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Trump rule that would politicize grants faces fight from scientists and many others

A Trump administration proposal would give political appointees power to screen and terminate federal grants. Scientists, local governments and a Republican senator are resisting.

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Jul 15 • 7:13 PM EDT • Science • nbcnews.com
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Business closures in downtown Durham spark concern, but city leaders point to what's next

Recent business closures in downtown Durham have raised questions about the area's economic health

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Jul 15 • 6:52 PM EDT • Business • abc11.com
'I'm disappointed': Midtown neighbors continue to push for Costco to stay open, reject business center plans

Kansas City's Midtown Costco still has its sights set on transitioning to a business center, investing $20 million into improvements needed to change its business model.

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Jul 15 • 6:26 PM EDT • Business • kshb.com
Trump administration 'screwed up' Epstein files communication, Vance says

During a lengthy podcast interview with Joe Rogan released Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance pointed largely to former Attorney General Pam Bondi, who infamously stated that an alleged “client list” of Epstein’s was “sitting on my desk right now.”

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Jul 15 • 5:21 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
The States Try to Topple WarnerMount…Thus Begins the Local Antitrust Era

(Welcome to the “Most Important Story of the Week”, my bi-weekly strategy column analyzing the most important (but often not buzziest) news story of the last two weeks. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. Please subscribe.) Well, it looks like it’s time for another strategy column. Can I finally avoid writing about M&A? No, it seems I cannot. Admittedly, I’m a week early with this column, since I usually put it out every other week. But this news couldn’t wait. This will make three “Most Important Stories” in a row with a merger or acquisition as its centerpiece. First, Roku-Fox (an acquisition), then Comcast-NBCUniversal (a divestment!), and now the State AGs and the WGA’s lawsuits against Paramount’s pursuit of Warner Bros. Discovery (antitrust). M&A is usually the “most important” topic any given week, simply because a giant company merging or breaking up (or preventing those outcomes) can have the biggest impact on the streaming board. If you think about these companies as players in a game, changing the number of players is one of the biggest changes you can make. I shouldn’t really complain, either, since this lawsuit is very good news for customers and suppliers (econ speak for talent, workers and indie studios in Hollywood). So let me answer some questions about this potential trial, along with (shudder) making some heavily caveated predictions. I’ll also look at whether Hollywood must consolidate, whether or not the states can win, trouble at X-Box, Netflix’s YouTube binge, and more. Plus, I have five images that visualize this merger and the harm, including three brand new data looks you’ve never seen before. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - Can The States and the WGA Stop Hollywood’s Consolidation (Crisis)? If every other newsletter and news outlet is writing about the same story, I try to avoid writing about it as well, but I can’t ignore a story this consequential. The story of the last year was the fate of Warner Bros. Discovery, and this development potentially extends that saga into 2027. As I tried to figure out my angle, I realized, like my last column, I’m again faced with a series of questions. These questions, though, are much more forward-looking. Will the states win? Will the WGA win? If so, what happens to Warner Bros. Discovery? Either way, will this chill the market for future mergers? So you know what that means: predictions. About the future, no less, the hardest thing to predict.1 Just remember: nothing here comes with a guarantee. And the more confident someone is in their predictions, the less you should trust them. This situation is incredibly fluid, nuanced, uncertain and tenuous. So let’s try to explain what may happen. Question: Why File this Lawsuit? I’ll admit, a few months back, I was fairly pessimistic about the fate of this lawsuit. Rumors had started bubbling up that the state Attorneys General (in particular California) wanted to settle with either some minor divestments (usually CNN) or behavioral remedies. And that tracked for me: the states usually settle lawsuits, like the recent John Deere right-to-repair suit. Yet, they plan to fight this. (As they did the LiveNation-Ticketmaster monopolization trial and the Nexstar-Tegna merger.) Honestly, that also makes a ton of sense. Frankly, this move is just good politics for these State AGs. Most are still running for higher and higher office in blue states—some folks have emphasized that only Democratic AGs joined this suit, but given the Ellison/Trump ties, and fears of retribution, that tracks—and a high profile case like this will help them move up the electoral ladder, especially since Paramount and its leadership (the Ellisons, father and heir) have sided with the other side of the political aisle. That makes them unsympathetic to Democratic voters and Hollywood workers in particular. Why did this lawsuit happen? In addition to the very real concerns about industry consolidation, this is why. That said, I don’t think we would have seen this lawsuit for Netflix and Warner Bros., simply because they’re more sympathetic and aligned with Democrats. But those consolidation concerns are real. The “town”—meaning Hollywood and such—really is seeing the damage of mergers on this industry. That’s why the WGA also filed its own lawsuit in defense of workers as well. (Wildcard: What about Europe? Will they try to stop the deal, too? There have been some rumors out of the UK they may try to fight the deal, and UK enforcers just stopped a Getty Images-Shutterstock tie up, so there is precedence. This argument could go either way, though. On one hand, the EU doesn’t need to step in, cause they states are handling it. On the other hand, this could make the EU’s case easier. Just imagine if both sides coordinated. I’ll simply say, “We’ll see!”) Question: Will The State AGs or the WGA Win? Can the state AGs play David to Paramount-Skydance’s Goliath here? That’s really the whole thing, isn’t it? If you know this result, you could make a lot of money. When things are uncertain, it’s tempting to shrug and say, “Eh” meaning it’s a 50/50 proposition. I wouldn’t, though. When in doubt, you should expect that the merging parties succeed. AT&T did successfully buy Warner Bros., after all, and Disney bought Fox without any challenges. Many judges are extremely sympathetic to mergers, and I’d bet the state AGs get a judge who will allow the merger. (Even Obama-appointed judges often allow mergers.) As I understand it, we’ll see two main attacks. First, theatrical films. The AGs are arguing that, when it comes to share of box office and the number of both “wide releases” and blockbuster (or “tentpole”) films, the merging parties will have over 27% market share. Now, the Supreme Court once ruled from on high that any merger that exceeds 30% is presumptively illegal, but that’s guidance, not an ironclad bar. Still, the states will have to argue that this is close to having too much power, and with that power, this will likely further worsen the theater/studio splits in particular. Indeed, as Matthew Stoller pointed out, “just five studios are responsible for 95% of all blockbusters; if this merger goes through, then Paramount and Disney will control 60% of that.” So yes, movie studios will be very concentrated after this merger. Want me to visualize some of that? Well, here’s the share of films that grossed over $200 million at the domestic box office since 2022. (Note: this isn’t all films released in over 3,000 screens, but it is a good look at market power.) First, here are the 43 films by studio: Notice all the blue (Disney), orange (Universal), and purple (Warner Bros)? Yeah, those studios are powerful, and this combines Paramount with one of them. Here’s the look by studio and share of the films that grossed over $200 million: Now, if you look at that and also think, “Huh, should we break up Disney?” I’m with you. I’ve seen some folks poo-poo this idea that this is a real category, but it is! For an upcoming article, I’ve been pulling data on the share of top 100 films at the box office as a share of total box office, and it’s massive. Here’s the chart: (This analysis looks at The-Number’s top 100 films and total domestic box office each year.) To be clear, tentpoles make up 80.7% of the box office each year, so I do think it’s a genuine market. (To be clear, films grossing over $50 million make up 80% of the domestic box office, and films grossing over $100 million make up 64.1%.) I mean, the top 100 films at the box office make up 95% of each year’s grosses. Worse, the combined studios will likely cut output to flex that market power. Everyone can just look at what happened to Disney and Fox to see the precedent. (With fewer films, the remaining theaters have to give more for those few films that remain.) Here’s an image I’ve used a lot, the share of wide-release films from Disney and Fox over time: The AGs will also argue that this consolidation will also impact the cable industry. In this case, the consolidation is actually worse, but that environment is…complicated. Paramount will argue that the cable industry is shrinking. That said, predictions that cable will “go to zero” also don’t look very well supported by the data, as the declines are shrinking, meaning “cable” or “vMVPDs” will likely stabilize at some point. Can the state Attorneys General win on those two main arguments? I honestly don’t know. Again, I’d bet no, since history in general supports that, but it depends on the judge/jury and how they interpret the arguments. Notably, Paramount won’t face accusations about monopoly power in other areas, like streaming, news, sports rights, or vertical integration. I tend to disagree with leaving out sports rights, but I also see the appeal for a simpler case. The states also aren’t really pushing novel theories about labor harm either, which should help. (By the way, Sean McNulty at The Ankler wrote a great run through of potential options, and Capitol Forum also wrote a great paper on theatrical consolidation. Both these pieces predated the lawsuit. Matthew Stoller is also out with his analysis of the pros and cons of the case too.) In some ways, the WGA’s case is even stronger. Quoting Sean McNulty’s summary: “The WGA is citing WARNAMOUNT as crossing a 30% market share in multiple sectors, a number that the Supreme Court has precedent for deeming “presumptively anticompetitive” in a market. According to the WGA numbers, WARNAMOUNT would have represented: - 35% of film writing jobs between 2021 and 2024 - 36% of TV writing projects between 2022 and 2025 - 38% of overall deals between 2021 and 2024” Notably, antitrust enforcers did win recently in the Penguin-Simon & Schuster merger by focusing on labor impact, so don’t count this thinking out. (Wildcard: Will the states try to get a jury trial? Most likely no, they’ll let a judge handle it. If I’m them, though, I’d try to put this in front of a jury. Juries tend to understand monopoly power in a more realistic way than judges faced with legions of economists.) Question: What if They Win? What if They Lose?

