The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
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Postpartum nutrition: What your body needs for healing, hormones and milk production The early postpartum period—often called the fourth trimester—is a time of major transition. While you’re getting to know your baby and settling into a new rhythm, your body is also doing significant work behind-the-scenes. You’re healing from pregnancy and birth. Your hormones are shifting quickly. If you’re breastfeeding, your body is producing milk day and night. And if your energy, appetite and routine f...
Platner’s exit from Maine’s Senate race leaves Democrats in a deep financial hole Maine Democrats have plenty of questions about who will replace Senate nominee Graham Platner on the ballot. But one thing is clear — his successor will start from a severe financial disadvantage, OpenSecrets reports. Platner’s withdrawal amid a sexual assault allegation has triggered a scramble over who will replace him and exposed a deeper problem — a financial crater left behind in a pivotal race Democrats...
Pharmaceutical marketplaces: How online platforms are changing drug purchasing Pharmacies have spent the better part of a decade absorbing pressure that other industries felt only briefly during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the people inside each pharmacy responsible for ordering medications and tracking inventory have felt it most. Their daily work of finding the right drug at the right cost has gotten harder as prices move week to week and reimbursement from pharmacy benefit managers keeps...
The quest to build a better AI tutor It’s easy to get swept up in the hype about artificial intelligence tutors. But the evidence so far suggests caution. Some studies have found that chatbot tutors can backfire because students lean on them too heavily, get spoonfed solutions, and fail to absorb the material. Even when AI tutors are designed not to give away answers, they haven’t consistently produced better results than learning the old-fashioned way without AI. Still, researchers who hav...
What to do after getting a hypertension alert from your smartwatch For years, smartwatches have helped us monitor our health. From tracking how many steps we take each day to measuring our heart rate, our watches have helped us stay healthy. More recently, many smartwatches can measure our blood pressure, letting the user take a reading as and when they need to. But now, thanks to FDA approval, users can receive a notification if their smartwatch detects signs of hypertension. This guide from...
Power vs. progress: How canceled energy projects are threatening the AI boom One factor often missing from discussions of data center energy use is the number of planned energy projects that could provide the power required. Driven by the exponential growth of artificial intelligence and machine learning, the tech boom has ignited an unprecedented wave of capital allocation. Technology giants — including Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft — are projected to invest a staggering $650 bil...
Do I really need a college degree to be successful? Deciding whether you need a college degree to build a rewarding future might feel overwhelming. Everywhere you turn — online, the news, your family — there’s a different story. Some people talk about billionaires who dropped out of college, while others point to studies showing that people with degrees tend to earn more over their lifetimes. The truth? There’s no single path to success or one-size-fits-all answer. This guide from The Univers...
Why concerns about tap water quality are getting harder to ignore Most people assume their tap water has already been tested for anything that could affect their health. Public water systems do test and treat drinking water to meet current standards, but research is moving quickly, and scientists continue to discover potentially harmful substances that may be in drinking water before regulations are updated to address them. That gap is putting tap water under closer scrutiny. Case in point:...
Are people with ADHD more likely to have car accidents? Driving is full of distractions, from cellphones to other drivers on the road. But for adults and teens dealing with symptoms of ADHD, like inattention and impulsivity, those disruptions can make driving especially risky. On average, adult drivers with ADHD in one study got into a crash every two years, and people with severe ADHD symptoms averaged one accident a year. A large study in JAMA Pediatrics found that teen and young adult...
A historic summer of sports is sweeping across the US, leaving fans to balance team spirit with surging costs It’s been an exciting stretch for sports in America, with the Knicks just ending a 53-year title drought, the FIFA World Cup on home soil for the first time in over 30 years, and Formula 1 now holding more races in the United States than in any other single country. As excitement around sports reaches new heights, so too does the amount of money fans are spending to be part of the a...
Maxim Grohotov // Shutterstock Hottest Julys in Alabama since 1895 In 2022, the continental United States experienced its third hottest July since 1895, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, while 20 states saw one of their 10 hottest days in the same month. The year prior, July marked the hottest month on record worldwide. Climate change is driving rising temperatures and more record heat. The Earth’s temperature has climbed each decade since 1880 by a...
Can students really skip college and earn a good living? Here’s what the data shows. For much of the last few decades, some young people have heard a simple mantra: bachelor’s or bust. That is, they were told that the best and perhaps only path to economic prosperity is through a four-year college education. Now a wide swath of politicians, educators, and philanthropists are rethinking this. Some even suggest that there are numerous lucrative jobs that don’t require a degree. A New York Times vi...
Where business aviation is climbing: The metros drawing more corporate jet traffic and high-income movers When it comes to measuring American wealth, tax return data and home-sales records are the usual go-to indicators. But by the time this information lands, it’s already a year or more after the migration trends have shifted. The growth of business aviation in specific areas offers a more unconventional and timely view. Private and corporate flying is discretionary, tracks closely to c...
