Author: damazah@gmail.com

President Donald Trump speaks with the new chairman of the Federal Reserve, Kevin Warsh, after a swearing-in ceremony in the East Room of the White House, in Washington, May 22, 2026.Anna Moneymaker | Getty ImagesTen days ahead of a meeting in which the Federal Reserve will likely consider raising interest rates, the Trump administration looks to be in a full-court press to halt the hike in its tracks.In the past week, the president, vice president, Treasury secretary and one of the president’s senior economic counselors have all urged the Fed not to raise rates and, in some cases, to cut…

For instance, last year we reported on research that used microbial DNA analysis of human remains to identify the likely pathogens that killed many soldiers in Napoleon’s army in 1812. Two pathogens in particular stood out: Salmonella enterica, which causes paratyphoid fever, and Borrelia recurrentis, which is transmitted by body lice and causes relapsing fever. Both are consistent with written contemporary accounts. Evolution of a virus Cambridge, Trinity College, MS B.10.5, fol. 62v, the Epistles of St Paul, Ireland/Northumbria, 700–800 CE. Reproduced with kind permission of the Master and Fellows of Trinity College Cambridge Cambridge, Trinity College, MS B.10.5, fol.…

U.S. forces operating near Ecuador on Saturday intercepted and destroyed several commercial vessels believed to be used for refueling boats smuggling drugs to the United States.It was the fourth interdiction of vessels used as floating refueling platforms in the eastern Pacific, according to a U.S. official, who said no one on either side was hurt or killed.The mission was carried out as part of U.S. Southern Command’s efforts to hinder narcotics smugglers in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, a campaign that began just over a year ago.A video posted to social media by the command, which directs military operations in…

Sayers said: “Seals need sleep just like we do… When they’re disturbed, they can panic, stampede across a beach or throw themselves into the sea, risking serious injury.” The campaign follows concerns over what the trust described as the “hidden cost” of disturbance. The charity said frequent interruptions could affect seals’ immune systems, hormone levels and ability to recover between feeding trips.Sayers also expressed concern about this year’s seal pup season, describing it as one of the worst on record.”More than half of the seal pups we’ve recorded so far this year have been dead or dying.”She said until this…

The 2026 college football season is fully and finally here and Michigan survived Western Michigan on a stunning last-second Hail Mary TD pass.Earlier in the day, Boise State and Oregon got the season started with an absolute banger. It was back-and-forth for most of the game before Dakorien Moore broke a long TD catch and the Ducks defense came up big. Oregon survives the early scare with QB Dante Moore throwing for 378 yards and 3 touchdowns.It’s Week 1 and these are the top moments of the weekend.

Nigeria’s representative at the 2026 Miss World pageant, Tamunosoye Karibi-George, has finished among the Top 12, while Joheirry Mola Dominguez of the Dominican Republic emerged winner of the competition. Mola was crowned Miss World 2026 on Saturday at the grand finale of the 73rd edition of the pageant held at the April 2 Square in Nha Trang, Vietnam. The victory marked the second time the Dominican Republic has produced a Miss World, 44 years after Mariasela Álvarez won the title in 1982. Mola succeeded Thailand’s Suchata “Opal” Chuangsri, who won the 2025 edition and crowned her successor at the finale.…

August is the traditional time for something major to go wrong with my house. So I’m not surprised, as I’m getting dressed one morning, to hear the middle one shouting something about it raining in the hallway.“What?” I say, standing on the landing with a shirt half pulled over my head. “What do you mean?”“Look,” he says.I look down to see that water is indeed falling from the ceiling in a rain-like fashion, leaving a giant puddle on the floorboards near the front door. “That ain’t good,” I say.I go upstairs to the bathroom where, some minutes earlier, I had been…

Plan to criminalise burning of Australian flag about ‘national pride’, says TaylorTom McIlroyAs touched on earlier, the opposition wants new laws to make it a criminal offence to burn the Australian flag or damage war memorials.As the Coalition fights to regain standing against Pauline Hanson and One Nation, the opposition’s legislation would create a federal criminal offence for serious public desecration of the Australian flag, where a person is reckless or where their actions would incite hatred or violence, threaten public order or cause a public disturbance.It would also create a federal criminal offence for deliberately damaging, defacing, desecrating or…

Sports legend LeBron James speaking at the CNBC Game Plan Summit in New York City on July 16, 2026.Shea Kastriner | CNBCSuperstar athlete LeBron James teased an upcoming partnership with prediction market platform Polymarket in a social media post on Saturday.James posted a 14-second video on social media platform X that appeared to be an advertisement for Polymarket. “Welcome to Polymarket HQ. Coming soon. In partnership with @Polymarket,” James wrote. In the video, the basketball legend appears in the elevator of Polymarket’s headquarters and heads to the company’s sports floor. The post teases a larger campaign between James and Polymarket…

When the history of this time is written, it may be observed that the United States of America celebrated its 250th anniversary with one, big Donald Trump-themed party in the nation’s capital that lasted for one whole summer.That is how it has looked, at times, over these last few months in Washington, where Mr. Trump used the occasion of the nation’s birthday to throw a series of parties done up in the distinct and florid style of the political movement he created, even as his presidency faced new perils.It was an absolute MAGA-extravaganza, all summer long, and the imagery was…