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Jul 15 • 4:48 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com
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Science Is Under Attack. But Scientists Are Speaking Up

On May 29, 2026, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) proposed a revision to the Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (“the OMB rule”) that would put much of science in the U.S. under the thumb of the Trump administration. How? By giving political appointees unprecedented p

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Jul 15 • 3:31 PM EDT • Science • blog.ucs.org
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Shipping Choke Points Raise Business Costs Even After The Iran War

Shipping choke points like Hormuz and Malacca keep raising business costs after the Iran War, forcing companies to pay more for reliable supply chains

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Jul 15 • 2:01 PM EDT • Business • forbes.com
Young Dallas Cowboys Defender Draws High Praise From NFL Scout

After allowing more points than any other team in the NFL last season, the Dallas Cowboys had no choice but […]

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Jul 15 • 1:08 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Cedar Point's Boardwalk Nights returns with entertainment, fun food offerings

Boardwalk Nights returns to Cedar Point July 17 with new entertainment and unique food like fried chicken ice cream.

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Jul 15 • 12:04 PM EDT • Entertainment • beaconjournal.com
Always.bank launches new digital platform + business hub in downtown Birmingham

🏢 NEW DOWNTOWN WORKSPACE: Always.bank launched a digital banking platform and opened BasePoint, a new downtown Birmingham office space combining small business banking with coworking areas.

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Jul 15 • 9:45 AM EDT • Business • bhamnow.com
"Hydration breaks" can help the "beautiful game" become a beautiful business

The 2026 World Cup has seen the "hydration break" become a point of contention, with in-stadium fans repeatedly booing (and the FIFA-fearful broadcasters not inclined to mention it) and Fox laughing all the way to the bank.

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Jul 15 • 8:08 AM EDT • Business • nbcsports.com
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna is facing a leadership test

Current and former tech leaders say the CEO's candid response to the tech giant's disappointing quarter offers a lesson for handling bad news.

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Jul 15 • 5:56 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
CISA warns admins to patch actively exploited SharePoint flaws

The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned Tuesday that attackers are actively exploiting three vulnerabilities to hack Internet-exposed on-premises SharePoint Server instances.

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Jul 15 • 5:44 AM EDT • Technology • bleepingcomputer.com
Minerals at the Negotiating Table: Resource Politics and Peace in Eastern DRC

The United States brokered a strategic partnership deal with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in December 2025, co-signing a DRC–Rwanda peace agreement on the same day. Whether a mediator with a strategic interest can also be neutral is a question the Washington Peace Accords have yet to answer. Critical minerals are no longer a backdrop to negotiations in eastern DRC but they are increasingly the point of concern. Yet understanding their role requires looking beyond the well-worn "conflict minerals" narrative and asking a harder question: whose resource interests are actually shaping the path to a negotiated settlement?

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Jul 15 • 4:23 AM EDT • Politics • blog.prif.org
Giants Trade Pitch Deals Disappointing Former 1st-Round Pick

Bleacher Report's Moe Moton predicts the New York Giants will trade cornerback and former 1st-round pick Deonte Banks. The post Giants Trade Pitch Deals Disappointing Former 1st-Round Pick appeared first on HEAVY.

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Jul 15 • 2:44 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Trump is driving another nail into the coffin of US science

Under proposed reforms, political appointees will review grants to ensure they “advance the President’s priorities”

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Jul 15 • 12:00 AM EDT • Science • ft.com
Capitals sign 2026 1st-rounder to entry-level contract

Washington's top pick from this year's draft is already locked up, even before he steps foot in the NHL.

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Jul 14 • 11:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Kendrick Perkins’ bold Anthony Edwards statement causes a stir

The Minnesota Timberwolves’ trade for LaMelo Ball turned them into championship contenders in some fans and analysts’ eyes. Others believe the star point guard will bring out the best in Anthony Edwards, helping him win the NBA‘s highest individual award.…

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Jul 14 • 10:28 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Houston Rockets jersey history No. 21

During his time suiting up for the Rockets, Powell wore only jersey No. 21 and put up 4.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game.

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Jul 14 • 9:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Nets' Mikel Brown: Contributes 16 points in return

Nets' Mikel Brown: Contributes 16 points in return

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Jul 14 • 8:14 PM EDT • Sports • cbssports.com
76ers' Labaron Philon: Team-high 17 points in SL loss

76ers' Labaron Philon: Team-high 17 points in SL loss

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Jul 14 • 7:23 PM EDT • Sports • cbssports.com
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FTC Reaches Settlement With CVS Health Over Insulin Prices

Shares of CVS Health closed slightly higher Tuesday, about a quarter of a percentage point.

