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Certilman Balin adds attorneys, healthcare practice

Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman has expanded by adding attorneys from Cooperman Lester Miller Gruber Kraus and establishing a new healthcare practice. The practice will advise healthcare providers and organizations on legal matters, enhancing the firm's multidisciplinary services across the region.

Oct 1 • 10:26 AM EDT • Business • libn.com

Packers turn to Skyy Moore after Jayden Reed’s season ending injury

The Green Bay Packers will have to move forward without Jayden Reed for the rest of the season, but they already have a short term plan in place. If that approach fails to provide enough production, Green Bay still has other options it can explore later in the year. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur addressed [...]

Oct 1 • 9:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Matthew Golden Left Heartbroken by Tough Packers News

The blows just keep on coming to Matthew Golden and the Green Bay Packers, who are only 1-2 after three weeks of the 2026 NFL season. Even in their lone win thus far against the New York Jets in Week 2, the Packers didn’t look particularly convincing, and making matters worse was the neck injury […] The post Matthew Golden Left Heartbroken by Tough Packers News appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.

Oct 1 • 9:04 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

90 Ideas in 90 Minutes: Dr. Teri Wahlig

Lead with purpose High-performing teams connect their work to something bigger. At ChildServe, we often talk about how every role fuels our mission, like a jet engine where each part matters. When people clearly see how their work contributes to lift-off, energy and alignment increase. Leaders can reinforce this by regularly linking day-to-day tasks to mission…

Oct 1 • 9:00 AM EDT • Business • businessrecord.com

This diet may slow brain aging by 2.5 years

People who followed the MIND diet more closely showed slower brain shrinkage and less grey matter loss over time, with the strongest differences equivalent to about 2.5 years of delayed brain aging. Berries and poultry were linked with healthier brain changes, while sweets and fried fast foods were associated with greater tissue loss.

Oct 1 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • sciencedaily.com

Inside Business Matters: Micron, forever chemicals, data centers, more (how to sign up)

Every Thursday, the Business Matters newsletter gathers Syracuse.com’s most insightful, noteworthy business journalism for readers.