Medicare now covers GLP-1s for weight loss: Here’s how to use the new Bridge program Historically, Medicare could not cover medications solely for weight loss. For Medicare enrollees interested in GLP-1 and related medications, this meant facing hundreds of dollars in out-of-pocket costs every month. But that changed on July 1, 2026, with a new pilot program that offers Medicare prescription plan enrollees access to weight-loss medications for a $50 monthly copay. Here, GoodRx, a platform for m...
A series of death cases raises questions about safety and oversight at detox centers Trust is the first thing families hand over when they walk a loved one through the doors of a detox or residential treatment center, and the decision is almost never made calmly. It tends to come within hours of an overdose or a phone call no family ever wants to take, with parents and spouses operating on the belief that medical oversight is already built into what is being provided. And the country is leaning...
School budgets are under pressure nationwide. Here’s what’s driving the cuts. School districts are under pressure this year. Some of the largest in the country are handing out pink slips. Canceling technology contracts. And even slashing specific medications from employee health plans. As many school boards debate their budgets for the upcoming school year, a Chalkbeat analysis found a common thread: More than half of the country’s 50 largest school districts are poised to or already have made...
Tailgate theft prevention: How to keep your tailgate from being stolen Truck tailgate theft is on the rise in the U.S., especially in urban settings and high-traffic areas. What was once a rare nuisance has become a frequent and frustrating crime—often occurring in broad daylight, in your own driveway, and taking less than a minute to pull off. Why, you may ask, is this crime becoming increasingly common? The answer is simple—modern truck tailgates are valuable, easy to remove, and dif...
How to support a loved one with PTSD When a family member or friend has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it can be hard to know what to do to help. You probably wish nothing more than to see them healthy and at peace. But your loved one’s diagnosis might be taking a toll on your well-being too. Providing the support your loved one needs throughout their journey starts with a deeper understanding of this condition. Rula explored how PTSD affects those living with the condition and how their...
SNAP is how millions of Americans afford food. Cuts to the program have thrown it into chaos. A missing zero put Sarah’s grocery money in jeopardy. Every month, Sarah receives $219 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for her and her 9-year-old. Sarah works two jobs in food service, one at a senior center and one at a banquet hall, and has relied on SNAP for support ever since her husband died unexpectedly about six years ago. But last year during her annual benefits renewal, o...
Alpha-gal syndrome red meat allergy from ticks Alpha-gal syndrome represents one of the most unusual allergic conditions in modern medicine. A tick bite that fundamentally changes how your immune system responds to red meat, creating delayed allergic reactions that can range from mild hives to life-threatening anaphylaxis. This tick-borne condition has emerged as a growing health concern across the southeastern United States, where outdoor enthusiasts, hunters, and hikers face increased risk of...
15% of people in the US eat in their cars. Here are the 10 states where mealtimes happen behind the wheel the most The majority of Americans eat meals in their car multiple times a week — despite the risk of stained seats and greasy steering wheels. A poll of 2,000 American adults conducted by bakery brand St Pierre from June 5-15 found that 87% of respondents eat in their car, with Georgians eating the highest percentage of drive-through dinners, gridlock-lunches and bumper-to-bumper b...
The states with the highest rates of uninsured drivers and what it costs everyone else Nearly every state requires drivers to carry auto liability insurance, yet millions of motorists are still on the road without it. In 2023, 15.4% of U.S. drivers were uninsured, according to the Insurance Research Council, meaning more than 1 in 7 motorists lacked coverage that could pay for injuries or damage they caused in a crash. The rate has increased since 2017 and remains elevated after a pandemic-era...
1 common IRA mistakes to avoid An individual retirement account, or IRA, is a popular retirement savings tool because of its tax advantages and investment flexibility. But to reap the rewards, it’s important to familiarize yourself with common IRA mistakes and understand how to avoid them. It’s never too soon — or too late — to get familiar with the retirement savings tools available. Knowing the basics of your IRA can help avoid some missteps. There are many intricacies to IRAs, so conside...
4 risk treatment strategies that separate proactive businesses from reactive ones A business functions within a continuous state of risk, whether it's through systems, vendors, data flows, regulatory fluctuations, or operational processes. Per Vanta's 2025 State of Trust Report—based on a survey of 3,500 business and information technology leaders—56% of organizations encounter threat activity at least once a week, while 79% encounter it at least once a month. With risks compounding, tradi...
Research on watching sports suggests World Cup fans may get a well-being boost With 2026 FIFA World Cup matches taking place across the U.S., millions of fans are crowding into living rooms, sports bars and stadiums to cheer and groan in unison. It's the same energy that takes over during the Super Bowl, March Madness, the NBA Finals and the World Series, when a city or a whole country briefly turns into one giant party. It raises the question: Can rooting for a team actually be good for you? A...
