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The U.S. isn’t alone in racking up big debt
Climbing borrowing costs have become a headache for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. But the United States is not the only country grappling with the potentially destabilizing consequences of soaring government debt.
32 reactions | AfD leader Tino Chrupalla called Germany's extreme...
AfD leader Tino Chrupalla called Germany's extreme summer "perfectly normal" and dismissed concerns as scaremongering. But temperature records — and climate science — tell a different story....
Scientists find a huge 10-sided wave pattern swirling in the clouds over Saturn’s south pole
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Scientists have discovered an enormous 10-sided wave pattern in the icy ammonia clouds over Saturn's south pole.
CDFW: Scientists keeping an eye on river conditions to protect winter-and-fall-run salmon
From the Department of Fish and Wildlife As California continues to feel the impacts of a heat dome that is bringing higher than normal temperatures to large portions of the state, it’s a good time to remember that fish and wildlife — especially salmon — need cold water, too. River temperature management is critical for salmon’s survival and spawning. Earlier this year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced that commercial ocean salmon fishing was back after being closed for three […]
Fall’s essential pop concerts, from arena rock to country to indie
Highlights include Bruce Springsteen and Joan Baez, Olivia Rodrigo, Angine de Poitrine and Shaboozey.
The mystery behind an audio clip that helped upend a Senate race
Artificial-intelligence tools increasingly allow political actors to fool voters — and help candidates cast doubt on reality.
The best time to buy an iPhone may be right this minute
Whatever your favorite smartphone, it’s going to cost more. Blame inflation driven by the AI boom.
Georgia Enters 2026 With Massive Expectations in Athens
Every year, the expectations are enormous in Athens. But heading into the 2026 season, the Georgia Bulldogs have another opportunity to prove they are still one of the premier programs in college football. Kirby Smart has built Georgia into one of the most consistent teams in the country. The Bulldogs have won at least 11…
Community Health Care Clinic in Normal sees influx of patients tied to Medicaid cuts
Executive Director Holly Wayland-Hall said the clinic's mission is charity-based, providing health services to people who are uninsured, or have recently lost coverage through Medicaid. She said 99% of the clinic's patients have no insurance.
15 discouraging hours with Onimusha: Way of the Sword, and 10 brilliant ones with He Who Watches
In the last few weeks, while playing some video games that I might review, I emailed two cries for help. I sent the first to a rep for Capcom, confessing that the company’s samurai game Onimusha Way of the Sword (out today for PC and console) was crushing me. “Feels like I’m playing ‘hard’ mode, not ‘normal,’” I wrote. “And I don’t want to have to knock it down to “story”. I’m exploring, trying to level my gear, but these two-phase boss fights with no mid-fight checkpoints are brutal.” I wagered I was only about halfway through the game, if that. I wasn’t sure I could keep up with the steepening difficulty curve. Was I missing something? Then, on Monday, I took some photos of some puzzles that were baffling me in the mind-bending He Who Watches (out now on PC), wrote out lengthy descriptions of how I’d been trying to solve them and asked Bobby Vanden, the game’s solo developer, for a nudge in the right direction. I told Vanden I’d spent hours on these puzzles. “I’m stuck in triplicate,” I told him. Could he tell me if the solutions I was attempting were even on the right track? I didn’t mention that the puzzles—coupled with major time pressures from other work—were stressing me out so much that playing the game was giving me headaches. This double dose of panic was unusual. I’m used to managing a workload full of reporting and reviewing, used to a crowded schedule and the need to stay calm amid the bustle. But I was stressed about these games. No one was forcing me to review them, nor even play them. I’d simply found them interesting enough to start, hoped they’d be interesting enough to write about and I’d sunk hours into them assuming I’d made the right call. Suddenly, however, I felt trapped. I was emailing for a way out. Above: This guy took me about an hour to beat. The feedback I got from Capcom confirmed my fears. They didn’t say it, but I will: Onimusha Way of the Sword is not for me. It’s a brutally hard game in need of a normal difficulty level. It’s a game that spikes so severely during its abundant boss fights—yet offers such flawed ways to improve when outside of them—that it feels like a bait-and-switch. In the new Onimusha, you play as famed samurai Musashi Miyamoto, aided by a magical soul-absorbing gauntlet that is possessed by a lady who offers advice. (Way of the Sword is a continuation of Capcom’s long-dormant Onimusha series, but that set-up had me wondering if the company was cribbing from their ill-fated Bionic Commando reboot; read about “wife-arm” when you get a chance). Way of the Sword is partially set in 17th century Kyoto, an explorable city where Miyamoto can fight demons, help civilians and eventually rescue ghostly dogs. The city evolves over time, with new mini adventures and obtainable loot on offer, all feeding into systems that promise to upgrade your gear and sword-fighting skills. Upgrades, however, are so incremental as to be imperceptible, causing the exploration of Kyoto to feel like inconsequential busywork. From that hub, players can go on linear missions into forests and old temples, where they will encounter many of the game’s tough bosses. Combat in Way of the Sword is akin to many modern melee games. Players are asked to mix attacks with dodges and parries. They’re encouraged to deplete an enemy’s stamina bar in order to do greater damage to its health bar. The old Onimusha games’ signature move was the issen, a counter-attack so sudden it’s all but pre-emptive. You strike just as they begin to strike toward you, beating them to the cut. By definition, the issen is a high risk move, leaving you wide open to pain. It feels risky in the game, especially against bosses, who can maul you in just a few blows. A game might train you to perform an issen well by offering a variety of lesser enemies who are not as tough as the boss but get close. Or it might offer a toehold against bosses by