Oct 1 • 8:00 AM EDT • Business • syracuse.com

Good science requires much more than evidence

Empiricists believe that scientific theories are true only if they make correct empirical predictions: if we can't verify these predictions, then there is no reason to expect that they tell us anything about reality. However, Professor of Philosophy at King's College David Kyle Johnson argues that this is mistaken. In response to Bas van Fraassen, who has written on this subject for the IAI, he argues that we have many reasons for believing a theory to be true, such as it being parsimonious and having large scope — qualities which have been used throughout the history of science as criteria for judging theories. In 2024, Princeton philosopher Bas van Fraassen wrote a short article for IAI News entitled “Science Does not Describe Reality: The Limits and Benefits of Explanation.” At the time, I was working on two projects (a science book and a Great Course) that, when completed, would (among other things) defend science’s ability to describe reality. I wanted to write a response to van Fraassen, but the projects demanded too much of my attention. But now that those projects are complete, I am in a position to explain the objections to van Fraassen’s thesis. Summarizing van Fraassen’s argumentIn a nutshell, his argument is this: What scientists do is make predictions based on theories and then invite others to test to see whether those predictions are borne out. “If theory T is right, result R should happen in experimental condition C.” Many think that running an experiment that shows that R happens in condition C is proof that theory T is true (and should be believed). But, van Fraassen argues, that R happened in condition C is only a reason to think that R happens in condition C. That’s the only observable, or empirical, result we can actually see, so that is all that we are really justified in believing. (The underlying theory that made that prediction still may or may not be true.) That is why he calls those who accept his position “empiricists.”Before I explain what is wrong with this position, let me explain what it gets right. What van Fraassen Gets RightFirst, a theory correctly predicting the results of an experiment is not, strictly speaking, “proof” that the theory is correct. The basic line of reasoning is this:If the theory T is true, result R should happen. Result R did happen. Thus, theory T is true.In other words:“If T then R. R. Thus, T.”This is a deductively invalid, fallacious mode of reasoning, called “affirming the consequent.” Those premises do not guarantee that the conclusion follows. “If I am in Pennsylvania, then I am in the USA. I am in the USA. Thus, I am in Pennsylvania.” Clearly that argument doesn’t guarantee its conclusion; neither does the above argument.However, science is not a deductive method of reasoning; it is an inductive one. And inductive arguments merely try to raise the probability of their conclusion, not “prove” them for certain. Thus, the fact that an experimental result doesn’t prove a theory is true is irrelevant; it’s not supposed to. That is not what scientific reasoning is about.___If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational.___Second, it’s also true that a single experimental result doesn’t provide enough justification to believe that a theory is true. Scientists do not come to a consensus about whether a theory is true by looking at a single experiment; they look at all the evidence to determine where the preponderance of evidence points. The mere fact that I am in the USA raises the probability that I am in Pennsylvania, but not nearly enough to conclude that I am in Pennsylvania. However, if I am also regularly encountering people wearing Eagles and Phillies hats and seeing advertisements for Founding Father tours, I probably am. In the same way, a theory successfully predicting the outcome of one experiment is not enough to conclude that it is true; but if a theory makes a wide variety of predictions that are all vindicated by multiple experiments, performed by many different groups and people, all actively trying to prove the theory false (which is what good scientific experiments are designed to do)—that is a good reason to conclude that the theory is true. In other words, if you repeatedly try to prove something false but can’t, that is a very good indication that it isn’t. The problem of underdeterminationIn reply, those whom van Fraassen calls “empiricists” often point to the “problem of underdetermination.” For any given theory that makes successful predictions about what happens in experimental conditions, there are countless other possible theories that make exactly the same predictions—and since they do, the experimental evidence in question is just as much reason to accept any of those theories as it is to accept our original one. Thus, the argument goes, we have no way of knowing whether our original theory is true, or one of the other “predictively equivalent” theories is true. SUGGESTED VIEWING How Occam's Razor changed the world With Johnjoe McFadden As an example of underdetermination, philosophers often offer this example. The evidence of fossils seems to provide reason to conclude that the universe is quite old; ancient fossils are what the “ancient universe” hypothesis predicts. But it’s also possible that God created an ancient-looking universe 200 years ago, complete with a “fake” fossil record for us to find, to make it look old. The existence of fossils is what that theory predicts too. So, the argument goes, the fossil record can’t be used as evidence that the universe is ancient; the fossil record supports the “200-year-old ancient-looking universe” theory just as much. The problem of underdetermination points out that, for any theory with supporting evidence, we could invent another completely different theory that predicts exactly the same evidence, and thus undermine that evidence’s ability to support the original theory.But this “argument from underdetermination” betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of what scientific reasoning is and how it works. To explain, let me use another rather strange (but very real and commonly discussed) philosophical thought experiment called “The Grue Problem.” The “Grue” ProblemSuppose I want to know what color emeralds are, so I observe a few, see that they all appear green, and form the theory that “all emeralds are green.” I thus predict that the next 100 emeralds I find will also appear to be green. And let’s say that happens, and so I thus conclude that my theory that all emeralds are green is true. Now, one might rightly point out that I don’t know for sure that all emeralds are green—I have not seen them all. Maybe some I haven’t found yet are blue. Fair enough. After all, we used to think that all swans were white, until we found some black ones. But let’s say that I go on a quest and collect every emerald in the universe—and, for the sake of the argument, let’s say I can do this, and can even know that I have every one of them. So, I collect them all, look at them all, and verify that they all appear green. Can’t I now rightly conclude that all emeralds are green?Inspired by the problem of underdetermination, a friend might argue that I cannot.Sure, they all appear green now—but there could be another kind of color called “grue.” Something is grue if it is green up to a certain point in time, but then spontaneously turns blue. And there could be an infinite number of “shades” of grue. Something that is one shade of grue will turn blue at noon today, but something that is another shade of grue will turn blue at noon tomorrow, etc. So yes, the emeralds appear green now; and since they haven’t turned blue yet, they are not some “past” shade of grue. But they might be some “future” shade of grue (e.g., they may turn blue at noon tomorrow). And since all future shades of grue are consistent with “being green up to this point in time,” the evidence you have is completely consistent with the notion that all emeralds are some future shade of grue, rather than green. Indeed, that they would appear green until now is what the “some future shade of grue” hypothesis predicts. So, we have just as much reason to conclude that all emeralds are some shade of grue as we do to conclude that they are green.You’re probably thinking “It’s not equally possible that the emeralds are grue; they are obviously green.” You are right! But explaining why your instinctive reaction to my friend’s argument is correct will help inform why van Fraassen’s “empiricist” is wrong and science actually does describe reality.The main mistake my friend makes is in thinking that the “empirical evidence” (of all the emeralds appearing green) is (or even should be) all I am using to draw the conclusion that all emeralds are green. It is not. I am also considering known facts about how colors typically work; things don’t usually change color, and when they do, they don’t do so suddenly, without cause, and all at once. So, even though the simple evidence of the emeralds all appearing green up to this point is consistent with them being some future shade of grue—that is even what the grue hypothesis “predicts”—it is still exceedingly unlikely that they are. The hypothesis that they are green is much more likely. Understanding science refutes the problem of underdetermination The misunderstanding about science that the “empiricist” pointing to “the problem of underdetermination” makes is similar to the one that my friend made. Science is not just about considering experimental evidence; in fact, it’s not even just about considering empirical evidence. As Ernan McMullin and many other philosophers of science have pointed out, the inference that makes science is “inference to the best explanation” (sometimes called “abduction” or “retroduction” by McMullin). While, depending on the circumstances, scientists use many different kinds of reasoning, science as a whole is, simply put, the process of considering multiple competing explanations and comparing them to certain criteria—explanatory criteria (the kinds of things explanations must be and do, by definition, to be a good explanation)—to see which explanation is the best.And these criteria do not deal only with empirical results. Yes, successful predictions raise the probability of a hypothesis, but it’s also the case that the more new assumptions a theory makes, the less likely it is to be true; every new assumption presents an opportunity for the theory to be false. (The fewer assumptions a theory makes, the simpler or “more parsimonious” it is said to be.) Likewise, the more existing evidence a theory contradicts, the less likely it is, because in order for a theory to be true, every piece of evidence it contradicts has to be somehow faulty. (The fewer established theories a new theory contradicts, the more “conservative” it is said to be.) And, obviously, the more something explains, the better explanation it is. (This is called having “scope.”) If a theory raises unanswerable questions, it’s not expanding our understanding, and thus is not wide-scoping. Scientists consider all these things when deciding which theory to accept, because the theory that adheres best to these explanatory criteria is most likely to be true.___the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth.___The reason the grue hypothesis is no good is because it invents an entirely new kind of color—not just a new shade, but an entirely different category of color (a different way colors work)—and thus is not parsimonious. It raises unanswerable questions about how and why emeralds would just spontaneously change from green to blue (and thus does not have wide scope). And it contradicts what is already well established about how color works (and thus is unconservative).The theories that the problem of underdetermination points to do the same thing. Yes, the theory that God created an “ancient-looking universe” (complete with an ancient-looking fossil record) two hundred years ago is also consistent with the empirical evidence (of a fossil record) that presently exists; but that theory is monumentally unparsimonious (it requires many extra assumptions about infinite entities) and not wide-scoping (it raises unanswerable questions about why God would do such a thing). So, I can rationally conclude that it is false.Indeed, the history of science includes many examples of theories that were rejected because they lacked parsimony and/or scope, even before their falsity (and the truth of their competing theory) was confirmed by observation. As I point out in my book, geocentrism was rejected by the scientific community because it lacked parsimony, almost 200 years before the observation of parallax confirmed that the Earth moves around the sun. And the continuum theory of matter was completely rejected by 1860, because it couldn’t explain chemical reactions or organize matter into a periodic table, even though the experiments that eventually confirmed atomic theory weren’t even proposed until the 1870s. Solving the best of a bad lot problemIn response, the “empiricists” are likely to object, this time pointing to the “best of a bad lot” problem. “We have no reason to conclude that an explanation that has been shown to be better than others is true because we have no guarantee that the true theory was among those that we were considering.” If you have a “lot” (a collection) of poor explanations, even the best one is not true.The responses to this problem, however, are numerous. Peter Lipton argues that the set of hypotheses that scientists consider are not just randomly selected and thus unlikely to contain a theory that is true; they use existing knowledge to home in on what is most likely to be true. A doctor trying to explain abdominal pain is not going to bother wondering whether demons are causing it; they are going to stick with things like appendicitis and kidney stones, because they are most likely. Further, despite its name, inference to the best explanation is not just the process of comparing hypotheses and accepting the best one; we also want one that is a good explanation in its own right. If it’s not, we are going to keep looking until we find an explanation that is. And while that process does not guarantee that we will come across the exact truth, it’s very likely that the theory that emerges as the best will be at least approximately true, and thus we will be justified in believing it. And lastly, as I point out in my book, although many theories not based in scientific evidence (like geocentrism and continuum theory) have been completely overturned, science almost always progresses by the refinement of scientifically established theories—not their replacement. (Although our sun is not the center of the universe, heliocentrism was our first step in understanding the Earth’s true place in the universe.) So even if a theory we accept today may not be completely right, accepting it is a step on the journey toward the complete truth. The example of atomic theoryNow, it’s worth pointing out that most empiricists are not skeptical of all scientific theories; they are only skeptical of the ones that hypothesize the existence of “unobservables.” It’s not like they think that round Earth, heliocentrism, and germ theory are just useful (but untrue) “instruments” for making predictions about how to most efficiently navigate the seas, predict planetary motion, and treat diseases. They admit that the Earth actually is round, that the planets revolve around the sun, and that germs exist and cause disease. These facts and entities can be observed; the theories that suggest they exist are true. It’s only when theories start hypothesizing the existence of unobservables—like electrons, or quantum fields—that can’t be observed directly, that we should start doubting the theories’ truth. And to be fair to van Fraassen, in this published work, he doesn’t really say that we should doubt the truth of such theories. Only that scientific reasoning does not rationally force us to accept them as true. Skepticism, or agnosticism, he argues, is warranted. SUGGESTED READING Science is based in metaphor By Andrew Reynolds But the history of atomic theory throws a monkey wrench into that argument. Atoms used to be unobservable; again, scientists first accepted the theory that they exist because it had such grandiose explanatory power. But then atoms were seen with electron microscopes. They thus moved into the category of the observable. But this didn’t substantially change anything about what scientists were justified in believing; it certainly didn’t change any “atomic skeptics’” minds. It just confirmed what everyone already knew! If the hypothesis that something exists clearly provides the best explanation for what we can observe, then the belief that it exists is what is rational. The fact that the thing itself is not technically observable does not make doubting its existence rational.What’s more, the atoms were seen with an electron microscope. But electrons are themselves unobservable. How can an electron microscope reveal an atom if electrons are not real? This leads us to what is famously known as Hilary Putnam’s “miracle argument.” It’s (not) a miraclePhilosopher Hilary Putnam’s miracle argument is somewhat famous. Basically, he argued that a scientific theory being able to repeatedly make successful predictions—even about unobservables—without being at least approximately true would require a “miracle.” In other words, it would be such an improbable occurrence that it could not rationally be believed—the better explanation for why scientific theories about unobservables make the right predictions is because the unobservable entities and structures they hypothesize exist.Van Fraassen has addressed this argument. Indeed, in his original article, where he references Alison Gopnik’s point about orgasms not being “necessary for procreation” even though the desire for orgasm “drives the creation of progeny,” he is pointing to his own argument about how organisms are not naturally selected by evolution to get true beliefs; to the extent that belief-forming processes are selected for, the ones that are selected are the ones that are useful for survival—not the ones that produce true beliefs. In the same way, van Fraassen argues, scientific theories are accepted, not because they are true, but because they aren’t falsified; they make successful predictions; that’s what makes them “stick around.” So, the fact that they make successful predictions (and thus became accepted) is not a reason to think they are true.This argument is similar to C. S. Lewis’s “argument from reason,” which he used to argue against evolution: “The truth of evolution undercuts our ability to know that it is true.” Lewis’ argument famously failed; Elizabeth Anscombe, by Lewis’s own admission, demolished Lewis in a debate on the topic, and I have explained elsewhere why modified versions of the argument fail as well. In short, it’s because it fails to recognize that a belief-forming process can make an organism more likely to survive because it reliably produces true beliefs. It is therefore not the case that beliefs generated by naturally selected belief-forming processes are automatically false or unjustified.In the same way, the reason a theory “sticks around” could be because it’s not falsified, because it “makes correct predictions.” But the reason it makes correct predictions is most likely because it is true. (In pointing this out, I am echoing the arguments of Musgrave, Lipton, Psillos, and Kitcher, who refuted van Fraassen’s argument and analogy long before his 2024 article.) It would be a huge coincidence that it could do so without being true. And that is the point of Putnam’s miracle argument. Thus, contrary to van Fraassen’s suggestion, the mere fact that a theory’s predictive success is why it “sticks around” or “becomes accepted” in the scientific community is not a reason to be skeptical about its truth. ConclusionLet me close by saying something about the fact that empiricists don’t doubt the truth of all scientific theories, just the ones that hypothesize unobservables. In today’s society, this theory is dangerous to espouse publicly. The nuance between being skeptical about all of science, and just the highly technical theories about unobservables, is guaranteed to be lost to the average reader. And there is so much unjustified skepticism and doubt about the findings of science and experts that a headline like “Science Does Not Describe Reality” could easily fuel the anti-science movement, worsen climate change denial and cause the next pandemic.This is why I believe it was important to still respond to van Fraassen’s article, a full two years after he wrote it. Not only, as I have argued, does it represent a philosophically inaccurate view of how scientific reasoning works and what scientific reasoning can do, but it is a dangerous view to boot. It should thus be rejected.