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Jul 14 • 4:47 PM EDT • Health • barrons.com
Microsoft Patches Record 622 Flaws, Including Two Zero-Days Under Active Attack

Microsoft fixes a record 622 CVEs, including two exploited SharePoint and AD FS zero-days, while a Kerberos RC4 change could break service account log

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Jul 14 • 4:25 PM EDT • Technology • thehackernews.com
Small Business Optimism Picks Up in June

The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index rose 2.1 points in June to 97.4, nearing its 52-year average of 98.0. Expectations for better business conditions and real sales expectations improved substantially and primarily drove the rise in the Index. The Uncertainty Index fell 2 points from May to 89, remaining well above its historical average of

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Jul 14 • 4:18 PM EDT • Business • oklahomafarmreport.com
Cyclosporiasis infections are surging. Michigan officials say lettuce is a possible cause

In Michigan — where more than 3,300 cases have been reported — officials say early information points to lettuce or salad greens as a possible culprit.

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Jul 14 • 3:54 PM EDT • Health • pbs.org
Lamine Yamal's Controversial Penalty Decision Sparks Outrage Among Fans

One controversial VAR call involving Lamine Yamal quickly became the biggest talking point of Spain's semifinal.

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Jul 14 • 3:51 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Window World 450 Race Week Entertainment: Hauler Parade, Trackside Live, Driver Autographs & Live Music

NORTH WILKESBORO, N.C. — When race fans from around the world arrive for the first NASCAR Cup points race in 30 years at North Wilkesboro Speedway, they'll find four days of entertainment off the track before the green flag drops for the Window World 450 on July 19. Race week will include a Cup Series …

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Jul 14 • 3:48 PM EDT • Entertainment • wataugaonline.com
State budget keeps funding for county mental health services flat

Lancaster County Commissioner Alice Yoder and the main lobbying arm for Pennsylvania counties are expressing disappointment that the state budget signed Sunday by Gov. Josh Shapiro does not increase funding

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Jul 14 • 3:45 PM EDT • Health • lancasteronline.com
47 revelatory hours with Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced

To review this month’s supposed remake of 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, I must first correct the record. Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced isn’t a game about pirates (and assassins) in the 18th century Caribbean. Sure, sure, that’s what the trailers would have you believe. They’ve go their clips of Edward Kenway swinging his swords and steering his pirate ship into cannon-blasting combat against British frigates. Is Resynced truly a pirate game? Of the 47 hours I spent playing Resynced over the past few weeks, I will admit I spent maybe 44 (?) of them collecting plunder with Blackbeard, drinking rum with Anne Bonny and debating the pros and cons of the lawless pirate-run settlement Nassau with Benjamin Hornigold. I may in fact have spent dozens of hours sailing to remote islands, reading treasure maps, opening messages left in bottles, sinking the odd Man o’ War with a well-timed broadside, collecting sea shanties for my crew, befriending a pet monkey, and hunting whales. I am nevertheless neither so Gullible nor so Narrow-Minded as to call the magnificent Resynced a “pirate remake.” Oh no. Forget any reviews of Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced you may have read. Forget what you yourself may have played, if you’ve spent any time with the game since its launch. What Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is really about I’m here to give you the scoop (spoilers for Resynced’s Animus menu lore, which many players are probably not going to see): Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced, the new game whose development was led by Ubisoft Singapore, is set in the year 2096. It’s about a societal split, about revolution, about an old Assassin’s Creed adventure repurposed in the series’ distant future as propaganda or samizdat. It’s about the overheated future of 2096, essentially conquered by the series’ well-established nefarious Templar-run company Abstergo. (In this future, Abstergo is, among other things, remaking a 2013 pirate movie called Devils of the Caribbean, but this time in VR. The VR version will be backed by a marketing plan that involves AI influencers, a 10,000-avatar “metaverse premiere event” and that manufacturing of memes aimed at “50 million VR nodes.” See what I mean about Abstergo being evil?) Resynced is about a late 21st-century population mollified by the widespread use of Abstergo’s Animus devices which let people experience the lives of historical figures culled from “genetic memories.” It’s about an insurgent faction of Assassins. And it’s about a plan to wake the population into revolutionary fervor by showing them the memories of 18th century pirate Edward Kenway, who—as depicted in the original Black Flag and again in Resynced—gradually comes to an understanding about the Assassins of his day and their centuries old fight for freedom. Resynced is also about an AI developed within the late 21st-century Animus, called Ego. It has found a way to alter genetic memories, to create and show Animus users false ones. The game is about Ego’s efforts to tell the people experiencing Edward Kenway’s memories that Kenway was wrong, that fighting against order is folly, that we should crave a world where “compliance is rewarded with power.” Who are we in this game? We’re an unnamed Animus user in 2096 who experiences Kenway’s journey virtually. At four moments during Kenway’s exploits in the Caribbean our virtual jaunt can be interrupted for 10-15 minutes, as we explore Animus “rifts” where Ego explicitly tries to tell us how wrong Kenway was. None of this is what 2013’s Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag was about, of course. That was a different game, even if you also spent dozens of hours pirating as Kenway in that game, across missions and a map that’s been faithfully reintroduced and rebuilt for Resynced. The 2013 Black Flag was about you playing as an unnamed researcher newly hired in 2013 by Abstergo Entertainment, the video game development wing of the Templars’ evil-corp. In that game, you were assigned to use the Animus to dive into the genetic memories of Desmond Miles, a man who died in Assassin’s Creed III and who was descended from a long line of Assassins (and at least one Templar) whose adventures were featured across the prior AC games. In 2013’s Black Flag, your mission was to plumb the Edward Kenway experience for material that Abstergo could use in productions such as the motion picture Devils of the Caribbean, though the Templars had some ulterior motives for the assignment. Resynced is therefore not a remake of 2013’s Black Flag. It’s a sequel. It is a new game about a new exploration of Edward Kenway’s pirate/assassin journey, set 83 years after the framing sequences of the original game. Resynced provides a new narrative framework that, thanks to the concept of an AI that wants to alter historical memories, arrives with creative justification to tweak a now-classic 13-year old game. That makes Resynced, already a hot seller, a tantalizing hint of where Ubisoft could go with a line of Assassin’s Creed remakes. They could remake the first game, the Ezio games, even the recent ones set in ancient Egypt and Greece. And for each, they could not just modernize the graphics and controls but expand and alter their sequences of events to use them as reference points for a conflict set in the late 21st century, as rival factions try to weaponize historical memories. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, even when that work consists of ravings about Assassin’s Creed’s modern day plot, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe A story most players will probably miss If you didn’t know any of this, I’m not surprised. If you played the game and still didn’t catch it, I’m not a bit shocked. If Ubisoft has no plans to do more of this, I won’t fall down. Almost all of what I’ve described is optional and missable in Black Flag Resynced. I nearly missed it myself, as I planned for a breezy playthrough of an old Assassin’s Creed favorite. Instead, I found myself in a 40+ hour hunt for the “real” story, buried deeper in Resynced than any gold-filled chest. The story of 2096 is Resynced’s meta-story, told in two remote pockets of the game: 1) four optional playable “rifts” that players may find as they proceed through Resynced’s pirate fantasy , 2) in dozens of text files tucked three menus deep in the game’s barely-interactive Animus hub. Assassin’s Creed games have almost always had a meta-story about people in the 21st century (usually matching the game’s release year) and their connections to the main history portions you play. Those meta-stories have always been squeezed into the margins, though seldom as severely and as, uh, graphiaclly simple, as in recent games. Back in 2013, the modern-day exploits of you as an Abstergo Entertainment employee were prominent. They were portrayed via first-person portions that occasionally interrupted the third-person Kenway experience and could be explored for hours, complete with their own missions, side quests and puzzles. Resynced’s 2096 story—of Assassin “Watchers” vs. Abstergo/Tempar goons, of rogue AIs, of panicking scientists, of a woman wondering why her Animus-addicted husband is muttering about Mary Read (“What does he mean by Assassins?”), of a fight for the population’s hearts and minds via varying interpretations of Edward Kenway’s life choices—is mostly told through unlockable text files. The files are interesting. Offered via diary entries, intercepted chats and news reports, they present varied perspectives of a world in crisis. One set works as a narrative puzzle as it reveals the Rashomonic interpretations of a massacre, or was that a successful Assassin hit? Another favorite reveals the rising bitterness of a person who, through Edward Kenway’s journey, now shakes at the ignored evil around him. One surmises that Ubisoft is averse to putting the Assassin’s Creed’s meta-story in the way of more marketable pirate playgrounds and ninja/samurai epics. Instead, we get a better-than-nothing text-in-menus approach introduced in 2025’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows. In Shadows, players unlocked the meta-story text files largely via time-gated missions that called on the user to kill X number of enemy type Y, clear three enemy castles, re-win a three-phase fighting tournament, and other grinds. Time restrictions on accessing these missions and unlocking the files meant it could take players months to access the full story in-game. But even in the most hardcore Assassin’s Creed hangouts, the fanbase instead seemed to throw up their hands rather than grind to keep up. In Resynced, Ubisoft has shown some mercy, diminishing the amount of new text files that are tied to timed grinds. Now, most of the text-based 2096 lore are associated with “data file” collectibles that players can find in the world. That includes a batch of written entries that explain a historical link between the feudal Japan era in Shadows and the piracy adventures in Black Flag. Players who explore a lot will find dozens of data files, though the game does not appear to offer any in-game tracker for finding each one. You just need to keep looking for them. As of this writing, I have most of them, but not all. I can’t find any full guide for them online. And even Ubisoft’s optional $5 microtransaction that reveals lots of items in-game does not appear to reveal the locations of the text files (at least the official description omits them from its collectibles list). That’s not a huge bother, because tracking the data files down compelled me to re-explore the waves and islands of Black Flag. That was a thoroughly pleasant task to do for the first time in a dozen years. I expect many players, though, will be content to wait for the files to be reproduced in an online AC wiki somewhere, the easier to read on a web page. It may not seem enticing to play a video game in order to gradually unlock pages of text to read. Why not, you may ask, just read a book, where they put the pages in order? For one, they’ve not tucked this latest installment of Assassin’s Creed’s meta saga in a book. I also enjoy the unordered delivery, the dawning comprehension of a story about 2096’s desperate people and questionable tech, which I glimpsed first at its middle, then the end, then the front, then other moments in between1. I am also enamored with the idea of the Assassin’s Creed games I’ve previously played, including Black Flag, being repurposed for an information war. The ideas in Resynced’s meta-story, which builds off characters and ideas in Shadows’ chunks of text, are strong. The potential of where they could go with it is exciting. As for the pirate stuff? Looks great, controls pretty well, is fun to play and oh so speedy in terms of how much of a good time you can have with each sit-down. It never gets old to chase a new shanty page across a rooftop, bombard a fort with upgraded mortars or use a diving bell to explore sunken wrecks (hats off to the team at Ubisoft Barcelona that worked on the underwater portions in Resynced; that team is now facing layoffs, such is the misery of modern gaming and oft-troubled Ubisoft). New pirate missions in Resynced involving new ally characters are brief, dramatic and add more to Edward’s story, even if the gameplay perks they provide barely enhance the gameplay. A new denouement for high-class pirate Stede Bonnet is affecting; a new hunt for Blackbeard’s treasure is a welcome extra moment. A new epilogue to hunt down a pirate killer, on the other hand, over-complicates Kenway’s character. The ending credits remain my favorite of any game I’ve ever played. Black Flag provides great source material. The revisit is well-made and a great sign of what could be. It is offered in a different wrapper that hints at an opportunity for more interesting remakes to come, should Ubisoft choose to pursue such treasures—and as we brace to resist or comply with an Abstergo future. 1 The messages that Edward Kenway finds in bottles tell another out-of-order story, one about a man reckoning with the strange memories and voices he’s heard in his head since he was a boy. That tale was also in the 2013 game and develops into one of Black Flag’s most compelling character arcs. In Resynced, it has lost its climax, because the bottle story previously paid off in the halls of the first-person Abstergo Entertainment, which is exclusive to the older game. An altered resolution, written by the 2013 game’s lead writer is fine, doesn’t invalidate the 2013 version, but makes for an inferior final note.

