The surprising reason you’re so productive one day and not the next

Be sharp

University of Toronto

A study from the University of Toronto Scarborough suggests that feeling mentally sharp can significantly boost how much you accomplish in a day. 

Researchers found that when people are thinking clearly and efficiently, the effect can equal roughly 40 extra minutes of productive work.

Published in Science Advances, the research tracked participants over 12 weeks to better understand why people sometimes struggle to follow through on their plans. 

The findings point to daily shifts in mental sharpness as a key factor. 

On days when participants felt more mentally alert, they were more likely to set goals and complete them, whether tackling schoolwork or everyday tasks like making dinner.

"Some days everything just clicks, and on other days it feels like you're pushing through fog," says Cendri Hutcherson, associate professor in the Department of Psychology at U of T Scarborough and lead author of the study.

"What we wanted to understand was why that happens, and how much those mental ups and downs actually matter."

Foulkes Unveils Phase Two of “Believe in Rhode Island” Economic Plan

Focus on the basics

Helena Buonanno Foulkes shared the second component of her Believe in Rhode Island economic plan. This phase is centered around the belief that you cannot have an economic plan that ignores where people can afford to live, how they can get to work, and whether they have affordable childcare to rely on. 

“Rhode Islanders work hard. They deserve a state that works just as hard for them. With the high cost of childcare, transportation, and housing, even good-paying jobs aren’t enough to help lower costs for Rhode Islanders,” said Helena. “Today, I’m proud to announce the second part of my Believe in Rhode Island economic plan, which invests in the services that jobs depend on, like childcare and transportation, so Rhode Islanders can afford to go to work in the good-paying jobs we’re creating in the Ocean State.”

Helena’s Plan for Working Families includes:

• Childcare and Pre-K that’s accessible and affordable: A Rhode Island employer-matched childcare fund, starting with a $20 million pilot, designed to reduce the cost of care for working parents.
• Greater housing supply and lower housing costs: Helena previously announced her Rhode Home Program, a comprehensive proposal to tackle our state’s housing crisis head on by creating a billion-dollar revolving loan fund—paid for by a marginal tax increase on Rhode Islanders making over a million dollars—to spur the construction of 20,000 new homes and apartments statewide. 
• Job-access transit routes: A $15 million first-year appropriation for job-access routes connecting workers to Quonset, ProvPort, hospital campuses, and the warehouse corridor. This will include expanded transportation routes and access to jobs in the ocean economy, allowing workers throughout Rhode Island to benefit from state investments in a growing industry that depends on skilled workers to fill good-paying jobs.

 Read Helena’s Childcare & Transportation for Working Families plan here.

Trump and Bobby Jr.'s vaccine cover-up

Why the FDA tried to bury studies showing vaccines are safe

Jake Scott, MD

In October, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists were directed to withdraw two COVID-19 vaccine safety studies that had already been accepted for publication in peer-reviewed journals. In February, top officials refused to sign off on submitting two abstracts on the Shingrix vaccine, used to prevent shingles, to a major drug safety conference. Christina Jewett at the New York Times reported the scope of these decisions.

A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed the withdrawals on the record, saying the studies were withdrawn because "the authors drew broad conclusions that were not supported by the underlying data" and that "the F.D.A. acted to protect the integrity of its scientific process and ensure that any work associated with the agency meets its high standards." 

The studies are public. Anyone can read them. The FDA's own scientists, working with the active surveillance system Congress mandated after the withdrawal of Vioxx, an anti-inflammatory pain reliever, in 2004 after it was tied to increased heart attacks and strokes, produced findings consistent with every major post-market analysis of these vaccines published worldwide since 2023. 

The work was buried for reasons that have nothing to do with the underlying data.

What the studies actually found

One of the COVID vaccine studies, involving US adults 65 and older, was withdrawn from the journal Drug Safety after acceptance. It analyzed more than 7 million Medicare beneficiaries who received the 2023-24 vaccine. The investigators evaluated 14 specific health outcomes, ranging from heart attacks and strokes to Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), an autoimmune condition that has been linked to certain vaccines. 

