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Epsom protests were 'disastrous' for business, say local traders
Epsom BID say visitors avoided coming to the town, fearing they would encounter protesters.
Big Business Fears Mamdani. Its Workers Gave Him Big Bucks.
Nearly 2,000 employees at member firms of the big business Partnership for New York City donated to Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral campaign — while CEOs spent millions opposing him.
German Business Outlook at Worst Since 2023 as War Hits ‘Hard’
Germany’s business outlook deteriorated more than expected, adding to fears that higher energy costs stemming from the Iran conflict will derail the country’s economic revival.
'Jeopardy!' champ Jamie Ding fights Trump pursuit of voter information
The naturalized U.S. citizen and game show star fears the federal government will use the information to retaliate against political dissidents.
‘Today’s Dylan Dreyer Confesses Her Motherhood Fears
Dreyer opened up about why she was initially scared to become a mom.
Spirit bailout idea fuels fears about government, business
The U.S. could end up owning 90% of the struggling budget airline in a potential deal under discussion. Experts warn it would set a dangerous precedent.
ServiceNow CEO dismisses AI software threats as 'parlor tricks'
ServiceNow raises outlook as CEO Bill McDermott dismisses AI disruption fears, calling rival offerings "parlor tricks."
How creepy crawlies can unlock science curiosity for young learners
Insects and bugs can provide an inroad to lessons on nature while helping students — and sometimes teachers — overcome fears in the process.
How creepy crawlies can unlock science curiosity for young learners
Insects and bugs can provide an inroad to lessons on nature while helping students — and sometimes teachers — overcome fears in the process.
Sam Altman: Anthropic is using 'fear' to tout Claude Mythos
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said in contrast to Anthropic's recent moves, OpenAI would err on the side of giving more people access to AI models.
Shaky political science: using "simulated" elections over real-world elections
[Dear DSOS readers – this article is the latest in our “Shaky Political Science” series. In our 38 page report, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting,” released in early December, we examined over 40 studies focused on ranked choice voting. We found that many of these studies suffered from puzzling research methodologies, poorly constructed surveys, unrealistic simulated elections, cherry picked data, and faulty analyses that often were contradicted by results from real-world elections (a link to our full paper is here). Here are links to the first three articles in our series: the first one summarizing the overall results of our report, the second one analyzing a study co-authored by University of Minnesota academic Larry Jacobs, which was one of the most error-prone of all the research we reviewed in our report, and a third article showing an admirable example of two political scientists holding two other political scientists accountable for their flawed, sloppy research]. In this fourth article in our “Shaky Political Science” series, we shine a spotlight on seven studies that were web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group (the ERRG is an ad hoc committee headed by New America’s Political Reform Program and joined by the American Enterprise Institute, the Unite America Institute and Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law). This research consortium has been led by Lee Drutman, senior fellow with New America’s Political Reform Program. These seven studies are simply not credible from any objective standard about how political “science” is supposed to illuminate our understanding of either ranked choice voting or politics in general. The feature that six of these seven studies have in common is that they all used surveys – artificial, simulated elections -- to attempt to say something cogent or interesting about ranked choice voting (RCV) elections. None of them used real world data from actual RCV elections – either the 1000+ elections in the US or the many thousands of elections from places like Australia, Ireland and elsewhere where RCV has been used for 100 years. While a few of these studies conclude with some mixed positives about RCV, our analysis here is content neutral. The idea that, with a political reform like RCV, you can ask respondents in a mock, artificial election to vote with that method, with only the barest of explanation about how RCV works or its likely impacts (i.e. no spoiler candidates, majority winners, voters liberated to pick their favorite candidates, coalition-building), and then ask them their thoughts/reactions about voting in that system, with fake candidates and no real campaigning, no real exposure to an actual election or actual candidates, rests on some very puzzling assumptions. The findings of these seven studies actually are contradicted by the findings from many other studies based on real-world RCV elections. These New America studies also failed to list the real-world RCV studies in their own citations, instead including those studies that reinforced their conclusions. The seven studies featured in this article were chosen because they form a cohesive cohort which precisely illustrates one of the main points of our research paper, namely that using surveys, i.e. artificial elections, or mathematical/theoretical models, instead of real-world data, is in fact “shaky political science.” Below are summaries of our analysis of five of the seven New America studies. You can read our complete analysis of all seven studies at our paper, “Shaky political ‘science’ misses mark on ranked choice voting.” Choosing to “Vote As Usual” by Andre Blais, Carolina Plescia, and Semra Sevi. New America. (Blais et al., 2021). This study, web-hosted and funded by New America’s Political Reform Program and its Electoral Reform Research Group, used two surveys in which respondents completed ballots for simulated elections using plurality, approval, RCV and point (Score) voting. In both cases the authors provided the respondents with only minimal explanation of each method. For example, the entire explanation for RCV was “For this vote, rank the candidates from your first to your last choice (you do not need to rank them all). This is called the ranked vote.” That’s it. The study did not provide any context or explanation to survey respondents about why she/he might want to rank multiple candidates. Participants were not even told that ballots would be tabulated using an “instant” runoff, not to mention any description of RCVs ability to eliminate the spoiler effect or liberate voters to rank their favorite candidates without fear of helping the “greater evil” candidate to win. That’s like taking an iPhone back in time to 1970 and asking someone if they like it better than their rotary phone without explaining how it works. Their first survey targeted states that held 2020 Super Tuesday Democratic primaries and used the real candidates’ names in the survey; the second survey used fictitious candidates. In other words, they surveyed respondents who had only ever participated in plurality elections, had no history or background with using RCV or any of the other methods, had no clue about its likely impacts, and