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Business Groups Challenge ERISA Class Certification in Amicus Brief
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the American Benefits Council claim there was insufficient ‘rigorous analysis’ to justify class certification in a recent 401(k) plan lawsuit.
At DFL convention, U.S. Senate showdown presents a proxy for tug over party’s approach in Trump era
As the DFL heads into its convention this weekend, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig will vie for the endorsement for U.S. senator. The match up pits two well-known entities in party politics against each other, with Flanagan, a progressive, against Craig, who leans more toward the center.
Epic Games Removes Porsche "Concept Image" That Sure Looks Like AI
This week, Epic Games published a concept-art image showing what appeared to be a Porsche vehicle dropping into Fortnite. However, it was quickly removed after players theorized it had been made with the use of generative AI. And while Epic has since offered an explanation for what happened, something still seems … off. Almost immediately...
Spotlight On: Saby Mitra, Dean, University of Florida, Warrington College of Business
Saby Mitra discusses AI, workforce development, and UF’s expansion into Jacksonville.
Why Some Phone Manufacturers Stopped Using Gorilla Glass
Not every phone manufacturer is sticking with Gorilla Glass. Some are developing in-house alternatives, and their explanations vary by brand.
Raducanu beaten in French Open first round
Emma Raducanu's French Open campaign comes to an early end as she suffers a frustrating first-round defeat by Argentina's Solana Sierra.
Scientists finally uncover why old buildings feel creepy, and it has nothing to do with haunted spirits
Many of us have felt an odd sensation when entering an old building. It's not ghosts. In fact, there's a very cool scientific explanation.
Scientists Say a 40-Year-Old Childhood Obesity Warning May Be Completely Wrong
A long-accepted explanation of childhood growth patterns is now being challenged by new research that questions whether BMI changes in early life reflect fat accumulation at all.
Sony's explanation for its embarrassing AI photos just leaves more questions
Sony has responded after getting roasted online over its new AI camera tool.
Eye test: Science center hosts optical-illusions exhibit
“Phenomena” presents 20 mind-benders, scientific explanations.
Rays’ Shane McClanahan brutally honest on adversity during injury recovery
Rays left-handed pitcher Shane McClanahan speaks on the struggles he endured in his long and grueling road back to MLB
Anthropic will let its managed agents dream
Anthropic is expanding Managed Agents with dreaming — a scheduled memory process — plus outcomes-based evaluation and multi-agent orchestration now in public beta.
Many Small Business Owners Lack Financial Safety Net
Recent surveys reveal entrepreneurs struggle in financial resilience and succession planning.
Google explains why Android AICore occasionally takes up more storage
AI are inherently large, but Google now has a more detailed explanation of why Android AICore storage occasionally spikes.
Lubbock business news includes Miranda Lambert, Quext, ice cream
Business Reporter Alana Edgin reviews recent Lubbock area business news and hints at upcoming articles in the weekly Around the Hub column.
Sony clarifies recent PlayStation DRM update
PlayStation fans and gaming preservations have been alarmed since late last week that a new 30-day timer attached attached to newly-purchased digital games for PlayStation 4 and 5 might render those games unplayable if the system they’re on is offline for longer than a month. But a rep from Sony told Game File today that new system will require only a single online check before it functions as a perpetual license for the digitally purchased game. That is consistent with a newer theory that emerged by gamers testing the 30-day timer over the last two days. “Players can continue to access and play their purchased games as usual,” a rep for PlayStation told me over email. “A one-time online check is required after purchase to confirm the game’s license, after which no further check-ins are needed.” The rep’s explanation squares with the current understanding among players about what’s happening. A multi-day mystery A post last Friday by YouTuber Lance MacDonald spread awareness over the 30-day timer. Quickly, players began stress-testing the system, removing a battery within their PlayStations and checking what would happen if their systems were offline past the timer window. They noticed that setting a PS4 or PS5 to be the “primary” console—a common Sony-authorized method to retain rights to a digital game—wasn’t overriding the 30-day limit. On Tuesday came the breakthrough: A gamer called Andshrew on the Resetera forums posted the results of some tasting. They found that digital games purchased on PS4/PS5 after some time in mid-April would get a 30-day timer that could then be removed and replaced with a perpetual license that would allow the game to be played offline. The transition to the perpetual license occurred some number of days after the digital game was purchased and the system was connected to the internet. They believed that a PlayStation’s online check-in would trigger the license change no sooner than 15 days after the user had purchased the game. This synced with the theory that Sony’s new system is related to the 14-day window that PlayStation users have to request a refund for digitally purchased games. The new timer/check-in system could be a way to defeat some exploit in that refund system, some users theorized. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe In a follow-up, I asked the Sony rep if the 15-day timeline is accurate or if the perpetual license can be activated sooner after purchase. If they share more, I’ll update this post. Sony has not said why they’ve introduced the timer and whether it is designed to stop people from exploiting the refund system. But their explanation suggests that this new DRM method should not result in long-term loss of access to digitally purchased games, just because a PlayStation is offline for a month or Sony’s servers are down. Xbox flashback For many some gamers, the initial reporting of the 30-day timer conjured memories of Microsoft’s disastrous May 2013 announcement of the Xbox One, which was going to require an internet-connected check-in once a day, lest your games become unplayable.1 After widespread backlash, Microsoft abandoned that plan, ahead of the Xbox One’s launch. 1 Fun fact: That 24-hour check-in detail was my scoop from an interview I had that day with then-Xbox exec Phil Harrison. I was EiC of Kotaku at the time and rushing from one Xbox One preview appointment on Microsoft’s campus to another. I phoned the news in to reporter Jason Schreier, who wrote it up for the site.
