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Yankees Birthday of the Day: Slim Love
Love had potential ace-type talent, but just never could translate it.
The Guy Who Recruited Graham Platner Has a History of Sexual Misconduct Allegations Too
Is this why Platner made it so far?
The Streaming Bubble Keeps Popping
(Welcome to the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a newsletter on the entertainment industry and business strategy. I write a weekly Streaming Ratings Report and a bi-weekly strategy column, along with occasional deep dives into other topics, like today’s article. Please subscribe.) One of my rules is “never bet against PE [private equity]”. This isn’t to say that I agree with their methods or tactics or strategies or financial innovations (aka shenanigans). Just that in the long arc of financial history, they’ve tended to return very good returns to their shareholders. That said, their forays into entertainment have left me...skeptical. I’ve written before about PE’s production company/celebrity production company roll ups, and those haven’t really worked out. Some PE groups tried to “roll up” an industry that isn’t “roll-up-able” for lack of a better term—since the barrier to entry for starting a production company is very low—often paying top dollar for celebrity production companies at the height of streaming valuations. So yeah maybe we can bet against PE when they venture into filmed entertainment. I’ve also noted that studio lots seemed to be a bubble back in 2022. Sure enough… Yikes! That sure sounds like some private equity guys lost some money. The only caveat being that holding a lot of land in Los Angeles is always valuable. But that wasn’t the pitch and likely real estate investment companies overpaid for said land. I mean, Goldman Sachs had to repossess it after all. (Technically, I’m not sure these buyers were traditional private equity, but PE was buying LA studio lots earlier this decade.) All to say: I call out bubbles when I see them, and they often pop. Anywho, my most famous bubble call was the “streaming bubble”, specifically that the major streamers were making too many shows and films. And that it could all come crashing down. Notably, I made this call before the strikes of 2023, but those strikes potentially accelerated the popping. And now it has indeed popped. One of my most popular articles of last year made that exact case. A year later, it’s time to update that analysis. The bottom line is that the streaming contraction continues. Credit where credit is due, Luminate—an analytics company whose data I use weekly in my streaming ratings report—called this out in a recent report I saw highlighted in both Bloomberg and The Hollywood Reporter. But I’m adding my data to their look, including streaming films and kids TV shows. I’ll also provide some other data that all tells the same picture. Let’s dive in! Subscribe The Number of Streaming TV Shows, Films and Specials Is Declining AGAIN in 2026 Let’s get right to the data, starting with my dataset. Specifically, each week I track every “notable” title to come out on streaming. I try to grab every title on every major streamer, meaning if it’s a first run or original or exclusive, I track it. This helps me call out the “dogs not barking” and the misses/flops each week. So that will be our first series of charts, my weekly collection data. Let’s start with the raw TV show, film and special data, by week. Note: As the years have gone by, I have actually added more sources (going from just one source to five sources) to find new titles, meaning that this data collection is, likely, more accurate now than in the past. Which means my team and I are more likely to have undercounted titles in the past rather than today. I like to cut the data several different ways. Here’s that same look, by quarter, to more sharply show the trends: And here’s the data just looking at the first half of each year. That’s the same data, just cut three different ways with three different time periods. Note that films, TV shows, and specials are all down by 25%, 42% and 17%, respectively, from 2022. The good news is that the number of films and specials actually increased year-over-year from 2025 to 2026, but not enough to offset the 25% decline in TV shows. Now, I also look at kids shows, and here they are pulled out on their own: And here’s that by quarter: This really seems to be a notable area of pullback by the streamers. Kids shows are down 80% from 2022. This reflects some formerly Disney+ shows going to cable TV first, but also pullbacks from HBO Max, Prime Video and Netflix. I also categorize the TV shows by English language and non-English language, and that also reveals a lot of where the drop comes from: And here is by the half-year: In this look, the good news is the drop for English language shows seems to have stabilized in the last year. But the bad news is the long term decline from the 2022 peak. Other Data So I wasn’t the only person to notice this decline in the number of shows. I have a few other data sources for this, though most only go through the end of 2025. As I said, Luminate beat me to the punch, so let’s look at their data. We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… What TV loss streaming didn’t make up for... How Netflix has changed their programming slate over time… Ten more images charting the decline of production... What type of films aren’t being made anymore... The good news (for movie theaters)… And more... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support.
See the heat: An infrared imaging system that outputs in color
Wavelength and intensity in the infrared are translated into colors in the visible.
‘Fluff Piece’: Sylvia Brindis (Creator/Star) on Making Entertainment that Inspires Kindness and Develops Critical Thinking in Young Viewers
We recently sat down with Stan Jantz to chat about The Chosen, the Come and See foundation, and an ambitious mission to translate the series into 600 languages and share the authentic Jesus with 1 billion people around the globe.
Danny White gives the latest on Tennessee's entertainment district and G10 parking garage demolition
The G10 parking garage project is slated to start in August, Tennessee athletic director Danny White confirmed to Volquest.
Does public health *need* MAHA?
