SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Independence " 317 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Aynor extends Independence Day celebration with the After the 4th event
The free, family-friendly event will begin at 5 p.m. at the park, 600 S. Main St., and will feature an evening of live music, food trucks, a free children's zone and activities for all ages. The celebration will conclude with a fireworks display after dark, scheduled to begin around 9 p.m.
Halon Entertainment completes management buyout
The company, which works across film, television, games, immersive entertainment and advertising, said the move follows a joint decision by Halon and NEP Group that independence would allow the business to focus entirely on its clients, employees and long-term growth.
Trump posts a doctored photo of the Obamas and Air Force One with graffiti spray-painted on plane
President Donald Trump has posted a falsified image of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama boarding Air Force One covered with graffiti | News-Talk 1380 WAOK
Trump posts a doctored photo of the Obamas and Air Force One with graffiti spray-painted on plane
President Donald Trump has posted a falsified image of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama boarding Air Force One covered with graffiti | WWJ Newsradio 950
U.S. Army Hawaii celebrates 250 years of American independence at Schofield Barracks
SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii — Thousands of Soldiers, families and community members gathered on Weyand Field July 4 to celebrate the 250th anniversary of...
White House report brands Smithsonian leadership as radical activists who can't be trusted
The report released late on Independence Day by the White House Domestic Policy Council comes in the midst of Trump’s aggressive campaign to overhaul some of Washington's most sacred cultural and historic institutions.
Virginia health officials warn that heat is causing medical issues for hundreds
HAMPTON ROADS, Va. (WAVY) — As visitors and locals wrap up the Independence Day holiday weekend, new data reveals the stark reality of how extreme, record-breaking temperatures are impacting health…
Protecting the Declaration of Independence: An up-close look at one of America’s most important documents
America's divided birthday
President Trump used his Independence Day speech to warn against communism while promoting his political agenda. DW breaks down the messaging, symbolism, and politics behind Trump's speech with US analyst Scott Lucas.
Colorado needs an Independence Day
Happy 250th Birthday, America! You look fabulous. As all the cool countries are saying, “250 is the new 230.” The Declaration of Independence wasn’t merely an announcement of war against a tyrant. It was the most revolutionary political document ever written. The Declaration was a landmark in human development, perhaps the landmark of all human […]
Deep in the heart of Texas: Astros 10, Rays 8
Is it me, or does it feel like the Rays almost never play well on holidays? Your gut feeling would be right, as Tampa Bay is now *checks notes* 10-18 on Independence Day. The Rays used some of their big pyrotechnics early, as the hottest bat in the sport, Junior Caminero, homered AGAIN in the […]
America celebrates its 250th birthday after another rough year
War, inflation and presidential grifting mark an Independence Day best put in the past. But America has made it through worse times, which lends perspective and offers hope for better times ahead.
A financially independent millennial explains the 'lazy way' to hit FIRE
Cody Berman hit financial independence using a simple approach to investing.
Fireworks, heat, hot dogs and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
WASHINGTON — The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with a country gripped by political polarization and a heat wave bearing down on millions of people across multiple states
Angels blown up by Boston on Independence Day
The Angels fell behind fast and stayed there after a shaky first inning from Sam Aldegheri.
Opinion | The science of the Declaration of Independence
On our 250th anniversary, a different look at America’s founding document.
Eagle ambassadors soar at Rend Lake’s Independence Day science program
Families spread their wings this Fourth of July with a close-up look at one of America’s most recognizable symbols during a special environmental science program at Rend Lake.
Royals vs Phillies, July 4 game discussion
The Royals must battle for their independence from the MLB cellar against one of the best teams in baseball
Fireworks, heat, hot dogs and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with a country gripped by political polarization and a heat wave bearing down on millions of people across multiple sta…
America at 250: July 4th marked by celebration and political division
From SoCal beach parades to sweltering East Coast crowds, see how Americans balanced patriotism, World Cup fever and political division on the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Fireworks, heat, hot dogs and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with political polarization and a heat wave as celebrations get underway on Saturday.
South Texas Health System welcome two 4th of July babies
HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The South Texas Health System congratulated two families in McAllen and Edinburg as they welcomed two babies born this Independence Day! Born at South Texas Healt…
Fireworks, heat, hot dogs and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
The signing of the Declaration of Independence, one of history’s most celebrated articulations of democratic ambitions, is being marked in myriad ways.
New Google commercial imagines a Declaration of Independence written with help from AI
Two hundred and fifty years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, a new commercial asks: What if the Founding Fathers had access to Google Workspace?
Trump hails US exceptionalism before veering into darkly political speech to usher in America 250
The president’s speech capped an Independence Day eve that was otherwise most notable for a brutal heat wave the gripped much of the eastern portion of the country.
Trump hails U.S. exceptionalism before veering into darkly political speech to usher in America 250
President Trump ushered in the 250th anniversary of American independence on Friday with soaring rhetoric about American exceptionalism before veering into a darkly political speech with warnings about a sinister threat of communism that evoked one of the country’s ugliest chapters.
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with a country gripped by political polarization and a heat wave bearing down on millions of people across multiple sta…
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
WASHINGTON — The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with a country gripped by political polarization and a heat wave bearing down on millions of people across multiple states as celebrations get underway across the United States on Saturday. The signing of the Declaration of Independence, one of history’s
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with political polarization and a heat wave as celebrations get underway across the United States on Saturday.