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Jul 14 • 3:17 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news
Why the $9.99 price tag still rules retail

The $9.99 price point remains a powerful strategy because many consumers perceive products under $10 as noticeably more affordable than those priced at $10 or higher, even though the difference is only a penny, The Wall Street Journal reports. Companies are increasingly struggling to maintain these prices due to rising costs from inflation, fuel, tariffs […]

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Jul 14 • 3:15 PM EDT • Business • businessreport.com
IBM shares plunge as AI spending boom disrupts business

Shares in IBM plunged 24 percent on Tuesday after the US tech giant released disappointing preliminary second-quarter results, blaming a shift in spending by customers due to expected higher prices for memory chips and other AI-related infrastructure.A global rush by tech companies to build out artificial intelligence infrastructure has sent demand for servers, memory chips and storage soaring, driving up prices and creating supply shortages across the industry.

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Jul 14 • 2:42 PM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com
Maple Leafs, Sabres both want 1400-point free agent

Toronto and Buffalo are both interested in a logical free agent target.

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Jul 14 • 2:38 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Magic, Memes & Meditation: Sotce's Summer School Diary

The internet's favorite spiritual poster takes NYLON behind the scenes of her Summer School in Estonia through an exclusive photo diary.

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Jul 14 • 1:58 PM EDT • Entertainment • nylon.com
Michigan Health Officials Eye Lettuce as Culprit in Explosive-Diarrhea Outbreak

The state health department in Michigan, where there are thousands of cases, pointed to prewashed salad kits as a possible culprit.

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Jul 14 • 1:28 PM EDT • Health • wsj.com
Health Officials Zero In on Lettuce in Explosive-Diarrhea Outbreak Probe

The state health department in Michigan, where there are thousands of cases, pointed to prewashed salad kits as a possible culprit

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Jul 14 • 1:28 PM EDT • Health • wsj.com
WATCH: GOP senators rally behind Lindsey Graham's sister as successor, remember late senator's legacy

GOP senators rallied behind Darline Graham Nordone after Gov. Henry McMaster appointed her to fill her late brother's South Carolina Senate seat.