Trump dismisses UTEP president, others from National Science Foundation Board
UTEP President Heather Wilson was among National Science Board members abruptly dismissed by President Donald Trump, ending her term weeks early without explanation from the White House.
Science, Society, and Culture: Brandon Ogbunu’s Case for a More Creative Scientific Enterprise
Computational biologist Brandon Ogbunu explores and writes about the intersection of science, society, and culture. We spoke to this 2024 winner of an Eric and Wendy Schmidt Award for Excellence in Science Communications about his recent work, including his explanation of why science communication is central to the practice of science, arguing that explaining and defending knowledge is as essential to the scientific enterprise as publishing research.
Entire NSF science advisory board fired by Trump administration
Members of the National Science Board, which the US Congress founded in 1950, were given no explanation for their termination
Why do cats and dogs shake their heads?
Cats often flick their heads back and forth as if they've been possessed. This strange reflex has a simple explanation.
‘James Joyce: A Political Life’ by Frank Callanan
The writer left his native Ireland when he was a young man, but the nation’s frustrated struggle for independence haunted the fiction he wrote in exile.
Trying to find common ground? Look to sports and the athletes who inspire
Olympic gold medalists Brandi Chastain and Elana Meyers Taylor joined NBA Commissioner Adam Silver for a conversation with NBC Sports' Mike Tirico about sports as a unifying force.
Apple's M4 Mac mini, including the $599 one, is gradually becoming impossible to buy
Pending refresh? RAM shortage? AI agents? There are many possible explanations.
Why Business Leaders Need to Champion Democracy | MIT Sloan Management Review
Many leaders are unsure about what they can do to oppose the global rise of authoritarianism. Here are four options.
Shaky political science: using "simulated" elections over real-world elections
[Dear DSOS readers – this article is the latest in our “Shaky Political Science” series. In our 38 page report, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting,” released in early December, we examined over 40 studies focused on ranked choice voting. We found that many of these studies suffered from puzzling research methodologies, poorly constructed surveys, unrealistic simulated elections, cherry picked data, and faulty analyses that often were contradicted by results from real-world elections (a link to our full paper is here). Here are links to the first three articles in our series: the first one summarizing the overall results of our report, the second one analyzing a study co-authored by University of Minnesota academic Larry Jacobs, which was one of the most error-prone of all the research we reviewed in our report, and a third article showing an admirable example of two political scientists holding two other political scientists accountable for their flawed, sloppy research]. In this fourth article in our “Shaky Political Science” series, we shine a spotlight on seven studies that were web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group (the ERRG is an ad hoc committee headed by New America’s Political Reform Program and joined by the American Enterprise Institute, the Unite America Institute and Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law). This research consortium has been led by Lee Drutman, senior fellow with New America’s Political Reform Program. These seven studies are simply not credible from any objective standard about how political “science” is supposed to illuminate our understanding of either ranked choice voting or politics in general. The feature that six of these seven studies have in common is that they all used surveys – artificial, simulated elections -- to attempt to say something cogent or interesting about ranked choice voting (RCV) elections. None of them used real world data from actual RCV elections – either the 1000+ elections in the US or the many thousands of elections from places like Australia, Ireland and elsewhere where RCV has been used for 100 years. While a few of these studies conclude with some mixed positives about RCV, our analysis here is content neutral. The idea that, with a political reform like RCV, you can ask respondents in a mock, artificial election to vote with that method, with only the barest of explanation about how RCV works or its likely impacts (i.e. no spoiler candidates, majority winners, voters liberated to pick their favorite candidates, coalition-building), and then ask them their thoughts/reactions about voting in that system, with fake candidates and no real campaigning, no real exposure to an actual election or actual candidates, rests on some very puzzling assumptions. The findings of these seven studies actually are contradicted by the findings from many other studies based on real-world RCV elections. These New America studies also failed to list the real-world RCV studies in their own citations, instead including those studies that reinforced their conclusions. The seven studies featured in this article were chosen because they form a cohesive cohort which precisely illustrates one of the main points of our research paper, namely that using surveys, i.e. artificial elections, or mathematical/theoretical models, instead of real-world data, is in fact “shaky political science.” Below are summaries of our analysis of five of the seven New America studies. You can read our complete analysis of all seven studies at our paper, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting.” Choosing to “Vote As Usual” by Andre Blais, Carolina Plescia, and Semra Sevi. New America. (Blais et al., 2021). This study, web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group, used two surveys in which respondents completed ballots for simulated elections using plurality, approval, RCV and point (Score) voting. In both cases the authors provided the respondents with only minimal explanation of each