Trump hails US exceptionalism before veering into darkly political speech to usher in America 250
Trump's speech Friday night at Mount Rushmore swerved from the typically apolitical, unifying speeches past presidents have delivered during high-profile Independence Day celebrations.
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
WASHINGTON — The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with a country gripped by political polarization and a heat wave bearing...
Thomas Jefferson’s Embrace of Intelligent Design
Today on Independence Day, it is appropriate to review the sources of our rights as citizens.
Beyoncé Releases New Song ‘Morning Dew (Donk)’ As Fourth Of July Surprise
Beyoncé is setting off some Independence Day fireworks of her own, releasing a new song called “Morning Dew (Donk)” as a surprise 4th of July gift to fans. Listen to the slow-groove tune below. The so...
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with political polarization and a heat wave as celebrations get underway across the United States on Saturday.
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with political polarization and a heat wave as celebrations get underway across the United States on Saturday.
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with political polarization and a heat wave as celebrations get underway across the United States on Saturday.
Happy Independence Day Dawg Sports!
It’s July 4th, the day we celebrate one of history’s earliest and most impactful conference realignments. The decision by our founding fathers that the British Empire’s revenue sharing model just wasn’t for them, and became the Notre Dame of the Western Hemisphere, geopolitically speaking. Their fateful decision saved us from a number of indignities, such […]
In an era of charged politics, teachers help their students navigate the maze of history
This year marks the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The milestone coincides with an era when the historical record is a source of contention.
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
WASHINGTON (AP) — The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with a country gripped by political polarization and a heat wave bearing down on millions of people across multiple sta…
New York Jets Flight Connections 07/04/26
Happy Independence Day, Jets fans! Below are your daily Jets links as we celebrate 250 years of our wonderful country. Bent – Jets 2026 Position Breakdown: Can the interior d-line still be a strength with Quinnen Williams gone? NY Jets – Which Young Jets Player Could Be Poised for a Breakthrough Season? Connor Long – […]
Trump hails U.S. exceptionalism before veering into darkly political speech to usher in America's 250th anniversary
The president's speech capped an Independence Day eve otherwise most notable for a brutal heat wave that gripped much of the eastern part of the country.
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with political polarization and a heat wave as celebrations get underway across the United States on Saturday
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with political polarization and a heat wave as celebrations get underway across the United States on Saturday.
America celebrates 250 years with fireworks, heat and politics
The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with political polarization and a heat wave as celebrations get underway across the United States on Saturday.
Fireworks, heat and politics: America celebrates its 250th birthday
The 250th anniversary of American independence is colliding with political polarization and a heat wave as celebrations get underway across the United States on Saturday.
Declaration of Independence sets 'America apart from everybody else'
Oakland County Circuit Judge Michael Warren explains why the Declaration of Independence makes the USA so unique in world history.
Freedom 250 Independence Day Entertainment
Freedom 250 presents events from the National Mall prior to the evening "Salute to America" program.
The science behind fireworks and their brilliant colors
Fireworks displays on Independence Day are created by the combination of different metal salts, which emit light at unique wavelengths to produce vibrant colors.
Health Department joins Pride is Power and bolsters Philadelphia’s proud Independence Day legacy
Health Department joins Pride is Power and bolsters Philadelphia's proud Independence Day legacy
The United States at 250: Who gets to tell a nation's story?
As the US marks 250 years of independence, debates over how the nation's history should be told have become part of the anniversary itself. President Donald Trump says America should tell a more patriotic story.
Tricorn hats or Trump rally? Americans have July Fourth options
The United States is celebrating a jubilee – July 4th is the 250th anniversary, or semiquincentennial, of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the foundational document for western democracy.
Bigger fireworks, bigger politics: The fight over America's 250th
Presidents have always shaped Independence Day. Critics say this year’s celebration is different in scale, funding and politics.
Upgrade Your Home Entertainment Experience and Save Big 45+ Fourth of July TV Deals
Shop unmissable Independence Day deals from big-name brands including Sony, LG and Samsung, with options starting at just $150.
The 20 things in sports I only wish I could declare independence from this year
Wait, is this one of those "hit pieces" the online babies are always whining about?
Entertainment: Parades, a Drone Show and So Many Fireworks
Independence Day celebrations in all shapes and sizes.
Celebrating 250 Years of American Small Businesses
Over the last 250 years, small businesses with big ideas have helped make the United States the largest economy in the world. This infographic shows the contribution that small businesses continue to make today, including creating two out of every th
Philippines' 80-year bet on America
Eight decades after the US recognized Philippine independence, Manila remains closely tied to Washington through treaties, military cooperation and billions in trade. DW went to Manila and Washington to ask what this partnership delivers — and who pays the price.
New survey shows lackluster support for 250th Anniversary of Declaration of Independence
The split in pride in America's history is nearly the same as 50 years ago during the bicentennial celebrations.
All politics is local — even the Declaration of Independence
"What I found to my surprise," said Maier, "was this mass of local 'declarations of independence,' the greater part of which come from Massachusetts."
GTA Online Event Week: Independence Day Special (July 2nd-8th)
[responsivevoice_button] A new GTA Online Weekly Update has begun and Rockstar are offering Independence Day rewards, massive discounts and more ahead of the new update. Check out everything happe…
Federal Reserve Chair Warsh emphasizes political independence, signals focus on inflation
New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said Wednesday that the central bank would remain independent and seek to bring down inflation, likely foreclosing the rate cuts President Trump has sought.
