SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " Dem " 13,787 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
DRC: Early access to care and oxygen decisive for Ebola patients’ survival
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), health workers fighting the country’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak are struggling to overcome critical challenges to patient care, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
Plant Lovers Wanted: Study Highlights Demand for Citizen Science
Developing a more coordinated approach to training citizen scientists could help protect ecosystems from invasive species that don't stop at state borders
GOP senator blocks bill to stop Trump from demolishing Kennedy Center
The bipartisan effort to ban the demolition of presidential memorials was thwarted in the Senate by an objection from Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah).
‘Love Me’ Artist Demands Trump Stop Using Song
President Trump used JMSN’s song in a recent self-promotional video that was paid for with public money.
Iowa health regionalization could put county services in jeopardy
Polk County Health Department could lose an estimated $150,000 as Iowa looks to regionalize health departments for services like infectious disease.
Lesbian Bar Project Co-Founder: Purity Politics Could Destroy Our Remaining Spaces
Subscribe As a professional lesbian and Massachusetts native, I’ve recently been asked by a lot of folks what I think about the saga unfolding at Last Ditch. The now-viral story, first reported by The Boston Globe, centers on a Western Massachusetts lesbian bar that lifted its mask requirement for one night a week to help drum up business. The decision ignited an intra-queer controversy that has been feasted on by media outlets across the political spectrum—from the New York Post to LGBTQ Nation—and is even reportedly being eyed for a Hollywood adaptation. Apparently nothing is more entertaining than a bunch of lesbians and queers fighting with each other over KN-95s. What has been lost in all of the chatter and media coverage is the very real possibility that Last Ditch, which just opened in April 2025, will have to close its doors. The venue’s one remaining founder, Jackie Matellian, revealed in a community Zoom meeting that she’s working four jobs, is now solely responsible for the bar’s $50,000 business loan and is struggling to keep up with the bills. So as we laugh about the controversy’s similarity to a “Portlandia” skit and how one of the bar’s founders left to enroll in clown school, we forget that yet another lesbian bar is facing an existential crisis—and this time the call is coming from inside the house. In 2020, my friend Elina Street and I created The Lesbian Bar Project, an Emmy-, Webby- and GLAAD Media Award-winning docuseries and initiative that tells the stories of lesbian queer bars around the world. We were moved to act because at the time there were only an estimated 16 lesbian bars in the United States, and the pandemic threatened to bring that number down even further. There are now more sapphic bars than there were just before the pandemic—about 36 of them in total—but this is down from approximately 200 in 1980. Maybe that doesn’t mean much to you, but for the millions of sapphics living in the U.S., this number is calamitous. As the world laughs at lesbians and sapphics, I want to take a second and tell you what I feel when I walk into one of these bars, which are all unique and irreplaceable in their own way: I feel seen. Sometimes I think Cubbyhole in New York City’s West Village neighborhood knew I was gay before I did. When I walked in there for the first time, before I was even out, I was transfixed by the colorful array of tchotchkes hanging from the ceiling and how the women standing next to me were completely unafraid to express their desire for one another. I knew the minute I was ready to come out, I had a home. I also felt the joy of a new couple falling in love at Seattle’s Wildrose, the quiet confidence of a short king lining up her shot at the pool table at Ginger’s in Brooklyn and the kick of cayenne pepper in Julie Mabry’s crawfish at Houston’s Pearl Bar. Subscribe Lesbian bars don’t just serve lesbians; they serve queer folks across the spectrum, including bisexual, pansexual and trans people. As Elina and I traveled across the U.S. and Europe and to parts of Latin America to document the bar owners, staff and patrons that make up the ecosystems of these spaces, we also became uniquely acquainted with the factors that threaten their existence: gentrification, wage gaps, sexism, environmental disasters, gun violence, rising insurance premiums and political administrations working to annihilate queer people and their families. Lesbian bar owners, like all leaders and entrepreneurs, are imperfect. There have been significant issues over the years at lesbian bars: employee harassment, racism, lack of accessibility, sexual assault and transphobia. All bar owners should be held accountable and should listen to their communities to evolve into safer and more equitable spaces. I also acknowledge my privilege: I am able-bodied, white, cis and from a family system that loves me for who I am. Not everyone has that. Queer people, especially trans and bisexual people, are suffering from disproportionately high levels of depression, and our mental health system isn’t equipped to support them. Immunocompromised people and long COVID are real, and many of my friends are suffering to this day. The people with the least safety net are often the ones for whom a bar closing costs the most. And yet, as we’re seeing with Last Ditch, the queer community often lashes out at each