Holes

• Justice Amy Coney Barrett faced questioning during a recent Senate hearing regarding the Supreme Court's response to the rise of prediction markets and the resulting ethical dilemmas. • The scrutiny follows the court's 2023 adoption of its first-ever code of ethics, which prohibits the nine justices from using nonpublic judicial information for personal gain. • This development matters as critics worry that "loopholes" in the current policy may not sufficiently prevent the misuse of insider information in high-stakes betting markets.

• The FDA has approved Lipfendra, a new cholesterol-lowering pill developed by Merck. • Unlike traditional statins, Lipfendra is a PCSK9 inhibitor, utilizing a different mechanism to reduce cholesterol levels in patients. • This approval provides a new oral therapeutic option for managing high cholesterol, offering an alternative for those who may not respond well to statins.

Lipfendra can be taken in conjunction with or an alternative to statins, the most prescribed medication in the USSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email The drug giant Merck on Thursday announced it had received FDA approval for a daily pill that can be an alternative to statins for treating high LDL levels, or so-called bad cholesterol. The new pill, Lipfendra, is a version of a drug called a PCSK9 inhibitor.For decades the go-to therapy to treat high cholesterol levels has been statins, the most prescribed medication in the US. But statins come occasionally with side effects like muscle aches and they sometimes don’t drop cholesterol levels enough to meet recommended levels. Continue reading...

• Astronomers have released the largest gravitational wave catalog to date, adding 161 new black hole collisions to bring the total number of detections to 390. • The new data includes the clearest gravitational wave signal ever recorded and the most precise location tracking for a black hole merger. • These findings are significant as they provide growing evidence that certain black holes are "second-generation" objects formed from previous mergers.

Success of statins and blood-pressure drugs hailed as researchers find some people with obesity were ‘better off’Many adults who are obese have “indistinguishable” cholesterol and blood pressure levels compared with those with a healthy weight, largely because of the use of statins, according to a study.In some cases, people with obesity were “better off” than those of a healthy weight, researchers added. Continue reading...

• Kemi Badenoch has launched a sharp political attack on Andy Burnham, criticizing what she describes as his "mistaken beliefs." • The confrontation centers on Badenoch challenging Burnham's political ideology and vision before he could potentially seek the premiership. • This clash highlights the deepening ideological divide between the Conservative and Labour leadership styles within UK politics.

• Wholesale inventories remained steady with a reported figure of 0.3%, precisely matching the projections set by market analysts. • This stability indicates that wholesalers are maintaining a balanced approach to inventory management amidst a cautious economic environment. • The alignment between the actual data and forecasts suggests that current supply chain and stock levels are meeting market expectations.

• US wholesale inventories rose by 0.3% in May 2026, aligning exactly with market expectations. • Retail inventories grew at a faster rate of 0.6% during the same period, suggesting a divergence in stock accumulation between the two sectors. • This upward revision in wholesale inventories is expected to provide a modest boost to Q2 GDP estimates, as inventory growth contributes positively to overall economic growth.

• A study by researchers, including Professor Mariassunta Giannetti of the Stockholm School of Economics, warns that simplifying bank regulations in the U.S. and Britain could inadvertently weaken financial stability. • The research suggests that while complex rules are harder to manage, they are more difficult to circumvent, whereas simpler rules are more likely to be "gamed" by lenders. • This finding is significant because it indicates that banks may shift risks elsewhere in the system to bypass simplified regulations, even if those rules appear strict on paper.

State government and consortium strike deal to complete M6’s twin tunnels with minister insisting there is ‘no extra cost to NSW taxpayers’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTunnelling on Sydney’s $3.1bn M6 project, dubbed the potentially “unbuildable motorway”, will resume after the state government struck a deal with contractors, ending a two-year stalemate during which works were halted.Under the terms of the new agreement, the private consortium will absorb the costs of finishing the tunnels, limiting the financial hit to taxpayers. Continue reading...

• Theoretical physicists are exploring the holographic principle, a theory suggesting that the three-dimensional universe may actually be a projection of two-dimensional information. • The concept stems from the study of black holes, where information about falling matter appears to be stored on the event horizon's surface rather than within the volume. • This hypothesis is significant because it attempts to reconcile general relativity with quantum mechanics, potentially providing a unified framework for understanding gravity and spacetime.

