Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

Left-wing political outsider Abdul El-Sayed is projected to win the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, which exposed bitter divisions over the party’s direction.The former public health official is on course to beat moderate four-term Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens, according to CBS News, the BBC’s US partner. El-Sayed voiced support for progressive causes like universal healthcare and abolishing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He also called for ending unconditional US military aid to Israel.If officially confirmed as the primary’s winner, he will face Republican and Trump ally Mike Rogers, in November’s midterm elections.The son of Egyptian immigrants would be the first…

Muslim American voters celebrated Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow victory in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary on Wednesday, declaring they had found a place in American politics even amid a rise in fiercely anti-Muslim political rhetoric, especially in the South.Dr. El-Sayed’s win against a centrist congresswoman funded by pro-Israel groups and backed by the party establishment was especially sweet in Eastern Michigan, where Arab and Muslim Americans have long lived.Dr. El-Sayed, a Michigan-born son of Egyptian immigrants, could become the nation’s first Muslim senator if he wins the general election in November against a former Republican House member, Mike Rogers.“Growing up as a…

Andy Burnham has revealed his wife’s dismayed reaction when he told her he wanted to make another attempt at becoming Labour leader.Burnham said that his wife, Marie-France van Heel, had been surprised by his decision to run, having lost contests in 2010 and 2015 to Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn respectively.“She was like: ‘Not again; they’ve told you twice they don’t want you,’” Burnham told Elizabeth Day on the How to Fail podcast.“She took some persuading to be honest, because I guess she didn’t want to see me go through it all again and then end up the wrong side…

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNETFollow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Charging to 100% stresses your battery, as most cap at 80%. Certification matters more than brand when picking a charger. Draining to 0% doesn’t ‘calibrate’ a lithium-ion battery. Not a week goes by that I’m not correcting someone who is still recycling some battery myth packaged as a “tip” from the nickel-cadmium era (also known as the 1990s). These tips have been repeated and regurgitated so many times. A quick Google search (or an AI prompt) turns up plenty of articles that reassure readers that the tips are 100%…

Many companies are showcasing their cybersecurity products and services this week at the 2026 edition of the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas. To help cut through the clutter, the SecurityWeek team is publishing a digest summarizing vendor announcements at Black Hat USA 2026, including new products and services, updates to existing offerings, reports, and other initiatives.  This is the third part of the series. You can also read Part 1 and Part 2 if you haven’t already.  Above Security’s strategic investment from CrowdStrike Falcon Fund Above Security announced a strategic investment from the CrowdStrike Falcon Fund and integration with…

Bitcoin (BTC) stayed wedged at $64,000 on Wednesday’s Wall Street open as gold hit six-week highs.Key points:Gold analysis eyes Chinese demand as the precious metal hits its highest levels in six weeks.Bitcoin sees a second day of lackluster performance against US stocks as the S&P 500 builds on all-time highs.China in spotlight as gold rebounds past $4,200Data from TradingView showed continued BTC price inertia contrasting with upside for both precious metals and US equities.BTC/USD one-hour chart. Source: Cointelegraph/TradingViewGold gained 2.8% on the day to hit $4,213 per ounce, its highest levels since June 22. Chinese appetite spurred the upside, with…

What allows people to keep working toward a goal when the challenge becomes more demanding? Researchers at Nagoya University in Japan have identified a brain mechanism that may help explain how motivation is maintained. Their study found that orexin neurons play an important role in sustaining and regulating motivated behavior. The findings were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS). Loss of motivation is common in conditions such as depression, addiction, and ADHD. Even so, scientists still do not fully understand the brain processes that contribute to these motivational difficulties. Orexin…

Fugro has secured a three-year contract to deliver remotely operated vehicle (ROV)-based deepwater drill support services for India’s government-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).Source: Fugro Under the contract secured with Vantage International Management Company, Fugro Survey India will support drilling and completion activities in water depths of up to 3,000 meters on board Vantage’s Platinum Explorer drillship. The work forms part of ONGC’s deepwater exploration program, aimed at unlocking new offshore energy reserves, strengthening India’s energy security and supporting long-term domestic oil and gas production. The Dutch firm will deploy its FCV3000 ROV system to provide comprehensive subsea ROV…

In the last 10 months, residents in neighborhoods across Omaha, Nebraska, have contacted the city and federal government after tests by the Flatwater Free Press and ProPublica showed they had enough of the toxic metal in their yards for the dirt to be dug up and replaced under Environmental Protection Agency rules. But the responses they’ve received have been inconsistent. Three of them received new testing and were promised additional cleanup. Yet others were denied a new cleanup or told the news organizations they never heard back.  One resident said the city tested her yard, found it exceeded the EPA’s…

Kevin Warsh was handpicked to lead the world’s most important bank, with a remit from U.S. President Donald Trump to do one thing: lower interest rates. But economic reality, especially stubborn inflation, won’t allow the Federal Reserve to do that, and so it is now facing the wrath of both financial markets and the White House. Add to that a novel, confusing, and contradictory communication style, and Warsh’s early steps as Fed chair have been less than encouraging. That is problematic when what the Fed says, almost as much as what it does, has huge implications for the United States…