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Jul 14 • 1:14 PM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Fall sports updates and information

The fall sports season will be here before we know it! Here are some key summer details for students and families as we look forward to the coming season. Registration begins: High school football (grades 9-12): July 17 All other high school fall sports (grades 9-12): July 24 Modified football (grades 7-8): July 27 All other modified fall sports (grades 7-8): July 31 Please register via Final Forms. Sports physicals: All student-athletes interested in trying out for a fall sport must have an up-to-date physical submitted to Final Forms in advance of the first day of tryouts and practices. Families are encouraged to get a completed physical from their child's physician. If you are unable to get a physical from your child's physician, you can schedule a physical with Whitney Young's school-based health center by calling (518) 573-2556. Appointments will be available at Albany High School in room 4253 during July on the following dates: Thursday, July 16 between 8:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 21 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 28 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Thursday, July 30 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Again, you must call (518) 573-2556 to schedule your appointment and receive instructions. Whitney Young does require paperwork that must be filled out by the child's parent or guardian in order for them to be seen by the provider. Tryouts & practices begin: High school football (grades 9-12): Aug. 17 All other high school fall sports (grades 9-12): Aug. 24 Modified football (grades 7-8): Aug. 27 All other modified fall sports (grades 7-8): Aug. 31 High school student-athletes are encouraged to take part in our open gym sessions during July and August in preparation for the fall sports season. Stay tuned for fall practice schedules and competition schedules, which will be posted on our Athletics page! If you have additional questions, please contact the Athletics Department at (518) 475-6310. Let's go Falcons!

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Jul 14 • 1:12 PM EDT • Sports • albanyschools.org
2026 NASCAR Odds: Denny Hamlin Favored For North Wilkesboro; Kyle Larson Second

NASCAR is heading to North Wilkesboro for the first points race at the track in 30 years. Who will take the checkered flag? Here are the early odds.

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Jul 14 • 12:12 PM EDT • Sports • foxsports.com
Guardians News: Three Positives From the Week of July 5th

As we reach the halfway point of the season, the Guards sit in first place.

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Jul 14 • 10:27 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Cledus T. Judd to headline Meigs County Fair entertainment on Aug. 22

Cledus T. Judd seen performing at Liberty Fest in Point Pleasant on July 3.

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Jul 14 • 9:47 AM EDT • Entertainment • wvnews.com
Mace says split with Trump ‘may have ended my political career’

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said Monday that her split with President Trump over her push for the Epstein Files Transparency Act could have been the tipping point in her failed gubernatorial bid. “It…

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Jul 14 • 9:17 AM EDT • Politics • thehill.com
Integrated Plant Sciences program helps grad students find the right fit

The University of Georgia’s Integrated Plant Sciences program is a central access point for prospective students in plant and fungal research opportunities. In the program, students explore the research areas of over 87 faculty, performing three laboratory rotations in the fall semester, while taking a reduced core curriculum. Then students choose a thesis advisor and

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Jul 14 • 9:10 AM EDT • Science • research.uga.edu
D-topia review – cosy sci-fi mystery takes aim at AI

A soft puzzle game makes a sharp point about the over-optimised future ahead

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Jul 14 • 9:00 AM EDT • Technology • theguardian.com
Yankees prospects: Week 16 minor league recap

We’re getting close to a big inflection point of the minor league season.

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Jul 14 • 8:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Former Epic Games VP Steve Allison appointed chief business officer at Saber Interactive

"It's an honour to join Matt and the team as Saber enters this transformative period," says Allison

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Jul 14 • 6:17 AM EDT • Business • gamesindustry.biz
U.S. Small Business Confidence Improved in June

The National Federation of Independent Business said its small-business optimism index rose 2.1 points in June to 97.4, versus economists’ expectations of 95.7.

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Jul 14 • 6:16 AM EDT • Business • wsj.com
RFK Jr. faces Hatch Act complaint after intervening in congressional races

A top Senate Democrat has requested an investigation into whether the health secretary broke a law that bars political appointees from trying to influence elections.

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Jul 14 • 5:00 AM EDT • Politics • washingtonpost.com
Royal Business Bank Forms New Lending Team and Loan Production Office

RBB Bancorp, together with its bank subsidiary Royal Business Bank, appointed John Curtis as executive vice president and market president of the Northern

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Jul 14 • 1:45 AM EDT • Business • abfjournal.com
Christian Pulisic's Endorsements At 'Serious Risk' After World Cup

Christian Pulisic had a World Cup to forget. The U.S. men's national team star had to leave his team's 4-1 loss to Belgium in the Round of 16 last Monday with a leg injury. Pulisic was later diagnosed with a bone bruise and a microfracture in his leg. He was disappointed by the result, while much ...

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Jul 13 • 11:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Cavaliers' Meleek Thomas: Drops 35 points in SL win

Cavaliers' Meleek Thomas: Drops 35 points in SL win

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Jul 13 • 9:51 PM EDT • Sports • cbssports.com
Pepperdine University Awarded Prestigious Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association All-Sports Trophy

The DI-AAA ADA All-Sports Trophy is awarded to the institution that has the highest earned point total across all sports programs, including both the full season of regular conference play and postseason results.

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Jul 13 • 9:31 PM EDT • Sports • pepperdine.edu
Walker Kessler’s ‘brick wall’ promise will fire up Lakers fans

Los Angeles Lakers' new center Walker Kessler makes a reassuring promise to the fanbase for the 2026-27 season.

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Jul 13 • 7:51 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Who is Darline Graham Nordone, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham's sister?

Nordone, who was appointed to serve the remaining months of the Senate term that her brother left behind when he died over the weekend, hasn't been in office before.

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Jul 13 • 6:44 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Sabres add ex-Rangers, Blue Jackets president to front office

The Buffalo Sabres are adding to their front office, bringing in an executive with 20 years of NHL front office experience.

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Jul 13 • 6:35 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
USMNT Star Flo Balogun Signs With Major Sports Agency Following World Cup

Flo Balogun's latest career decision points to a huge move.

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Jul 13 • 5:17 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
South Carolina's governor names Lindsey Graham's sister to serve out his term

South Carolina's governor says he is appointing Darline Graham Nordone to finish the term of her late brother. Top Republicans, including President Trump, have coalesced around the pick.

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Jul 13 • 4:17 PM EDT • Politics • npr.org
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Luka Dončić Pushed for Lakers’ Move to Acquire Walker Kessler

The superstar point guard prioritized Kessler’s elite rim protection, leading Los Angeles to sacrifice massive future draft capital and $130 million to secure his ideal pick-and-roll partner.

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Jul 13 • 3:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Scientists overwhelmingly against rule change that would give political appointees say over science grants

The window is quickly closing for members of the public to weigh in on proposed federal rule changes that, many scientists say, would politicize which studies get funded and profoundly harm American s...

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Jul 13 • 3:00 PM EDT • Science • yahoo.com
Scientists overwhelmingly against rule change that would give political appointees say over science grants

Hundreds of thousands of scientists, including Nobel laureates, warn that changes to the way federal grants are approved would greatly damage American science

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Jul 13 • 3:00 PM EDT • Science • scientificamerican.com
Lindsey Graham’s sister appointed to Senate as GOP rushes to protect fragile majority

Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Trump-endorsed Darline Graham Nordone, sister of the late Lindsey Graham, to fill his seat for the remainder of his term.

