Signal

Aug 04 · PM edition · 132 stories · archive

TOP SIGNAL

WSJ Markets · 24m · 0.95
U.S. natural gas futures lost ground as temperature forecasts were revised lower while production and inventories remained high.
WSJ Markets · 5h · 0.93
The dollar reclaimed some ground against the yen after the joint Washington-Tokyo intervention to prop up the Japanese currency.
NYT Business · 1h · 0.91
The program’s spending on the therapy has quintupled since 2021, far outstripping the growth in diagnoses and raising concerns about overprescribing and fraud.
NYT World News · 35m · 0.89
A changing climate is helping to fuel the growth of a gigantic blob of foul-smelling seaweed that has washed up in some coastal communities. Mexico is fighting back.
Science Daily Matter Energy · 12h · 0.83
A new 3D printing technique can produce exceptionally hard tungsten carbide cobalt while using less of its expensive raw materials. By softening rather than fully melting the material, researchers created defect-free samples with industrial-grade hardness and opened the door to more efficient manufacturing.
WSJ US News · 2h · 0.83
The National Museum of American History has traded patriotic educational exhibits for disjointed displays.
WSJ US News · 22h · 0.83
The tenure of Christina Paxson, the longest-serving Ivy League president, has overlapped with a volatile period in higher education.
Science Daily Space Time · 7h · 0.79
Photons traveling through a cloud of atoms can emerge so early that they appear to have spent a negative amount of time inside. Researchers tested whether this was merely a misleading feature of the light pulse by making extremely weak measurements of the atoms. Surprisingly, the atoms confirmed the same negative dwell time. The finding does not break standard physics, but it reveals that one of quantum mechanics’ strangest effects is physically measurable.
Popular Science · 4h · 0.78
NOAA’s Cook Islands expedition has returned multiple specimens from the extinct giants. The post Massive, metal-encrusted megalodon teeth litter deep ocean floor appeared first on Popular Science .
NYT Home Page · 4h · 0.77
The malaria-carrying mosquito is resistant to all insecticides. Scientists are scrambling to find ways to blunt the risk.
WSJ Social & Health · 4h · 0.77
The guidelines would bolster Medicaid’s oversight of autism therapy, focusing on a growing business that is drawing scrutiny from federal investigators.
Science Daily Energy Resources · 6h · 0.75
Scientists have successfully generated electricity with a hydrogen turbine that produces its own pressure through detonation waves instead of relying on a mechanical compressor. The breakthrough could unlock dramatically more efficient power systems for clean energy and future aviation.
NYT Science · 4h · 0.71
Scientists have proved that a species of plant covered with sticky hairs is carnivorous, confirming Darwin’s 150-year-old hunch.
WSJ US Business · 3h · 0.71
Find insight on oil futures, BP, Origin Energy and more in the latest Market Talks covering energy and utilities.
Science Daily Sea Life · 7h · 0.71
Animal bones preserved in South Australia’s underwater caves reveal distinctive clues shaped by darkness, algae, bacteria, and other environmental conditions. The findings give scientists a powerful new way to reconstruct how ancient megafauna remains entered and survived in submerged cave systems.
Science Daily Science Society · 9h · 0.69
DNA traces in the Shroud of Turin reveal a remarkable mixture of human lineages, microbes, plants, animals, and coral accumulated through centuries of handling and travel. The findings do not prove its age or authenticity, but they expose a hidden biological history preserved in the famous cloth.
WSJ US Business · 7h · 0.69
Cummins raised its outlook for the year after reporting higher profit and sales in the second quarter, boosted by accelerating orders for standby power for data centers, as well as improving North American truck markets.
WSJ Social & Economy · 6h · 0.68 · ⊕2
U.S. imports totaled $388 billion in June, down 1.8% from May, while exports were $314.7 billion, down 0.9% from May. That yielded a trade deficit of $73.3 billion versus $77.6 billion in May.
WSJ Social & Politics · 1h · 0.68
Angela Alsobrooks and other Senate Democrats are pushing for provisions in the Clarity Act that would rein in the Trump family’s crypto profits.
NYT Home Page · 14h · 0.68
Nicaragua shows what happens when even dictators fear a rigged election.
NYT Arts · 5h · 0.66
Four artists and a curator debate the most important works since the end of World War II.
Popular Science · 1h · 0.66
More ants, less problems. The post Unlike humans, ants work better in larger groups appeared first on Popular Science .
NYT Home Page · 22m · 0.65
Iran’s leaders have perplexed several American presidents, perhaps none more than President Trump.
NYT US News · 1h · 0.65
WSJ World News · 2h · 0.64
President Trump is using a wide array of tactics against Iran, but having many tricks doesn’t guarantee victory.

