI' Search Traffic Climbs as Users Reject Google's AI Overhaul

Privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo has seen a surge in demand for its "No AI" search option in the wake of Google's May 19th I/O announcements. Google debuted a new "intelligent" search box reimagined with AI. It features AI suggestions as an upgrade to autocomplete, support for follow-up questions, expanded Personal Intelligence for connecting Gmail and Google Photos, and Search agents.

May 29 • 6:55 PM EDT • Technology • macrumors.com

WATCH: Bondi refused to answer any questions about Trump and Epstein files, Rep. Garcia says

May 29 • 2:37 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Questions surround shellfish workforce appropriation tucked into budget

The small appropriation would direct as much as $75K to the FSAA's Executive Director.

May 29 • 1:06 PM EDT • Politics • floridapolitics.com

Key Chemistry Question Answered, No Quantum Computer Required

Do we need quantum computers to fully understand complex chemical reactions? A new result, decades in the making, shows the surprising power of ordinary “classical” machines.

May 29 • 9:54 AM EDT • Technology • quantamagazine.org

Pam Bondi will face a closed-door questioning from House lawmakers over the Epstein files

The transcribed Bondi interview will give lawmakers a chance to dig for information on the Trump administration's handling of the Epstein files and other related matters, including the prison sentence of Epstein's former girlfriend and confidant, Ghislaine Maxwell.

May 29 • 8:53 AM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Your philosophical sports questions, answered. Plus: Is the Spelling Bee sports?

Welcome to The Pulse, The Athletic's daily newsletter.

May 29 • 6:09 AM EDT • Sports • nytimes.com

Whole Hog Politics: A cringeworthy opening for Texas Senate general

James Talarico seems to know what he needs to do in order to keep the Senate race in Texas competitive in the long, hot summer. The question is whether Ken Paxton does. The same woke sensibili…

May 29 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • thehill.com

I’m an IVF Doctor. Business Is Booming Because Ob-Gyns Aren’t Doing Their Jobs.

Just last Monday, a woman sat across from me in my office and asked a question I have come to dread. Why had no one told her? She is 33, a therapist, married three years, and she has been to her gynecologist every year since high school. She was also on the brink of perimenopause. She had assumed that when she was ready, her body would be too. No one in two decades of annual visits had ever explained that the most consequential decisions about her capacity to bear children were being made by her ovaries on a calendar she could not see, while her doctor took her blood pressure and refilled her birth control. She is the patient I see several times a month. She is the most preventable tragedy in American medicine. I am board certified in both obstetrics and gynecology, and reproductive endocrinology. There’s a fertility crisis happening right now in America—and a furious debate about who is to blame. The alleged culprits include housing, smartphones, and capitalism. One group is getting off lightly: ob-gyns. Read [ How Perimenopause Became America’s New Health Scare ](https://www.thefp.com/p/how-perimenopause-became-americas) In July, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that the U.S. fertility rate had fallen to fewer than 1.6 children per woman—the lowest figure in our history—despite a 2025 survey of American Gen-Z women that found that nearly three-quarters intended to become mothers. American women are not opting out of building a family. They are running out of time.

May 28 • 9:12 PM EDT • Business • thefp.com

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma warns tough decisions are ahead, raising questions about Helix, Xbox Game Studios, and exclusives

We break down what "tough decisions" could mean for the future of Xbox and gaming at Microsoft.

May 28 • 5:09 PM EDT • Technology • windowscentral.com

N.Y. sites now won't have to say if dancing is allowed on liquor application

Questions about dancing will also not be considered during the on-premise liquor license application process.

May 28 • 4:12 PM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

Even in deep-blue Baltimore, the nonpartisan school board race can’t escape politics

A question about LGBTQIA+ students separated one candidate from the pack.

May 28 • 3:21 PM EDT • Politics • thebanner.com

Mark Zuckerberg’s $145 Billion AI Gamble Could Spawn Meta’s Next Monster Business

The artificial intelligence arms race has turned Silicon Valley into a spending contest. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG), and Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into chips, servers, networking gear, and data centers in a scramble to dominate AI infrastructure. The question investors are wrestling with is simple: how much ... Mark Zuckerberg’s $145 Billion AI Gamble Could Spawn Meta’s Next Monster Business

May 28 • 10:21 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com

Democrats question payments to kill offshore wind projects

House Democrats say the Trump administration’s recent payments to stop offshore wind projects are a “bribe.”