Investigation follows circulation of videos showing groups climbing out of sewer systems across the city at nightNew York police are investigating a bizarre mystery involving groups of people emerging from the city’s manholes in recent weeks.The investigation follows the circulation of multiple social media videos showing people climbing out of sewer systems across the city, all in the middle of the night. Continue reading...

Marsh Street has been cited as Bristol’s worst for potholes. But it’s just one of many crumbling roads in Britain as councils face repairs backlogs and lack of fundsMarsh Street in the historic centre of Bristol is a modest little stretch of road with an office block at one end, a Thai restaurant at the other, and an almighty mess in between.Along its length of 200 metres or so, the tarmac surface of the road is pockmarked with many dozens of cracks, patches, divots and holes. In some spots where the surface has worn away, three or more layers of road structure are exposed beneath. What is a bouncy enough ride in a bus or car is even more of an assault course for cyclists, a number of whom weave carefully down its length as they cut through the city centre. Continue reading...

• Wall Street traded mixed on Wednesday morning, with the S&P 500 down 0.1%, Dow Jones Industrial Average dropping 235 points or 0.5% at 9:35 a.m. ET, and Nasdaq up 0.2% amid a technology sector rebound. • Tech stocks like Micron Technology surged 4.3% and Nvidia rose 2.4%, the top gainer on the S&P 500, following a pause in AI-driven momentum; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was invited by President Trump to discuss AI chip shipments to China. • A wholesale inflation report showed prices significantly higher than expected last month, following Tuesday's consumer inflation acceleration, driven by rising fuel, transportation, food prices from tariffs, weather, and oil disruptions from the Iran war.

Fraudsters exploit confusion or anxiety over new IHT rules by offering a ‘safe haven’ for savings potsThe caller pitches a great deal. Shift the moneysaved in your pension and reinvest it in a scheme overseas where you can avoid it being caught under next year’s changes to the UK’s inheritance tax (IHT) system.From April next year, any money left in a defined contribution pension after your death, which is most workplace and all private pensions, will be pulled into the IHT net. Continue reading...

Engineers link reduced lifespan of roads to shift to heavier cars, some bought to navigate damaged surfacesDrivers who choose SUVs are compounding the pothole problem, experts have warned, as research showed hundreds of thousands of people bought bigger cars to navigate damaged roads.Scientists said the cumulative effect of increasing numbers of heavier vehicles was a contributory factor in Britain’s potholes getting worse. Continue reading...

Campaigners say birds could die trying to access ancestral nests that were sealed during rail refurbishmentSome swifts returning to Britain to breed will be unable to access their ancestral nesting holes after they were blocked in a £7.5m refurbishment of a Derbyshire railway viaduct, campaigners say.Nature lovers had appealed to Network Rail to unblock three holes which were among at least nine swift nesting sites on the twin viaducts at Chapel Milton, on the edge of the Peak District. Continue reading...

• America's Health Rankings places Tennessee among the bottom ten states for multiple key cardiovascular health indicators, ranking 43rd in high blood pressure prevalence and 45th in high cholesterol rates. • The state's poor cardiovascular health rankings reflect broader public health challenges affecting disease prevention and chronic disease management. • These metrics indicate Tennessee residents face elevated risk for heart disease and related complications compared to national benchmarks.

European parliament votes in favour of sending refused asylum seekers to offshore hubs, in ‘historic setback for refugee rights’People with no right to stay in the EU could be detained for up to two years or sent to offshore centres described by experts as possible “human rights black holes” under plans voted for by the European parliament on Thursday.An alliance of mostly centre-right and far-right lawmakers voted for a proposal to increase returns of undocumented migrants to their home countries, in a further sign of strain on the grand coalition of centrist political forces that has traditionally driven EU lawmaking. Continue reading...

Businesses ranging from vegetable growers to miners warn of disruption from rising petrol prices and lack of supplyGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIndependent petrol station operators and miners are urging the federal government to crack down harder on major fuel wholesalers hoarding supply and withholding deliveries from smaller operators.Amid growing disruption from the Iran war, smaller operators are running out of fuel, including in rural and regional areas. Outlets that buy petrol on the spot market, and do not operate with longstanding contracts for fuel supply, have asked for extra help, including from the government’s new fuel supply tsar. Continue reading...