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Jul 13 • 1:49 PM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Steve Przybilla

Plante Moran Living Forward (PMLF), the senior living development advisory division of commercial real estate firm Plante Moran Realpoint, is pleased to announce that Steve Przybilla has been promoted to partner.

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Jul 13 • 1:23 PM EDT • Business • chicagobusiness.com
Trump urges S.C. governor to appoint Sen. Graham's sister as temporary replacement

Sen. Lindsey Graham died over the weekend at age 71, and Gov. Henry McMaster is expected to announce his pick later Monday.

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Jul 13 • 1:15 PM EDT • Politics • pbs.org
Trump recommends South Carolina’s governor appoint Lindsey Graham’s sister to finish his Senate term

Gov. Henry McMaster, a Republican, is expected to announce his appointment of a temporary replacement for Graham on Monday.

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Jul 13 • 12:56 PM EDT • Politics • nbcnews.com
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Trump makes surprise pick to fill Graham's Senate seat

Trump recommended Darline Graham Nordone as interim senator for South Carolina, while Tim Scott pushes for a placeholder ahead of the special election.

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Jul 13 • 11:18 AM EDT • Politics • foxnews.com
Trump says Graham’s sister should be appointed to his seat

President Trump says he recommended to South Carolina’s governor that Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sister be appointed to serve in the late lawmaker’s seat after he suddenly died over the weekend.

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Jul 13 • 11:03 AM EDT • Politics • cnn.com
The ‘Palworld’ Stats To Level First, Those To Ignore And How To Respec

Here are which stats should be a priority to upgrade in Palworld, which ones to avoid for a while, and how to respec the skill points.

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Jul 13 • 9:34 AM EDT • Technology • forbes.com
Expensive and pointless? Black Ops 1 and 2 PS4 and PS5 ports cost a lot of money and barely offer any upgrades over the originals

You may not have expected much from the Black Ops 1 and 2 PS5 ports, but they've somehow managed to be more disappointing.

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Jul 13 • 8:23 AM EDT • Technology • eurogamer.net
The One Healthcare Goal That Could Change Everything

A cross-sector goal—making sure every American always knows the date of their next primary care appointment—could be transformative in its impact.

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Jul 13 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • forbes.com
New NJ businesses include non-alcoholic liquor store, art school

Point 5 Jersey in Morristown has mixers and specialty beverages. Cre8sArt School has classes for all ages in Westwood

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Jul 13 • 4:20 AM EDT • Business • northjersey.com
NASCAR points standings: Cup Series points update after Atlanta race

Denny Hamlin continued to hold the NASCAR Cup Series points lead after the Quaker State 400 on July 12 at Atlanta.

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Jul 13 • 2:10 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Connecticut faces Portland on 3-game home skid

Portland averages 9.6 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 more made shot on average than the 8.6 per game Connecticut allows. The teams play for the third time this season. In the last matchup on May 28 the Fire won 71-61 led by 20 points from Carla Leite, while Morrow scored 13 points for the Sun. TOP PERFORMERS: Olivia Nelson-Ododa is averaging nine points and 5.6 rebounds for the Sun. Leila Lacan is averaging 14.0 points over the last 10 games.

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Jul 13 • 2:00 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Vision for a Wild Coast at Point Conception

“Vision for a Wild Coast at Point Conception: Jack and Laura Dangermond Preserve” explores conservation, restoration, science, and stewardship at

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Jul 13 • 1:12 AM EDT • Science • independent.com
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Viewpoint: SCOTUS strikes a blow against junk science in Bayer glyphosate case. Will it deter mass tort litigators?

Mass tort litigation grows like weeds. Last week, the Supreme Court created the ultimate lawsuit-killer by rejecting state court claims that conflict with

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Jul 13 • 12:01 AM EDT • Science • geneticliteracyproject.org
Politics Unplugged (Full Episode) July 12, 2026

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes talks about the DOJ threats to prosecute election workers for allowing non-citizens to vote – even though there are no documented cases of that happening, going back decades. Plus, we talk with Katherine Haley, a Republican candidate for Treasurer. Then, consultants Dawn Penich and Wes Gullett talk about the impact of Turning Point USA, as a Republican lawmaker accuses a leader of the group of racism.

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Jul 12 • 11:10 PM EDT • Politics • kbtx.com
Politics Unplugged (Full Episode) July 12, 2026

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes talks about the DOJ threats to prosecute election workers for allowing non-citizens to vote – even though there are no documented cases of that happening, going back decades. Plus, we talk with Katherine Haley, a Republican candidate for Treasurer. Then, consultants Dawn Penich and Wes Gullett talk about the impact of Turning Point USA, as a Republican lawmaker accuses a leader of the group of racism.

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Jul 12 • 11:10 PM EDT • Politics • wbtv.com
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4 Bold Predictions for Florida State Football in 2026

After a disappointing 2025, Mike Norvell faces a brutal schedule, a looming quarterback controversy, and a high-stakes clash in Tuscaloosa that could define his coaching future in Tallahassee.

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Jul 12 • 10:57 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Milwaukee Bucks Make Tyler Herro Announcement After Trade

Tyler Herro was traded (via the Miami Heat) to the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this month.The former Kentucky star had spent all seven seasons of his career with the Heat.He is coming off a year where he had averages of 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per contest while shooting 48.0% from the field and […] The post Milwaukee Bucks Make Tyler Herro Announcement After Trade appeared first on HEAVY.

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Jul 12 • 6:49 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Six Flags Entertainment (FUN) Launches Tormenta, Is The Stock Still Undervalued?

Six Flags Entertainment (FUN) is in focus after Six Flags Over Texas opened Tormenta: Rampaging Run, a record-setting giga dive coaster, paired with the new Rancho de la Tormenta themed village and festival. See our latest analysis for Six Flags Entertainment. Despite the fanfare around Tormenta: Rampaging Run and a new COO appointment, Six Flags Entertainment’s recent momentum has been mixed, with a 1 day share price return of 4.34% at US$19.46, but a year to date share price return of...

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Jul 12 • 6:25 PM EDT • Entertainment • simplywall.st
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Matt Damon recalls Christopher Nolan ‘looking like a drowned rat’ on ‘The Odyssey’ set

Matt Damon is praising ‘The Odyssey’ director Christopher Nolan for toiling through the intense shooting days alongside his cast and crew, noting that he ‘never’ complained despite ‘looking like a drowned rat’ at one point.

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Jul 12 • 6:04 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
Rosie O’Donnell says prison visit with daughter was their first real conversation in 10 years

Rosie O’Donnell says her prison visit with daughter Chelsea marked a turning point in their relationship: it was their first real conversation in the past decade.

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Jul 12 • 1:14 PM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com
MSI Afterburner adds V/F hit maps to show how NVIDIA GPU Boost follows the curve

MSI Afterburner’s next beta will record the last 256 voltage and frequency states. A heat map shows which GPU Boost points were used most often.

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Jul 12 • 12:03 PM EDT • Technology • videocardz.com
Lindsey Graham Was Facing Re-election in November. What Happens Now?

South Carolina law suggests his death triggers an Aug. 11 special Republican primary election, and the state’s governor can appoint a replacement to serve out the rest of his term, through early January.