Federal Reserve Chair Warsh emphasizes political independence, signals focus on inflation
In remarks at a central bank conference in Sintra, Portugal, Warsh said that if businesses or households thought the Fed would accept inflation above 2%, “I guess they'd be disappointed. We're going to deliver price stability.”
Federal Reserve Chair Warsh emphasizes political independence
When asked about President Trump’s oft-repeated desire for lower rates at a central bank conference, Warsh underscored the Fed’s independence from day-to-day politics.
Federal Reserve Chair Warsh emphasizes political independence, signals focus on inflation
New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said Wednesday that the central bank would remain independent and seek to bring down inflation, likely foreclosing the rate cuts President Trump has sought
New Federal Reserve Chair Warsh emphasizes political independence, signals focus on inflation
New Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh said Wednesday that the central bank would remain independent and seek to bring down inflation, likely foreclosing the rate cuts President Donald Trump has sought. The Fed typically combats inflation by raising borrowing costs. When asked about Trump's oft-repeated desire for lower rates, Warsh underscored the Fed's independence from day-to-day politics.
Content Independence Day, one year on: building the business model for the agentic Internet
One year after declaring Content Independence Day, a dynamic market for monetized content has officially emerged. In this report, we examine how the rise of autonomous AI agents is upending traditional search referrals and detail the new infrastructure required to support a sustainable web economy.
LG LIGHTS UP FOURTH OF JULY SAVINGS ACROSS HOME ENTERTAINMENT AND APPLIANCES
Limited-Time Fourth of July Deals Available on Select LG OLED TVs, Gaming Monitors, Refrigerators, Dishwashers, Vacuums, Laptops and Audio Products News...
Food science sector warns proposed US grant rules could weaken research independence
As the deadline for public comment approaches, a proposed overhaul of the rules governing federal financial assistance is drawing increasing attention from research institutions, universities, and industry organizations, with implications that could extend across the US F&B sector.
Celebrate America's birthday with area parades, fireworks and festivities
From fireworks displays and patriotic parades to live music and food trucks, the Blackstone Valley is ready to celebrate Independence Day with a variety of festive traditions. This year’s Fourth
Jonathan Turley: This is a court that follows principle, not politics
Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley argues that the Supreme Court’s upholding of birthright citizenship showcases its integrity and independence on ‘Special Report.’
For crucial federal agencies, veneer of independence is stripped away
The ruling letting the president oust members of historically independent agencies without cause has shaken institutions that once believed their protections were secure.
Supreme Court's ruling in Cook case backs Federal Reserve's independence
The Supreme Court on Monday said the Federal Reserve, unlike any other agency in Washington, has a measure of independence from the presidency and day-to-day politics.
How fear of a market meltdown may have quietly shaped the Supreme Court’s ruling to protect Fed independence
GOP Sen. Tillis on Acting AG Blanche: ‘If there’s even a whiff of a lack of independence, then that could influence my vote’
Our picks for the best things to do in Cincinnati this week, June 29-July 5
If you're wanting to see some fireworks this week, we've got you covered. Find an event in your community to celebrate Independence Day.
14 unique ways to celebrate America’s 250th birthday
Fireworks, hotdogs and summer blockbuster movies are Independence Day staples. But this year brings a flurry of unique and alternative events where Americans can come together, put aside our differences,
How should European scientists respond to the US AI kill switch?
Earlier in June, Europe’s worst fears of technological dependence were confirmed when the White House ordered the AI firm Anthropic to stop non-US citizens using its leading models. This kill-switch moment crystalised anxieties in Brussels that the continent, lagging the US on the creation of leading-edge AI models, is now a technological of vassal of Washington. The shock has specific implications for European scientists and universities. Some governments are now worried that with AI being integrated into labs, Donald Trump now has his finger hovering over an off switch for European science. “Having restrictions on this tool, it can have an impact on our own research,” said France’s research minister, Philippe Baptiste, at the VivaTech conference in Paris on June 18.Baptiste, himself a former academic, said that colleagues in mathematics had recently warned him they were now cut off from leading-edge US models, risking their work. “This model is not available anymore now because of the US restriction, and for the first time this had an impact on mathematics,” a field where large language models (LLMs) are making a significant contribution, said Baptiste. So, should European scientists avoid relying on US models in the future? Or would this be a self-harming overreaction? And how is AI being used in science, anyway? What happened?On June 12, it emerged that Washington, citing cybersecurity concerns, had ordered Anthropic to stop non-US citizens using two models: Claude Mythos 5, and Claude Fable 5, a version of Mythos but with guardrails to prevent abuse. Anthropic said Washington’s concerns were overblown. But forced to follow the order, yet with no way to check who was using the models, the company suddenly shut down access for everyone, US citizens included. There’s still no agreement on how to restore broad access. But last week, Bloomberg reported that select US companies, and the US government, still had access to Mythos despite the ban, but the EU’s cybersecurity agency Enisa had been shut out. Class division of researchersIn the longer term, access outside the US should be restored, said Marcel Salathé, co-director of the AI centre at the Federal Polytechnic School of Lausanne (EPFL), because a permanent restriction would be financially ruinous to US AI firms. “Even Trump will eventually budge to economic pressure,” he said.However, US AI firms might end up operating rather like banks, doing due diligence on users of their leading-edge AI models, he went on.European scientists are unlikely to fall foul of such checks, he said. But having a Chinese postgraduate in their lab, or doing a type of research the US disapproved of, could potentially result in access being denied. “It will create a sort of class division of researchers,” he said. More than frontier modelsHowever, successfully deploying