GENERAL · 25

CBS News · 2h · ⊕3
The department said an 18-month investigation concluded that electrical arcing on an out-of-service Southern California Edison tower was responsible.
Guardian World · 4h · ⊕2
Winner called waste management team after she realised stub showing she had hit the jackpot had been thrown away A €1m lottery ticket has been recovered from the rubbish in Italy after the frantic winner called on refuse collectors to help her retrieve it, according to the waste management company. The instant win ticket was “miraculously still in one piece” after garbage workers combed through mounds of rubbish on their truck, said Roberto Nicola Toscano, the administrator of the SANB company in Italy’s southern Puglia region. Continue reading...
BBC World · 4h · ⊕2
The bodies - belonging to members of two extended families - have only recently been recovered from under rubble in Gaza City.
PBS NewsHour · 4h · ⊕2
Clancy described feeling anxious and overwhelmed with motherhood, including her struggles to get her newborn to sleep and constant worries of his being sick.
Guardian US · 6h · ⊕2
The vocal vaccine sceptic and wife of Trump’s deputy chief of staff turned to the former US science adviser when she was worried about Covid. Now, she’s claiming it was a cunning plan You should keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and Stephen and Katie Miller as far away from your general vicinity as humanly possible. Many people will not need to be told this. Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, is famous for masterminding the first Trump administration’s family separation policy and Muslim ban . His wife, Katie, is similarly enthusiastic about mass deportation and has reportedly said she didn’t feel compassion for families separated at the border. Stephen met Katie when they were both working in government, but she has since left politics to start a podcast . Now she asks guests such as JD Vance important questions such as: is a hotdog a sandwich? While I may not need to inform you that the Millers are bad news , it seems Dr Anthony Fauci is only just getting the memo. The former top US government science adviser, who helped guide the country’s Covid-19 response, was forced to appear at a US Senate committee hearing last week. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky framed the hearing as an investigation into the origins of the pandemic. Really, however, it was an opportunity for Republicans to harass Fauci, who is widely loathed among the Maga base. He has become such a target of vitriol that Biden preemptively pardoned Fauci before leaving office in case he was prosecuted by the Trump administration. Continue reading...
Guardian US · 8h · ⊕2
Kevin Warsh would rather stay out of the fray – and thus devalue the Fed’s credibility as an economic steward It must feel strange to argue that government action is inevitably counter-productive – illegitimate even – when the government is you. For the last half century, the Republican party has been comfortable with the contradiction. It’s framed in that clever quote from Ronald Reagan’s 1981 inaugural: “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Solutions, in this view, are delivered by free, unencumbered markets. Eduardo Porter is a journalist focused on economics and politics. He writes the newsletter Being There on Substack Continue reading...
BBC World · 10h · ⊕2
Our satellite has endured countless blows over millions of years - and astronomers think this one could be a useful accident.
BBC World · 20h · ⊕2
The star has taken a "step back" from the spotlight after appearances led to "endless, ongoing public scrutiny".
BBC World · 20h · ⊕2
India has the biggest youth population in the world but few are able to find good jobs despite rising education levels.
Guardian World · 5m
US secretary of state comments come after treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, said Washington could reach a deal ‘by tomorrow’ US and Qatar report progress on Iran ceasefire and reopening Hormuz strait Iran and Oman have made progress toward a deal to reopen the strait of Hormuz, a potential breakthrough that could help end the war in the Middle East, regional officials have said. Under the emerging agreement, ships would enter the Persian Gulf through an Iranian-controlled route and exit through a route controlled by Oman, with service fees charged for providing security and preserving the maritime environment, two regional officials told the Associated Press. Continue reading...
PBS NewsHour · 7m
A St. Louis-area congressman faces a Democratic primary rematch Tuesday against the former congresswoman he previously ousted.
BBC Top Stories · 11m
Sharif Ahmadzai, from Afghanistan, is expected to appear in court in Athens on Wednesday.
BBC World · 12m
About 70,000 of the 72,000 people who came to Ceuta illegally last week have been returned to Morocco, Spain says.
PBS NewsHour · 15m
What matters to Michigan voters right now? Here's what we found.
BBC World · 18m
Egyptian authorities say the alleged scam involved fabricated scenes in court as part of a plot to defraud people.
PBS NewsHour · 19m
For the third time in nine months, Virginia residents will vote in a statewide election on Tuesday.
BBC World · 24m
There are three wildfires in the Spokane area that have forced 60,000 to be evacuated from their homes.
Guardian US · 33m
Two-time Pro Bowler expected to get $51m guaranteed Average value surpasses that of Eagles’ Saquon Barkley The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a three-year contract extension with Bijan Robinson through the 2030 season that makes the fourth-year player the highest-paid running back in NFL history. Robinson reposted the NFL’s Instagram post detailing the extension on Tuesday morning, writing “God this is for you! Blessings. Love this team and this city!” Continue reading...
BBC World · 35m
A video shows a Russian drone pursuing a street vendor in the Kherson region before exploding.
PBS NewsHour · 36m
Washington state will hold a primary Tuesday for U.S. House and other offices as firefighters battle wildfires that have devastated the state's second-largest city, Spokane, and forced local officials to operate under a state of emergency.
Al Jazeera · 38m
The White House confirmed Tuesday’s meeting to address advanced model safety amid recent high-profile hacking incidents.
BBC World · 42m
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent both announced talks had progressed to allow shipments to resume.
PBS NewsHour · 46m
President Donald Trump is making a rare visit to California and Nevada to try to draw contrasts with Democrats on the economy and other issues.
BBC Top Stories · 51m
Manchester United are set to appoint former Hearts boss Eva Olid as their women's manager to replace Marc Skinner.
Al Jazeera · 52m
While FBI poll monitoring not new, US lawmakers raise alarm amid Trump's years-long claims of election fraud.