They identified one statistically meaningful signal: a small elevation in anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction) following the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. After they adjusted for the possibility that some "anaphylaxis" billing codes did not represent true cases, the signal disappeared. The attributable risk, before that adjustment, was less than one excess case of anaphylaxis per million doses administered. The investigators concluded that no new safety signals had been identified.

Returning to the flock

Let's try having a king again

credit: Jesse Duquette

Scientists may have uncovered a hidden brain difference that helps explain the thrill-seeking behavior of psychopaths

Not like the rest of us

Nanyang Technological University

Neuroscientists have identified a measurable brain difference between people with psychopathic traits and those with few or none. 

In a study published in the Journal of Psychiatric Research, researchers from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), the University of Pennsylvania, and California State University found that a brain region involved in reward and motivation was larger in individuals with psychopathic traits.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the team found that the striatum was about 10 percent larger on average in psychopathic individuals compared with a control group. 

The striatum sits deep in the forebrain and plays a role in movement planning, decision-making, motivation, reinforcement, and how the brain responds to rewards.

Psychopathy is generally associated with an egocentric and antisocial personality pattern. People with strong psychopathic traits often show reduced empathy, little remorse for harmful actions, and, in some cases, a greater likelihood of criminal behavior. 

Not everyone with psychopathic traits commits crimes, and not every person who commits a crime is a psychopath, but research has consistently linked psychopathy with a higher risk of violent behavior.

Memorial Day Cookouts Will Be 13% More Expensive This Year on Average Thanks to Trump’s Tariffs, Iran War

A MAGA Memorial Day

Julia Conley for Common Dreams

With the US-Israeli war on Iran pushing gas prices up past $4.50 per gallon and American households already having spent nearly $300 that they wouldn’t have otherwise on fuel, some families may opt to stay home this coming Memorial Day weekend.

A new analysis released Thursday shows that even without travel expenses, celebrations are likely to be more costly than they were last year thanks to Donald Trump’s policies.

Both Trump’s assault on Iran—and the predictable result of the Iranians closing the Strait of Hormuz, a key trade waterway, in retaliation—and his tariff and trade policies are likely to make the holiday more expensive, with prices for barbecue classics up 13% on average since last year, more than four times the inflation rate, according to two think tanks, Groundwork Collaborative and The Century Foundation (TCF).

Ground beef for hamburgers is up 20%, while Johnsonville bratwursts are up 28%, Kraft hot dogs are up 12%, and Martin’s rolls are 19% more expensive than they were in 2025.

Those shopping for produce won’t fare much better, with the average price of a head of iceberg lettuce up 19% over last year, seedless watermelon costing 17% more, and six ears of yellow corn costing a whopping 98% more than it did in 2025.

URI-DEM partnership will reopen W. Alton Jones campus in September

Beautiful spot to be put back into use

By Ryan Arruda, Rhode Island Current

The view of the lake from the Great Room of the Sycamore Lodge at the Whispering Pines Conference Center on the W. Alton Jones campus. (Photo by Ryan Arruda for Rhode Island Current)

Six years after pandemic lockdowns forced state officials to shut down the University of Rhode Island’s 2,300-acre environmental camp, nature preserve and conference center in West Greenwich, the site is finally set to reopen on Labor Day.

The W. Alton Jones Campus is now undergoing a $2 million renovation to its Environmental Education Center’s lodge, surrounding cabins and farm buildings as well as improvements to signs and public access. Up until the campus was shut down in 2020, the property saw as many as 20,000 visitors each year. But economic concerns kept the campus closed after pandemic lockdowns were lifted.

In addition to the Environmental Education Center, which contains the largest lodge, the campus is home to the Whispering Pines Conference Center, which includes the Whispering Pines Lodge, the Sycamore Lodge, and two smaller, unnamed lodges, and the 9-acre Woodvale Farm, which has two barns, two houses, and a classroom building.

Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) Director Terry Gray, a West Greenwich resident, made reopening the campus a priority after he became the agency’s acting director in 2021. He took over the job permanently in 2022.

In an interview, Gray said DEM is focused on preserving the property while expanding public access and environmental education. The goal is to make Alton Jones a center for environmental education in the state.

The FBI Has Established a “Payback Squad” to Target Trump Foes — Report

Composed of agents who are deeply loyal to Trump

By Chris Walker

This article was originally published by Truthout

The FBI has reportedly established a team of agents, informally known as a “payback squad,” that is tasked with pursuing investigations (and eventually charges) against individuals perceived to be the political enemies of President Donald Trump. 

NOTUS reported on the details of the so-called payback squad, citing four individuals with knowledge of its existence, including two current government officials, a former official, and another person with an understanding of how it operates. 

According to the report, the agents who are part of the squad are deeply loyal, as they “know what they’re signing up for,” the publication stated. 

The payback squad was formed about a year ago. The squad was assembled to pursue Trump’s political foes, similar to the way the FBI has targeted former FBI Director James Comey, who was indicted last month over accusations that he had made a threat to the president’s life.

Comey — who was fired by Trump in 2017 in what was widely perceived as political retribution — faces criminal charges based on his posting a supposedly “threatening” picture of seashells on social media last year. The shells were arranged in the numbers “86” and “47.”

86 is a commonly used restaurant term that means to “throw out” or “get rid of,” while 47 refers to Trump, the 47th U.S. president. Trump has claimed the number is used to express a desire to see another person killed.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) alleges that Comey “knowingly and willfully made a threat to take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon the President of the United States,” even though Comey immediately removed the post when people made that inference, and issued a public apology, too.

A senior FBI official denied that the group uses the “payback squad” name, but confirmed that an advisory team for FBI Director Kash Patel was formed last year to target and discredit federal officials who took part in investigations against Trump.

The greatest ego of all time

Trump's crimes are real

Marine life finds new home at base of wind turbines

How sea critters and wind turbines co-exist

URI Ph.D. student Emmanuel Oyewole
conducting field work at the South Fork
Wind farm turbines.
(Photos courtesy Emmanuel Oyewole)

As lobsters migrate to colder waters due to climate change, Jonah crabs are becoming one of the most important species for fisheries in Southern New England.

“As the biomass of the American lobster declines due to climate-related changes and shifting ocean conditions, many fishermen have adapted by targeting other valuable species, and the Jonah crab has become a major alternative,” said Emmanuel Oyewole, a first-year Ph.D. student in the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography. 

“The Jonah crab used to be considered a bycatch species and thrown back because lobster was so lucrative. As lobsters became less abundant, people started to realize that the Jonah crab is a viable and delicious alternative.”

Oyewole is conducting a study that is partly funded by a grant from The Nature Conservancy into how offshore wind farm structures are impacting the growth and habitats of Jonah crabs.

Oyewole prepares Jonah crab muscle samples for analysis in URI’s Ocean Ecogeochemistry Laboratory.

“Ecologically, Jonah crabs also play an important role in the marine food web,” said Oyewole, who is from Ilé-Ifẹ̀, Nigeria, a town in the southwestern part of the country. “They are both predators and prey, helping to maintain balance within benthic ecosystems. Because they are closely connected to seafloor habitats, they can help us understand how offshore wind farm structures may influence local biodiversity, habitat use, and the productivity of fisheries.”

When turbine foundations are installed on the seafloor, their hard surfaces become desirable habitats for marine organisms to attach, grow, and live, just as they do on natural rock or reefs. As algae, barnacles, mussels, and other small marine life, settle on these structures, these smaller organisms attract larger species such as crabs and fish that come to feed, hide, or seek shelter.