saving or checkpointing the player’s progress when a boss’ first health bar has been destroyed and before the second health bar appears. It might offer the less skilled player a chance to over-level their character, should the player simply commit to playing through its optional sidequests. Way of the Sword does none of this. Fighting its trivially easy grunt enemies and then its ferociously adept bosses is like playing a game of chess where I’ve got a rook, while the opposing side is all pawns and five queens. Bosses simply don’t checkpoint. You may be able to clear a boss’ first phase without taking much damage. Good for you. Do it again, every time you fail the second phase. As for the the central Kyoto hub, I kept pace with all of its added side activities and never felt like I was overpowered. Bosses could still easily buckle me. The new Onimusha, I concluded, is just too discouraging to keep playing. The advice I got from Capcom had been well-intentioned. They reminded me of the game’s various systems. They alerted me to an optional assist that flashes recommended button inputs (basically: counter this move; dodge that move). It was a little helpful. So was dropping down to “story mode,” which I tried last night. Story mode turns on those button prompts by default. It makes countering and dodging way too easy, nearly automatic. I don’t consider myself a master of action games like these, but I’ve cleared the likes of God of War, Stellar Blade, Star Wars Jedi and others of sub-Sekiro difficulty and had a fun time doing so. Not here. Not yet. Unless they patch Onimusha: Way of the Sword and add a middle difficulty or just checkpoint the damn bosses when they’re between health bars, my streak of loving Capcom games released in 2026 will likely end at two. It’s a shame, because I was having a good time finding those ghostly dogs. And then there’s He Who Watches, a phenomenal first person puzzle game with Portal vibes, except instead of a portal gun you’ve got a magical bow that shoots one arrow that can activate switches or be used to drag blocks. The twist is an actual twist: you can also walk on walls and the ceiling, reorienting gravity as you do, thereby placing blocks onto those other surfaces. Walking on walls and ceilings to solve problems is really the best thing. Would that I could in reality. He Who Watches consists of locked-room challenges, each brief enough to only require about a minute to actually solving, though it will take five, 10, eventually 30 minutes to figure out said solutions. They are not obvious! It’s a game of layered mechanics and shocking solutions. For example, see if you can follow this: You can drag a block to a wall. Then you can walk on the wall, which now feels like the floor, and drag that block across the wall. Later, back on the floor, you might realize you can look up. The block is still on the wall, stuck to it. You can shoot your magic arrow to its underside. Doing so creates a tether, so that you can yank the block off the wall and carry it, as if it were a balloon, into the spot where you need it to be to solve the puzzle. Here, watch Vanden explain some of the game’s basics in this launch trailer: As with any great puzzle game, the solutions to He Who Watches’ puzzles elicit relief and amazement. Oh my god, that worked! I didn’t even think that could be possible! Learning to solve the game’s puzzles feels like learning magic. But, oh, does the game get hard. Its Steam reviews, mostly glowing, are full of players remarking how quickly He Who Watches made them sweat. Wrote one: “loving this one already although my brain is hurting!” Wrote another: “As you get further in the game it feels like you need an IQ level of at least 120+.” Vanden has shown some mercy. Each locked room puzzle includes an optional junior version of the puzzle, meant to teach you. Difficulty nevertheless ramps severely. By the time I was emailing Vanden for help, I was struggling to even clear one of the hint puzzles. When I messaged him, my stress was exacerbated by strange things I’d found in the game’s various hubs: suspicious passageways, odd blocks and some intriguing locked doors. These were hints of secrets, I realized, yet I sensed I needed to play further into the game to understand them. I was stuck, but I wanted to see the rest. Vanden offered to give me the exact solutions, to solve those three puzzles for me, but first he gave four nudges. Three were for the specific puzzles, but his best hint was for all and ultimately proved to be a terrific life lesson: go back a bit, he suggested. Do the puzzles right before those. They were teaching you something. Focus on what their lesson was. Don’t rush, in other words. Recognize what you’ve accomplished. Build off of that. I did so. I absorbed the lessons. I saw those three tough puzzles in a new light. I solved one the night after he wrote back, another the morning after. I left a third for another time. I didn’t need it and I wanted to plunge deeper into the game, closer to the moment when I was sure I could start unlocking those secret doors. My head stopped hurting, too. He Who Watches feels special. It’s got more challenges, and I’m undeterred. It’s also nice that its puzzles don’t have a surprise second health bar. Game File is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe Item 2: In brief… 🎮 Ilari Kuittinen, co-founder of Helsinki-based Housemarque (Super Stardust HD, Resogun, Returnal) has stepped down from his studio, after a 31-year run, saying he’s “ taking a rare and well-deserved breather.” Sony purchased Housemarque in 2021, and the studio released its newest game, Saros, earlier this year. Trend-watch: Sony-owned Insomniac saw its founder Ted Price retire in early 2025, after a 30-year run. Sony-owned Sucker Punch saw its co-founder Brian Fleming step down in late 2025, after a 28-year run. 👀 Savvy Games Group chief Brian Ward is stepping down from the Saudi-government-backed games conglomerate, Bloomberg reports. No word on a long-term successor yet, nor if this augurs any closer integration between Savvy and Electronic Arts. EA was purchased by a consortium led by Saudi’s sovereign wealth fund, in early August. 💿 Square Enix has denied a Japanese media report that the company was planning to go private. In very different Square Enix news, the company revealed that the physical version of Final Fantasy VII: Revelation, the April 2027 finale of its radical remakes of FFVII, will include just one disc in its case, requiring a download for the rest. The first two FFVII remakes in the trilogy shipped on two discs apiece. While Square hasn’t commented on the reason why, a feature here in Game File last month broke down the processes and costs for physical games. The expense of a second disc comes out of the game publisher’s cut of each copy. Square could be saving in excess of a dollar a copy with this move. 