May 28 • 10:00 AM EDT • Politics • spectrumlocalnews.com

That sword Geralt unsheaths in The Witcher 3 Songs of the Past expansion artwork? We've seen it before

Tricksy CD Projekt Red. The question is, whose sword is it, and what's the significance of it? There are theories..

May 28 • 9:27 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net

O-Zone: Relationship business

Senior writer John Oehser answers your questions.

May 28 • 8:53 AM EDT • Business • jaguars.com

Ben Roethlisberger questions Steelers' training plan for QB Drew Allar: 'Makes me nervous'

The former two-time Super Bowl champion questions the development of the Steelers' third-round pick

May 28 • 8:02 AM EDT • Sports • cbssports.com

Polish scientists and students rally in campaign for 3% funding target

Polish scientists and students have been flooding social media with calls on the government to raise research and development spending as part of 3% for Science, 100% for Poland, a campaign born earlier this month out of frustration with chronic underfunding in the academic sector. On May 27, thousands took the slogan on to the streets.The EU has been trying to convince member states to raise their R&D expenditures to 3% of GDP for more than two decades, but the idea has never gained traction in capitals. Finance ministers were too busy plugging budget holes created in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, then the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and now the war in Iran.Critics say that countries missed or ignored the target because it is voluntary, but also because research communities have rarely raised their voice to put pressure on national governments. The European Commission hopes to make the target legally binding in the upcoming European Research Area Act, an EU-wide regulation that should be announced by the end of the year. Academia in Poland has been faced with a funding crisis for years, often leaving its members with no other choice but to work abroad in order to access better resources, or leave the sector altogether in the hope of earning a decent living. The risk, in the long-term, is that brain drain stifles local innovation capacity and technological competitiveness.In just a few weeks, the movement rallied nationwide support, including from major academic bodies and trade unions such as the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland and the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Its public petition collected more than 23,000 signatures. On May 27, it formed the first large protest for science in Poland, gathering thousands of people in front of the parliament building in Warsaw.Ilona Uryga-Bugajska, representative of the Marie Curie Alumni Association Poland Chapter, was there. “The protest was peaceful, with no incidents reported, and the entire event took place in a respectful and calm atmosphere,” she said. Banners she saw in the crowd carried slogans such as “A little longer and I’ll be teaching in a supermarket,” “National culture, starvation salary,” “Stop the destruction of science,” “Passion will not pay the rent,” “Without action, don’t expect a better future,” and “Pull science out of the hole.” She also observed a strong presence of young researchers, who are on the frontline of Poland’s academic crisis.“Academics are usually people who prefer discussion, analysis, dialogue and compromise. We are not a group that protests easily,” said Katarzyna Marzec, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Jagiellonian University Medical College and AGH University of Krakow, who also took part. “But many of us feel that we have been pushed against the wall.”Aleksandra Rutkowska, translational neuroscientist and research group leader at the Medical University of Gdańsk, agreed. “Frustration in the scientific community is very high,” she said. “Science is often used politically as a symbol of innovation and modernity, but the everyday reality inside many institutions is much more difficult. There is a large gap between the public narrative and the actual condition of the sector.”Maria Wiktoria Górna, head of the structural biology group at the University of Warsaw and one of the organisers of the movement, told Science|Business that the campaign would continue without proven results. This might involve another strike in the autumn, she said. “Empty promises are not enough by now.”Campaign demandsAccording to Uryga-Bugajska, the organisers officially presented their demands and concerns to representatives of the government present at the event. These included Marek Gzik, deputy minister of science and higher education, and Karolina Zioło-Pużuk, secretary of state of that same ministry.The headline demand, for the government to increase national spending on R&D to 3% of GDP by 2030, should be within Poland’s economic capacity, Rutkowska said. “The real question is whether there is genuine long-term political commitment to treating science as a strategic priority rather than a slogan.”In 2024, R&D expenditure in Poland stood at 1.41% of GDP, which is slightly above the average for central and eastern Europe, with countries such as Czechia recording 