method. For example, the entire explanation for RCV was “For this vote, rank the candidates from your first to your last choice (you do not need to rank them all). This is called the ranked vote.” That’s it. The study did not provide any context or explanation to survey respondents about why she/he might want to rank multiple candidates. Participants were not even told that ballots would be tabulated using an “instant” runoff, not to mention any description of RCVs ability to eliminate the spoiler effect or liberate voters to rank their favorite candidates without fear of helping the “greater evil” candidate to win. That’s like taking an iPhone back in time to 1970 and asking someone if they like it better than their rotary phone without explaining how it works. Their first survey targeted states that held 2020 Super Tuesday Democratic primaries and used the real candidates’ names in the survey; the second survey used fictitious candidates. In other words, they surveyed respondents who had only ever participated in plurality elections, had no history or background with using RCV or any of the other methods, had no clue about its likely impacts, and did not communicate how the alternative methods would be counted, and then asked them: “How satisfied are you with using each system?” Predictably, the winner was plurality elections, the system used for president, Congress, gubernatorial and state legislative elections – in other words, the method they have been using, year after year, all their voting lives. With so little explanation of RCV and its impacts, this study is simply not credible in discovering anything useful about real-world RCV elections. It merely shows that a basic voter education campaign is needed when adopting a new election system. Additionally, the result contradicts many other post-election surveys following real RCV elections, asking opinions from voters who had just participated in a RCV election, that showed a great deal of satisfaction with RCV (see details on that in Studies 22-25 in our paper, as well as the four studies cited in the review for Study 28). Share Other studies on “satisfaction” and “understanding” make similar mistakes, in terms of basing their surveys on inadequate explanation to respondents and lack of education about context. How could any survey ever hope to measure accurately, in essence simulate a real-world election, without actual campaigning candidates, the media writing about those candidates, organizations endorsing candidates and voters being inundated with crucial information? More than anything, what these “studies” based on surveys show is that if you ask voters about something they don’t know very much about, and fail to adequately educate them, their responses will unsurprisingly reflect their confusion. Equally puzzling is that New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group, headed by political scientist Lee Drutman, found this to be a credible enough study that they not only published it but highlighted it in Drutman’s own discussion of research related to ranked choice voting. This pattern was repeated in study after study featured by New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group. For example in Ranked-Choice Voting and Political Expression: Voter Guides Narrow the Gap between Informed and Uninformed Citizens by Cheryl Boudreau, Jonathan Colner, and Scott MacKenzie, the researchers based their analysis on a survey which found that respondents who were asked to vote in a simulated RCV election, with minimal explanation of RCV or how it works, displayed less evidence of being informed about how to use RCV effectively, with the least informed voters ranking fewer candidates. As pointed out under the study above, in a real election voters are informed by a wide variety of methods, including public education by the election administration, by interested political groups, the media, and the candidates themselves who benefit from voters being aware of how to vote in the new system. In Support for Ranked-Choice Voting across Race and Partisanship by Joseph Anthony, David C. Kimball, Jack Santucci and Jamil Scott, the researchers used respondents from different parties and races voting in simulated plurality and RCV elections, who indicated their satisfaction with each voting method. Instead of using real world election results, the authors fell back on the easy, armchair and less reliable academic research methodology of making up mock elections. As with the other studies, little explanation was given of how RCV works or what its implications might be (electing majority winners or eliminating spoilers, for example). Unsurprisingly, this study found that respondents were not very satisfied with RCV. However, when the authors added an explanation that RCV has a tendency to elect more women and people of color, they found that this greater explanation increased the preference for RCV. The more voters were familiar with it, and the more they understood potential positive impacts – surprise! -- the more they were open to switching away from the status quo. Of note, the results from this study are thoroughly contradicted by a number of other studies whose data was obtained from real RCV elections with real voters. Those studies show a great deal of satisfaction with RCV. More “fake election” research An interesting wrinkle on this “research by fake elections” approach, which only served to illustrate how unreliable such “research” can become, was taken in Ranked-Choice Voting, Runoff, and Democracy: Insights from Maine and Other U.S. States by Joseph Cerrone and Cynthia McClintock_,_ also web-hosted and funded by New America’s ERRG. It gets high marks for creativity, but an eye-roll for thinking this could possibly add anything meaningful to our understanding of real world RCV elections. This study tried to determine whether RCV, plurality or two-round runoff elections provided greater voter satisfaction and acceptance of election results. To determine that, the authors conducted a survey asking if voters were satisfied with a fictional