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Business: Minimum Wage Jobs in Oregon
On July 1st, Oregon’s minimum wage increased across the state.
Draymond Green Reveals Why Warriors Will Improve This Season
The Golden State Warriors have a tough season ahead of them with minimal improvement, and the Western Conference being so deep. Warriors star Draymond Green already sees positive signs for the franchise. Three days of training camp gave Green faith in an improved team more prepared to compete in the new NBA landscape of most […] The post Draymond Green Reveals Why Warriors Will Improve This Season appeared first on HEAVY.
Free Narcan training at Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health
During the training participants learned how to administer Narcan and recognize the signs of an overdose.
Gemini app limiting what models free & AI Plus users can access, AI Pro adding Deep Think
Following the compute-based usage change in May, Google is introducing limits on what Gemini models free and AI Plus users can access.
Why hasn’t the Trump administration decided the fate of TPS for Salvadorans?
The Trump administration still hasn't reached a decision, plunging the Salvadoran community into uncertainty and raising questions about what has prompted the delay.
iPhone Duo vs. iPad Mini: Which Apple device is right for you?
An iPhone Duo can serve as your tablet and phone in one, but the iPad Mini's larger screen and better multitasking still have a place.
Rural MAHA followers say Trump health policies haven’t reached their communities
About half of rural voters identify with Make America Healthy Again, a sprawling political movement championed by the Trump administration.
‘You cannot force them to stay in business’: Jake, Rantz question how Seattle businesses will absorb a $22.14 minimum wage
Jake Skorheim and Jason Rantz analyze how Seattle businesses will adapt to the new $22.14 minimum wage set for January 1, 2027.
Trump, Putin, Ukraine and an Oil Deal: 5 Takeaways
A proposal to bolster relations with the Kremlin through the purchase of Russian energy assets is striking even for an administration that regularly mixes personal business interests with foreign policy.
How Trump’s Deportation Policies Have Rocked a South Florida House Race
Representative María Elvira Salazar, a Republican, ran an ad criticizing the Trump administration. It may have jolted other Republicans — and drawn attention to her Democratic opponent.
Latvians vote for a new parliament as fears of Russian hybrid attacks loom
RIGA, Latvia (AP) — Latvians are electing a new parliament on Saturday as pro-Ukraine Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs seeks a full term. The vote comes as the small republic on NATO's eastern flank contends with growing concern about potential Russian aggression.
'There’s no such thing as democracy' – Yanis Varoufakis | Radical Thinking with Aditya Chakrabortty
In the first episode of Radical Thinking, a new series from the Guardian, senior economics commentator Aditya Chakrabortty speaks to the former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis. What does he make of Andy Burnham's plans to 'rewire' the UK economy? Radical Thinking will be published every Saturday in the Politics Weekly feed
Google AI Plus and free users are losing access to Gemini models, and it's happening very soon
The more advanced tiers aren't seeing any changes.
What we know about Trump’s latest taxpayer-funded ad campaign
The Trump administration has created at least 13 campaign-style ads as part of its controversial taxpayer-funded, multi-million-dollar effort to promote President Donald Trump and his policies. CNN’s Betsy Klein reports.
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker on first 1,000 days, politics and policies
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker joined an episode of Battleground Politics to talk about what her administration has accomplished and what's ahead.
NH families sue Trump administration over Medicaid ban on transgender health care
Four families say their minor children could lose access to gender-affirming treatment under a pending change in Medicaid rules.
Agency diverted $1.4 billion in science funds mandated by Congress
The extraordinary move — holding back part of the National Science Foundation’s research budget — is another creative sidestep by the Trump administration.
Small Business Administration Update on New Rules for Small Business Size Standards - Law Offices of Snell & Wilmer
By Brett W. Johnson, Carrie Schaffer, and Hannah Wolf1 Recently, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provided notice of a proposed rule, Small Business Size Standards, that would fundamentally restructure how the federal government defines a “small business.” The rule proposes new size standards for 338 industry groups and industries.2 On that same day, the […]
Siekerka Urges NJ Businesses to Check with Lawyers Regarding Stringent Independent Contractor Rules
In the wake of the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development implementing the most stringent interpretation of the ABC test determining
Philly Mayor Cherelle Parker on 1,000 days in office and what comes next
Mayor Cherelle Parker discussed her administration’s work in Kensington, Philadelphia’s political landscape and the competition she’ll face in 2027.
Judge temporarily blocks border wall construction in Texas’ Big Bend region
A federal court in Texas has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from building a border wall in the Big Bend region. This decision is a win for landowners, businesses and
Supreme Court returns with high-profile emergency cases
The Supreme Court returns Monday, and the Trump administration is already appealing to the high court to make emergency rulings. Experts don’t see the commander in chief slowing down.
Supreme Court returns with high-profile emergency cases
The Supreme Court returns Monday, and the Trump administration is already appealing to the high court to make emergency rulings. Experts don’t see the commander in chief slowing down.
Fiery crowd caps Mississippi redistricting hearings. Opponents urge: ‘Leave our maps alone’
Tempers flared Thursday at a packed redistricting hearing at the Mississippi Capitol, where a large majority of speakers criticized what they said was a power grab aimed at diminishing Black political power and further entrenching Republican dominance over state politics.
Apple will limit Mac disk access as AI agents ‘substantially’ increase risk
Apple isn’t taking AI security risks lightly.
Almost All The Viruses Found in a Vast Deep-Sea Mining Zone Were New to Science
Nearly 12,000 new viruses have been hiding on the seafloor.
This week in health care policy: September 28 – October 2, 2026
Drug pricing CMS finalizes GLOBE pilot. On September 30, CMS finalized the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing model, a program that ties Part B drug rebates to prices paid in 19 countries. It will cover physician-administered drugs in randomly selected communities throughout the US, representing about 25 percent of Part B beneficiaries. It runs […]
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 911 mental health response teams see uptick, CPD help
Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign promise of rolling out a non-police mental health response team is at the center of a new media blitz by his administration.