“The turbines can create a kind of ‘mini ecosystem.’ They provide food and habitat, which can draw marine life into the area and potentially change how species use the surrounding environment,” said Oyewole. “The question is whether they are increasing the overall amount of marine life in the ocean by creating new production or simply concentrating animals that were already living in the surrounding areas.”

The data Oyewole collects and analyzes will benefit the Commercial Fisheries Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by local commercial fishermen.

These Simple Plant Foods Are Linked to Lower Blood Pressure

Bobby Junior would probably disagree

By BMJ Group

Higher soy and legume intake may reduce the risk of high blood pressure, with the greatest benefits seen at moderate daily consumption levels.

Higher consumption of soy foods and legumes may help lower the risk of high blood pressure, according to a pooled analysis of existing research published in the open-access journal BMJ Nutrition Prevention & Health.

Researchers found that the greatest benefit was linked to eating about 170 grams (6 ounces) of legumes daily, including peas, lentils, chickpeas, and beans, along with 60 to 80 grams (2.1 to 2.8 ounces) of soy foods such as tofu, soy milk, edamame, tempeh, and miso.

Previous studies have connected legumes and soy foods with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, but evidence on their role in reducing high blood pressure has been inconsistent. To investigate further, researchers reviewed studies published through June 2025 and identified 10 publications containing data from 12 prospective observational studies.

Trump Uses America’s 250th Anniversary To Rewrite History With Corporate Sponsorships

George Orwell warned us: "Who controls the past, controls the future" 

By Gina-Marie Cheeseman

Key Takeaways

• Freedom 250 is a corporate-sponsored initiative by the Trump administration to celebrate America’s 250th birthday, heavily influenced by Hillsdale College’s narrative.
• Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has directed employees to promote Freedom 250, despite the existence of a nonpartisan organization, America250.
• The initiative serves as an advertising scheme, allowing corporations to sponsor the celebration for large donations, while taxpayer money funds these events.
• Critics argue that the Freedom 250 logo and its related propaganda undermine government neutrality and erase historical accuracy.
• Concerns have been raised about potential foreign donations, despite claims by Freedom 250 spokespeople that they do not accept such funds.

What do you get when you combine a view of American history reminiscent of the novel 1984 with corporate sponsors? Freedom 250 is the result, or as its website proclaims, the Trump administration’s “national, non-partisan organization leading the celebration of our Nation’s 250th birthday.”

The long-term consequences of McKee’s short-sighted energy savings plan

Get ready for another Dan McKee mess

By Bill Ibelle, Rhode Island Current

If you think the Washington Bridge fiasco was a bummer, wait until you see the sequel.

That horror movie is in production right now and will be coming to a theater near you if the governor’s cuts to clean energy programs are approved by the legislature. It will be another example of kicking the can down the road until disaster strikes. But more importantly, it will be another example of how saving a few dollars today can lead to astronomical costs in the very near future.

What should we learn from the Washington Bridge? We knew for years that our highway bridges were aging and that hundreds of them, both large and small, were in dangerously poor repair. We know that the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and a succession of governors chose to look the other way because it’s always smart politics to save voters a few dollars immediately, even if it’s going to cost them a fortune for years to come. 

Our government opted to save some money. And then the Washington Bridge had to be demolished because it was on the brink of collapse. This created a massive traffic jam that will choke our economy for at least four years and cost taxpayers a half a billion dollars to demolish the bridge and build a new one.  

Now let’s look at our present situation. The governor is promising to save you $15 a month on your electric bill by ignoring the climate crisis, but experts say those numbers are wildly inflated and the governor has yet to provide documentation to specifically back up its claim. Still, the governor’s offer is nothing to sneeze at. It could buy you a few cups of coffee

All you have to do to get that free coffee is to agree to kick the climate crisis down the road by cutting programs designed to speed our transition to clean energy. You may wonder why saving $15 a month is a bad idea. To answer that question, let’s watch the movie trailer “Return of the Short-Sighted Leaders.”