Oct 1 • 8:00 AM EDT • Science • iai.tv

Puka Nacua Injury Update: Rams WR’s Week 4 Status Revealed

Puka Nacua missed Weeks 2 and 3 due to injury, but he should return for Week 4. Originally selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the BYU product quickly became one of the biggest draft steals in recent memory. Developing an immediate connection with quarterback Matthew Stafford, the rookie finished his inaugural …

Oct 1 • 7:36 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Matt LaFleur Makes Admission on Learning Saddening Packers Development

For the second season in a row, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed is going to miss a lot of time due to an injury. And this time around, he will be out for the remainder of the season after being placed on the injured reserve with a neck injury. The former Michigan State […] The post Matt LaFleur Makes Admission on Learning Saddening Packers Development appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.

Oct 1 • 7:25 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

October is already fun, plus poll results

The Pulse Newsletter 📣 | This is The Athletic’s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Extend your series today. Coming up: ‼️ A WNBA playoff thriller 📈 Three MLB teams advance 🔁 Late-night NFL trade We are in the midst of a beautiful time, and not just because it’s officially October (more on that in a bit). This week, we get to enjoy a three-game-playoff-series bonanza, in which every game really, really matters. The MLB and WNBA postseasons started days ago; multiple teams are already heading to exit...

Oct 1 • 6:13 AM EDT • Sports • nytimes.com

A father lost his son at Rolling Loud. That real-life panic inspired a comedy

Actors Matt Rife and Owen Wilson of "Rolling Loud: The Movie" look back at the chaos of filming at a real-life music festival.

Oct 1 • 6:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • latimes.com

Two key Senate health committees face major shake-ups

Senate committees that handle important health care matters are about to see major GOP turnover. Here's what that means.

Oct 1 • 4:30 AM EDT • Health • statnews.com

Liverpool's ahead-of-the-curve approach to youth recruitment

Liverpool's global talent department - led by Matt Newberry - is responsible for deciding which young talents from overseas should be targeted for a transfer move. Using their wealth of contacts across the world, including dedicated regional scouts, Liverpool are becoming increasingly aggressive in the space - and it helps that new sporting director Julian Ward is well known for his global network. After the Under-17s World Cup, Liverpool made a £1m move for Senegalese Mor Talla Ndiaye and a £2.6m move for fellow centre-back half Ifeanyi Ndukwe, who was representing Austria.

Oct 1 • 4:12 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Banijay Entertainment’s Scripted Secret: Find the Talent, Then Back the Ideas

With 170 labels across 25 territories, Banijay Entertainment has plenty of scale. But at Iberseries & Platino Industria, Steve Matthews, head of scripted, creative, made clear that the company’s globa...

Oct 1 • 3:37 AM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com

Jaissle learned a lot about life after tumour aged five

Newcastle United head coach Matthias Jaissle could not move his neck at one point, but went on to play before embarking on a coaching career that sees him in Tyneside.

Oct 1 • 2:16 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Science Says Who You Eat Dinner With Matters as Much as What's on Your Plate

We are social creatures.

Sep 30 • 8:00 PM EDT • Science • sciencealert.com

49ers Emerge as Potential Trade Destination for Cardinals Veteran

The San Francisco 49ers need pass-rush help after losing Nick Bosa for multiple weeks to a calf injury. Even before losing him, the Niners likely still needed help, since Bosa is their only reliable edge rusher. San Francisco did sign veteran defensive end Matthew Judon to the practice squad. Nonetheless, the Niners are rolling the […] The post 49ers Emerge as Potential Trade Destination for Cardinals Veteran appeared first on HEAVY.

Sep 30 • 7:30 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Looking at the Ugly Side of the Paramount-Skydance Merger...And How I’d Fix It

A Message from Our Sponsor Certified Fresh with 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, FX’s Adults is an ensemble comedy series about a group of twenty-somethings in New York leaning on each other to navigate love, work, friendship and family. Don’t sleep on “The Sitcom of the Moment” - Awards Buzz All Episodes now streaming on Hulu on Disney+. Watch The Teaser Trailer... (Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industr(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.) Before we dive in, I wanted to congratulate Broadcast Now for being the first to report that Netflix’s How to Get to Heaven from Belfast has been cancelled. (I saw this in a write-up by Kasey Moore of Whats-On-Netflix.) More importantly, I wanted to note that, as of yesterday, none of the other trades had reported the news yet. I have half a guess that eventually one of them will report this. Anyways, it’s time to take a break from my deluge of streaming ratings reports to continue my analysis of the Paramount Skydance Warner Bros. Discovery (PSWbD) saga. As I noted last week, a lot of times when folks use the (sometimes cliched) “the good, the bad and the ugly” framing for an article, “the ugly” section is just more bad. Or very, very bad. In this case, yeah, I do think it’s ugly. In more than one way. Unfortunately, we’re only going to have time to tackle one of those ways today: the ugly pile of debt to finance this deal. (In a future article, I may cover the entire process for how it went down, which was very, very ugly.) Last issue, I explained why I liked this deal in a vacuum. Unfortunately, “vacuums” don’t exist outside of space. Let’s dive in. Subscribe Most Important Story of the Week - The Ugliness of the Paramount/Warner Bros. Merger More than one person sent me a note speculating that the big problem with Paramount Skydance buying Warner Bros. Discovery is the “Warner Bros.” portion of the deal. In fact, that’s a take I read a lot about Warner Bros., ever since they caught Netflix’s, and then Paramount-Skydance’s, eye. In short, multiple companies (Time, AOL, AT&T, Discovery) have bought and then regretted buying Warner Bros. Since it’s nearing Halloween, you could almost say it’s like the folks think WB is cursed! It’s a haunted studio—like the town of Derry in movie studio form—and whoever takes possession of it will fall into misery! Yet...I just don’t like that story, because it doesn’t explain the “why” behind why those deals fell through. Especially when Warner Bros. has continued to succeed as a TV and film studio in the intervening two decades. Lord of the Rings? Harry Potter? Game of Thrones? Everything HBO? Considering it never fully owned a broadcast TV channel, this media company has done pretty well. So what went wrong? Well, in recent years, companies bought Warner Bros. instead of the other, smarter option. Explaining POCD (And Applying It to Mergers & Acquisitions) As I explained last issue, one of my favorite frameworks is the POCD tool for evaluating venture capital investments: People Opportunity Context Deal The bar to invest as a VC is high. (Or I might say “was” since cheap interest rates made life easier last decade.) You review a thousand prospectuses, get pitched by a hundred, and invest in the ten best, with the hopes that one of those ten would pay for the rest. That means every element of a deal needed to pay off: you needed the right people running the companies, who could capitalize on the right opportunity, in the context of an industry that was ripe for disruption. If you could then not overpay, you could make some money in a smart deal. The analogy isn’t perfect here, but close enough. For a merger or acquisition to work, you need the combined company (which is the opportunity) to make more than the price you need to pay (which is the deal). Note: the people and context still matter, but with M&A, it’s a little more straightforward: does the opportunity exceed the cost? And usually with Warner Bros., it hasn’t. If you want to find out the single biggest mistake made by the Warner Bros. suitors over the last few years (and my simple fix) become a paid subscriber. I’ll also touch on who I think Paramount-Skydance could (shockingly) consider buying next, TBD, and more. Sign up here.