🟥 Grand Theft Auto IV’s 26-minute ’‘extended look” gameplay showcase that premiered on Netflix last week—and was exclusive to the platform for six hours—drew 31.1 million views in its first four days, the streamer announced. (Netflix calculates views as total viewed hours divided by runtime; excludes replays). Compared to YouTube: The version that later premiered on Rockstar Games’ YouTube channel is sitting at 22.6 million views after seven days (YouTube’s more liberal counting system tallies anyone who viewed even just the first few second.) Compared to other Netflix mega-events: Last year, Stranger Things season 5’s first four episodes, which debuted together, drew a record 59.6 million views in their first few days on Netflix. For more of a live event type of comparison, in 2024, the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson boxing match drew 65 million concurrent streams as it happened; Netflix didn’t release live numbers for the GTA premiere. ☁️ Microsoft is changing the way it charges for cloud gaming, from an all-you-can-play offer for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, to caps for the subscription’s tiers (15 hours per month at the Ultimate tier), with the option to buy more hours in bulk beyond that. The company also said it will sell batches of cloud gaming time to non-Game Pass subscribers, details TBA. Microsoft does not release figures for cloud game usage, but said its changes would impact 4% of Game Pass subscribers. That implies a small portion of its subscribers exceed the 15-hour monthly mark. Cloud gaming offers the promise of playing games without the need for console or PC hardware, as the graphics, sound and controls are all transmitted via a streaming connection. Microsoft notes that its cloud gaming service can be used for a range of things, including Xbox One players using it to play newer-gen Xbox Series games via streaming; and people playing games via streaming, sans any console, “in markets where consoles are less available or affordable.” (That latter use case could even be relevant in Xbox’s home market soon, as console prices keep rising.) Take Two Interactive chairman Strauss Zelnick recently told investors he expects game-streaming tech, which has been only lightly adopted by gamers for over a decade, to be widely used within three years. 🇺🇸 The Trump administration has published multiple agenda-driven web video games to the White House’s website. One called Build The Wall partially clones Tetris as it asks players to build a wall to stop a “zombie border siege.” While actual Tetris involves clearing lines and basically not building a wall, the Trump-backed game omits the line-clearing aspect (and omits the fun as well). On Instagram, Tetris’ official license holders reacted by stating: “At Tetris we believe in the power of connection and bringing people together, not dividing them. To our fans everywhere: we love you, we see you, and we’re grateful to have you in our community. P.S. The Tetris Company was not involved in the creation of ‘Build the Wall.’ P.P.S.: We take copyright infringement very seriously.” Item 3: The week ahead: Tuesday, September 8 Game releases: Mewgenics (consoles; already out on PC) is an engrossing tactical combat game (with cats). It is getting its console port right after the release of a Star Wars tactics game and ahead of the late September launch of a Fire Emblem–a bumper crop for the genre. Wanderburg (PC) is an auto-shooting game like Vampire Survivors, but you’re a castle on wheels Event: Nintendo airs a 30-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on The Legend of Zelda’s 40th Anniversary. A full unveiling of the upcoming remake of The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time is expected. Will they also show footage from next year’s live action movie? Tease the next big 3D Zelda? Add Link to Mario Kart World? Shadow-drop a new Tingle game? Wednesday, September 9 Event: Nintendo again! On this day, they’re planning to air a 45-minute Nintendo Direct (10am ET) focused on games heading to Switch 2 this winter. Followed by about an hour of gameplay demoed by the company’s Treehouse team. The September Nintendo Directs are always some of the year’s biggest. The 2025 edition included announcements of several major 2026 Switch/Switch 2 games: Pokémon Pokopia, Mario Tennis Fever, Yoshi and the Mysterious Book, Fire Emblem Fortune’s Weave. Plus the return of the Virtual Boy. Friday, September 11 Game release: EA Sports NHL 27 (PlayStation, Xbox) is a hockey game. There are so few that an indie studio that had been making wacky sci-fi first-person shooters just announced that, hey, we’re going to fill a void and make a hockey game for PC.
U.S. Embassy in Havana issues health alert as sanctions limit imports to Cuba
The embassy issued a health alert Friday warning of a “significant increase in diarrheal illnesses across Cuba” caused by contaminated water and inadequate refrigeration.
Trump says he will spend some, not all, super PAC money on midterms
Republicans have fretted over his war chest sitting on the sidelines. The president says he plans to hold onto some of the money for 2028.
Bungie Confirms Plans to Sublease Parts of Its Enormous Bellevue Headquarters Following Mass Layoffs
Bungie has responded after announcing plans to sublease 210,984-square feet of its massive headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, saying this move reflects its continued focus on a “digital first” model.
Infant died of measles in Pennsylvania, coroner confirms
The Lancaster County coroner said he did not know if this death is one of the two disputed by federal health officials.
Ag, economics, and politics
The drought monitor report as of Tuesday, Sept. 1, indicates a continued backwards slide into worse conditions. Almost all of Barton County and much of the surrounding are now in moderate/severe drought with more and most of Stafford and Rice Counties in severe drought. The northeastern third of the state is in good shape as is a small area of the northwest. The six-to-10-day forecast (Sept. 8-12) indicates a 70-90% chance of likely above normal for temperatures and 33-50% of leaning above near normal for precipitation. The eight-to-14-day forecast (Sept. 10-16) indicates a 60-80% chance of likely above normal for temperatures and near normal to leaning a bit above normal for precipitation.
