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Manchester City failed to sign £85.8m Bayern Munich star
Manchester City made an audacious attempt to lure Aleksandar Pavlovic away from Bayern Munich this summer.This has been a massive transfer window for Man City under Enzo Maresca, with the club complet...
Bayern star turned down €100m move to Manchester City
German publication Sport1 has backed up a previous report from Bild claiming that Aleksandar Pavlovic turned down interest from Manchester City back in March.The Premier League giants were reportedly ...
More Georgia jobs as business investment tops record for second year
Georgia reports a record $35.2 billion in business investments and thousands of new jobs for the past fiscal year.
Google Releases Chrome Update to Patch Actively Exploited V8 Zero-Day
Google patched an actively exploited Chrome V8 flaw that enables arbitrary code execution inside the sandbox through a crafted HTML page.
Human Urine and Fuel Are Melting the Glacier Beneath Everest Base Camp
Everest’s seasonal city produces enough heat to melt thousands of tons of ice.
How Deion Sanders and Colorado overcame sloppy play to eke out crucial win over Georgia Tech
Scientists say powerful El Niño could bring bigger waves, coastal flooding
Scientists at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography are monitoring a developing super El Niño that is set to bring larger waves, coastal flooding, and increased erosion to San Di…
Ferguson moves to prepare WA for looming Medicaid changes
Gov. Bob Ferguson signed an executive order Thursday aimed at helping thousands of Washington patients who could soon lose Medicaid coverage.
Jennifer Aniston's emotional interview with boyfriend Jim Curtis about his health journey
The couple made a rare joint appearance at New York City’s 92nd Street Y, with Jen interviewing her wellness coach boyfriend about hie new guide to healing, “The Book of Possibility.”
Joey King has her ‘Practical Magic 2’ costars cackling over this naughty Sandra Bullock joke
Joey King shocked her ‘Practical Magic 2’ costars with a racy Sandra Bullock joke while chatting with Entertainment Weekly.
Two Republican nominees for Kansas House withdraw from ballot due to health complications
A pair of Kansas House Republicans — Clarke Sanders and Cody Ward — decide not to seek election on the November ballot due to significant health challenges.
Mass. R&D Tax change hits small businesses with big bills
Potentially thousands of Massachusetts businesses may be facing large tax bills as a result of the state’s decision to “decouple” from the R&D deduction provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Sandra Bullock says her daughter has set these dating 'parameters'
Sandra Bullock's brutally honest daughter is all for her mother dating again.
Hundreds of thousands of eligible kids are waiting for childcare assistance
Childcare assistance funded in part by the federal government is supposed to aid working parents who are low-income or caring for foster children
Hundreds of thousands of eligible kids are waiting for childcare assistance
Childcare assistance funded in part by the federal government is supposed to aid working parents who are low-income or caring for foster children
Apple Reportedly Planning All-New MacBook Model Between Air and Pro
Apple may introduce an entirely new 13.8-inch OLED MacBook model in 2029, potentially creating a new product tier between the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, according to an updated product roadmap from research firm Omdia. The firm's latest roadmap sandwiches a new 13.8-inch MacBook between the projected time line for the Air and Pro models.
Business Briefs: Sept. 4, 2026
Garden Cinemas plans special events for ‘Practical Magic 2’ release GREENFELD — The Garden Cinemas is bringing “Practical Magic 2,” the long-awaited PG 13 sequel to the 1998 classic starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman, to the city not only through a themed float in the Franklin County Fair Parade, but with two events. “Practical […]
Sandra Birchmore mental health history allowed in Matthew Farwell trial
Investigative journalist Michele McPhee says the scene was treated as a suicide from the start, meaning no DNA was ever collected.
Coplin Health Systems expands community commitment
PARKERBURG – The Chamber of Commerce of the Mid-Ohio Valley has announced a new educational partnership formalized under its Partner In Education program between Coplin Health Systems and the Caperton Center for Applied Technology. The collaboration bridges regional career and technical education with local community healthcare leadership, creating opportunities for workforce readiness, career exploration and […]
The primary is over now come the primetime mistakes
Not every candidate is Deion Sanders at Primetime — Abdul El-Sayed and Darline Graham face questions about whether they're ready for the Senate.
Oregon Sports Talk: GAME WEEK for Ducks and Beavers
Sports Director Erin Slinde and sports anchor De'Aundre Sanders break down everything you need to know heading into game week for for both Oregon and Oregon Sta
Sandra Bullock reveals her son and daughter have secret “Practical Magic 2” cameos
The actress said she’s “unbelievably proud” of Louis and Laila.
Sandra Bullock reveals her son and daughter have secret ‘Practical Magic 2’ cameos
Sandra Bullock doesn’t share much about her kids, Louis and Laila, but she’s spilled that they appear in ‘Practical Magic 2.’
Trump Administration Launches Blitz to Find Elusive Voter Fraud Ahead of Midterms
The practice is exceedingly rare, but President Trump has fixated on rooting it out this year, claiming without evidence that tens of thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote.
Scientists find a huge 10-sided wave pattern swirling in the clouds over Saturn’s south pole
A single side of the decagon surpasses 10,000 miles.
Uber to cut thousands of jobs in sweeping restructuring effort
The ride-hailing giant's CEO said Uber is cutting management layers, consolidating teams and requiring most remote workers to relocate to key office hubs.
David Brian Sanders debuts new book ‘The Heart of Entertainment’
Los Angeles news and live streaming video
Best Bets: A quick guide to La Jolla entertainment and experiences
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Fall vaccine guide: What to know about covid, flu and RSV shots this year
Influenza, covid-19 and RSV are expected to send hundreds of thousands of Americans to the hospital this fall.