1.82%, Hungary 1.31% and Romania 0.46%. However, it falls noticeably short of the EU average of 2.24%, which just a handful of countries exceed, including Germany, Belgium and Sweden.Campaigners are also asking for fair wages for scientific staff, including PhD stipends and junior academic salaries, which are widely considered uncompetitive. Starting doctoral scholarships amount to some €843 gross per month, when the statutory minimum wage stands at €1,135. By pushing early-career researchers out of Poland, growing precarity has caused a generational gap in the academic workforce, with just 25% of lecturers aged under 40. In this context, the movement fears that scientific careers could soon be accessible to a privileged minority only.Grzegorz Spólnik is a case in point. After 15 years working in mass spectrometry at the Polish Academy of Sciences, he decided to leave partly “to earn enough money to live a normal life,” he said. “At that time, my earnings were similar to those of people working in grocery shops, and the work-life balance is something that does not exist in science, or is very hard to achieve.”Now a senior field service engineer for Polish laboratory equipment supplier Bioanalytic, he would consider going back to research, “but never in the public sector, maybe some start-up or a big private company with ambitious R&D.”The campaigners want to see more support for basic research and have called for €236 million to be added to the budget of the National Science Centre (NCN) in 2027 so that the average grant application success rate does not fall below 25%.“At the protest, there was a banner I particularly liked: ‘NCN is not a lottery.’ Unfortunately, for many researchers, it increasingly feels exactly like one,” Marzec said. “Personally, I am one of the lucky ones. I work at two of the strongest institutions in the country, where the research standards are very high. I know that in many other institutions, the situation is much worse and obtaining funding for research at an early-career stage is becoming nearly impossible.”Rutkowska also considers herself fortunate. After studying abroad and holding a postdoctoral position, she returned to Poland, where her pay was supported through an NCN-funded project linked to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. “This also made me very aware that good research conditions in Poland often depend on external competitive funding rather than on stable support from the system itself,” she said.Long-term strategyBeyond the lack of funds for both salaries and grants, scientists believe that the issue is structural. “The biggest problem at the moment is the complete lack of a clear long-term strategy for the development of science and research from the current government,” Marzec said. “Everything ends with declarations and promises that are never truly followed by concrete actions or structural reforms.”Rutkowska agreed, citing a lack of infrastructure, continuity and long-term institutional support.“Running a research group in Poland often means functioning as an entire institution at once,” she said. “I am a principal investigator, a mentor, a recruiter, a project administrator and, when needed, still someone who returns to the lab bench to help with experiments,” she went on. “This creates a large hidden workload that takes time and energy away from actual science. At times, it feels as though scientists are no longer expecting extra help; we simply hope the system will stop creating additional obstacles that make research unnecessarily difficult.”Related articlesStrategic thinking: Germany funds joint research with Poland and FrancePoland to transfer €30M of regional funds to boost Horizon Europe participationPoland is funding fewer basic research grants as high inflation hitsIn short, “academics are expected to teach, publish papers, apply for grants and conduct high-quality research, while funding and salaries remain very limited,” said Uryga-Bugajska, who returned to her home country after 13 years in the UK.According to Marzec, another issue is the way that research institutions are evaluated. Previously, this took place every four years, with a clear differentiation between stronger and weaker institutions. “The current government, perhaps to avoid political backlash, effectively concluded that everyone is doing well, so in practice no meaningful evaluation took place,” she said.But in her view, “some form of serious assessment is necessary” to ensure the excellence and international competitiveness of Polish institutions, and to determine how to best use public resources and where institutional structures need reform. “Some institutions may need to rethink hiring practices in order to attract ambitious young researchers who are capable of obtaining competitive grants and building internationally visible research groups.” Rutkowska has already had to adapt. “When hiring PhD students, I often have to combine different funding sources creatively to make positions attractive enough for talented people to stay in science,” she said. “Many young researchers do not see a stable future in academia in Poland, and that is deeply worrying.”