MARKETS FINANCE · 25

WSJ World News · 10h · 0.62
Higher interest rates are needed to address a growing yield gap with the U.S.
WSJ US Business · 9h · 0.61
The Japanese carmaker raised its annual earnings forecasts, citing a weaker yen and a smaller impact from the Iran war.
NYT Business · 5h · 0.61
Coordinated intervention allowed Japan to support its currency without selling off its U.S. debt holdings.
WSJ US Business · 8h · 0.61
Plus, Trump blasts Big Oil companies and rising beef costs pressure Tyson’s bottom line.
Fox 5 DC News · 1h · 0.60
President Donald Trump criticized Exxon and Chevron after both organizations posted high quarterly earnings amid the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran.
Fox 5 DC News · 4h · 0.58
Social Security’s retirement trust fund will face a funding shortfall in 2032, a year earlier than last year’s projections. If Congress doesn’t act, the "go-broke" date would trigger an automatic cut to benefits. See the projected financial impact for each state if the fund goes insolvent.
WSJ Personal Finance · 5h · 0.57
Check the costs and estimate monthly payments to see if you can afford the new mortgage’s terms
WSJ US Business · 3h · 0.57
Find insight on cryptocurrency, Metro Bank Holdings and more in the latest Market Talks covering financial services.
WSJ Markets · 22h · 0.56
The WSJ Dollar Index edged up 0.1%, snapping a four-trading-day losing streak.
WSJ Markets · 12h · 0.55
Palantir, Caterpillar earnings help lift major indexes
WSJ World News · 21h · 0.54
Secretary Bessent bucks up Japan’s currency, but the Bank of Japan has to tighten.
WSJ US Business · 5h · 0.52
Caterpillar said the artificial intelligence boom continues to drive demand for its engines and generators, while healthy construction spending is spurring sales of its dump trucks, bulldozers and excavators.
WSJ US Business · 45m · 0.51
Stocks were rallying amid strong earnings and comments by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that a deal with Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz could come “today or tomorrow.”
WSJ Markets · 6h · 0.51
We analyzed everything from advisor credentials to fees to portfolio options at some of the larger and more well-known registered investment advisor firms to help you select a firm that could best connect you with a fiduciary financial advisor.
Fox 5 DC News · 6h · 0.49
A popular nut butter sold exclusively at Walmart nationwide is being recalled over potential Salmonella contamination.
WSJ Markets · 11h · 0.47
Pretax profit increased across the bank’s four key segments, rising especially sharply in the business of supporting affluent clients with their finances.
WSJ US Business · 7h · 0.44
Elevated crude prices lifted earnings despite disruption in the Strait of Hormuz pushing sales volumes lower.
WSJ Markets · 8h · 0.38
The bank is the latest to embrace blockchain to make payments and transfers faster and more efficient.
WSJ Markets · 9h · 0.37
Plus, SpaceX reports.
WSJ World News · 38m · 0.37
Beat average interest rates with one of the top high-yield savings accounts.
WSJ US Business · 22h · 0.35
The company posted a quarterly profit of $506.9 million, boosted by an unrealized gain on the company’s investment in MGM.
WSJ Social & Economy · 19h · 0.34
South Korea’s headline inflation moderated in July after reaching a 30-month high in June, as government measures partly helped restrain fuel and electricity prices.
WSJ US Business · 9h · 0.34
The options are multiplying if you’re willing to pay a premium to avoid commercial travel
WSJ US Business · 13h · 0.18
Segro’s directors intend to unanimously recommend the offer to shareholders who will be entitled to receive 0.0920 newly issued shares in Prologis for each Segro share held, with a partial cash alternative.
WSJ US Business · 2h · 0.10
The best small-business lenders have flexible business requirements, competitive rates and various loan options.