AI in science is about far more than just having access to leading LLMs such as Mythos.Instead, many science-specific tools, most famously Alphafold, which predicts protein folding structures, require “far less” computing power to train than frontier models, well within the capabilities of European supercomputers, according to a recent analysis by the Arq Foundation, a Brussel-based AI think tank. Instead, tools such as Alphafold are possible because certain fields, like protein folding, weather prediction or astronomy, have large, clean, standardised datasets that can be used to train predictive models. Rather than compute, “data is the central constraint for AI for science,” the report says. For example, a less powerful physics model trained on CERN’s data “will be more valuable than the best model without certain data,” said Bengüsu Özcan, author of the report. European advantage?Europe could therefore steal a march by using its scientific data and infrastructure to create models US digital giants cannot. “They might actually match or go even beyond what these big [US] companies are doing,” said Özcan.Indeed, some European start-ups hope to create automated testing labs to create the kind of standardised data that could speed up the discovery of new materials. Materials scientists say there’s currently too little data to train models. AI scientistsHowever, even if the bottleneck for AI in science is often data, rather than compute, being at the mercy of the US for LLM access could still become a problem for European scientists. A new class of “AI scientists” based on leading LLMs is also emerging, Özcan’s report says.Unlike domain-specific tools like Alphafold, these try to automate day-to-day scientific work, by providing an overarching tool that coordinates specific models to synthesise existing literature, generate hypotheses or run analysis of data. The problem for Europe, however, is that these tools are sometimes based on US leading models. Google Deepmind’s AI Co-Scientist, for example, is built on Google’s Gemini LLM. Systematic failureThese scientific automation tools are still in their early stages, and still exhibit “systematic failures on scientific tasks,” Özcan’s report says. One of the problems is that the messy, day-to-day process of scientific discovery is largely not documented, meaning LLMs don’t have a good source of data to learn how scientists actually work. Meanwhile, some tasks, such as literature synthesis, don’t typically require access to leading edge models.However, the performance of AI scientific assistants could improve as companies such as Google pour resources into developing them. Rely on US“Unfortunately, for scientific assistants, there is not much we can do right now except rely on US frontier AI,” said Antoine Bosselut, a natural language processing expert based at EPFL. Chinese-built open models, which can run on local computers, lessening the risk of a shutdown, are touted as one alternative to US dependence. There’s also Mistral, once seen as Europe’s main AI hope, but the Paris-based company has seen its recent models fall behind in performance. But the Chinese alternatives are generally not as capable as US frontier AI models, said Bosselut, unless paired with fiddly, custom tools that allows them to act as independent agents. “Most scientists do not have the time,” he said. Don’t jump ship yetAlthough the kill switch moment is seen a warning shot for European scientists, it doesn’t mean labs should abandon US AI tools immediately. “I do not think the right response is simply to abandon US-based models and systems under the banner of sovereignty or independence,” said Mattias Björnmalm, secretary general of the Cesaer university association. “That would be an overreaction.”Related articlesEuropean sovereignty in AI requires ‘ugly trade-offs,’ say experts Robotic lab start-up makes case for €500M EU-funded materials testing facilityAI in science: is it useful? Instead, European researchers need to ask themselves whether they’re becoming dependent on technology that could be turned off in Washington, said Özcan. “They might not see this today, but they should really start asking this question,” she said. European researchers need a plan B, said Salathé. “I would recommend to every researcher, very proactively explore alternatives.”Own toolsIn addition, Björnmalm and others want European research institutions to develop their own scientific AI tools.Instead of signing AI deals with US digital giants, European universities should be using this money to create their own models, which may end up being superior for research, said Sabine Leonelli, an expert on the use of AI in science at the Technical University of Munich. “Universities in Europe seem to be happy to sign commercial contracts with US companies on the assumption [their AI tools] are better,” she said. But US frontier LLMs are typically opaque, and have been developed without independent scientific input, she said. “This is not good enough for science.”Last year, Swiss researchers released Apertus, an LLM designed to be completely transparent, from its development methods to its training data. The idea is that this makes scientific tools built on top of the model far more reproducible than with closed, commercial alternatives.“Europe needs more of this: serious capacity-building that gives researchers, universities and companies credible options,” said Björnmalm.
Dunnellon to mark America 250 with fireworks, entertainment
This year’s Fourth of July carries extra meaning for many citizens, as it represents the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. For the first time in
MIO: Memories In Orbit Developer Douze Dixièmes Shutting Down
It's been reported that MIO: Memories in Orbit developer Douze Dixièmes is shutting down after regaining its independence.
For democracy to survive, we must embrace our interdependence
Our mandate then was to gain independence. But in today’s hyperconnected world, it’s all about standing together.
Mesquite Entertainment celebrates 4th of July weekend with free poolside concerts, BBQ favorites and more
(Sponsored) Mesquite Entertainment invites guests to celebrate Independence Day weekend with free live entertainment, festive food and beverage offerings, and summer fun at the CasaBlanca Resort & Casino and Virgin
Rome's 'Fireworks on the Fourth' Returns to Bellamy Harbor Park
Fireworks on the Fourth will return to Bellamy Harbor Park for Rome’s second annual Independence Day celebration.
Why More Women Are Choosing Business Ownership Over Employment
More women are choosing business ownership over traditional employment in pursuit of flexibility, financial independence and long-term wealth creation.
250th birthday jitters: Americans see more peril than promise ahead
Most Americans say the signers of the Declaration of Independence would feel more disappointment than pride about the nation's democracy today.
