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- The Feel-Good Story of the World Cup Is Too Good to Be True
Every World Cup propels a breakout star into the firmament; this year’s might just be a seemingly random German soccer fan who goes by Freddy. In the World Cup’s opening week, his X posts extolling a Taco Bell as “the holy land” and chronicling his rapturous 1 a.m. visits to a Waffle House and a Buc-ee’s have attracted more attention—from Americans, at least—than most of the actual matches.Freddy from Germany is the standard-bearer of an emergent social-media genre: A World Cup visitor from overseas encounters American culture and excess—and loves it. The Spanish soccer wunderkind Lamine Yamal loaded up a grocery cart at a Walmart in Georgia. “Why did no one tell me ranch sauce is like crack?” a Swedish fan posted on X from an Indiana diner. “EUROPE WE NEED RANCH ASAP.” A Japanese man raved about Texas Roadhouse steak. Freddy’s Buc-ee’s post showed customers flowing into the cavernous convenience store, its cartoon-beaver logo a towering beacon that illuminated the night sky. In another photo, a row of pumps stretched, like a horizon, beyond both sides of the frame. Freddy was overawed: “DUDE LMAO THIS IS A GAS STATION😭😭😭,” he wrote.Americans, of course, are eating it up with a spork. “This is genuinely making me patriotic,” one wrote of a video showing a rotund New Jersey–deli guy dancing with a visitor from London and giving him a chicken-parm sandwich on the house. Another observed: “It’s sick to see how many Europeans came over here to actually enjoy US culture. Saw a guy look at a Buc-ee’s gas station the same way I’d look at Stonehenge.” The caption on a video of an Italian’s astonished reaction to unlimited soda refills captured the half-winking exceptionalism in a familiar meme: “The European mind cannot comprehend this.”The videos have been covered in the media as a refreshing antidote to our polarized political moment and as an indication that American greatness resides at least partly in conveniences we take for granted. It’s a nice thought. But not all of the videos, or the people behind them, are quite what they seem.Take the Swedish soccer fan who swooned over ranch dressing. Elsa Thora, a photogenic 24-year-old blonde, has been featured in a number of news stories about foreign soccer fans’ American exploits, exuding a gee-whiz gusto for the country’s food and culture. “I feel like I’m in a movie,” she posted, holding bags of Hostess… [TheTopNews] Read More.5 days ago - AI Is Taking Over HospitalsEvery knowledge-based profession may one day reach the point when AI outperforms the human experts. In medicine, that day appeared to come in April. A group of primarily Harvard and Stanford researchers announced the results of a study that pitted ChatGPT against hundreds of physicians in a diagnostic obstacle course involving written medical mysteries and information from real-world patients. The bot had won, and the humans weren’t entirely happy about it.“I get a little bit queasy about how some of these results might be used,” Adam Rodman, a lead author on the study, said at a press conference just ahead of its publication in the journal Science. The work had amounted to an academic exercise, he told reporters; as thorough as it may have been, it did not prove that ChatGPT or any other AI tool was ready to become a standard part of medical practice. His caution was in line with that of other experts, yet as Rodman knew, most people will ignore the warning. AI has already wormed its way into the U.S. health-care system, evidence and safeguards be damned.Even as I was watching Rodman’s press conference, I got a message on my phone from the administrators at the medical center where I work as a pathologist. They’d emailed me to say that an “AI-powered clinical reasoning tool” was now available for me to use. This wasn’t the first time I’d gotten this sort of email; it wasn’t the second or third time either. In fact, I’ve lost count of how many generative-AI products have been rolled out to us in recent years, none of which has been approved for medical use by the FDA.This enthusiasm feels unprecedented. Health care is typically among the last fields to adopt a new technology; I still use a pager, and I send faxes on a regular basis. (Younger readers can ask Claude to explain what these things are.) A tendency toward simple tech is in part a product of doctors’ safety-focused culture: We know that any ill-timed glitch has the potential to turn deadly. But these days, clinicians are allowed—encouraged, even—to run wild with the latest software, guided by a generic warning that “AI can make mistakes.”Those mistakes can be consequential. Although Rodman’s research shows that generative AI can help diagnose rare diseases or make sense of unusual symptoms, a randomized trial that was published in NEJM AI just the week… [TheTopNews] Read More.5 days ago
- Ozempic users may be making a major weight-loss mistake, new study suggests