OTHER · 25

NYT Business · 21h · 0.62
Nanit and other start-ups want to track your children through the night — and soon, for much longer than that.
Popular Science · 5h · 0.61
California's official state slug is here to help decompose all that dead stuff. The post Watching a banana slug chomp greens with thousands of tiny teeth is oddly soothing appeared first on Popular Science .
NYT Weather · 3h · 0.60
See maps of fire locations and smoke forecasts..
NYT NY Region · 10h · 0.60
A report from the Center for New York City Affairs projected that Mayor Zohran Mamdani might have underestimated the cost of expanding the current 3-K and pre-K programs.
WSJ US News · 18h · 0.60
The agency says its surveillance program searches for threats to agents, but critics see free-speech infringements.
WSJ US News · 10h · 0.60
Investigators at the college vet every admitted student’s application as schools nationwide battle AI-fueled cheating.
NYT Artificial Intelligence · 6h · 0.59
Jasmine Sun, a writer covering technology, takes us into the backlash against A.I. data centers.
Fox 5 DC News · 2h · 0.58
Leonardo DiCaprio and Jeff Bezos are joining forces in an effort to help save some of the world's rarest animals.
NYT Arts · 2h · 0.58
A knife-wielding masked man. A pig’s head outside his parents’ door. Running 30 marathons in 35 days. The Cambridge professor Jason Arday, accused of plagiarism, says he’s been through it all. Not everyone believes him.
NYT Home Page · 34m · 0.58
Last week, construction workers had begun to decorate the new South Lawn helipad with a giant presidential seal. By Tuesday, the design was gone.
The Atlantic · 8h · 0.58
Even if the Iran war ends tomorrow, don’t expect relief at the pump any time soon.
WSJ Social & Politics · 22h · 0.58
David Venturella previously worked at Geo Group, one of the nation’s largest private prison operators.
NYT Home Page · 10h · 0.58
When the New York Historical realized that sunlight in its new wing would potentially damage some items on display, it scrambled to reproduce or remove them.
NYT US News · 23m · 0.58 · ⊕2
Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a moderate Democrat, is going head-to-head with candidates to her right and her left in a battleground district.
NYT Home Page · 2h · 0.57
Its wins have been largely confined to highly educated and heavily Democratic parts of urban America. But two races could change that.
WSJ Arts & Culture · 22h · 0.57
Bringing together paintings by Rembrandt, Jan Steen and others, an exhibit at the New York Historical uses paintings from the Dutch Golden Age to imagine life in the colony.
NYT World News · 5h · 0.57
Russian drone attacks have hit hundreds of gas stations in apparent retaliation for Ukraine’s attacks on oil refineries.
NYT Home Page · 1h · 0.57
Qatar said that draft language of a deal was being circulated, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism about the talks but added that nothing was final yet.
The Atlantic · 21h · 0.55
The president’s big gains with Black, Hispanic, and young voters in 2024 suggested a major shift. Less than two years later, he has lost those new supporters.