Texas Senate hopeful Talarico ramps up Black outreach efforts
The Texas Democrat acknowledges criticism that Democrats haven’t been doing enough to court Black voters.
Opinion: San Diego must reject the demonization of Jews in politics
Describing Jewish political participation as foreign, corrupt, or subversive is a clear attempt to normalize prejudice and hatred.
Bad optics and bad politics with fisheries decision
Suddenly declaring vast geographical areas off limits to net fishing will be an enormous shock to the coastal area no one is prepared for.
The behind-the-scenes effort to contain Pennsylvania’s measles outbreak
Public health workers are relying on word-of-mouth immunization clinics to fight the state’s growing outbreak.
Why Talking to Your Pet Like a Person Is Completely Normal, According to Science
Researchers found about 10% of recorded human speech was directed at pets, from regular conversation to high-pitched baby talk.
Trump administration asks Supreme Court to allow mail-in ballot restrictions
The question of whether President Donald Trump’s restrictions can move forward in time for November’s midterm elections has been the subject of a dizzying legal battle in recent weeks.
Democrats eye expanded Medicare coverage if they take U.S. House
Reversing Medicaid cuts and restoring ACA subsidies top the list, but Democrats are also talking about lowering the age of eligibility for Medicare benefits.
Democrats eye expanded Medicare coverage if they take U.S. House
Reversing Medicaid cuts and restoring ACA subsidies top the list, but Democrats are also talking about lowering the age of eligibility for Medicare benefits.
A ‘Social Network’ follow-up and a ‘Hunger Games’ prequel headline fall movies
Audiences can also catch “Practical Magic 2,” “Sense and Sensibility” and a transformed Tom Cruise on the big screen.
Republicans fear Trump will keep super PAC money and not spend on the midterms
President Donald Trump has kept most of his super PAC money on the sidelines and been reticent on his spending plans, worrying Republicans ahead of this fall’s elections.
Trump administration threatens to cut off agencies’ ties to Smithsonian
Echoing White House attacks, an Interior Department letter threatened the institution “under current leadership” with loss of support for sourcing artifacts and more.
$1.1B Norman Rock Creek project faces key court hearing Tuesday
Oklahomans for Responsible Economic Development's case against Norman's Rock Creek Entertainment District project may be resolved as soon as Tuesday.
Scientists find 10-sided wave pattern swirling in the clouds over Saturn's south pole
Scientists have discovered an enormous 10-sided wave pattern in the icy ammonia clouds over Saturn's south pole
Scientists find a churning decagon over Saturn's south pole
Scientists have discovered an enormous 10-sided wave pattern in the icy ammonia clouds over Saturn's south pole.
Google won't be forced to break up its ads business
The latest ruling has enormous implications for the $1 trillion global advertising economy.
Trump names pastor as tobacco health adviser at CDC
… Tobacco-related disease has taken an enormous toll on American Families…”
Fountain Square business owners counting down the days until construction is over
INDIANAPOLIS — Progress is being made in a massive construction project in Fountain Square. Local business owners couldn’t be more excited to see things slowly getting back to normal. “ItR…
We Asked Experts What Healthy Brain Aging Looks Like—And Which Changes to Watch For
Healthy cognitive aging doesn’t mean having a perfect memory. Learn which changes are normal, which may signal decline, and how to support brain health.
What’s happening in Corridor? An adults-only circus and more
A Halloween-inspired take on the circus will arrive in Cedar Rapids this month, with Paranormal Cirque: Inferno promising a show in which “awe-inspiring aerial artistry and amazing acrobatics will set you ablaze.”
Takeaways from Massachusetts, where generational challenges fizzled
With the primary season winding down, the anti-incumbent wave spared older Democrats including Sen. Edward Markey, 80, who held off younger challengers.
Health Brief: Health care’s December pileup
Congress bought itself a few more months on government funding, but lawmakers are already stacking up health care fights for the end of the year.
Bessent downplays bond market concerns amid global sell-off
Bond market investors are growing increasingly nervous as fighting resumes in the Middle East.
Ocean heatwaves linked with poorer health among children in coastal communities
Marine heatwaves — periods of abnormally warm ocean temperatures — may have negative health effects on children who live in coastal communities in low- or middle-income countries, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Judge rebukes HHS over AI use in cutting teen pregnancy prevention grants
He wrote that grant solicitations for changes to funding reference public health studies that appear not to exist or do not support what they are cited for.