Trump's investment push hits Europe as Irish PM eyes next tariff break
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin eyes Kerrygold butter for tariff relief next after Trump's public commitment to lift duties on Irish whiskey exports.
Parliamentary government and political competition are the oldest traditions in Russian politics. Where did they come from, and why did they disappear? Writer Mikhail Zygar explains in a new film.
It’s hard to believe today, but Rus’ had a parliament before Britain did and a woman with the political stature of a prime minister five centuries before Margaret Thatcher. The Novgorod Republic was a state in which the prince was a hired manager, major decisions were made by the veche or popular assembly, and political culture resembled that of Western Europe in many ways. In his new film, Mikhail Zygar explains how this system emerged, why it lost out to Moscow, and why Vladimir Putin is so fond of Alexander Nevsky.
Bishop’s computer science chair says AI is eliminating ‘grunt work’ and reshaping digital jobs
Dr. Russell Butler, chair of Bishop’s University’s Department of Computer Science, says artificial intelligence is increasingly taking over routine digital “grunt work,” changing the skills students and workers may need in the years ahead. Photo courtesy of Bishop’s University. Click here to read our platform! Get local news like this every morning. Subscribe free below. Subscribe Pulse Newsroom Artificial intelligence is already taking over some of the routine digital work once performed by entry-level employees, according to Bishop’s University Computer Science chair Dr. Russell Butler — a shift he believes will make expertise, judgement and the ability to evaluate AI-generated work increasingly important. Butler described the change as automation reaching what he calls the “bottom of the cognitive pyramid” during an interview with The Pulse about AI, university education and the future of digital work. His argument is not that humans are disappearing from the workplace. Instead, he sees their role changing as AI becomes capable of handling more of the repetitive tasks involved in computer-based work. “Everything’s converging on just AI basically doing all the grunt work,” Butler said. The bottom of the cognitive pyramid Butler is from Lennoxville, completed his undergraduate studies at Bishop’s and later earned his PhD at the Université de Sherbrooke. He joined Bishop’s in 2019 and now chairs its Department of Computer Science. He uses AI in research, teaching and other creative work, and said the technology is increasingly capable of handling routine digital tasks that once required substantial human time. “You’ve got the grunt work, like moving things around in Excel, doing basic programming tasks,” Butler said. “That’s like the bottom grunt work that the entry-level worker would have done two or three years ago.” Butler went further, saying in his view that much of this type of work has already been absorbed by AI tools. He connected that change to a shift he sees taking place in computer science, where entry-level roles have declined while experienced workers can use AI to increase what they can produce. “A senior developer now has access to essentially an unlimited amount of junior developers on demand,” Butler said. He was describing AI systems metaphorically, not literal employees. His point was that one experienced developer can now ask AI tools to produce code or other technical work that might previously have been assigned to more junior workers. That raises a broader question for universities and employers. If some of the simpler work traditionally given to newcomers can now be done by machines, how do people gain the experience needed to become senior workers themselves? Students doing work that once required years of programming Butler said he is already seeing the change inside his classroom. He created a Bishop’s course called CS208, Coding in Plain English, to show students — including those without traditional programming backgrounds — what they can accomplish using AI. Some come from disciplines such as psychology or neuroscience with no previous programming experience. “What I’m finding is that students who have zero programming experience, they come in from another discipline like psychology or neuroscience or something, they are now able to get up and running with real data sets,” Butler said. Butler’s own doctoral work involved neuroimaging, and he said he has assigned students work he considers comparable to the kinds of analysis he performed during his PhD. He described giving students a real dataset, an expected result and instructions to use AI to complete the analysis. Butler said those students have been able to carry out work at a level he associates with tasks he once performed after years of programming experience. That does not mean a student using AI instantly acquires the same knowledge as an experienced computer scientist. But Butler sees it as evidence that AI can dramatically lower the technical barrier between having a problem to solve and producing a working result. The role of the person using the system then changes. They need to know what to ask for, understand enough about the subject to judge the answer and take responsibility for what is ultimately produced. What about AI hallucinations? One persistent concern surrounding generative AI is hallucination — when a system produces information that sounds convincing but is false or unsupported. Butler said that problem has improved substantially in newer systems and is not as severe as it was with earlier models. He pointed in particular to newer AI systems’ ability to search the web, consult scientific databases and return source links rather than simply generating a citation from their internal model. Butler nevertheless said users should verify what AI produces. “You should verify,” he said while discussing citations generated with AI. His position is that hallucinations have become less common in the systems he uses, not that incorrect AI output is impossible. Human checking remains part of the process. Hours of work compressed Butler offered another example from his administrative work at Bishop’s. The university has been comparing CEGEP courses with first-year Bishop’s courses to determine where students may qualify for advanced standing. Traditionally, Butler said, that means reviewing two sets of course descriptions and manually matching one institution’s courses with another’s. As department chair, that could require hours of reading and comparison. He said AI can now be given both sets of material and asked to generate an initial mapping automatically. “It saves me hours and hours of work,” Butler said. Butler said the AI-generated mapping can also produce a better result than he would produce himself. He sees similar opportunities in businesses. A company may receive specifications, drawings, emails or other digital material from customers and then have employees convert that information into an internal format before anything can be manufactured or delivered. AI can increasingly perform parts of that intermediate processing. In Butler’s view, the employee does not necessarily disappear. Instead, the job becomes more about checking the result. “The human is still there,” he said. Judgement could become more valuable That change is central to Butler’s view of where digital work may be headed. If AI can produce a first draft, write basic code, compare documents or process large amounts of information, he argues that knowledge and judgement become increasingly important. “The real scarce resource going forward is going to be domain knowledge, expertise, and… credentials, authority, the ability to work with other people,” Butler said. He is therefore encouraging students not only to learn AI tools but also to broaden their education. He mentioned acting, fine art and photography as examples of courses that can help develop what he described as taste and intuition — the ability to recognize what is good, what is not and what should be