Last week, our friend Dr. Craig Spencer sparked an ongoing volatile discussion with his Atlantic article “Public Health Needs MAHA.” Some have come out in strong dissent, others are cheering, and others are simply lamenting that we find ourselves in such a divided world to begin with. We will dare to dip our toes in these controversial waters, too. Does public health need MAHA? We think in some ways yes, and in other ways, no. MAHA leaders versus the everyday MAHA supporter The vitriol in this debate mostly comes from one collapsed distinction: the leadership of MAHA is not necessarily the same as the people who support it. Say “MAHA” and most people picture RFK Jr. Fair enough, as he coined the term and holds most of the power. And, yes, some MAHA followers treat Kennedy as something close to a saint. But talk to the grassroots, and it’s not a monolith. They’re Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. People who distrust vaccines and vaccine supporters. It’s a wide, eclectic coalition. The data backs this too: 4 in 10 Americans support the movement—that’s a lot of people! But according to polls, vaccines and medical choice (the issues most tied to Kennedy personally) are cited by only 4% as their reason for supporting the movement. For many, the motivations are much broader. Many MAHA supporters are signing up for the idea that “something needs to change” with health in this country. They’re asking good-faith questions about corporate influence on our health systems, health care costs, nutrition, chemicals, and clean air and water. These are all questions that plenty of public health professionals recognize as legitimate and also care about very deeply. Blurring the lines between the leadership and grassroots does real damage in two important ways: It hands the 4 in 10 exactly the narrative already fed—that the health ecosystem doesn’t listen, doesn’t care, and paints every critic with the same brush. It gives the actual bad actor more power. RFK Jr. has done irreparable damage and can’t be trusted. What the MAHA movement gets right A healthy population is something the public health field was literally built on, and many of these topics are things we have dedicated our lives to. Yet the MAHA movement has captivated nearly half the country in a way the public health establishment has failed to achieve. So that means MAHA is doing something right. Some of it may be timing (after a Covid-19 pandemic and deep frustration and mistrust with institutions). The movement also does three other things really well: 1. It gives a new, louder voice to system failures. While MAHA is not a monolith, one theme stays consistent across their stories: the system failed them. For some, it was the system that flooded their communities with opioids and then walked away. For others, it was the system that let their business collapse during Covid with no safety net in sight. For others still, it was the system that failed to help them manage a complex chronic illness, bouncing them from physician to physician without any real answers. And in many ways, our health ecosystems are failing Americans. Why are medical bills so incomprehensible? Why do some kids get a healthy school lunch and others don’t? Why do an epidemiologist and a MD/PhD student have to start newsletters in the middle of the biggest public health emergency in a century, just so people can get straight information? Because the systems failed. This deep-seated frustration driving many Americans to search for solutions elsewhere needs to be recognized. 2. MAHA has brilliant comms central to their efforts. MAHA figured out something most health institutions still have not: the information landscape changed. It’s participatory now, not top-down; influence runs through many nodes in a community, not one institution; and storytelling and telling audiences “what you really think” moves people more than data dumps do. MAHA goes where audiences are listening, using podcasts, social media, and memes in ways most health institutions would scoff at—but it works. 3. They are very good at organizing. A MAHA meeting feels like a rally: energy, speakers, music, and most importantly, an action for everyone. Someone’s writing the next policy brief, someone’s seeding a narrative, someone knows the next legislative deadline, someone’s sending the text messages for a campaign. None of this is new (ask the civil rights movement), but MAHA knows it works and has capitalized on it. What MAHA gets wrong This list could be much longer, and this newsletter has spent a lot of time covering it, but here are a few things: Poor use of scientific evidence. This is the fundamental problem with many MAHA policies: the hype outpaces the science, and experts are often villainized for pointing this out. MAHA leadership has traded real solutions for cheap wins. For example, instead of taking on the powerful food industry and passing real reforms, it has celebrated french fries made of beef tallow and taken out artificial dyes from still very sugary children’s cereal. These changes won’t move the needle on America’s diet. MAHA leadership has tried to dismantle vaccine access in the U.S. While many MAHA supporters emphasize other issues, the effort to change vaccine policy has become MAHA’s signature effort. This is not surprising given RFK Jr.’s extensive track record campaigning against vaccines. It has rallied behind the wrong leader. RFK Jr. has a decades-long track record of villifying doctors, scientists, and public health workers, well before he became HHS secretary. He is known for his decades-long work sowing distrust in vaccines as well as life-saving treatments like antiretroviral therapy for HIV. This is not a serious person who can move the needle on health in the U.S, and he has already done serious damage. Public health needs more than defense Defending the evidence is absolutely necessary so health in the U.S. doesn’t move further backward. The public health establishment is very good at defense. The problem is this defense often sounds like defending the status quo, which has failed many people. Public health needs to offer an alternative to RFK Jr.’s MAHA—one that is rooted in evidence, truly listens to and addresses people’s frustrations, and has innovative solutions and the courage to change the systems. How do we get there? Find common ground. Do you know what most people care most about? The abysmal cost of healthcare. Start there. Fight for the human loudly. Too often, communications and engagement center on science with a capital S, funding mechanisms, or the CDC/FDA/NIH. Not the person. So the public doesn’t see themselves in it. Instead, they see people fighting for the very powerful systems that they feel negatively impact their health and well-being. Let the public feel and hear that you see their frustrations, you get it, and you’re fighting for them within the system. Recognize when pro-science messages are alienating people. Facts absolutely matter, but angrily venting only alienates people further. Our friend Elisabeth Marnik recently wrote a New York Times article about her experience growing up unvaccinated and how listening and empathetic conversation are the only ways to reach people that really work (a position backed by communication science). Her comments section was full of hateful comments from pro-vaccine individuals attacking her for daring to suggest we approach vaccine-hesitant individuals with empathy. It is possible to both stand firm behind scientific evidence and empathize with people who don’t trust it. Lean into politics smartly. Often, public health has shied away from politics: Don’t touch it, lest you get burned. But this fails to recognize that the third rail is what fuels the train: who is elected determines our budgets, our priorities, and our authority. Being political means being very savvy in strategy on both sides of the aisle, knowing your audience, and recognizing that political capital is as scarce as financial resources and needs to be allocated accordingly. Bottom line So does public health need MAHA? That’s not really the right question. Public health has a responsibility not to dismiss 40% of the country who feel heard by this movement and are frustrated that the system has failed them. And it has a responsibility to stick to the evidence and recognize MAHA leadership for what it is: a danger to our nation’s health. Both can, and should, be done. Love, YLE and KP A big thanks to Craig Spencer, who had the courage to put his neck out there to start a much-needed discussion at such a critical moment—one that is determining the identity of an entire field. Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD is completing an emergency medicine residency and research fellowship focusing on health literacy and communication. In her free time, she writes the newsletters You Can Know Things debunking health myths and rumors and The Public Health Roundup. Views expressed belong to KP, not her employer. Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) comprises a team of experts, ranging from physicians to immunologists to epidemiologists to nutritionists, working together with one goal: to “translate” ever-evolving public health science so that people are well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. The YLE suite of newsletters reaches over 475,000 people across more than 132 countries. This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: Subscribe
Satya Nadella confirms major quality update for Windows 11 with focus on fundamentals
Satya Nadella confirms Microsoft is investing in Windows 11's quality and fundamentals, promising more fixes after a rough 2025 for the OS.
Mary Means Business: Starkville PetSense slated to close
Starting in Starkville with some tough news for local pet owners: PetSense on Highway 12 is slated to close.
I drove Slate's truck. It's more pickup-y than I expected.
Slate will start delivering its roughly $25,000 pickups later this year. After driving it around, I'm a bit more optimistic it'll stick.
Journal of Business announces 2026 Rising Stars
The Journal of Business has selected 10 Spokane-area young professionals to be honored as the 2026 Rising Stars. This year’s slate of honorees includes six women and four men. They mark the 13th class of Rising Stars to be spotlighted by the Journal.
Exclusive: This is the first NVIDIA RTX Spark-powered convertible laptop, the Lenovo Yoga 9n 2-in-1
Leaked images reveal the Lenovo Yoga 9n 2-in-1, the world's first NVIDIA RTX Spark convertible laptop, alongside the Yoga Pro 9n.
Veteran Entertainment Execs Launch Warrior Prods, Set Initial Slate
Veteran entertainment executives Michelle Mendelovitz & Cory Bennett Lewis have launched Warrior Productions, a film & television production company.
Wellstar Health System lays off 761 corporate, administrative staff
Wellstar Health System laid off 761 workers yesterday “following a comprehensive review of our organization,” the Georgia nonprofit confirmed to Fierce Healthcare. | The cuts translate to about 2% of the nonprofit system's headcount, and do not include frontline care roles.
