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Communist Party Politics, Rockets and Komsomol Business in Soviet Dnipropetrovsk
This is an excerpt from Ukraine’s Outpost: Dnipropetrovsk and the Russian-Ukrainian War (2022). Free to download from E-International Relations. The Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk (in 2016 the city was renamed Dnipro) was shown on a movie screen in the Soviet Union for the first time in 1981 as a ‘Russian-speaking’ city in Nikita Mikhalkov’s feature film Rodnia. A story of a Russian peasant woman who visited her daughter in the big industrial city was used by Mikhalkov in his movie to emphasise a growing crisis in Soviet family life during the Brezhnev era when former Russian peasants lost their Orthodox Christian identity during the process of socialist industrialisation and modernisation. Paradoxically, Mikhalkov completely ignored the real social and national problems of the city; instead choosing as the setting for his movie Russian peasants’ adjustment to Soviet modernisation. Even now many Russians use this film as evidence of the ‘Russian character’ of Dnipropetrovsk ignoring the real demographic and social history of this Ukrainian region (Elberg-Wilson 2016).[1] Despite Mikhalkov’s picture, the city of Dnipro and the Dnipropetrovsk region had a multi-national and multi-cultural character coupled with the strong influence of Ukrainian and Jewish culture. Get E-International Relations delivered to your inbox, free. As you sign up, consider becoming a paid subscriber, or make a donation, to support our work. Subscribe Using various archival and published documents, this chapter will cover the social, economic and cultural development of the city and the region of Dnipropetrovsk through the period of late socialism after Stalin, showing the ties between the multi-national Komsomol members and business ventures during perestroika and how this influenced the rise of oligarchic clans in post-Soviet Ukraine. Emergence of Soviet Dnipropetrovsk Paradoxically, from the early beginning, the founding of the ‘city of Catherine’s glory’ (Ekaterinoslav in Russian) and its province in 1776 by the Russian imperial administration of the Catherine the Second involved non-Russian ethnic groups, which shaped a historical demography of this region in Southern Ukraine. These ethnic groups included the local Ukrainian Orthodox Christian peasants and Cossacks, Jewish traders and artisans, Armenian Christians, and Tatar Muslim settlers. By the middle of the nineteenth century, thousands of German Protestant and Mennonite colonists also settled in the province. Moreover, by attracting foreign capital, the Russian imperial administration transformed this multi-ethnic and multi-religious region in the booming industrial centre of the Russian Empire by the beginning of twentieth century (Zhuk 2004, 33–96). After the Russian Revolution and civil war, the province of Ekaterinoslav continued to play an important role in the industrial development of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1926 the Soviet administration decided to change the name of Ekaterinoslav which sounded too ‘old fashioned’ and ‘imperial Russian.’ The new name was a combination of the name of the Dnipro River with the last name of Grigorii Petrovskii, head of the All-Ukrainian Executive Committee of the Soviets, and well-known organiser of the working-class movement in the region of Ekaterinoslav before the Revolution. ‘Dnipro-Petrovske’ was later transformed into ‘Dnipropetrovsk’ (Bolebrukh 2001, 156). Both the city and region of Dnipropetrovsk lived through the New Economic Policy (N.E.P.), industrialisation and the Stakhanovite movement. The region lost millions of human lives during collectivisation and the dekulakisation campaign, and especially during the Holodomor of 1932–33. During industrialisation, the Soviet government restored the industrial base of the region. Former metallurgical giants such as the Petrovskii (formerly Brianskii)plant, the Chodoir (formerly Vladimir Lenin) plant and others resumed production of pig iron and steel. During the 1930s, Dnipropetrovsk became an important centre for Soviet heavy industry. In 1932, Dnipropetrovsk regional metallurgical plants produced 20 per cent of the entire cast iron and 25 per cent of the steel manufactured in the Soviet Ukrainian Republic. After the beginning of the campaign of ‘Ukrainianisation’ in 1923, the number of those who spoke Ukrainian grew, reaching 38.5 per cent in the city by the end of the 1920s. Between 1932 and 1939, the number of city dwellers in Dnipropetrovsk increased to over 500,662. The Dnipropetrovsk region became the most urbanised of Soviet Ukraine with more than 2,273,000 people living in the region (Vasiliev 1977, 55; Bolebrukh 2001, 159–164). Dnipropetrovsk also became the cultural and educational centre of Soviet Ukraine. There were ten colleges, including the State University, 97 secondary schools and 19 vocational schools. The Soviet administration restored local drama and music theatres. During the 1930s, Dnipropetrovsk had 120 libraries, five museums, six movie-theatres, 30 clubs and palaces of culture (Bolebrukh 2001_,_159–164). The Leonid Brezhnev Clan Post-war Soviet modernisation influenced the careers of many young and ambitious Komsomol members in the region. One of them, Leonid Brezhnev, was born in 1906 in Kamenskoe, joined the Kommunystycheskaya Partyya Sovetskoho Soyuza (Communist party of the Soviet Union - KPSS) in 1931 and, after graduation from Dniprodzerzhinsk Metallurgical Institute was elected as a council deputy of the city of Dniprodzerzhinsk. The Stalinist purges of the 1930s removed many old Soviet and Communist officials from government positions who perished in prisons and the labour camps of GULAG. Young people such as Brezhnev filled the void created by Stalinist repressions in the region. In 1938, the young Brezhnev was elected as a member of the regional committee of the Soviet Communist party of Ukraine (KPU) and head of the Department of Agitation and Propaganda. By the young age of 32, Brezhnev had become secretary of the KPU committee of the most important industrial region of Soviet Ukraine. His career was interrupted by the Great Patriotic War when Brezhnev joined the army as an ideological officer (see Mlechin 2005). From August 1941 to October 1943, the Dnipropetrovsk region was occupied by the Nazis, and Soviet troops liberated the entire region by February 1944 (Berkhoff 2004, 11, 36, 49, 149–150, 152–153, 248–249). The Soviet administration restored the industrial base of Dnipropetrovsk, and by 1950 the main metallurgical and machine-building factories had reached their pre-war levels of industrial production and productivity. During this period, Brezhnev began his political career as a talented and ambitious organizer of the industrial re-birth of Dnipropetrovsk. He was an experienced young army ideologist who had proved his loyalty to the Stalinist leadership during the war and was familiar with Dnipropetrovsk before 1941. The Central Committee of the KPSS sent Brezhnev to Dnipropetrovsk in November 1947 when he was elected first secretary of the Dnipropetrovsk regional committee of the KPU, and he ruled the oblast until June 1950 (Vosstanovlenie). His successors were Andrei Kirilenko and Volodymyr Shcherbitskyy, both close friends. Two other young comrades of Brezhnev, Oleksiy Vatchenko and Yevhen Kachalovskii led the region respectively in 1965–1976 and 1976–1983 (Vasiliev 1977, 72; Bolebrukh 2001_,_ 233; Mlechin 2005). Brezhnev promoted the political career of his old friends, many of whom became prominent political figures in Kyiv and Moscow during his leadership of the KPSS. Both contemporaries and scholars who study the ‘Brezhnev period’ call this phenomenon the ‘Dnipropetrovsk mafia’ or rule of the ‘Dnipropetrovsk Family’ (Nahaylo 1999, 36, 69; Wilson 2000, 162). Since the rise of Brezhnev to the pinnacle of Soviet power, the ruling elites of Dnipropetrovsk influenced not only regional, but also republican and All-Union politics. Dnipropetrovsk’s transformation into an important centre of the Soviet military industrial complex was directly related to the sudden rise of Brezhnev to the pinnacle of Soviet power in October of 1964. Brezhnev promoted the political career of his compatriots from the Dnipropetrovsk military industrial complex. Brezhnev’s friends and close colleagues from his post-war years in the Dnipropetrovsk region went to Moscow and became prominent political figures in the Soviet nomenklatura hierarchy during the 1960s and 1970s. Two main industries of the Soviet military industrial complex – metallurgy and missile-building – had important factories in Dnipropetrovsk and therefore provided the Brezhnev clan with new members from 1964 until 1982. Even after the downfall of the Brezhnev clan in Moscow in 1983, when Yurii Andropov began his struggle ‘against corruption and nepotism’ in the Soviet nomenklatura, members of this clan continued to play a prominent role in the political life of Soviet Ukraine. Besides the Physical-Technical Department of Dnipropetrovsk State University, the Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute also assisted the political careers of many of Brezhnev’s close friends who in the 1970s and 1980s became important members of the Kremlin nomenklatura. Nikolai Tikhonov, former head of Dnipropetrovsk Sovnarkhoz during the 1950s, was one of the deputies of the Soviet Prime Minister between 1966 and 1976, First Deputy of the Prime Minister from 1976 to 1980 and head of the USSR Council of Ministers from 1980 to 1985.