changed. “And that’s the skill that they need now because the grunt work has been automated and now it’s about evaluating what the AI produces and telling it how to improve or expand the output,” Butler said. That does not remove the need for technical knowledge. Butler’s argument is that the emphasis may shift away from manually completing every step of a task and toward directing, checking and improving work produced with AI assistance. He also stressed that humans remain responsible for final decisions. “At the end of the day, the human has to make the final call,” Butler said, pointing to the question of accountability. Physical work may be different Butler draws a distinction between digital work and jobs requiring people to manipulate the physical world. He expects AI to continue advancing quickly in tasks performed almost entirely on computers. He is more cautious about claims that humanoid robots will soon be able to replace workers such as plumbers or electricians. Butler said those trades would not be replaced “anytime soon” in his view and described some current robotics demonstrations as overhyped. He described the situation as counterintuitive. “It’s almost like we solved the highest level first,” he said, contrasting advances in digital AI with the harder problem of building robots capable of operating reliably in the physical world. Butler’s argument is that some digital occupations could face automation sooner than trades requiring complex physical work. The wider AI shift in the Townships Butler’s comments come as local institutions are increasingly grappling with how AI should be used. The federal government recently announced up to $162 million over five years for 10,000 AI-related placements through Mitacs. The Université de Sherbrooke told The Pulse that the number of its collaborative research and innovation projects supported through Mitacs has approximately doubled since 2018-19, while the number of placements has approximately tripled. UdeS also said it already has projects involving both AI adoption and the application of AI to other fields. At Bishop’s, Butler said part of his role involves building the Computer Science department’s local presence, connecting students with regional partners and strengthening relationships with the Sherbrooke technology ecosystem. Those developments put universities in a difficult position. They have to prepare students to use the tools employers increasingly have available while also making sure graduates understand enough to recognize when those tools are wrong, incomplete or being applied to the wrong problem. The risk of losing human skills Butler does not see AI as risk-free. Later in the interview, he raised a separate concern: as AI becomes better at reading, writing, programming and other cognitive tasks, people could lose some of the underlying skills that historically helped produce new ideas. “The other danger is that we’re going to lose the human skills,” Butler said. He specifically mentioned reading and writing and argued that people could lose some of the lower-level understanding that contributes to breakthroughs. Butler said AI systems are based on existing human knowledge and argued that they become much more powerful when paired with a capable person. That tension runs through his view of the technology. AI can remove hours of routine work. It can allow beginners to perform tasks that once required substantial technical training. It can give experienced workers significant leverage. But the more capable the technology becomes, the more important it may be for people to develop the judgement needed to decide what should be done in the first place. For Butler, that is where education may have to change. Students still need to understand their field. They still need to know when something is wrong. And they still need to be able to make the final decision. But if AI increasingly handles the bottom of the cognitive pyramid, the value of a worker may depend less on how quickly they can perform the grunt work and more on whether they understand what the work is supposed to accomplish. Don’t miss the next story that affects your community. Join thousands of readers getting The Pulse every morning—plus breaking news alerts when it matters most. If you value this kind of local journalism, consider supporting it. Subscribe, share and like! Subscribe Share
Gemini app gains new ‘Map’ tool, replacing ‘/’ with ‘@’
Google has introduced a “Map” tool to aid your location-based Gemini app prompts on Android and iOS. Meanwhile...
FBI releases classified ‘Patel Report’ examining past failures at the bureau
The FBI has released a classified report to the workforce examining what it says are chapters from the bureau’s history when it "fell short." That's according to an internal message
Trump bets big on ‘transactional politics’ in midterm sprint
President Donald Trump is leaning into transactional politics in the final month of the 2026 midterm campaign, tying his administration directly to economic benefits in states that could determine control of Congress. This week alone, Trump has promoted billions of dollars in proposed investments in Alaska and Iowa, redirected $20 million in Department of Homeland […]
Using an iPad mini to preview the iPhone Duo experience
Alongside using the iPhone 18 Pro, I’ve also been carrying out a little experiment as we await the launch of...
PAHO regional meeting of health ministers concludes with new measures to strengthen health security and address key health threats
Health authorities approved new regional strategies to strengthen preparedness for health emergencies, tackle antimicrobial resistance, curb dengue and other arboviral diseases, and improve food safety, while advancing access to vaccines, medicines and other essential health technologies across the Americas.
Analysis | How Trump keeps embracing AI
And what else happened this week under his administration.
Sophie Cunningham’s playoff presence draws attention beyond the court
Sophie Cunningham turned heads before the WNBA playoffs with a striking all-white look featuring a mini dress, dark sunglasses and strappy heels. The Indiana Fever guard’s fashion statement added another memorable moment to her growing reputation for standout pregame tunnel style.
A Heart Valve That Grows Up With The Patient Wins FDA Approval
By Ellyn Vohnoutka HealthDay ReporterFRIDAY, Oct. 2, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Children born with certain heart defects may face fewer open-heart surgeries, thanks to a new replacement valve that grows with them. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved the Autus ...
Mining her musical roots inspired Robin Barnes to make a docuseries about Louisiana culture
Native New Orleans artist Robin Barnes channels her heritage as a vocalist and songwriter in "Discovering Home," a docuseries celebrating Louisiana culture across Lafayette, Lake Charles, and New Orleans.
Rural MAHA followers say Trump health policies haven't reached their communities
About half of rural voters identify with Make America Healthy Again, a sprawling political movement championed by the Trump administration, but most said President Donald Trump’s healthcare policies have not benefited their communities, according to a new poll from The Associated Press in partnership with KFF.
Rural MAHA followers say Trump hasn't improved health of their communities, an AP-KFF poll finds
A new poll from The Associated Press and KFF reveals that while approximately half of rural voters identify with the Make America Healthy Again movement, eight in ten believe the Trump administration's healthcare policies have failed to benefit their communities.
The Download October 2, 2026
The Download: Healey asks Trump administration to speed up review of planned gas expansion in latest sign of shifting energy politics
King County youth mental health facility may soon see changes
While the state says the changes are largely administrative, families and youth advocates say they represent a shift from the original plans for the facility.