The Science Behind the AI Panic Is Shakier Than You Think
A column by Sascha Lobo Is AI making us dumb? So asked DER SPIEGEL on its cover a while ago. After a few weeks of recovery and a therapeutic intervention with the help of my AI, I feel able to respond. That’s a bit unfair, of course; the article itself is more nuanced than the loud cover, the image of a schoolkid with dull prompt questions, or the subtitle: “AI is conquering the schools, and educators fear a disaster.” The short answer to “Is AI making us dumb?” is: no. The long answer is more interesting, and even carries a preliminary glimmer of the spectacular. Unfortunately, it requires a detour into the sphere of artificial intelligence, into the mogul-field terrain of technology assessment, the attention economy, and the destructive virus of cultural pessimism. Along with narrowing the scope to AI’s effects on education and work rather than on intelligence. Because the honest version of the question would be: Does AI help us learn and work, or not? Generative AI, which set off the still-ongoing hype with ChatGPT, has only existed in relevant distribution since late 2022, early 2023. For a technology-driven transformation of people and society, that is extremely short. For that reason alone, research is still in its infancy. And technology assessment is not a fast discipline anyway. Prominent voices from Elizabeth Eisenstein to RAND to Tom Wheeler say we still cannot conclusively judge the consequences of the printing press. Its invention is a mere 580 years back, and some scholars would rather not circulate assessments that might have to be retracted in two or three hundred years. We’re Going Through Growing Pains A phenomenon that already caused upheaval in social media research makes serious assessment of AI’s consequences even harder: the “moving target” problem of LLM-ology, as the linguist Sean Trott called it in 2025. AI develops so quickly and so unpredictably that researchers often end up studying snapshots of the past. There are concepts, from morphological analysis to anticipatory governance, for keeping research, planning, and regulation halfway meaningful anyway. But even with those, universally valid statements are rare. DER SPIEGEL - The German View is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe We should therefore treat findings about the interplay between humans and AI as far more procedural and situational. Unfortunately, this challenge comes at the worst possible time. We are going through growing pains: AI’s everyday impact has grown very large very fast, and with it the longing for guidance. Annoyingly, the body of solid knowledge has not exploded along with it. Experts cannot be moved to broad consensus on even banal statements about AI. Sascha Lobo, born in 1975, is an author and strategy consultant focusing on the internet and digital technologies. Together with Jule Lobo, he explores the debates of the day in the podcast “Feel the News – Was Deutschland bewegt” (”What Moves Germany”). Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says software developers are dying out. Bill Gates considers coders one of only three professions that will survive the AI tsunami. Top tech economists find virtually irrefutable arguments both for and against an AI bubble. The same naturally applies to the structurally youth-hostile debate over whether AI is good or bad for young people. The gap between the demand for insight and the supply of solid knowledge creates an orientation vacuum. This vacuum of AI cluelessness is filled, as the attention economy described by Georg Franck in 1998 would have it, with half-knowledge (funnily enough, often AI-generated), marketing, and self-marketing. After all, infinite money is at stake, along with academia’s best current shot at global fame. But this iridescent froth of interpretation operates more by the algorithmic principles of the digital public sphere than by seriously earned insight. That is why dramatized, fear-feeding claims about AI are so promising. It tempts parts of academia into distorted drivel, and parts of the media then sensationalize the published drivel once more. Was the Research Aimed at a Desired Result? How badly this can influence academia and public perception is demonstrated by one of the most-discussed studies on AI’s effects: “Your Brain on ChatGPT.” The MIT study by Nataliya Kosmyna also gets plenty of space in the SPIEGEL cover story. What was measured and interpreted: lower brain activity in people who write with AI assistance, compared to people who only google or write without any tools. As is common with preprints, the study has not yet been peer-reviewed, and it contains substantial weaknesses that experts have sharply criticized. The first round had 54 participants in three groups, the second only 18, who reportedly also came from MIT’s own orbit. There was no preregistration (committing in advance to what you want to find out with which data). In their analysis, Stanković et al. even discovered an opposite effect that the study does not further explain. Some measurement data has not (yet) been published. And the EEG analysis method used is considered too imprecise to support such far-reaching conclusions. The biggest criticism, though, is the suspicion of an activism-driven study. In an interview with Time, lead author Kosmyna said she published the study immediately, rather than after full peer review, because she feared politicians might otherwise decide to put ChatGPT in kindergartens. She considers that absolutely harmful. It is legitimate to hold such a view. It just seems unscientific to approach a study with it, and then to design the setup so that the chance of a fitting desired result remains as high as possible. Ideologies Collide It is not easy to separate genuine AI insights from studies that trivialize and weaken well-founded AI criticism. The same goes for the opposing, AI-enthusiastic narratives, because the pro-AI side works against it with billions in resources. Ideologies collide, fed by egos, PR strategies, moral posturing, and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. Doomsday marketing makes the search even harder: AI companies can profit from warnings about the dangers of AI, whether through the notoriety of apocalypse narratives or because, in some target groups, danger translates into power. Some seemingly negative findings are therefore quite welcome in the AI industry. If you try to get at the findings presumably less influenced by interest groups, the picture in education seems relatively clear: AI can improve educational outcomes when the right AI is used the right way, namely pedagogically. Simply dumping an AI chatbot into a classroom, by contrast, accomplishes little. Huge surprise. But something else is also obvious: whether they are allowed to or not, kids use AI for school, which is why the controlled integration of AI tools into education is, in the medium term, entirely without alternative. In the world of work, the landscape of findings is more complex and requires more differentiation. A series of serious studies points to an AI effect that suits neither the alarmists, regulation fetishists, and AI opponents, nor the trillion-dollar corporations with their armada of paid scientists, PR professionals, and ecosystems: working with AI helps the inexperienced (at least for now) considerably more than it helps the pros, in certain fields of work, and provided they know how to use it correctly. Missing Domain Knowledge Among the experienced, the professionals, and the high flyers, by contrast, despite frequent time savings, partially negative effects and new problems are emerging. Take the jagged frontier problem: AI solves task A brilliantly and fails completely at task B, even though both look similar even to professionals. Or the verification-cost problem, in which AI’s greater productivity gets eaten up by the enormous effort of checking its output. Or the illusion of competence, because AI makes new domains seem easily penetrable, until you painfully discover that deep domain knowledge is missing. Taken as a whole, the effects of working with AI do lean positive. But the promise that AI works as a turbocharger for everyone and boosts practically everything simply refuses to materialize. The AI magic the world has been feeling since ChatGPT arrived in late 2022 has so far barely shown up in most companies’ numbers. The consulting firm McKinsey has coined a term for this, the “gen AI paradox,” and believes that work processes and corporate structures would have to be rebuilt quite fundamentally to realize AI’s benefits at scale. Reuters just reported that only 3.3 percent of Microsoft’s customers have subscribed to the AI package Copilot. That may be down to the product; in other areas we continue to see soaring successes and new AI triumphs. But after the first quarter of 2026, disillusionment is the word for all too many AI projects at traditional companies: because the promised revolution of AI agents has so far failed to arrive or been postponed, and because of the leveling effect that many of the studies cited here suggest. Against Inequality The societal effects, on the other hand, appear rather encouraging. Many previous technologies operated on the Matthew principle, named for the Gospel verse about giving to those who already have: they tended to reward the more competent and more privileged. AI, however, seems more often to have an equalizing effect once a threshold of access and education is crossed. Some anecdotal insights point in this direction, for example, how an unemployed man in Leipzig successfully defended himself in court in 2025 against fraud accusations from Germany’s federal employment agency — without a lawyer, armed only with ChatGPT. The AI made mistakes and cited invented court rulings, but in the end the man walked away unpunished. And a key capability of artificial intelligence is its capacity to learn: set up correctly and fed with data, it can keep getting better. It is a question of time, or more precisely of AI innovations and training data, until even free AI chatbots write better legal briefs than law graduates with perfect exam scores. Whether that will make anyone dumb is something the world’s press will surely inform us of in due time. Subscribe Leave a comment
Windows 11 KB5101684 out with a speed boost, direct download links for offline installer (.msu)
Windows 11 KB5101684 is now rolling out with several quality improvements, particularly performance gains. This update is available via Windows Update and installs only when you tap the ‘Download & Install’ button. In addition, Microsoft has posted direct download links for KB5101684 offline installers (.msu). KB5101684 is an optional update and is internally known as […]
Steve Smith Slated for ESPN Studio Role
The former All-Pro receiver has been with NFL Network since 2017.