Science Daily Health Medicine · 6h · 0.55
A specially engineered chewing gum reduced HPV by up to 93% and nearly eliminated two bacteria linked to head and neck cancer. The treatment preserved beneficial mouth bacteria, raising hopes for a safer and more affordable therapy.
WSJ Lifestyle · 22h · 0.53
Who knows where the trend began, but I remain clean shaven.
NYT Business · 3h · 0.53
The fast-food giant replaced its president of U.S. operations, aiming to bring “focus and urgency” to a revamp of its outlets.
JSTOR Daily · 6h · 0.52
Baldwin criticized Freudian thinking yet drew on ideas like repression in his fiction and essays. The post James Baldwin’s Complicated Relationship with Psychoanalysis appeared first on JSTOR Daily .
The Atlantic · 3h · 0.52
Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey is full of contradictions about deceit and violence.
WSJ Lifestyle · 3h · 0.52
Workers who take approved leaves of absence for medical or other reasons often think—mistakenly—that their positions are safe.

POLICY ACADEMIA · 13

WSJ US Business · 6h · 0.61
The German conglomerate is focused on containing litigation uncertainty, reducing debt and internal bureaucracy, strengthening the drug pipeline of its pharma business, and improving the profitability of its agriculture unit.
WSJ US News · 1h · 0.60
Their solutions would make things worse, but real problems are behind their appeal.
Fox 5 DC News · 1h · 0.50
Some older Ford cars and SUVs pose "unreasonable" ​safety risks, according to federal regulators. Here's what to know.
Fox 5 DC News · 22h · 0.50
The State Department is making permanent a program requiring applicants from mostly African countries to pay a bond to secure a visa.
NYT US News · 22h · 0.48
The Democratic Senate primary will pit the old guard against a rising coalition.
WSJ Social & Politics · 8h · 0.47
Plus, Democrats woo religious voters, and why the Trump administration moved to support the cratering Japanese yen.
NYT NY Region · 7h · 0.46
After a series of fatal crashes, often involving illegal devices, officials in New York City are weighing new rules for electric vehicles.
NYT US News · 9h · 0.44
Our politics reporter Kellen Browning went to the Democratic Socialists of America’s national summit in Chicago to learn more about the group’s new platform.
WSJ US News · 1h · 0.42
It’s far more dangerous to the country. But its appeal is similar to that of the 2009-10 GOP insurgency.
WSJ Social & Politics · 4h · 0.39
Two GOP holdouts supported him after getting written assurances that a controversial fund was dead.
WSJ Social & Politics · 3h · 0.39
While Republican states race to slash income taxes, Democratic-led states are raising them on high earners.
WSJ World News · 17h · 0.37
The prime minister lashed out at EU colleagues who blamed his government’s pro-immigration policies for the recent Ceuta episode.
Fox 5 DC News · 3h · 0.23
The Maryland House of Delegates on Tuesday passed a proposed constitutional amendment that would let voters decide whether to clarify how congressional redistricting is governed in the state. The measure passed 96–38.