Ascension’s 2026 Ministry in Action report highlights progress in advancing health and strengthening communities
Ascension, one of the nation’s largest non-profit and faith-based health systems, today released its 2026 Ministry in Action Report, highlighting how the organization is putting its Mission into action by caring for all.
A familiar Android feature is disappearing and users have plenty to say
Google is replacing Google Assistant with Gemini on Android phones, with some users reporting issues during the transition.
Trump administration shifts funds from human rights to supporting far-right causes
The US State Department directed millions of dollars originally earmarked to promote human rights to promote far-right causes including Afrikaner rights in South Africa, safeguarding “Western civilizational norms,” and documenting “backsliding” in Europe related to mass migration, a source familiar with the matter told CNN.
Michael Allen can’t be trusted on ICE
Twenty-one months into President Donald Trump’s second administration, his approach to immigration enforcement is clear: using untrained, masked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents resulting in both the arrests and killings of Americans and the destruction of families and communities. It is a strategy that scapegoats brown-skinned Americans, denies people their right to legal representation […]
French bond sell-off ‘reminiscent of the euro crisis’ as Paris proposes cuts and tax rises
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
Jersey minister looking again at patient travel costs to UK
Jersey's health board calls provision "very generous," and urges rethink amid high costs.
'Mini-Woodstock' Music Series Raises Money for Mental Health
As Johnny Ray of the Swampscott Performing Arts Center and the Marblehead Counseling Center (MCC) discussed a potential event, Ray said, “So you’re trying to put on a mini-Woodstock.” Just...
'War' stars Dominic West and Sienna Miller on episode 1's red carpet gone wrong
"I was acting my ass off!"
Yes, 'War's shocking episode 1 ending was inspired by Olivia Wilde's custody serving
Dominic West, Sienna Miller, and series creator George Kay weigh in on "War"s red carpet gone wrong.
Mothers face barriers to accessing mental healthcare, survey shows
Having theoretical access to healthcare doesn’t mean you can take advantage of it, as underscored by a report examining mothers’ experiences for themselves and their children. Released Thursday, Pulse Check 2026: Mothers on Mental Health, Care, and the Systems Around Their Families reports that nearly 48% of Florida mothers surveyed said they had struggled struggle […]
20+ editor-approved practical gifts for 2026
Minimalists, utilitarians, and Type-As alike will love a gift they’ll actually use, so we've collected dozens they'll use for years to come
New Trump proposal would require tax filers to disclose citizenship status to IRS
The Trump administration would require U.S. taxpayers to disclose their citizenship and work authorization status to the IRS as part of a proposed change to the annual tax form that nearly all workers file each year.
NC voters want partisan politics out of election administration, poll shows
Common Cause NC poll: voters want partisan politics out of election admistration, support Sunday voting and campus voting sites.
Google’s overdue Gemini 4 Argon reaches the frontier with mixed results for science
Google’s Gemini 4 Argon brings competitive AI performance at introductory prices, but independent tests show uneven results against leading rivals.
Pope Leo XIV's October prayer intention is 'for mental health ministry'
More than a billion people worldwide live with a mental disorder, while public spending on mental health accounts for barely 2% of health budgets.
Google’s new Guided Vision feature can help you read the fine print
Can you trust AI to see what’s going on around you?
Finalists named for Nistler College of Business & Public Administration deanship
Open forums will be held Oct. 5, 7, 12 and 14 in Nistler Hall’s Barry Auditorium.
Healey asks Trump administration to speed up review of planned gas expansion in latest sign of shifting energy politics
As Healey hunts for ways to bring down soaring costs and campaigns for reelection in a race defined by the affordability crisis gripping the state, the governor sees an opportunity to appeal to the Trump administration to bring more gas into the state.
Expert reveals US business owners set to bear brunt of Canadian tariff fallout as trade war uncertainty looms
Karan Ramchandani says Trump's import bans on Canadian dairy, alcohol and automobiles could trigger inflation as production costs hit consumers.
SDSC Helps Improve AI-Ready Geospatial Data Through GeoCroissant
Oct. 1, 2026 — Researchers working with Earth science data often face a basic but time-consuming challenge: Determining what datasets exist, what they contain and whether they can be used together. Doug Fils, with the University of California San Diego Halıcıoğlu School of Data Science and Computing’s San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), is helping advance a […]
Apple says iPhone Duo has ‘replaceable’ folding display layer to minimize crease
Foldables tend to show more crease over time, but Apple says iPhone Duo has a replaceable layer on its folding screen to mitigate that issue.
The Iron Wall in Rabat: Why Morocco’s Political Shift Won’t Touch the Abraham Accords
As Fatima Ezzahra El Mansouri Takes the Helm as Morocco’s First Female Prime Minister, Israel’s Most Resilient North African Alliance Remains Bulletproof
How sex chromosomes influence lifelong health beyond determining biological sex
A new review published in Science brings together growing evidence that the X and Y chromosomes do more than determine biological sex. They also shape how cells function, age and respond to disease.
Judge permanently dismisses Trump administration's case charging ex-Olympian with Reflecting Pool vandalism
A judge in the nation’s capital agreed on Thursday to permanently dismiss a criminal case charging a former Olympian with vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, a move that could prevent federal prosecutors from reviving the case under political pressure from President Donald Trump.
Governor Sherrill Launches State Health Benefits Program Reform Working Group
State, labor, and healthcare stakeholders begin structured process to develop recommendations for improving affordability and long-term sustainability TRENTON – Governor Mikie Sherrill today announced the launch of the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) Reform Working Group, fulfilling a commitment made last month as part of the Administration’s agreement with 17 unions representing State[...]
Minior Showers in Pokémon GO: Dates, Cores & Bonuses
Minior debuts in Pokémon GO on October 19! Explore Minior Showers dates, core colours, hemisphere exclusives, bonuses and its form-changing mechanic.
4 takeaways from Trump’s Time magazine interview
Just over a month before the midterm elections, President Donald Trump addressed the top issues confronting his administration in a wide-ranging interview with Time magazine.