Jimmy Smith: Entertainment value
Amusement Park Entertainment’s Chairman, CEO and Chief Creative Officer discusses cultural storytelling, fearless ideas and why advertising must earn people’s attention.
A Major Trump Energy Scandal Is Flying Under the Radar. It’s a Twisted Repeat of History.
The administration wants blue states to heat up a lot more quickly than red states.
Curiosity Entertainment Enlists Execs Laurie Seidman And John Maatta & Sets Storyteller Media’s Debut Page-To-Screen Slate
EXCLUSIVE: Curiosity Entertainment has named former CBS exec Laurie Seidman as its TV and film chief, as the production house and its publishing subsidiary, Storyteller Media, unveiled a debut page-to...
Curiosity Entertainment Enlists Exec Laurie Seidman And John Maatta
Curiosity Entertainment has named Laurie Seidman as TV and film chief and added John Maatta as chairman, as it unveiled a debut page-to-screen slate.
Trump coming to Michigan for speech on economy: Live updates
President Donald Trump is slated to visit Michigan on Monday, July 27 for a speech at GM Proving Grounds in Milford. Get live updates here.
FDA takes up peptide therapies as hype outpaces science
A slate of popular peptide therapies has won the backing of a key advisory panel to the federal government – a step that could eventually open up broader
Will Kings’ Karaban Thrive Around Better Players?
After overcoming a rocky Summer League start, UConn’s championship-winning connector looks to translate his elite basketball IQ and catch-and-shoot prowess into a reliable weapon alongside Sacramento’s veteran stars.
Duke-Michigan rematch scrapped over broadcast rights
The rematch was slated for Dec. 21 and was supposed to be streamed on Amazon Prime as part of Duke's three-game deal.
Six Years Ago, I Indulged My Husband’s Biggest Fantasy. Now It’s Eating Me Alive.
Once ... just once ... I'd like to try anything else.
Man City explain Abdukodir Khusanov’s bumper new five-year contract
The Uzbekistan defender is slated for a key role in the new City regime under Enzo Maresca
Donald Trump Is Very, Very Angry About His Biggest Failure. There’s Almost Nothing He Can Do About It.
It's destined to become the signature disaster of his second term.
Lindsey Graham’s Sister Replaced Him. If History’s Any Guide, We Know Exactly What Type of Senator She’ll Be.
Darline Graham has been described as largely apolitical. Hmm.
Democrats Finally Have a Pick to Take On Susan Collins. It Was a Long, Strange Trip to Get There.
This weekend’s convention is a surprisingly low-key end to a truly wild ride.
Trump’s Approval Ratings Are Plummeting. The Last Group of People You’d Expect Is Behind the Shift.
The same reasons they voted for him are the reasons they're changing their minds.
Maine’s Bet on the Progressive Platform
Maine Democrats have coalesced around Troy Jackson, a progressive former state senator who lost a gubernatorial election earlier this summer, to replace Graham Platner on the Senate ticket. Also: A new slate of Black officials is poised to lead some of Maryland's biggest counties.
AI 'kill switch' bill unveiled as OpenAI hack raises alarms
A bipartisan House bill slated to be introduced Thursday would authorize the US government to shut down or throttle risky AI models.
When It Comes to Fusion, Materials Matter
Fusion at high temperatures powers the sun and, if harnessed, could provide a potential source of energy here on Earth. But controlling fusion reactions has other benefits. The process also generates subatomic particles called neutrons that are used in a range of applications spanning medicine, research, and national security. Now, scientists at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis), and the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have found that the materials surrounding a fusion reaction can dramatically increase how often it occurs, particularly at low energies where fusion is rare. The study was published July 18 in Nature Communications. Their approach sets up a way to study and engineer nuclear reactions within solid materials, opening a new field of “materials-driven fusion.” Instead of designing materials just to survive the harsh conditions of fusion, researchers might be able to design materials that boost the reaction in specific conditions, similar to the way catalysts speed up chemical processes. “It gives you a new knob to turn that you didn’t have before,” said Arun Persaud, head of the Fusion Science & Ion Beam Technology group in Berkeley Lab’s Accelerator Technology & Applied Physics (ATAP) Division. “If we understand this effect better, it opens the door to engineering new materials that would affect the fusion rate under certain conditions. Someday future progress might enable more compact and efficient neutron generators, which have all kinds of applications, like cargo screening, planetary science, and medical therapy and imaging.” In the experiment, researchers used two different methods to pack deuterium, a heavy form of hydrogen atoms that is often used in fusion, into thin foils of palladium and titanium. They then fired a beam of deuterium ions at the foils at different energies and measured how often fusion happened. Then they compared the rates from the different materials and methods with the “bare” fusion reaction (not in a material). The team found that fusion rates depended on how the deuterium was loaded into the metal foils. The biggest effect was at the lowest energies, below 2.5 kiloelectronvolts (keV), where theory predicts fusion rates drop off sharply. Instead, researchers found a surprising plateau: Some samples showed elevated fusion rates roughly a quintillion times higher than bare fusion reactions. (A quintillion is a 1 followed by 18 zeroes.) Researchers are not exactly sure why that’s happening, though they have some ideas and ways to test them. The electrons and defects within the material might partially shield repulsive electrostatic forces between deuterium nuclei, making it easier for them to get close together and fuse. Tuning the electronic structure, defects, and composition of materials could help make nuclear reactions happen more readily. “It comes down to better understanding the mechanism so that we can try to enhance it,” said corresponding author Jeremy Munday, a professor at UC Davis. “We’ve seen that we can increase fusion rates, but what is the limit? Can we bring it to lower temperatures or energies? There’s obviously a lot of interest and excitement about fusion, so if there’s something we can learn about the physics at these lower energy scales, maybe there’s something we can translate to other areas of nuclear science.” The team plans to explore a wider range of materials and continue probing the unexpected fusion plateau at lower energies. Their work establishes a reproducible experimental platform to study how solid materials influence nuclear reactions, creating a new area of research that links fusion science with materials science and chemistry. “The work shows conclusively that the material environment where fusion occurs at low temperatures is an active participant rather than a passive container,” said Cameron Geddes, director of ATAP. “That adds a new dimension to fusion research.” This work was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). ### Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab’s expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab’s world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science. DOE’s Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
Microsoft is cracking down on Windows 11 bloatware ads, forces LG to pull McAfee popup
LG has agreed to disable the McAfee popup in its Monitor App Installer, Microsoft's Pavan Davuluri confirms, after weeks of user complaints.