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Jul 12 • 8:50 AM EDT • Politics • nytimes.com
Hornets GM says LaMelo Ball trade was made with long-term success in mind

Fans have questioned the decision to part with the popular point guard after Charlotte won 44 games and reached the play-in tournament last season.

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Jul 12 • 8:38 AM EDT • Sports • spectrumlocalnews.com
Acadiana's Pat Mire continues Cajun mission with 'Pointe Noire'

A French-speaking native of Eunice and Lafayette resident, Mire has spent 30 years telling compelling stories in settings filled with Cajun traditions and culture.

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Jul 12 • 8:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • nola.com
FULL SHOW: Inside INdiana Business 7/12/26

.video-js, .video-js .vjs-tech { position: relative; width: 100%; height: auto; z-index: 0; } var player = videojs('player_block_04f73fff7b12da02c9876cd0336c15f6'); player.nuevo({ contextMenu: false }); var vast = { started: false, paused: false, resumed: false, ended: false, }; var video = { started: false, paused: false, resumed: false, ended: false, } var event_label = 'Video: 205021 - Article: FULL SHOW: Inside INdiana Business 7/12/26'; var post_id = 205017; var post_url = "https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/videos/full-show-inside-indiana-business-7-12-26"; player.vastAds({ tagURL: "https://servedbyadbutler.com/vast.spark?setID=13487&ID=177008&pid=117129", id: "PreRoll" }); player.on('vast.adStart', function() { vast.started = true; }); player.on('vast.adError', function() { vast = { started: true, ended: true }; }); player.on('play', function() { if (vast.ended && !video.paused) { video.started = true; window.dataLayer.push({ event: "Videos", eventCategory: 'Video', eventAction: "Video Played", eventLabel: event_label }); var audio_insight_data = { event_type: "video_played", data: { video_id: post_id, video_url: post_url }, ...insight_data, }; insight.track(audio_insight_data); } if (video.started && video.paused) { video.resumed = true; window.dataLayer.push({ event: "Videos", eventCategory: 'Video', eventAction: "Video Resumed", eventLabel: event_label }); var audio_insight_data = { event_type: "video_resumed", data: { video_id: post_id, video_url: post_url }, ...insight_data, }; insight.track(audio_insight_data); } }); player.on('pause', function() { if (vast.ended) { video.paused = true; window.dataLayer.push({ event: "Videos", eventCategory: 'Video', eventAction: "Video Paused", eventLabel: event_label }); var audio_insight_data = { event_type: "video_paused", data: { video_id: post_id, video_url: post_url }, ...insight_data, }; insight.track(audio_insight_data); } }); player.on('ended', function() { //vast.adEnd fires after ended, pointless to use. vast.ended = true; if (video.started && !video.ended) { video.ended = true; window.dataLayer.push({ event: "Videos", eventCategory: 'Video', eventAction: "Video Ended", eventLabel: event_label }); } var audio_insight_data = { event_type: "video_completed", data: { video_id: post_id, video_url: post_url, percentage: 100, }, ...insight_data, }; insight.track(audio_insight_data); }); player.on('fullscreenchange', function() { window.dataLayer.push({ event: "Videos", eventCategory: 'Video', eventAction: "Video Fullscreen Toggled", eventLabel: event_label }); }); player.on('enterpictureinpicture', function() { window.dataLayer.push({ event: "Videos", eventCategory: 'Video', eventAction: "Video Picture-in-Picture Opened", eventLabel: event_label }); }); player.on('leavepictureinpicture', function() { window.dataLayer.push({ event: "Videos", eventCategory: 'Video', eventAction: "Video Picture-in-Picture Closed", eventLabel: event_label }); }); let lastReportedPercentage = 0; player.on('timeupdate', function() { const currentTime = player.currentTime(); const duration = player.duration(); if (duration) { const progressPercentage = Math.floor((currentTime / duration) * 100); if (progressPercentage % 5 === 0 && progressPercentage !== lastReportedPercentage) { lastReportedPercentage = progressPercentage; var audio_insight_data = { event_type: "video_completed", data: { video_id: post_id, video_url: post_url, percentage: progressPercentage, }, ...insight_data, }; insight.track(audio_insight_data); } } });

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Jul 12 • 8:00 AM EDT • Business • insideindianabusiness.com
I traded investment banking for vacation rentals to be a good dad

A former banker explains why he left Wall Street — disappointing his immigrant parents — to build a vacation-rental business.

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Jul 12 • 5:25 AM EDT • Business • businessinsider.com
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Freeman Health System has appointed Kyle Bridges as interim chief administrative officer of Freeman Neosho Hospital in Missouri.

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Jul 12 • 3:38 AM EDT • Business • arkansasonline.com
They're Building Half A Bridge to Save Science...