Business rankings are great, but momentum must be maintained
Editorial 9-2-26
Entertainment Unleashed: Sphere Entertainment’s (SPHR) Innovative Approaches
Sands Capital, an investment management company, released its “Sands Capital Select Growth Fund” Q2 2026 investor letter. The letter can be downloaded here. Select Growth Fund targets U.S. businesses driving significant structural change through disruptive innovation. The fund returned 23.2% in the quarter, outperforming the Russell 1000 Growth Index’s 16.7%. U.S. large-cap growth equities rebounded […]
ATLAS publishes first paper on Public Engagement with Science
You can’t exactly take the ATLAS experiment on tour. At 7,000 tonnes and buried 100 metres underground at CERN, it’s not easy to move. So, for more than a decade, the ATLAS Collaboration has found another way to bring the experiment to people around the world: live, interactive virtual visits with the scientists who work on it. In a recent paper published in the European Physical Journal Plus, the ATLAS Collaboration documents the evolution and impact of its flagship Virtual Visits programme. The paper is the Collaboration’s first publication focused specifically on science education, communication and outreach. It traces the programme from its beginnings as an experimental outreach effort in 2010 through its growth into a global programme – connecting classrooms in the Amazon, schools in the Himalayas and even a research station in Antarctica. Drawing on data collected between 2019 and 2025, the paper examines the programme’s reach and impact. Global reach, local connection Figure 1: World map showing the number of virtual visits across participating countries from 2019 to 2025. Cooler colours (purple and blue) are used for countries with fewer visits, and warmer colours (red and orange) for countries with more visits. (Image: ATLAS Collaboration/CERN) The core mission of the ATLAS Virtual Visit programme is to connect audiences worldwide with particle physicists and engage them in accessible discussions about cutting-edge research. While visiting CERN in person is an unforgettable experience, financial and logistical barriers can make such a trip difficult for many students and public groups. Video conferencing has allowed the Collaboration to break down these barriers: between 2019 and 2025, the Collaboration hosted 698 virtual visits, engaging tens of thousands of participants across nearly 70 countries (see Figure 1). Interactivity is central to the programme. Far from simple one-way broadcasts, Virtual Visit audience members are encouraged to engage in conversation with the scientist(s) hosting the visit. Most hosts are volunteers from the ATLAS Collaboration, who bring their diverse scientific expertise, language skills and cultural backgrounds to each visit. Where possible, audiences are paired with volunteer scientists who share their native language and cultural background, making it easier to engage, ask questions and connect with the hosts. Between 2019 and 2025, Virtual Visits were held in 19 different languages. The core mission of the ATLAS Virtual Visit programme is to connect audiences worldwide with particle physicists and engage them in accessible discussions about cutting-edge research. Constant evolution Figure 2: The number of ATLAS Virtual Visits organised annually since 2019. (Image: ATLAS Collaboration/CERN) The ATLAS Virtual Visit programme has continuously evolved to enhance the visitor experience. Early sessions were hosted directly from the ATLAS Control Room before transitioning in 2014 to a dedicated space in the ATLAS Visitor Centre, equipped with modern videoconferencing technology. In 2019, the ATLAS Collaboration expanded the programme’s reach, introducing live Virtual Visits from the experimental cavern during year-end maintenance stops and long LHC shutdowns. These exclusive sessions take participants beyond the ATLAS visitor platform, offering real-time, up-close views of the towering detector. When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted in-person gatherings worldwide, demand for virtual engagement surged. The ATLAS Collaboration adapted rapidly by introducing Open Virtual Visits streamed via Zoom and YouTube, allowing individual science enthusiasts and families to join live guided tours. Figure 2 shows that the programme reached a peak of 155 visits in 2021 and has since maintained around 100 visits per year, demonstrating sustained engagement beyond the pandemic-driven increase. More than just a tour Beyond participation numbers, the paper highlights the positive impact on participants and educators. Teachers report successfully integrating Virtual Visits into their physics curricula, sparking sustained curiosity and in many cases inspiring students to pursue STEM studies and careers. Feedback received also highlighted how the direct dialogue with ATLAS scientists has given students an authentic and personal perspective on particle physics, helping them connect what they learn in the classroom with the people behind ATLAS research. Looking ahead, the programme will continue to evolve with new technologies and communication platforms. The goal is simple: to give even more audiences the opportunity to engage directly with particle physics and make fundamental science open to all. Learn more Breaking barriers: the impact of ATLAS Virtual Visits in science communication (Eur. Phys. J. Plus 141, 874 (2026), arXiv:2601.22457, see figures) ATLAS Virtual Visit Dashboard Register for an ATLAS Virtual Visit
‘Atlanta is Deion’s city’: Deion Sanders begins pivotal Colorado season in city where star was born
In the early 1990s, Deion Sanders was Atlanta's two-sport athlete, starring for the Falcons and playing in the World Series with the Braves.
