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HeadLines Decoded — News & Analysis

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6 Parts Florida Amendment 3 Series Parts 5 Parts Power Through the Storm Series Parts 22 Parts D23 2026 Series Parts
The Power Plant Next Door Full series →
A red-brick county courthouse with white columns and a clock tower under a blue sky. Day 7 Series Parts The data center scorecard for Tuesday night Ten questions to take to any data center hearing. If the developer cannot answer them in writing, the county has a rendering, not a proposal. 4 min read3 sources
  1. Day 6 The queue every data center waits in 14 Sep 2026
  2. Day 5 The two arguments over every data center 11 Sep 2026
  3. Day 4 Who can still say no to a data center 10 Sep 2026
  4. Day 3 The data center jobs that stay after the ribbon cutting 9 Sep 2026
  5. Day 2 The data center water fight the neighbors already lost 8 Sep 2026
  6. Day 1 Your electric bill is now an AI bill 7 Sep 2026

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Close-up of red yarn on circular knitting needles, a project in progress on a wooden table Lifestyle

The Sit ‘n’ Stitch is the club you don’t have to join

The club people keep typing into a library calendar isn't a class. It's a table you…

6 min read4 sources

A pile of red, white and blue I Voted stickers. Politics

How to Vote in Person Early in the 2026 Midterms

HeadLines Decoded is suggesting you vote in person this year. Hit early voting so a snag…

5 min read6 sources

An 1812 political cartoon showing a Massachusetts voting district drawn into the shape of a winged salamander. Politics

They draw the map. You live in the leftover.

I think both parties do this, and the word that matters is power. Pull up a…

7 min read4 sources

A woman walks away down a sunlit, tree-lined path. Health

10,000 was an ad. Your legs are not.

I stopped counting steps because the magic number kept moving. That was not science failing. It…

7 min read6 sources

A full-armor Mandalorian cosplayer in beskar helmet and cape holding a blaster rifle at a convention. Disney

The kid lifted the mudhorn. I never got over it.

The Mandalorian and Grogu landed on Disney+ September 2. I was waiting. Some of you think…

5 min read3 sources

A combine unloads harvested corn into a grain cart in a field during harvest. Business

Diesel hit $5.85. The tractor does not get a vote.

U.S. diesel set a record this week. One side calls the pain overblown; the other says…

7 min read6 sources

Featured

Below the Fold

A digital alarm clock glowing 4:39, 4:40 and 4:44 in a dark room, minutes ticking past. Health

Five a.m. is not a strategy

I do not know a person who has never lost a night. I have lost a…

6 min read5 sources

 The marble facade of the Federal Reserve's headquarters in Washington under a blue sky. Business

The lever is not a rumor. It is a price.

I have an MBA, and the classes I liked treated interest rates like a switch on…

6 min read5 sources

 An older man in a dark jacket sits alone on a post by a railing, looking out over a calm bay dotted with sailboats. Society

The bot answers. The room is still empty.

Loneliness reports are up, and chatbots are already pulling night duty as friends. I have a…

7 min read8 sources

 Colorful Disney Skyliner gondolas gliding over a still lake at dawn, mirrored in the water. Disney

We book the wire. Then we check if it is flying.

Some guests treat Skyliner closure calendars like scripture. I used to think that was a lot.…

4 min read2 sources

 Actor Mark Ruffalo, photographed at a 2017 Comic-Con panel. Business

I like Mark Ruffalo. So I read the whole thing before I made up my mind.

The word "antisemite" got hung on a man I admire this week, over a post about…

8 min read6 sources

 An aircraft and its fresh white contrail over the deep blue North Atlantic seen from the International Space Station, with older spread-out contrails nearby.