LZ Sees Surprising Result in Search for Dark Matter
Key Takeaways Dark matter is the mysterious substance that accounts for the vast majority of matter in our universe. LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) is a world-leading dark matter detector and specializes in searching for WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive particles. A new LZ study found one particle interaction that is difficult to explain with known background processes and could potentially have been caused by a WIMP. LZ continues to run to see if additional data strengthens or weakens the hint of a dark matter interaction. For the better part of a century, people have been trying to understand dark matter. This invisible substance makes up roughly 85% of the mass in the universe but has never been directly detected. Determining exactly what it is remains one of the biggest questions about our world. Now, a new analysis from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment has recorded a single particle interaction that researchers have great difficulty explaining with known background signals from normal matter. The result does not yet meet the statistical threshold required to claim a discovery, but is the most compelling hint of dark matter reported by the experiment to date. LZ is an international collaboration of 250 scientists and engineers from 39 institutions. The detector is managed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and operates nearly one mile below ground at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in South Dakota. The experiment uses 10 tonnes of ultrapure liquid xenon to search for dark matter and is optimized to look for WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive particles. The results were presented in a scientific talk at the 2026 TeV Particle Astrophysics conference in Japan. The paper will be released on the online repository arXiv and submitted to the journal Physical Review Letters. “We’re very intrigued to see this event in the data, in the region where we expect dark matter to show up and the competing backgrounds are very low,” said Rick Gaitskell, a professor at Brown University and the spokesperson for LZ. “With only one event, we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. We are not claiming to have seen dark matter. But we have seen something interesting that we want to share with the scientific community for their input.” The LZ collaboration studies experimental data in batches. In the new result, researchers analyzed 220 live days of data collected between March 2023 and April 2024. The collaboration had previously searched this dataset for faint signals from the simplest kinds of WIMP interactions. The new analysis searched for a broader range of possible WIMP interactions that could deposit more energy in the detector. LZ is particularly sensitive to such signals while also minimizing false positives. “This was a detailed study in a region we hadn’t explored within this dataset, and we spent months of additional effort to understand all the possible causes of background events,” said Sam Eriksen, a senior research associate at the University of Bristol in the U.K. and lead author of the study. “We understand our detector and the backgrounds so well that even a single outstanding event, like the one we found, is important. We expect dark matter events to be extremely rare, so only a handful could mark the first detection of WIMP dark matter.” If the anomalous event was caused by dark matter, the WIMP that generated it would likely have a mass of at least 200 GeV/c2 (gigaelectronvolts), or more than 200 times the mass of a proton. It would also suggest a specific type of interaction between WIMPs and ordinary matter beyond the simplest model. The LZ results have not reached “5-sigma” significance, the statistical threshold considered a discovery in physics. The new analysis is 2.6 sigma, meaning there is approximately a 0.5% chance that the event could be explained by known backgrounds. With additional data, researchers can test whether the finding continues to grow in significance or fades away. LZ has already accumulated the world’s largest dark matter dataset and will continue to accrue WIMP search data at SURF, substantially improving their search statistics. LZ searches for dark matter by looking for signature flashes of light from energy deposited in the detector. The collaboration leverages multiple methods to prevent or account for particle interactions caused by normal matter. This includes the mile of rock that shields the detector from cosmic rays from space, a water tank and outer detectors that protect the central detector from background neutrons, and a suite of computational tools that disentangle particle interactions and reject dark matter mimics. “Outlier events in the data are not unexpected, but they usually stand out as a background of some kind when you look at them deeper,” said Aaron Manalaysay, a physicist at Berkeley Lab and the chair of LZ’s Institutional Board. “This is the first example in any experiment I’ve worked on of an outlier that appears valid in every way. Of course, we’re still twisting our brains trying to think if there’s a rare background mechanism we could’ve missed, but it’s thrilling to wonder if this could be the first hint of a dark-matter observation.” LZ is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics, and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, a DOE Office of Science user facility. LZ is also supported by the Science & Technology Facilities Council of the United Kingdom; the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology; the Swiss National Science Foundation; the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics; and the Institute for Basic Science, Korea. Thirty-nine institutions of higher education and advanced research provided support to LZ. The LZ collaboration acknowledges the assistance of the Sanford Underground Research Facility. ### Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
Postal Service plans may keep voters from getting ballots, whistleblower says
An anonymous federal official warns that a rushed USPS portal tied to Trump’s mail-voting order could reject large batches of ballots before the midterms.
The Department of the Navy’s Science and Technology Board: Building on 250 Years of Naval Innovation
In September of 1776, an enormous British armada lay anchored in New York Harbor. A month earlier, British forces under General William Howe had defeated the Continental Army and gained control of New York City and Long Island. Now this fleet of 400 ships, including 10 ships-of-the-line, 20 frigates, and 170 transports among many others
New CDC director delays adding Pennsylvania deaths to measles data
The deaths have been at the heart of a bitter political dispute between RFK Jr. and Gov. Josh Shapiro (D).
Supreme Court clears way for White House ballroom construction to continue
The decision hands President Donald Trump a major political victory in his controversial bid to oversee the largest addition to the executive mansion in decades.
Trump says voters who oppose data centers will ‘kill the Golden Goose’
The president defends the server farms as polling shows sizable shares of Americans from both political parties are opposed to them.
Why do some proteins accumulate even on protein-resistant surfaces?
Proteins with exposed arginine can selectively accumulate even on protein-resistant coatings, as reported by researchers from Science Tokyo. Through an in-depth analysis of which and how proteins adhere to various anti-fouling surfaces, the team found arginine disrupts the protective water layer that normally blocks adsorption. Their results will help scientists develop safer and more effective biocompatible materials for medical devices, such as stents and advanced biosensors.
A “quantum bath” puts quantum entanglement on autopilot
Physicists have demonstrated a new way to entangle distant quantum bits without the constant measurements and active control normally required. The team created a “quantum bath,” a shared environment filled with correlated microwave photons that automatically pushes separated qubits into an entangled state and helps keep them there. The experiment confirms a theoretical prediction made more than 20 years ago and could offer a simpler way to connect modules in future quantum computers.
3 things to try to improve your brain health
Keeping your mind active can help offer protection for years to come.
Adams County Health Department offers prevention tips as COVID cases rise in Missouri, Illinois
According to the latest CDC guidance, people who contract the virus can return to normal activities after symptoms disappear and they are fever-free for 24 hours without medication.