other. It’s also the mainstream media taking the internal conflict and making a mockery out of it, distracting from the real possibility that this bar could close due to financial pressures. A bar that many people loved and needed is facing extinction. Perhaps it’s safer to dissent with one another than with the larger forces trying to eradicate us, but in doing so, we risk destroying the few spaces we have left. Due to the constraints of purity politics—some in good faith, some not so much—lesbian bar owners, almost all of whom are queer women themselves, are forced to be everything for everyone, similarly to how women are forced to be everything for everyone. By asking these bars to uphold impossible standards—standards very few other third spaces are asked to consider—we all end up losing. I want to move as a community toward dialogue, compassionate dissent and collaboration to make our spaces better with the goal of keeping them OPEN and thriving, rather than destroying them from the inside with expectations that are arguably unattainable. Subscribe While I have your attention—for this fleeting second of the news cycle—may I urge us to spearhead a way to keep these small businesses afloat without attacking our own community along the way? Bar owners are left with an impasse: They want to be community-centered, but they also have to make money to keep their doors open. Sometimes they might make business decisions that don’t work for everyone—and that’s partly because different patrons have different priorities and want different things—but these owners deserve the opportunity for productive dialogue**.** We have to work with them and with each other to keep our spaces open, to keep them growing. Lesbian bars raised me into the queer woman I am today. One thing I think about as I reflect on the six years of work we’ve done to document these spaces is that shared, unspoken language I have with a stranger the moment we both walk into one of these bars: the nod, the ease, the not having to explain ourselves. I don’t want to lose that, and neither should you. If objective, nonpartisan, rigorous, LGBTQ-focused journalism is important to you, please consider making a tax-deductible donation through our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, Resource Impact, by clicking this button: Donate
Penn and Community College of Philadelphia launch an academy for West Philadelphia businesses
The program, aimed at businesses with a connection to West Philadelphia, is tuition-free and helps business owners make plans to grow.
New campaign disclosures reveal how much American political campaigns spend on AI tools
Though politicians are quiet about how they use AI, the book Rewiring Democracy examines how AI is starting to influence American politics
Who Leads Fort Bend County? Not Even Fort Bend County’s Leaders Know.
After the swing county’s top executive became mired in scandal, Republicans—with some unwitting help from a Democratic activist—installed one of their own.
Ken Paxton calls for balancing border security, immigration reform to help labor-starved businesses
The Texas attorney general and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate blamed Democrats for standing in the way of a deal, arguing one could have been passed during the first Trump administration.
Democrats to probe lucrative Trump family business deals if they win midterms
Democrats to probe lucrative Trump family business deals if they win midterms - Nation and World News | Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Democrat Abdul El-Sayed courts RFK Jr.'s MAHA voters with new health policy platform
Analysis | Democrats coalesce around a message about the cost of corruption
Their message accuses Republicans of flagrant corruption, tying the attack to the billions President Donald Trump has made during his second term.
Top Democrats Start to Fund James Talarico in Texas Senate Race
The main super PAC for Senate Democrats will begin to run digital ads in the state’s Senate race, in a sign of the party’s growing confidence.
Opinion | I’m Exhausted. You’re Demoralized. We Weren’t Built for a World Like This.
A greatly underappreciated virtue of other presidents was that you could forget about them for weeks at a time.
Opinion | Kansas Hasn’t Elected a Democrat to the Senate Since 1932. Adam Hamilton Could Change That.
This campaign could be a compelling model for Democrats.
$10 for a gallon of gas has red Alaska thinking about a Democratic senator
Mary Peltola hopes to unseat Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan in a race all about prices, federal aid and Donald Trump.
Adam Greenman on how he’s preparing to be the next mayor of Pawtucket
The former nonprofit executive defeated a longtime incumbent in the Democratic primary
Rummenigge confirms new leadership structure for FC Bayern campus
Bayern Munich supervisory board member Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed a structural reorganisation at the Bayern campus, clarifying that sporting director Christoph Freund and campus director Jochen Sauer now hold complete operational authority over the club’s youth academy, and that Max Eberl will no longer have a say in their operations. Speaking on the executive hierarchy […]
China offers 15-year research grants to the world’s brightest young scientists
Agency offers scientists under 35 long-term financial backing with no short-term performance reviews but demands physical lab presence.
Today’s Papers – Pride and redemption as Italy bounce back
La Gazzetta dello SportRonaldo’s sunset: he finds himself on the benchFlower of ItalyAzzurri relaunch, goals and beautiful playing style in TurkeyThe revolution works. Pio and Seba Esposito together...