[2] Nikolai Shcholokov was the Soviet Minister of Public Order in 1966–1968 and from 1968 to 1982 he was Soviet Minister of Interior. Georgii Tsynev was during 1971–1976 a member of the Central Revision Committee of the KPSS and a deputy head of the KGB from 1970 to 1982. In the KGB he was the 1st Deputy Chairman in 1982–1985 as well as he was a Candidate Member of CPSU Central Committee in 1976–1981 and accordingly was a full Member of the said body in 1981–1986. Victor Chebrikov, who graduated from Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute in 1950, was one of the leaders of the city party organisation in Dnipropetrovsk from 1961 to 1971. In 1971 he became the head of the personnel department of the USSR KGB, First Deputy of the Head of this organization and from 1982 to 1988 a chairman of the KGB (Pikhovshek 1996, 11–12, 272–274). Another of Brezhnev’s close friends, Volodymyr Shcherbytskyy, promoted the careers of other people from the region of Dnipropetrovsk. With his support, Oleksii Vatchenko became the head of the Presidium of the Ukrainian Soviet Supreme Soviet from 1976 until 1984 with the assistance of another politician from Dnipropetrovsk, Valentyna Shevchenko. Aleksandr Kapto, who worked as a secretary of both the Dnipropetrovsk Komsomol organization and the Soviet Ukrainian Komsomol in Kyiv in the 1960s, oversaw the Department of Culture in the Central Committee of the KPU; in 1979–1986 he was a Secretary of the Central Committee and accordingly was the main ideologist of the Soviet Ukraine. Many other members of the ‘Kyiv ruling class’ under Shcherbytskyy were also linked to the Dnipropetrovsk metallurgical and military lobby. Shcherbytskyy’s assistant from 1972 to 1984 was Konstantin Prodan who began his career in the Komsomol organisation of the city of Dnipropetrovsk (Pikhovshek 1996, 48–103). As a contemporary political analyst noted, ‘Officially Prodan was put in charge of industrial production, though, according to insiders of the former KPU Central Committee, his principal function was ‘maintaining’ contact with Brezhnev’s assistant Georgii Tsukanov in Moscow’ (Pikhovshek 1996, 33–34). Another important reason for the rise of the ‘Brezhnev Clan’ was the relative independence of Dnipropetrovsk’s local administration from Kyiv. Because of the status of Dnipropetrovsk as a ‘strategically important centre for military industry,’ different branches of the local administration were under the direct supervision of Moscow, rather than Kyiv (Interviews with Tihipko, Markov and Bocharova). The Military Industrial Complex and Ruling Elite of Dnipropetrovsk The city of Dnipropetrovsk was the location of famous metallurgical and machine-building factories in pre-revolutionary Russia and the Soviet Union. Before 1941, Dnipropetrovsk became the most urbanised region of the Soviet Ukraine. Almost 53 per cent of this region’s population lived in 16 cities and towns of the region (Vasiliev 1977, 55; Bolebrukh 2001, 159–164). In 1980, the industrial enterprises of Dnipropetrovsk manufactured a significant part of the industrial products and customer goods for the Soviet Ukrainian Republic. A total of 5.4 per cent of steel, 9 per cent of rolled iron, 28 per cent of pipes, 62 per cent of combine beet-harvesters, 27.9 per cent of television sets, and 8.5 per cent of knitted wear in Ukraine were produced in the city of Dnipropetrovsk (Bolebrukh 2001, 219). After 1945, the main centre of economic and financial activities of the region and the city of Dnipropetrovsk became neither metallurgy nor mining. The new centre which changed the status of the region and of the city was a secret military factory in Dnipropetrovsk. The entire ideological and cultural situation in the region, and especially the city, depended on this one industrial plant which became the most important part of the Soviet military industrial complex. In July 1944, the State Committee of Defence in Moscow decided to build a large military machine-building factory in Dnipropetrovsk on the location of the pre-war aircraft plant. In December 1945, thousands of German prisoners of war began construction and built the first sections and shops of the new Dnipropetrovsk Automobile Factory (Markov, 1995). In 1947–1948 this factory produced its first cars and special military vehicles. However, on 9 May 1951 the USSR Council of Ministers decided to transform the main shops and sectors of this factory into ‘secret production’ which included not only special military vehicles, but also powerful rocket engines and different types of modern military aircraft. The former Dnipropetrovsk Automobile Factory was transferred to the Ministry of Armament of the USSR and received a new name – the State Union Plant #586 (Lukanov 1996, 12). Stalin introduced the organisation of special secret training of highly qualified engineers and scientists who were to become rocket construction specialists. He recommended the introduction of a new college degree at Dnipropetrovsk State University which would be a Master of Sciences in rocket construction. In 1952 the university administration formed a new department with the name ‘physical-technical faculty’ which was the largest department at the university, admitting on average four hundred students each year. These students received better accommodation and a higher stipend payment than students from other departments and colleges; the lowest stipend for this department was 450 roubles, while the highest stipend at another prestigious school, the Dnipropetrovsk Medical Institute, was only 180 roubles. A special commission from Moscow selected talented undergraduate students studying physics from engineering schools all over the USSR and sent them to the physical-technical department at Dnipropetrovsk State University, where they resumed their studies as rocket engineers. Simultaneously, the university administration announced the admission of new freshmen students in this department. The promise of a good stipend and a ‘romantic’ career of rocket engineer attracted thousands of talented young people to this ‘secret’ department, which provided training specialists for only the Dnipropetrovsk Automobile Factory (Horbulin 1998, 9, 62–63). In accordance with another decision of the Soviet government, in 1954 the administration of this automobile factory opened a secret design office with the name ‘Southern Construction Bureau’ (konstruktorskoe biuro Yuzhnoe). The main assignment of this office was to construct military missiles and rocket engines. Hundreds of talented physicists, engineers and machine designers moved from Moscow and other big cities in the Soviet Union to Dnipropetrovsk where they joined the konstruktorskoe biuro Yuzhnoe (KBYu). In 1965, the secret Plant #586 was transferred to the Ministry of General Machine-Building of the USSR and the next year it changed its name into the ‘Southern Machine-building Factory’ (Yuzhnyi mashino-stroitelnyi zavod) or simply Yuzhmash (in Ukrainian Pivdenmash). The first ‘General Constructor’ and head of the ‘Southern’ design office was Mikhail Yangel, a prominent scientist and outstanding designer of space rockets who led the design office and factory from 1954 to 1971. Yangel designed the first powerful rockets and space military equipment for the Soviet Ministry of Defence. Yangel worked with talented engineers who later became the leaders of military production in Dnipropetrovsk and the official directors of Pivdenmash. Two close collaborators of Yangel were the Pivdenmash directors Leonid Smirnov (1952–1961) and Aleksandr Makarov (1961–1986). Makarov’s successor was Leonid Kuchma, the Director General of the Pivdenmash in 1986–1992, who later became one of the most prominent political leaders in independent Ukraine and was and still is the only President of Ukraine (1994–2005) elected twice (Strazheva; Platonov and Horbulin; Romanov and Gubarev; Baikonur; Baikonur, Korolev, Yangel). In 1951 the Southern Machine-building Factory began manufacturing and testing new military rockets with an initial range of only 270 kilometres. By 1959 Soviet scientists and engineers developed new technologies, and as a result, the KBYu launched a new machine-building project producing ballistic missiles. Under Yangel, KBYu produced very powerful rocket engines which dramatically increased the range of ballistic missiles and from the 1960s, began to be used as launch vehicles for Soviet spaceships. Pivdenmash designed and manufactured four generations of missile complexes which included space launch vehicles Kosmos, Interkosmos, Tsyklon-2, Tsyklon-3 and Zenith. The KBYu created a unique space-rocket system called Energia-Buran and manufactured 400 technical devices which were launched as artificial satellites (Sputniks). For the first time in the world space industry, the Dnipropetrovsk missile plant produced space Sputniks. By the 1980s, Pivdenmash manufactured 67 different types of spaceships, 12 space research complexes and four defence space rocket systems. These systems were used not only for purely military purposes by the Ministry of Defence, but also for astronomical research, for global radio and television and for environmental monitoring. Pivdenmash initiated and sponsored the international space programme of Eastern European socialist countries, called Interkosmos. Twenty-two of the 25 automatic space Sputniks of this programme were designed, manufactured, and launched by engineers and workers from Dnipropetrovsk. Pivdenmash and KBYu became not only an important centre of the Soviet space industry and Soviet military industrial complex, but also the main rocket producer for the entire Soviet bloc. (Hall and Shayler 2001, 316ff; Siddiqi 2003, 97, 113, 114, 164, 177, 285) The military rocket systems manufactured in Dnipropetrovsk created the base for the Soviet Strategic Missile Forces (Dnepropetrovskii raketno 1994; Bolebrukh 2001_,_ 209–211, 229; Lukanov 1996, 13). On the eve of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, KBYu had nine regular and corresponding members of the Soviet Academy of Sciences, 33 full professors and 290 scientists holding a Ph.D. More than 50,000 people worked at Pivdenmash. Pivdenmash was ‘a state’ inside the Soviet state. In 1969, after a long competition with Moscow’s V. Chelomei Centre of Rocket Construction, Pivdenmash rocket designs won, and from then leaders of the Soviet military industrial complex preferred only Pivdenmash models. The Soviet state provided billions of Soviet roubles to finance Pivdenmash projects (Horbulin 1998, 6, 24–31). Officially, Pivdenmash also manufactured agricultural tractors and special kitchen equipment for everyday needs, such as mincing machines or juicers for Soviet households. In official reports and public information there were no details given about its production of rockets or spaceships. However, hundreds of thousands of workers and engineers in the city of Dnipropetrovsk were employees of this plant, and members of their families and therefore most local people knew about the ‘real production’ of Pivdenmash. Dnipropetrovsk as a KGB “Testing Ground” The Soviet government approved the KGB’s proposal to introduce the highest level of secrecy over Pivdenmash and its products. According to the Soviet government’s decision, the city of Dnipropetrovsk was officially closed to foreign visitors in 1959. No citizen of a foreign country (even Eastern European socialist) was allowed to visit the city or district of Dnipropetrovsk. From the late 1950s, Soviet people called Dnipropetrovsk ‘the rocket city’ or ‘closed city.’ (Bolebrukh 2001, 211). Members of the Brezhnev clan in the Moscow offices of the KGB and Ministry of Interior also contributed to centralised ideological control in Dnipropetrovsk, which especially influenced the KGB and security operations in the closed city. The local KGB office was always more Moscow-oriented, ignoring the interests of the authorities in Kyiv. At the same time, for Moscow officials who began their careers in Dnipropetrovsk, the city became the testing ground for many All-Union KGB campaigns which they attempted to initiate. Dnipropetrovsk KGB officers were ‘pioneers’ in the organisation of ideological campaigns which became ‘models’ for other ‘closed’ industrial Soviet cities. [This phrase – ‘pioneers of ideological campaigns’ – belongs to a local retired KGB officer. According to the KGB documents, Moscow’s representatives in the Dnipropetrovsk clan always interfered in local KGB business, imposing their own practices on the local officers.] (Igor T.; DADO, f. 19, op. 52, spr. 72, ark. 1–18) As a result, the inhabitants of Dnipropetrovsk experienced more ideological limitations and more brutal anti-Western campaigns than people in many other Soviet cities. Facing direct Kremlin supervision, the local KGB and KPSS ideologists sought to prove their ideological reliability and occasionally exaggerated the ‘threat from the capitalist West.’ KGB officers transformed one building in the Dnipropetrovsk Special Psychiatric Hospital (psikhushka), located in a town of Ihren (now a suburban district of Dnipro), into a special police facility for ‘political dissidents.’ All over the Soviet Union, Ihren psikhushka (especially its Section 9) became notorious and known as the worst incarceration for political prisoners. The Dnipropetrovsk KGB tested various drugs on prisoners and performed different medical experiments, treating the most ‘opinionated’ political dissidents as mentally sick patients. Many religious and civil rights activists and ‘bourgeois nationalists,’ such as national communist dissident Leonid Plyushch, described the Dnipropetrovsk Psychiatric Hospital as ‘mental hell’ because of its police system of harsh treatment and everyday humiliation (Plyushch 1979, 304–326, 340–349). Meanwhile, local KGB officers explained their harsh treatment of dissidents such as Plyushch as an ideological necessity to protect a strategically important centre of the Soviet military industrial complex (Igor T). Growth of the Population and Standards of Living in the Region The new status of the city brought more state investments and contributed to the overall improvement of the standard of living of its inhabitants. During the 1950s, the main sponsor of city improvements and renovations was the metallurgical industry. During the 1960s and 1970s, the space rocket industry and its biggest factory, Pivdenmash, sponsored all major city programmes, renovations and new architectural projects which included the sports palace Meteor with a large indoor pool, football team Dnipro, city airport, city theatre of opera and ballet, historical museum of Yavornitskii, department store ‘Children’s World,’ construction of thousands of modern apartments, libraries and movie-theatres, and celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the city of Dnipropetrovsk in 1976. (Bolebrukh 2001_,_ 211–212). Even the expansion and renovation of the Dnipropetrovsk Central Farmer Market (known as Oziorka) was supported by Pivdenmash as part of its improvement of the city’s life, and a reflection of the growth and strategic importance of the city. From 1958 to 1965 the city administration invested money in building a new covered location for the market and by 1970 they had re-built the entire neighbourhood transforming it into a modern and convenient place for the ‘socialist consumption of goods and services.’ (Lazebnik 2001, 167–185) As a result, the missile factory, the centre of the Soviet military industrial complex, contributed to a new level of cultural consumption among not only the city’s dwellers, but also among all guests of Dnipropetrovsk. Consequently, the pioneering efforts in the popularisation of new modern forms of Western music such as jazz and rock-n-roll also began among engineers and workers of Pivdenmash who contributed to the spread of new cultural forms and activities among those who lived in the city and region of Dnipropetrovsk. The improving living conditions in Dnipropetrovsk led to an increase of the regional population from 2,339,800 people (with a 56 per cent urban population) in 1951 to 2,850,700 (with a 72 per cent urban population) in 1961. The larger salaries and better distribution of food and industrial goods also attracted young people from other regions of the Soviet Union to Dnipropetrovsk. From the 1950s onward, most of the Dnipropetrovsk population were people younger than 30 years old. In 1970 there were 3,343,000 people in the region (76 per cent of who lived in cities) which by 1984 had increased to 3,771,200 people (with 83 per cent urban population). The population of the city of Dnipropetrovsk grew from 660,800 people in 1959 to 1,066,000 in 1979 and more than 1,153,400 people in 1985 when Gorbachev came to power (Glushkina 1985, 10, 11). The Dnipropetrovsk region had a young multinational, predominantly Russian speaking population. Three major ethnic groups shaped the cultural development of the region – Ukrainians, Russians, and Jews. During the peak of ‘international harmony and prosperity of developed socialism’ in 1979, Ukrainians made up the overwhelming majority of the regional (72.8 per cent) and urban (68.5 per cent) population. Due to massive emigration from the Soviet Union, the Jewish population decreased from 2.7 per cent in 1959 to 1.7 per cent in 1979 and 1.3 per cent in 1989. The number of Russians in the region’s population grew rapidly from 17.2 per cent in 1959, 20.9 per cent in 1970, 23 per cent in 1979 and 24.2 per cent in 1989 (O vozrastnoi structure 1971; Goskomstat USSR 1991, 100, 102). By 1985, more than a third of the population in the city of Dnipropetrovsk was ethnically Russian. If we add to this number the 3.2 per cent of Russian-speaking Jews and more than 33 per cent of Ukrainians who considered Russian their native language, we will have more than two thirds of the city’s population who associated themselves with Russian rather than with Ukrainian culture. According to contemporaries, the high salaries and better conditions of living attracted representatives of various nationalities from different republics who also spoke Russian rather than the Ukrainian language in Dnipropetrovsk (Goskomstat USSR 1991, 106, 108, 119, 122; Prudchenko and Smolenska 2007). Komsomol ‘Business’ During the Late Soviet Era The regional economic activities of local ‘businessmen and women’ from the Komsomol during perestroika had their roots in the pre-perestroika era. They also strengthened trends for independence from Moscow which had earlier existed in Dnipropetrovsk. All the elements of their initial business had already been developed during the Brezhnev era when the cultural consumption of late socialism combined the structures of Soviet international tourism with the ideological efforts of Komsomol activists into one business network. Mass rock and discotheque music consumption among Soviet youth was delivered by Komsomol and trade union apparatchiks. International tourism and discotheque enthusiasts provided these apparatchiks with music and video material for their entertainment business. Without these relations it would be impossible to imagine the development of post-Soviet capitalism. The first pioneers of organizing Komsomol business in the region were two graduates of Dnipropetrovsk Metallurgical Institute, the Ukrainian-Moldovan Sergiy Tihipko, the First Secretary of the Dnipropetrovsk Komsomol regional organization in 1986–91, and the Ukrainian Oleksandr Turchynov, who worked with Tihipko as head of the agitation and propaganda division in the same Komsomol regional organisation in 1987–90. Tihipko and Turchynov initiated and ‘ideologically justified’ the first Komsomol businesses in the region. Two other Komsomol members, who also graduated from the same institute as Tihipko and Turchynov, Kolomoyskyy and Viktor Pinchuk, both of Jewish origin, started their careers not in the official Komsomol business, but on the black market of Dnipropetrovsk, trading various goods, and using their financial and engineering skills for their own survival in the conditions of economic collapse of late socialism. Kolomoyskyy used his financial skills and connections with Tihipko to organize its own financial corporation Privatbank, which became the most successful bank in post-Soviet Ukraine. Pinchuk, using his engineering and managerial skills, founded his own metallurgical venture, entitled Interpipe Company. It is noteworthy that all four of those Komsomol members, two Ukrainian and two Jewish, used their personal connections through their friends and partners from Pivdenmash, including through its last director Leonid Kuchma, to start their first businesses in Dnipropetrovsk (see Golovko 2012). In the mid-1980s, when perestroika created favourable conditions for the managerial skills of Komsomol activists, this system produced new activities for cultural consumption, such as video salons which brought their organisers more profits than traditional discotheque clubs. The video business used the same infrastructure and network of the discotheque movement; namely international tourism, Komsomol activists, trade union leaders and the ‘discotheque mafia.’ This network contributed to the business career of two fans of Western popular music, Yulia Tymoshenko and her husband, Oleksandr (Popov, Milshtein, 55; Ponamarchuk). Yulia Grigian (Telegina) was the daughter of Armenian taxi-driver Grigian and Russian technical worker Telegina, a fan of British rock music. Yulia Grigian married Oleksandr Tymoshenko, son of a member of the city KPU committee in the Pivdenmash administration. In 1978, Yulia Tymoshenko joined the student Komsomol organization in the Department of Economy at Dnipropetrovsk State University. This department was opened on the initiative of the Pivdenmash administration in 1977 to provide training for qualified economists in Dnipropetrovsk’s growing military industrial complex. Yulia Tymoshenko graduated with honours from the Department of Economy in 1984 and began her first job as an engineer-economist through the connections of her father-in-law, Hennadii Tymoshenko. For five years, she worked at the Lenin machine building plant, another factory which belonged to the Soviet military industrial complex. In 1979, she gave birth to her daughter Yevhenia, and until 1988 she and her husband enjoyed a typical Soviet upper-middle class life in their one-bedroom cooperative apartment. They continued to watch movies, listen to Western pop music, and occasionally visited and danced in well-known discotheque clubs in downtown Dnipropetrovsk (Popov and Milshtein 2006, 64–67; Suvorov 1991). Perestroika changed the young Tymoshenko family. Hennadii Tymoshenko recommended his son and daughter-in-law to join the co-operative movement and promised his support through the city’s KPU and Soviet administration. In 1988, the young Tymoshenkos used their old connections in the Komsomol discothèque world to open a public service enterprise, a video-rental shop in Dnipropetrovsk, with 5,000 borrowed Soviet roubles. The profits made from this first venture were used to open a chain of video rental stores. They used the experience of Komsomol apparatchiks, who brought their first VCRs in Dnipropetrovsk through Sputnik. Contacts in the discotheque movement helped provide these apparatchiks with Western video tapes and an audience which was ready to consume new Western cultural