May 28 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencebusiness.net

Polish scientists and students rally in campaign for better conditions

Polish scientists and students have been flooding social media with calls on the government to raise research and development spending as part of 3% for Science, 100% for Poland, a campaign born earlier this month out of frustration with chronic underfunding in the academic sector. On May 27, thousands took the slogan on to the streets.The EU has been trying to convince member states to raise their R&D expenditures to 3% of GDP for more than two decades, but the idea has never gained traction in capitals. Finance ministers were too busy plugging budget holes created in the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, then the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and now the war in Iran.Critics say that countries missed or ignored the target because it is voluntary, but also because research communities have rarely raised their voice to put pressure on national governments. The European Commission hopes to make the target legally binding in the upcoming European Research Area Act, an EU-wide regulation that should be announced by the end of the year. Academia in Poland has been faced with a funding crisis for years, often leaving its members with no other choice but to work abroad in order to access better resources, or leave the sector altogether in the hope of earning a decent living. The risk, in the long-term, is that brain drain stifles local innovation capacity and technological competitiveness.In just a few weeks, the movement rallied nationwide support, including from major academic bodies and trade unions such as the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland and the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Its public petition collected more than 23,000 signatures. On May 27, it formed the first large protest for science in Poland, gathering thousands of people in front of the parliament building in Warsaw.Ilona Uryga-Bugajska, representative of the Marie Curie Alumni Association Poland Chapter, was there. “The protest was peaceful, with no incidents reported, and the entire event took place in a respectful and calm atmosphere,” she said. Banners she saw in the crowd carried slogans such as “A little longer and I’ll be teaching in a supermarket,” “National culture, starvation salary,” “Stop the destruction of science,” “Passion will not pay the rent,” “Without action, don’t expect a better future,” and “Pull science out of the hole.” She also observed a strong presence of young researchers, who are on the frontline of Poland’s academic crisis.“Academics are usually people who prefer discussion, analysis, dialogue and compromise. We are not a group that protests easily,” said Katarzyna Marzec, professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy of the Jagiellonian University Medical College and AGH University of Krakow, who also took part. “But many of us feel that we have been pushed against the wall.”Aleksandra Rutkowska, translational neuroscientist and research group leader at the Medical University of Gdańsk, agreed. “Frustration in the scientific community is very high,” she said. “Science is often used politically as a symbol of innovation and modernity, but the everyday reality inside many institutions is much more difficult. There is a large gap between the public narrative and the actual condition of the sector.”Maria Wiktoria Górna, head of the structural biology group at the University of Warsaw and one of the organisers of the movement, told Science|Business that the campaign would continue without proven results. This might involve another strike in the autumn, she said. “Empty promises are not enough by now.”Campaign demandsAccording to Uryga-Bugajska, the organisers officially presented their demands and concerns to representatives of the government present at the event. These included Marek Gzik, deputy minister of science and higher education, and Karolina Zioło-Pużuk, secretary of state of that same ministry.The headline demand, for the government to increase national spending on R&D to 3% of GDP by 2030, should be within Poland’s economic capacity, Rutkowska said. “The real question is whether there is genuine long-term political commitment to treating science as a strategic priority rather than a slogan.”In 2024, R&D expenditure in Poland stood at 1.41% of GDP, which is slightly above the average for central and eastern Europe, with countries such as Czechia recording 1.82%, Hungary 1.31% and Romania 0.46%. However, it falls noticeably short of the EU average of 2.24%, which just a handful of countries exceed, including Germany, Belgium and Sweden.Campaigners are also asking for fair wages for scientific staff, including PhD stipends and junior academic salaries, which are widely considered uncompetitive. Starting doctoral scholarships amount to some €843 gross per month, when the statutory minimum wage stands at €1,135. By pushing early-career researchers out of Poland, growing precarity has caused a generational gap in the academic workforce, with just 25% of lecturers aged under 40. In this context, the movement fears that scientific careers could soon be accessible to a privileged minority only.Grzegorz Spólnik is a case in point. After 15 years working in mass spectrometry at the Polish Academy of Sciences, he decided to leave partly “to earn enough money to live a normal life,” he said. “At that time, my earnings were similar to those of people working in grocery shops, and the work-life balance is something that does not exist in science, or is very hard to achieve.”Now a senior field service engineer for Polish laboratory equipment supplier Bioanalytic, he would consider going back to research, “but never in the public sector, maybe some start-up or a big private company with ambitious R&D.”The campaigners want to see more support for basic research and have called for €236 million to be added to the budget of the National Science Centre (NCN) in 2027 so that the average grant application success rate does not fall below 25%.“At the protest, there was a banner I particularly liked: ‘NCN is not a lottery.’ Unfortunately, for many researchers, it increasingly feels exactly like one,” Marzec said. “Personally, I am one of the lucky ones. I work at two of the strongest institutions in the country, where the research standards are very high. I know that in many other institutions, the situation is much worse and obtaining funding for research at an early-career stage is becoming nearly impossible.”Rutkowska also considers herself fortunate. After studying abroad and holding a postdoctoral position, she returned to Poland, where her pay was supported through an NCN-funded project linked to the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. “This also made me very aware that good research conditions in Poland often depend on external competitive funding rather than on stable support from the system itself,” she said.Long-term strategyBeyond the lack of funds for both salaries and grants, scientists believe that the issue is structural. “The biggest problem at the moment is the complete lack of a clear long-term strategy for the development of science and research from the current government,” Marzec said. “Everything ends with declarations and promises that are never truly followed by concrete actions or structural reforms.”Rutkowska agreed, citing a lack of infrastructure, continuity and long-term institutional support.“Running a research group in Poland often means functioning as an entire institution at once,” she said. “I am a principal investigator, a mentor, a recruiter, a project administrator and, when needed, still someone who returns to the lab bench to help with experiments,” she went on. “This creates a large hidden workload that takes time and energy away from actual science. At times, it feels as though scientists are no longer expecting extra help; we simply hope the system will stop creating additional obstacles that make research unnecessarily difficult.”Related articlesStrategic thinking: Germany funds joint research with Poland and FrancePoland to transfer €30M of regional funds to boost Horizon Europe participationPoland is funding fewer basic research grants as high inflation hitsIn short, “academics are expected to teach, publish papers, apply for grants and conduct high-quality research, while funding and salaries remain very limited,” said Uryga-Bugajska, who returned to her home country after 13 years in the UK.According to Marzec, another issue is the way that research institutions are evaluated. Previously, this took place every four years, with a clear differentiation between stronger and weaker institutions. “The current government, perhaps to avoid political backlash, effectively concluded that everyone is doing well, so in practice no meaningful evaluation took place,” she said.But in her view, “some form of serious assessment is necessary” to ensure the excellence and international competitiveness of Polish institutions, and to determine how to best use public resources and where institutional structures need reform. “Some institutions may need to rethink hiring practices in order to attract ambitious young researchers who are capable of obtaining competitive grants and building internationally visible research groups.” Rutkowska has already had to adapt. “When hiring PhD students, I often have to combine different funding sources creatively to make positions attractive enough for talented people to stay in science,” she said. “Many young researchers do not see a stable future in academia in Poland, and that is deeply worrying.”