did not communicate how the alternative methods would be counted, and then asked them: “How satisfied are you with using each system?” Predictably, the winner was plurality elections, the system used for president, Congress, gubernatorial and state legislative elections – in other words, the method they have been using, year after year, all their voting lives. With so little explanation of RCV and its impacts, this study is simply not credible in discovering anything useful about real-world RCV elections. It merely shows that a basic voter education campaign is needed when adopting a new election system. Additionally, the result contradicts many other post-election surveys following real RCV elections, asking opinions from voters who had just participated in a RCV election, that showed a great deal of satisfaction with RCV (see details on that in Studies 22-25 in our paper, as well as the four studies cited in the review for Study 28). Share Other studies on “satisfaction” and “understanding” make similar mistakes, in terms of basing their surveys on inadequate explanation to respondents and lack of education about context. How could any survey ever hope to measure accurately, in essence simulate a real-world election, without actual campaigning candidates, the media writing about those candidates, organizations endorsing candidates and voters being inundated with crucial information? More than anything, what these “studies” based on surveys show is that if you ask voters about something they don’t know very much about, and fail to adequately educate them, their responses will unsurprisingly reflect their confusion. Equally puzzling is that New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group, headed by political scientist Lee Drutman, found this to be a credible enough study that they not only published it but highlighted it in Drutman’s own discussion of research related to ranked choice voting. This pattern was repeated in study after study featured by New America’s Electoral Reform Research Group. For example in Ranked-Choice Voting and Political Expression: Voter Guides Narrow the Gap between Informed and Uninformed Citizens by Cheryl Boudreau, Jonathan Colner, and Scott MacKenzie, the researchers based their analysis on a survey which found that respondents who were asked to vote in a simulated RCV election, with minimal explanation of RCV or how it works, displayed less evidence of being informed about how to use RCV effectively, with the least informed voters ranking fewer candidates. As pointed out under the study above, in a real election voters are informed by a wide variety of methods, including public education by the election administration, by interested political groups, the media, and the candidates themselves who benefit from voters being aware of how to vote in the new system. In Support for Ranked-Choice Voting across Race and Partisanship by Joseph Anthony, David C. Kimball, Jack Santucci and Jamil Scott, the researchers used respondents from different parties and races voting in simulated plurality and RCV elections, who indicated their satisfaction with each voting method. Instead of using real world election results, the authors fell back on the easy, armchair and less reliable academic research methodology of making up mock elections. As with the other studies, little explanation was given of how RCV works or what its implications might be (electing majority winners or eliminating spoilers, for example). Unsurprisingly, this study found that respondents were not very satisfied with RCV. However, when the authors added an explanation that RCV has a tendency to elect more women and people of color, they found that this greater explanation increased the preference for RCV. The more voters were familiar with it, and the more they understood potential positive impacts – surprise! -- the more they were open to switching away from the status quo. Of note, the results from this study are thoroughly contradicted by a number of other studies whose data was obtained from real RCV elections with real voters. Those studies show a great deal of satisfaction with RCV. More “fake election” research An interesting wrinkle on this “research by fake elections” approach, which only served to illustrate how unreliable such “research” can become, was taken in Ranked-Choice Voting, Runoff, and Democracy: Insights from Maine and Other U.S. States by Joseph Cerrone and Cynthia McClintock_,_ also web-hosted and funded by New America’s ERRG. It gets high marks for creativity, but an eye-roll for thinking this could possibly add anything meaningful to our understanding of real world RCV elections. This study tried to determine whether RCV, plurality or two-round runoff elections provided greater voter satisfaction and acceptance of election results. To determine that, the authors conducted a survey asking if voters were satisfied with a fictional newspaper report of an election, with three different versions given to respondents – plurality, runoff and RCV, with variations of Republican/Democrat winners and variations of “come-from-behind” winners,” i.e. candidates not initially in first place but who win the “runoff.” Again, a minimal explanation of RCV or how it works was given, and the survey showed that respondents had the greatest unfamiliarity with RCV than the other methods. The unsurprising result? Respondents were much more satisfied with “come-from-behind” victories in a traditional two-round runoff election than in RCV, even though RCV is also a runoff system but with a single round of counting. Interestingly, the dissatisfaction with RCV disappeared for those who were more familiar with RCV. In fact, among those respondents who were “very familiar” with RCV, they were equally satisfied with RCV, runoff and plurality. Surprise, surprise. Again, what this study revealed, more than anything, is not only the inadequacy of the explanation for RCV given by the authors of this study, but the failure of the research format itself, thinking that such an artificial mock election could somehow simulate what actually happens in the real world in a real RCV election. Those four studies reviewed above are fitting examples of inadequate and shaky political “science.” Other studies reviewed in our paper from the New America/Electoral Reform Research Group cohort which also used mock elections included: Ranked-Choice Voting is an Acquired Taste by Joseph Anthony and David C. Kimball. New America. (Anthony et al., 2021). Ranked-Choice Voting is No Refuge for Extreme Candidates by Melissa Baker. New America. (Baker, 2021). Also included in this New America cohort is Does Ranked-Choice Voting Reduce Racial Polarization? by Yuki Atsusaka and Theodore Landsman, which actually did use real-world election results data but applied an odd and unconventional methodology to the data which relied on shaky assumptions and non-real-world scenarios that were too divorced from reality. To determine levels of “racially polarized voting,” the researchers imagined “ethnic parties,” by which they mean political parties for each ethnic group, which was especially odd since the election data they were using came from nonpartisan RCV races. But then they made an even odder assumption, namely that since race and ethnic characteristics of studied voters were not available, the authors tried to infer that information based on who voters selected