Is AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) Fairly Valued After Its Q2 2026 Results?
AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC) just posted its second quarter 2026 results, giving investors fresh detail on how the cinema operator is performing on both revenue and profitability after a busy movie slate. See our latest analysis for AMC Entertainment Holdings. At a share price of US$2.20, AMC Entertainment Holdings has swung sharply in recent sessions, with a 7 day share price return of 12.24% after Q2 headlines, yet a 1 month share price return down 22.26% and a 1 year total shareholder...
Maine gubernatorial candidates differ on debate format
Democrat Hannah Pingree announced a slate of four televised debates sponsored by local news outlets.
American Franchise Act Would Protect Small Businesses, Boost Economy
To: Members of the House Committee on Education and Workforce From: National Taxpayers Union Date: July 21, 2026 Subject: NTU’s views on the July 21 Markup I. Introduction On behalf of National Taxpayers Union, the nation’s oldest taxpayer advocacy organization, we write to express our views on legislation slated for consideration before the House Committee on Education and Workforce on July 21, 2026. While NTU recognizes that the Committee is considering a broader package of legislative propo, Author(s): Alexander Ciccone
AMC Entertainment delivers record Q2 results as summer releases boost results
AMC Entertainment Holdings (NYSE:AMC) shares rose 11% after the movie theater chain reported second-quarter results that exceeded Wall Street expectations, driven by a strong slate of summer blockbuster releases. The company reported adjusted earnings per share of $0.14 for the quarter ended...
The Wingman
Mark Kelly’s résumé and the goodwill he’s accrued as Gabby Giffords’s spouse have granted him a high level of admiration. Can it translate to excitement for a presidential campaign?
My Brother Met His Now-Wife Because She Was My Business Partner. Now They’ve Conspired Against Me.
I can't get over this.
Dissatisfied with Tallahassee politics? Arnie the dog wants your vote
A basset hound named Arnie is running for Tallahassee mayor after his owner decided there isn't a strong choice among the current slate of candidates.
Bangor businesses hope World Cup excitement scores big with local fans
As the world’s biggest soccer tournament comes to a close with its championship match, Bangor businesses are hoping the global excitement translates into packed dining rooms and a busy Sunday afternoo...
Valve Drops Big SteamVR Update Ahead of Steam Frame Launch
Valve has dropped a sizeable update to SteamVR, paving the way for what appears to be imminent launch of its long-awaited standalone VR headset, Steam Frame. Valve’s latest update brings a good slate of Steam features to SteamVR, which seems to be shaping up to be a proper VR-based operating system, now including a new […]
MLB Predictions and Moneyline Picks for Saturday, July 18
We have 15 MLB moneyline predictions for Saturday's MLB slate, and we like the Angels' chances tonight against the Tigers!
UT San Antonio academic health center ranked among nation’s best for entrepreneurial readiness
UT Health San Antonio, The University of Texas at San Antonio’s academic health center, has been recognized as one of the nation’s top 10 institutions for entrepreneurial readiness, ranking No. 7 in the inaugural Cure Innovation Index for how effectively it helps researchers translate scientific discovery into real-world impact through biomedical innovation and commercialization. […]
5 Big Changes Reportedly Coming To The iPad Lineup By 2027
Apple's iPad line-up is slated to get some major changes with its 2027 releases, including upgraded accessories and the long-awaited Siri AI.
DSW Marks 35 Years With Slate of Celebrations Amid Evolving Business
DSW is marking 35 years in business with a two-week customer appreciation sale this month as the company continues to evolve.
Atlanta leaders hope FIFA World Cup sparks long-term business investment and economic growth
Metro Atlanta's business leaders say the 2026 FIFA Men's World Cup is creating new international partnerships they hope will translate into lasting future economic opportunities.
OpenAI's First Device Will Be Movable, Screenless Speaker Built as AI Companion
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“Meaningless without the Hope of Jesus”: Willie and Korie Robertson on the Uplifting Entertainment Hub of eKKL
We recently sat down with Stan Jantz to chat about The Chosen, the Come and See foundation, and an ambitious mission to translate the series into 600 languages and share the authentic Jesus with 1 billion people around the globe.
“I Want to Build People Up”: eKKL Entertainment Co-founder Michael Scott Discusses the Genesis of His Company
We recently sat down with Stan Jantz to chat about The Chosen, the Come and See foundation, and an ambitious mission to translate the series into 600 languages and share the authentic Jesus with 1 billion people around the globe.
Nike's Mule-ish Science Project Has Left the Lab
The Nike Mind 001 Mineral Slate translates Nike’s ambitious engineering concept into a truly wearable, lifestyle-first recovery shoe.
It Helped Sink Kamala Harris. Democrats Don’t Want to Talk About It. Now It Could Change Everything in 2026.
The surgeon turned candidate has changed the way Democrats are talking about this.
Home Entertainment Slate for July 14 Includes 'Michael,' 'Obsession,' 'The Mummy' on Disc, 'Backrooms,' 'The Breadwinner' Digitally
Home Entertainment new releases for July 14 include Michael, Obsession, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy and Normal on Blu-ray, while Backrooms and The Breadwinner become available digitally. The hit music biopic Michael will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD disc July 14 from Lionsgate. The 4K Ultra HD combo pack with regular Blu-ray Disc and … Continue reading "Home Entertainment Slate for July 14 Includes ‘Michael,’ ‘Obsession,’ ‘The Mummy’ on Disc, ‘Backrooms,’ ‘The Breadwinner’ Digitally"
Major international trial finds healthy behaviors help brain health in older adults
The question researchers still want to answer is whether those changes translate to a reduced risk of dementia.
Can Rashawn Slater Return to His Elite Form?
Can Rashawn Slater regain his place among the NFL’s elite left tackles? If he stays healthy in 2026, his return to All-Pro form could be one of the biggest reasons the Chargers take the next step as a legitimate AFC contender.