Trump's $500 Obamacare 'rebate' checks land in prime political battlegrounds
President Donald Trump's administration is sending $500 payments to nearly 1 million Americans this week, in a move that strategists say could potentially influence races that may determine whether his Republicans maintain control of Congress in the November midterm elections.
Trump's $500 Obamacare 'rebate' checks land in prime political battlegrounds
President Donald Trump's administration is sending $500 payments to nearly 1 million Americans this week, in a move that strategists say could potentially influence races that may determine whether his Republicans maintain control of Congress in the November midterm elections.
Trump's $500 Obamacare 'rebate' checks land in prime political battlegrounds
By Andy Sullivan, Helen Coster, Ahmed Aboulenein and Tim McLaughlin WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump's administration is sending $500 payments to nearly 1 million Americans this
Scientists, fishermen want feds to keep funding deep-ocean observation system
New England scientists and fishermen are urging the Trump administration to continue funding the Ocean Observatories Initiative — a network of hundreds of buoys and gliders that collect data from remote parts of the ocean. The National Science Foundation began quietly dismantling the deep-ocean observation system last summer, until the effort was blocked by the U.S. Senate
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation announces Sports, Democracy, and Civic Health Initiative
The Reimagining Democracy Program at Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation has announced an expanded initiative examining how professional sports and fandom can strengthen civic health and democratic life in the United States. Led by Tova Wang, Director of Research Projects in Democratic Practice at the Ash Center, the Sports, Democracy and Civic Health program brings together scholars, election officials, democracy advocates, professional sports organizations, leagues, athletes, and civic organizations. The initiative will explore how the shared identity and sense of belonging fostered by sports can build trust, reduce polarization, encourage civic participation, and strengthen connections across differences.
Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation announces Sports, Democracy, and Civic Health Initiative
The Reimagining Democracy Program at Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation has announced an expanded initiative examining how professional sports and fandom can strengthen civic health and democratic life in the United States. Led by Tova Wang, Director of Research Projects in Democratic Practice at the Ash Center, the Sports, Democracy and Civic Health program brings together scholars, election officials, democracy advocates, professional sports organizations, leagues, athletes, and civic organizations. The initiative will explore how the shared identity and sense of belonging fostered by sports can build trust, reduce polarization, encourage civic participation, and strengthen connections across differences.
Supreme Court grants review of Trump administration's mandatory detention policy for immigrants
The case will test a key pillar of the Trump administration’s hard-line immigration agenda.
Israeli Politicians Trade Barbs Over FlyDubai Attack
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign for a coming election was already dominated by discussion of the policy, military and intelligence failures leading up to the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
Finland probes suspected break-ins at politicians' homes
The Finnish prime minister has not ruled out the possibility of foreign involvement in the suspected break-ins at the homes of members of parliament.
Andy Burnham 'completely out of touch' on Man City, Tories say
The prime minister said he would be "really concerned" if the club's owners sell up after Premier League rule breaches.
Trump says he’d consider issuing pardons to administration officials before he leaves office
The president referenced pre-emptive pardons that President Joe Biden had issued on his last day in office to people Trump had threatened.
Kennedy to roll out $10 million challenge to encourage Presidential Fitness Test in schools
Since President Trump revived the test last year, the administration has looked for ways to boost participation.
How Washington Funded the Politicization of Science
Over the last half-decade, the National Science Foundation (NSF) has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on projects designed to influence academic policies, both in the sciences and other disciplines. The aim was to foster a progressive conception of social justice in these fields. In pursuit of this end, the foundation earmarked nearly a million dollars for a project titled “Creating Inclusive Scientific Societies through Policies and Practices,” over a million for a project on “Faculty Online Learning Communities for Gender Equity,” and over $2 million to foster “racial equity focused departmental change.” Through a public records request, I’ve obtained the proposals and progress reports for dozens of NSF grants designed to promote social justice. Although funding for these grants was eventually halted by the Trump administration, the projects illustrate an important facet of recent higher-education policy. Many of the university policies that promised “social transformation” didn’t arise in a vacuum. They were actively encouraged by outside funders—often by the federal government itself. Subscribe Accreditation—the peer-review process which enables universities to receive federal grants and student loans—has recently become a policy battleground, with accreditors wielding significant power over both universities and academic disciplines. In 2020, when Oregon Health and Science University’s medical school issued an extensive diversity action plan—which promised “consequences” for employees who failed to support “DEI, anti-racism and social justice”—it specifically pointed to the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), the medical-school accrediting body, to justify the overhaul. The NSF actively promoted DEI-focused accreditation policies. The proposal for a $1.2 million program on promoting “community engagement” in STEM, which I obtained through a records request, notes that the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology was exploring changes to its criteria “that would incorporate JEDI [justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion].” The proposal promised to “support broader JEDI efforts in the general criteria for engineering.” Another grant funded a conference designed to “identify and share best practices and strategies to integrate IDEA principles in accreditation criteria”—referring to an acronym that stands for “inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility.” Scholarly societies have become another flashpoint in debates over higher education. Critics argue that many of these societies, which have the power to shape entire disciplines, have become increasingly politicized. Again, through its giving, the NSF played a role in promoting this politicization. In one million-dollar grant that received funding in 2024, a group of psychologists proposed a series of social-justice reforms to the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues. The proposal, which I obtained via a records request, asserts that “[r]edistributing resources (such as moving different people into leadership roles) is not enough” and that the society’s “governance structures do not yet reflect its stated values of diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Its solution: review and rework the society’s criteria for leadership development, academic awards, conferences, and publications. Adjusting review criteria informed by “intersectionality” designed to fight “epistemic exclusion” is an easy way to introduce de facto ideological litmus tests into the peer-review process. For many of the grants I obtained, such litmus tests seem to be the point. “Academic departments are racialized social systems that produce and sustain the byproducts of systemic racism,” a proposal for a $2.7 million project funded in 2024 asserts, promising to develop “departmentally-focused change efforts that cultivate values, assumptions, and behaviors that advance racial equity.” The University of Illinois Urbana Champaign’s million-dollar “I-ADVANCE” project, which effectively created a small DEI bureaucracy on campus, promised to Embed 28 ADVANCE faculty fellows in STEM departments” to amplify its equity goals. Another $1.2 million project promised to create “faculty online learning communities,” made up of scientists at universities around the country, that would eventually build department-level diversity action plans. “Ultimately,” the proposal asserts, perhaps more perceptively than its authors realized, “both organizational change and intersectionality frameworks deal with power.” Indeed, such grants confer a great deal of power to administrators and scholar-activists, who can even use the mere availability of funding as a tool to advance their causes. That history is worth remembering amid today’s debate over federal involvement in higher education: Washington has been shaping university priorities for years, including by financing efforts to instill progressive ideas about race, gender, and equity into academic institutions—and many of the policies those grants encouraged remain embedded within universities long after the federal money has stopped flowing. John D. Sailer is the director of higher education policy and a senior fellow at Manhattan Institute. Share
Expected Timeline for Mental Health Coverage Rule Slips to 2027
A forthcoming proposal overhauling how the federal government regulates employers’ mental health coverage is now expected next year, according to a legal filing from the Trump administration.