newspaper report of an election, with three different versions given to respondents – plurality, runoff and RCV, with variations of Republican/Democrat winners and variations of “come-from-behind” winners,” i.e. candidates not initially in first place but who win the “runoff.” Again, a minimal explanation of RCV or how it works was given, and the survey showed that respondents had the greatest unfamiliarity with RCV than the other methods. The unsurprising result? Respondents were much more satisfied with “come-from-behind” victories in a traditional two-round runoff election than in RCV, even though RCV is also a runoff system but with a single round of counting. Interestingly, the dissatisfaction with RCV disappeared for those who were more familiar with RCV. In fact, among those respondents who were “very familiar” with RCV, they were equally satisfied with RCV, runoff and plurality. Surprise, surprise. Again, what this study revealed, more than anything, is not only the inadequacy of the explanation for RCV given by the authors of this study, but the failure of the research format itself, thinking that such an artificial mock election could somehow simulate what actually happens in the real world in a real RCV election. Those four studies reviewed above are fitting examples of inadequate and shaky political “science.” Other studies reviewed in our paper from the New America/Electoral Reform Research Group cohort which also used mock elections included: Ranked-Choice Voting is an Acquired Taste by Joseph Anthony and David C. Kimball. New America. (Anthony et al., 2021). Ranked-Choice Voting is No Refuge for Extreme Candidates by Melissa Baker. New America. (Baker, 2021). Also included in this New America cohort is Does Ranked-Choice Voting Reduce Racial Polarization? by Yuki Atsusaka and Theodore Landsman, which actually did use real-world election results data but applied an odd and unconventional methodology to the data which relied on shaky assumptions and non-real-world scenarios that were too divorced from reality. To determine levels of “racially polarized voting,” the researchers imagined “ethnic parties,” by which they mean political parties for each ethnic group, which was especially odd since the election data they were using came from nonpartisan RCV races. But then they made an even odder assumption, namely that since race and ethnic characteristics of studied voters were not available, the authors tried to infer that information based on who voters selected and the racial make-up of voters in each district. This amounted to little more than vague and ambiguous guesswork dressed up with a bunch of mathematical equations used to give it a veneer of scientific appearance. Indeed, it seemed to assume racial polarization in order to prove racial polarization. Based on this questionable methodology, the authors concluded that RCV doesn’t reduce racial polarization. But the premise of this study missed an obvious reality: since RCV incentivizes more candidates to run and can result in more diverse fields of candidates, one would expect more racially-polarized voting in voters’ top rankings, not less, because more voters would have someone on that ballot who represents their racial or ethnic identity and more freedom to vote for their real first choice. By encouraging more diverse candidates and eliminating the spoiler effect, RCV facilitates voting for a favorite candidate of your own race and then selecting a second choice with the best likelihood of winning. The real measure is what voters do with their additional rankings – do they consider other candidates and vote “for the best of the rest”? This study didn’t tell us anything useful about that. But readily available data shows this is common in real RCV elections, and candidates act on this knowledge by engaging with voters outside their racial group. So the authors of this study failed to consider or account for what actually happens in real-world elections, and their conclusions are tainted by this failure. New America has contributed a great deal over the past 2.5 decades to our understanding of many policy areas, including politics and political reform (full disclosure: Steven Hill, one of the authors of this article and of the “Shaky Political Science” research paper and series, is a former senior fellow and former director of New America’s political reform program, 2005-2010). So it was especially disappointing that New America funded and published such a large batch of dubious studies about ranked choice voting. The stated praiseworthy goal of its Electoral Reform Research Group was to inspire new academic research about ranked choice voting that would shed light and help the public better understand the impacts of RCV. Instead, the ERRG research did just the opposite. It produced dubious research that created more confusion and misinformation. In so doing, New America’s political reform program contributed to “shaky political science.” Steven Hill and Paul Haughey Share Upgrade to $5 subscription Thanks for reading DemocracySOS, a reader-supported digital portal for the pro-democracy movement. Subscribe for only $5 per month to receive full benefits and to support our work. Subscribe
The return of power politics to the market: theory and practice of the geoeconomic zeitenwende
Descriptions, explanations, and recommendations regarding foreign policy as well as foreign trade policy increasingly refer to the concept of geoeconomics. In fact, the use of economic and technological measures in foreign policy practice is becoming more frequent and intensive, especially in those countries that have the necessary resources of power at their disposal, such as […]
Former Southeast Missouri Softball Coach Lana Richmond and Sports Information Director Ron Hines Elected to OVC Hall of Fame
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Former Southeast Missouri sports information director Ron Hines (posthumously) and softball coach Lana Richmond and former UT Martin tennis coach Dennis Taylor have been elected to the Ohio Valley Conference Hall of Fame.