Sep 30 • 6:41 PM EDT • Entertainment • entertainment.substack.com

Newsom signs anti-monopoly bill after bruising legislative battle

California’s new antitrust law will let prosecutors sue businesses for anticompetitive conduct, but not individuals

Sep 30 • 5:11 PM EDT • Business • calmatters.org

Commentary: Peltola's words create a teachable moment, but an apology is required.

We can show Alaska and the nation that apologies are a sign of wisdom and strength, that choosing words of compassion matters, and that people of good character can win elections.

Sep 30 • 5:00 PM EDT • Politics • alaskabeacon.com

Civility in politics is in short supply. Former Georgia leaders say it still matters

Civility in politics can feel lost right now. But for some former Georgia elected officials, disagreeing while still finding common ground remains essential to governing and to maintaining public trust […]

Sep 30 • 3:43 PM EDT • Politics • wabe.org

Overall dietary patterns matter more for heart health than nutrients

A healthy, balanced dietary pattern, rather than one focused on individual nutrients or foods is key to maintaining heart health, according to a Scientific Statement issued by the American College of Cardiology and published in JACC, its flagship journal.

Sep 30 • 2:55 PM EDT • Health • news-medical.net

WholeHogSports Daily Podcast: Protect College Sports Act passes Senate, other news with Brandon Marcello

Matt Jones and Brandon Marcello discuss the week's biggest headlines in college football.

Sep 30 • 2:37 PM EDT • Sports • wholehogsports.com

Taylor understands Exeter fans' frustrations

Matt Taylor says he understands why Exeter City fans are unhappy with results, but says his squad are trying to improve.

Sep 30 • 1:54 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Federal regulator probing Trump critic Adam Kinzinger for betting on his own pardon

Federal regulators are investigating former Rep. Adam Kinzinger for trading on the prediction platform Kalshi about a pardon he received from former President Joe Biden, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.

Sep 30 • 12:25 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Joelinton Returns To Training After Recovering From Foot Injury

The Brazilian powerhouse brings his physical presence back to Tyneside, handing Matthias Jaissle a vital tactical boost as the midfield linchpin nears a return to competitive action.

Sep 30 • 12:00 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

🧪 Science with Sarah: Fun ways to explore states of matter!

Sep 30 • 11:17 AM EDT • Science • ksat.com

Small Signals, Big Effects: Why Symbolic Policies Matter for Climate Politics -

In the APSA Public Scholarship Program, graduate students in political science produce summaries of new research in the American Political Science Review. This piece, written by Ximena Caló, covers the new article by Theodore Tallent, [...]

Sep 30 • 10:00 AM EDT • Science • politicalsciencenow.com

Small Signals, Big Effects: Why Symbolic Policies Matter for Climate Politics -

In the APSA Public Scholarship Program, graduate students in political science produce summaries of new research in the American Political Science Review. This piece, written by Ximena Caló, covers the new article by Theodore Tallent, [...]

Sep 30 • 10:00 AM EDT • Politics • politicalsciencenow.com

Mattel Picks Roger Lynch to Lead Toy Company After Ynon Kreiz Exit

Condé Nast chief Roger Lynch will become chairman of Mattel on Oct. 2 and CEO by Nov. 2, replacing Ynon Kreiz, who is leaving for another…

Sep 30 • 9:57 AM EDT • Entertainment • northeasttimes.com

Matthew David Hall, M.D., MBA, Installed as Endowed Chair in Pediatric Oncology at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute

September 4, 2026 – Matthew D. Hall, M.D., MBA, lead pediatric radiation oncologist at Baptist Health Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute, part of Baptist Health Cancer Care, was formally installed as the Endowed Chair in Pediatric Radiation Oncology during a ceremony and reception held September 2 at Mr. C Miami in Coconut Grove. The installation ceremony […]

Sep 30 • 9:43 AM EDT • Health • southfloridahospitalnews.com

Do business plans work? Here's what the data actually says

New business owners often face the same dilemma: spend time writing a business plan, or spend a week finding their first customers. So which one actually matters? Xero’s guide to writing an executive summary covers the how. But often, business owners ask a different question: Why? Does the planning itself really impact what happens next?

Sep 30 • 8:15 AM EDT • Business • kesq.com

Holt Lunsford announces recent local leases

Fort Worth Office Pacific Builders, Inc renewed its lease of 2,454 SF at Summit Office Park, Fort Worth 76102. Vic Meyer, Reilly Clark and Matt Carthey with

Sep 30 • 8:02 AM EDT • Business • fortworthbusiness.com

California high-speed rail fails to accomplish most of its legislative goals for 2026

California’s bullet train agency said timely construction of the rail line depended on these reforms. They mostly failed.

Sep 30 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • calmatters.org

Abortion pills to be offered at California community college health centers under new law

Gov. Newsom has signed a law requiring most community colleges to offer abortion medication as of 2029. Public universities in California already do.

Sep 30 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • calmatters.org

Abortion pills to be offered at California community college health centers under new law

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Community colleges in California will be required to offer abortion medication through campus health centers starting in 2029, under a law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sunday. Through the Community College Student Right to Access Act, California will extend the reproductive health […]

Sep 30 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • mv-voice.com

Packers’ Matt LaFleur has more questions than answers right now

After a 1-2 start and a humbling loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Green Bay Thursday, the Packers head coach is under heavy scrutiny.

Sep 30 • 6:00 AM EDT • Sports • captimes.com

Trump can't stop America's shift to clean energy. And we can accelerate it.

The cost of clean energy just keeps falling as the price of coal ramps up. Politicians promising affordability will follow those savings no matter who is in the White House. And in the meantime, there are ways to speed up the transition.

Sep 30 • 5:08 AM EDT • Science • livescience.com

When “DEI” research is cut, what happens to community health?