A Terrifying Food Label Is Spooking Even the Government. Just One Problem: It’s Almost Meaningless.
It’s all about the vibes.
They're Building Half A Bridge to Save Science...
Today’s post is about science: what you can do now to protect it from unprecedented threats, and how your action is the first half of a long-term program that Congress must take up next. Let me start with describing the embryonic state of science advocacy. There are many well-meaning organizations: the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Research!America, and subject-specific organizations such as the Society for Neuroscience and the American Physical Society. Their general approach is to emphasize the common good: the remarkable value that science and innovation have provided to all Americans. However, these organizations are offering an incomplete solution. Before I start, a preliminary: If you already know about the threat, go ahead and weigh in with OMB at this link. Ideas about what to say come from Research!America and the American Physical Society. You have until Monday, July 13 at 11:59pm Eastern. Then come back here and read the rest of this post. Finally, get in touch with whoever is likely to be your next member of Congress in 2027. The threat: An end to merit-based science… The onslaught of attacks on science is accelerating. It’s not just cuts to grants, which was the last battle. That battle is not done yet, but there is a new and worse threat. Now comes a proposed public rule from the Office of Management and Budget. The rule would take decision-making power over grants away from experts and put it into the hands of political appointees. Former NIH official Elizabeth Ginexi wrote an excellent summary of what OMB is trying to do, which is codify the executive branch’s ability to award or terminate grants, for arbitrary cause or no stated cause. Since World War II, a necessary step in scientific grant-making has been consideration of scientific merit. This approach has made America into a dominant scientific superpower, the envy of the world. Of course, political considerations do come into the mix. The proposed rule tilts the balance dramatically away from merit. …but why? Many people have difficulty comprehending why Russell Vought and OMB would want to damage science in this way. If you’re a working scientist, you are likely to be particularly uncomprehending. Who would hurt an activity so self-evidently good? The answer is: this is part of the program to replace the rule of law with a personalist regime. OMB Director Russell Vought, a Christian nationalist, would like to implement what legal scholars call a “unitary executive,” and what I would call a dictatorship. Or if you like, a personalist authoritarian regime. I am a working scientist. This rule will debilitate my research. It may chill the speech of scientists for speaking freely in the public sphere. It is a form of personalizing power and decision-making within the executive branch. In short, it sacrifices science in the service of tyranny. To Russell Vought, a decrease in the quality of science might be an acceptable cost. He might even consider it an added benefit to weaken a pillar of soft U.S. power based on knowledge and skepticism. The professional societies are building half a bridge The nonprofits are asking you to make public comment. Public comment is like building the first half of a bridge. Before implementation, OMB is compelled by law to have a period of public comment. Rules have to be consistent with the law and the Constitution. They express the federal government’s stance toward how those laws will be implemented. When a presidential administration works in good faith, these public comments are used to inform their eventual action, and sometimes mitigate it. The comment period reflects our First Amendment right to petition our government. The executive branch is then supposed to take those comments into account - completing the bridge between us, the people, and our government. Project 2025 seeks to take away the second half of the bridge. We have to replace it. The first half of the bridge Organizations like AAAS, Research!America, and SfN are partly right. You should certainly comment. Their core model is earnest: if enough of us make noise, then we will achieve change. This idealistic point of view is offered in good faith. That point of view is also currently bullshit. The fundamental reason is that the federal rulemaking process has two parts: There has to be a period of public comment. OMB makes the final rule…but is free to disregard public comment. Oops. That’s a loophole. However, not all is lost. Congress can complete the bridge Congress has enormous power. That power suggests a roadmap for how to proceed. This lawless administration is still going to issue that rule. Nonetheless, your comments still play an essential role. Here are two steps you can take. Step 1: Send your comment to your Representative and Senator. Whether they are Democrats or Republicans, many of them support science. Whatever you wrote as public comment in the Federal Register, also send it to your member of Congress. You can include information about jobs in your district or state by looking at Joshua Weitz’s ScienceMatters interactive map. Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and give your town, zip code, or state, then deliver your message. Step 2: Politicize the hell out of science. You heard me, politicize it as an issue. We hear a lot from the old scientific establishment about science being nonpartisan. This is obsolete, sentimental thinking. Under normal conditions, it was true. But we can no longer make that assumption. We can keep on pretending, but we’re putting science at risk. There is a way forward. Rules are subordinate to the law…and Congress makes laws. Therefore Congress can step in. In this fall’s election, it is likely that Democrats will retake the House of Representatives. That puts at least one chamber of Congress in the hands of Democrats. They are far more inclined than the current Congress to investigate and legislate. This opens a path to undoing the damage. It also creates a permission structure for pro-science Republicans to find a way back from the brink. We have to encourage them. In the House, every district is up every two years. In your district, contact both of the major party candidates. If your state has a Senate race, contact those candidates too. Specifically mention the proposed OMB rule. Ask for two things: For this year’s appropriations process in August and September, ask that amendments be added to stop the implementation of the new rule. Those amendments should support peer-reviewed science and stop political interference. Looking ahead to next year, ask the Congressman/Congresswoman/Senator to work to hold hearings in 2027 on the importance and benefits of peer-reviewed science for health and prosperity. What hearings and amendments will accomplish Congress can use its investigatory power to summon heads of agencies and the director of the OMB. That will allow fact-finding regarding the consequences of this rule. Congress can override the rule through the appropriations process. They can write into statute a requirement to follow peer review and best scientific practices. In this way, Congress can stop the attacks on science. Postscript: Moving forward Now I have a request for you, to help me. As many of you know, I ran for Congress in order to save democracy and science. Although I did not win, that battle continues by other means. I met and heard from thousands of supporters both here in New Jersey and nationally. I learned that pro-science, pro-democracy activists have the potential to become a much greater force. In the weeks and months ahead, I will be building ways to harness that energy. I will be announcing those plans soon. In the meantime, an important step is to wind down the Congressional campaign, which has a few remaining bills to pay. Please help me retire that last debt.
Steeplegate Mall owner seeking to evict Zoo Health Club ahead of redevelopment
A simmering dispute between the owner of the Steeplegate Mall and one of its three remaining tenants, the Zoo Health Club, is slated for a jury trial this fall. In a series of court filings, Onyx Partners argues that the gym has long been in violation of its lease. The gym’s owner argued Onyx is […]
Apple and MLB announce August Friday Night Baseball schedule: key dates, how to watch
Iconic rivalries, repeat appearances from top contenders, and more round out the August slate.
Deana Carter To Headline Marshall County Fair Entertainment Lineup
MOUNDSVILLE — This year’s Marshall County Fair, slated July 19-25, will include a performance by country music star Deana Carter, known for hit songs like “Strawberry Wine.” Carter is scheduled to perform at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 25, on the main festival stage at the Marshall County Fairgrounds, 1433 12th St., Moundsville. Opening for Carter […]
The Water In This 2002 Surfing Game Is Blowing People's Minds
Gnarly water Kelly Slater, most excellent dude
Random: The Internet Is Going Crazy For This Early 2000s Activision Surfing Game
The people yearn for Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer
Some Kansas City small businesses are ready for life after the World Cup
Some Kansas City businesses say World Cup crowds never translated into sales. Now they're hoping regular customers return after Saturday's final match in Kansas City.