Skip Bayless Criticizes ‘Outrageously Wrong’ Shedeur Sanders Situation
Skip Bayless believes Shedeur Sanders has been placed in an unfair situation with the Cleveland Browns, and the outspoken sports commentator did not hold back in his latest criticism of the organization. Bayless described the quarterback’s circumstances as outrageously wrong after another development complicated his path to meaningful playing time. Sanders entered the 2026 season […] The post Skip Bayless Criticizes ‘Outrageously Wrong’ Shedeur Sanders Situation appeared first on Gridiron Heroic
August Monthly Review: ChatGPT In Epic
Death, taxes, another frontier lab healthcare launch inspiring truly insane LinkedIn takes. As much as I want to stay away, I repeatedly am the crewman unplugging his ears whenever we pass these sirens. So it’s not the first and probably not the last time we dial up the typewriter rather than tie ourselves to the mast. The full blow-by-blow timeline: Health API Guy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe The End of the Standalone PHR (Jan 8): ChatGPT Health arrives for consumers, at the time powered by b.well. I was bullish on the approach in that the best way for the PHR to finally solve distribution was to meet consumers were they already are (i.e. When Horizontal Meets Healthcare (Jan 9): OpenAI for Healthcare puts out the shingle for enterprises, with SharePoint ingestion standing in for the EHR integration the product actually needed. Another One: Anthropic’s Healthcare Debut (Jan 16): Claude's version, on HealthEx rails instead of b.well, with Agent Skills for FHIR development as the one true vertical-specific investment. ChatGPT for Clinicians: The Trap Sprung (Apr 24): OpenAI filled in the missing GTM middle with a free product for verified clinicians, effectively peeling the enterprise wrapper off ChatGPT for Healthcare and taking the PLG fight directly to OpenEvidence. OpenAI’s Second Attempt at Health (Jul 31): a relaunch of their patient specific app, now branded Health in ChatGPT, where the privacy partition came out, the connectors thinned, and b.well disappeared in favor of first-party FHIR work against a smaller network Beyond a Shingle So what was announced now? Today, we’re introducing a new electronic health record integration that brings authorized patient context from Epic into ChatGPT for Healthcare, along with the Healthcare Public Data plugin for direct, structured access to official healthcare datasets like PubMed, DailyMed, and CMS Coverage. Together, these capabilities bring ChatGPT closer to the systems and sources healthcare teams trust, while supporting the controls and compliance healthcare work requires. The core portfolio is unchanged from prior announcements we delineated and discussed (aside from the relaunch of patient-facing). Since trade publications still seem to be confusing them by using the wrong names: Enterprise sales motion: ChatGPT for Healthcare Protecting their core product / PLG: ChatGPT for Clinicians Consumer/patient-facing product: Health in ChatGPT So really, this is a feature release (specifically for ChatGPT for Healthcare when it comes to EHR integration). What’s cool about it, though, is that we are moving beyond just putting out a shingle. Everything in the January enterprise launch was horizontalizable: Horizontal tech companies thus generally start verticalization with their “putting out a shingle phase”. Telling the world you’re open for business as a horizontal tech company reliably attracts early inbound interest from buyers who are already trying to force-fit horizontal tools into domain-specific workflows and are eager for any signal that the vendor intends to support their use case more directly. Nothing was really vertical specific, which is exactly what you'd expect from the ultimate hypergrowth horizontal company dipping their toes into specific industries. But eventually you have to stop changing the sign on the door and start changing the product. Can you guess where the horizontal product was going to run out of road? This is the core dilemma writ large: verticalization requires differentiation, while scale economics of consumer and horizontal push toward unification. I’ve buried the lede so deep here it will be painful to some readers, but what should be shocking to no one is that my perspective is that EHR integration is the only path that meaningfully resolves this tension for ChatGPT for Healthcare. Integration with Microsoft Sharepoint is fine, but it is categorically insufficient for any product that hopes to influence clinical decision-making. SMART Money Well here we are, eight months later! Real vertical investment has begun, which surprised a few people. One friend in the industry messaged me: “Absolutely no way Epic gave ChatGPT API access.” Looking forensically at the announcements, the integration is notably read-only across appointment notes, laboratory results, medications, and specialist documentation. So while I’m not a betting man, I'd wager the house this is a SMART on FHIR launch: That sounds a lot like USCDI! The recommended path for the workflow they outline would be SMART on FHIR Their Health AI lead’s post is evocative of both standalone and EHR launch SMART, which another termed “ChartGPT” and “EHR Plugin” The implementation burden for SMART on FHIR is the lowest of the available integrative paths This is the team who literally did patient-facing SMART on FHIR with Epic last month Most importantly, if you’re a horizontal company, you generally still haven’t taken the full plunge and thus (overly) value reusability. SMART on FHIR is the logical compromise: healthcare-specific enough to matter, but standardized enough to reuse. Nobody Asked Judy Another friend asked “I thought they had to go to each health system, or did they go direct to Epic and now health systems opt in?” Given the trust paradigms in healthcare, this functionally cannot be Epic hoovering up all the data for OpenAI and shoving ChatGPT in their customers’ faces (or they would revolt). However, I do believe the aforementioned terrible coverage by TechCrunch and other outlets is probably responsible for that question, given the 325 million reference. When using FHIR as a business associate to an Epic customer, there is no EHR gatekeeping to speak of, as that isn’t how fhir.epic.com works: You register an app You pick your APIs You test against the sandbox APIs You list as “Ready for Production” Hospitals pick your app You test and go live with them Bluntly, nobody had to say yes or no in Verona (nor were they given the chance). Vendor Services (their next developer tier up that I doubt OpenAI is using quite yet in this initial release) certainly has contractual paperwork that some resent, but even there, the twin pressures of mounting antitrust and information blocking make outright gatekeeping increasingly fraught. My friend’s sentiment is, to me, representative of a broader industry neurosis, perhaps a sort of scar tissue of prior eras: people assume the gate is still there and never actually try the door. There are certainly other ways Epic (and any EHR) can put its thumb on the scale, but they are not so dumb as to stand in front of a federally mandated API and play bouncer at this exact moment in time. So I think they can and probably should go deeper, as this release is at best parity and at worst behind vertical-specific competition. OpenEvidence did a basic SMART launch with Sutter Health in February, allowing for more convenient evidence search by providers. They then add patient-context (the equivalent SMART on FHIR flow to what we see here) when Cedars-Sinai went enterprise-wide in May. UpToDate has four distinct applications across deeper workflows like patient engagement listed in Epic Showroom and announced a partnership with Epic to power Art at UGM Abridge and other ambient scribes have invested deeply into the deepest bidirectional clinical copilot workflow with integrations well beyond SMART on FHIR. In that light, the “Who is OpenAI primarily targeting here?” is clear. This release brings them into striking distance of OpenEvidence, but not the others