products. Former discotheque enthusiasts tested these new business practices and proposed the idea of video salons, which had already become the most popular and fashionable form of entertainment Moscow and the three Baltic republics. As a result, during perestroika both the Komsomol and ‘discotheque mafia’ provided infrastructure for these salons in Dnipropetrovsk. When in 1987the KGB opened the city of Dnipropetrovsk to foreigners, Pivdenmash imported thousands of VCRs using barter agreements with South Korean businessmen. As a regional KPU apparatchik who oversaw the distribution of movies throughout the Dnipropetrovsk region (kinoprokat), Yulia Tymoshenko’s father-in-law had access not only to these Korean VCRs but also to local movie theatres which provided the first mass audience for video films. The main base of a Tymoshenko’s ‘video enterprise’ was the location of the former central Komsomol discotheque club of Dnipropetrovsk oblast– the Student Palace in the Taras Shevchenko Park of Culture and Relaxation in downtown Dnipropetrovsk (Popov and Milshtein 2006, 52–89; Ponamarchuk 2007). In 1989, she quit her old engineer-economist job and became the head of the Terminal co-operative. The same year, another participant in the ‘discotheque mafia,’ Serhiy Tihipko, was elected as the first secretary of the Komsomol organization of Dnipropetrovsk oblast. He not only supported Tymoshenko’s enterprise, but also brought his additional discotheque and Sputnik connections into Terminal. In this way, discotheque activists and Komsomol apparatchiks contributed to the growth and popularity of Tymoshenko’s business (Tihipko). In 1991 after the disintegration of the Soviet Union and Soviet state tourism, the representatives of the Brezhnev era Komsomol elite, such as Tymoshenko demonstrated again that a skilful adjustment of this network to the new economic situation was an important foundation for success in post-Soviet business activities. The initial capital of Terminal, the music and video Komsomol enterprise which Tymoshenko had launched during ‘the discotheque era’ of late socialism, became the foundation of her business and political career in post-Soviet Ukraine. Epilogue: Dnipropetrovsk Komsomol Entrepreneurs and the Formation of Post-Soviet Oligarchs Political corruption in the post-Soviet geopolitical space is rooted in cultural consumption during the Brezhnev era, especially in the so-called ‘discotheque effect’ on society during the era of ‘mature socialism.’ During this period of late socialism in the USSR, millions of Soviet young people, loyal members of Komsomol, fell in love with the catchy sound of ‘beat music’ by the Beatles and hard rock by Deep Purple. Even ten years after dissolution of the Soviet Union, the post-Soviet space was ruled by former Soviet hard rock fans, representatives of the so-called ‘Deep Purple generation,’ new post-Soviet politicians, such as Russian Prime-Minister Dmitri Medvedev, twice Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, President Petro Poroshenko and former Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili. Paradoxically, détente in the 1970s led to the influx of Western cultural products into the USSR, such as popular music and feature films. As a result, Soviet ideologists, including the Komsomol, attempted to control Soviet consumption of cultural products from the West using ‘Komsomol discothèques’ where Soviet young people could dance to ‘ideologically permitted’ Soviet and Western music. Contemporaries called these organizers ‘disco mafia’ in the industrial cities of Eastern Ukraine. By the end of perestroika in 1991, more than 100 Komsomol businesses had emerged in industrial cities in Eastern Soviet Ukraine, of which more than ninety originated in the city of Dnipropetrovsk (Zhuk 2010, 301). Only a few of the most successful enterprises survived post-Soviet competition during the 1990s and created ‘new business corporations’ such as Yulia Tymoshenko’s ‘Gas Empire,’ Kolomoyskyy’s and Tihipko’s Privatbank, Aleksandr Balashov’s ‘Trade Corporation’ and Rinat Akhmetov’s Liuks. The overwhelming majority of these post-Soviet successful businesses were organised by or directly connected to the ‘disco mafia.’ At the same time, the first Dnipropetrovsk ‘capitalists’ demonstrated a wide range of ethnic backgrounds, from the Ukrainian Tihipko, Armenian-Russian Tymoshenko, Russian Balashov and Jewish Kolomoyskyy contributing to the multi-national identity of the city of Dnipropetrovsk and Dnipro. Some contemporaries noted how the business activities of Komsomol ‘entrepreneurs’ in the 1980s contributed to regional identity in Eastern Ukraine. Many of these ‘entrepreneurs’ who were not ethnic Ukrainians became active participants in the Ukrainian independence movement in 1988–1991 to protect their regional business interests rather than defending Ukrainian culture and language. In the 1990s, former members of the Soviet ‘discotheque mafia’ and their former KPU supervisors became an integral part of the business and political life of independent Ukraine. As leaders of oligarchic clans in Ukraine they have resisted Russian expansion into their ‘spheres of influence.’ The case of Volodymyr Zelenskyy, elected in April 2019, whose entire career was generated inside the Soviet-based system of television entertainment, continues to demonstrate the connection between ‘post-Komsomol‘ business and political careers. Zelenskyy began his acting career in 95-yi Kvartal, which was a reference to a neighbourhood in Kryvyy Rih, where he had grown up and was inspired by the 1960s Soviet television show KVN. As we see, the Dnipropetrovsk and Dnipro elites, who are still rooted in their Soviet past, play a significant role in the development of independent Ukraine. References Berkhoff, Karel C., (2004). Harvest of Despair: Life and Death in Ukraine under Nazi Rule. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Bolebrukh, Anatolii G. et al., eds., (2001). Dnipropetrovsk: vikhy istorii. Dnipropetrovsk: Grani. Derzhavnyy arkhiv Dnipropetrovskoyi oblasti (hereafter – DADO), f. 19, op. 52, spr. 72. Dnepropetrovskii raketno-kosmicheskii tsentr: Kratkii ocherk stanovlenia i razvitia. (1994). DAZ-YuMZ-KBYu: Khronika dat i sobytii. Dnipropetrovsk: YUMZ. Glushkina, Liudmila G. ed. (1985). Tsentral’noe Statisticheskoe Upravlenie Dnepropetrovskoi oblasti. Dnepropetrovshchina v tsifrakh. (K 40-letiu pobedy v Velikoi Otechestvennoi voine). Dnipropetrovsk: Gosstat. Golovko, Volodymyr. (2012). Ukrainski finasovo-promyslovi grupy v modernizatsiinykh protsesakh 1991-2009. Kyiv: Instytut istorii Ukrainy NAN Ukrainy. Goskomstat USSR. Dnepropetrovskoe oblatnoe upravlenie statistiki. (1991). Naselenie Dnepropetrovskoi oblasti po dannym Vsesoiuznoi perepisi naseleniia 1989 goda. Dnepropetrovsk: Gosstat. Hall, Rex, Shayler, David J. (2001). The Rocket Men: Vostok and Voskhod, the First Soviet Manned Spaceflights. Chichester, NJ: Springer. Horbulin, Volodymyr P. et al. eds. (1998). Zemni shlyakhy i zoryani orbity. Shtrykhy do portreta Leonida Kuchmy. Kyiv: DrUk. Kuznetskii, Mikhail I., Stazheva, Irina V. eds. (1995). Baikonur – chudo XX veka: Vospominania vevteranov Baikonura ob akademike Mikhaile Kuzmiche Yangele. Moscow: Kosmos. Kuznetskii, Mikhail I. ed. (1997). Baikonur, Korolev, Yangel. Voronezh: Kosmos. Lazebnik, Valentina I. (2001). G. A. Efimenko ed., Oziorka nasha: Istoricheskii ocherk o Dnepropetrovskom Tsentralnom rynke. Dnipropetrovsk: Grani. Lukanov, Yuriy. (1996). Tretii president: Politychnyi portret Leonida Kuchmy. Kyiv: Taki Spravy. Markov, Karlo A. (1995). Uchastie nemetskikh voennoplennykh i internirovannykh v vosstanovlenii narodnogo khoziaistva Dnepropetrovskoi oblastiv pervye polevoennye gody. Voprosy Germanskoi istorii: Ukrainsko-nemetskie sviazi v novoe i noveishee vremia. Mezhvuzovskii sbornik nauchnykh trudov, In: Svetlana Bobyliova, ed., Dnipropetrovsk: DDU, 158–172. Mlechin, Leonid M. (2005). Brezhnev. Moscow: Molodaia gvardia. Nahaylo, Bohdan. (1999). The Ukrainian Resurgence. Toronto: Hurst. O vozrastnoi structure, urovne obrazovania, natsional’nom sostave, iazykakh i istochnikakh sredstv sushchestvovania naselenia Dnepropetrovskoi oblasti po dannym Vsessoiuznoi perepisis naselenia na 15 ianvaria 1970 goda. (1971). Dneprovskaia Pravda, June 26. Pikhovshek, Vyacheslav, et al., eds. (1996). ‘Dnipropetrovska simya’: Informatsia stanom na 25 lystopada 1996 roku. Kyiv: Ukrainian Centre for Independent Political Research. Pikhovshek, Vyacheslav et al. Eds. (1996). Dnipropetrovsk vs. Security Service. Kyiv: Lybed. Platonov, Vitalii P. and Horbulin, Volodymyr.P. (1979). Mykhaylo K. Yangel. Kyiv: Nauka. Plyushch, Leonid. (1979). History’s Carnival: A Dissident’s Autobiography. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Ponamarchuk, Dmytro. (2007). Prosto Yulia. Izvestia, September 20. Popov, Dmitrii, and Milshtein, Ilia. (2006). Oranzhevaia printsessa. Zagadka Yulii Timoshenko. Moscow: Izdatel’stvo Ol’gi Morozovoi. Romanov, Aleksandr P., Gubarev, Vladimir S. (1989). Konstruktory. Moscow: Molodaia gvardia. Siddiqi, Asif A. (2003). Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge. Gainesville: University Press of Florida. Elberg-Wilson, Eliot. (2016). ‘Eduard Artem’iev and the Sonics of National Identity,’ Slovo, 28, 2: 2–25. Strazheva, Irina V. (1978). Tiulpany s kosmodroma. Moscow: Molodaia gvardia. Vasiliev, I. V. et al. eds. (1977). Istoria gorodov i siol Ukrainskoi SSR v 26-ti tomakh: Dnepropetrovskaia oblast. Kyiv: Glavnaia redaktsia Ukrainskoi Sovestskoi Entsiklopedii. Vosstanovlenie Pridneprovia (1946–1950). (1980). Dokumenty i materially. Kyiv: Nauka. Wilson, Andrew. (2000). The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press Zhuk, Sergei. (2004). Russia’s Lost Reformation: Peasants, Millennialism and Radical Sects in Southern Russia and Ukraine, 1830–1917. Baltimore, MD & Washington D.C: Johns Hopkins University Press and Woodrow Wilson Centre Press. Zhuk, Sergei (2010). Rock and Roll in the Rocket City: The West, Identity, and Ideology in Soviet Dniepropetrovsk, 1960–1985. Baltimore, MD & Washington D.C: Johns Hopkins University Press and Woodrow Wilson Centre Press. **Interviews**Igor T., KGB officer, 15 May 1991, Dnipropetrovsk. Karlo A. Markov, 12 April 1992, Dnipropetrovsk State University. Mikhail Suvorov, 1 June 1991, Dnipropetrovsk. Natalia V. Bocharova, 15 March 1993, Dnipropetrovsk State University. Sergiy Tihipko, director of Privatbank in Dnipropetrovsk, 12 October 1993, Dnipropetrovsk. Yevhen D. Prudchenko and Halyna V. Smolenska, 18 July 2007, Central Library of Dnipropetrovsk oblast, Dnipropetrovsk. Notes [1] I used also numerous interviews conducted with my relatives, who are ethnic Ukrainians, but live in Moscow, Russia, who still support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s anti-Ukrainian politics. [2] Sovnarkhoz is abbreviated from Russian Sovet narodnogo khoziaistva, an economic department in the Soviet government during the early Stalin era and during Khrushchev’s reforms.
