April 22, 20255 min readChildhood Asthma Will Worsen with Pollution Rollbacks and CDC CutsPresident Trump has ordered agencies to act “urgently” to curb asthma—a goal at odds with moves to roll back air pollution limits and with RFK, Jr., cutting CDC expertsBy Ariel Wittenberg & E&E News SBDIGIT/Getty ImagesCLIMATEWIRE | When EPA announced its intent to roll back more than two dozen regulations last month, Administrator Lee Zeldin said it was necessary because pollution limits were “suffocating” the nation’s economy.But 12 of the 31 rules on the chopping block protect Americans' ability to breathe by curtailing air pollutants like fine particulate matter and ozone. According to one review of EPA’s analyses, those rules would collectively prevent more than 100 million asthma attacks through 2050.The regulatory rollback isn't the Trump administration's only move that will affect American lungs. Just this month, the Department of Health and Human Services completely eliminated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s asthma office, which provides funding and advice to state and local health officials on how to prevent the the inflammatory lung condition.On supporting science journalismIf you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.“I don’t say this lightly, but these are programs that were keeping people alive,” said Laura Kate Bender of the American Lung Association. “And now we have this double whammy where on the one hand, we are seeing the threat of a slew of air pollution rollbacks and lax enforcement at EPA, and on the other hand, they are cutting programs that were helping people manage their lung disease.”The rollbacks and cuts contradict the Trump administration’s stated goals of reducing childhood chronic diseases, including asthma. Asthma was mentioned twice in President Donald Trump’s February executive order that directed federal agencies to act “urgently” to end chronic childhood diseases through “fresh thinking” on “environmental impacts” to health, among other things.Asked how EPA reconciles its directive to tackle asthma with rolling back regulations that prevent the disease, EPA spokesperson Molly Vaseliou said only that “the Trump Administration is taking steps in the right direction to ensure EPA adheres to the agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment and powering the great American comeback.”The costs of a regulatory rollbackElizabeth Hauptman remembers the joy she felt two years ago when EPA finalized a carbon rule meant to reduce pollution from fossil fuels.Now a field consultant for Moms Clean Air Force, Hauptman started paying attention to air pollution regulations when her then-toddler son, Oscar, started having difficulty breathing. In the years since he was diagnosed with asthma, Oscar, now 15, has been to the intensive care unit twice and had to sit out sports practices more times than Hauptman can count on poor air quality days.She had been hoping the carbon rule would save more kids like Oscar from struggling to breathe. But now the rule is one of 12 air pollution limits EPA announced it would reconsider in March on its “biggest deregulation action in U.S. History.”Hauptman worries EPA’s actions will only make asthma attacks more common — for her son and others.“My son is growing up in a world where he has to check the air quality index like some kids check their favorite sports scores, and that should not be normal,” she said. “This is not just about policy — it’s about playgrounds and bedtime stories without wheezing.”In 2035 alone, EPA estimated, the rule would prevent 1,200 premature deaths, 870 hospital and emergency room visits, 1,900 new asthma diagnoses and 360,000 asthma attacks severe enough to require an inhaler.Those calculations are part of the cost-benefit analysis EPA is required by law to conduct whenever it issues new regulations. They often measure the benefits of reducing air pollution in terms of avoided asthma symptoms, emergency room visits and hospitalizations.“My son is growing up in a world where he has to check the air quality index like some kids check their favorite sports scores, and that should not be normal. This is not just about policy — it’s about playgrounds and bedtime stories without wheezing.” —Elizabeth Hauptman, field consultant for Moms Clean Air ForceFor example, EPA estimated that another regulation targeted in Zeldin's rollback — the "good neighbor" rule — would prevent 179,000 asthma attacks and 5,000 new diagnoses of the disease in 2026. The rule limits smokestack emissions from power plants that create ozone pollution and smog in downwind, neighboring states.All told, those health benefits, along with avoided hospitalizations and premature deaths from the pollution, would save $13 billion in 2026, the agency calculated.“Inhalers are expensive, asthma attacks are expensive, keeping kids home from school and parents out of work to care for them is expensive,” Bender explained.Making America healthy?Trump's February executive order created the Make America Healthy Commission, tasked with drafting a strategy to improve kids’ health that must “address appropriately restructuring the Federal Government’s response to the childhood chronic disease crisis, including ending Federal practices that exacerbate the health crisis.”Zeldin sits on the commission with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is restructuring the Health and Human Services Department as part of an agenda he calls "Make American Healthy Again."Kennedy mentioned asthma as a chronic disease he wants to address during his confirmation hearings. But earlier this month, he put every staff member in the CDC’s Asthma Control Program on administrative leave, and told them their jobs will be