quite yet. They are the only one of the three you can reach without building something truly Epic-specific. When will they go further? Competition is a great motivator to overcome the horizontal demons and start building things that can’t be reused: not across industries, not across EHRs, maybe not past the customer you built them for. That’s the price of actually verticalizing. The question is if and when OpenAI will be willing to pay it. Month in Review Here is the monthly review. As a reminder, this is a regular round-up of the month’s posts and other content to surface things you may have missed across regulation, litigation, interoperability, and beyond. AI assistance is used in these bullet summaries so I can focus on articles. Articles Published: None this month Video Content: The Information Exchange: Standards-based Thruple Edition (Aug 14): Back to school for us too, with Brad reporting in from the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem’s one year anniversary in DC. We get into the January CMS-0057 deadline, the fall rulemaking reading list, and why enrollment still keeps most apps off FHIR. The Information Exchange: Epic Dúnadan Edition (Aug 25): A UGM roundup with Ryan Brickner joining for the first time to check our takes against what the building actually thinks. Rangers, Ergo sitting on top of EHI, and a down-market lineup that needs some cuts. Regulatory: Stacked Deck, Bad Hand (Aug 05): ONC’s website refresh took the entire HIT Policy Committee record with it, so I rebuilt the archive and went looking for the regulatory capture story everyone assumes is buried in there. Stacking the deck and winning the hand turn out to be very different things. The Sixth Generation of Patient Access (Aug 19): A quick catalog of the five generations of patient access we’ve layered on since HIPAA, and the two candidates now competing to be the sixth. One is planned. The other is the market routing around the plan entirely. Court cases: Three Cases Walk Into a Docket (Aug 06): Two surprise settlements cleared the board in a single week, and then Judge Maddox dropped ninety-four pages on Vyne v. Henry Schein. The sleeper is a DMCA holding that makes direct-to-database a considerably riskier business model. Epic v. Health Gorilla: Into the MDL (Aug 10): Nine class actions are headed to Miami, and the Panel signaled it wants to bring the case that spawned them along too. That would leave Epic arguing the requests were obviously fraudulent in one courtroom and unknowable in the other. Amazon v. Perplexity: Agents Are Legalized! (Aug 11): The Ninth Circuit vacated the injunction against Comet, holding that the user is the one accessing the servers rather than the company that built the agent. A real win for agentic access, and a much narrower one than the headline suggests. Veeva v. Epic: Come At Me, Bro (Aug 26): Epic’s response brief wants the dismissal affirmed and, unusually, wants the opinion published as precedent. Buried in it is Epic’s own description of what its non-competes actually prohibit, which current and former employees should read closely. EHRs: The Contract Epic Would Never Sign Today (Aug 04): A 1999 SEC exhibit catches Epic licensing nearly its entire product line, Tapestry included, to the company that became TriZetto. The marketing services menu attached to it is the part that will make you blink. Forecast from Verona (Aug 07): The Epic Almanac makes one argument six different ways: the AI is only as good as the networks behind it. Emmie headlines, Art’s context stack is the most ambitious part, and Penny finally gets an autonomous coding date on the calendar. Works With Epic MyChart (Aug 17): Epic’s first new Showroom category since the death of Workshop certifies hardware instead of software, badge on the box and all. Made for iPhone, but for blood pressure cuffs, and rough news for anyone selling the RPM stack sitting in between. UGM Hot Takes 2026 (Aug 20): Everyone else covered the AI announcements, so I went after Savvy deleting the payment gateway, Rangers as Boost with the timer removed, and a down-market lineup with too many entries. Plus the Health Grid tidbits I cannot help myself on. MyChart Central Grows Up (Aug 24): Device data and Emmie turn Epic’s identity hub into a full consumer platform, which is both a logical answer to ChatGPT and a bit of a mistake. It also happens to be the best scraping target Epic has ever shipped. Industry Analysis: The Wrong Yardstick (Aug 12): Vertical software keeps getting judged against Superhuman and Notion, which is the wrong bar entirely. Your user is comparing your product to a whiteboard and forty phone calls before lunch. Primitives vs. Abstractions (Aug 27): Developers want building blocks, systems of record prefer to hand out business logic, and both sides have a real case. There’s no test from the outside that separates the engineering reason from the competitive one, which is why this keeps ending up in court. Cross-industry Comparisons: The Two Kinds of Platform Power (Aug 18): Attention power and record power are different problems that keep getting handed the same regulatory toolkit. Congress’s latest swing at Big Tech shows both what’s possible and where it falls apart. The Dogs of (Platform) War (Aug 21): A CourtListener alert turned up a property management fight with healthcare’s exact shape and none of the Cures Act. Shell prospects, ghost accounts, a notetaker bot that came back to haunt someone, and a lawyer arguing both sides of the same theory in two states. Fractals All the Way Down (Aug 31): Yardi dominates property management right up until you zoom into one segment, where AppFolio owns it outright and Yardi doesn’t appear at all. Where you draw the line around a B2B software market is about to decide an awful lot of cases. Other News: If Judy Had the Courage (Aug 13): A short eulogy for the era when software was allowed to look insane: WinAMP, bold colors, and everything the grey chatbot era has taken from us. External Media: Portland Monthly Health Tech Meetup: Erin O’Brien channeled my own feelings - maybe it’s just because it’s August and beautiful, but the monthly edition of the PDX Health community meetup was a ripper. Make sure to reach out if interested to join for the next one. STAT’s Coverage of Epic This Month: Brittany Trang of STAT did a fantastic job of breaking the FTC investigation that’s been lurking, as well as UGM related coverage, so I had to give her her wish of a meme. Fall Conferences: I’m pumped to be kicking off my fall conference season in NYC at Nabla Accelerate next month, which Chrissy provided the link to apply for. Here’s the rest of my schedule in case you want to meet up: Commonwell (Redwood Shores, CA): Oct 13-14 Open@Epic (Madison, WI): Oct 21-22 eHealthExchange (Austin, TX): Oct 27 Sequoia Project (Austin, TX): Oct 28-29 HLTH (Vegas): Nov 15-18 RSNA (Chicago): Nov 29-Dec 3 Posts I Liked: HTI-6 Should Unbundle API Certification: Josh Mandel makes the case that HTI-6 should split (g)(10) into separate authorization and data certifications, so a PACS or a genomics platform can certify only the role it actually performs. Imaging is the urgent example, but the structure solves a much bigger problem. On implementing ePrior Auth with Epic: Scott Rossignol’s field notes from a live ePrior Auth build on Epic, including the two app registrations nobody warns you about and the CPT mapping problem waiting at the end. CMS-0057 implementations are going to be such a beast. Healthcare point solutions are starting to look a lot like streaming services: Spencer Dorn runs the cable-to-streaming arc against health IT and lands squarely on the bundling half of the cycle. Bundling can be good! It can also be bad! Life is nuanced. Health API Guy is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
Mosque shooter's parents sue mental health organization after Islamic Center killings
The parents of one of the shooters involved in the deadly San Diego Islamic Center killings have filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the mental health organization that had been treating their 18-year-old son, Caleb Vazquez.