Scientists find a simple daily routine linked to less pain and depression
A simple change to your daily routine could make a surprising difference in how you feel, both physically and mentally. University of Missouri researchers found that older adults who followed consistent daily schedules reported less physical pain and fewer symptoms of depression, even when they struggled with insomnia. Keeping regular times for sleeping, eating, and other activities may help regulate the body's internal clock, which influences mood, sleep, and overall health.
A 155K-Person Study Found Plant-Forward Eating Was Linked To Reduced Diabetes Risk
This plant-forward way of eating could have a pretty sweet health payoff.
Early-life environmental exposures linked to multiple health outcomes into adolescence
Environmental exposures during pregnancy and childhood can be associated with multiple aspects of health at the same time, with many of these associations persisting into adolescence health, according to a new study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by the "la Caixa" Foundation, and in collaboration with the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm).
Rep. Sorensen tours Rocky’s new health clinic
Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Ill., toured the Health Link Clinic at Rock Island High School on Friday to see how it is bringing care closer to students and the community.
Older AI-estimated heart age linked to worse health outcomes
Having an older heart age estimated using artificial intelligence (AI) ultrasound analysis compared with actual age was associated with worse outcomes, according to results presented today at the ESC Digital & AI Summit 2026.
Make your health a priority before year-end
Before the year ends, make time for your health — and make the most of your health benefits. If you or a family member still need care, Vanderbilt Health makes it easy to get seen. Need care without a long wait? Book time at a Vanderbilt Walk-in Clinic. Click this link and scroll to the “Sick Visit/In Clinic” option to select a convenient location and time. Want a provider closer to home? The Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network (VHAN) can connect you to in-network provider locations near you. Fill out this form and a team member will follow up. Due for a mammogram? Schedule a breast cancer screening online through this link or call 615-936-3606. Some same-day appointments are available. Not sure what care you need? Check out this article for prevention guidance. Don’t put off the care you need. Book your appointments now before the year ends and head into the holidays with peace of mind.
Apple TV 4K Launch Day Deal Arrives at Amazon
Amazon today is back with a discount on the brand new A19 Apple TV 4K for launch day, available for $289.99, down from $299.00. This is a match of the pre-order discount we saw last week. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Amazon provides an estimated delivery date of tomorrow, November 14.
Arizona Cardinals Daily Links: Cardinals-Rams final score predictions
What will the final score be between the Cardinals and Rams in Week 10?
Alexander: Luka’s Lakers? That’s entertainment
This roster, put together by Rob Pelinka specifically to complement Doncic, is off to a hot start but, more significantly, is just fun to watch.
Mets Morning News: PCA wins MVP, Stearns optimistic about Semien
Your Friday morning dose of Mets and Major League Baseball news, notes, and links.
Phillies News: Teruaki Sato, Dante Nori, Brandon Marsh
13 links on Friday the 13th would’ve been funny. But it’s the offseason and news is slow.
1960 Science Paper Predicts World Population Infinity on November 13, 2026
The Independent links the doomsday claim to AI and global threats, while ABC focuses on demographic forecasting limits.
Six Flags Entertainment (FUN) Stock Fair Value Moves Lower After Fresh Analyst Target Cuts
The average fair value estimate for Six Flags Entertainment has moved from about US$17.00 to roughly US$14.23 per share, a reduction of around 16%, which reflects a reset in price targets across recent research. Analysts link these changes to a mixed setup, with some seeing room for upside if execution improves and others focused on attendance trends, legal and safety issues, and balance sheet pressure. As you read on, you will see how these shifting targets and opinions can help you track...
Opinion: Renters deserve more freedom to display political messaging
Since the earliest days of the American democratic experiment, property ownership and political representation have been closely linked. After independence, the federal government established no uniform standard for voting qualifications. 13 states. 13 sets of exclusions and regulations. Black men, free or enslaved, were barred from voting under the original constitutions of Virginia, Georgia and...
Contractors say their work shapes how policyholders see their carrier
A Crawford survey finds 82% of restoration contractors directly link the repair experience to carrier perception
Peltola's lead over Sullivan narrows as Alaska count continues
Alaska's Senate and governor's races remain close as vote counting continues. Another results update is expected Friday, with ranked-choice tabulation scheduled for November 18.
This week in science: PTSD prediction, phishing while tired, an exoplanet
The regular news roundup with NPR's science podcast Short Wave covers a possible use for AI in emergency rooms, a distant planet and the link between cybersecurity and Daylight Saving Time.
A widely used antibiotic for acne and infections is linked to risk of pregnancy loss, new study finds
A common antibiotic may be linked to a higher risk of miscarriage and stillbirth when used early in pregnancy, a new study suggests.
Google Search Gets Massive Upgrade With Gemini 4 Hydrogen
Google Search has received a "massive upgrade with Gemini 4 Hydrogen," said Nick Fox of Google. "The biggest model upgrade to Search yet has landed," said Robby Stein of Google. It is super fast, has better understanding, improved query fan-out and linking, more visual responses and richer language understanding.
The Harvard Crimson (@theharvardcrimson)
Three tickets will compete to lead the Harvard Institute of Politics in elections this weekend, setting up a contested race after the current executive team ran unopposed last year. IOP members will choose a president and vice president, along with a treasurer, and communications director to serve for the 2027 calendar year. Nearly 1,000 IOP members will be eligible to cast their ballots through an online form, which opens Saturday morning and closes Sunday night. Candidates released their platforms to IOP members through a digital voter guide Monday morning. The three tickets running for president and vice president are Rhea P. Maniar ’28 and Justin D. Dunning ’28; Scarlett E. Eldaief ’28 and Henry D. Pahlow ’28; and Tucker Coombs ’28 and Alfredo Hernandez ’28. Full story linked in bio. 🖋: Jen L. Phan and Mirei S. Saneyoshi 📷: Zadoc I.N. Gee - @theharvardcrimson on November 12, 2026
Constant Contact Launches AI Marketing Product for Small Businesses
Constant Contact announced Thursday the release of Catalyst, a new agentic AI marketing product that the company says works like an expert that owners hired rather than another tool they need to learn.
Thursday Morning Links
Morning, all! The Rangers have hired Tommy Joseph as a hitting instructor, who previously played two seasons with the Phillies and had coaching stints with the Mariners and Orioles. Joseph has received positive reviews from players that have played under him, and is the first Ranger hitting coach who played during the Statcast era. Scott […]
The Science Behind Direct-to-Film Printing Technology
Digital printing has changed the way designs are transferred onto clothing and other textile products. Instead of preparing
Witkoff and Kushner meet Putin in Moscow for Ukraine talks
(CNN) — Talks between President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, US envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin are underway in Moscow, after negotiations in Abu Dhabi aimed at ending the Ukraine war concluded without a breakthrough.The US envoys were greeted at Vnukovo Airport on Thursday by Russian presidential special envoy Kirill Dmitriev, the CEO of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund.The trip comes after two days of talks in the UAE capital between Russian, Ukrainian and American negotiators – the first of their kind since February – which Kyiv said made progress on some issues, but did not result in a clear resolution.Speaking after Wednesday’s talks, which lasted less than two hours, Kushner said the purpose of the Moscow meeting was to finalize plans for more humanitarian relief and the release of prisoners, as well as to push to “get Europeans added to the format so we can make this a multilateral format.”While Ukraine has long argued that Europe should be at the main negotiating table, Moscow has so far resisted such efforts.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov criticized the presence of European officials in the UAE city earlier this week, saying their involvement was not a “promising approach.”Meanwhile, when asked if there had been any contact between the Russians and any EU representatives in Abu Dhabi, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday, “No such contacts were planned, and none took place.”Kushner – who acts as one of the country’s top diplomats despite holding no official role within the Trump administration – and Witkoff are also expected to travel to Dublin to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and discuss ideas from the Abu Dhabi talks.Kyiv faces drone attackDespite the flurry of diplomacy, the latest push for peace has not afforded Ukraine respite from the daily barrage of Russian attacks.Moscow launched a ballistic missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight into Thursday, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. In Kyiv, at least one person was killed, and several others injured amid a Russian drone attack Thursday morning, local authorities said.Zelensky also said Thursday that Starshield – a military-grade version of Elon Musk’s Starlink service that is critical to Ukraine’s military operations – has faced “significant disruptions” in recent days, hampering Kyiv’s ability to shoot down Russian drones.“These are not random errors but systematic speed restrictions. For us, this primarily means a significant complication in intercepting Russian jet-powered drones,” Zelensky posted on X. “We are trying to establish all the circumstances with the American side.”In October too, Ukraine said speed limits were imposed on Starshield satellite terminals, as the relationship between Kyiv and Washington deteriorated. Trump denied approving that decision, while Musk said the Trump administration was behind the restrictions.This story has been updated with additional developments.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Weekly Entertainment Report: Live music and lively arts, Nov. 12-15 » Nashua Ink Link
Live music and entertainment abound. Go get yours.
Common forever chemicals linked to nearly double the rate of aggressive breast cancer
An NIH study found that women with high levels of two common “forever chemicals” had up to 93% higher rates of an aggressive form of breast cancer. The discovery raises concerns about the potential health effects of persistent chemicals found in everyday products.