eliminated in June.Created in 1999, the CDC program funds work in 29 state and local health departments to help reduce asthma attacks. Some grants provide training for visiting nurses to help patients reduce exposure to things like secondhand smoke and mold at home. Others fund training for school nurses and other officials on how to administer inhalers and other medications.Utah, for example, has used grants from the asthma program to create “recess guidance” that recommends when air quality is too poor for kids to play outside. The state has also started sending proactive email alerts to school personnel based on the guidance.The program’s experts would also deploy to areas hit by disasters, like wildfires and hurricanes, to help communities respond to asthma threats, and would even field calls directly from patients who had recently been diagnosed with asthma and needed advice on how to manage their symptoms.That expertise is no longer available. The program’s entire staff was sent Reduction in Force notices earlier this month as part of a broader HHS reorganization that has resulted in 18 percent of the agency’s workforce being cut overall.“If you are newly diagnosed with asthma because of air pollution issues now, what resources do you have after these cuts?” asked Jenna Riemenschneider, vice president of advocacy and policy at the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.HHS did not respond to questions about why the office has been eliminated or whether Kennedy agrees with EPA’s actions to roll back pollution rules that prevent asthma.In a statement, an agency spokesperson only said that “critical programs within the CDC will continue,” and Kennedy “is committed towards understanding and drastically lowering chronic disease rates and ending the childhood chronic disease epidemic.”Three staff members from the CDC program, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said they were blindsided by the move to eliminate HHS’ only asthma experts, in part because they had read the February executive order.“When we saw the first announcement that they were reorganizing HHS, we thought maybe they would move us to the new Administration for a Healthy America,” said one employee, referring to a new division created in the HHS restructuring. “But none of us saw coming that we would be cut along with our entire division.”Another employee said she had actually been “excited” by the February executive order because she thought it would elevate the program’s work to help more asthma patients.“By eliminating the asthma and air quality branch, the MAHA movement loses so much scientific and medical experience that would have helped actually make America healthier,” she said.Reprinted from E&E News with permission from POLITICO, LLC. Copyright 2024. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals.

Bethesda reveals The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, and it's available now Deluxe Edition includes new horse armour. Image credit: Bethesda News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on April 22, 2025 Bethesda has finally lifted the lid on The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, shown off its shiny new gameplay - and launched it to play now. In a video posted this afternoon, we've got our first official look at the new Oblivion after weeks of leaks, blurry screenshots and other teases of information. Oblivion has been remade by port developer Virtuos' Paris studio, in collaboration with Bethesda, and this new version is a ground-up remake built in Unreal Engine 5, designed to run at 4K 60fps. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remake reveal video.Watch on YouTube Oblivion Remake includes story expansions The Shivering Isles and The Knights of the Nine, as well as various other bits and pieces from the previous Remastered edition: the Fighter's Stronghold expansion, Spell Tome Treasures, Vile Lair, Mehrune's Razor, The Thieves Den, Wizard's Tower, Orrery, and Horse Pack Armour. You can purchase it now for PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store, on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S. It's also on Game Pass (PC and Ultimate). The base game costs £50, or £60 for a Deluxe Edition. If you're on PC, you can also buy a Steam code from Fanatical for £41.49 / $41.49 as well, a 17% saving. The Deluxe Edition includes "new quests for unique Akatosh and Mehrunes Dagon armour, weapons and horse armour sets", because of course, plus access to an artbook and soundtrack app. Changes include a refreshed levelling system inspired by Skyrim, additional dialogue (including unique voices for the game's various races) and more modern controls - including sprinting, which Bethesda says was something the team debated over adding, but ultimately decided was required in a modern game. Eurogamer's video team reacts to The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered reveal.Watch on YouTube On PC, you'll need 125GB of storage, and 16GB RAM to run the game. Minimum specs suggest you'll want an AMD Ryzen 5 2600X or Intel Core i7-6800K processor and either an AMD Radeon RX5700 or Nvidia GeForce 1070 Ti graphics card. Recommended specs ask for 32GB RAM, an AMD Ryzen 5 3600X or Intel Core i5-10600K processor, and either an AMD Radeon RX 6800XT or Nvidia RTX 2080 graphics card. "Obviously we're working on the sixth chapter here," Bethesda boss Todd Howard said in today's video, "but what's great about The Elder Scrolls is being able to look back at all of the chapters: Skyrim, Morrowind, Oblivion, Daggerfall, Arena. Each of them try to define role-playing games and open-world games for their generation. "Oblivion was a real defining moment in the series and how we make games as a studio."