Line in the sand’: Plowman says SEC standing firm on rule banning ex-pros
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — As some former NFL players attempt to return to college football, University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman told ESPN the SEC is standing firm on its rule banning players who were drafted or listed on professional rosters from returning to play. Plowman, who is the president of the SEC’s executive committee, […]
Sen. Ed Markey defeats 47-year-old challenger to win Massachusetts Democratic Senate bid
Markey defeated his challenger, NBC News projects, after he stressed his progressive positions and touted endorsements from Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
What Box Office Bomb Crushed Obsession 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.) Before we get into this week’s issue, let me ask you for some suggestions. At the risk of coining too many names for too many things (hence my dictionary of terms...), I need a name for straight-to-streaming films that are too expensive to justify a straight-to-streaming release, but not big enough to justify a theatrical release. Like some of the films I highlighted in last week’s tally of the biggest film flops of 2026 so far: Hulu’s Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, Pizza Movie or Never Change! They don’t feel like “made for TV movies” (think Hallmark and Lifetime movies, cheap Netflix romcoms, or Disney Channel Original movies, for example) but they don’t feel big enough for the big screen. They’re not “cinematic” enough, so to speak. As I wrote... “I still need a name for this middle zone of film that’s too expensive to go straight-to-streaming but too small to justify a theatrical release (with all the PR, distribution, marketing and whatnot costs that go along with it), the Goldilocks zone of streaming film death.” Friend of the newsletter Brandon Katz has suggested the “Bermuda Budget Triangle”, “The Platform Gap” and “The Distribution Deadzone”. I love that first one. I’d offer up the much wordier “The Streaming Budget Dead Zone” or “the Goldilocks Zone of streaming film death” but that last one isn’t accurate since, unlike Goldilocks’ porridge, these films are the opposite of “just right”. That’s the problem! Anyway, if you have any suggestions, let me know! On to today’s Streaming Ratings Report. As you can tell by today’s headline, things are going to be spicy! I’m looking at a box office bomb that did really, really well on streaming, somewhat challenging a few different narratives. And another Netflix series declined in its second season. All that, plus Wicked: For Good switching streamers, The Hawk continuing its strong run, _The Bear’_s finale season finally dropping off the charts, the WNBA posting a big viewership number, “shallow libraries”, a sitcom spinoff failing to launch, more big budget IP flopping on Paramount+, all the flops, bombs and misses, and a whole lot more. Let’s dive right in! (Reminder: The streaming ratings report focuses on the U.S. market and compiles data from Nielsen’s weekly top ten viewership ranks, Luminate’s Top Ten Data, JustWatch and Reelgood interest data, Samba TV household viewership, company datecdotes, Netflix hours viewed data, Google Trends, and IMDb to determine the most popular content. While most data points are current, Nielsen’s data covers the weeks of July 20th to July 26th, 2026. You can find a link to my terminology here.) Subscribe Film - The Latest Theatrical Success Story on Streaming In the latest edition of “Flops, Bombs and Misses of the First Half of 2026”, I made a crucial change: I started including theatrical films with the streaming misses. The streamers have collectively—including Netflix, but not to as big of an extent—stopped making a lot of straight-to-streaming films, and the ones they do make aren’t as expensive as in the heyday of the streaming bubble. After the following two films bombed in theaters, you’d guess that they’ll be included in my next collection of flops, bombs and misses six months from now: Masters of the Universe on Prime Video (only $64 million domestic box office) Mortal Kombat II on HBO Max ($79 million domestic) But you’d be wrong! Masters of the Universe, a reboot of the He-Man franchise, a toy from the 1980s, came to streaming on 22-July and did great! This long-gestating project—it’s been at every studio for years, and came close to getting a greenlight at Netflix—then finally came to theaters in June, and showed up on streaming less than two months later. (I don’t love this short theatrical window.) It surprisingly grabbed nearly 20 million hours on its debut: That means, wait for it, Masters of the Universe is currently the eighth biggest film on streaming through two weeks. My rough bar for “hit” is shows or films in the top 15%. Ergo…Masters of the Universe is a legit, streaming hit! (One quick caveat: if it falls out of the top ten next week, it will move to 13th overall, just on the edge of the top 15.) Of course, that’s the data for just 2026. Here’s how it stacks up to Prime Video’s theatrical films: That drop into its second week is typical for Amazon films, but also a worrying sign. I have a feeling interest in this film is front-loaded and we’ll see it drop off after this. As for Mortal Kombat II, in this case, the viewership numbers roughly match the theatrical outing, with only 4.1 million hours in its first week. Here’s how it stacks up to other HBO Max films: The best defense of this number is that, as a relatively violent rated-R film, Mortal Kombat II never had a good chance at breaking out. So now it’s time for a little big of “Entertainment Nuance Guy”: First, yeah, my headline is obviously facetious, since Masters of the Universe besting Obsession says more about horror as a genre than it does that film. Second, I read and listened to quite a few “nobody wanted this IP” takes about Masters of the Universe, and that’s not really true. At least enough people wanted it to power a 20 million+ hour debut! Third, both this film and Mortal Kombat II were considered “average” by viewers, but not great films, with a 6.4 and 6.3 respectively on IMDb. That’s just shy of the level needed to be a word-of-mouth hit. Fourth, in the olden days, strong word of mouth could transform a box office miss into a cable/DVD hit, like Austin Powers or The Shawshank Redemption. We haven’t seen a lot of examples of that on streaming, though. And there are far fewer ways to monetize the post-theatrical life of a film these days. Fifth, Prime Video has shown an ability to push their own titles well, likely because they control the Amazon Fire TV ecosystem. Add it all up, and here’s my nuanced take on Masters of the Universe: it was a box office bomb, but, shockingly, a streaming hit. Unfortunately, while being a theatrical hit saves your film financially, being a streaming hit does not. Both Masters of the Universe and Mortal Kombat II had big budgets and needed to make more money in theaters to justify them. So…Straight-to-Streaming or Theaters? We’ve hit a really fun point in the streaming calendar, since the films that came out in theaters in April, May, and June are now arriving on streaming. So the “Do theatrical releases help streaming performances?” question is gonna get a fresh round of updates nearly every week. No single week will answer the question, but we may get some insights. For example, so far in 2026, it looks like theatrical films are lasting longer on the weekly Nielsen film charts. Here’s a list of films that have made the charts in their fourth or fifth week of release, separated by “for kids” and “general entertainment”: It certainly seems like theatrical films are lasting just a pinch longer on the charts, with Project Hail Mary being the current five-week champion. One Battle After Another did well for HBO Max too, and even The Sheep Detectives made it four weeks. The only exception to this trend? Obsession, which only lasted two weeks on the charts. You might tempted to overreact to this news. Don’t. Obsession is a huge horror hit, but horror just doesn’t do as well on streaming. By the way, here’s the Google Trends for various theatrical and stremaing films: Plus, when it comes to Netflix in four months, Obsession may have another big boost. Quick Notes on Film Note that when I write, “the streamers have pulled back on straight-to-streaming films” that doesn’t mean “abandoned” because Netflix is gonna Netflix. On 24-July, they released 72 Hours, a Kevin Hart comedy. Along with Eddie Murphy, Mark Wahlberg, John Cena and Adam Sandler, Kevin Hart is a streaming film star now. Did this latest one work? Not really. It only garnered two weeks of 13.2 and 12.2 million hours on its debut, well below the 20-million-hour hit threshold. It also was poorly received critically—a 44 on Metacritic—and by customers—a 5.4 on IMDb on 21K IMDb reviews. 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… The latest Netflix true crime doc to pop on the charts… How The Bear finished its run… Netflix’s latest Western to return to streaming… What Paramount+ animated film flopped… And what sitcom also missed… All the flops, bombs and misses… And a whole lot more… ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! I’m behind by a week, so we’ve got two issues coming your way this week, including one in a couple of days or so, then we’ll be all caught up**.** Next issue, inspired by The Super Mario Galaxy Movie coming to Peacock, I’m going to take a look at the workhouse of streaming TV: kids films. Plus The Devil Wears Prada 2 continues theatrical films’ big run on streaming. All that, plus another surprise hit on Hulu, Lioness on CBS, and a whole lot more. Long term, LeBron James is filming his own “Last Dance”-style docu-series, surprising no one. But as I’ve been writing about a lot this summer, this genre is really overrated, so whoever ends up buying it (reportedly ESPN) really shouldn’t pay too much for it.
Sandia is automating Bayesian reasoning for science
Sandia's Agent Bayes project faces a nine-month test that asks whether AI can help scientists perform Bayesian reasoning.
ESPN Unlimited Now Available on YouTube TV
ESPN Unlimited content is now available directly on YouTube TV, giving the streaming service’s subscribers access to thousands of additional live sporting events. YouTube TV’s addition of ESPN Unlimited comes under the deal struck between Google and Disney reached in November 2025, after a two-week blackout of Disney-owned networks on YouTube TV. Other pay-TV providers …
Sarasota bakery earns Michelin recognition, owner says business has doubled
Focaccia Sandwich & Bakery is one of three Sarasota restaurants to earn the distinction
The best new science-fiction books of September 2026 include a tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin and a new Brandon Sanderson
From China Miéville to Brandon Sanderson via a tribute to Ursula K. Le Guin, there are some really huge names with new sci-fi novels out this month - as well as a new Doctor Who tale, says Alison Flood
Almost half of terrorism arrests in Great Britain since 9/11 have been in past year
Increase coincides with proscription of Palestine Action last year which has led to thousands of arrests for allegedly supporting the protest group
What can seashells teach us about the health of our oceans?