Bangladesh and India ban toxic pesticide to boost suicide prevention and brain health
Regulatory action on an acutely toxic pesticide will save thousands of lives and protect brain health worldwideGlobally it is estimated 1 in 5 suicides are attributable to the ingestion of acutely toxic pesticides. Many of these deaths are easily preventable and occur in rural communities across Africa, Asia, Eastern Mediterranean, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands. Long-term exposure to toxic pesticides has also been linked to brain health and neurological risks among agricultural workers, and neurodevelopmental disorders among children. In September 2026, Bangladesh and India declared national bans on paraquat, regarded as one of the most dangerous agricultural chemicals due to its severe toxicity and links with suicide, Parkinson disease, and risk to farmer occupational safety. With this historic public health decision, Bangladesh and India join over 70 countries that have prohibited paraquat.Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be impulsive and often occur during moments of acute distress. In these critical moments, easy access to a highly lethal means like paraquat can make the difference between life and death. Restricting access to lethal means of suicide is highly effective because it allows crucial time for suicidal thoughts to pass and the opportunity to intervene, preventing numerous potentially fatal actions. Evidence from a number of countries including the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Sri Lanka demonstrate that national bans on paraquat and other acutely toxic pesticides have resulted in substantial reductions in pesticide-related suicides and overall suicide rates, without harming agricultural productivity. Based on international evidence, national regulatory action on paraquat in Bangladesh and India is anticipated to save thousands of lives and protect brain health. These momentous actions build on years of tireless work across government, civil society, academia, community, and the health sector, including WHO. WHO, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, have produced critical resources to support pesticide regulators in phasing out the use of acutely toxic pesticides linked to suicide, including the International code of conduct on pesticide management: guidance on pesticide regulation to prevent suicide, the brochure Preventing suicide by phasing out highly hazardous pesticide, as well as a resource booklet Preventing suicide: a resource for pesticide registrars and regulators. In addition, a WHO study demonstrated that national bans on acutely toxic pesticides are among the most cost-effective interventions for mental health and have been included in WHO’s Menu of cost-effective interventions for mental health.Global momentum to phase out highly hazardous pesticidesOver the last decade, the phasing out of highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) from agriculture has gained increasing momentum in several international fora. HHPs refer to a small number of pesticides that cause disproportionate harm to human health and the environment. In 2023, a resolution on chemicals was adopted which included to address HHPs at the Seventy-sixth World Health Assembly, and in 2026, official and external side events at the Seventy-ninth World Health Assembly were held highlighting the need to take action on acutely toxic HHPs for suicide prevention. In November 2026, the First International Conference of the Global Framework on Chemicals will take place to advance key global targets on chemicals including the phasing out of HHPs from agriculture. The regulatory actions taken by Bangladesh and India represent a significant step towards this target and sets an important precedent for the rest of the world. Removing acutely toxic pesticides from circulation protects agricultural workers, children, and individuals in distress, advancing brain health and preventing suicide.
Mary Peltola widens lead over Dan Sullivan in Alaska Senate race
Democrat Mary Peltola leads Republican Dan Sullivan by 4,250 votes in Alaska's Senate race. New results also show leads in the governor, House and ranked-choice voting repeal contests.
Health department links foul odor in Memphis air to weather conditions
Residents across the Memphis metro have been asking themselves the same question over the past several days: “What’s that stench outside?”
Why Is Six Flags Stock Gaining Wednesday?
Six Flags (NYSE: FUN) surges 11% as director-linked funds buy 1.45M shares for $14.9M and the company names a new chief procurement officer.
New study links senior living arrangements to mental health outcomes
As traditional multigenerational households have become less common, increasing numbers of older adults are living alone or with only their spouses.
Katie Couric (@katiecouric)
66 likes, 7 comments - katiecouric on November 11, 2026: "Were the No Kings rallies an early warning sign of the political shift we saw on election night? When I sat down with @jimacosta and @larryjsabato, we reflected on the massive No Kings protests and how they may have signaled that something bigger was brewing. From rallies across the country Americans made their voices heard and showed that they weren't giving up. As Jim pointed out, we may not have realized just how big that movement was until last Tuesday night. Watch my full conversation with Jim and Larry on YouTube (link in bio) or listen wherever you get your podcasts. 📹: AP Newsroom 📷: Getty".
Samsung Early Black Friday Event Brings Major Sales to Frame TVs and More
Samsung recently kicked off its own early Black Friday sale, offering big sitewide discounts on TVs, monitors, storage accessories, Galaxy smartphones and watches, home appliances, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Samsung. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Highlights from this event include quite a few models of The Frame TV on sale, including all-time low prices on The Frame Pro models.
Wednesday Morning Links
Morning, all! The Rangers will be exploring the potential trade market for Corey Seager at the GM meetings, and Evan Grant suggests that the only realistic trade partners are limited to Boston, Philadelphia, The team also needs another catcher, and while Logan O’Hoppe is another catcher he has not, historically, been that great at the […]
Mets Morning News: Skubal sprint begins
Your Wednesday morning dose of Mets and Major League Baseball news, notes, and links.
Scaling the Rocks: Rockies are getting ready for business
Colorado Rockies news and links for Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Scaling the Rocks: Rockies are getting ready for business
Colorado Rockies news and links for Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Scaling the Rocks: Rockies are getting ready for business
Colorado Rockies news and links for Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Climate change is literally changing the way Earth spins, scientists warn
Geophysical Research Letters study used polar motion to check groundwater depletion estimates, linking lost underground water to nearly 80 centimeters of rotational-pole drift.
Obesity linked to up to 27% lower risk of death in dementia
A surprising study of more than 4,500 older adults found that people who were overweight or obese when diagnosed with dementia had a 16% to 27% lower risk of death than those at a normal weight. Researchers suspect that extra energy and muscle reserves may help patients survive the disease's toll on the body, although the reason for the survival advantage remains unclear.
Energy drinks linked to 11 times more reports of cardiac arrest
A new study found that energy drinks and stimulant supplements were linked to disproportionately frequent reports of serious heart problems, including 11 times more reports of cardiac arrest and 4.5 times more reports of heart attacks. Young adults accounted for nearly half of the cardiovascular reports involving these products, raising concerns about their potential risks despite the study being unable to prove causation.
Arsenal target comments on possibly changing clubs in January
Endrick has left the door open to a possible departure from Real Madrid in January after admitting that he does not know what the future holds for him, amid reports linking him with a move to Arsenal....
I got 4 job offers, picked Meta. Here's what I did to land the role.
Adwait Sathe, a Meta engineer, was strategic about who he cold-messaged on LinkedIn and how he tailored his CV to each application.
Millyard Design Zone set to open at SEE Science Center
December will mark the opening of the largest custom exhibit in SEE’s 40-year history, while celebrating the completion of multiple facilities upgrades as part of the organization’s first-ever capital campaign.
Seeing more sunlight is linked to a low risk of dementia, scientists say
More than 7.4 million people are living with dementia in the U.S.
Moana, The Invite and “What Customers Want”
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Before we get going, I wanted to acknowledge that two of the most important figures in sports media (at least to me and my team) are stepping back from two of the best sports shows of all time. First off, Ernie Johnson will no longer host possibly the greatest studio show in the history of all sports, Inside the NBA. (Charles Barkley has said in the past that he’s retiring when Ernie does, which would be even worse!) EJ is one of the greatest to ever do it, and the NBA won’t be the same without him. Next, Michael Wilbon is taking a leave of absence from PTI, my favorite sports news show. I’ve been listening to the podcast for this show since the 2010s, if not earlier, treating it as my daily sports page. Wilbon, along with his co-host Tony Kornheiser, is also one of the greatest to ever do it. The sports media landscape will be worse without these two in it! Wishing all the best to Wilbon and EJ. Okay, on to this week’s issue. We’ve got two big shows—the second season of Prime Video’s The Terminal List and the third season of Netflix’s _Nobody Wants This—_but both were bested by an acquired title landing on Netflix. All that, plus an Original film from Mexico makes the charts but a formerly huge foreign TV show does not, a notable creator’s latest standup special flops, Ted Lasso finishes as a top season four series of all time, big numbers for the NBA’s new season (finally), the top animated shows on linear and streaming, movie budgets, and all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. But first, on the film side, I’m taking a look at Moana and A24’s buzzy film from last summer. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of October 19th to October 25th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - What Do Customers Want? If I could remove one phrase from entertainment journalism, it would be “what customers want”. It’s not that it’s not wrong per se, but I read a lot of articles that use that phrase, but then don’t provide evidence of what customers actually want.1 For example, look at the bar chart below. It shows customer interest as measured by how much customers actually spent at the American box office, comparing four films to four others. Which films would you say represent “interest” the most? The one on the left certainly seems bigger, right? So it seems like “customers” wanted to see those films more. So here’s that chart with names attached: That’s right, four very buzzy films—The Invite, You Can See Everything, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma and Primetime—went up against four notable “flops” or underperformers—Moana, Disclosure Day, Minions and Monsters, and Supergirl—and the latter clearly had more interest. That doesn’t mean they’re more profitable2 or well-liked by critics, but if you’re asking what customers want to spend their money on, it’s those movies. I’d especially argue that You Can See Everything had about as much media coverage as a film can get—I saw/read about it constantly; whenever random NBA podcasts are talking about it, you know it’s everywhere—and yet Moana will likely best it. I bring this up, because this week features a showdown between a notable box office flop, Moana on Disney+, and a buzzy dramedy, The Invite on HBO Max. Moana was widely considered to be a flop, and it was a disappointment at the box office, only earning $126 million domestically (and $323 million globally). For the budget, that’s a big miss, down from Moana 2’s heights of $1 billion globally. But as I’ve written a few times this summer, we often confuse “this film is profitable” with “more customers want to watch this film”, which is not the same thing. But that’s the box office. Let’s look at the streaming numbers, starting with the Moana live-action reboot. Where, yes, Moana (2026) also disappointed. It made Nielsen, but under 10 million hours, which is low for kid-skewing Disney+ films: It did make Samba TV, but at tenth place for only one week: Those numbers stand in stark contrast to some of Moana’s previous superlatives on streaming. Moana (the original animated film) has made the Nielsen charts 130 times since 2021. Moana 2 opened to 33.3 million hours on Nielsen. Moana was the biggest film on streaming in 2023 and 2024, second in 2020 and 2021, and top six in 2022 and 2025. Moana 2 was second overall in 2025. To be clear, the Moana live-action reboot didn’t work, given how much it cost to make. It’s absolutely a disappointment. But more families paid to see it than people paid to see most of A24’s buzzy films this year, with one notable (horror film) exception. Okay, on to The Invite, A24’s buzzy summer release, which just came to HBO Max. Mainly, I’m curious: Who made money from this film? Or who lost money: the stars of The Invite or A24? No, seriously, read this Deadline article for the details. The Invite’s budget was allegedly “under $15 million” (so...$14 million?) then A24 bought it for “a sum north of $10 million”, which I saw elsewhere as over $12 million (so...$13 million?), but then it just made $26 million in the US. So basically, The Invite’s investors only made money after they sold foreign territories—it made $33 million overseas—but A24 might just make its money back in the US in the theatrical window, assuming it had $0 in marketing. I read one article analyzing this film’s marketing campaign which assumed no marketing spend, even though that article went on to detail how much marketing and PR and ads this film had. For what it’s worth, I saw a lot of marketing for it. A24 will likely just break even after factoring in other windows, but no matter what, this isn’t a hugely profitable juggernaut from Hollywood’s most-heralded film studio. (And, I’d note, most coverage of IP or superhero failures doesn’t account for profitability in future windows.) Really, I’m guessing that the stars—Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Ed Norton and Penelope Cruz—had or kept their backend, hence why they did so much press for this film, which brings me to my actual takeaway, which I just mentioned two weeks ago about Backrooms: I don’t trust A24’s reported film budgets anymore. Either A24 is strategically releasing low numbers to get good press or they’ve really cracked the code on how to make movies at prices no one else can approach. But I’m skeptical about that last point. You don’t keep elite talent happy by keeping budgets in check—see: Dan Lin getting fired—and by all accounts, A24 keeps talent very happy. There’s another option: not paying big name actors their actual quotes upfront by giving away back end/profit participation. Offering backend is one great way to keep the reported budget lower than it actually is, but it makes the film less profitable for A24. (By the way, I’m still running down the numbers on Backrooms’ budget. If you know its actual budget—not the reported $10 million number—reach out to me on my contact page. I’ve heard rumblings I’m on to something, but would love something more concrete.) Okay, enough asking questions about A24’s business model. To the streaming ratings! The Invite came to HBO Max on 23-Oct, so we could look at the streaming numbers now… …and I don’t have any for you since it didn’t make any of the charts I track. And that’s pretty much the moral of the streaming story. Even though it disappointed on streaming, Moana wins this round, too. Quick Notes on Film The only other notable new straight-to-streaming film was S_urviving Hurricane Otis_, a Mexican Original on Netflix. It made Nielsen with 3.4 million hours and Luminate with 4.8 million hours. Overall, I’d call that very solid for a foreign-language title, but still far from a hit. Overall, the Luminate and Nielsen charts felt very light this week. Gladiator II also came to Netflix non-exclusively (it’s still streaming on Paramount+) and had 5.0 million hours according to Nielsen. That’s up from the 3.7 million hours it had when it premiered on Paramount+ a year and a half ago. Netflix’s Animals fell to 4.9 million hours according to Nielsen and fell off the Samba TV charts. Peacock/Universal’s Disclosure Day actually made it for a third week, but only at 2.8 million hours. Apple TV’s Sacrifice was down to 2.7 million from 3.2 million. Still, for an Apple TV film to make two weeks is solid (for them). Toy Story 5 made a fifth week on the charts. We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… ...how The Terminal List did after a four-year break... ...what acquired surprising title topped the charts… …where Ted Lasso finished in the all-time charts… ...big NBA opening week ratings... …a controversial new reality show that missed the charts... ...what very notable foreign TV show flopped... ...all the flops, bombs and misses... ...and a whole lot more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. If you want an idea of just how much content you’d get in a full issue, check out this older issue.
Flood damage struck this small business days after big win
Businesses in McCaysville and Copperhill, Tennessee are devastated following historic flooding in the area. Joining us live to discuss the impacts is Gavin Loth, the COO of Bearfoot in Blue Ridge, a local soap-making company founded by his wife. The catastrophic deluge came only 10 days after the business earned top honors in the Best of Tennessee awards. You can help Gavin and his wife at the following link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-bearfoot-in-blue-ridge-recover-after-the-flood
The Thread That Links Affordability to Accountability
Democrats hope they can make progress on both by connecting corruption to the cost of living.
Could Your Favorite Pair of Undies Be Wrecking Your Sperm? Here’s What the Science Says.
A study of nearly 27,000 men found a link between tight underwear and poorer sperm quality. Here's what researchers discovered.
France links refrigeration cyberattacks to Iran
French officials on Monday accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards of orchestrating last month’s cyberattacks that raised temperatures in commercial refrigerators and freezers across France…
Drink 3 Cups of Coffee a Day? A Study Links the Habit to Lower Risks of 3 Serious Health Problems
A large study found similar associations for caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. Scientists are still investigating which compounds may contribute to the benefits.
Bundesliga defender ‘would be delighted’ to join Barcelona
With Barcelona back scouring the market for a new centre-back, Castello Lukeba of RB Leipzig has emerged as a leading target for the club.The 24-year-old defender had already been linked with the La L...
First on CNN: Whistleblowers tell Democrats documents linked to Trump’s construction projects are being destroyed
House Democrats are demanding that the Interior department retain documents related to President Donald Trump’s construction projects around Washington after whistleblowers warned that key paperwork has already been destroyed before Democrats take power, congressional sources tell CNN.
Ableton Live 13 hands-on: ARA 2, Drum Synth, new effects, more
Ableton Live 13 is now in public beta. That includes a lot of what you've asked for, like multi-band Racks, overhauled preset navigation, and ARA 2 support for tools like Melodyne. And it's packed with new goodies: a very Ableton step sequencer, a multi-engine Drum Synth with some nice twists, new effects, a new ambient looper, and more. Also, I know some of you will like this: no mention of AI. It's like we just get to talk about music-making tools again.
South Portland’s tank farm has been linked to chronic health risks. Now what?
Residents want to know what can be done to protect their health. The solution is not simple.
Late night eating and sleep habits damage gut health, increase metabolic disease risk
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Live Free Life Sciences annual conference to look at industry’s future » Nashua Ink Link
The growth and future of the state’s life sciences industry will be discussed and celebrated Thursday at the annual Live Free Life Sciences Conference, the flagship event of the New Hampshire Life Sciences, the industry’s trade association.
Hulu's Latest True Crime Docuseries 'The Well' Revisits the Speed Freak Killers
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Cuba Highlights Scope of the New Science Law
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Patriots News: Turnovers fuel embarrassing 45-27 loss
Daily news and links for Monday, 11/09/26
Media Link, Inc. celebrates 25 years in business
Media Link, Inc., a full-service marketing, advertising, and software development agency based in Rock Island, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Founded on Oct. 24, 2001, the agency now reaches a quarter-century milestone rooted in transparent client partnerships, adaptable strategies, and a collaborative team culture. The agency is located at 1902 17th St. This year also […]
Is There Really a Link Between Genius and Madness? A Study of 14,658 Twins Just Uncovered a Surprise.
Artists showed a clear link to poorer mental health. Scientists didn’t—and the reason may be unsettling.
Mets Morning News: Award Week
Your Monday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links.
"Art, including characters, terrain, animations, cutscenes and UI" Bandai Namco and Monolith Soft helped out with Ocarina of Time on Switch 2
Ocarina of Time is just the most recent Nintendo game Bandai Namco has provided support for.
New York Jets News: David Bailey Provides Historic Silver Lining in Loss to Chiefs
Your daily links to the New York Jets
Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult are the latest names linked to James Bond. But what's actually confirmed?
A string of British actors is in the conversation, but the identity of the next 007 remains a mystery.
UC engineering students win $10K to develop women's healthcare products
Mechanical engineering students from the UC have won $10,000 to develop a line of women's products for emergency departments. Learn more.