Can a Community Move Beyond the Systemic Fractures of Mental Health Care? "All Access hosted by Andy Garcia" Explores the Coordinated Response in Kansas
The educational segment, filming on June 23, 2026, features Mental Health America of South Central Kansas as it challenges the traditional boundaries of regional behavioral healthcare. Filmed on location across outpatient counseling spaces, children and family programs, adult support services, and residential environments supporting recovery, stability, and independence in Wichita, the feature captures how connected programs, community partnerships, and compassionate care create a functional saf
Independence Health to open new behavioral health unit
Independence Health System will open a new behavioral health unit at Latrobe Hospital on Wednesday. The health system announced the plan to expand and consolidate inpatient behavioral health services at its Latrobe Hospital in February 2025 as part of ongoing changes at its three hospital campuses in Westmoreland County. The
Hope from Science and New Polling on America’s Creed
John West discussed the meaning of equality, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, when it’s obvious that individual humans are not all equally gifted.
Celebrate Independence Day at ‘An American Salute’ in Hershey
The sounds of summer – and the spirit of Independence Day – will fill the air once again as Penn State Health and Penn State College of Medicine invite the community to a beloved seasonal tradition.
Experts on history, politics reflect on U.S. 250th birthday milestone
As our nation’s celebration of its 250th birthday approaches, experts in history and political science at Virginia Tech can provide perspectives on how far the United States of America has advanced since its founding and the issues that will influence where it goes next.
CNN poll: Political independents hit their highest level in a decade
Nearly half of Americans say they don’t consider themselves a part of either major political party, the highest level of partisan independence measured by CNN polling in more than a decade.
Zach Wilcha building Independence Business Alliance for LGBTQ+ community
The Independence Business Alliance serves as the Chamber of Commerce for the LGBTQ+ community and its allies across the Philadelphia region. Zach Wilcha has been the CEO for the last decade and has seen incredible growth in its network of participants.
IBX team wins first place at Google Code for the Cure Hackathon with AI prototype to make prior authorization clearer and fairer
A team of associates from Independence Blue Cross’s (IBX) Advanced Analytics and Data Science department won first place at a recent Google Code for the Cure Hackathon in New York City. The event, run by Google Cloud, brings together teams to build real-world AI solutions to health care challenges. In just four hours, the IBX team designed and built a fully functional prototype that shows how AI can make prior authorization decisions clearer, more consistent, and fair for patients and providers.
Trump says July Fourth celebration on National Mall will include his own rally
President Donald Trump said Monday that America’s 250th anniversary celebration on the National Mall next month will include a “TRUMP RALLY” on Independence Day.
How one millennial hit financial independence in three years
"The biggest factor by far, bar none, is the gap between your income and your expenses," says Cody Berman, who hit financial independence at age 25.
Coast FIRE offers a flexible path to financial independence
FIRE is known as a path to financial freedom but also has a reputation for extremes. Some who have tried say they've found a more relaxed method.
In Retrospect: Poland, Russia, Europe
In April I spent a few days with Zryw, a Polish non-profit organization that recruits young people to enter politics and public life. Their aim is to build a new generation of civic leaders in Poland. I’ve followed their evolution from the beginning; my son is one of the founders. (“Zryw” means “impulse” or “burst of speed” in Polish). Julie Chmielewska, one of Zryw’s leaders, interviewed me at the event. Here is the conversation, lightly edited for grammar and context: Julia Chmielewska: Assuming that culture shapes institutions, could we conclude that some cultures are more prone to authoritarianism? Anne Applebaum: I don’t think so. Every culture, every nation, and every country has the potential for change. When we look at history, we can see that nations do change. Poland has changed, for example, from the 1980s to today. There’s a completely different mentality here than the one I encountered when I first visited, in 1988. The current generation sees the world through a different frame. So no, I don’t believe that certain nations are doomed to authoritarianism, or to anything. Of course, there are political and cultural traditions, but they can always be challenged. JC: So do you think there’s something intrinsic in human nature that pushes people to democracy, freedom? AA: I think there is something in human nature, a deep instinct, that pushes people towards freedom, yes. People who live in authoritarian countries – and I’ve heard this from them over and over again – sooner or later find themselves angered by a feeling of helplessness. They can see the unfairness of crooked courts, irrational political decisions. They naturally dislike the fact that somebody has all the power while they have none. In those circumstances, people who have no political background at all sometimes are politicized just by that frustration. I’m thinking of Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, for example, who was a Belarusian housewife, until the circumstances of her husband’s arrest forced her to become a politician. I met a woman who is a Uyghur from China, and who had come to live in Turkey. After several of her family members were arrested, she too was propelled into a political role. These kinds of experiences make people interested in democracy or political reform, even if they thought they didn’t care. I also think that the opposite is true: some people instinctively prefer homogeneity, order, hierarchy. They don’t like the confrontation of opinions or the noise of debate, and they lean towards a single leader or a unified regime. I think that most of modern history is shaped by the clash between those two different sides of human nature. JC: Which force do you find more powerful today? AA: I think they both have a lot of power and there’s no way of predicting who wins. Even in countries that seem very shut off or stuck in an authoritarian system can change. We’ve seen that happen. And vice versa, I think democracies can also begin to fail and slide into authoritarianism. So it’s very important not to be complacent in either direction. JC: I want to go into your history and your experiences. You’ve lived in Russia during a time of incredible change in the late 80s, and then you came back to do research in post-Soviet Russia. AA: I was a student in Russia just before the collapse of