Among those taking GLP-1 medications for weight loss, exercise rates are decreasing, according to new research.The study, set to be presented at ENDO 2026 (the Endocrine Society's annual meeting) in Chicago this week, found that adults with obesity who lost weight with a GLP-1, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, "significantly reduced" their physical activity.In an Endocrine Society press release, study lead Sajana Maharjan, MD, of HSHS St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, noted that GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide, liraglutide, dulaglutide and tirzepatide reduce both fat and lean muscle mass.'WILD WEST' PEPTIDE CRAZE SURGES BEYOND GLP-1S AS FDA FACES PRESSURE TO EASE ACCESSThis means physical activity is "essential for preserving strength and long-term health," she said.The study, reportedly the first of its kind, considered data from a National Institutes of Health research program that linked participant records with fitness tracker activity.Researchers analyzed data from 753 people with obesity who initiated a GLP-1 medication. The cohort was mostly female, at a mean age of 52.7 years.Comparing activity in participants before and after beginning treatment, the average number of steps decreased from 5,047 to 4,487 per day. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity fell from 28 to 22 minutes per day, the study found.The largest declines were observed in men and in those with joint or muscle pain. Other factors like age, heart failure or prior stroke did not change results.OZEMPIC ‘MICRODOSING’ IS THE NEW WEIGHT-LOSS TREND: SHOULD YOU TRY IT?Although many people might assume that losing weight with these medications would lead to increased physical activity, the study found no evidence that it did, according to Maharjan."The findings in our study reinforce that exercise cannot be optional for people taking these medications," he said. "People need targeted interventions that encourage physical activity alongside medication for obesity."FITNESS EXPERT REVEALS SIMPLE RULE TO GET IN SHAPE WITHOUT DREADING THE GYM: 'JUST MOVE'The study was retrospective and observational, meaning it could only display an association, not a direct cause. The participants were also mostly middle-aged women, which could limit the scope of who is most impacted, the researchers noted.Other factors that were not measured include exercise habits before starting treatment, motivation levels and guidance from a physician.Dr. Peter Balazs MD, a hormone and weight-loss specialist practicing in New York and New Jersey, echoed in an interview with Fox News Digital that weight loss does not automatically lead to increased mobility or greater motivation to exercise."In fact, being in… [TheTopNews] Read More.5 days ago - Amazon Launches Less-Than-Truckload Freight Service for All Businesses
Amazon is expanding its presence in the transportation and logistics sector with the launch of a new less-than-truckload (LTL) freight service available to businesses across the United States. The move marks another step in Amazon’s efforts to leverage its extensive transportation network beyond its own retail operations, providing shippers with additional freight options while increasing competition within the logistics marketplace. The newly announced service allows businesses to move freight that does not require a full truckload, enabling multiple shipments from different customers to share trailer space. This approach can help companies reduce transportation costs while improving efficiency, particularly for businesses shipping medium-sized loads that are too large for parcel services but do not fill an entire trailer. By opening the service to all businesses, Amazon is positioning itself as a broader transportation provider rather than solely an e-commerce and fulfillment company. According to the report, the service is designed to simplify freight shipping by integrating Amazon’s existing logistics capabilities with a user-friendly booking process. Customers can obtain quotes, schedule pickups, track shipments, and manage freight movements through Amazon’s digital platform. The company aims to provide a streamlined experience that mirrors the convenience many businesses already associate with Amazon’s retail and fulfillment operations. The launch comes as the freight industry continues to experience significant changes driven by technology, evolving customer expectations, and increased demand for supply chain visibility. Shippers are increasingly seeking transportation providers that offer real-time tracking, transparent pricing, and flexible shipping options. Amazon’s LTL service is intended to address these demands while utilizing the company’s existing transportation infrastructure, which includes distribution centers, trucking assets, and a growing logistics network developed over the past decade. Industry observers note that Amazon’s expansion into LTL freight could have implications for traditional carriers and third-party logistics providers. The company has steadily increased its transportation capabilities through investments in trucking, air cargo operations, delivery networks, and fulfillment services. By offering LTL freight to external customers, Amazon enters another segment of the freight market that has historically been served by established transportation companies. For businesses, the service may provide additional flexibility when managing inventory and distribution strategies. Small and medium-sized companies, in particular, often rely on LTL shipping to move products between suppliers, warehouses, distribution centers, and retail locations. Access to another nationwide provider could create more options for managing freight costs and service requirements. The introduction of the service also reflects broader trends… [TheTopNews] Read More.6 days ago - The Exiles Who Sold Trump’s Wars