Sega's OutRun getting movie adaptation from Michael Bay and Sydney Sweeney Va Va Vroom. Image credit: Sega/Eurogamer News by Victoria Kennedy News Reporter Published on April 22, 2025 OutRun is the next video game to be reportedly getting itself a movie adaptation. As revealed by Deadline, sources say Universal is planning to release a film based on Sega's arcade video game, with with Michael Bay - known for the likes of Bad Boys, The Rock ("Welcome to The Rock!") and the first five films in the Transformers film series - acting as director. Meanwhile, Euphoria and The White Lotus actress Sydney Sweeney is attached to produce the film, with Jayson Rothwell on writing duties. Rothwell's previous credits include Polar (2019), Silent Night (2012) and Zemanovaload (2005). To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Fixed Camera Angles in Horror Games Are Scarier - Hear Me Out... Watch on YouTube At the time of writing, further details are fairly thin on the ground. In the words of Deadline, "plot details are vague". Given its source material, though, we can assume that it will have something to do with racing. Perhaps, more specifically, racing in a Ferrari. Eurogamer's former editor-in-chief Martin Robinson wrote a feature dedicated to OutRun back in 2019. "I've made OutRun's journey countless times over the years, whether that's in one of Shenmue's virtual Hong Kong arcades, via M2's phenomenal 3DS port or more recently its Switch effort," he wrote in his snappily titled article OutRun is still the pinnacle of driving games. "Such platforms can only deliver a sliver of the full experience, though - playing OutRun on the deluxe cabinet is a revelation. It's an all-body experience, a kind of funky alternative to virtual reality that plays to all of your senses." Elsewhere in video game to big screen news, earlier this month a new teaser trailer for Five Nights at Freddy's 2 was revealed. Additionally back in January, Sony announced Horizon Zero Dawn and Helldivers 2 were both being adapted into films.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here KRAFTON’s new life simulator InZoi took the world by storm as a true competitor to EA’s The Sims. Launching in early access, the game has been the cause of hilarious kidnapping exploits and a slew of best mods before the release of the game’s official modkit. With the game’s development still ongoing, game director Hyungjun “Kjun” Kim is excited to bring the game to more platforms in the future. In an interview with VideoGamer, Kim explained that the team would love to bring the game to Nintendo Switch 2, but it might not be possible. InZoi on Nintendo Switch 2 might not be possible Speaking to VideoGamer, Kim explained that the team is actively looking at the specs of the Nintendo Switch 2. With the console’s GPU power allegedly that of an RTX 2050, which falls just below the game’s recommended specs on PC, it would require a large amount of optimisation for the team. “It’s hard to say for sure since we don’t yet know the exact hardware specs of the Nintendo Switch 2,” Kim told us. “However, rumors suggest it may have RTX 2050-level performance. Given that inZOI currently requires relatively high specs, it would likely be difficult to run the game on the Switch [2] as-is.” Nevertheless, the team is excited to try and bring the game to all possible platforms following the game’s Early Access period. Plans have already been drawn up for the game’s PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series debut, but Nintendo Switch 2 is a unique challenge. “We are preparing to bring inZOI to various platforms, and if optimization for the Switch 2 is feasible based on its performance, we see it as a great opportunity to connect with even more players,” the game’s director explained. As for the Nintendo Switch 2, the new handheld is an incredible piece of tech with games like Cyberpunk 2077 using DLSS to run on the system with reasonable image quality. However, there are also games that appear to struggle on the system as well. Shown off during Star Wars Celebration, the Nintendo Switch 2 version of the game retains the original’s ray-tracing, but suffers in performance. However, considering this is just the start of the console’s life, and the game still has months of optimisation to go, it could be much better by the time it releases. InZoi Platform(s): PC Genre(s): Simulation Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here NetEase certainly knows how to make creative modes for Marvel Rivals. After Clone Rumble, which was a lot of fun, the game developer is ready for the release of Giant-Size Brain Blast, a new game mode. This mode will come out on Friday, April 25, and big battles and big heads! In this article, we take a deeper look to see everything waiting for us in the new mode. Besides a different gameplay, the mode brings new rewards, which are exclusive titles! New Marvel Rivals mode is going to be a lot of fun On Tuesday, NetEase revealed the Giant-Size Brain Blast mode for Marvel Rivals. This team-deathmatch-style mode brings a new twist to Conquest: Two teams fight against each other, and everyone has a GIANT HEAD! The mode is set to come out on Friday and will bring an emote and exclusive titles as rewards. To unlock the emote, Brain Blast, you will need to play 10 games in the new Marvel Rivals game mode, after which you’ll be able to select the hero you want to unlock the emote for. Everyone will have giant heads