and the racial make-up of voters in each district. This amounted to little more than vague and ambiguous guesswork dressed up with a bunch of mathematical equations used to give it a veneer of scientific appearance. Indeed, it seemed to assume racial polarization in order to prove racial polarization. Based on this questionable methodology, the authors concluded that RCV doesn’t reduce racial polarization. But the premise of this study missed an obvious reality: since RCV incentivizes more candidates to run and can result in more diverse fields of candidates, one would expect more racially-polarized voting in voters’ top rankings, not less, because more voters would have someone on that ballot who represents their racial or ethnic identity and more freedom to vote for their real first choice. By encouraging more diverse candidates and eliminating the spoiler effect, RCV facilitates voting for a favorite candidate of your own race and then selecting a second choice with the best likelihood of winning. The real measure is what voters do with their additional rankings – do they consider other candidates and vote “for the best of the rest”? This study didn’t tell us anything useful about that. But readily available data shows this is common in real RCV elections, and candidates act on this knowledge by engaging with voters outside their racial group. So the authors of this study failed to consider or account for what actually happens in real-world elections, and their conclusions are tainted by this failure. New America has contributed a great deal over the past 2.5 decades to our understanding of many policy areas, including politics and political reform (full disclosure: Steven Hill, one of the authors of this article and of the “Shaky Political Science” research paper and series, is a former senior fellow and former director of New America’s political reform program, 2005-2010). So it was especially disappointing that New America funded and published such a large batch of dubious studies about ranked choice voting. The stated praiseworthy goal of its Electoral Reform Research Group was to inspire new academic research about ranked choice voting that would shed light and help the public better understand the impacts of RCV. Instead, the ERRG research did just the opposite. It produced dubious research that created more confusion and misinformation. In so doing, New America’s political reform program contributed to “shaky political science.” Steven Hill and Paul Haughey Share Upgrade to $5 subscription Thanks for reading DemocracySOS, a reader-supported digital portal for the pro-democracy movement. Subscribe for only $5 per month to receive full benefits and to support our work. Subscribe
Why Business Owners Delay Exit Planning
Most business owners know they should plan their exit—but identity, fear of loss, and complexity quietly make it far harder than it seems.
Ex-staffers defend California governor hopeful after viral clips raise conduct questions
After Eric Swalwell’s exit, a letter from 30 ex-staffers of former representative Katie Porter seeks to blunt attacks as Democrats fear getting locked out of the race.
Lily Allen’s ‘West End Girl’ tour is a brutal, brilliant look at romantic betrayal
"Lily Allen Presents West End Girl" is a fearless display from a woman reclaiming her dignity. Here's how the concert show unfolds.
In Milan, Europe's far right gathers amid shifting era and enduring identity politics
Just days after Viktor Orban's defeat in Hungary, Matteo Salvini, Italy's deputy prime minister, hosted a far-right rally under the banner 'Without Fear: In Europe We Are Masters in Our Own House.'
Curing U.S. Health Care, Part I
In 2008, much to their own surprise, leading Democrats unified around a program of major health care reform. Policy wonks had spent years developing the concepts behind what eventually became Obamacare; big Democratic victories in the 2006 midterms and the prospect of controlling both Congress and the presidency made it possible to imagine turning those ideas into reality. During the Democratic primary, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama advocated similar plans, based on those ideas, for expanding insurance coverage. And it happened! The Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010. When it was fully implemented in 2014, millions of Americans got health insurance: Impressive as the raw numbers are, they don’t tell the whole story. Before the ACA, even upper-middle-class Americans often found it impossible to get health insurance if they had pre-existing medical conditions. Many Americans were trapped in jobs they wanted to leave but couldn’t for fear of losing their employment-based coverage. Meanwhile, dire predictions from the usual suspects about runaway costs proved wrong. In fact, overall U.S. medical spending has grown much more slowly since the ACA was enacted than before. But the U.S., alone among advanced nations, still falls far short of providing universal health care. As you can see from the chart above, 8 percent of the population was still uninsured in 2024, a number that is set to rise over the next two years as a result of Republican policies. True, many of the uninsured in 2024 were undocumented immigrants, who we don’t try to cover. But there are still a lot of uninsured. Moreover, a significant number of Americans who have health insurance are in fact underinsured. As a result, they are at risk of incurring devastating healthcare costs and are sometimes forced to forgo needed care. This number is set to rise sharply in the next two years as a result of Republican policies adopted under Donald Trump. And not only is the U.S. unique among advanced countries in its under-provision of health care coverage, it also incurs by far the world’s highest healthcare costs per capita. So now may well be a good time to get behind a new push for major health reform — an effort, if you like, to finish the job begun under Obama. Today’s primer is devoted to the economics of health reform. During his failed effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Donald Trump famously complained, “Nobody knew healthcare could be so complicated.” Actually, we did know — and it’s not that complicated. Health economists understand the principles very well. And because health policy varies greatly among advanced nations, we know a lot about what works and what doesn’t. This will be the first in a series about health reform. Beyond the paywall I’ll address the following: 1. Why markets can’t be trusted to deliver healthcare 2. Routes to universal healthcare 3. What works? In a follow-up post I’ll discuss the pros and cons of different approaches, and possible paths forward for the United States.
Karol G at Coachella was a global hit. Yet other foreign acts fear touring the U.S.
'We love the U.S., but now there is a reality in which we have to cut our losses and stop coming,' one band said. 'A lot of bands are giving up on the U.S., for sure.'
Behind Trump’s Public Bravado on the War, He Grapples With His Own Fears
The president’s impulsive style has never been tested in a sustained military conflict, and he’s been ruminating on Jimmy Carter’s failure in Iran.
This Ukrainian drone company fears missing Iran war moment
Ukraine's battle-proven drone interceptors are seeing new interest. One maker worries that without being able to export, it will miss the window.