May 28 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencebusiness.net

Eagles' Saquon Barkley sends clear message regarding A.J. Brown

Brown's future in Philadelphia remains a major question mark.

May 28 • 7:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

The first scientists to splice DNA faced a daunting question: ‘Should we?’

May 28 • 6:01 AM EDT • Science • aeon.co

Ebola spreads as concerns grow over US response

An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is fast outpacing containment efforts in the region as questions and concerns mount in the U.S. over the Trump administration’s preparedn…

May 28 • 6:00 AM EDT • Health • thehill.com

5 Questions with Sean Debley, Technical Services Manager, Environmental Health Division

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May 27 • 7:35 PM EDT • Health • news.venturacounty.gov

Jays Beat Marlins, 2-1

Well, after a one day only engagement, the offence has gone back on hiatus. It didn’t end up mattering, though, as a combination of solid work from Kevin Gausman and the bullpen and questionable Marlins base running held them to only one run in spite of racking up 11 hits. The Jays are back within […]

May 27 • 4:10 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

'Ask Us Anything' hits major Iowa sports, how we do our jobs

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May 27 • 3:45 PM EDT • Sports • hawkcentral.com

Breaking down Democrats’ chances to beat Ken Paxton in Texas

It’s a question that has been asked for a very long time now: Can Democrats finally end their decades-long statewide losing streak in Texas?