Radon Linked To Heart Failure Risk In Aging Women
By Dennis Thompson HealthDay ReporterMONDAY, Nov. 9, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Radon gas is already known to cause cancer, but a new study suggests it may also affect heart health. Older women appear to have a higher risk of heart failure if they live in areas with higher indoor radon levels,
Potential impacts Democratic health care proposals on employer-sponsored health care
Summary: Democratic state and federal wins in the midterm elections could lead to Medicaid expansion in some states, and focuses attention on the House Democrats’ memo on health care priorities in the new Congress. Few of these proposals are likely to become law before 2029, but they could form the foundation for Democratic health care reform efforts after the 2028 Presidential election. Portion of total newly eligible for Medicaid if non-expansion states expanded Source: Cervantes, S et al How Many Uninsured Are in the Coverage Gap and How Many Could be Eligible if All States Adopted the Medicaid Expansion? KFF, July 27, 2026 It’s been almost a week since the midterm elections, and the Democrats will have large majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, although not large enough to overcome Senate filibusters or Presidential vetoes. I reviewed some of what I thought these midterm results could mean in a post last week. In retrospect, I might have understated the elections’ impact on health care due to changes in governorship and majorities in many state legislatures. A Democratic trifecta (governorship and both houses) could mean expansion of Medicaid in Wisconsin, and a Democratic governor and House in Texas and Georgia could increase pressure in both states to expand Medicaid. That’s especially important, because Texas currently represents almost half of those who would be newly eligible for insurance from Medicaid expansions. Medicaid expansions matter to employers because they have been shown to decrease the risk of closure of rural hospitals and support workers’ ability to stay employed and productive. The House Democrats’ Cost of Living Healthcare Working Group published an 84-page memo in September with recommendations for the first hundred hours, the first hundred days, and the first year. The midterm results make this document more important. Here’s a review of what some of these recommendations could mean for employer-sponsored health insurance. Elements that could lower employer health care spending Restore the expanded advance premium tax credit for ACA plans. This could bring healthier enrollees back to the marketplace plans, which would improve the risk status of these plans and decrease the rate of uninsurance. Fewer people with insurance puts higher pressures on provider rates of employer plans. More stable ACA plans could encourage employers to consider transitioning from employer-sponsored plans to ICHRA/Choice, providing a fund for employers to purchase their own insurance on an exchange. Repeal Medicaid work requirements and other administrative rules of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act which as written will lead to a large increase in the uninsured rate. Fewer people with insurance leads to more pressures from hospitals for commercial rate increases. Extend Inflation Reduction Act negotiated drug prices to commercial health plans. These are now only applicable to Medicare Parts D (outpatient drugs) and B (drugs administered by providers. The Medicare negotiated prices are lower than net prices negotiated by PBMs. Hospital price limits. Some of the Democratic House proposals would institute site neutral payment and limit outlier hospital prices to 200% of Medicare. The average commercial health plan pays about 247% Medicare rates for inpatient hospital care, and many commercial health plans currently pay over 300% of Medicare for hospital services. PBM regulations. The proposals would mandate more transparency and prevent PBMs from paying subsidiaries more than market rates. Antitrust enforcement. The plan would break up vertically integrated health care monopolies which could lower prices through competition. Ban on non-compete contractual clauses could increase competition by increasing flexibility and supply of clinicians, although it could also increase physician leverage and lead to higher wages which could raise prices. Lower the Medicare eligibility age, which could take older, more expensive, workers off employer sponsored plans. Create a Medi-Kids plan to insure all children and potentially young adults up to age 26. These plan members have low non-preventive utilization and cost less per person than older plan members, but removing children from employer plans would decrease volatility because a few children have very high medical costs. Elements that could increase employer spending (in many instances for high value services) Mandate three primary care and three mental health visits without cost sharing Eliminate cost sharing for mental health care and substance use care during pregnancy and in the year after delivery Require coverage of infertility services Cap cost sharing for insulin, epipen and respiratory inhalers Count copay coupons and assistance toward member deductibles and cost sharing Cap total health care costs (premium and out-of-pocket costs) at 8% of household income Leave a comment Elements that could improve the market Increased price transparency Tightening enforcement of short-term plans, fixed indemnity plans, and cost-sharing ministries. These skimpy health plans skim off healthier people, leaving sicker people on marketplace exchanges and employer-sponsored health plans. Here’s a past post on the perils of cheap insurance. Most of these proposals are likely not to become law in the next two years, but could form the foundation of a Democratic proposal for health care reform in 2029 and beyond. The document does not provide cost estimates for these proposals. Share Thanks for reading! If you found this useful, please share, subscribe, like, and restack. You can find previous posts at this link. Views expressed in Employer Coverage are purely my own. Thanks for reading Employer Coverage ! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. Subscribe
Orchard’s First Fruit
Well, well, well - ask and ye shall receive. From a few weeks ago: I don’t see anything distinct for Orchard customers yet, so either they’re not live or not distinguished as easily as Garden Plot Eight days later, my wish was granted! Epic’s public FHIR endpoint directory added an organization called Enterprise Orchard Shared Services (Epic org ID 38769) managing an endpoint named “PA Health Center Technology Alliance,” along with 36 facilities under the same brand: The Alliance’s main office 18 Union Community Care sites 11 Delaware Valley Community Health sites Six Community Health and Dental Care sites Off to the races we go! As far as I can tell, no trade publication or Epic has covered this yet - the only public traces I see are a PACHC annual report plus a few patient FAQ pages. I’m not sure why - I think it deserves way more attention! We learn who’s actually buying (and it isn’t who Epic pitched at UGM) We get yet another entry in Epic’s playbook for reaching the low end of the market We get a census of who Epic is coming for next Grab a basket and let’s start picking. An Unexpected Harvest When Epic announced Orchard at UGM 2025, the pitch was a dedicated instance for practices of 80 to 180 providers while keeping the prewired third party applications that make Garden Plot appealing. But the first customer to surface is not that profile at all! Instead, we see something entirely different and arguably more valuable to Epic. The Alliance is a subsidiary of the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC). As I wasn’t totally familiar myself, let’s add some quick background for readers who operate outside the safety net: Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) are community clinics funded under Section 330 of the Public Health Service Act t They serve patients regardless of ability to pay, which results in a payer mix heavy on Medicaid / the uninsured As you might expect, this often results in margins too thin to fund an enterprise EHR on their own (especially in the current very tough funding environment) Every state has a primary care association (PCA), funded in part by HRSA, that supports its FQHCs with advocacy and shared services PCAs have historically been trade associations, so this move is notable in that PACHC is morphing itself into something closer to a holding company. In October 2024, its board voted to form the Alliance to contract directly with Epic and run a statewide technology hub for health centers of any size. A second subsidiary, the Pennsylvania Community Care Collaborative (PC3), is a clinically integrated network of 28 health centers built for value-based contracting. CEO Shelley Riser runs both PACHC and the Alliance and calls the arrangement a “family of companies.” From the latest annual report: PACHC is the only Primary Care Association in the nation with a wholly owned subsidiary directly contracting with Epic. Why does this matter way more to Epic than a single 120-provider group ever could? One contract may only bring in three health centers and 35 sites on day one, but every other PACHC member sits in the pipeline. Moreover, the distributor is an organization those health centers already trust, funded to serve them and literally governed by a board of their own CEOs. And if that wasn’t enough, every state has one! Grafting onto the Safety Net
NVidia Probes CEO over Alleged Chinese Espionage Links
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – NVidia has launched an investigation into CEO Jensen Huang after he admitted to an affair with a Chinese woman accused of gathering intelligence on the US chipmaker.
Delta's Sweet 16 Fends Off Southwest's Gains
Delta Air Lines leads the 2026 Business Travel News' Airline Survey, with top scores despite Southwest's progress. American Airlines shows notable improvement.
Coffee, vegetables and exercise share a surprising connection in your gut
In a study of 6,803 Japanese adults, researchers identified two opposing gut microbiome patterns linking diet, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption with general health and 15 chronic diseases. Health-oriented microbial patterns were associated with butyrate production and lower inflammation, while disease-oriented patterns were linked to inflammatory processes, with microbiome-based prediction scores showing potential for distinguishing health and disease across international populations.
Distracted Eating Linked to Higher Odds of Heart Risk Factors in Kids
A Brazilian study found eating with screens on was linked to higher odds of stacked heart and metabolism warning signs.
Speedrunners Are Breaking Ocarina Of Time Remake In Wild Ways
In record time, the hunt for new speedrunning tech and sequence breaking is pushing Link to jump higher and look freakier
Mariners News: Lázaro Montes, Ty France, and Billy Beane
It’s Sunday, and if it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Links.
Eagles News: Cooper DeJean among notable players surprisingly struggling
Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 11/8/26.
What makes a singing voice stand out? Scientists identify three key qualities
A singing study linked higher scores to expressive performances, rich voices, and the gentle pitch wobble called vibrato.
Scientists Found A Surprising Link Between Gut Bacteria & Bone Health
The bacteria in your gut could be part of a much bigger bone health story.
Health science students report higher GPA with frequent AI use, but most get no formal training
A cross-sectional survey of 310 health science students found frequent AI use linked to higher self-reported GPA, while 82.6% received no formal AI instruction and 61% voiced ethical concerns.
African-linked tankers caught in US blockade as Trump-Putin’s 1.8 million-tonne Russian diesel deal faces rejection by US buyers
At least four tankers carrying Russian diesel have been caught up in the uncertainty surrounding US President Donald Trump’s agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to release more than 1
UTEP study links duck releases to lower genetic health
A study led by researchers at the University of Texas at El Paso has documented for the first time in North America how more than a century of releasing domesticated ducks has altered the genetic m…
The Watch: Coal-Fired Power Plants Often Located in Disadvantaged Communities
Living near coal plants is linked to diseases, higher risk of death … EPA curtails information about air pollution health impacts … and more.
How property, football and politics link Manchester and Abu Dhabi
A closer look at the relationship between Man City's owners and the Manchester political scene.
Low testosterone linked to 18% higher risk of dying from cancer
A major international study tracking more than 26,000 men found that very low testosterone levels were associated with an 18% higher risk of dying from cancer later in life. Surprisingly, testosterone itself showed no clear link to prostate cancer, although two other sex hormones did. Researchers believe low testosterone could be an important early warning sign of future health risks, particularly when levels fall below 8.6 nmol/L.
Steelers linked to standout Commanders CB in new trade proposal
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been linked to more wide receiver trade targets than we can count, but CBS Sports just projected the team would trade for a standout cornerback from the Washington Commanders.
Boston Celtics Daily Links 11/7/26
All the Celtics news you need in one convenient place.
Connected Nation Study Links Broadband Adoption to Better Health Outcomes
Connected Nation data scientist David Nunnally says reliable internet, devices, and digital literacy connect rural residents to healthcare services and information, making broadband vital to state investments in rural healthcare.
What classic should Nintendo remake next?
Ocarina of Time is one of the most storied installments not just in the Zelda franchise, but in Nintendo history, so it only makes sense that the company would eventually remaster it. Which got us wondering: are there other titles in the Nintendo back catalog that could use a remake — not a sequel — to usher them into the modern console age? [Link: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time never gets old | https://www.theverge.com/games/1025415/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-review-nintendo-switch-2 | The Verge]
Early Apple Black Friday Deals on Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and More
Black Friday is now just a few weeks away, taking place on Friday, November 27 in 2026. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Scaling the Rocks: Projecting Charlie Condon’s MLB production
Colorado Rockies news and links for Saturday, November 7, 2026
Mets Morning News: Firings hit SNY
Your Saturday morning dose of New York Mets and MLB news, notes, and links.
Impact of psychedelic drugs could link to age
Researchers say the drugs' impact on mental health may be different depending on the user's age.