It doesn’t matter how much you sit — walking more could lower your risk of death and disease
Sitting all day might not be as damaging as once feared—if you’re willing to move more. A massive study tracking over 72,000 people found that simply increasing daily steps can significantly reduce the risk of death and heart disease, even for those who spend long hours sedentary. Hitting around 9,000–10,000 steps a day delivered the biggest benefits, cutting mortality risk by nearly 40% and cardiovascular disease by over 20%.
Sharks and tuna are overheating and running out of options
Some of the ocean’s fastest and most fearsome predators—like great white sharks and tuna—are running hotter than expected, and it’s costing them dearly. New research shows these warm-bodied fish burn nearly four times more energy than cold-blooded species, forcing them to eat more while also struggling to shed excess heat. As oceans warm, this creates a dangerous “double jeopardy”: rising temperatures push them closer to overheating, while shrinking food supplies make survival even harder.
The UK Remains Vulnerable to Political Risk
The UK economy started 2026 in better shape than feared. But Iran and domestic political risks loom large.
House considers bill to protect Haitian immigrants, in pushback against Trump administration
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a rare bipartisan moment, the House has agreed to consider legislation that would extend temporary protections for Haitian immigrants, pushing back against the Trump administration’s efforts to end the program. The bill expected for a vote Thursday would require the Trump administration to extend for three years Temporary Protected Status for Haiti, which would allow hundreds of thousands of qualifying immigrants to remain in the U.S. without fear of deportation. House
Civic belonging in the social media era
Gen Z is politically aware online, but this doesn't always translate to real-world engagement or voting, leading to burnout and fear.
Hamilton County unveils new business incubator plans as current tenants fear costly move
A day after small business owners raised concerns about the possible sale of their building, Hamilton County leaders are outlining where the incubator could go
‘The Testaments’: Is June Osborne a Threat to Agnes?
Amy Seimetz explains why Paula fears June Osborne's legacy.
Mikel Arteta wants to see ‘no fear’ and ‘pure fire’ from Arsenal’s players and fans
Arsenal could be without several key players for their Champions League second-leg tie against Sporting on Wednesday.
Here’s Why JDP Capital Management Exited Its Position in Caesars Entertainment (CZR)
JDP Capital Management, an investment management company, released its “Survivor & Thriver Fund” first-quarter 2026 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. In the first quarter, the fund declined 15.1% net to investors compared to the S&P 500’s -4.3% return. Concerns about AI destruction fears and consumer softness impacted market sentiment in […]
Trump, 79, Posts Bonkers ‘Forever Young’ Video of Himself Amid Health Fears
The AI-slop video depicted the president from age 4 onwards.
Vance Says Pope Leo Should Stay Out of U.S. Affairs
The vice president, a Catholic, defended President Trump, who had accused the pope of being too liberal and “weak on crime.”The pontiff responded that he had “no fear of the Trump administration.”
Kim Kardashian makes her Broadway producing debut with the criminal justice play 'The Fear of 13'
Kim Kardashian is adding Broadway producer to her resume | KCBS All News 106.9FM and 740AM
Kim Kardashian makes her Broadway producing debut with the criminal justice play 'The Fear of 13'
Kim Kardashian is adding Broadway producer to her resume | Talk Radio 1210 WPHT
Bill Foley downplays Lorient-Bournemouth multi-club fears
Multi-club ownership is very much in fashion, especially in Ligue 1. It isn’t a phenomenon without resistance, however. A section of RC Strasbourg Alsace’s fanbase are veciferous in their oppositi...
Trump Family Deal Spree Could Open Door for Future Presidents to Profit From Office
NEW YORK (AP) — For decades, presidents avoided even the appearance of profiting from their office. Harry Truman refused to lend his name to any business, even in retirement. Richard Nixon so feared a brother might profit off their ties, he had his phone tapped. And George W. Bush dumped his ...
‘Chilling effect’ of Trump science cuts – even if reversed again
Congress likely to once more block plans to cut billions from agency budgets, but experts fear they will have long-term impact anyway
EL PAÍS: US aid cuts collapse Malawi’s LGBTQ+ health services as volunteers scramble to fill the void
The lack of funding has left some 15,000 users of NGO programs scrambling for care in a public system that many fear to enter.
Inside the $350 million missile silo that could become a data center
Tech firms are turning missile silos and abandoned mines into secure data centers as Americans flock to survival camps amid rising fears of world war.
Cuba leader says island will ‘resist’ U.S. threats, refuses to release political prisoners
“I have no fear. I am willing to give my life for the revolution.”
Fractured politics, security fears shape Peru’s presidential election
Despite cycling through 8 presidents in 10 years, Peru remains Andean economic outlier | Anadolu
Tension at OGC Nice amid relegation battle
Amid fears of relegation to Ligue 2, tension is rising at OGC Nice, according to a report from Nice-Matin.The club host Le Havre AC on Sunday afternoon, 24 hours after AJ Auxerre’s draw against FC ...
DAVID MARCUS: Virginia's battle over gerrymandering betrays our broken politics
A Virginia referendum on redistricting could redraw U.S. House maps from 6-5 to 10-1 for Democrats, raising fears of disenfranchising Republicans.
Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. declares for NBA Draft, keeping college eligibility
Michigan State star Jeremy Fears Jr. announced on social media on Friday he is declaring for the NBA Draft but keeping his college eligibility.
The week that supercharged MAGA media feuds over the Iran war
The right-wing media ecosystem that has long served as a useful bullhorn for President Donald Trump unraveled into disarray this week, as deepening fears over his management of the war — and fragile ceasefire — with Iran spilled into public infighting among some of his most prominent allies.
ACL tear fears, TikTok myths and the fight for credible women’s health science in sports
A new era of sports science, in which women are not viewed through the prism of “little men,” is gradually emerging.
ACL tear fears, TikTok myths and the fight for credible women’s health science in sports
A new era of sports science, in which women are not viewed through the prism of “little men,” is gradually emerging.