May 27 • 1:45 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Paralives Q&A With Developers: Full Summary Of New Information

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May 27 • 11:39 AM EDT • Technology • simscommunity.info

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May 27 • 10:09 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

The Viruses Causing New Outbreaks Are Much Less Familiar to Science

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May 27 • 10:00 AM EDT • Science • nytimes.com

Licensable picture: FRANCE-POLITICS-QUESTIONS-GOVERNMENT-NATIONAL-ASSEMBLY

Philippe Tabarot, minister of transport, speaks on the topic of transportation in the Ile-de-France region, at the public session of questions to the french...

May 27 • 9:15 AM EDT • Politics • reutersconnect.com

Wonder Whether You Get Enough Sleep? Science Says Just Answer These 6 Simple Questions

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May 27 • 6:30 AM EDT • Science • inc.com

Artist Kyle McDonald uses private jets to predict emergencies

Kyle McDonald's jet tracker exposes wealth inequality by monitoring private jets, and questions who has access to critical information.

May 27 • 4:11 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com

Scientists are raising new questions about vitamin B12 and cancer

Vitamin B12 has long been seen as a health hero, helping the body make red blood cells, repair DNA, and keep nerves functioning properly. But scientists are discovering that the story may be more complicated than simply “more is better.” While too little B12 can damage DNA and raise cancer risk, some studies suggest that extremely high levels — especially from long-term high-dose supplements — may also be linked to certain cancers or poorer outcomes in cancer patients.

May 26 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Cramer's lightning round: Buy DoorDash

"Mad Money" host Jim Cramer rings the lightning round bell, which means he's giving his answers to callers' stock questions at rapid speed.

May 26 • 6:57 PM EDT • Technology • cnbc.com

California's Primary is June 2. Do You Know What's on Your Ballot?

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May 26 • 5:38 PM EDT • Politics • kqed.org

Supreme Court sides with Trump in dispute over immigration judges' speech restrictions

The justices overturned a lower-court ruling that questioned whether a complaint system for federal employees is still working as intended after the Republican president fired some of its top officials.

May 26 • 5:26 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org

Why aren’t Democrats talking about Trump’s health?

President Trump visited Walter Reed on Tuesday, raising fresh concerns about his health. From appearing to doze off in cabinet meetings to visible ankle swelling and bruising on his hands, Americans are asking questions — but why aren't Democrats seizing on the issue? The Bulwark's Lauren Egan, Reuters White House reporter Bo Erickson, and The Atlantic staff writer and MSNBC political contributor Mark Leibovich join Katy Tur with reporting and analysis.