Hawks Rookies Reveal Eye-Opening LeBron James Workout Experience
Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor trained with LeBron James, Jalen Johnson and DeMar DeRozan during their first NBA offseason with Atlanta.
Harry Potter and the British business of international schools
Nord Anglia, Cognita, Inspired Education and other private equity-backed groups are profiting from history and rising global demand
BRAHM celebrating 15th anniversary with Community Day on Oct. 1
BRAHM, the Blowing Rock Art & History Museum, celebrates its 15th anniversary on October 1 with free public events including tours, art projects, live music, and a special anniversary beer brewed with Blowing Rock Brewing Company to honor the museum’s community and artistic growth.
Chinese Academy of Sciences sets sci-tech progress priorities in 5-year plan
The Chinese Academy of Sciences has released its development plan for the 15th Five-Year Plan period, setting priority directions for sci-tech breakthroughs in three major fields: basic research, strategic high technologies and sustainable development.
Europe Condemns Russian Strikes on Kyiv Science Academy and Medical Center
European leaders condemned Russian attacks on Kyiv that hit the National Academy of Sciences, a medical center and other civilian sites.
Senate approves sweeping bill to regulate college sports, despite opposition from some Democrats
Bichotte Hermelyn opens a new chapter: Choosing service over survival politics
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, one of Brooklyn’s most influential Democratic figures, announced she will not seek re‑election.
U.S. Bank Launches Cards to Meet Small Business Rewards Demand
U.S. Bank has launched two new small business credit cards that are designed to deliver “straight-forward rewards” on everyday business purchases, the
IEDC boasts businesses moving to Indiana, eyes supercomputer and Space Academy
State officials are touting strong wage growth and low unemployment while attracting business investment to Indiana. Supercomputer and Space Academy are being eyed as future investments.
Mat3ra and the University of Tsukuba’s Center for Computational Sciences Sign MoU to Expand Access to Cloud-Based Materials Modeling in Japan
Mat3ra Japan K.K., the Japan entity of Exabyte Inc., the developers of Mat3ra.com, and the Center for Computational Sciences (CCS) of the University of Tsukuba today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that establishes a framework for the use and dissemination of the Mat3ra.com computational materials platform within CCS and associated academic institutions in Japan. Under the MoU, Mat3ra provides CCS with free access to the platform for research and educational p...
Nancy Pelosi rallies Democrats at Crow fundraiser in Colorado’s 6th CD
Nancy Pelosi told a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Jason Crow the path to preserving the country's democratic form of government runs through the kitchen table
Nancy Pelosi rallies Democrats at Crow fundraiser in Colorado’s 6th CD
Nancy Pelosi told a fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Jason Crow the path to preserving the country's democratic form of government runs through the kitchen table
Mann says voters are ready for a change from ‘Politics as it is’ during recent campaign fundraiser in Emporia Monday
It is the opinion of Democratic Candidate Chris Mann that voters are tired of "politics as it is" and ready fo...
French student protests fuel political clash ahead of Presidential vote
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon traded barbs on Monday over high school students blockading classes to demand more resources. The students cite teacher…
NY1 Exclusive: Brooklyn Dem chair backs out of party race
After months of infighting, the chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, told NY1 she will not be seeking another term.
Haaland Tours Rural New Mexico Hospital, Highlights Medicaid and Health Care Challenges
Overview: Democratic gubernatorial nominee Deb Haaland visited Presbyterian Española Hospital on Sunday, touring its facilities and meeting with health care professionals about challenges facing rural hospitals and the potential impact of Medicaid cuts. Native Vote 2026 Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), the Democratic nominee for governor of New Mexico, visited Presbyterian Española Hospital on Sunday, where […]
Haaland Tours Rural New Mexico Hospital, Highlights Medicaid and Health Care Challenges
Native Vote 2026 Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo), the Democratic nominee for governor of New Mexico, visited Presbyterian Española Hospital on Sunday, where she toured health care facilities and participa...
Kyiv Science Academy hit, 10 dead as Russian jet-drones strike across Ukraine
Kyiv Science Academy hit, 10 dead as Russian jet-drones strike across Ukraine
Kyiv Science Academy hit, 10 dead as Russian jet-drones strike across Ukraine
In recent weeks, Russia has begun hitting Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with faster, high-flying jet drones.