ACL tear fears, TikTok myths and the fight for credible women’s health science in sports
A new era of sports science, in which women are not viewed through the prism of “little men,” is gradually emerging.
How the White House tried – and failed – to push a candidate out of a Republican state Senate primary in Indiana
With Trump’s sights set on unseating Indiana lawmakers who opposed his redistricting effort, his aides and allies feared a third candidate could play spoiler in one race.
US software stocks fall as Anthropic's new AI model revives disruption fears
U.S. software shares tumbled on Thursday after Anthropic held back the wide release of a powerful AI model over concerns it could expose hidden cybersecurity vulnerabilities, deepening investor fears about the threat to traditional software firms.
Live Nation Entertainment (LYV) Is Up 7.2% After DOJ Antitrust Settlement Eases Breakup Fears – Has The Bull Case Changed?
In recent days, Live Nation Entertainment reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over an antitrust lawsuit, agreeing to divest 13 exclusive booking agreements and cap ticketing service fees at its owned amphitheaters. This resolution has eased concerns about a potential structural breakup, prompting analysts to highlight how reduced legal uncertainty may support the company’s operational plans and growth ambitions. We’ll now examine how the DOJ settlement, which removes...
Politicians Are Spending More Money on Security as They Increasingly Become Targets
Political candidates are purchasing more home alarms, bulletproof vests, and other protections amid rising fears of political violence.
UNITE HERE shakes up NC politics: A conversation with Maria Hernandez
This spring, UNITE HERE Local 23 played a key role in unseating conservative Democrats and replacing them with progressive candidates in North Carolina's primary elections. An active member of Local 23 in Charlotte spoke with Facing South about how they mobilized voters amid a climate of fear.
Iran hawks seem to fear Trump will give Iran too much
Some aspects of the mostly unclear deal are raising alarms among hawkish Trump allies.
US aid cuts collapse Malawi’s LGBTQ+ health services as volunteers scramble to fill the void
The lack of funding has left some 15,000 users of NGO programs scrambling for care in a public system that many fear to enter
The Boundless Deep: Young Tennyson, Science, and the Crisis of Belief by Richard Holmes
Pantheon Review by Walter Cummins The image of Alfred Tennyson I’ve carried for decades goes back to the childhood card game of Authors that depicts him with a stately continence sharpened by a jutting black beard. He’s formidable, his aura superior. Holmes opens his biography of the youthful Tennyson by describing the similar formality of the imposing Tennyson statue at Trinty College Cambridge, sharing the honor with other Trinity greats, including Isaac Newton, Francis Bacon, and Thomas Babington Macaulay. Holmes doesn’t want to chip away at that statue but rather reveal its inner youthful core of the man—tall, handsome, and talented but unformed, emerging from a disturbed family of addicted or insane male siblings and four unusual sisters struggling under a violent alcoholic clergyman father. Alfred was certainly statuesque, but would he end up a block of unformed stone like his equally promising brothers? He was youngest of three equally regarded Tennyson brothers at Cambridge, all bright, handsome, and talented, in fact Alfred regarded by some as less promising than his elders who also wrote poetry. Yet Alfred wrote one of his major poems, “The Kraken,” at twenty, revealing both his talent, his interest in geological forces, and the haunting creature that embodied his anxieties. While Holmes focuses on Tennyson of the 1830s and 1840s, he can’t tell his story without exploring his involvement with the Victorian intellectual upheaval. Tennyson was fascinated by new scientific perspectives, following the latest findings as soon as books and articles were published. He was especially taken with Charles Lyell’s deep studies of geology and the discovery of fossils and a timeline of the planet’s development that did much to question fundamental religious assumptions. The impact of these discoveries is reflected in Tennyson’s poetry and led to the crisis in belief he shared with so many contemporaries. He was especially taken by the cycles of destruction and renewal that informed the struggles he confronted in In Memoriam, Maud, and Idylls of the King. Tennyson was only one of the eventual major figures at Cambridge at the same time, young men just beginning to realize their potential. Charles Darwin was at Christ College, although there is no evidence that he and Tennyson even met as students or later in life. Yet evolution became significant in Tennyson’s thinking and the issues of his poetry. One of Tennyson’s best and most important Cambridge friends was Edward FitzGerald, who became the translator of The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám and in their on and off relationship served as Tennyson’s harshest critic. FitzGerald was also a friend of the novelist William Makepeace Thackeray, the two of them partying in Paris as undergraduates. That connection led to a friendship between Thackeray and Tennyson. Others who came to play significant roles in Tennyson’s life were Thomas Carlyle, the Brownings, and the Pre-Raphaelites. Tennyson’s deepest friend at college was Arthur Hallam, who at twenty wrote a glowing review of Tennyson’s first poetry collection, travelled on European adventures with him, and fell in love with his sister Emily. Hallam was also regarded as one more very promising Cambridge student. His sudden death at twenty-two in Vienna from a stroke while travelling with his father devastated many friends, but perhaps Tennyson most of all. He did not write immediate poems of grief but took years to compile those collected in In Memoriam A.H.H., published in 1850, almost twenty years after Hallam’s death For all of Tennyson’s early poetic successes and successes, Holmes reveals him as an often troubled young man suffering periods of depression, fearing planetary upheaval, concerned about supporting himself, disappointed in romances, and worried that he would inherit the family’s mental illness tendencies. Yet despite his seeming withdrawals, he was always writing poetry that he kept private and would not let go, constantly revising. 1850 became a transformative year for Tennyson. He finally consented to publishing In Memoriam with a last-minute prologue that acknowledged God and perhaps convinced the religious Emily Sellwood to marry him after years of pursuit.. He opened up to Emily, revealing his struggles with fears of depression and “weird seizures.” The devastating event of that time was the stillborn death of his unnamed first son. It shook him, but Emily’s faith brought them closer and convinced him to believe in an afterlife. Two later sons survived. With the death of William Wordworth in April of 1950, Tennyson was named poet laureate at age forty-one, reluctantly accepting. It’s as if Tennyson’s life split in half in that year. He lived another forty years, now a recognized success, with the prestige of being an official poet writing patriotic verse, wealthy and revered, no longer the insecure young man seeking an outlet for his immense talent. He earned a place in the Authors deck, now dignified and in 1884 elevated to the peerage as Arthur, Lord Tennyson. Richard Holmes is the author of twenty previous books on the Romantics and Victorians, several of which received awards. The Boundless Deep was shortlisted for the 2025 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. He captures the complex vicissitudes of Tennyson’s youth, illustrated by frequent excerpts from the poetry, placing that life in the full context of the shattering discoveries that led to an upheaval of thought in the Victorian age.