After Five Years of Business-Backed Advocacy, Governor Kehoe Signs Clean Slate Reforms Into Law
Today, Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed SB 1421 into law, which included a bipartisan "Clean Slate" measure that establishes an automated process to identify and expunge eligible low-level drug offenses for thousands of Missourians. Working in partnership with the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, business leaders and employers were among the most vocal supporters of the reform, calling it both a practical workforce solution that removes unnecessary barriers between qualified workers a
How Did We Get Graham Platner, Anyway? The Answer Is the Problem.
Democrats need to learn this lesson.
There Was Only One Solution to My Problem … Down There. It’s Opened Up Pandora’s Box.
I'm trying everything.
New venue featuring karaoke and dueling pianos coming to the North Shore
A new entertainment venue in partnership with the Pittsburgh Pirates is slated to become the newest addition to the North Shore’s hub of restaurants...
Can Sphere Entertainment's (SPHR) Wizard of Oz Bet Justify Its Rich Venue-Driven Valuation?
In recent days, Sphere Entertainment drew attention as investors reacted to renewed optimism around its flagship Sphere venue and an expanded content slate, including immersive productions such as The Wizard of Oz. The key tension now is that while some valuation models suggest the shares may be trading below intrinsic value, others imply the company already carries a premium earnings multiple, highlighting how sensitive sentiment could be to venue performance and cost control. We’ll now...
Spero Health Acquires CleanSlate, Doubling Footprint and Averting Shutdown
This is an exclusive BHB+ story Spero Health acquired fellow multi-state office-based opioid treatment (OBOT) provider CleanSlate Centers. The deal saves
Supreme Court justices Kagan and Barrett to testify on Capitol Hill
Supreme Court Justices Amy Coney Barrett and Elena Kagan are scheduled to testify before Congress next week as lawmakers consider the judiciary’s funding request. Barrett and Kagan are slated to appear before the House Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government on Tuesday, July 14, according to the House committee schedule. They will also testify […]
First look: Google Translate is finally prepping the modern makeover it deserves
Google appears to be testing a major redesign for the Google Translate app on Android, complete with a modern home screen layout.
Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption is under 4.5% after 3 years, only 1% use it weekly, yet prices went up
Fewer than 4.5% of Microsoft 365 customers pay for Copilot after three years, only 1% use it weekly, and Microsoft raised prices regardless.
What Trump’s FIFA Scandal Says About His Politics
Now the whole world is getting a lesson in presidential coercion.
City set to host Illuminate Littleton
While the 4th of July festivities have come to an end, Littleton isn’t done celebrating quite yet. Main Street is slated to host festivities for all Littletonians to celebrate the
There Are Many Things That Could Increase the Birth Rate. This Major One Is Usually Ignored.
Conservatives tend to blame women for declining fertility. They’re wrong.
'I know Toure will be really successful'
Bazoumana Toure's positivity translates on to the field. The rapid winger certainly tried to make things happen at Hoffenheim, who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Champions League last season. Of the forwards playing in the Bundesliga in 2025-26, Toure ranked first for successful crosses (39), joint-second for assists (nine), joint-third for dribbles completed (48) and fourth for chances created (45) and big chances created (11).
The Left Knows One Narrative About Conservative Women. An Eye-Opening New Book Offers Another.
Christian conservative women aren’t all alike, Katie Gaddini’s book Esther’s Army suggests.
Savannah's Starland District slated for its latest entertainment venue
A new black box theater is coming to Savannah's Starland District after city council approved a special use permit for alcohol sales at the site.
Taylor Swift wedding guests arrive at Madison Square Garden: Photos
Are you ready for it? Taylor Swift's star-studded wedding guest list is coming into focus. As the July 3 event slated to start around 5 p.m.
Something Is Going On With Mitch McConnell’s Health, and His Office Is Keeping Mighty Quiet About It
McConnell checked into a hospital last month. We don’t know why.
LECOM Event Center unveils new concerts, monster trucks, rodeo, circus
From a monster truck show to a legendary pop band, the LECOM Event Center hopes to appeal to a wide variety of tastes with its slate of live events.
City Hall visit, packed entertainment slate highlight 2026 HBCU Swingman Classic schedule
Major League Baseball today announced the pregame and philanthropic details for the 2026 HBCU Swingman Classic presented by USA Baseball, highlighted by a team visit to City Hall, Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s first pitch, uniform patches honoring HBCU legend Roger Cador and pregame entertainment by Grammy-Award winner Durand Bernarr
NASA launches bold mission to rescue a falling space telescope before it crashes to Earth
NASA's Swift Observatory is slated to enter Earth's atmosphere later this year, but the Katalyst Space spacecraft aims to boost it higher this summer.
Original 'Supergirl' star Helen Slater speaks out on new movie
Helen Slater, for one, wasn't let down by "Supergirl."
Apple Readies New iPad Pro, Redesigned Entry MacBook Pro for 2027
Apple Inc. is preparing an upgraded iPad Pro line and a redesigned entry-level MacBook Pro for next year, adding to a slate of several other major new products planned for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary year.
Professor, Mentor, Researcher, and Data Pioneer: Celebrating Lynn Blewett’s Retirement
I first met Lynn Blewett as a graduate student at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, where her courses on the U.S. health care system fundamentally shaped how I understand policy and evidence. What struck me most was her ability to translate complex health systems into their human dimensions and to remind us […]
Trump’s State Fair Commits a Cardinal Sin
I have been to a great state fair. I have now also been to Trump's state fair.
How Elite Sports Coaches Make High-Pressure Decisions
Drawing on interviews with 11 elite coaches across major U.S., European, Australian, and New Zealand professional sports leagues, the authors show that high-pressure decisions aren’t a single “formula” but a set of practices that unfold before, during, and after pivotal moments—and translate directly to business leadership. Top coaches combine disciplined preparation with emotional control and social awareness during crunch time and accountability and continual system improvement after the fact.
The Supreme Court’s New 6–3 Elections Case Was Not Nearly as Bad as Expected
As disastrous Supreme Court election cases go, Tuesday’s decision in NSRC v. FEC doesn’t make the list of complete abominations.
Chapin is set to get a slate of new restaurants and businesses. Check out where
The town of Chapin noted that several new restaurants and business are slated for a growing corridor.
Texas Democrats unite behind their slate of candidates, but some hurdles remain
Texas Democrats courted national attention with speakers such as New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
‘Paris & Pups’ Producer HappyNest Entertainment Expands Slate With New R.L. Stine Series, ‘Louie and Bear’ Adaptation and Space Camp Franchise (EXCLUSIVE)
HappyNest Entertainment, the producer behind Paris Hilton’s “Paris & Pups” YouTube show, is in early development on several new projects, including a series with “Goosebumps” author R.L. Stine, an ada...