How AOC is upending norms around motherhood and political candidacy
Ocasio-Cortez, 36, who became the youngest woman to be elected to Congress in 2018 at age 29, has not ruled out a run for president in 2028.
Enormous 12TB Steam leak includes abandoned Half-Life 2: Episode 3 assets
The archive includes basically every title uploaded between 2003 and 2013.
Washington to receive $227M in Meta settlement to protect children’s mental health
Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown said the harm done by platforms like Instagram and Facebook has taken away things that used to be normal for kids.
Apple Caught Off Guard by AI Demand for Mac Mini and Mac Studio
Apple's unusually timed announcement of new Mac mini and Mac Studio models this week was driven by unexpectedly strong enterprise appetite for AI hardware, according to The Information. Apple normally releases new Mac models in the autumn, closer to October or November, making this week's announcement unusually early, falling just before the anticipated arrival of new iPhone models. The Information says that the AI-driven boom in Mac Studio and Mac mini sales is behind the early launch.
Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities opens nominations for Bright Lights Awards. Here's the details.
Since 1985, the Bright Lights Awards have celebrated the state's defining cultural leaders, from Norman C. Francis to John Folse.
Syria continues to normalize with international business fair as credit card payments are back
More than 60 countries attended the fair, including key regional allies Saudi Arabia and Iraq, while Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa confirmed that credit cards are available again.
These Democrats used to be Republicans — and hope that will help them win midterms
In races across the country, former GOP politicians are leaning into their pasts.
How states’ fight over an ICE agent could open a new political battleground
Minnesota wants Texas to turn over an officer charged with shooting an immigrant. Such extraditions are usually routine, but in this case politics loom large.
This Appalachian memoir author is running as a Democratic contrast to JD Vance
Beth Macy is challenging Rep. Ben Cline in a bright-red Virginia district, hoping her own story and the stories she told about the region will win back rural and working-class White voters.
Measles deaths reported in Pennsylvania spark fight among politicians and health officials
The recent announcement of Pennsylvania’s first measles-related deaths in decades has ignited a public feud among politicians and health officials who disagree over the role of the contagious disease in the fatalities
Get to Know Your Foe: Texas State
The Get to Know Your Foe series concludes with the latest addition to the Pac-12, the Texas State Bobcats. Texas State University is located in San Marcos, Texas, and only fairly recently began playing football at the FBS level. Originally founded in 1899 as Southwest Texas State Normal School, the school offers over 200 degrees […]
Colorado election website error exposes personal data of confidential voters
The Colorado Secretary of State’s Office says a system update accidentally lifted protections on confidential voter records, exposing dozens of voters’ personal information. The limit that normally blocks access to confidential voter profiles was inadvertently disabled during an update to the Find My Voter Registration Tool, briefly exposing personal information for 59 voters who had […]
Rep. Crockett says she’ll be campaigning ‘downballot’ instead of with Talarico
The congresswoman, who lost the primary Senate race to state Rep. James Talarico, did not mention him by name.
'Paranormal Cirque' Comes to New Hartford
Paranormal Cirque: Specter is bringing its haunting blend of theater, circus and cabaret to Sangertown Square under a big top tent.
New labs boost hands-on learning for Millwood Arts Academy
KOKH Fox 25 provides, news, sports, weather and local event coverage in Oklahoma City and surrounding areas, including McLoud, Shawnee, Tecumseh, Seminole, Wewoka, Maud, Asher, Wanetted, Goldsby, Norman, Blanchard, Chickasha, Pauls Valley, Purcell, Andarko, Bridgeport, Lawton, Duncan, Okarche, Kingfisher, Guthrie Stillwater and Cushing, Oklahoma.
Josh Shapiro is battling RFK Jr. over measles, and the politics are getting messy
A feud between the Pennsylvania governor and health secretary sparked by this week's reports of measles-related deaths laid bare the increasingly polarized politics of public health.
Josh Shapiro is battling RFK Jr. over measles, and the politics are getting messy
A feud between the Pennsylvania governor and health secretary sparked by this week's reports of measles-related deaths laid bare the increasingly polarized politics of public health.
GTA 6 has more than 10 times the animations in GTA 5, and double the amount in Red Dead Redemption 2, Rockstar confirms
GTA 6 is an enormous project. Rockstar Games put an unbelievable 600,000 animations into the open world, more than doubling Red Dead Redemption 2's.
Senators call on ICE to cancel plan to buy electric shock gloves
The devices are normal patrol gloves until an officer presses a button to activate the electrical mode
How a 'psychic' horse named Clever Hans changed the way we do science
Do you sometimes wish that you had telepathic or other supernormal powers? About 100 years ago, some of the greatest minds in philosophy thought there were people who had such abilities. In fact, they ...
Is Germany benefitting yet from the crisis in US research?