Trump administration seeks to rescind $2.1 million for GW healthcare equity fellowship program
The White House’s statement lists GW’s Health Equity Leadership Development Initiative as an example of programs funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, discrimination and “radical woke ideologies.”
Refunds From the Trump Administration’s Unlawful Tariffs Are a Windfall for Corporate America, Not for Small Businesses or Consumers
New state-by-state CAP analysis finds that the Trump administration’s tariffs cost small-business importers in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., an average of $426,000 more over 18 months—damage that refunds cannot fully undo.
Health Ministers approve new regional strategy to prevent and control dengue and other arboviral diseases in the Americas
Washington, D.C., 1 October 2026 (PAHO) – Member States of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) approved a common regional framework aimed at strengthening surveillance, prevention, preparedness and integrated response to dengue and other arboviral diseases across the Americas over the next decade.
Pray with the Pope | For mental health ministry
The Holy Father invites the faithful and people of good will to pray that the Church may become an open house, able to accompany without judging and without casting aside those who face difficulties with their mental health.
Students hosting sports equipment drive to be used at Mini Day of Play
The donated gear will first be used at the Mini Day of Play at Jackson’s Mill scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, allowing the nearly 500 flood-displaced students to participate in games, sports, and various other activities while spending time together.
Video Message ‘Pray with the Pope’ – October 2026: For mental health ministry - Calendar of Activities
Video Message ‘Pray with the Pope’ – October 2026: For mental health ministry - Calendar of Activities
Time lost to political haggling means lost momentum for research
While it’s not up to universities to set deadlines for EU institutions, “lost time” in the run-up to the launch of the next Horizon Europe would translate into “lost momentum” for universities, according to Dag Rune Olsen, president of the Young European Research Universities Network.“I think it's important to have [the EU budget] in place in order to be able to work on the research funding mechanisms, because we cannot afford to lose more momentum than we already have,” Olsen told Science|Business in an interview in September, just after EU research lobbies gathered in Brussels to push for a €200 billion budget for the next Horizon Europe programme.A funding gap would mean ramping down research activities, said Olsen. “You can do that quite swiftly, that’s not a problem, but ramping up again is much more difficult.”The last-minute push for an ambitious budget, and for a timely adoption of the research programme, comes at a time when the richest EU states have teamed up to call for significant cuts to European Commission’s proposal for the next multiannual budget, which allocates €175 billion for Horizon Europe. At the same gathering of research associations in September, the European Parliament’s budget rapporteur warned that the EU will need to raise its own taxes, otherwise political pressure and tighter national budgets will translate into a limited EU budget with a less ambitious envelope for research. The research sector hopes EU institutions will reach timely agreement on the budget and on Horizon Europe, but progress has been slow. Legislative progress has been delayed, partly because the European Parliament’s budget committee is still haggling over how to apply new EU-wide spending rules, known as the Performance Framework Regulation, and partly because EU governments have yet to agree on the size of the next EU budget. EU research Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva told Science|Business in July that she was hoping for an agreement on Horizon Europe by the end of 2026, but the timelines have been pushed back significantly, with the Parliament now aiming to announce its official position on Horizon Europe only in November. Avoid the funding gapAccording to Olsen, delayed EU funds could prompt universities and researchers to move on and do something else, potentially jeopardising years of work building consortia and collaborations. “If funding is interrupted, the networks fall apart in just a few months,” he said. Olsen also noted that an interruption would affect junior researchers first. PhD students and postdocs are on shorter term contracts and universities risk losing them if funding for EU projects is interrupted. Related articlesEU own resources ‘essential’ for future research budget, says leading MEPParliament haggle over EU-wide spending rules delays vote on Horizon EuropeZaharieva hopes for a Horizon Europe deal in 2026Universities usually have more employees, permanent and short-term staff, than they can cover with national funding, and external funding is essential to keep them all on the payroll. In case of an EU funding gap, “there will be a huge number of people that might end up without any contracts,” he said. Apart from the money issue, Olsen said EU projects forces universities to collaborate more which, in turn, increases the quality of teaching and research. In case of a funding dip, people will look around for opportunities elsewhere, in the private sector or abroad. “And then then you have to recruit again, and it's a tedious business,” said Olsen. “A gap is not a good idea, it's actually a waste of money.”According to Olsen, the difficult political context should encourage universities to make a stronger case for the EU increasing research funding, as universities can deliver on competitiveness, technological sovereignty, security and defence. “The reason why we ask for substantial investments in research is exactly what the Commission, what Europe, the Parliament have been discussing,” he said. “You really need to invest in order to thrive in the longer run.”Focus on the member statesBut EU and national R&D expenditure hasn't kept up with the times. EU governments have failed to reach a spending target set almost 25 years ago. Only six EU countries spend 3% or more of their GDP on R&D. Asked whether universities should put more effort into convincing the governments to ramp up their own spending, but also to support a strong budget for Horizon Europe in the ongoing budget negotiations, Olsen said “the answer is yes.”“We are very actively encouraging our members to talk to their ministries in order to enlighten them about the joint effort,” he said. The network is made up of 25 universities from across Europe, all established in the past 60 years or so.Who will call the shots?Budget and timing issues aside, the Parliament’s research committee has been locked in behind-the-scenes negotiations over the future structure of Horizon Europe, with MEPs disagreeing on the degree to which its collaborative research should be governed by councils of experts.The European Parliament’s lead rapporteur on Horizon Europe wants councils of independent experts to decide on the funding agenda, but the Commission, the Council, and parts of the Parliament disagree. For Olsen, it is normal for politicians to point at the big challenges, but when they start detailing how those challenges should be solved, the endeavour “fails utterly.” He does not necessarily think that “bureaucrats who don’t know the field” would be “much better at it” either. “There has to be a combination” of broad political directions and bottom-up implementation, Olsen said.