Minnesota high school sports transfer rules: Everything you need to know
More than a dozen interviews produced a comprehensive explanatory FAQ on high school sports transfers in Minnesota.
Trump, 79, Raises Fresh Health Concerns After Unbelievable Mix-Up
Donald Trump’s critics are pointing to one explanation for the president’s apparent mix-up of Jesus Christ and a Red Cross doctor: cognitive decline. After the president, 79, was lambasted—including b...
Health‑coverage decisions in retirement can shape when and how federal retirees tap their money
You've got to be careful about the tax planning and also what you might expect in the future down the road," said Tammy Flanagan.
Melania Trump tried to sweep the Epstein saga away, but she ended up reviving it
The most plausible explanation for first lady Melania Trump’s out-of-the-blue address on the Jeffrey Epstein drama was that she was trying to make it go away.
Lana Condor gets candid about her sexual health, libido and talks 'XO, Kitty'
USA TODAY chatted with the \
OHA launches Business Development Program for Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs in the food industry
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs is now accepting applications for its Kūlana ʻĀina Business Development Program, designed to support Native Hawaiian food entrepreneurs ready to grow and expand their businesses across Hawaiʻi’s food economy.
Patriot League Names Michael Blanar Director of Sport Administration and Policy
BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Patriot League has announced the hiring of Michael Blanar as Director of Sport Administration and Policy. Blanar joins the League office staff after serving eight years as Assistant Director of Athletics Facilities and Equipment Operations at Loyola University Maryland.
The Science Behind The Creepy Red Sky In Australia
Have you seen the creepy images of the red sky in Australia? It's not the apocalypse or an invasion. It's atmospheric science. Here's an explanation.
Why do men sexually harass women at work? Science offers two explanations – but only one of them holds up
There are two ways to understand sexual harassment in the workplace, but one of them is more scientific than the other.
Do patients have a right to understand health AI?
JMIR Publications announced the release of a timely new article in its News and Perspectives section, examining the legal and ethical complexities of the right to explanation for patients in the era of artificial intelligence.
Lana Condor talks ‘Pretty Lethal,’ Pacific Northwest-set ‘Whodunnit’
Lana Condor gets to utilize her dance skills in the action thriller "Pretty Lethal," which is now streaming on Prime Video.
NBPA accuses Bucks of tanking for trying to hold out Giannis Antetokounmpo, but there's a simpler explanation
Antetokounmpo hasn't played since March 15, but he wants to return despite Milwaukee's place in the standings
Mike Tomlin Signs With Sports Media Agent Sandy Montag
Sandy Montag and sportscaster-turned-agent Alex Flanagan will represent Mike Tomlin in potential talks with networks and streamers.
Long-vacant city-owned lot on edge of French Quarter to become mixed-income apartment building
The design calls for three buildings with 50 apartments between Esplanade Avenue and Kerlerec Street.
Why are humans the only species with a chin?
Potential explanations abound, yet recent research has shed new light on the question.
Linda Flanagan: Sports Aren’t for All Girls
There’s nothing wrong with preferring dance or music over track and field.
The White House Is Lost in the ‘Weave’
The Trump administration has a coherence problem. This issue starts at the top with a fabulist president who is increasingly unfiltered and unfocused, offering up ping-ponging thoughts with little purpose or explanation. His approach to governing and to waging a war has itself become “the weave,” his term for the random asides that pepper his speeches. For much of his political life, Trump, 79, understood the importance of a simple and repetitive story, the need to keep the main thing the main t
After three months, Samsung is ending sales of the $2,899 Galaxy Z TriFold
Samsung didn't offer an explanation for its decision, but it's not exactly a surprise.
Samsung finally responds to complaints about the Galaxy S26 Ultra's headline feature, but the explanation ...
The feature is definitely not as perfect as you would expect.
Astronomers think they just witnessed two planets colliding
Astronomers have caught what may be a rare cosmic catastrophe unfolding 11,000 light-years away. A seemingly ordinary sun-like star suddenly began flickering wildly, puzzling scientists until they realized the strange dimming was caused by vast clouds of hot dust and debris drifting across the star. The most likely explanation is a violent planetary collision—two worlds smashing together and scattering glowing material throughout the system.
ChatGPT can now create interactive visuals to help you understand math and science concepts
On Tuesday, OpenAI introduced dynamic visual explanations, a new ChatGPT feature that allows users to see how formulas, variables, and mathematical
How generational turnover and party switching reshape the US political map
Political polarisation has increased dramatically in the US in recent decades and is often linked to partisan geographic segregation. This column presents new evidence from 2008 to 2020 that reveals an increase in partisan segregation even at very local levels. However, while most studies focus on one explanatory factor, residential mobility, we find that generational change (in Democratic-trending areas) and Democrats leaving their party (in Republican-trending areas) explain a much larger share of the rise in partisan segregation.