Seashells: They're beautiful remnants to carry home from the beach—and so much more! According to environmental journalist Cynthia Barnett, seashells record history more accurately than the humans who first wrote it down. In this episode, we talk about the science of seashells, their impact on humankind and the scientist behind a very famous tongue twister.Check out Cynthia’s book The Sound of the Sea and check out Emily’s reporting on sandcastles.Interested in more marine biology stories? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show’s hperks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.
NM delegation urges House Oversight Committee to avoid partisan politics in DEA fentanyl probe
The House Oversight Committee has opened a new investigation into DEA fentanyl policies after whistleblowers said agents let hundreds of thousands of pills stay on the streets.
After 45 years in business, this West Menlo Park institution is slated to shutter
Lutticken’s Deli and After 5 Restaurant, a sandwich shop and restaurant that has operated in unincorporated West Menlo Park since 1981, is set to close at the end of September.
Links exposed physician cell numbers and work schedules at health systems in Philly and nationwide
QGenda web links revealed the information for thousands of providers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Penn Medicine, ChristianaCare, and at least 50 other health systems across the country.
Microsoft Outlook outage reported by thousands of users
Is Microsoft Outlook down? Here's what we know about the possible outage.
Microsoft Outlook Down for Thousands of Users, Downdetector Reports
Reports indicate a Microsoft Outlook outage affecting thousands. Find out more about the issues users are facing with Outlook.
A Massive Steam Leak Has Unearthed Thousands of Lost Game Builds
Apparently it was all just sitting there for public download.
Health advisory in effect at Miami-Dade beach, testing revealed bacteria
A water quality advisory is in effect at a Miami-Dade, Florida, beach after testing revealed elevated levels of bacteria in surrounding waters.
Governor announces outdoor essay contest
In an effort to encourage more young people to enjoy outdoor recreation, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday, Aug. 26, announced the launch of the My Natural State Story...
Thousands of Ancient Human Brains Refuse to Rot—and Scientists Finally Know Their Strange Secret
The human brain sometimes avoids decay for millennia while the rest of the body turns to bones.
Kogod, McDonough & Central Florida: 3 Schools Prepping Future Sports Business Leaders
A look into how Kogod, Georgetown, and UCF are preparing students for careers in the growing sports business industry.
These San Antonio businesses are closed after Friday's storm
The Friday night storm left thousands without power.
Players Think This Is The Biggest Leak In The History Of Steam
The alleged Steam depot data reportedly spans from 2003 to 2013, and contains pre-release builds of potentially thousands of first and third-party games
State’s Broadband Buildout Accelerates
Indiana’s broadband buildout has entered a rapidly moving execution phase as projects funded through the state’s Next Level Connections ( NLC ) Broadband Grant Program have delivered thousands of …
12TB Steam leak exposes old game builds from 2003 to 2013
A roughly 12TB archive from Steam's old Steam2 infrastructure reportedly contains thousands of game depots dating from 2003 to 2013. Portal 2, Left 4 Dead and early CS:GO builds are included.
Review: OnStage Playhouse’s ‘Mensa’ a smart drama about politics and listening
Salomón Maya’s new play is a cautionary tale about finding common ground before it’s too late
Sony says Claude trained on pirated lyrics, seeks $150K a song
In a new lawsuit, Sony Music and Warner Chappell say Anthropic used "thousands upon thousands" of songs to train Claude, including "Eye of the Tiger."
A photographer spent $20K on drives, then used AI to save thousands
After spending $20,000 on drives in 2025, photographer Allen Cooley used Claude to organize old storage and avoid buying more.
This Iowa Democrat is stirring hopes of a red state comeback by charting his own path
Iowa has not elected a Democratic governor since 2006, but Rob Sand’s candidacy and his congenial approach to politics has stirred a sense of optimism for the party.
Former county behavioral health director evaluating ‘legal options’ after public dismissal
The county has remained mum on deeper reasons for the termination.
Commentary: The MBA Applicants Business Schools Are Losing Before They Apply
Global MBA applications are rising – but U.S. programs are increasingly losing candidates before they even apply.
San Diego ramps up Gaslamp enforcement, but businesses say more must be done
San Diego police are increasing their presence in the Gaslamp Quarter through “Operation Last Call” to combat rising violence and disorderly conduct, though some local business owners a…
Op-ed: West Virginia recognized as national leader in small business development, entrepreneurship
For generations, West Virginians have been known for their hard work, determination, and willingness to build something from the ground up. Today, those qualities are matched by an entrepreneurial ecosystem that is helping new businesses not only launch, but succeed in the long term. A recently released business longevity study found that West Virginia leads […]
Rising energy, fuel costs cut into bottom line for Pa. businesses
At Shirley’s Cookie Company, Facilities Maintenance Manager Richard Weyant detailed the efforts he’d overseen to keep utility costs down at their Blair County facility. They included thousands of dollars invested to upgrade to LED lighting alongside new and more efficient HVAC systems. While electricity use went down by 5.7% over four years, he told Republican […]
Browns Situation ‘Set Up For’ Shedeur Sanders: Ex-NFL QB
Having watched the Cleveland Browns‘ quarterback competition between second-year man Shedeur Sanders and veteran Deshaun Watson over the last four months, it might be reasonable to assume that the team was always leaning toward making Watson the starter, and that the notion of a competition between the two was always a bit of a sham. […] The post Browns Situation ‘Set Up For’ Shedeur Sanders: Ex-NFL QB appeared first on HEAVY.
Healthcare executive’s mansion gets star treatment in the national real-estate press
Now that the kids are in college, Rod and Linda Windley are looking to sell their not-so-little piece of heaven in Sandy Springs, Ga., for $18.25 million.
‘Like at McDonald’s’: Sports nurse practitioner sold opioids to athletes like ‘you gotta pay for your burger,” DEA investigation finds
Joan Rubinger had a client list that included hundreds of athletes—but the DEA found she doled out thousands of illegal prescriptions.