They are changing the sky this winter, and it is the opposite of a chemtrail

Atlantic flights are about to start dodging the thin, cold layers where a jet's white line…

6 min read5 sources

 U.S. soldiers in M1A2 Abrams tanks during a NATO exercise at a training area in Poland, on the alliance's eastern flank. Politics

The warning and the doubt are both American

Five days apart, the same U.S. government told NATO two opposite things: be ready for Russia,…

6 min read7 sources

 The cast and creators of HBO's Lanterns on stage at the San Diego Comic-Con 2026 panel, seated behind a Comic-Con backdrop. Culture

They brought Sinestro home for dinner

My first take on HBO's Lanterns. It is dark and gritty, and odd in the way…

12 min read8 sources

 Painted illustration of a rainy nighttime outdoor food-festival marketplace: glowing stalls, hanging lanterns and string lights, a few visitors under umbrellas, and an empty wet wooden table in the foreground. Disney

The corned beef shrank. The price did not.

We walked Food and Wine on a quiet, rainy opening night. My plate at Flavors from…

5 min read5 sources

More HeadLines Decoded

Business

Business Economy Jobs Markets Money
The marble facade of the Federal Reserve's headquarters in Washington under a blue sky.

The lever is not a rumor. It is a price.

Diesel hit $5.85. The tractor does not get a vote.
I like Mark Ruffalo. So I read the whole thing before I made up my mind.

Culture

Culture Celebrities Food Interviews Movies Music Trends TV
The equipment floor of a modern gym or health club

The Year of Maxxing

I like Mark Ruffalo. So I read the whole thing before I made up my mind.
They brought Sinestro home for dinner

Disney

Disney Animation Cruises Marvel News Parks Pixar Streaming Studios
Colorful Disney Skyliner gondolas gliding over a still lake at dawn, mirrored in the water.

We book the wire. Then we check if it is flying.

The kid lifted the mudhorn. I never got over it.
The corned beef shrank. The price did not.

Health

Health Fitness Mind Nutrition Wellness
A digital alarm clock glowing 4:39, 4:40 and 4:44 in a dark room, minutes ticking past.

Five a.m. is not a strategy

10,000 was an ad. Your legs are not.
The Longevity Marketplace, Decoded: What They’re Selling, and What the Trials Show

Lifestyle

Lifestyle Arts Family Growth Hobbies Home Pets Recipes
Close-up of red yarn on circular knitting needles, a project in progress on a wooden table

The Sit ‘n’ Stitch is the club you don’t have to join

The Hard Sell on Whole-House Generators: What Gets Left Out of the First Quote
Power Through the Storm, Decoded: A Florida Homeowner’s Guide to Backup Power

Politics

Politics Analysis Local National World
The Ohio Statehouse building in Columbus under a blue sky

Most people who lose Medicaid to the new work requirement are already working

How to Vote in Person Early in the 2026 Midterms
They draw the map. You live in the leftover.

Series Parts

Series Parts
The Florida State Capitol in Tallahassee, its tall central tower flanked by the domed historic capitol building, under a clear blue sky.

The Governor Who Dreamed Up Amendment 3 Won’t Campaign for It

Amendment 3 Is Sold to Seniors Florida Already Protects Twice
I Ran Amendment 3 Through My Own House and the Cut Shrank

Society

Society Community Faith Identity Rights Voices
Close-up of red yarn on circular knitting needles, a project in progress on a wooden table

The Sit ‘n’ Stitch is the club you don’t have to join

The bot answers. The room is still empty.
A Hero of Mine Died on Tuesday

Tech

Tech AI Companies Gadgets Science
A tall rack of networking and server hardware, densely packed with cabling and status lights.

The power plant next door is a data center

The bot answers. The room is still empty.
Samsung’s AI Glasses Take Aim at Meta. What They Deliver, and What Samsung Isn’t Saying Yet.

Travel

Travel Adventure Deals Destinations Getaways Tips
A large white cruise ship tied up alongside a quiet cruise terminal pier at sunrise, mooring lines and bollards in the foreground and calm water beyond

So You Found a Cheap Cruise. Here’s How to Make It a Great Trip.

Patagonia’s New Luxury Lodges Promise Authentic Adventure. What They’re Really Selling.