Scientists stunned to find signs of ancient life in a place no one expected
While exploring ancient seabeds in Morocco, scientists discovered strange wrinkle-like textures in deep-water sediments that shouldn’t have been there. These structures are usually made by sunlight-loving microbial mats in shallow waters. But the rocks formed far below the reach of light, suggesting a different explanation. Evidence points to chemosynthetic microbes—organisms powered by chemical reactions—creating the mats in the dark depths of an ancient ocean.
In War’s First Week, a Punishing Military Campaign With No Coherent Endgame
The U.S. and Israel have pounded Iran’s leadership and undercut its defense capabilities, but President Trump has offered wildly different explanations for what he hopes to achieve.
Slay the Spire 2, Scott Pilgrim EX and other new indie games worth checking out
Plus, Planet of Lana II and a Playdate game makes its way to PC and consoles.
Small Business Regulatory Review Board to conduct its first meeting on Maui, March 19
The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) Small Business Regulatory Review Board will conduct its next monthly meeting on Maui on Thursday, March 19, 2026. The meeting begins at 1 p.m. at the Kalana O Maui Building, 200 S. High St., Ninth Floor, in Wailuku. It will also be available on Zoom. This […]
What you need to know for the first midterm primary day of the year: From the Politics Desk
Plus, the Trump administration's varying Iran war explanations.
MongoDB shares plummet 27% on weak growth in cloud business, muted forecast
MongoDB's shares plunged 27% to a six-month low on Tuesday after the software firm forecast first-quarter profit below estimates and disappointed investors with slower quarterly revenue growth for its cloud database product Atlas. Revenue in the Atlas business, seen as a beneficiary of growing AI adoption, rose 29% in the fourth quarter ended January 31, down from 30% in the previous quarter, with UBS analysts highlighting that MongoDB did not offer a concrete explanation for the relatively softer performance. More than 19 of 42 analysts covering the stock lowered their price targets after the results, LSEG data showed.
Coming to Xbox Game Pass: Cyberpunk 2077, Planet of Lana II, and More
Wake up samurai, we have games to play. Whether you want to check out haunted kingdoms, Night City, or the track, we have something for you. Here's what's coming soon to Xbox Game Pass!
Trump’s Iran war message marked by exaggerated threats and shifting, contradictory goals
In the weeks leading up to President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran and in the frenetic days since, the president and his administration have offered several evolving explanations — at times exaggerated or at odds with US intelligence — to justify why the attacks were necessary and what the US ultimately hopes to achieve.
For every known vertebrate species, two more may be hiding in plain sight
Earth’s vertebrate diversity may be far richer than anyone realized. A sweeping analysis of more than 300 studies suggests that for every known fish, bird, reptile, amphibian, or mammal species, there are about two nearly identical “cryptic” species hiding in plain sight—genetically distinct but visually almost impossible to tell apart. Thanks to advances in DNA sequencing, scientists are uncovering these long-separated lineages, some evolving independently for over a million years.
The science behind smell
Meet Edgar Orellana Reyes and Abbie Deeth (aka Gail)—a research duo at Macalester who prove that high-level science is better with a "bestie" by your side. The two worked in the lab of Professor Michelle Tong, Neuroscience, through Macalester's Collaborative Summer Research Grant. While they’ve been "locked at the hip" since they met, they bring
Xbox gets over 35 new games next week
A whopping 36 new games, including Marathon, Planet of Lana II, and Legacy of Kain: Defiance Remastered, launch for Xbox next week.
Is It Aging, or Is it ADHD?
Middle-aged Americans are grappling with a new possible explanation for their slowing brain.
How Elana Meyers Taylor has kept the USA women's bobsled pipeline booming
Elana Meyers Taylor has triumphed both on the Olympic stage and behind the scenes as Team USA's top women's bobsled recruiter.
Svetlana Lipyanskaya, MPA, FACHE to be Appointed CEO of Maimonides Health, Pending Final Approval of Partnership with NYC Health + Hospitals - NYC Health + Hospitals
New York, NY — NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that Svetlana Lipyanskaya, MPA, FACHE will be appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Maimonides
Allegheny County launches $4 million initiative to boost business districts
Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato announced a new initiative Thursday that will provide $4 million in funding to strengthen local business districts...
Psychedelics for depression, dart frog poison and why do we have chins?
Madeleine Finlay sits down with science editor Ian Sample and science correspondent Nicola Davis to discuss three eye-catching stories, including the impact of a powerful psychedelic on depression, answers on the death of the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, and an explanation to the mystery of why humans have chins
Top Nebraska business leader leaves chamber post after less than year
After less than one year and without official explanation, a top business leader leaves CEO post at Nebraska Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
From the Sports Desk: Worth its wait in gold
Team USA won the women's hockey semifinal 5-0, Elana Meyers Taylor won her first gold and Japan made figure skating history.