the Soviet Union. I then traveled and worked there extensively in the 1990s, and I met people who really were full of hope. They hoped that Russia could become a democracy, or at least a place that guaranteed freedom of speech, freedom of the press. These weren’t ideas that came from Washington. Although now the narrative in the Kremlin is different, I met many people who were working towards exactly that kind of transformation. A friend of mine ran a series of seminars – once a year, and then later several times a year, in cities all over Russia – designed to get people to discuss politics in new ways. She invited young politicians and journalists, as well as foreigners. I went to many of them, in Moscow as well as Volgograd and Novosibirsk. Over two decades, hundreds of people came to these seminars, and all of them wanted Russia to be different. I remain convinced that many Russians still want Russia to be different. It’s just that the old system, in the form of Putin, a representative of that system, returned. The KGB reimposed their power. And this wasn’t because of something to do with culture, this was to do with money and politics, and who was in charge. JC: You’ve partially answered my question... I wanted to ask whether that excitement of the 1990s was an exception from the Russian historical norm which has been rather authoritarian? AA: Of course, if you look at the history of Russia since the 18th century, there have always been liberal groups, reformers and revolutionaries. There were the Decembrists, in the early 19th century, and the rural populists later on, who tried to organize the peasantry. A significant group of liberal Russians appeared at the turn of the 20th century, people like the father of the writer Vladimir Nabokov, who was a Russian politician before the revolution. These groups were small in number, but sometimes had a broader significance. The Russian dissident movement in the 1950s and 1960s actually invented the modern human rights movement. It was their idea to hold the leaders of the Soviet Union accountable for the language they used, to remind them of the treaties they had signed and the promised they had made. They created the Helsinki group, for example, that held Soviet leadership to the language of the Helsinki Treaty, which formally ended the Second World War and which contained guarantees of human rights, at least on paper. That idea spread to Eastern Europe, and similar tactics were used here in Poland. (Benjamin Nathans recently wrote a great book about the Soviet dissidents, To the Success of Our Hopeless Cause) JC: But seemingly, even if they do ever get power, they could never hold on to it. AA: We don’t know, because they have never really had power. But in any case, we also don’t know what will happen in the future. There is no reason to assume that Russia will forever be condemned to totalitarianism. Even during the first fifteen years of Putin’s regime there was some form of democratic politics. Only when the full-scale war began did he bring everything to an end: he shut down all remaining independent organizations and killed his most important opponent, Alexi Navalny. But does that mean he is popular, that he enjoys legitimacy? Even now, we don’t really know what Russians think about him, or about the war. There is no way of doing real polling in Russia because nobody will answer an independent pollster over the phone. JC: Do you think that the flock of young people, especially young men, who fled Russia after the start of the war represent a continuation of liberal movements that refuse to partake in the authoritarian state, or do you think they are moving for the sake of self-preservation – “I don’t want to go to the army, so I leave”? AA: I’m sure it’s both. I actually know many people who left Russia for political reasons either in the very last years before the war, or else just after the war began. JC: And do you see a change in the young generation versus the old one that have fled? AA: It’s hard for me to say because the people who I know were mostly already politicized. I do know some younger people who left, but most of them were already either active in the opposition, or working as journalists. Many of them very self-consciously think of themselves as maintaining Russian culture abroad, just as in the 20th century the Soviet dissidents or the anti-communist White Russians once thought of themselves as people who maintained the true Russian culture, outside of Bolshevik Russia. JC: Let’s move on to Poland. One of your first experiences with Poland was reporting on Margaret Thatcher’s first state visit, in the autumn of 1988. You followed her around the farmers’ market. AA: She was making a symbolic gesture. She wanted to welcome free markets, but the only one she could really visit was the farmers’ market at Hala Mirowska. JC: And I want to talk about this area because today you can look out of any window in that district, Mirów, and see rows and rows of skyscrapers. How does it feel to see a country built from the ground in such a short time, both politically and economically? AA: You know, when you’re living in a period of dramatic change, it’s always hard to know whether the change is positive or negative. The transformation in Poland created winners and losers, as well as new classes of people, new political movements of different kinds. At the time, it sometimes just felt like turbulence. Now, we can look back at the 1990s and early 2000s in Poland and see in retrospect that the country was headed in towards prosperity and European integration. In around 2009 or 2010, I remember speaking to a woman who worked cleaning government offices, and who asked me if her daughter should study in Amsterdam or in London. This seemed to me to be a real transformation, and it happened very fast: within a few years, Poles stopped feeling like second-class Europeans, and a generation of younger Poles appeared who had no qualms about crossing borders. JC: We again live in turbulent times. Do you think we’re heading towards positive outcomes? AA: I can’t make predictions, because everything that happens tomorrow depends on what people do today. Also, history doesn’t have a trajectory. It doesn’t move in a particular direction. You only think it does afterwards. As I said, you can look afterwards at Poland in the 1990s and you could say this was a period of great progress. But not everybody at the time saw that. Sometimes people are very wrong about a given country’s trajectory. I remember people writing about Ukraine in the 1990s, about how dangerous it was that Ukraine was independent, that this was going to be an anti-semitic state, that Ukrainian nationalism was going to come back... and although you can say many bad things about Ukraine, the country made many bad choices, actually it became a pretty tolerant state which now has a Jewish president and until recently a Muslim defense minister. JC: In the 1990s Poland’s and Ukraine’s GDP were roughly similar. Ukraine was even a bit richer. So the starting point was similar for both of