AI in the mental health care workforce is met with fear, pushback
Artificial intelligence tools that help mental health therapists take notes and keep records are quickly entering the marketplace. But some question the safety of AI in mental health care delivery.
Trump administration finalizes better-than-feared Medicare Advantage payment rate in boost to health insurers
The Trump administration will increase average Medicare Advantage payments by 2.48%, or more than $13 billion, in 2027.
Gov. DeSantis signs domestic terrorist bill that Democrats fear will lead to crackdown on college liberals
The Governor said he expects Florida will be sued over the new legislation.
3 injured Arsenal stars return to training ahead of Sporting
Arsenal have received a timely boost ahead of the trip to Sporting, with three senior players back in training.Photo by James Fearn/Getty ImagesOne of the main talking points over the international br...
Internet betting is a bad bet and a public health crisis
The outcome that some people feared in the 2000s has seemingly come to pass, to our culture's detriment, writes Greg Ganske.
Inside the Pentagon, fears of a disrupted war effort after Army chief’s ouster
The forced departure of Randy George in the middle of a war created yet another blow to morale inside the Pentagon, where officials expressed dismay over the state of the department's leadership.
New cases of a deadly bacterial disease alarm doctors
The Hib vaccine drastically cut cases of a once feared contagious disease. New cases in unvaccinated kids feed concern that Hib may have a resurgence.
These overlooked brain cells may control fear and PTSD
Astrocytes, once thought to be mere brain “support cells,” are now revealed to be key players in fear memory. Researchers found they actively help form, recall, and weaken fear responses by interacting with neurons in real time. Changing astrocyte activity directly altered how strong fear memories became. This breakthrough could lead to entirely new treatments for anxiety-related disorders.
MSU star PG Jeremy Fears Jr. named All-American by CBS Sports
And another one... CBS Sports names Jeremy Fears Jr. an All-American
Zimbabweans fear planned constitutional change will kill political choice
Heated debate as Zimbabwe holds four days of public hearings about a bill seeking to amend the country’s constitution.
After USDA discontinues it, N.Y. pushes to continue food security reporting
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the termination of future Household Food Security Reports. "These redundant, costly, politicized, and extraneous studies do nothing more than fear monger."
A messy governor's race in California raises Democratic fears of a potential loss
Democrats have run California for years, but in a nationally critical election the party is being confronted by the limits of its own power: the race for governor is out of control.
Roseanne Barr, 73, fears she will 'die on the surgery table' after doctor told her she has a 'damaged' heart
Roseanne Barr says she isn't interested in getting surgery after a doctor told her she has a 'damaged' heart. The actress said she would prefer to 'just get a heart attack or a stroke' and be put in hospice care.
A messy California governor's race raises Democratic fears of potential loss
Democrats have run California for years
Hit the Gravy Train by Completing Trader Sales in Red Dead Online
These are boomtimes for fearless entrepreneurs willing to do what it takes to obtain animal carcasses and pelts across the wilderness and swamps of the frontier. Earn 3X RDO$, XP, and Role XP on all Trader Sales, plus garner additional bonuses.
Parents fear their children born in the US could become ‘stateless’ if Trump wins birthright case
In the 26 years since she fled Colombia for the United States, “Pilar” has received her working papers, graduated high school, established a career as a paralegal and purchased a home in Florida.
Complicated politics of license plate readers
Senior columnist Caris Gray argues that while license plate readers can be beneficial to public safety, they should not be used by the APD for fear of ICE compliance.
How big a miss could Araujo be for Celtic?
With reports suggesting Julian Araujo has been ruled out for up to eight weeks with a thigh injury, Celtic fans are fearing their season could unravel. Martin O'Neill's side currently sit third in the Scottish Premiership after a defeat at Dundee United, with Rangers two points ahead and leaders Hearts five points clear. News of the severity of the injury to Araujo, who has not played since the recent Scottish Cup win at Ibrox, has served as another blow during the international break.
New Hemp Cannabis ban to close at least 1 North Texas business, others worried
Smokable hemp will be banned in Texas March 31. Some Dallas shops fear closures as license fees jump and fines hit $10,000 a day.
One in five UK hospitality businesses fear collapse as costs surge
Exclusive: Pubs, restaurants and hotels warn of mounting pressure days before rates rises and higher wage bills take effect
Real Madrid fear major injury risk for Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid face a crucial set of matches in the coming weeks, but there are fears they could be without Vinicius Junior for them. The 25-year-old has been in excellent form in 2026, although he could...
Pols & Politics: Massachusetts dentists fear Healey’s ‘shortsighted’ MassHealth cap proposal
Dentists across Massachusetts fear that Gov. Maura Healey’s proposal to place a $1,000 annual cap on MassHealth dental coverage would drastically reduce services for nearly 2 million Bay Staters.
