Just as a wave of public-health pressure pushes American consumers and food companies toward lower-sugar, less-processed products, the dessert chain Crumbl Cookies has introduced a beverage moving in the opposite direction. A line of customizable “dirty sodas” sold by the chain has drawn public attention after one option was reported to contain 186 grams of sugar in a single 32-ounce...
August 25, 2026
Why California Is Still Counting Votes — and Whether the Delays Reach the 2026 Midterms
Eleven days after California’s June 2 primary, election officials in the nation’s most populous state were still counting ballots. The slow pace drew national attention, a federal review of ballot counting in Los Angeles County, and renewed political attacks on how the state runs its elections. The episode revived a recurring question: is California’s lengthy count a problem unique to...
How Race and Jury Selection Shaped the Karmelo Anthony Murder Trial
A Collin County, Texas, jury convicted 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony of first-degree murder on June 9, 2026, in the 2025 stabbing death of 17-year-old Austin Metcalf, then sentenced him the following day to 35 years in prison. The verdict closed a trial that had drawn national attention for more than a year, much of it focused on the races of those...
Collapse of Alexandra Lozano Immigration Law Leaves Tens of Thousands of Clients Facing Uncertain Status
A high-volume immigration law firm that built a national following on the promise of “legal miracles” has shut down, leaving questions over the immigration cases of tens of thousands of clients. Luz Legal — formerly known as Alexandra Lozano Immigration Law — announced its permanent closure in June 2026, weeks after its founder surrendered her law license rather than contest...
SpaceX’s Record IPO Hands a Capital-Gains Question to Washington and the States
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) began trading on the Nasdaq on Friday under the ticker SPCX, capping the largest initial public offering on record. Shares priced at $135 the night before, opened at $150 and closed near $161 — a gain of roughly 19% — valuing the rocket-and-satellite company at about $2.1 trillion. The offering raised approximately $75 billion. Beyond...
FDA Gene-Editing Approvals Open a New Therapeutic Market as Companies Position and Regulators Weigh Safeguards
In December 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first medicine built on CRISPR gene-editing technology. The decision did more than clear a single treatment. It established that a therapy which rewrites a patient’s DNA could move through the same regulatory pathway used for conventional drugs, and it signaled to investors, hospitals and biotechnology firms that a long-promised...
How Barnes & Noble Became One of America’s Fastest-Growing Brick-and-Mortar Retailers
After nearly two decades of shrinking, Barnes & Noble is opening stores again at a pace it has not matched in a generation. The bookseller plans to open roughly 60 new U.S. locations in 2026, matching its 2025 total and following about 57 openings in 2024 — more new stores in a single year than it added across the entire...
As Tornado Activity Migrates East, the Southeast Confronts a Construction and Land-Use Reckoning
The geographic center of U.S. tornado activity is no longer fixed over the open Plains. Peer-reviewed research has documented a sustained eastward migration of tornado frequency and intensity over the past several decades, moving the zone of greatest risk toward the densely populated, heavily forested states of the Deep South. That shift carries two intertwined consequences for the region’s environment:...
From the Deck of the Enterprise to Legion Leadership: Jerry Landkamer
TAMPA, Fla. — Jerry Landkamer, a Vietnam-era Navy veteran from Nebraska who served with the Navy’s first F-14 squadron, was elected a national vice commander of The American Legion on August 28, 2025. This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 by recognizing 250 veterans and the leaders who serve them — Americans...
A Judge Turned Commander: Air Force Veteran Dan Wiley Leads The American Legion
TAMPA, Fla. — Dan K. Wiley, an Air Force veteran and retired Kansas judge who raises cattle in Leavenworth, was elected national commander of The American Legion on August 28, 2025, taking the helm of the nation’s largest veterans organization. This profile is part of #250for250, a NexfinityNews series marking America’s 250th anniversary in 2026 by recognizing 250 veterans and...