these countries, but they’ve turned out very, very differently. Even if we stop in 2014. Why do you think Ukraine “chose East”? Was it external influence? AA: No, I think Ukraine was in a different position. First of all, central and eastern Ukraine had been part of the Soviet Union since the 1920s, and had therefore experienced a longer period of occupation, repression, Sovietization and even Russification. Ukraine did not have, as Poland did, an alternative elite: a large cadre of economists and politicians, who already had some experience in opposition politics and in independent thinking. In Poland, the transformative finance minister, Leszek Balcerowicz, had already thought about how an economy might be decentralized before he took office. We can argue about how successful he was, but at least he was prepared to try something new. In Ukraine, people weren’t prepared. For one, there hadn’t been much space even for an illegal opposition in the previous couple of decades. Ukraine was also in many ways still emerging from colonial occupation. For the previous couple of centuries, many of the most capable Ukrainians had moved to Russia, and the first generation of leaders in independent Ukraine tended to be former Soviet apparatchiks. They didn’t immediately seek to become closer to western Europe. Instead, they looked for some kind of economic and political “third way” and an accomodation with Russia. Ukraine became stuck in this position, half-in, half-out and became pretty profoundly corrupt. JC: The Polish alternative elite had a vision of where they wanted the country to go. I think the general perception now is that this vision ends with the next election, right? Is this a natural process of gaining power? AA: Their vision, and it was shared by the time by politicians who now call themselves both left and right, was that Poland should join the EU and NATO, as fast as possible. My husband (Radek Sikorski) was in the very first government that said it wanted to join NATO. At the time this was taken very badly in Washington: the demand for NATO membership absolutely came from Poland, not from the US. But even then, in the early 1990s, many Poles already understood that the Russian sphere of influence would grow once again, that it was important to become part of the transatlantic alliance and an integrated Europe as fast as possible: NATO, the EU, the Council of Europe, all of the trading and security alliances. That consensus lasted through several different governments and over many years, even governments containing former communists. For twenty years, right, left and center disagreed about many things, but they all agreed on the direction that the country should go. In retrospect, that consensus created the basis for prosperity in Poland. JC: And regarding the Polish-Ukrainian relations. We know that antagonisms, e.g. the myth of Wołyń [a massacre of Poles that took place in what is now Western Ukraine, in 1943] are increasingly used in Polish political discourse today. In Ukraine, nationalist historians make heroes out of UPA, the Ukrainian revolutionary army, which is held responsible for this tragedy. Where do you see a start for burying the hatchet? Is the reconciliation of our nations possible? AA: So here’s a strange thing: For more than a decade after they both gained independence, Poland and Ukraine participated in a number of projects that were designed to solve exactly these kinds of Polish-Ukrainian differences. Books were published that were jointly written by Polish and Ukrainian historians, monuments were built. These projects were successful: If you’d asked me this question in 2010, I would have said that there are no real historical issues between Poland and Ukraine, that the two countries had mostly reconciled. For a number of reasons, this began to shift. In Poland, children and grandchildren of victims of the Wołyń massacre felt their tragedy hadn’t been fully recognized. In Ukraine, nationalist groups wanted the UPA partisans who had fought against the Soviet Union recognized for their heroism, despite the fact that some in this broad and not well-defined group were also linked to Wołyń. In both eastern Poland and western Ukraine, the memory of the ethnic cleansing that took place there in the late 1940s - Poles were moved West, Ukrainians East - to accomodate new borders has left feelings of displacement and bitterness. The wave of Ukrainian immigration, which started before the war, may have provoked some of this. But don’t underestimate the role played by Russia, which has always wanted to create discord between Poland and Ukraine, and pumps out propaganda to that effect in both countries. Vandalism on both sides of the border, damage done to cemeteries and monuments, is sometimes carried out by provacateurs working for Russia, just to create bad feelings. The Polish-Ukrainian conflict also hides a different reality: although there are real grievances and bad memories, the truth is that the biggest tragedies both nations experienced in the twentieth century were inflicted by the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. That should unite these two countries, not divide them. JC: This week (19.04.2026 – Ed.) in Hungary we saw that using historical narratives to create grievance has no longer worked. Are you optimistic about the direction after Orban’s loss? AA: The Hungarian election was really important because it shows that people can actually resist powerful, dominant propaganda. The ruling party Fidesz controlled all of the TV, 90% of the newspapers, the constitutional court, the bureaucracy... and yet people had the nerve to vote against it and resist it. It’s also an important election because Hungary created a huge network of well-funded think tanks and foundations that were funding other far right groups and projects. So that loss is going to have a knock-on effect in other places too, maybe even in Poland. JC: What you’ve said about resisting propaganda reminds me of one of the interviews you did about talking to Russians in the post-Soviet era who claimed that people knew that the system was lying. Why do people choose to believe in these regimes anyway? AA: Because it’s useful. Stephen Kotkin, an American historian, once described how people would learn how to “speak Bolshevik”: It was just a language that you needed to use in order to get by in society. If you didn’t talk the way the regime wanted you to talk, then you might have problems, or lose your job, or your kids would not get into university. It was a way of getting along. Communist Poland was similar, at least in the early years. When I was writing a book about the Sovietization of Eastern Europe after World War II, I met a lot of people who wanted to talk a lot about the war, when many of them had done really heroic things. But almost nobody wanted to talk about the decade afterwards, between 1945 and 1956. This was when you had the short period of terror, violence and Polish Stalinism. To stay safe, people felt the need to just go along with what others were saying, or stay out