“I’m just going to run to the grocery store!” How many times have we said this without thinking about it? For most of us, it's usually an easy walk or a short drive to get the cheese we forgot. In reality, though, 13% of the U.S. population (about 39 million people) live in “food deserts,” which means living more than a mile from a grocery store in urban areas and more than 10 miles in rural areas. This was the case for people in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, where a quick run to buy food wasn’t an option. In the 1930s, federal maps marked the Hill as "hazardous" for lending, a practice known as redlining that steered investment away from Black neighborhoods. Decades of disinvestment followed, and residents went about 30 years without a nearby grocery store. This made it hard to keep healthy eating habits and contributed to chronic disease. When a grocery store finally opened in the area in 2013, researchers saw the opportunity and launched the PHRESH study, which initially compared the health of participants from the Hill district to those in the Homewood district. Over time, the study expanded to other factors such as brain health and Alzheimer's risk. Residents like Roderick Blair overcame initial hesitation to share their health data, trusting it would benefit their neighborhood. Then, in August 2026, the NIH abruptly canceled the study’s grant, citing that it was “subjective” and fell outside their scientific scope—an effect of the administration’s interpretation of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Research like PHRESH can help determine what changes in a neighborhood actually improve health, so cutting it has left that question unanswered. Other canceled studies have examined health issues like maternal health, preterm birth rates, or sickle cell disease. Courts have reversed some of these grant cancellations, but not all of them. If we really want America to be healthier, research into why some communities get sicker than others is absolutely critical. The law that created the federal minority health research institute passed with bipartisan support in 2000. But these days, as evidenced by grant cancellations, the political shift in attitudes toward DEI means we often lose access to the health information we need to help all communities thrive. DEI vs. health equity vs. equality and the overlap (or lack thereof) The letters “DEI” evoke very different reactions depending on who you are in the U.S. DEI programs can address gender, disability, age, and other factors, but the fiercest debate centers on race. For some people, hearing DEI brings to mind policies that may have cost them a job or a college seat because they are white. Others see DEI as a matter of justice: a way to expand representation and opportunity for groups that have been historically marginalized. Both perspectives are rooted in lived experience, and both center on the same question: whether hiring and admissions practices are fair. Hiring and admission practices, though related, are not the same as health equity. Health equity is “the attainment of the highest level of health for all people.” It’s the recognition that some groups of people consistently experience worse health outcomes than others. For instance, black mothers die from pregnancy-related complications at three times the rate of white mothers, and rural Americans are more likely to die from issues such as heart disease and cancer. Equity is also often conflated with “equality,” which leads to misunderstanding of how to actually best support communities. Equality ignores the fact that we aren’t all starting life with the same resources or circumstances, whereas equity is about helping people get what they specifically need based on their situation so they have the chance to achieve the same outcome as anyone else. For example, if every household in Pittsburgh got a $30 grocery gift card, that would be equal. But during the decades the Hill District went without a grocery store, that card wouldn’t have helped much. Equity means making sure everyone can actually access a store in the first place. DEI policies can overlap with health equity in many ways. For example, they may help expand access to quality education and stable, well-paying jobs, which in turn can provide health insurance, safer housing, and improved finances—all of which can reduce health disparities. But to make that happen, we first need data to identify disparities in communities and to develop solutions that effectively address them. What we lose when the research stops Community data is important to health equity because: You can’t fix what you don’t see: Data show which communities are most affected by health factors such as infection, heart disease, and cancer. If we don’t know what is happening and where, then we can’t develop interventions to help. Poor health costs everyone: Chronic disease is expensive—both to the individual person and to the overall economy. Understanding what groups of people are most at risk allows us to develop interventions that can save everyone money. Disparities exist for many communities: Health equity includes disparities that exist due to a whole host of factors, such as family background, race and ethnicity, rural vs. suburban residence, gender and sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, and lower income. This means many Americans can benefit from research into differences in health outcomes and how to improve them. Trust is easy to lose: Some participants in the PHRESH study were initially vocal about their concerns about participating. But that trust was earned because the researchers kept their promises and centered their work on the community. When projects are canceled mid-cycle, researchers have no choice but to leave behind communities they had promised to help. This hurts trust in the long run. It’s also a very inefficient use of resources, and it will take significant time and effort to redo the work when the government realizes this work is important again. How should we talk about health equity? This is hard because the words “equity” and “DEI” are currently very politically charged. So whether you’re a public health professional, teacher, or friend, how we talk about this topic matters. The right framing can help people who might otherwise be skeptical see why health equity research is important and deserves funding. Here are some suggestions to help your conversations: Choose your words strategically: Who are you trying to reach with your message? Are they likely to be resistant to terms like “diversity” and “equity”? If so, find alternative words to use to still get the message across. It is frustrating to be in that position, but the goal of improving health is too important not to try to make inroads. Sometimes simply reframing can help the message reach those who need to hear it. Focus on the problem: The terms “health equity” and “DEI” are abstract. Make it more specific. For example, discuss differences in maternal death or ways to improve health outcomes in rural communities. These still have equity at their core but will likely be better understood by those you’re talking with. Focus on systems: Disparities exist, but if they are communicated poorly, people can mistakenly think the issue is the individual’s fault. Disparities are largely driven by failures of the system—such as lack of access to health care and a long legacy of racism. When discussing the disparities, frame them around these systemic issues to ensure blame isn’t placed on the individuals impacted. Tell stories: Personalize these policies by using stories from those impacted that connect to the data you’re trying to convey. This helps make the policies and outcomes more concrete and meaningful. Bottom line Some communities end up sicker than others. That’s just the facts. We can argue about the best way to do that research, but canceling it simply because it may be linked to DEI doesn’t make anyone healthier. It just leaves communities like the Hill district behind. And in the end, it causes us all to move backward in our efforts to improve health in this country. Love, EM Big thanks to MacKenzie Isaac & Legairre Radden, who reviewed this piece and generously shared their expertise and lived experience to help improve it. Dr. Liz Marnik, PhD, is Executive Director of The Evidence Collective and a science communicator and immunologist working at the intersection of public trust, science, and public health. To discuss communication training on topics like health equity and storytelling, email Liz at liz@yle.health or learn more on our website. Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) comprises a team of experts, ranging from physicians to immunologists to epidemiologists to nutritionists, working together with one goal: to “translate” ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. The YLE suite of newsletters reaches over 475,000 people across more than 132 countries. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: Your Local Epidemiologist is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe

Sep 30 • 5:05 AM EDT • Health • yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com

Business Buzz: Monarch Physical Therapy

Business: Monarch Physical Therapy Address: 61 Church Hill Road Owner: Dr Chelsea and Matt Barnes What is your business background? “I got my doctorate in physical therapy in 2018. My...

Sep 30 • 3:00 AM EDT • Business • newtownbee.com

Past decade’s industrial focus benefits Southern Virginia

Microporous, Avio USA and Stack Infrastructure projects are coming to fruition in Pittsylvania County. Microporous, Avio USA and Stack Infrastructure projects are coming to fruition in Pittsylvania County.

Sep 29 • 11:54 PM EDT • Business • virginiabusiness.com

CAS launches program for breakthroughs at science frontiers

The first batch of 10 projects under the program was unveiled at the media event, targeting research in fields such as the synthesis of new elements, the nature of dark matter and dark energy, microscopic measurement of chemical bonds and the creation of synthetic cells.

Sep 29 • 11:15 PM EDT • Science • chinadailyhk.com

Phillies' Don Mattingly Not to Blame for Game 1 Implosion

Sep 29 • 10:29 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Maple Leafs Trade Gets Strong Reaction From Prominent Personality

On Monday, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Columbus Blue Jackets got together on a multi-player blockbuster move, with the principal pieces moving being Kirill Marchenko and Matthew Knies.Marchenko is on his way to Toronto and now has a six-year contract extension beyond this campaign, which was the final year of his deal. Meanwhile, Knies, who […] The post Maple Leafs Trade Gets Strong Reaction From Prominent Personality appeared first on HEAVY.

Sep 29 • 9:21 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

There's a cure for one of California's biggest health problems. Getting it is another matter

California is eliminating a key insurance hurdle for hepatitis C treatment, part of a broader push to get a long-available cure to the hundreds of thousands of patients who need it.

Sep 29 • 5:16 PM EDT • Health • yahoo.com

September sun

Jamie Chiang, who studies chemical engineering, reads a book at Centennial Common. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University

Sep 29 • 2:03 PM EDT • Science • news.northeastern.edu

Open Thread For Tuesday’s Wild Card Games

We have four games today: Phillies @ Braves 2:00 Eastern We have lineups for this one: Today’s Lineups PHILLIES BRAVES Trea Turner – SS Drake Baldwin – C Kyle Schwarber – DH Ronald Acuna – RF Bryce Harper – RF Matt Olson – 1B Alec Bohm – 1B Mauricio Dubon – LF Derek Hill – […]

Sep 29 • 1:49 PM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Giants' Matt Gage: Receives clean bill of health

Giants' Matt Gage: Receives clean bill of health

Sep 29 • 1:45 PM EDT • Health • cbssports.com

Packers add veterans Laken Tomlinson, Mekhi Becton to help struggling OL

Packers coach Matt LaFleur was asked if Tomlinson and Becton could help Green Bay's offensive line immediately.

Sep 29 • 10:39 AM EDT • Sports • spectrumnews1.com

Matt LaFleur addresses major Packers adjustment after Baker Mayfield injury

Matt LaFleur and the Green Bay Packers were already facing plenty of questions after a rough Week 3 showing. Now, the coaching staff has another issue to navigate as the team gets ready for its trip to Tampa Bay. The Packers had been building their game plan around Baker Mayfield, but that preparation changed after [...]

Sep 29 • 8:23 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Will Republicans help this underdog liberal unseat a longtime Democratic congressman?

