GILBERT P SELF

May 05 2026POLITICS

Trump Promises Small‑Business Wins While Oil Prices Soar

President Trump met with business owners in the White House’s East Room, bragging that his tax cuts and rule‑reductions have created a booming economy. He said the nation’s businesses are thriving and that the market is “roaring. ” The event was billed as a celebration of Main Street’s revival under

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May 05 2026FINANCE

Rich Few, Poor Many: How a Tiny Group Dominates Prediction Games

Polymarket is one of the new betting sites where people guess what will happen next, from elections to sports. A recent study looked at 1. 6 million users and found a surprising split. The top 0. 1 percent of accounts earned 67 percent of all the money made on the platform. Most participants, howev

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May 05 2026TECHNOLOGY

Pittsburgh steps up with a new quantum hub

Pittsburgh just opened a nearly $12 million lab packed with gear that could push science in the region forward. Called the Western Pennsylvania Quantum Information Core, or WP-QIC for short, this place sits in Pitt’s old engineering building and gives researchers tools to study quantum materials und

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May 05 2026LIFESTYLE

Easy Snacking: Simple Spiced Nuts and Seeds

Plant-based eating seems like a modern trend, but Linda McCartney was pushing this idea decades ago. Back in the 80s and 90s, finding plant-based ingredients wasn’t as easy as it is today. Now, stores carry more options, and farmers’ markets make fresh, seasonal eating simpler. Nuts and seeds are gr

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May 05 2026BUSINESS

Pop Mart’s plan to ride the Labubu wave with its Beijing theme park

Pop Mart brought its Beijing theme park back online earlier this month, making a bold bet on the Labubu series. The tiny vinyl figures—once a quiet corner of the toy aisle—have exploded into a global craze, landing everywhere from street stalls to high-end collabs. Instead of playing it safe, the co

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May 05 2026POLITICS

Pennsylvania fights back against abortion pill restrictions

Pennsylvania’s governor recently joined forces with 20 other states to push back against a court ruling that limits how abortion pills can be given out. The federal appeals court in Louisiana decided that mifepristone, a common abortion medication, can only be handed out in person at clinics. This m

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May 05 2026CRIME

Tracking trouble: How a five-year effort failed to prevent a violent act

Police records show officers repeatedly tried to help a man whose mental health struggles led to increasingly disruptive behavior. Neighbors first flagged concerns in 2021 after he was seen with a gun and acting strangely near his home. Officers responded but couldn’t force treatment or remove his w

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May 04 2026CRIME

Two Men Injured in Port St. Lucie Vehicle Shooting

Port St. Lucie police responded to a shooting near a Walmart on Northwest St. Lucie West Boulevard late Saturday evening, finding two men with gunshot wounds inside a vehicle. The victims were taken to different hospitals and are expected to recover, but their names have not yet been released. Autho

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May 04 2026HEALTH

Helping Parents Talk About Drugs with Teens

Parents can start small, saying “Hey, what’s new? ” to open conversation. They should keep the topic coming back over time. A first chat might be about medicine for a cold, then later about vaping or alcohol. Listening is key. When teens speak, parents should not lecture but ask question

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May 04 2026CRIME

Pras Michel’s Prison Time: What It Means for Campaign Finance and Foreign Influence

Pras Michel, known for his work with the Fugees, recently started a 14-year prison sentence at a federal facility in Arizona. His crime? Helping funnel over $120 million from a fugitive Malaysian businessman, Jho Low, into Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign. Low, infamous for the 1MDB embezzlem

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