Today’s post is about science: what you can do now to protect it from unprecedented threats, and how your action is the first half of a long-term program that Congress must take up next. Let me start with describing the embryonic state of science advocacy. There are many well-meaning organizations: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Research!America, and subject-specific organizations such as the Society for Neuroscience and the American Physical Society. Their general approach is to emphasize the common good: the remarkable value that science and innovation have provided to all Americans. However, these organizations are offering an incomplete solution. Before I start, a preliminary: If you already know about the threat, go ahead and weigh in with OMB at this link. Ideas about what to say come from Research!America and the American Physical Society. You have until Monday, July 13 at 11:59pm Eastern. Then come back here and read the rest of this post. Finally, get in touch with whoever is likely to be your next member of Congress in 2027. The threat: An end to merit-based science… The onslaught of attacks on science is accelerating. It’s not just cuts to grants, which was the last battle. That battle is not done yet, but there is a new and worse threat. Now comes a proposed public rule from the Office of Management and Budget. The rule would take decision-making power over grants away from experts and put it into the hands of political appointees. Former NIH official Elizabeth Ginexi wrote an excellent summary of what OMB is trying to do, which is codify the executive branch’s ability to award or terminate grants, for arbitrary cause or no stated cause. Since World War II, a necessary step in scientific grant-making has been consideration of scientific merit. This approach has made America into a dominant scientific superpower, the envy of the world. Of course, political considerations do come into the mix. The proposed rule tilts the balance dramatically away from merit. …but why? Many people have difficulty comprehending why Russell Vought and OMB would want to damage science in this way. If you’re a working scientist, you are likely to be particularly uncomprehending. Who would hurt an activity so self-evidently good? The answer is: this is part of the program to replace the rule of law with a personalist regime. OMB Director Russell Vought, a Christian nationalist, would like to implement what legal scholars call a “unitary executive,” and what I would call a dictatorship. Or if you like, a personalist authoritarian regime. I am a working scientist. This rule will debilitate my research. It may chill the speech of scientists for speaking freely in the public sphere. It is a form of personalizing power and decision-making within the executive branch. In short, it sacrifices science in the service of tyranny. To Russell Vought, a decrease in the quality of science might be an acceptable cost. He might even consider it an added benefit to weaken a pillar of soft U.S. power based on knowledge and skepticism. The professional societies are building half a bridge The nonprofits are asking you to make public comment. Public comment is like building the first half of a bridge. Before implementation, OMB is compelled by law to have a period of public comment. Rules have to be consistent with the law and the Constitution. They express the federal government’s stance toward how those laws will be implemented. When a presidential administration works in good faith, these public comments are used to inform their eventual action, and sometimes mitigate it. The comment period reflects our First Amendment right to petition our government. The executive branch is then supposed to take those comments into account - completing the bridge between us, the people, and our government. Project 2025 seeks to take away the second half of the bridge. We have to replace it. The first half of the bridge Organizations like AAAS, Research!America, and SfN are partly right. You should certainly comment. Their core model is earnest: if enough of us make noise, then we will achieve change. This idealistic point of view is offered in good faith. That point of view is also currently bullshit. The fundamental reason is that the federal rulemaking process has two parts: There has to be a period of public comment. OMB makes the final rule…but is free to disregard public comment. Oops. That’s a loophole. However, not all is lost. Congress can complete the bridge Congress has enormous power. That power suggests a roadmap for how to proceed. This lawless administration is still going to issue that rule. Nonetheless, your comments still play an essential role. Here are two steps you can take. Step 1: Send your comment to your Representative and Senator. Whether they are Democrats or Republicans, many of them support science. Whatever you wrote as public comment in the Federal Register, also send it to your member of Congress. You can include information about jobs in your district or state by looking at Joshua Weitz’s ScienceMatters interactive map. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and give your town, zip code, or state, then deliver your message. Step 2: Politicize the hell out of science. You heard me, politicize it as an issue. We hear a lot from the old scientific establishment about science being nonpartisan. This is obsolete, sentimental thinking. Under normal conditions, it was true. But we can no longer make that assumption. We can keep on pretending, but we’re putting science at risk. There is a way forward. Rules are subordinate to the law…and Congress makes laws. Therefore Congress can step in. In this fall’s election, it is likely that Democrats will retake the House of Representatives. That puts at least one chamber of Congress in the hands of Democrats. They are far more inclined than the current Congress to investigate and legislate. This opens a path to undoing the damage. It also creates a permission structure for pro-science Republicans to find a way back from the brink. We have to encourage them. In the House, every district is up every two years. In your district, contact both of the major party candidates. If your state has a Senate race, contact those candidates too. Specifically mention the proposed OMB rule. Ask for two things: For this year’s appropriations process in August and September, ask that amendments be added to stop the implementation of the new rule. Those amendments should support peer-reviewed science and stop political interference. Looking ahead to next year, ask the Congressman/Congresswoman/Senator to work to hold hearings in 2027 on the importance and benefits of peer-reviewed science for health and prosperity. What hearings and amendments will accomplish Congress can use its investigatory power to summon heads of agencies and the director of the OMB. That will allow fact-finding regarding the consequences of this rule. Congress can override the rule through the appropriations process. They can write into statute a requirement to follow peer review and best scientific practices. In this way, Congress can stop the attacks on science. Postscript: Moving forward Now I have a request for you, to help me. As many of you know, I ran for Congress in order to save democracy and science. Although I did not win, that battle continues by other means. I met and heard from thousands of supporters both here in New Jersey and nationally. I learned that pro-science, pro-democracy activists have the potential to become a much greater force. In the weeks and months ahead, I will be building ways to harness that energy. I will be announcing those plans soon. In the meantime, an important step is to wind down the Congressional campaign, which has a few remaining bills to pay. Please help me retire that last debt.

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Jul 12 • 2:14 AM EDT • Science • samwang.substack.com
ServiceTitan (TTAN) Wins TrussPoint Business, Is The Stock Still Below Fair Value?

ServiceTitan (TTAN) is back in focus after TrussPoint Roofing & Exterior Renovations chose its cloud platform as the operational backbone for an expanding portfolio of roofing brands, highlighting the software’s role in multi-brand growth. See our latest analysis for ServiceTitan. ServiceTitan’s recent customer wins, including TrussPoint and the June rollout data for its Max software, come against a mixed backdrop where the share price closed at US$77.69 and is up 35.47% over 90 days, but the...

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Jul 11 • 11:18 PM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com
World Cup politics: something ugly in the beautiful game

Football at the highest level is no stranger to controversy, and World Cup tournaments are not immune to political intervention. Still, 2026 is proving to be much more than a talking point

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Jul 11 • 8:00 PM EDT • Politics • en.majalla.com
Former Steelers CB Joe Haden says Mike Tomlin lacked accountability

The former Steelers CB points out a Mike Tomlin shortcoming.

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Jul 11 • 6:15 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Orlando Magic's Noah Penda Building Immense Confidence for Upcoming Season

After a standout 23-point performance in Las Vegas, the French forward discusses how rigorous offseason shooting drills are preparing him to space the floor for Orlando’s stars.

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Jul 11 • 5:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Moran feels Mayo still not the 'finished article'

Mayo manager Andy Moran feels his side are "not the finished article" despite watching them romp into their county's first All-Ireland SFC final for five years with a 17-point win over Louth.

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Jul 11 • 4:02 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
New England Patriots’ Defense Still Has One Major Blind Spot

The New England Patriots spent the offseason strengthening a defense that already finished fourth in the NFL in points allowed.They added talent around Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Milton Williams, in addition to reshaping the linebacker room and continuing to build the type of fast, physical unit head coach Mike Vrabel prefers.There is still one […] The post New England Patriots’ Defense Still Has One Major Blind Spot appeared first on HEAVY.

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Jul 11 • 3:24 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
Steelers defender named biggest bust of 2026

Could a young Steelers defender be in for a disappointing year?

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Jul 11 • 1:34 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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A commuter’s museum of joy: Inside NYC’s Subway Art Tour

“Look, that’s Mad Hatter,” Darryl Reilly pointed across the platform. He was a few minutes into leading his ‘NYC Subway Art Tour’, a walking and subway riding

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Jul 11 • 10:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • amny.com
In R.I., incumbent governor faces rocky road to reelection

Polls show Rhode Island Governor Daniel McKee 20 percentage points behind in a Democratic primary rematch amid political fallout from the Washington Bridge closure.

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Jul 11 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • bostonglobe.com
‘Outrage’: Community and research allies blast Trump plan to politicize U.S. grants

The Office of Management and Budget has proposed a sprawling overhaul of a rule establishing the framework for federal financial assistance that would set up Trump and future presidents to politicize federal grantmaking, shifting grantmaking power to administration appointees and seizing broad latitude for the executive branch in the financial aid process. Wide-ranging opponents of the Trump administration proposal say it would tee up federal agencies to dismiss community needs and congressional intent on a partisan basis as they decide discretionary federal awards – with billions of dollars at stake.

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Jul 11 • 5:45 AM EDT • Politics • wvgazettemail.com
Yankees Draft Buzz Points to ‘Advanced’ High School Hitter

The Yankees are increasingly being linked to an advanced high school hitter in the MLB Draft. Here's why the prospect could be headed to the Bronx. The post Yankees Draft Buzz Points to ‘Advanced’ High School Hitter appeared first on HEAVY.

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Jul 11 • 12:33 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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Caleb Wilson scores 35 points for Bulls in NBA Summer League debut, but loses 97-96 to Cameron Boozer's Grizzlies
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Jul 10 • 10:20 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com
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