“I start every day the same way: coffee and News Items.” — Richard Haass, president emeritus of The Council on Foreign Relations (and co-host of 'Alternate Shots’).
1. American football can be brutal. Scientists have long known that the hits, tackles and other collisions that are central to the sport come with health risks, but what these impacts do to the brain has been less clear. What we do know is that many footballers have died with brains that have shown evidence of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a disease associated with symptoms such as mood swings and dementia. But because a diagnosis requires that investigators look for damage in a person’s brain after they die, it’s unclear just how common CTE is among current or former athletes. But now, in a study published in JAMA Network Open, an analysis of medical records from thousands of deceased former NFL players—including hundreds who donated their brains to science—estimates that about 75 percent of these players likely died with CTE. (Sources: scientificamerican.com, jamanetwork.com)
2. A college football team in Utah is donning some curious caps this season. As part of their regular recovery routine, many Brigham Young University players are wearing headsets that shine near-infrared light onto their scalps — and up their noses. Emerging science suggests that the devices may help the brain be more resilient to damage, potentially reducing the risk of chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative disease associated with repeated head trauma. Researchers first introduced the headsets to B.Y.U. football as part of a small, randomized trial in 2021. Based on that study’s results — signs of reduced brain inflammation among users over the season — the team ordered more. (Sources: nytimes.com, journals.sagepub.com)
3. Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh on Wednesday left the central bank on track to raise interest rates again this year, even as he stuck to his refusal to offer any explicit guidance on the future path of policy. Operating within his self-imposed communication boundaries, Warsh used his assessment of a strong economy and warnings over persistent inflation to signal the Fed’s job is not yet done. The message reinforced expectations that officials will raise borrowing costs in December — after holding them steady Wednesday — with the potential for another increase in early 2027. Still, Warsh was careful to leave his options open. (Source: bloomberg.com)
4. Being one of Washington’s closest partners no longer means reliably funding the U.S. deficit. Countries and regions most aligned with the U.S. bought a net $174.3 billion of U.S. Treasuries, excluding bills, in the first eight months of 2026, according to an analysis of Treasury and U.S. State Department data. That was the lowest for the period since 2021, and down more than 60% from a year earlier. The shift is noteworthy in Asia, where economies running large surpluses are putting less of that money into U.S. debt. Japan, the biggest foreign holder of Treasuries, bought just $389 million in the first eight months — down 99% from a year earlier. South Korea sold $23.8 billion, the most for the period in records going back to 1977. Taiwan was also a net seller. (Source: Bloomberg, via japantimes.co.jp)