Ranking Member Markey: SBA Administrator Loeffler, Trump Administration are Refusing to Answer to America’s 36+ Million Small Businesses and Workers, Leaving Main Street Behind
Loeffler canceled her scheduled Sept. 30 appearance before the Senate Small Business Committee, has not appeared before SBC in more than a year (Washington, September 28) – Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today released the following statement after Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Kelly Loeffler canceled her scheduled Wednesday appearance before the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. Administrator Loeffler has not appeared before the committee in more than a year and has consistently refused to provide substantial answers to committee members in person, in writing, or via requested briefings. In June, Ranking Member Markey led every Democratic member of the committee in calling on Administrator Loeffler to appear before the committee to answer for the Trump administration’s cruel attacks on American small businesses, entrepreneurs, and workers. The Democratic lawmakers still have not received a response from Administrator Loeffler. “It is unacceptable that Administrator Loeffler chose to cancel her appearance before the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee. The Trump administration is once again ignoring the more than 36 million American small businesses, entrepreneurs, and workers who drive our economy and enrich our communities by refusing to answer questions about this administration’s reckless economic policies. It has been more than a year since Administrator Loeffler has appeared before our committee and answered questions from both Democrats and Republicans. Since then, the Trump administration’s attacks on Main Street have only worsened. “Small businesses are facing record high gas and diesel prices, skyrocketing healthcare costs, and never-ending uncertainty from Trump’s trade war with the world. Trump has terrorized Main Streets across the country with violent ICE raids, destroying families, communities, and local economies. Meanwhile, Administrator Loeffler and the Trump SBA have been in a Witness Protection Program, ignoring the Pain on Main Street that they have created. They have chosen to make drastic cuts to SBA funding and essential, bipartisan programs, including the closure of the SBA office in Springfield and removal of the SBA office from Boston; directly attacked immigrant small business owners and destroyed the promise of the American Dream; and proposed shortsighted small business size rules that would benefit billion-dollar businesses over actual small businesses. “It’s clear that Administrator Loeffler, President Trump, and their CEO billionaire buddies want to turn the Small Business Administration into the Big Business Administration, tear down our economy, and abandon Main Street. If that is indeed this administration’s goal, Administrator Loeffler must answer to the millions of small businesses, workers, and families in Massachusetts and across the country that this administration is leaving behind.” ###
Health policy polling shows similar feelings across party lines
New polling shows Michigan Democratic and Republican voters are not all that different when it comes to their views on health policy.
Russian strikes hit science academy and medical facility in Kyiv
Russian strikes struck a science academy building and a medical facility in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, killing at least one person and injuring six others, including three children, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy said on Monday that the casualties were reported at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine building, which sustained a direct hit. […]
Criminal allegations fly in OH-07 race
The campaign for Congress in northeast Ohio between embattled Rep. Max Miller and his Democratic challenger Brian Poindexter is getting nasty, with both sides accusing each other of engaging in criminal behavior.
Academy of Natural Sciences closes amid fight to reopen
The Academy of Natural Sciences closed to the public Sunday as supporters marched to City Hall and called for investigations and a reopening.
Philadelphia shouldn’t give up on the Academy of Natural Sciences’ historic museum
The Academy's 150-year-old building faces roughly $150 million in deferred maintenance costs. While that may seem daunting, it is not insurmountable.
Nico Collins may be available for Week 4
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans hopes Nico Collins can play in Week 4
Wulf: Save The Academy of Natural Sciences, Save Our Soul
The Academy of Natural Sciences opened its doors to the public for what they say was the last time at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. We parked on the other...
Ken Paxton calls for balancing border security with immigration reform to help labor-starved business sectors
The Texas attorney general and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate blamed Democrats for standing in the way of a deal, arguing one could have been passed during the first Trump administration.
Ken Paxton calls for balancing border security with immigration reform to help labor-starved business sectors
The Texas attorney general and Republican candidate for U.S. Senate blamed Democrats for standing in the way of a deal, arguing one could have been passed during the first Trump administration.