in the new Marvel Rivals mode. Image by VideoGamer While the emote will be available to everyone who plays 10 matches, you will have to rank up the leaderboard to unlock the titles. “After each event round, players ranked in the Top 10, Top 100, and Top 500 will receive the corresponding Title reward,” NetEase explained. These are the titles that Iron Man players will receive after playing the new mode: Top 10: Planet-Sized Brain Iron Man Top 100: Monster-Sized Brain Iron Man Top 500: Giant-Sized Brain Iron Man Every other hero will have a similar title, so make sure to rank up in the leaderboard to it! The title will stay permanently in your account, and you’ll be able to show it off. While waiting for the event, don’t forget to unlock all the free skins in Marvel Rivals. NetEase has prepared lots of new content for the future, including Ultron as a new hero and swimsuit skins. Marvel Rivals Platform(s): macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series X Genre(s): Fighting, Shooter Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

Among the many peculiar relics of the World War era are the utilitarian structures that were erected, like some Brutalist versions of Stonehenge, along the southern coast of England. Often referred to as “concrete ears,” these forms were a way of amplifying sound, of listening for incoming aircraft or other signs of war before the development of radar. But they were built too late, never used after technology improved, and never destroyed. They have long fascinated the American artist Kevin Beasley, and are now the inspiration for his new site-specific sculpture—and largest work to date—at Storm King Art Center in upstate New York. It will be unveiled on May 7 as part of the open-air museum’s new $53 million expansion, which aims to improve visitor experience with new buildings, landscapes, and commissions.Artist Kevin Beasley in his Queens studio with panels bound for New York's Storm King Art Center, where he will unveil a site-specific outdoor sculpture on May 7. On a recent afternoon at his Queens studio in New York City, Beasley and his team were busy building his version of a concrete ear: four colorful triptychs that depict the changing seasons in a generalized landscape’s horizon. Instead of painting the partitions, Beasley has layered each of the 12 panels with, among other unexpected materials, secondhand clothing, assembling a collage of fabrics that he then covers in resin so that the garments harden in place, like bees trapped in amber. White shirts and blue denim might reflect the clouds and the sky; brown sweatshirts and corduroy pants the earth; and green hoodies and T-shirts the flora. Embedded in the vernal triptych are sunflower seeds and dried flowers. The autumnal panels, meanwhile, feature shears, basketry, and other nods to the notion of the harvest, a particular obsession of his. Still, Beasley also wants his work to be used as a listening device, a way to hear the natural world as it comes. “My hope is that you’ll be able to stand in front of this and any sound that’s coming from behind you or around you will be amplified just in that space,” he explains.A view of Beasley’s workspace in Queens. A work in progress. Walking through his studio, Beasley expresses comfort around engaging with the land. Born in the city of Lynchburg, Virginia, he grew up attending family reunions at a relative’s modest home in the countryside, some 100 miles away. “The house became not only a source of curiosity but also a way for me to understand the American landscape,” he said. But the sight of nearby cotton fields shocked him. “I didn’t expect it to be on personal terms. But I suddenly understood that I hadn’t unpacked the proximity of what this means.” Today he is perhaps best known for incorporating cotton into spectral mixed-media pieces, reminiscent of bodiless life-forms, which conjure both the past and the present while foregrounding the crop’s insidious past in American history.

Free Add-on: MIDI To Visuals By Doc Ouatzat on April 22, 2025 Add-ons M2V MIDI To Visuals is a Blender extension that generates animated 3D visualizations from MIDI files.OverviewMIDI to Visuals converts MIDI files into synchronized 3D animations, mapping musical notes and instruments into dynamic visual sequences.FeaturesMultiple visualization types: BarGraph - Creates one cube per note, animated in sync with the music Notes Strip - Creates a piano roll style visualization Waterfall - Animated waterfall effect over note strips Fireworks - Particle-based firework effects Fountain - Fountain particle simulation Lightshow - Animated Lights Supports multiple MIDI file formats: Format 0 (single track) Format 1 (multiple tracks) Format 2 (multiple tracks) Real-time animation synchronized with: Note on/off events Note velocity Track colors MIDI timing Integration with Blender: Custom node materials Particle systems Geometry nodes Audio sync with MP3 Compositing effects LicenseGNU GPL v3 See LICENSE file for details.

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While all the old and busted Elder Scrolls fans (all my coworkers) are excited and popping bottles around today's The Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remake stream and shadow drop, those with an eye for the future may be happy to learn that Todd Howard took time to acknowledge that The Elder Scrolls 6 still exists! He was even so bold as to state that the team was working on it. Read more