May 26 • 4:00 PM EDT • Health • ms.now

Bari Weiss: Think For Yourself, Not By Yourself

When we launched The Free Press, the plan was simple: Tell the truth plainly, and let readers come to their own conclusions. I thought there would be a sizable enough group of people who would pay the cost of one coffee a month to read high-quality news and opinion journalism. But what happened next surprised even me. Yes, you came for the stories—for the investigations, essays, debates, interviews, podcasts, and arguments. But over the past few years, you also found one another. I’ve watched strangers become friends in the lobby before our debates. I’ve seen people trade numbers after live recordings of Honestly, launch businesses after Free Press dinners, fall in love after our meetups—even get married (!?), and say some version of the same sentence over and over again: I thought I was the only one. We live in the most connected age in history, and yet, millions of people feel isolated, alienated, politically homeless, and starved for real conversation. We have followers and no neighbors. Algorithms instead of interlocutors. Our social media feeds are like troughs, but what we really need is a table to gather around. The Free Press is a publication, yes, but it is also a gathering place for independent minds. So today, I’m thrilled to share our new investment in you. We are launching a new world of community experiences for our paid subscribers, designed to bring _Free Press_ers together online and in real life. Introducing Our Community Launch The Free Press Forum Our new digital home for paid subscribers, the Forum, is now live. This is where _Free Press_ers can meet, debate, recommend, organize, joke, argue, and converse like civilized people. Imagine that. This is not social media as you know it. No bots. No algorithmic rage bait. No performative nonsense. Just smart people talking to one another. Inside the Forum, you’ll find conversations on the things our readers already care about most: the issues of the day, recommendations (books, music, travel), work and networking, parenting, dating, and where to find your people—online and in real life. Jump in! Introduce yourself and join the first conversations in the Free Press Forum here. You’ll also find announcements from us (paid subscribers are first to hear!) and our writers, hosting regular Ask Me Anythings (AMAs)—live conversations where subscribers can ask questions, push back, and continue the discussion beyond the page. This Thursday, subscribers can chat with our brilliant reporter, culture vulture, and co-founder Suzy Weiss. Friday, I’ll be lending you Nellie Bowles, queen of TGIF, to answer subscriber questions live. Read more about The Forum directly from Nellie here. The Free Press Supper Club The best part of being a _Free Press_er is meeting other _Free Press_ers. So we’re inviting you all to dinner to do just that. It’s part salon, part blind date, part old-fashioned dinner party. Here’s how it works: You answer a short questionnaire. We match you with a small group of _Free Press_ers in your city. We send you to a great restaurant. You show up for supper. The rest is up to you. Your next best friend, co-founder, or future spouse may already be waiting at the table. Learn more and sign up here for our first Supper Club in 12 cities in three countries taking place on June 18. Don’t see your city? Raise your hand if you’d like a Free Press Supper Club near you. Yes, St. Louis—we hear you. The Free Press Retreats and Excursions We’re also building something new for 2027: immersive experiences for Free Press readers who want to continue the conversation trailside, poolside, or around a fire long after dessert. The Free Press Retreat will be an intimate long weekend built around big ideas, outdoor adventure, great meals, and the kinds of discussions that happen when curious people spend meaningful time together. Bring your spouse, your parents, your children—or come on your own. Free Press Excursions will take us farther afield: curated trips with Free Press writers and contributors exploring places that help explain the world we live in, from the battlefields of Gettysburg and Normandy to the Vatican in Rome. We’ll share more details this summer. If you’d like an early look when these experiences open for registration, show your interest here.**A Note to Our Subscribers** These new offerings exist because of our paying subscribers. If you’re already one: Thank you. You built this. And you keep us going. If you’ve been reading us for free and wondering whether to join, this is a very good time. For a short while only, we’re offering a rare 20 percent discount for you to join our community as a paid subscriber. You’ll unlock everything we publish, plus exclusive access to our members-only Forum, Supper Clubs, and more insider perks. Thinking for yourself shouldn’t mean thinking by yourself. See you there. —Bari

May 26 • 1:00 PM EDT • Technology • thefp.com

Secretary of State Bellows removes/keeps transgender sports referendum from/on November ballot

The Secretary of State's Office says the referendum, "An Act to Designate School Sports Participation and Facilities by Sex," will not make its way to voters following a hearing questioning the validity of its signatures.

May 26 • 10:48 AM EDT • Sports • wmtw.com

In reversal, transgender sports referendum won’t be on Maine’s fall ballot

Secretary of State Shenna Bellows had ruled that the ballot question would appear before voters.

May 26 • 10:44 AM EDT • Sports • pressherald.com

20 Questions For Bungie About What Happens After ‘Destiny 2’ Ends

Destiny 2 ending service raises a whole lot of questions about the live aspects of a no-longer-live game.

May 26 • 9:48 AM EDT • Technology • forbes.com

Trump to undergo annual physical after year of public attention to health issues

US president, who turns 80 next month, frequently casts himself as fit but recent photos have added to questions about his health

May 26 • 7:53 AM EDT • Health • theguardian.com

Your sports rules questions, answered. Plus: Knicks advance

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May 26 • 6:14 AM EDT • Sports • nytimes.com

Scientists Ditched a Scary Climate Scenario. What Now?

While global warming is still a threat, the decision to back away from a worst-case outlook raises questions about whether some risks have been overstated.

May 26 • 5:02 AM EDT • Science • nytimes.com

Trump faces questions about age and health as he heads to Walter Reed

Donald Trump built his 2024 campaign on questions about Joe Biden's health. Now, as he approaches his 80th birthday, he faces scrutiny of his own.

May 26 • 5:00 AM EDT • Health • ms.now

'As big a shambles as it is possible to imagine'

Now the curtain has come down on the 2025-26 Premier League campaign, here is my end-of-season review - with a look back to what I predicted in August. The job proved too much for Thomas Frank, who found the expectations and dysfunction of Tottenham a sharp contrast to the stability of Brentford. Just when you thought it could not get worse, matters hit a new low with the bizarre appointment of Igor Tudor, an arrival that posed serious questions of CEO Vinai Venkatesham and sporting director Johan Lange.

May 26 • 3:05 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com