Bobby Kotick’s lawyers sent me a bad email (and later apologized)
The message I had received was unsettling—for a moment. Then it was just really confusing. Back on January 20 of this year, at 5:15pm ET, I received an email with the subject line “Legal Correspondence re Bobby Kotick.” It was from the law firm Clare Locke, a firm I’d heard had been emailing reporters in recent years about their coverage of Kotick, the former, longtime CEO of Activision Blizzard. The letter was threatening. A lawyer from the firm introduced themselves as “defamation counsel to Bobby Kotick.” They issued a “demand” that I “correct” a Game File article I’d published a week prior. The article that had irked them had been a scoop of sorts. I’d written about a a 2022 lawsuit brought by a Swedish pension fund, AP7, over Microsoft’s purchase of Activision Blizzard. The suit wasn’t news, but I was first to review and report about Kotick’s extensive pushback to the fund’s claims. The pension fund’s core contention was that the sale had been rushed by Kotick to avoid the consequences of sexual misconduct scandals swirling around the company in 2021. (He’d not been accused of misconduct himself in those suits, to be clear.) As I wrote at the time, Kotick had denied the allegations of the rushed sale. Beyond that, Kotick used a December 2025 reply to the Swedish fund’s lawsuit to assign blame for those workplace scandals, the bad press and even for the AP7 lawsuit. I’d found Kotick’s arguments novel and newsworthy. Across nearly 3,000 words, I explained Kotick’s take: that a Swedish gaming company was behind the Swedish fund’s lawsuit (the Embracer group; they denied it); that the Microsoft-Activision deal was not rushed and was secured at what Kotick felt history had proven to be an optimal price for shareholders; that he believed a conspiracy of people at unions government agencies, PR firms and the media had spun up claims of widespread workplace misconduct at Activision Blizzard in 2021. The article gave context for all of this, letting readers assess the claims and weigh their credibility. As I’d later write to Kotick’s lawyers: I would be surprised if you could point to any news article about Bobby Kotick in the last five years that has spent more of its wordcount articulating his point of view. He is welcome to do an interview with Game File any time. Nonetheless, there they were in my inbox that Tuesday evening: Clare Locke, the law firm that secured a $787.5 million settlement from Fox News over false statements about voting machines. They were emailing me, threatening that failure to comply with their demand could support a claim of “actual malice,” a legal standard for libel. Unless… Unless, they said, I added a key paragraph to my article. This was a paragraph that I already knew Kotick’s lawyers had been emailing reporters about for at least a year, and it was a paragraph that was already in my article. The paragraph they wanted is from a 2023 settlement that California’s Civil Rights Department struck with Activision Blizzard. The settlement had closed a two-year-old lawsuit over alleged sexual discrimination at the game maker. The paragraph basically said that claims of systemic or widespread sexual harassment—or of execs like Kotick tolerating such behavior—had never been proven. I’d already seen proof that Kotick’s lawyers had pushed for the settlement’s language to be added to reports about 2021 sexual discrimination and misconduct lawsuits brought against Activision Blizzard by California and, separately, by the U.S. federal government (both suits were since settled). I knew that Kotick and his lawyers felt that the California settlement language should be mentioned in the same breath as references to an article he hated and denied, a November 2021 Wall Street Journal article claiming Kotick knew “for years” of sexual misconduct at Activision Blizzard. So, in the Game File article that Clare Locke emailed me about, in the interest of ensuring I was being fair and balanced regarding the person I was covering, I had already included the following excerpt from the California settlement [emphasis added in bold]: (Kotick has repeatedly pushed back against that November article in the Wall Street Journal, citing among other things, language from a court-approved consent decree as part of Activision’s 2023 $54 million settlement over the California suit. It states: “no court or any independent investigation has substantiated any allegations that: there has been systemic or widespread sexual harassment at Activision Blizzard [or] that Activision Blizzard senior executives ignored, condoned, or tolerated a culture of systemic harassment, retaliation, or discrimination.”) On the evening of January 20, I was incredulous. How do you write a four page legal threat about a week-old article and miss this? While scrambling to also make my kids dinner, I wrote a lengthy reply to Clare Locke’s lawyers, basically asking them to cool it with the threats and to start making sense. In part, I wrote: I hope you can understand why I am having trouble understanding what you’re asking for, when the statement you’re demanding to see in Game File’s article already appears in Game File’s article. Actual malice, as you know, refers to a reckless disregard for the truth. I’m not sure what your argument is when my article already states your client’s position. Here is where I should remind you, the reader, that I am an independent journalist. I publish on Substack, and have availed myself of the Substack Defender program that provides writers on the platform with legal support. But I’m no Wall Street Journal or New York Times, nor even IGN or GameSpot when it comes to such things as, well, having a legal department. There are more fun things for me to do as an independent journalist than writing back to a powerful law firm representing a very rich person. On the evening of January 20th, I was just trying to cook some pasta, broccoli and chicken nuggets for hungry twins. Nevertheless, I wrote back to them. Two hours later, I got a reply. Summarizing: A lawyer for Clare Locke said they’d “reviewed an incomplete version” of my article and they “apologize for the confusion.” (My guess: Someone didn’t read past the piece’s paywall, even