SCIENCE HISTORY · 4

Science Alert · 8h · 0.60 · ⊕2
Apophis is going to get close. ScienceAlert stories are written, fact-checked, and edited by humans, never generated by AI. Don't miss a story, subscribe here.
Science Alert · 9h · 0.60
A long-distance relationship. ScienceAlert stories are written, fact-checked, and edited by humans, never generated by AI. Don't miss a story, subscribe here.
Science Daily Sea Life · 6h · 0.59
A tiny 518-million-year-old sea creature has revealed the earliest known evidence of the structures that eventually became spiders’ fangs. Hidden inside the fossil were pincerlike limbs and preserved soft tissues that help explain how the ancestors of spiders and scorpions evolved into formidable hunters.
Science Daily Health Medicine · 14h · 0.41
Chemotherapy-surviving ovarian cancer cells may release fructose to help neighboring tumor cells loosen, escape, and spread. The discovery suggests that sugary diets and cholesterol-lowering drugs could influence cancer progression, though the effects have not yet been confirmed in patients.

CULTURE LIFE · 2

Science Daily Health Medicine · 16h · 0.59
Weight loss is not simply a test of willpower. The human brain evolved to protect body fat during times of scarcity, and it can treat a previously higher weight as the new normal, triggering stronger hunger, cravings, and lower energy use after weight loss. This biological “memory” helps explain why many people regain weight after dieting and why medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro can help by reducing appetite signals, although their effects may fade when treatment ends.
WSJ US Business · 1h · 0.34
Minnesota health authorities are investigating an illness in people who ate at quick-service Mexican-style chains.

INCERTA ENVIRONMENTAL · 2

Science Alert · 11h · 0.55
This water capacity isn't coming back. ScienceAlert stories are written, fact-checked, and edited by humans, never generated by AI. Don't miss a story, subscribe here.
NYT US News · 12h · 0.15
Despite the scale of the damage, there have been no reported fatalities in the fires that started over the weekend. Late on Monday, officials arrested a man suspected of setting one of the fires.

CREATIVE CRAFT · 2

Popular Science · 20h · 0.54
A pneumatic Continuously Variable Transmission reduces noise in one model, while a Turbo production engine increases performance in another. The post The 2027 Polaris Off Road lineup brings industry firsts to any terrain or task appeared first on Popular Science .
Popular Science · 6h · 0.38
The short-lived experiment pumped scene-appropriate scents into cinemas. The post In 1960, movie theaters tried Smell-O-Vision. It stunk. appeared first on Popular Science .

AI ML · 4

WSJ US Business · 3h · 0.52
Find insight on Telus, Palantir Technologies and more in the latest Market Talks covering technology, media and telecom.
WSJ US Business · 9h · 0.50
WSJ US Business · 21h · 0.39
Chief Executive Alex Karp told investors that “demand for AI sovereignty has now been unleashed.”
WSJ US News · 23h · 0.38
The agent was charged and fired after confessing to making unauthorized withdrawals.

FILM MEDIA · 4

Science Alert · 23h · 0.48
We had no idea how powerful it was. ScienceAlert stories are written, fact-checked, and edited by humans, never generated by AI. Don't miss a story, subscribe here.
Science Alert · 6h · 0.47
There's just something about 'Bouba' and 'Kiki'. ScienceAlert stories are written, fact-checked, and edited by humans, never generated by AI. Don't miss a story, subscribe here.
Science Alert · 5h · 0.46
Er... thanks? ScienceAlert stories are written, fact-checked, and edited by humans, never generated by AI. Don't miss a story, subscribe here.
NYT Arts · 3h · 0.13
The longtime PBS mystery series just ended. But TV has a surprising number of other theological murder investigators to fill the void.

STRATEGY BUSINESS · 1

WSJ US Business · 6h · 0.34
The Swedish audio streamer reported a 14% quarterly revenue increase from a year earlier.