As young progressive Democrats across the country successfully unseat older incumbents, one California Democratic challenger is courting Republicans instead

Sep 29 • 8:15 AM EDT • Politics • calmatters.org

New laws make incremental tweaks to California’s mental health court, while bigger changes nixed

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two bills Sunday designed to help his mental health court reach more vulnerable Californians. But two other bills that would have made much bigger, and more controversial, changes to the program died without ever making it to his desk. […]

Sep 29 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • paloaltoonline.com

Newsom vetoes insurance-claim bills: Is it ‘petty’ politics?

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed two bills that would have helped improve the insurance-claims process for consumers but signed one that also addresses claims-related issues, leaving Los Angeles County fire survivors and others wondering whether the vetoes were retaliatory. One bill, Senate Bill 877, […]

Sep 29 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • pleasantonweekly.com

Newsom vetoes insurance-claim bills: Is it ‘petty’ politics?

California governor rejects legislation sponsored by LA fire victims, who had spoken out against his wildfire-liability effort.

Sep 29 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • calmatters.org

Matthew Perry’s sister says he ‘spent $7 million’ on sobriety: ‘That’s how seriously he took his disease’

Matthew Perry’s younger sister says the ‘Friends’ star ‘spent $7 million trying to get sober’ before his death at 54, in trailer for ‘The One About Matthew Perry.’

Sep 29 • 8:00 AM EDT • Entertainment • ew.com

New laws make incremental tweaks to California’s mental health court, while bigger changes nixed

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws designed to help CARE Court better connect Californians with mental health care.

Sep 29 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • calmatters.org

Newsom vetoes insurance-claim bills: Is it ‘petty’ politics?

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed two bills that would have helped improve the insurance-claims process for consumers but signed one that also addresses claims-related issues, leaving Los Angeles County fire survivors and others wondering whether the vetoes were retaliatory. One bill, Senate Bill 877, […]

Sep 29 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • mv-voice.com

Newsom vetoes insurance-claim bills: Is it ‘petty’ politics?

This story was originally published by CalMatters. Sign up for their newsletters. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed two bills that would have helped improve the insurance-claims process for consumers but signed one that also addresses claims-related issues, leaving Los Angeles County fire survivors and others wondering whether the vetoes were retaliatory. One bill, Senate Bill 877, […]

Sep 29 • 8:00 AM EDT • Politics • paloaltoonline.com

Jimmy Kimmel evicts Matt Damon midway through monologue

The bit that never ends.

Sep 29 • 7:07 AM EDT • Entertainment • mashable.com

Portrait of a congressional district redrawn, as told by its voters

Redistricting has reshaped a key Central Florida district. So we hit the road to talk to voters about the issues that matter to them.

Sep 29 • 6:00 AM EDT • Politics • cfpublic.org

Primetime Review: That’s Entertainment?

If you decide to see Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime, it’s important to remember the title as you watch. Yes, this is a biopic of sorts about Chris Hansen and his work on To Catch a Predator, but it is more accurately about the quest for fame and using people’s trauma to attract ratings. True crime entertainment continues to have a prominent place in many people’s television habits, and this film asks us to examine what that means both for those whose stories have become our viewing pleasure and those of us watching. Primetime starts as Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson) is told that his show, To Catch a Predator, is moving to a 9 PM spot opposite LOST. Chris and his producer, Andie (Merritt Wever), see this as an opportunity to make the program even more sensational, looking for bigger, more horrific predators. As part of their plan, they hire a young actor, Dan Plum (Skyler Gisondo), to play “Decoy Dan,” the person who greets the would-be predators who were catfished by Xavier Von Erck (Matthew Maher). Oppenheim, along with writers Ajon Singh and Luke Dittrich, is less concerned with an accurate retelling of the show as much as they are interested in interrogating the why of it all. That decision sometimes leaves Primetime feeling less like a biopic and more like a satirical look at the nature of programming like this. Visually, the movie is impressive. Oppenheim uses light and color effectively to cast Hansen as both villain and savior. Pattinson plays Hansen in an almost comical manner, as we see him wake his two young sons to watch a clip of the show, just to brag that he was moving into a prime spot on television. Even Andie struggles to accept a “nice” job when there is so much more fame to be found producing salacious true-crime content. Wever does an excellent job showing how the hunger for fame is not just in front of the camera, but in every aspect of the production. The heart of the movie, and the standout performance, belongs to Gisondo as Dan Plum. He is someone who just wants to get enough hours to be admitted into the Screen Actors Guild, and stumbles into this job without really knowing what it is. Throughout the film, we watch him suffer one trauma after another, ending with him witnessing the suicide of a District Attorney who is about to become the next unwitting star of Hansen’s show. If there is a sympathetic character in Primetime, it is Decoy Dan, and Gisondo plays him brilliantly. If you’re a fan of programming like To Catch a Predator, then Primetime will probably make you feel uncomfortable, and I think it’s worth sitting with that feeling and examining why we turn on shows that display the worst of humanity while we judge from our couches. Yes, it is correct to want to see people who would hurt children brought to justice, but perhaps it shouldn’t be something that we watch as entertainment. Rating: 3.5/5 This review originally appeared in The Dominion Post on September 25, 2026. MacGuffin or Meaning: Film & TV Reviews and Reflections is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe

Sep 29 • 5:37 AM EDT • Entertainment • alisechaffins.substack.com

Not the GPUs. This Overlooked Piece of Nvidia's Business Could Matter Most for the Stock's Next Leg Up.

Nvidia sees this area as a $200 billion opportunity.

Sep 29 • 4:05 AM EDT • Business • finance.yahoo.com

Not the GPUs. This Overlooked Piece of Nvidia's Business Could Matter Most for the Stock's Next Leg Up.

Nvidia sees this area as a $200 billion opportunity.

Sep 29 • 3:45 AM EDT • Business • fool.com

49ers News: Welcome to the Bay, Matthew Judon!

Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Tuesday, September 29th, 2026

Sep 29 • 2:59 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Alfa Romeo Strips Paint Off 33 Stradale. The Result Is Stunning

Matte exposed carbon, hand-laid fiber patterns, and black wheels turn the Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale Perla Nera into a one-off design statement.

Sep 29 • 2:47 AM EDT • Technology • motor1.com

New Microsoft data innovations unlock what only your business knows

Every organization has knowledge that is uniquely its own: the way its business operates, the data it has built over time, the expertise of its people and the context behind thousands of everyday decisions. As powerful AI models become more widely available, that unique business intelligence matters more than ever. The difference will come from...

Sep 29 • 2:30 AM EDT • Business • blogs.microsoft.com

Cubs BCB After Dark: Is Matthew Boyd the right call?

The late-night/early-morning spot for Cubs fans asks if Matthew Boyd should have gotten the Game 1 start.

Sep 29 • 12:39 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Health director recommends moving Douglas County Sheriff’s staff after fecal contamination worsens

Tests show liquid from the ceiling drained into buckets contains fecal matter, so sheriff’s staff worry about the effect on their health.

Sep 28 • 11:27 PM EDT • Health • wowt.com

Health director recommends moving staff

Tests show liquid from the ceiling drained into buckets contains fecal matter, so sheriff’s staff worry about the effect on their health.

Sep 28 • 11:26 PM EDT • Health • wowt.com

Trump personally helped orchestrate taxpayer-funded ads promoting himself and his policies, source says

President Donald Trump has personally driven the controversial, tax-payer funded video ads promoting himself and his administration’s policies, including helping select the imagery and videos used, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Sep 28 • 7:07 PM EDT • Politics • cnn.com

Casey Affleck says childhood friend Matt Damon was a ‘show-off’ when they were kids

The actor, whose older brother Ben Affleck was Damon’s childhood best friend, said there was “no doubt” that “The Odyssey” star would succeed in Hollywood.