Palatine Park announces free summer entertainment’s 2026 lineup
Here is the lineup for this year’s Palatine Park free summer entertainment schedule at the facility on Everest Drive in Fairmont, bordering the Monongahela River in the city’s downtown.
Scientists discover pets are helping an invasive flatworm spread
A new study shows that dogs and cats may be helping an invasive flatworm spread. Researchers analyzing over a decade of reports discovered the worm attached to pet fur. Its sticky mucus and ability to reproduce alone make it highly adaptable. Pets could be giving this slow-moving invader a major boost.
A simple discovery is shaking the foundations of spintronics
A long-standing mystery in spintronics has just been shaken up. A strange electrical effect called unusual magnetoresistance shows up almost everywhere scientists look—even in systems where the leading explanation, spin Hall magnetoresistance, shouldn’t work at all. Now, new experiments reveal a far simpler origin: the way electrons scatter at material interfaces under the combined influence of magnetization and an electric field.
Elon alumni named 2026 Triad Business Journal ’40 Under 40′ honorees
Scott Leighty '09, assistant dean for development & alumni relations at Elon University School of Law, and Blaire David McClanahan L’14, managing attorney at Law Offices of Cheryl...
Analysis: Tulsi Gabbard went down to Georgia — and no one in the Trump administration wants to take credit
The Trump administration is no stranger to shifting and inconsistent explanations. It’s not so much that the right hand and the left hand don’t seem to know what each other is doing, but that they often don’t seem to be in the same building.
White House Offers Shifting Story on Gabbard’s Presence at Georgia Raid
President Trump said Thursday that Attorney General Pam Bondi had directed Tulsi Gabbard to be present for an operation at an election center. It was the administration’s fourth explanation for her presence.
Warrenton staple McClanahan Camera 'pausing' business, reimagining model
A staple of the Warrenton business community is taking a step back to reimagine its business model in trying economic times.
Local business stopped receiving mail with no explanation. NBC10 investigated why
One South Jersey businesses felt the strain as mail delays cause payment and document issues. NBC10 looked into the issue.
Supreme Court allows California to use congressional districts that favor Democrats
No justices dissented from the brief order denying the appeal without explanation, as is common on the court's emergency docket.
The Colorado River's largest tributary flows 'uphill' for over 100 miles — and geologists may finally have an explanation for it
Millions of years ago, the Green River carved a path through the Uinta Mountains instead of flowing around the formation. Now, researchers have discovered how this could have happened.
Flatland Fencing, January business updates make Lubbock headlines
Business Reporter Alana Edgin reviews recent Lubbock area business news and hints at upcoming articles in the weekly Around the Hub column.
Let ABC15 Know helps local business stuck in 'Google jail' after 40 days.
A Surprise small business owner says his company was shut out of Google's platform for over a month, and he couldn't get a clear explanation why.
Xavier 68-86 Seton Hall: What was that?
My first job in high school was cleaning bathrooms at a state park campground. Camping is a foul enough activity, but what people did in those bathrooms defies explanation. I say this to let you know I have stared into the dark heart of a man experiencing a bowel emergency and apparently the desire to […]
Europa’s ice may be feeding a hidden ocean that could support life
Europa’s subsurface ocean might be getting fed after all. Scientists found that salty, nutrient-rich surface ice can become heavy enough to break free and sink through Europa’s icy shell, delivering essential ingredients to the ocean below. The process is fast, repeatable, and works under many conditions. It offers a promising new explanation for how Europa could support life.
Latest iPhone 18 Pro Leak Corroborated by Respected Former Analyst
Respected veteran display analyst Ross Young has added his support to a new leak today about the iPhone 18 Pro's front-panel design. In a new post on X (Twitter), the now-retired Counterpoint Research VP said that Chinese leaker Instant Digital's latest explanation of how Apple will shrink the Dynamic Island is what he was alluding to in a report last year.
'Custodes Are Not Space Marines' — Games Workshop Addresses 'The Telemon in the Room' and Explains Warhammer Lore Behind New Female Miniatures
Games Workshop has published a Warhammer lore explanation for the existence of female Custodes following a new miniature range announcement on Friday.
My research helped invent Ozempic — then male scientists took all the credit
The work of the biochemist Svetlana Mojsov was instrumental in the development of the diet drugs that are now slimming the world. She tells Aimee Donnellan about her 40-year fight for recognition
Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova Is 'Heated Rivalry's Fiercest Ally
Actor Ksenia Daniela Kharlamova talks to NYLON about her role as Svetlana on 'Heated Rivalry,' her experience auditioning and filming, and more.