though they’d had a full week to scrounge up the funds to do so. What I’d published above the paywall was balanced, as was what came after.)1 That was almost that, but something about the situation bothered me. The letter had been marked “confidential.” I hadn’t agreed to that, and I disliked the idea that powerful people on the beat that I cover would act like they could unilaterally control what I might tell my readers about. On the morning of the 21st, having already gotten the powerful law firm to back off, I oh-so-wisely re-approached them with just one more thing. I thanked them for clearing things up the night before but noted that I’d never agreed to keep their letter confidential. I’m all for agreeing with a source to keep things off the record, but that’s the thing. We have to agree. You can’t just declare it. I’m not bound by that. I wrote to Clare Locke’s lawyer and said, in part: I trust the matter is resolved. It was disappointing to have to spend less time with my kids last night in order to address your legal letter. Family time’s precious. I will add, for clarity’s sake, that, while your letter stipulated that it was confidential, I did not agree to those terms. In the future, should you wish to communicate with me confidentially, I am happy to agree to classifying our communication as “off the record” prior to the actual communication—as is standard with any professional journalist. The firm’s lawyer replied, not directly addressing the confidentiality issue but asserting that the matter was resolved. Why I didn’t write about this until now In May, I told this story on an episode of Simon Parkin’s podcast My Perfect Console, but I held off on sharing it directly with Game File readers. I held off to avoid stepping on the toes of another reporter, the journalist Mikhail Klimentov. He’d interviewed me in the spring of 2025 about an investigation he was working on regarding Bobby Kotick lawyers pressing the media to add the California settlement language to stories referencing the 2021 lawsuits. And about how some outlets had changed their stories and how some simply deleted them. Initially, I was a third-party source for Klimentov’s reporting, providing on-the-record context about the state of the games media. I’d heard about the letters but hadn’t put the time into pursuing the story. I thought it was interesting, and I was glad he was covering it. When the outlet that Klimentov was going to run his reporting in dropped the story, I began talking to him about potentially publishing his reporting on Game File. This was tentative. Then, in January, when I got my own Clare Locke letter, I told Klimentov that I didn’t think it would make sense for me to publish him, not with me now being part of the story. I had my own version of this situation to tell. But I wished him well and said I’d refrain from telling my tale until he could get his reporting out there. Last Friday, Klimentov finally ran his investigation, in a nearly 48-minute video report for People Make Games. It covers various Clare Locke letters, how media outlets reacted to them and what to make of all this. His video weighs the merits of Kotick’s request and looks at some of the articles that were changed (one of which had a glaring error). I highly recommend watching it: (Note, I did some editorial consulting for a People Make Games video last year but nothing to do with this report.) While many outlets haven’t left any public evidence that they updated their Kotick coverage at Kotick’s counsel’s request, at least one has. Back in October 2025, the mainstream outlet Reuters applied the most transparent article update I’ve seen. On the 3rd of the month, they published an article about the state of the Swedish pension fund’s lawsuit. Days later, they added this: In an October 7 letter sent after publication of this article, Kotick’s defamation counsel disputed claims of widespread harassment at Activision. “Not a single investigation, court finding, verdict, or ruling ever concluded that there was any merit” to the allegations of widespread harassment at Activision, Tom Clare and Nick Brechbill of Clare Locke wrote. I’ve never added a statement to my article on Game File, because none was needed. Not for fairness’ sake, nor to meet any demands of Kotick’s lawyers. I’ve nevertheless wanted to be transparent with Game File readers. If someone powerful is questioning my reporting, is threatening a lawsuit over it… if that threat is part of a pattern involving other games media outlets and if, in my case, the whole thing ran into a ridiculous ditch, I want you to know about it. I also share this as a real example of how I handle threats to Game File. I stand up for my own reporting, even when it’s not comfortable to do so. (In that same category of standing up for the work I do, I’ll point to an incident in late August. Asocial media post I published to X/Twitter regarding reporting I did about Take Two and GTA VI was hit by bogus copyright claim by a firm working for the publisher. I pushed back and got it reversed; even while a bigger games media outlet let themselves be censored. This is the other reason I’m sharing this story: To emphasize that dealing with threats from powerful people is one of the costs of covering the video game industry independently and as fearlessly as possible. This is where you come in. Your support, through free and paid subscriptions (sign up here!), can help me keep doing that. It can ensure that I’ve got the back-up I need. And it can help make fiascoes like this even less of a worry, so I can spend my evenings dealing with more important things, such as making sure I steam the kids’ broccoli just right. 1 That pension fund lawsuit I wrote about in January has all but gone away. In May, the fund and Activision Blizzard owner Microsoft agreed to settle. Lawyers for the fund brokered a $250 million settlement for former Activision Blizzard shareholders. In the settlement, the fund’s lawyers changed their rhetoric. Where once they’d questioned the meaning of the California settlement language, they adopted a version of it for themselves. Several weeks ago, while seeking to get a court to sign off on the terms of the settlement, they proposed their fee for their work in the case: $60 million.
Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr. is running for reelection. Some Democrats are questioning whether he should.
People close to Jones have encouraged him to reconsider seeking a new term and clear the way for State Rep. Morgan Cephas to run for Council’s 4th District.
Liverpool still chasing in-demand Virgil van Dijk successor
Liverpool are a team in transition, and Andoni Iraola’s squad is a long way from being complete. The Reds have spent over £650 million in the past 18 months, breaking the British transfer record tw...
Stony Brook Brings AI Expertise to Long Island Small Businesses
The inaugural class of the LIA-AI Growth Academy celebrate its graduation at Stony Brook’s Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology.
Oct. 1 Vallejo/Vacaville Arts-Entertainment Source: Faces and Places
The Vacaville Indivisible rally, “Save Our Democracy — Register to Vote,” was held on Sept. 19 in front of Vacaville City Hall.
Buckingham buys Blossom Road property in $8M deal
Buckingham Properties and Child Care Council are equal partners in the $8 million purchase of the Blossom Road Business Center.
Analysis | The 9 Senate seats most likely to flip party control in November
Democrats need to flip several in red states to win back the Senate majority. Here are their best chances.
Inside the anti-climate campaign against researchers
A POLITICO investigation reveals more than 100 open records requests demanding documents from climate scientists nationwide.
Turned down MIT for a little-known college. Not everyone understood.
Hannah Mitchell turned down MIT for a the Merchant Marine Academy. Three months in, she says it was the right decision.
Netflix on Building Products as Artifacts of Fandom
Netflix's Filippo Zuffada explains how the streamer is building year-round licensing momentum and why partners need to start with fandom, not format
Lucky Strike Entertainment: A Weak Consumer Leads To Downside Risks
Lucky Strike Entertainment rated SELL: premium EV/EBITDA, high leverage, weak demand, and negative FCF. Click for more on LUCK stock.
The Last of Us Day Marked with PS5 Avatars, Ghost of Yotei DLC, Figures
Get your redemption code here
Why Paolo Banchero Needs Massive Leap Into Superstardom
Orlando must shatter a cycle of first-round exits, demanding that their cornerstone hunter trades jump-shot settling for interior dominance and elite efficiency to join the league's elite.
New Jersey Republican Tom Kean Jr. and Democrat Rebecca Bennett clash in debate
The 7th Congressional District, which includes Trump’s Bedminster golf club, has changed party control in each of the past two midterm elections, making it a magnet for campaign spending and a political barometer.
Two Scientists Killed in Russian Strike on Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences
The death toll from a Russian strike on the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv has risen to two scientists, with several colleagues still missing,
California moves closer to banning work involving countertops containing silica
An occupational physicians group says an “epidemic” of silicosis “is causing disabling disease and death” among fabrication workers.
Jeffery Simmons Tired of Excuses After Another Frustrating Titans Loss
A dominant defensive performance couldn't save Tennessee from self-inflicted wounds and late-game collapses. Now sitting at 0-3, the star lineman demands his teammates stop talking and start winning.
Ubisoft's calling its next push into gen-AI game development Motherbrain
Ubisoft has been quite enthusiastic about generative AI's use in game development, and a new trademark might sound familiar to Nintendo and Metroid fans.
French student protests shake up presidential campaign
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has clashed with far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon over high school protests demanding more resources for education.
French presidential campaign heats up as student protests fuel political clashes
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has clashed with far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon over high school protests demanding more resources for education
Local eighth graders bring girl power to science, technology, engineering and mathematics
Several Mid-Valley eighth-graders shared their experience at a collegiate science camp with local members of the American Association for University Women who helped fund the trip, on September 19.
Blumenthal, Lamont: Trump blocking CT grants for political reasons
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Gov. Ned Lamont complained Friday that the Trump administration has yet to release federal energy grants terminated a year ago on the basis of whether the recipients were in states won by Kamala Harris in 2024 and are represented by Democratic senators.
In Ohio, a Humbling Question For Senator Jon Husted: Are You the Incumbent?
Even some devoted conservatives know more about Sherrod Brown, the Democratic challenger, than the Republican incumbent, who needs the MAGA base to turn out.