Sep 28 • 4:30 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com

Bobby Kotick’s lawyers sent me a bad email (and later apologized)

The message I had received was unsettling—for a moment. Then it was just really confusing. Back on January 20 of this year, at 5:15pm ET, I received an email with the subject line “Legal Correspondence re Bobby Kotick.” It was from the law firm Clare Locke, a firm I’d heard had been emailing reporters in recent years about their coverage of Kotick, the former, longtime CEO of Activision Blizzard. The letter was threatening. A lawyer from the firm introduced themselves as “defamation counsel to Bobby Kotick.” They issued a “demand” that I “correct” a Game File article I’d published a week prior. The article that had irked them had been a scoop of sorts. I’d written about a a 2022 lawsuit brought by a Swedish pension fund, AP7, over Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. The suit wasn’t news, but I was first to review and report about Kotick’s extensive pushback to the fund’s claims. The pension fund’s core contention was that the sale had been rushed by Kotick to avoid the consequences of sexual misconduct scandals swirling around the company in 2021. (He’d not been accused of misconduct himself in those suits, to be clear.) As I wrote at the time, Kotick had denied the allegations of the rushed sale. Beyond that, Kotick used a December 2025 reply to the Swedish fund’s lawsuit to assign blame for those workplace scandals, the bad press and even for the AP7 lawsuit. I’d found Kotick’s arguments novel and newsworthy. Across nearly 3,000 words, I explained Kotick’s take: that a Swedish gaming company was behind the Swedish fund’s lawsuit (the Embracer group; they denied it); that the Microsoft-Activision deal was not rushed and was secured at what Kotick felt history had proven to be an optimal price for shareholders; that he believed a conspiracy of people at unions government agencies, PR firms and the media had spun up claims of widespread workplace misconduct at Activision Blizzard in 2021. The article gave context for all of this, letting readers assess the claims and weigh their credibility. As I’d later write to Kotick’s lawyers: I would be surprised if you could point to any news article about Bobby Kotick in the last five years that has spent more of its wordcount articulating his point of view. He is welcome to do an interview with Game File any time. Nonetheless, there they were in my inbox that Tuesday evening: Clare Locke, the law firm that secured a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over false statements about voting machines. They were emailing me, threatening that failure to comply with their demand could support a claim of “actual malice,” a legal standard for libel. Unless… Unless, they said, I added a key paragraph to my article. This was a paragraph that I already knew Kotick’s lawyers had been emailing reporters about for at least a year, and it was a paragraph that was already in my article. The paragraph they wanted is from a 2023 settlement that California’s Civil Rights Department struck with Activision Blizzard. The settlement had closed a two-year-old lawsuit over alleged sexual discrimination at the game maker. The paragraph basically said that claims of systemic or widespread sexual harassment—or of execs like Kotick tolerating such behavior—had never been proven. I’d already seen proof that Kotick’s lawyers had pushed for the settlement’s language to be added to reports about 2021 sexual discrimination and misconduct lawsuits brought against Activision Blizzard by California and, separately, by the U.S. federal government (both suits were since settled). I knew that Kotick and his lawyers felt that the California settlement language should be mentioned in the same breath as references to an article he hated and denied, a November 2021 Wall Street Journal article claiming Kotick knew “for years” of sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard. So, in the Game File article that Clare Locke emailed me about, in the interest of ensuring I was being fair and balanced regarding the person I was covering, I had already included the following excerpt from the California settlement [emphasis added in bold]: (Kotick has repeatedly pushed back against that November article in the Wall Street Journal, citing among other things, language from a court-approved consent decree as part of Activision’s 2023 $54 million settlement over the California suit. It states: “no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard [or] that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored, condoned, or tolerated a culture of systemic harassment, retaliation, or discrimination.”) On the evening of January 20, I was incredulous. How do you write a four page legal threat about a week-old article and miss this? While scrambling to also make my kids dinner, I wrote a lengthy reply to Clare Locke’s lawyers, basically asking them to cool it with the threats and to start making sense. In part, I wrote: I hope you can understand why I am having trouble understanding what you’re asking for, when the statement you’re demanding to see in Game File’s article already appears in Game File’s article. Actual malice, as you know, refers to a reckless disregard for the truth. I’m not sure what your argument is when my article already states your client’s position. Here is where I should remind you, the reader, that I am an independent journalist. I publish on Substack, and have availed myself of the Substack Defender program that provides writers on the platform with legal support. But I’m no Wall Street Journal or New York Times, nor even IGN or GameSpot when it comes to such things as, well, having a legal department. There are more fun things for me to do as an independent journalist than writing back to a powerful law firm representing a very rich person. On the evening of January 20th, I was just trying to cook some pasta, broccoli and chicken nuggets for hungry twins. Nevertheless, I wrote back to them. Two hours later, I got a reply. Summarizing: A lawyer for Clare Locke said they’d “reviewed an incomplete version” of my article and they “apologize for the confusion.” (My guess: Someone didn’t read past the piece’s paywall, even though they’d had a full week to scrounge up the funds to do so. What I’d published above the paywall was balanced, as was what came after.)1 That was almost that, but something about the situation bothered me. The letter had been marked “confidential.” I hadn’t agreed to that, and I disliked the idea that powerful people on the beat that I cover would act like they could unilaterally control what I might tell my readers about. On the morning of the 21st, having already gotten the powerful law firm to back off, I oh-so-wisely re-approached them with just one more thing. I thanked them for clearing things up the night before but noted that I’d never agreed to keep their letter confidential. I’m all for agreeing with a source to keep things off the record, but that’s the thing. We have to agree. You can’t just declare it. I’m not bound by that. I wrote to Clare Locke’s lawyer and said, in part: I trust the matter is resolved. It was disappointing to have to spend less time with my kids last night in order to address your legal letter. Family time’s precious. I will add, for clarity’s sake, that, while your letter stipulated that it was confidential, I did not agree to those terms. In the future, should you wish to communicate with me confidentially, I am happy to agree to classifying our communication as “off the record” prior to the actual communication—as is standard with any professional journalist. The firm’s lawyer replied, not directly addressing the confidentiality issue but asserting that the matter was resolved. Why I didn’t write about this until now In May, I told this story on an episode of Simon Parkin’s podcast My Perfect Console, but I held off on sharing it directly with Game File readers. I held off to avoid stepping on the toes of another reporter, the journalist Mikhail Klimentov. He’d interviewed me in the spring of 2025 about an investigation he was working on regarding Bobby Kotick lawyers pressing the media to add the California settlement language to stories referencing the 2021 lawsuits. And about how some outlets had changed their stories and how some simply deleted them. Initially, I was a third-party source for Klimentov’s reporting, providing on-the-record context about the state of the games media. I’d heard about the letters but hadn’t put the time into pursuing the story. I thought it was interesting, and I was glad he was covering it. When the outlet that Klimentov was going to run his reporting in dropped the story, I began talking to him about potentially publishing his reporting on Game File. This was tentative. Then, in January, when I got my own Clare Locke letter, I told Klimentov that I didn’t think it would make sense for me to publish him, not with me now being part of the story. I had my own version of this situation to tell. But I wished him well and said I’d refrain from telling my tale until he could get his reporting out there. Last Friday, Klimentov finally ran his investigation, in a nearly 48-minute video report for People Make Games. It covers various Clare Locke letters, how media outlets reacted to them and what to make of all this. His video weighs the merits of Kotick’s request and looks at some of the articles that were changed (one of which had a glaring error). I highly recommend watching it: (Note, I did some editorial consulting for a People Make Games video last year but nothing to do with this report.) While many outlets haven’t left any public evidence that they updated their Kotick coverage at Kotick’s counsel’s request, at least one has. Back in October 2025, the mainstream outlet Reuters applied the most transparent article update I’ve seen. On the 3rd of the month, they published an article about the state of the Swedish pension fund’s lawsuit. Days later, they added this: In an October 7 letter sent after publication of this article, Kotick’s defamation counsel disputed claims of widespread harassment at Activision. “Not a single investigation, court finding, verdict, or ruling ever concluded that there was any merit” to the allegations of widespread harassment at Activision, Tom Clare and Nick Brechbill of Clare Locke wrote. I’ve never added a statement to my article on Game File, because none was needed. Not for fairness’ sake, nor to meet any demands of Kotick’s lawyers. I’ve nevertheless wanted to be transparent with Game File readers. If someone powerful is questioning my reporting, is threatening a lawsuit over it… if that threat is part of a pattern involving other games media outlets and if, in my case, the whole thing ran into a ridiculous ditch, I want you to know about it. I also share this as a real example of how I handle threats to Game File. I stand up for my own reporting, even when it’s not comfortable to do so. (In that same category of standing up for the work I do, I’ll point to an incident in late August. Asocial media post I published to X/Twitter regarding reporting I did about Take Two and GTA VI was hit by bogus copyright claim by a firm working for the publisher. I pushed back and got it reversed; even while a bigger games media outlet let themselves be censored. This is the other reason I’m sharing this story: To emphasize that dealing with threats from powerful people is one of the costs of covering the video game industry independently and as fearlessly as possible. This is where you come in. Your support, through free and paid subscriptions (sign up here!), can help me keep doing that. It can ensure that I’ve got the back-up I need. And it can help make fiascoes like this even less of a worry, so I can spend my evenings dealing with more important things, such as making sure I steam the kids’ broccoli just right. 1 That pension fund lawsuit I wrote about in January has all but gone away. In May, the fund and Activision Blizzard owner Microsoft agreed to settle. Lawyers for the fund brokered a $250 million settlement for former Activision Blizzard shareholders. In the settlement, the fund’s lawyers changed their rhetoric. Where once they’d questioned the meaning of the California settlement language, they adopted a version of it for themselves. Several weeks ago, while seeking to get a court to sign off on the terms of the settlement, they proposed their fee for their work in the case: $60 million.