When the United States bombed Iran in February and abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his Caracas residence in January, celebrations erupted across Iranian and Venezuelan exile communities in America, videos of which President Donald Trump eagerly reposted on Truth Social. For the better part of the past two decades, Iranian and Venezuelan émigré networks have been an indispensable supporting cast for Washington’s pressure campaigns against their home governments. They were not the architects of U.S. policy. But they were its most convincing salespeople, helping transform what might otherwise have looked like naked aggression into something resembling a liberation project. Now, the diaspora figureheads from Iran and Venezuela, each with decades invested in cultivating American power, have been cast aside as nice people unfit to lead. The dismissals came quickly, and in nearly identical language. María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, offered Trump her prize—an accolade he had been openly campaigning for since the start of his second term—and said Venezuelans were “very grateful” for their “hour of freedom” after the capture of Maduro. Days earlier, the president had already taken her measure. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country,” he told reporters after the operation. “She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.” Then, Delcy Rodríguez, vice-president of Venezuela since 2018, was sworn in as acting president on January 5, decrying the “kidnapping” of her former boss. But shortly after Trump’s warning that she could “pay a very big price” if she didn’t comply with his demands, Rodríguez said her cabinet was willing to work with the United States. A rare oil deal between the two governments granted the United States access to Venezuela’s petroleum revenues in a murky, potentially corruption-riddled process. Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, fared no better. The most visible face of Iran’s exiled opposition, he published an effusive op-ed in The Washington Post the day the bombing of Iran began, thanking Trump for a “humanitarian intervention”—the same day American airstrikes killed over 100 schoolgirls in the city of Minab. Asked whether the former royal might lead a post-clerical Iran, Trump was dismissive in the by-now-familiar register. “It would seem to me that somebody from within, maybe, would be more appropriate,” he said. In the case of Iran, what Washington wanted instead became clear in May, when… [TheTopNews] Read More.6 days ago - The Power of Vote at Home
First, let’s concede the obvious. California’s ballot counting is too slow. But don’t misidentify the real culprit. Daily updates from the California Secretary of State following the June 2 primary revealed that some counties, including Los Angeles, had processed nearly 98 percent of the ballots they had received by the following Tuesday. Others, like Kern County (Bakersfield), were reporting just 70 percent. Indeed, late-arriving “postmarked” ballots likely will constitute less than 3 percent of California’s total votes. The exponentially bigger bottleneck: the inevitable surge of ballots received on or right before Election Day. So, a policy change—e.g., a Congressional mandate to require all states to adopt a “received by Election Day” standard, as recently urged by The New York Times editorial board—will have far less impact than California taking long-overdue action to ensure its 63 counties have the election administration staff, money, modern equipment, and physical space to do the job properly. California’s tardy vote counting also gave Donald Trump another chance to rant about mail ballot fraud and election rigging. (Though when pressed for evidence, Trump walked out of a Meet the Press interview.) But amidst the faux outrage and well-intentioned hand-wringing is something truly remarkable that deserves far more notice—if not outright celebration—among the nation’s journalists, political analysts, and democracy advocates. Based on the latest data from California’s Secretary of State, when valid ballots are finally counted, nearly 9.5 million votes will have been cast. Given California’s 23.155 million registered voters, primary election voter turnout would be 41 percent. That would mean the highest voter turnout so far in the United States among the 26 states that have held primary elections through June 9, and a rate nearly double that of most other states. And consider this for those who might think mail ballots are some nefarious plot to thwart Republicans. Of the seven (mostly rural) California counties that will exceed 55 percent voter turnout—a level many states can’t muster in general elections—Trump won all seven of them in 2024. California’s “hidden in plain sight” secret to this remarkable turnout prowess? Like seven other states and the District of Columbia, California has a “vote at home” election system—a far bigger object of MAGA ire than any “postmark by” or “no-excuse” mail ballot law. Voters in these jurisdictions aren’t required to schlep to an assigned polling place or apply in advance for a mail ballot. Instead, every active… [TheTopNews] Read More.6 days ago
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