Reform insiders fear links to extreme figures such as Andrew Tate will scare off voters
Nigel Farage has called Tate an ‘important voice’ for young men and held back from criticising his misogynistic views
Trump’s ICE Crackdown Is Forcing Immigrant Women To ‘Choose Between Their Freedom Or Their Health’
The constant fear and surveillance of immigration enforcement is leading some patients to forgo critical reproductive health care.
4 weeks in, Trump’s conflicting signals on Iran war frustrate GOP lawmakers and political allies
President Donald Trump’s conflicting signals over the future of the war in Iran have spurred deepening frustration among GOP lawmakers and allies who fear the administration still lacks a clear endgame after four weeks of fighting.
Lewis Hamilton fears Ferrari regression in F1 pecking order
The Ferrari driver reckons McLaren is a huge threat to the Italian outfit and believes Mercedes is too far ahead at the front
New Texas law bans smokable hemp products, smoke shops fear major business hit
Smoke shops across Southeast Texas are bracing for major changes as a new state law is set to make smokable hemp products illegal at the end of the month, forci
Tiger Woods has been involved in car crash in Jupiter Island, Florida
Tiger Woods involved in rollover crash, cops confirm – five years after near-fatal accident left him fearing hed lose leg
Federal rural health funding could trigger service cuts
As Montana rolls out new federal funding, rural hospitals fear “right-sizing” could mean losing care.
As Trump feels pressure to end war, allies fear what Iran may do next
Iran has demonstrated it can inflict significant damage on the world’s economy, even while outgunned. That creates a dilemma for President Trump.
Oil shrugs off Trump’s latest Iran extension; UK consumers feel ‘ripple of fear’ from the conflict
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Savannah Guthrie fears her mom was targeted because of her
In her first interview since her mother's disappearance, Savannah Guthrie discussed her fears that her fame had something to do with the case.
Fears net zero is ‘next Brexit’ as oil crisis fuels political climate divide
Rising energy bills give Reform and Tories opening to attack net zero while government hesitant to make case for clean energy
Lawmakers Say Political Fears Stand in Way of ICE Deal
Democrats pointed to President Trump’s sway, while Republicans decried Democrats’ ‘radical base.’
Glyphosate: A story of science, risk, and nuance
In the summer of 2014, a California groundskeeper named Dewayne Johnson started noticing patches of raw, weeping skin spreading across his body. He had spent years applying Roundup, Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicide, for a school district, sometimes drenched in it when equipment malfunctioned. By 2014, he had a diagnosis: non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In 2018, a jury awarded him $289 million in damages, later reduced on appeal. Tens of thousands of lawsuits followed. The story hasn’t quieted down. It’s all over the internet, swinging between “this will kill you, buy organic” and “relax, you’re fear-mongering.” Some of that recent chatter stems from an Executive Order protecting glyphosate and its production, which set off intense infighting within the MAHA movement. Some of it reflects a deeper truth: Americans genuinely care about harmful chemicals in their environment (see poll below). And the conversation isn’t going anywhere, with a Supreme Court case involving Monsanto set for this April. Glyphosate (the active ingredient in Roundup) is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. But does glyphosate cause cancer? And how much exposure is actually risky? With so much mistrust in institutions and corporations (and some genuine conflicts of interest), making sense of the actual scientific evidence is genuinely hard. Here is a translation of what the scientific evidence actually says. Does glyphosate cause harm? Glyphosate is an herbicide that kills most plants it contacts rather than targeting specific species. It works by blocking an enzyme pathway (EPSPS) that plants and many microorganisms need to produce essential amino acids. Without those amino acids, the plant can’t grow and dies. Glyphosate was first developed by Monsanto in the 1970s and became ubiquitous after the company introduced “Roundup Ready” crops in the 1990s. In 2024, Bayer removed glyphosate from residential Roundup-branded products due to litigation pressure. But today it is still the most widely used herbicide in the world. Farmers also discovered they could spray it directly on crops like oats, lentils, beans, and peas just before harvest to dry them out faster and make harvesting easier. Because of its widespread use, it’s obviously really important to understand if it’s harmful to humans. The key principle: The dose makes the poison The most important concept in toxicology is that “the dose makes the poison.” Sixteenth-century physician Paracelsus articulated what remains the foundational principle of toxicology: sola dosis facit venenum. Water will kill you if you drink enough of it. Aspirin saves lives at 81 milligrams and causes internal bleeding at higher chronic doses. So, at what dose is glyphosate poisonous? The LD50 in rats (the dose that kills half the test animals) is around 5,600 mg/kg body weight. Table salt is roughly 3,000 mg/kg. By that classic measure, glyphosate is less acutely toxic than salt. But some people are exposed to a lot of glyphosate through their work. And among the general public, there are many questions about low-dose, cumulative exposure from multiple sources over long periods. Does glyphosate cause health problems? Cancer Correlation maps are striking, with one analysis finding that 60% of counties that spray the most glyphosate have non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma rates above the national average. But correlation alone doesn’t establish cause, which is why animal and human studies matter. In animals: Rat studies are typically what most fear is rooted in, but most people don’t know the study details on the dosage given to rats. A pooled analysis of the 13 most rigorous rat studies found evidence that very high doses, around 55,000 times greater than typical food residue exposure, can cause certain cancers. In humans: One of the strongest studies followed 55,000 herbicide users over 20 years and found no overall increased cancer risk. There was one signal: among those with the highest use, rates of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) appeared elevated. A broader meta-analysis of 18 human studies also found no overall cancer risk, though a separate meta-analysis focused specifically on non-Hodgkin lymphoma found that people with high cumulative glyphosate exposure faced a 41% higher relative risk compared to those with low or no exposure. These human studies are observational studies (randomized controlled trials would be unethical), and meta-analyses are only as reliable as the studies they pool. But the story seems consistent: at very high exposure levels, there may be some cancer risk. But that’s about as far as the science currently takes us. Emerging research: gut and reproductive health Gut: Because glyphosate targets a pathway that exists in some gut bacteria, scientists have