Sep 28 • 4:13 PM EDT • Technology • gamefile.news

Allegheny County’s paid parental leave approved by health board, moves to council

Allegheny County's Board of Health voted to approve a county-wide paid parental leave mandate Monday. The matter now heads back to County Council for deliberation.

Sep 28 • 4:09 PM EDT • Health • wesanews.org

Behind the Science with Paleontologist and Curator of Dinosauria Dr. Matthew Carrano

Is the 21st Century the real Age of Dinosaurs? Today, more paleontologists are discovering more dinosaur fossils from more places in the world than ever before. Our understanding of these amazing creatures has leapt forward while their popularity has surged. Museums sit at the junction of these phenomena. The Smithsonian has been a center for dinosaur research for more than a century, and its collections include many iconic and scientifically important specimens. Today, Smithsonian researchers continue to discover new dinosaurs, but they are also uncovering more information about the ones we already know and love. New techniques and approaches allow them to investigate aspects of dinosaur biology, ecology, and evolution in ways that would have been inconceivable to early paleontologists. The result is an ever-improving understanding of dinosaurs as living, breathing, and thriving animals. This month, go behind the science with paleontologist Dr. Matthew Carrano, Curator of Dinosauria at the National Museum of Natural History as he discusses new discoveries at home and abroad, in the field and in the museum. Registration is encouraged. Space is filled on a first come first served basis. ---------------- About the Series: Behind the Science A monthly after-hours series featuring NMNH scientists and researchers Each month, join the National Museum of Natural History for the new series, Behind the Science, where NMNH researchers share insights into their latest discoveries and explore the fascinating questions driving their work—from the origins of life to the future of our planet. Come learn what’s happening behind the scenes and how science shapes our understanding of the natural world. Programs take place in Q?rius, the Coralyn W. Whitney Science Education Center. Topics and speakers announced on a rolling basis, but save the dates now!

Sep 28 • 3:40 PM EDT • Science • naturalhistory.si.edu

Senate Health Panel Delays Bill as Nominees Await Vote

Senate Health Committee recesses HHS markup as measles cases rise. Surgeon General nominee delayed. See why this matters for public health policy.

Sep 28 • 3:02 PM EDT • Health • legis1.com

Delaware health centers receive nearly $23M for technology, mobile care

Gov. Matt Meyer and other Delaware officials announced nearly $23 million in federal funding to upgrade patient records, expand care coordination and improve access to services in rural communities between three federally qualified health centers.

Sep 28 • 2:06 PM EDT • Health • delawarebusinesstimes.com

Ana Navarro tried using Matt Damon to set up Ben Affleck and Shakira after actor’s 2nd Jennifer Lopez split

“I want better for Shakira though. From a dating standpoint, he seems a little messy,” Navarro’s “View” cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin added.

Sep 28 • 1:45 PM EDT • Entertainment • yahoo.com

TCL’s new ‘Designer’ Google TVs are just like Samsung’s The Frame, starting at $899

TCL has launched a new “Designer Series” of TV sets running Google TV with a flush mount design and matte...

Sep 28 • 1:35 PM EDT • Technology • 9to5google.com

Family Matters - Back To School & Mental Health

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Sep 28 • 12:30 PM EDT • Health • katu.com

Survey: Floridians sour on prospects for the property insurance market

Most aren’t buying claims lawsuit restrictions are helping matters.

Sep 28 • 11:13 AM EDT • Politics • wlrn.org

It really is bleak out there, and list prices matter

Health insurance premiums are skyrocketing, private equity hospital chain goes nonprofit, and more from STAT's Health Care Inc.

Sep 28 • 10:55 AM EDT • Health • statnews.com

Rebuilding Ukraine’s Wounded: Dr Volodymyr Staude on the Science of Military Rehabilitation

By Matthew ParishMonday 28 September 2026The Lviv Herald interviews the head of rehabilitation at Kharkiv’s Sytenko Institute about blast injuries, prosthetics, virtual reality, the limits of early rehabilitation and the new medical science emerging from Ukraine’s war.Kharkiv is a city in which war and science live remarkably close to one another. The missiles and drones that have repeatedly struck Ukraine’s second city are manifestations of a new kind of warfare, but Kharkiv is also one of Ukra

Sep 28 • 10:49 AM EDT • Science • lvivherald.com

Trying to lose weight? Mindset matters — these 2-second tweaks can help

A Noom health coach shares 7 simple language shifts that can make healthy habits feel more manageable and setbacks less discouraging.

Sep 28 • 8:31 AM EDT • Health • health.yahoo.com

What will California's next governor do about healthcare? Here are Becerra and Hilton's plans

Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton say they’re mindful of voters’ worries about healthcare costs, but their plans don’t have much detail.

Sep 28 • 8:00 AM EDT • Health • calmatters.org

Earnings matter more than politics for S&P 500 gains, BofA says

Corporate profits drive S&P 500 returns more than politics, says BofA.

Sep 28 • 7:55 AM EDT • Politics • seekingalpha.com

Dungeon Crawler Carl’s Hero Is a Coast Guard Veteran. Here's Why That Matters

A reluctant hero in boxer shorts and ill-fitting pink Crocs stumbles through a galaxy wide dungeon clutching a show cat and wit.

Sep 28 • 5:00 AM EDT • Science • military.com

Matthew Stafford says "I've got to be better" after NFL-record 33rd career pick six

Sep 28 • 4:30 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Airbus probes A321neo flaw as repair plan eases disruption

Airbus and Italy's Leonardo are investigating a glitch at a privately held coatings firm ‌that triggered a quality alert affecting 500 of the planemaker's best-selling A321neo jets, people familiar with the matter said.

Sep 28 • 3:45 AM EDT • Business • reuters.com

Rams QB Matthew Stafford Makes NFL History Against the Broncos

The Los Angeles Rams lead the Broncos 16-0 at the half on Sunday Night Football. The Rams outgained the Broncos 273-67 through two quarters, had 17 first downs to Denver’s five, and converted five of nine third downs. There are still two quarters to play, but the Rams put themselves in great position to notch […] The post Rams QB Matthew Stafford Makes NFL History Against the Broncos appeared first on HEAVY.

Sep 28 • 1:26 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

Oscar Health (OSCR) Shares Moved, What Is Catching Investors' Attention?

Why Oscar Health’s latest product push matters now Fresh commentary around Oscar Health (OSCR) centers on management’s push for higher earnings per share through tighter medical loss ratios, new offerings such as the Lucy Healthcare Marketplace, and wider use of AI tools. At a share price of $29.60, Oscar Health has pulled back over the past week with a 7 day share price return of down 5.4% and a 30 day share price return of down 2.9%. However, the 90 day share price return of 3.8% and year...

Sep 28 • 12:36 AM EDT • Health • simplywall.st

Matthew Stafford passes for 390 yards in loss

Despite not having Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford threw for 390 yards and two touchdowns on the road in Denver.

Sep 28 • 12:29 AM EDT • Sports • sports.yahoo.com

China lights up ‘super microscope’ hopes with world-leading electron gun beam

By observing matter at the atomic scale, the Hefei Advanced Light Facility could drive breakthroughs in microchips.

Sep 28 • 12:00 AM EDT • Science • scmp.com