Science|Business - Table.Media partnershipScience|Business has partnered with Table.Media, a leading source of news about higher education and research in Germany. Each week, we are publishing one of each other’s stories to give readers an even broader range of insight into R&D policy across Europe.Drawing over 500 participants, the German Academic International Network conference in San Francisco brings together researchers, universities, scientific organisations and policymakers in the US as part of an attempt to recruit international talent for Germany. It also serves as an annual barometer for the uncertainty triggered by the Trump administration’s science policies. As was the case last year, Germany’s political presence was unusually strong: federal lawmakers, nine state ministers of science and research, and federal research state secretary Marcus Pleyer all attended. Joybrato Mukherjee, president of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), has observed a marked shift at US universities a year after the Trump administration began sweeping interventions: the initial state of "shock and paralysis" has given way to a strategic approach to the situation. Universities are seeking new funding sources, mounting legal challenges against interventions and opening themselves up more to international collaborations, including with Germany, he said. Early-career international researchers with expiring visas are considered particularly vulnerable. Germany is benefiting from increased demand among this pool of young talent; the country’s 1,000 Minds Plus programme, designed in part to lure German academics back home, has already filled up around one-third of its capacity. Meanwhile, Markus Blume, Bavaria’s science minister and current chair of the federal Conference of Science Ministers, sees an "enormous outflow of talent from the US." An increasing number of international researchers want to leave. Applications to Canada have risen by 42% January, and those to Europe by 32%. Meanwhile, the number of people drawn to the US is plummeting. "In this context, Germany must position itself as a prime destination offering reliable conditions, institutional stability and academic freedom, including through smart collaborations," Blume told Table.Briefings.“Darkest hour”At the get-together in San Francisco, the former president of the US National Academy of Sciences, Marcia McNutt, highlighted the gravity of the situation on the ground in a keynote address. She described the present moment as the "darkest hour for the US scientific system." At the same time, she said that cooperation should be maintained, especially during a crisis. Established researchers in the US are less likely to leave. Ulrike Malmendier, a former member of the German Council of Economic Experts and an economist at Berkeley, explained why established researchers are not packing their bags and leaving the US in droves: working conditions and the concentration of talent at places like Berkeley and Stanford remain unparalleled. According to Peter-André Alt, managing director of the Wübben Foundation, which helps Germany attract international academics, political restrictions are not the only grievance voiced by US-based researchers. "There are evidently still many areas where, fortunately, unfettered research is possible," Alt told Table.Briefings. Instead, the primary complaint concerns the cost of living, which has "skyrocketed” to absurd levels. "Runaway inflation, like that currently seen in the US, is certainly no draw for young scientific talent,” he said. Return homeA growing number of early-career researchers from Germany appear to be considering a return home. Jörn Benzinger, who is responsible for recruiting early-career researchers from abroad at Ruhr University Bochum, reports numerous conversations with researchers who are taking a closer look at the German academic landscape."Germany has definitely moved more into the spotlight,” he said. States, university alliances and research organisations joined forces to recruit talent. Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia were prominently represented, as were alliances such as the Berlin University Alliance and the University Alliance Ruhr. Benzinger sums up Germany’s approach with a new formula: "collaboration is the new competition." He notes that it is becoming increasingly difficult for individual universities to gain international visibility, while regional research ecosystems and collaborations are growing in importance. Afraid to leaveThe crisis in the US academic sector is also straining transatlantic research relations. Benzinger reports that some US-based researchers had to decline brief invitations to Germany because they could not be certain of being allowed to re-enter the US afterward.He considers the simple poaching of researchers to be the wrong approach; what is needed, he says, are "reliable offers and long-term partnerships."However, Green Party politician Ayşe Asar, who also attended the conference, sees a significant need for improvement, particularly regarding career paths in Germany.While lifetime professorships and academic freedom certainly make Germany attractive, young researchers also require predictable career paths, tenure-track positions and flatter hierarchies.
Senate hopeful’s ex-staffer shared KKK and Nazi imagery, adding to concerns about his associates
Rep. Mike Collins (R-Georgia) is challenging Sen. Jon Ossoff. The former staffer posted a swastika and shared an image of himself in what appear to be KKK robes.
Democrats at odds in Michigan over El-Sayed’s ties to controversial streamer
Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed (D) has close political ties to political commentator Hasan Piker, who has been accused of antisemitism. Piker says his comments against Israel have been misunderstood.
Democrats want to draw more safe House seats. It could cost Black lawmakers.
Democrats want to redistrict to expand their number of safe seats in Congress. But that could mean losing some Black lawmakers.
Scientists switch on a strange new form of magnetism in an ultrathin material
Scientists have found a surprising way to potentially switch on an unusual form of magnetism in ruthenium dioxide, a material that normally appears nonmagnetic. When the material was made into an ultrathin film only a few atomic layers thick and placed under strain, its electrons developed patterns consistent with altermagnetism, a recently proposed magnetic state with promising uses in advanced electronics.
Area Events & Entertainment Community Calendar
Aug. 27 - Gazebo Nights at Normal Park - Opening act opens at 5 p.m., headliner Red Higgins plays at 6 p.m. Aug. 28 – Scott Kirby at Stoney Acres Farm. Americana. 5 p.m. Aug. 28 - Library Social …
In Texas Senate race, Talarico seeks depositions that could damage Paxton
Democrat James Talarico has leaned into Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s past legal scandals to try to win over moderate Republicans.
‘Science fiction’: Five writers share what medical innovation excites them most
New technology is enabling major advances in medicine.
Why the White House and a MAHA influencer are fighting on social media
Influential MAHA activists are channeling their anger over pesticides at Heidi Overton, a top aide the president picked to lead the FDA.
Trump nabs crucial primary win in South Carolina: 4 takeaways
President Trump notched a critical win in the Palmetto State on Tuesday, with Sen. Darline Graham (R-S.C.) defeating Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) to clinch the GOP nod in the South Carolina Senate ra…
Finns may live to 80 or 85, but productive healthy years average 43 to 46
For the first time in Finland, population-level norm values have been established for estimating life expectancy adjusted for health-related functional capacity and productivity. The new study provides ...
