Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

KEN CARYL, Colo.—A new residential development south of Denver is the testing ground for an unusual partnership that could transform home heating and cooling across the country.  Dandelion Energy, a geothermal startup, and Lennar, one of the nation’s largest homebuilders, recently completed construction of nearly 100 homes at the base of Colorado’s Front Range, each equipped with its own ground-source heat pump. The systems use less electricity than even the most efficient air-source heat pumps, potentially helping Colorado meet its climate goals while reducing peak energy demand and eliminating the need for new gas pipelines.  Ground-source heat pumps draw on…

Reporting Highlights Recklessness Rewarded: I blew $1,800 in one night by chasing my losses with bigger bets, a classic sign of problem gambling. The next day, DraftKings invited me to audition for its VIP program. Casino Craze: Sportsbooks want to expand into online casinos, where you can lose a lot fast. I played 500 rounds of blackjack in a weekend — about half of my total bets over 10 weeks. Profit Over Protection: The responsible gaming prompts telling me to pump the brakes were no match for the product design and promotions pushing me to do more gambling. These highlights…

Welcome back to Foreign Policy’s Latin America Brief. The highlights this week: Acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez attends the United Nations General Assembly, oil-rich Guyana prepares to launch a development bank, and a Bolivian biologist discovers a new cat species. Latin America was in the spotlight this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Venezuela saw a reentry of sorts into the international community, as acting President Delcy Rodríguez became the first Venezuelan leader to address the gathering in-person in eight years. Her predecessor, Nicolás Maduro, avoided the event in part due to fear of being arrested…

US broadcaster CNN has been barred from travelling with President Donald Trump on Air Force One for a trip to Tennessee on Saturday.The move is the latest in a battle between the White House and the media after it was forced to lift its ban on some news outlets.CNN was scheduled to fly with Trump for his trip to Tennessee for a college American football game until a note released on Friday night by the White House did not list the broadcaster on the media schedule. The BBC has requested comment from the White House.CNN has reported that no other…

Young people whose complex disabilities mean they have little prospect of getting a paid job should get fast-track access to disability benefits, an official review of youth employment will say.The review, by the former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn, will say 16- to 24-year-olds with the most severe lifelong needs should be guaranteed swift and unconditional benefit support rather than having to prove they cannot work.Currently, many disabled youngsters and their families have to endure repeated lengthy, adversarial and often distressing assessments to access personal independence payment (Pip) and universal credit health benefits.The guarantee could include young people with profound…

Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg has rebuilt the company’s board just weeks after its previous directors tried, and failed, to oust him. The board, which was announced to staff Friday, is an eclectic group that includes a best-selling science-fiction author and two co-founders of the now-defunct social app IRL, TechCrunch has learned, and Mullenweg has confirmed. The new board is the latest twist in an internal governance fight at Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, Tumblr, WooCommerce, and others. Earlier this month, the previous board voted to place Mullenweg on leave in an attempt to remove him from the board, only…

ARK Invest and Securitize announced on Sept. 24 that eligible investors would be able to hold tokenized interests in the ARK Venture Fund on Ethereum.This new ownership route puts an established interval fund on blockchain infrastructure, so investors still face the fund’s limited exit options when trying to sell their shares.ARKVX invests across private and public technology companies, and its tokenized interests represent exposure through the managed fund, giving holders a stake in ARKVX. According to the announcement, Securitize will handle the on-chain issuance and investor experience.Shares remain hard to sellARK’s 2026 calendar sets Sept. 30 as the next repurchase…

Claim: The U.S. was the only opposing nation when the United Nations passed a resolution by a vote of 37-1 to promote women’s equality. Rating: What’s True The U.S. was the only nation to vote against the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women’s agreed conclusions during the commission’s 70th session in March 2026. Thirty-seven nations voted in favor of the agreed conclusions. What’s False Agreed conclusions are recommendations for member states to work towards. They are not the same as U.N. resolutions. Also, while the claim circulated widely during the September 2026 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly,…

Nonstop rain since Thursday has submerged Thai capital’s roads and canals, sending water into many homes and stores.Published On 26 Sep 202626 Sep 2026Bangkok authorities have declared a disaster zone across all 50 districts of Thailand’s capital after three consecutive days of rainfall caused heavy flooding.The disaster designation, which gives local organisations authority to take action, came on Saturday after Governor Chadchart Sittipunt said almost 300mm (11.8 inches) of rain had fallen since Thursday afternoon.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listThe nonstop rain inundated roads and canals with water, sending water into many homes and stores alongside them, according…

Ein politisches Beben rüttelt die Republik durch: Während die Linkspartei in Berlin an die Spitze stürmt, fliegt die CDU in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern komplett aus dem Landtag. Nach diesem historischen Wahlsonntag stellt sich die drängende Frage, wie handlungsfähig die Koalition bei künftigen Reformen überhaupt noch ist. Steht das deutsche Parteiensystem vor dem Kollaps oder gibt es noch einen Ausweg aus der Krise? Gordon Repinski spricht mit dem früheren SPD-Gesundheitsminister Karl Lauterbach über die Verschiebungen und darüber, ob die Politik nun völlig neue, grundsätzliche Ideen braucht. Lauterbach warnt davor, alles schlecht zu reden und verteidigt die Koalition von Union und SPD, die stabiler…