Xbox Anniversary Consoles Sell for Thousands on eBay as Scalpers Cash In on X25
The Xbox Series X25 anniversary console is officially up for pre-order, so you know what that means: scalpers are cashing in.
Nepal Floods Took Away His Home, Business. At 71, He Is Left With Just Debt
Govind Prasad Dahal is one of the thousands of people who lost their homes and businesses in the Nepal flash floods.
WATCH LIVE: March on Washington rally draws attention to voting rights with Jeffries, Sanders
Sandia Science & Tech Park bringing new companies, higher-paying jobs
The Sandia Science & Technology Park continues to expand its footprint and economic impact, bringing new companies and higher paying jobs to the Albuquerque area.
Sandbox Brewhouse gets approval for late-night entertainment
Sandbox Brewhouse, a family owned brewery, can host entertainment until midnight, a few hours later than usual, the Frederick Zoning Board of Appeals ruled on Tuesday.
ICYMI: SanDisk Is Now Selling A 1TB MicroSD Express Card For Switch 2
Make some space
Explosion at Sand Springs business complex damages at least 25 businesses
A massive explosion at the Morrow-Gill business complex in Sand Springs killed one person and left another in critical condition early Thursday morning. The blast, which happened around 1 a.m. near South Lincoln Avenue, damaged at least 25 businesses and is believed to have originated at a marijuana extraction facility.
Arkansas announces $149.3 million in first-round rural health grants
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Thursday, $149.3 million in awards to recipients of the first round of Rural Health Transformation Program grants.
SanDisk launches 1TB microSD Express card for Switch 2
SanDisk has unveiled a new SD Express card at Gamescom. It allows Switch 2 owners to upgrade to 1TB of storage and is also compatible with several Asus gaming handhelds. However, the card is very expensive.
Scientists tracked 4,500 animals and found a surprising human effect
Scientists tracking thousands of animals found that our physical presence can reshape where wildlife moves and lives, sometimes as strongly as roads, cities, and other human development. Because different species reacted in very different ways, conservation efforts may need to become much more targeted.
Arkansas awards nearly $150 million in rural health program funding
Arkansas awarded $149.3 million in federal funding to 50 projects to support rural healthcare efforts statewide, Gov Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Thursday.
Joel Sandridge & Jim Donaghue
Mather, a nonprofit organization with a mission of creating Ways to Age Well, announces Joel Sandridge as Vice President of Design and Construction.
Governor Sanders announces nearly $150 million in rural health grants
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced Wednesday that Arkansas will award $149.3 million in the first round of grants through the state’s Rural Health Transforma
Sanders Announces Nearly $150 Million Awarded in Rural Health Transformation Funds - Arkansas Governor
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders today announced $149.3 million in awards to recipients of the first round of Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) grants, established through President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill. The initial funding round will award $55.7 million through the Telehealth, Health-Monitoring, and Response Innovation for Vital Expansion (THRIVE) initiative and […]
Gov. Sanders appoints former House speaker to Arkansas TV commission
Gov. Sarah Sanders announced the following appointments: Arkansas Educational Television Commission Jeremy Gillam, Greenbrier, to the Arkansas Educational Television Commission. Term to expire March 23, 2034. Replaces Woody Freeman. Gillam...
Browns Rookie KC Concepcion Draws ‘Worst Case Scenario’ Outlook
The Cleveland Browns have been a magnet of attention in the offseason, largely because of the quarterback battle involving Shedeur Sanders and Deshaun Watson. However, a rookie is also turning heads in Cleveland Nation, and that player is none other than first-year wide receiver KC Concepcion. It remains to be seen whether Concepcion will develop […] The post Browns Rookie KC Concepcion Draws ‘Worst Case Scenario’ Outlook appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.
Deadly building explosion reported in Sand Springs
One person was killed and another was critically injured after an early morning explosion damaged multiple buildings in Sand Springs.
Browns Rookie Filled With Emotion Ahead of Huge Personal Milestone
The quarterback battle between Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders has mostly been the story to follow in the offseason on the side of the Cleveland Browns. That is now settled, with Cleveland deciding to go with Watson over Sanders, at least for Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season against the Jacksonville Jaguars. But Cleveland’s […] The post Browns Rookie Filled With Emotion Ahead of Huge Personal Milestone appeared first on Gridiron Heroics.
Scam alert: Fake online listing uses Tanner business address to steal thousands
The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to be on high alert for a vehicle sales scam operating online and falsely claiming to be located in North Alabama.
From sandwiches to murals, Dolly Parton is being honored across New York
As condolences continue to pour in for Dolly Parton, we are seeing firsthand the impact her life is having in our communities.
USA TODAY Sports predicts another rough season for Colorado football
USA TODAY Sports predicts Colorado to have another disappointing year, a finish that could raise questions about Deion Sanders' future.
Thousands of Alaskans to see health insurance costs rise sharply, after years of increases
Premera Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alaska's rates on the marketplace have already nearly doubled over the past five years, according to recent reporting by the Anchorage Daily News.
I refused to spend thousands on my kids' sports. I have no regrets.
I raised five kids in a sports-obsessed town but kept youth sports spending low. Now that they're adults, I'm glad I didn't invest more.
Rep. Robinson votes to crack down on corporate influence in Michigan politics
State Rep. Ron Robinson yesterday voted to get money out of politics by blocking state-regulated utilities and companies with major state contracts from donating to political campaigns and candidates. The state House overwhelmingly approved the Michiganders for Money out of Politics (MMOP) citizen-initiated law proposal, which was initiated after hundreds of thousands of Michiganders signed […]
Monroe business owner arrested after police raid illegal gambling ring
Investigators said they seized thousands of dollars and several illegal gambling devices during the raid.