of politics, or use communist jargon without necessarily believing it. I don’t judge them for it, and I wouldn’t describe all of those people as collaborators. It’s easy to feel moral certainty in retrospect, because we know that communism ended. But if you were living in 1949, it might not have been clear to you that communism was going to end. In very repressive societies, maybe about 10% of people who are really evil – collaborators, torturers. Maybe 10% of people are really brave and who find ways to resist. And then around 80% of people have kids, they have parents, they have to have jobs and they’ve had to get through it somehow. Strange though it may sound, I’ve found that the work I did on that book is now very useful in explaining some of what’s going on in the United States today. There are plenty of members of the Republican Party in Congress who know perfectly well that Donald Trump says many things that aren’t true. But they avoid criticizing him because it’s inconvenient, because they would get in trouble, because someone would attack them on the internet. So actually you don’t even need mass terror to get people to conform. JC: Is Gen Z reinventing agency? AA: We’ll see. In any generation you can find groups of people who want agency. If you live in a society that’s unfair, for example where a tiny number of people have captured most of the wealth, then at a certain point people rebel. This is always easier for younger people, who have you have less to lose. The question now is how the internet will affect the relationships between citizens and the state, and how it will change organizations. The “Twitter revolutions” people spoke about as early as 2008-9, mass protests organized online, have often proved to be very superficial. Although you can easily join something just by clicking, the work of creating a real movement requires physical participation. Successful mass movements of the past, for example the Civil Rights movement in the United States, were built by people who had spent many years together. They had participated in non-violent workshops together. They practiced and prepared. Just using the you can get everybody to show up at a certain moment, but then when the protest is broken up, nothing happens. It’s also true that the repressive regimes have more recently learned how to use the internet to undermine leaders and movements. Most of all, they now understand how to make people cynical. The form of propaganda that most modern authoritarians use - and I think the Russians really pioneered this - deploys sneering cynicism. Instead of praising the rulers, the regime propagandists mock the opposition movement leadership for being supposedly corrupt or sexually degenerate, with the goal of undermining any kind of idealism. JC: MAGA grew on the internet? AA: MAGA is a real grassroots movement. They had symbols, red hats, they showed up at rallies. But you’re right that the cynicism, the sarcasm and the distrust that the movement embodies came originally from the internet, and this is different. Fifty years ago, most European political parties had a social base in real organizations, in trade unions for Social Democrats, in church groups for Christian Democrats. As people stopped going to church and as the trade unions became smaller, the social base of these parties disappeared. Now people who wouldn’t have known one another in the past meet on the internet and create new movements, many of which don’t last. JC: Is history ending? Going in stale circles? AA: History never ends. In truth, human beings want contradictory things at the same time: order and freedom, stability and change. These things are never resolved, and when a society swings too far in one direction, people always push it the other way. But each time that happens, the result is different. Certainly it is true that we are now in a period when old philosophers and ideas from the 1930s are undergoing a revival. Carl Schmitt, who was a philosopher who was very influential on the Nazis, is back as an influence on both the far left and the far right, once again inspiring people to think that all politics has to be existential, that all politics is about defining and defeating enemies. In the US, some are also bringing back dominionism, the idea that we need a Christian and not a secular state. It’s also true that we are living through a more fundamental shift. The old left-right divide, which was mostly about the size of the state, is much less important now. Instead, we are arguing about more fundamental things: what are our rights, what protects our freedom. Or how much power do we want to give small elites, versus how much power to give ordinary people. In America a small group of very wealthy people now control information, because they control the social media platforms and AI, which means they determine what people will read and learn. Finding a way to preserve preserve zones of autonomy and independent thinking, this is going to be the main task for the next generation. JC: What is the one book that a person interested in Central Europe should read? AA: You could read my book “Iron Curtain: the Crushing of Eastern Europe” which tells the story of how the Soviet Union imposed its culture on the region. Or read Tim Snyder’s history of the region, “The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus 1569-1999.” And everyone should read “The Captive Mind” by Czesław Miłosz, which describes exactly the phenomenon we were talking about: why do people collaborate? I joined Scott Galloway and the brilliant Fiona Hill in a discussion about the wars in Ukraine and Iran, the future of global power, and what these conflicts reveal about America's role in the world. Scott told us that this was the 400th edition of his podcast, which is quite a number: My friend Francesco Chiamulera runs a brilliant series of literary events, Una Colline di Libri, A Hill of Books, in the Prosecco Hills, a region of vineyards and elegant hill towns in the Veneto, north of Venice. We did an event in Vittorio Veneto and also drove and biked around the countryside. Buy Autocracy Inc Buy Iron Curtain Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
He saved for 4 years, quit his job, and moved to Argentina
Justin Heiter left his successful sales career in Washington for a new life in Buenos Aires, focusing on writing and financial independence.
Haiti’s World Cup jersey deemed too political, echoing censure of its Winter Olympic uniform
The jersey originally featured a scene from the 1803 Haitian War of Independence.
Haiti has to change its World Cup jersey after being deemed too political
The jersey, by Colombian sportswear manufacturer Saeta, originally included a depiction of the final battle of the Haitian War of Independence in 1803 on its front.
The UN’s AI Panel Could Shape Global Governance. Can It Balance Science and Politics?
The United Nations’ new Scientific Panel on AI could give governments a shared evidentiary basis for policymaking—but only if it can balance independence, expertise, and political legitimacy.