Executives' favorite explanation for spending big on AI: FOMO
If you're wondering whether JPMorgan's tech spend is paying off, here's Jamie Dimon's answer: "Trust me."
Scientists finally uncover why statins cause muscle pain
A new discovery may explain why so many people abandon cholesterol-lowering statins because of muscle pain and weakness. Researchers found that certain statins can latch onto a key muscle protein and trigger a tiny but harmful calcium leak inside muscle cells. That leak may weaken muscles directly or activate processes that slowly break them down, offering a long-sought explanation for statin-related aches.
‘Flawed,’ ‘inaccurate,’ ‘biased’: Influential Oregonians say state’s lawyers wrote shoddy explanations for proposed ballot measure
The biggest flaw, they say, is that the draft explanations completely omit the proposed measures' biggest impact: 1.1 million more Oregonians would be able to take part in government funded primary elections for the most important offices.
Tufts Vice Provost for Research Named Foreign Fellow of Indian National Science Academy
Bernard Arulanandam, vice provost for research at Tufts University and professor of immunology at Tufts University School of Medicine, has been named a foreign fellow of the Indian National Science Academy
Portland City Council fails to elect next president amid fractious political fight
The 12-member council will resume deliberations Thursday as progressive caucus member Sameer Kanal vies with incumbent Elana Pirtle-Guiney for leadership position.
Politics Friday Special: Walz gives deeper explanation about decision to abandon bid for third term
In a major political shakeup, Gov. Tim Walz took himself out of the running for a third term as governor. The next day, a fiery Walz took questions about his final year in office.
Philosophy to the Rescue of Science
The pessimistic meta-induction—the argument that since past scientific theories have been shown to be false, we should expect that today’s will turn out false, too—makes the New York Times. . Elay Shech, professor of philosophy at Auburn University, takes up the topic in the context of current political disputes about science and our government’s seemingly increasing disregard of expertise: Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of health and human services, made a version of this argument in August when defending his decision to halt hundreds of millions of dollars in mRNA vaccine development despite the objections of vaccine scientists. He said that “science is always evolving” and the experts could not always be trusted. Shech accepts that “many widely accepted [scientific] theories have been discarded” but that the question, “why should we trust the ones we have now?” is misleading. Why? It implies that the only possible attitudes toward science are naïve faith and wholesale pessimism. It assumes that science is a single global entity that rises or falls all at once, when in reality, science is an array of local domains of inquiry, each with its own standards of evidence and degrees of reliability. In place of skepticism, Shech recommends “disciplined trust.” The first step in the direction of disciplined trust is recognizing that “there is no single scientific method used in all of science.” Shech writes: Newton’s deduction from observed phenomena is very different from Darwin’s inference to the best explanation, which in turn differs radically from Einstein’s thought experiments with light beams, trains and elevators. What people call “the scientific method” is really many distinct ways of investigating the world—different strategies for representing, experimenting and classifying. Since different areas of science employ different methods and rely on different kinds of evidence, to make a case for skepticism “you need to look at the evidence and methods in a specific area of inquiry.” And that case will not be “a sweeping claim about all of science” but rather about that particular area of inquiry with, for example, what might turn out to be “well-understood methodological problems.” Shech’s piece is “Science Keeps Changing, So Why Should We Trust It?” (NYT gift link). Discussion welcome (readers are advised to keep in..
Trump, 79, Totally Blows Up Leavitt’s Lies Over His Ailing Health
The president’s own explanations undercut the White House line over his hand bruising and an October scan.
Jay M. Savage, witness to disappearing frogs and builder of tropical science
In the late 1980s, something began to go wrong in places that were supposed to be safe. Protected cloud forests, buffered from chainsaws and bulldozers, started losing animals that had persisted through far rougher times. Amphibians—often abundant, often overlooked—were vanishing in patterns that did not fit the usual explanations. Field biologists, trained to distrust drama, […]
She has ‘the worst job in Oregon politics.’ But she wants to keep it
It's been no picnic for Elana Pirtle-Guiney as she's tried to lead Portland's first City Council under a new form of government.
The science behind why you lose track of time during the holidays
Ever wonder why the days after Christmas feel dreamlike and out of sync? There's a deeper explanation behind the holiday haze. The post The science behind why you lose track of time during the holidays appeared first on Straight Arrow News.
'What the heck is this?' James Webb telescope spots inexplicable planet with diamonds and soot in its atmosphere
Scientists using the James Webb telescope observed a distant exoplanet with an atmosphere of soot and diamonds, challenging all explanations.
NASA’s Webb Observes Exoplanet Whose Composition Defies Explanation
Scientists using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have observed a rare type of exoplanet, or planet outside our solar system, whose atmospheric composition
Why Is Ice Slippery? A New Hypothesis Slides Into the Chat.
A newly proposed explanation for the slipperiness of ice has revived a centuries-long debate.