Fire, Smoke and Desperation After a Strike in the Heart of Kyiv
A Russian jet-powered drone hit Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences, the source of almost all of the country’s major scientific discoveries.
Mark Kelly says Troy Jackson a 'real shot' to win in November
U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly said Democrat Troy Jackson has a chance to unseat U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, this November.
Russian attack on Ukrainian Academy of Sciences
Paul Nurse, President of the Royal Society, responds to the attack on the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.
Turnout, not political persuasion, may decide Pody-Patrick-Wright state Senate race in Tennessee
Democrat Lindsey Patrick-Wright and Republican Mark Pody are facing off for the Tennessee Senate District 17 seat.
Yonkers business partner tussles for company records
A business that says it owns half of three Yonkers real estate entities is demanding access to company records. MJM
Patriots arrive desperate as Bills try to avoid 2025 repeat
Once again, the Bills will be hosting a team desperate for a victory when the Patriots come to town Sunday. Here's an early look ahead to the game.
Staff killed and wounded in Russian strike on Kyiv’s science academy
Moscow’s jet-powered drones pummel Ukraine’s capital in switch to daytime attacks
Russian drones hit Kyiv science academy and hospital
One person killed and six injured in attack on capital, as Volodymyr Zelenskyy urges countries to do more to protect Ukraine
Aarhus Business College Students Bring Global Learning to Brookdale
Brookdale Community College is welcoming students and faculty from Aarhus Business College in Denmark to campus for its Second Annual Study Tour. This immersive international experience combines academics, business, culture, and community. The Danish delegation
Insomnia linked to higher risk of dementia, suicide, stroke and other major health issues: Study
Insomnia may be linked to an increased risk of stroke, dementia and several mental health conditions, a new study finds.
PS5-exclusive Marvel’s Wolverine now boots on PC, Demon’s Souls reaches 40–50 FPS
KyTyPS5 development has produced two new demonstrations covering both compatibility and performance. Marvel's Wolverine can already reach its menu, while Demon's Souls now runs at up to around 50 FPS.
The ‘Researcherization’ Of Faculty Is Distorting Business Schools
When publication becomes academic status, teaching becomes an obligation, write Benjamin Stevenin and Atish Chattopadhyay.
THE WEEK OF SEPT 28, 2026
- Trump backs off NIH grants takeover - Dem says climate program boss illegally appointed - Congress in final sprint before midterms
A Delightful New Way to Flip a Deep-Red District
Bobby Pulido isn’t your typical Democrat.
Kyiv Science Academy hit as Russian jet-drones strike across Ukraine
KYIV, Sept 28 () - At least one person was killed when a drone hit the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv on Monday, as Russia pounded the centre of the Ukrainian capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali...
Commentary: Higher education plays an integral role in building the trust democracy requires
Democracy’s future will be shaped not only at the ballot box, but also in classrooms, community forums, and everyday conversations that help citizens better understand one another.
Commentary: Civic preparedness has never been more critical
Comprehensive civic education is necessary to navigate our digital democracy and excel in postsecondary pursuits.
TKO Group Holdings (TKO) Benefit from Strong Demand for Sports and Entertainment
Cooper Investors, an investment management firm, released its second-quarter 2026 investor letter for “Cooper Investors Global Equities Fund (Unhedged)”. The letter can be downloaded here. The Fund returned 6.6% for the quarter, bringing its financial-year return to -6.4%. On a local currency basis, performance was approximately flat for the year, as the strengthening Australian Dollar […]
DR Congo Ebola emergency: Calls grow for urgent humanitarian access
Aid teams trying to keep deadly Ebola disease from spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are increasingly concerned about ongoing fighting and violence that has forced thousands of people to flee a displacement camp in the vast, resource-rich east of the country.
Official: Man Utd sign ‘excellent’ Liverpool winger
Manchester United have announced the capture of Isaac Konde, a promising teenager who developed at Liverpool’s academy.The 16-year-old is a winger blessed with ‘blistering’ pace and ‘excellent...
Russian strikes on Ukraine kill at least 7, including woman at Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences
Deadly strike on Kyiv Science Academy as Russian jet-drones hit Ukraine
The Ukrainian capital’s mayor said 19 people had been injured in attacks on the city.
Russia attacks scientists in strikes on Kyiv
A Russian drone hit Ukraine’s science academy in the heart of Kyiv, killing a woman and causing a large fire.
Pictures from last day of the Academy of Natural Sciences
Founded in 1812, the oldest natural science museum in the Americas closed its doors to the public at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 27, 2026.