Sen. Darline Graham projected to win runoff in South Carolina GOP Senate primary, defeating Rep. Ralph Norman
Trump Senate Pick Darline Graham Wins South Carolina Republican Runoff Election
Sister of late Sen. Lindsey Graham defeats Rep. Ralph Norman
Paranormal Activity: Nightmare Entertainment
More of a Broadway scream machine than a drama, Paranormal Activity opened Tuesday in its New York premiere at the August Wilson Theatre, where the title burns in blazing letters across a midnight-blue show curtain. The screaming starts even before the performance begins because extremely loud rock music continuously blasts through the already twilit auditorium...
South Carolina Election Becomes Test for Trump
Runoffs in the state are typically sleepy, but the Republican Senate contest between Darline Graham and Ralph Norman seemed to be drawing relatively high turnout.
State Dept. to revoke tourist, business visas for those who claimed asylum
The move is expected to apply to those granted B1 and B2 visas between 2016 and 2026 who have since sought asylum.
Darline Graham, Ralph Norman go head-to-head in South Carolina's GOP Senate runoff
The two-week runoff window since the two Republicans were the top vote-getters in an Aug. 11 primary has been a slugfest.
Secret Service says it is aware of Iranian state media video threatening Barron Trump
The footage, reportedly released by media linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed a $10 million bounty had been placed on the president’s youngest son.
South Carolina Senate race between Darline Graham and Ralph Norman heads to runoff today
Trump reminds voters that trade wars are also affecting prices
The threat of higher prices for gas, cars, hockey sticks and more gave fresh life to Democratic arguments that the president is destabilizing the economy.
Darline Graham, Ralph Norman go head-to-head in South Carolina's GOP Senate runoff
U.S. Sen. Darline Graham and U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman face South Carolina voters yet again in a special Republican primary runoff to replace the late Lindsey Graham in the Senate | NewsRadio WILK
Darline Graham, Ralph Norman wrap up a whirlwind South Carolina Senate primary campaign
Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman are wrapping up their campaigns for South Carolina's Republican nomination in a special U.S. Senate primary.
Darline Graham, Ralph Norman wrap up a whirlwind South Carolina Senate primary campaign
Sen. Darline Graham and Rep. Ralph Norman are wrapping up their campaigns for South Carolina's Republican nomination in a special U.S. Senate primary.
South Carolina runoff to test Trump’s political influence
Darline Graham has differentiated herself from her brother, who was known for his outspoken stances on foreign policy.
Guide to SC GOP Senate runoff between Darline Graham, Ralph Norman
Voters decide between Darline Graham and Ralph Norman in the August 25 Republican Senate runoff election.
Why politicians are punchlines at the Edinburgh Fringe
There was a time when satire had an easier gig. Politicians said something ridiculous, comedians made fun of them, audiences laughed, and everyone went home. Subscribe Now the joke is often the headline. In a world where the unbelievable regularly makes the news, where politics can veer into parody before the comedians have had time to write the punchline, you might reasonably wonder: is satire running out of material? Not in Edinburgh. At the Fringe, I can confirm satire has a pulse, even in a relentless and rapid news cycle. Politicians as punchlines Take NewsRevue, the world’s longest-running live sketch show, where politicians are turned into punchlines at industrial speed. Its latest target? Andy Burnham - or, more accurately, his doppelganger, pictured below in the middle. The joke, he tells us, is that there have been so many politicians coming and going that even satire risks suffering from political fatigue. But perhaps that revolving door is precisely why comedy matters. When the news cycle moves faster than our ability to process it, comedians can hold up a mirror - and make us think twice. Small talk Take Ayoade Bamgboye, the Saturday Night Live UK star who won the Best Newcomer prize at last year’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Her Fringe debut was critically acclaimed; this year she is turning her attention to one of Britain’s most baffling social rituals: small talk. Share It’s a reminder that satire doesn’t always need a politician in its sights. Sometimes the target is simply us civilians - the strange little rules and rituals we have collectively agreed to pretend are normal. Politics and Palestinian identity For British-Palestinian comedian Sami Abu Wardeh, pictured below, comedy has a more urgent job. His new show, Sami Abu Wardeh Hates You, asks who gets to hate, and whether anger belongs to everyone, not just the far right. His comedy confronts politics and Palestinian identity while refusing to surrender the simple business of making people laugh. Shakespeare meets climate crisis And then there is HAM: an “eco-hijacking” of Hamlet, which its creators describe as “a sordid wrestle between a vegan and a sausage-lover”. Shakespeare meets the climate crisis. Meat meets moral panic. The end result? You’ll leave promising to become vegan and swiftly bulk buying Linda McCartney sausages. HAM was created by theatre company Hotter Project, aka Ell Potter and Mary Higgins, pictured below. They say comedy helped them avoid the preachiness sometimes associated with climate activism - using Shakespeare as a vessel for uncomfortable questions about the planet, politics and the way we live. Perhaps that is satire’s secret weapon. It doesn’t necessarily make the world less absurd. It makes the absurdity crystal clear. And at a moment when reality increasingly feels like it has been written by a sketch writer, the Fringe is proving there is still plenty to laugh and cry at. Satire isn’t dead. It’s alive, subletting and having the time of its life at the Fringe. Subscribe Share Channel 4 News Leave a comment
Will data centers be Oregon’s big political issue this fall?
The push to build more of them has brought the subject to the fore, sometimes in unexpected places.
King Harald's health 'deteriorated' at weekend, Norway's palace says
Europe's oldest reigning monarch is being treated for haemolytic anaemia, a condition caused by an abnormally rapid destruction of red blood cells which leads to fatigue, paleness and shortness of breath.
Americans bought 12% less soda under new SNAP restrictions, study says
The drop in soda purchases is meaningful, but not enormous, one of the study's authors said.