Trump administration appeals ruling blocking limits on international student visas
DHS has appealed a court ruling blocking it from restricting how long international students and postdoctoral researchers can remain in the U.S.
‘BUSINESS EXODUS’: What’s driving businesses out of Seattle?
FOX Business' Gerri Willis reports on Seattle's $22.14 minimum wage hike as restaurant closures rise and new businesses emerge outside the city.
Editorial: The Trump administration’s strange affection for prediction markets
There is something genuinely strange happening at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency responsible for regulating derivatives markets. Under Chairman Michael Selig, the CFTC has challenged states seeking
Scientists, Regulators and Industry Convene at PCPC’s 2026 Science Symposium
This annual event offers two days of presentations from experts in their fields, coupled with insight from US regulatory bodies like the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Global Health & WASH: October 2026 Funding Opportunities (26 new opportunities)
41 opportunities on the Global Health & WASH page this cycle, 26 of them new. The health money on this page is mostly research money, and much of it is aimed at people early in their careers. Funder after funder, from the TANGO2 Research Foundation’s Research Pathways grants to the South African Medical Research Council’s Early Investigators Programme to the National Ataxia Foundation and Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, is funding early-career investigators and the institutions that host them, with a clear tilt toward researchers based in or from the Global South, from AMBSO in Uganda to Kenya’s CONNECT-VAX network to Ersilia’s AI Incubator for African drug discovery. The money is organized by disease as much as by need: narrow foundations, the Parkinson’s Foundation, NTAP for neurofibromatosis, the RUNX1 Research Program for an inherited blood disorder, each run their own grant, so the question for an applicant is less which health problem you work on than which foundation owns your disease. The largest European cheques go to consortia only, with the European Innovation Council putting up to EUR €4 million behind a single healthy-ageing project and UNITE up to EUR €1 million behind each cross-border digital health team. Water sits apart, almost entirely in applied utility research: the Water Research Foundation’s cluster of USD $250,000 to $500,000 projects, each built around a utility problem from sewer laterals to reuse treatment. And the biggest single pot is public: HRSA is renewing community health center service areas with awards of up to USD $10 million each. This post is for paid subscribers. This helps support the time and effort it takes to curate and organize these opportunities. Subscribe To keep this accessible to everyone who needs it, we’re happy to offer pay what you can rates. You can find more details here. Open Opportunities 2027 Building the Field of Health Advocacy Grant, Georgia Health Initiative. *New!* *Closing soon!* Georgia Health Initiative, a nonprofit private foundation focused on health equity, is opening its 2027 Building the Field of Health Advocacy Grant to strengthen the organizations that push for healthier systems across the state. The Initiative treats advocacy as infrastructure, backing one-year projects that range from urgent responses to shifting federal policy to longer arc campaigns on housing, behavioral health, care access, and food security. It wants coalitions that elevate community voice, apply an equity lens, and arrive ready to deploy concrete strategies, and it deliberately seeks variety in issues, communities, and organizational size. The optional webinar and required lobbying training signal a funder investing in a durable field, not one grant cycle. The strongest fits are Georgia nonprofits and public agencies ready to turn advocacy readiness into systems change. Geographies: United States. Who can apply: Tax-exempt 501(c)(3) public charities, state or local government agencies, or coalitions/collaboratives using a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, that work in Georgia on behalf of Georgians and align with the mission, vision, and values of Georgia Health Initiative. Only one application per organization, though an organization may be listed as a partner or subcontractor on multiple applications. Funding amount: Organizations can apply for up to USD $80,000 per project; the Initiative anticipates investing a total of USD $1.36 million. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Governance, Policy & Advocacy · SDG3; SDG10. Deadline: October 2, 2026. Learn more and apply here. TDD Research Pathways Grant, TANGO2 Research Foundation. *New!* *Closing soon!* The TANGO2 Research Foundation, working with a founding gift from Tango2UK, is opening its TDD Research Pathways Grant to fund early-career investigators anywhere in the world who study TANGO2 Deficiency Disorder. The foundation is using this money to seed pilot work and to build a research community around a rare disorder that few labs currently study. It wants to back emerging scientists, clinicians, and trainees who will stay with this field, not one-off projects, which is why it requires a committed mentor and real institutional support and asks each applicant for a plan for future contributions. The design rewards promise and persistence over track record. The strongest fits are students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, and new investigators ready to commit to TANGO2 research. Geographies: Global. Who can apply: Early-career investigators worldwide, including undergraduate, graduate, and medical trainees, postdoctoral fellows, residents, and clinical or research fellows. Early-career investigators must hold a PhD, MD, or equivalent doctoral degree and be within 10 years of that degree or within 5 years of initiating rare disease research, engaged in postdoctoral research at an academic institution, teaching hospital, or nonprofit research institute. Currently enrolled trainees and transitional PhD candidates beginning a postdoctoral appointment at a nonprofit institution by July 1, 2026 are also eligible. All applicants must identify a qualified mentor with relevant TDD or rare disease research experience and demonstrate institutional support. Funding amount: Up to USD $15,000. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation, Science & Technology. Deadline: October 2, 2026. Learn more and apply here. Call for Expression of Interest (EOI): AMBSO Impact Research Initiative, Africa Medical and Behavioral Sciences Organization (AMBSO). *Closing soon!