questioned whether it could affect the microbiome. In mice, a 2023 University of Iowa study found that glyphosate altered gut bacterial composition and raised markers of intestinal inflammation. A 2024 systematic review found similar patterns: disrupted gut bacteria and problems with the mucus layer that protects the intestinal wall in mice. Whether this translates to humans is an open question. The human gut is highly variable and resistant, and we don't yet have strong studies confirming the same effects in people. Reproductive health: Animal studies have found that glyphosate-based herbicides can interfere with reproductive hormones, including disrupting egg cell development in mice and reducing the number of eggs available in sheep’s ovaries. However, the doses used in these experiments were high, so it’s not yet clear whether the same effects would occur in humans. On the human side, a 2021 pilot study led by Mount Sinai researchers tested urine samples from pregnant women across the U.S. and found glyphosate in 95% of them. The study also found a possible connection between higher glyphosate exposure during pregnancy and a subtle physical difference measured in female newborns. That said, some connections weren’t statistically reliable and this was a small study. The researchers themselves said more and larger studies are needed before drawing firm conclusions. What do regulators say about glyphosate safety? In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization, classified glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A). The classification is worth taking seriously. But, there’s an important distinction: IARC classifies hazard, meaning the potential to cause harm under some conditions. It does not assess risk, which accounts for actual exposure levels and the real-world probability of harm. The U.S. EPA, the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada, and regulatory agencies in Australia and Japan have all concluded that glyphosate is “unlikely to be carcinogenic to humans” at realistic exposure levels. They’re asking a different question: given how much of this people actually encounter, what is the probability of harm? Your actual exposure is what determines your actual risk. What does glyphosate mean for your daily life? At the grocery store: Food residues are small. The EPA’s acceptable daily intake is 1.75 mg/kg of body weight per day. To hit that threshold from oatmeal alone, a 150-pound adult would need to eat roughly 50 pounds of oats every day. But this calculation addresses only one pathway (food), and we don’t yet have robust tools to measure people’s actual total exposure. If reducing exposure matters to you, organic certification prohibits synthetic herbicides, and organic oat products generally test at lower or undetectable levels. Either way, a diet rich in whole grains, conventional or organic, is far better for your health than one that omits them out of fear of residues. On the farm: Occupational exposure is orders of magnitude higher than consumer exposure. Farmers and farm workers who mix, load, and apply glyphosate-based herbicides, especially without protective equipment, face meaningfully different risk profiles. Proper PPE isn’t optional. Integrated weed management strategies that rotate chemical modes of action are also worth taking seriously, both for health and for long-term effectiveness. If you live near a farm: Spray drift is real. Concentrations near field edges can spike during and after application, particularly on windy days. This is an area where I think public health could really step up and empower rural communities with buffer zones, rather than placing the onus on individuals. But for now, knowing your local agricultural calendar and keeping windows closed during application are the first steps. Bottom line Dewayne Johnson was exposed to glyphosate at levels most people will never encounter, and a jury decided he deserved compensation. That outcome is not evidence that the oatmeal in your pantry is dangerous. But it is a reminder that the dose, the context, and the person doing the exposing all matter enormously. Glyphosate is a chemical tool with benefits, trade-offs, and genuine open scientific questions. Learning to hold that complexity without collapsing into panic or dismissal is, honestly, one of the most useful and hardest things to do in navigating modern health science. Love, YLE Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is founded and operated by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. Hannah Totte, MPH, is an epidemiologist and YLE Community Manager. YLE reaches more than 425,000 people in over 132 countries with one goal: “Translate” the ever-evolving public health science so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: Subscribe
Thousands could lose their Medicaid in Kansas City, health leaders are calling for action
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ICE agents have been deployed to airports. Are the polls next?
The high-profile deployment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to airports has renewed support on the right and fear on the left about the possibility of ICE going to the polls in November.
Billionaire OpenAI investor Vinod Khosla thinks 80% of jobs could vanish by 2030, and that ‘fear of AI’ put American politics in a chokehold
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US business activity slips to 11-month low in March amid Iran war, S&P Global survey shows
U.S. business activity slowed to an 11-month low in March as the war in the Middle East raised prices for energy products and other inputs, a survey showed on Tuesday, reinforcing fears of an acceleration in inflation in the months ahead.
Oil rises as markets assess supply risks after Iran denies US talks
Oil prices rose in early trade on Tuesday on supply fears, as Iran denied it had held talks with the United States to end the war in the Gulf, contradicting President Donald Trump, who said a deal could be reached soon.
Republicans fear this Democrat in Georgia Senate race: ‘This guy’s no slouch’
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Data centers under scrutiny by California lawmakers as fears rise about health and energy impacts
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Fear of immigration enforcement in NC keeps immigrants home, hurting Latino-owned businesses
Immigration crackdown impact on local Latino-owned businesses
Latino business owners told WRAL News that fear and uncertainty following a nationwide crackdown in immigration enforcement are keeping some families out of public spaces, leaving small businesses struggling to survive. This story was written by Oriana Torre, a senior graduating journalism student at the University of Florida, participating in the CBC-UNC News Media Multiplatform Fellowship.
Column: Republicans fearing a midterm rout revive Islamophobia as political strategy
The latest twist on replacement theory is the idea that white Americans are in need of saving from dark-skinned "others."
Thune, GOP blast Dems in DHS standoff as Lankford says they fear ICE over Iran
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., accused Senate Democrats of being afraid of ICE than Iran as the DHS shutdown hit its 36th day, as Republicans again offered another compromise deal to reopen.