Exclusive: First look at the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, and Z Fold 8 Ultra (a.k.a. 'Fold 8 Wide')
Samsung is gearing up for a big reveal of its latest foldable smartphones at the upcoming annual Unpacked event in July, and it's slated to officially
Netflix and Superheroes Are Having a Rough Stretch on Streaming....
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) I have a quick prediction before we start today’s article: You might see this data in future news articles. Not my specific charts or analysis, but the core trend I’ve been monitoring—Netflix is having a lackluster Q2—will become inescapable. Often, folks want to know “What does the data say?” Well, that’s what it says. I haven’t seen this analysis hit the trades really yet, but I have a feeling some other outlets are going to start making this case soon. Remember, you read it here first. You probably have read about the problems facing superhero films at the box office this weekend. Well, this week, I explore whether superheroes are dying on TV as well! And the data says: definitely maybe! We have a lot to cover in today’s Streaming Ratings Report, which covers the two weeks of 18-May and 25-May. Today, I’m just looking at TV, like Netflix’s disappointing Q2, superhero shows underwhelming, a few TV shows dropping off the charts, The Pitt finally ending its epic run on the viewership charts (and whether “view counts” change its status as one of the biggest shows of all time), all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Tomorrow, I’ve got a great rundown of the film side of things. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, Showlabs, TV Time trend data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of May 18th to May 31st, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Television - Netflix’s Q2 Slump Continues Having analyzed streaming ratings for going on half a decade, I have learned to trust my gut, but I’m always relieved when I can find actual data to back it up. For example, after a string of very popular shows like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, The Lincoln Lawyer and The Night Agent came out, week after week, in January and February, my gut wondered if Netflix had enough new and returning TV shows to sustain them throughout the year. Since then, Netflix’s post-March slate of shows has not impressed me. This week seemed to feature a potential new hit, but then, like a classic Duffer Bros. TV show, there was a twist. I speak of The Boroughs, Netflix’s latest (and last) Duffer Bros. produced show. The pitch is “Stranger Things with older actors”. And it topped the Nielsen charts: With just two weeks of viewership, The Boroughs would have been a top 25 debut show last year: But here’s the twist: Netflix has already cancelled The Boroughs! What happened? Likely a few things. First, the show didn’t do as well globally as it did in the US. As What’s on Netflix showed, it lagged behind several other shows that got cancelled. Second, its completion rate was likely low; after an initial burst of interest, it quickly dropped off on the Samba TV and Luminate charts. Third, the Duffer Bros. left Netflix for Paramount, and that may have factored into Netflix’s decision here. (Though I tend to believe that if a show is doing well, Netflix would have kept greenlighting seasons.) Still, just because I can explain why Netflix may have cancelled this show doesn’t mean I’m justifying it. In particular, as I’ve noted before, Netflix is losing a lot of their bigger shows as they reach their natural ends, and they need to replace those shows. This show had the hallmarks of a big new genre show, and it’s their biggest hit of the last few months (in the US at least), but now it’s done. Netflix’s other show this week—The Four Seasons, the second season of the “hit” show from last year—definitely disappointed. Its sophomore season had about half the viewership of the first, only 12.7 million hours. It also only had a two week run on Samba TV, and its numbers were all down on Luminate too. In other words, even with two successes, the Q2 slump for Netflix looks real: I could add to the list of disappointments: Both Lord of the Files and Man on Fire had short runs on the Nielsen charts. Running Point’s sophomore season also opened to about half its viewership, similar to The Four Seasons. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’s second season—see below—didn’t even make any of the three viewership charts I track, unlike the first season. Netflix is absolutely having a dismal second three months of 2026. If this Nielsen data is any indication, and I think it is, I think this will show up in Netflix’s engagement report, and maybe even their financial outcomes. And the rest of June doesn’t look much better. We have two hit shows coming back—Sweet Magnolias, one of their quietest big shows, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, a big hit for them in 2024—but the other big swings are limited series crime thrillers i.e. no future season potential. Like I said above, sometimes when I uncover a juicy nugget like this, other outlets end up writing very similar articles mimicking the data without credit. We’ll see if that happens this time! Share Television - The State of Superhero Shows on Streaming When I first heard the pitch for Spider-Noir—a Sony TV show on Prime Video that binge-released eight episodes first on MGM+ then on Prime Video two days later—I had my doubts. It’s a live-action Spider-Man show set in the 1930s, starring Nicholas Cage, based on a cameo of a character in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. No, seriously, that’s the pitch. That could either go terrifically well or horribly wrong. Great because, Spider-Man. He’s the biggest superhero we have. I’ve seen tracking numbers that put the new _Spider-Man: Brand New Da_y as the blockbuster of the year and initial pre-sales back that up. And yet this Spider-Noir pitch feels very esoteric. (Also, the eight-episode binge release feels very “Amazon copying Netflix” again.) So what’s the data say? And what does this say about the future of superhero shows?
Kakao Entertainment Announces Genre-Spanning Lineup
Kakao Entertainment enjoyed a highly successful first half of the year, with its Netflix series “The WONDERfools” and “Boyfriend on Demand” hitting global home runs with their distinctive narratives. Also building on the recently released suspense drama “Notes from the Last Row,” Kakao Entertainment’s genre-spanning 2026 slate features the upcoming action-comedy “A Bona Fide Killer” and the thriller “Mousetrap,” cementing - Read our full Pop Culture on The Outerhaven .
PS6 Hardware Cost Estimated at $900+
The upcoming Sony PlayStation 6 is slated to launch sometime in 2028, and with recent reports claiming that the ongoing RAM crisis likely won't end or ease up much before then, concerns are mounting about the price of next-gen gaming consoles. Those concerns are seemingly justified, with ubiquitous ...
Meaningful Outcomes Determine the Winners of the Health AI Race
Global investment in healthcare AI exceeded $18 billion in 2025, yet health systems still lack a shared understanding of the outcomes that investment should deliver. This paper argues that success in the health AI race will be determined not by technological sophistication but by which systems first identify and pursue the outcomes that matter most to patients, professionals and health systems. Without a shared language for defining and measuring what healthcare AI should deliver, systems risk optimizing for what is easiest to count rather than what matters most. This paper provides a framework for ensuring AI investment translates into real value for healthcare systems and the populations they serve.
Efzimfotase alfa demonstrated improvements in bone health in treatment-naïve pediatric patients with hypophosphatasia achieving median difference of 1.67 vs placebo in RGI-C Score at week 25 in MULBERRY Phase III trial
Positive results from the MULBERRY Phase III trial showed that efzimfotase alfa (ALXN1850), an investigational enzyme replacement therapy, demonstrated a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in bone health in children (2 to