* The Africa Medical and Behavioral Sciences Organization is inviting expressions of interest for its Impact Research Initiative, which funds early-stage pilot studies and proof of concept work on priority health challenges. AMBSO is a Ugandan research organization backing bold ideas that can grow into larger studies, and its tracks span antimicrobial resistance, epidemic preparedness, artificial intelligence for diagnostics, HIV prevention, climate and health, cancer, maternal and child health, and non-communicable diseases. The small award size and direct-cost-only rule point to a funder that wants evidence rather than overhead, and that favors projects able to attract follow-on money or use AMBSO’s own research infrastructure. Eligibility runs worldwide, welcoming researchers and institutions inside and outside Africa. The strongest fits are researchers with a feasible pilot that generates policy-ready evidence. Geographies: Global. Who can apply: Open worldwide to researchers, academic institutions, and research organizations whose work aligns with generating high-impact health evidence. Independent researchers are eligible if affiliated with an academic or research institution. Doctoral students are encouraged to apply as part of a research team led by a faculty Principal Investigator. Community-based organizations and other eligible entities may apply. Projects may be implemented inside or outside Uganda. Funding amount: Up to USD $10,000 per project, with no minimum funding threshold. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: SDG3. Deadline: October 2, 2026. Learn more and apply here. Entrepreneurs for Resilience 2027 (E4R27), Swiss Re Foundation. *Closing soon!* Swiss Re Foundation is opening the tenth edition of Entrepreneurs for Resilience, which backs healthcare social enterprises expanding affordable, quality primary care for low-income communities across low- and middle-income countries. The Foundation is using catalytic, blended funding plus multi-year advisory to take risk out of scaling, helping proven models reach more people sustainably rather than stay stuck at pilot size. It looks to back brick-and-click enterprises that pair physical care with digital tools and build affordability through savings, payments, or microinsurance, ideally integrated with public health systems. Requiring earned revenue, real customer scale, and gender-inclusive teams signals that this is growth capital for commercially serious ventures, not seed money. The strongest fits are established, revenue-generating healthcare enterprises ready to scale access for underserved populations. Geographies: Global. Who can apply: For-profit and hybrid healthcare social enterprises serving low-income and underserved populations in low- and middle-income countries, using combined physical and digital (brick-and-click) healthcare delivery models. Applicants must demonstrate measurable social impact, generate at least 50% of income through earned revenue, have been established no later than December 2023, already serve at least 50,000 people with potential to scale, and have at least 30% low-income customers. Preference for gender-inclusive enterprises with at least one female founder or at least 30% women in management. Funding amount: Pilot funding of up to USD $45,000 for the 6-8 shortlisted social enterprises; up to USD $1 million in blended funding (up to USD $600,000 unconditional plus up to USD $400,000 conditional) shared among 3-4 finalists over a two-year implementation period; total programme funding approximately USD $1.3 million. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation, Science & Technology · SDG3; SDG5. Deadline: October 4, 2026. Learn more and apply here. Horizon HealthTech 2026, IIITD Innovation & Incubation Center. *Closing soon!* IIITD Innovation and Incubation Center is opening Horizon HealthTech 2026, a nine-month MedTech incubation cohort run under the aegis of BIRAC EDGE for founders building medical devices, diagnostics, surgical and interventional tools, or remote monitoring. The center is backing teams that already hold a validated proof of concept and want to reach a tested prototype, pairing each founder with a named expert and clinical validation through a hospital partner. What they seek to back is Indian health technology that can survive real clinical scrutiny and regulatory review, not slideware. The structure, with lab access, CDSCO guidance, IP support, and investor connects, signals a program built to make startups ready for follow-on capital. The strongest fits are early-stage MedTech teams with defensible IP and a working path from bench to bedside. Geographies: India. Who can apply: Early-stage teams/startups with a validated idea/proof of concept (TRL 3 onwards) working on medical devices, diagnostics, surgical/interventional technologies, or remote monitoring, holding IP or with potential to generate IP. Funding amount: No cash award amount is stated on the official program page. Benefits are in-kind: prototyping lab and equipment access, clinical/hospital validation (Max Healthcare), expert mentorship, CDSCO regulatory guidance, IP filing support, workspace, cloud credits and tools, and investor connects. Run under the aegis of BIRAC EDGE and builds a path to follow-on Government/VC/Angel funding. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Innovation, Science & Technology · SDG3; SDG9. Deadline: October 5, 2026. Learn more and apply here. OpenAI AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program, OpenAI. *New!* *Closing soon!* OpenAI is opening its AI and Teen Development Research Grant Program to fund independent studies of how generative AI shapes the lives of young people ages 13 to 17. OpenAI wants a stronger evidence base on how teens actually use these tools and what that use does to their social and emotional development, so that product teams, policymakers, and regulators can act on findings rather than assumptions. It seeks work on emotion regulation, relationships, belonging, and the safeguards that keep teens safer, welcoming interdisciplinary teams and any methodology. That it will fund research whose conclusions may not favor AI providers, and prioritizes studies touching ChatGPT, signals a genuine appetite for credible outside scrutiny. The strongest fits are research groups grounded in adolescent development, well-being, and AI safety. Geographies: Global. Who can apply: Researchers aged 18 or older who are affiliated with a research institution or organization, and/or have significant experience relevant to child or adolescent development, well-being, human-computer interaction, AI impacts, or a closely related field. Multiple institutions may collaborate. OpenAI is seeking to fund research rather than for-profit initiatives and will not prioritize for-profit organizations. Funding amount: Individual research grants up to USD $1 million, totaling up to USD $5 million; maximum 10% of each grant for overhead or indirect costs. Targeted Sectors / SDGs: Social Inclusion & Community Wellbeing; Innovation, Science & Technology. Deadline: October 6, 2026. Learn more and apply here.
Trump officials abandon effort to investigate election threats, experts warn
Credible threats appear to have been overlooked as administration focuses on unverified claims of voter fraud