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New England’s only native rabbit species may soon be hopping in the wild in abundant numbers once again.

The New England cottontail population has declined by more than 75 percent since 1960, mostly from habitat loss caused by development, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. There are now only five small populations across a range from Maine to New York. (Yes, technically New York is not part of New England, but apparently no one told the New England cottontail that.)

But conservation efforts for the bunnies are proving to be promising, the Associated Press reports. Captive breeding and reintroduction efforts has helped the population on Rhode Island’s Patience Island double to more than 150 rabbits. And two dozen rabbits released at a managed wildlife area in New Hampshire are thriving and expanding in numbers.

Of course, since the habitat loss was the problem in the first place, it’s crucial to ensure the growing population actually has a place to live. New England cottontails live in the shrubbery of “young forests” — usually forests less than 25 years old. That means their habitat is threatened not only by development, but also simply by those forests aging, which thins out the shrub layer they need.

That’s why scientists involved in New England cottontail conservation survey locations across the region to identify the best locations where rabbits can be introduced, and figure out how to protect and maintain those areas. This can also involve selective logging to open up some areas for shrubs and young trees to grow, which creates habitat for numerous species that make younger forests their home.

The AP notes that the conservation plan has left some people confused, since it seems like wild rabbits are all over the northeast. But that’s because it’s easy to confuse the New England cottontail with the much more prevalent eastern cottontail. The eastern cottontail is native to North America but was only introduced to the New England area in the 20th century.

The two brown rabbits look pretty similar, though New England cottontails are smaller and with shorter ears. Also, many eastern cottontails have a white spot on their foreheads, while New England cottontails have a thin black line on the edge of their ears.

A big reason eastern cottontails have been able to thrive while New England cottontail populations have declined is because eastern cottontails can live in a much wider range of habitats. Because they are better at detecting predators, they can make their homes in open fields and at the edges of forests, and aren’t restricted to the dense thickets where New England cottontails live.

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Thirty-nine percent of voters nationwide said they would be more likely to vote for the Democratic ticket if Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders were on it, according to a new poll from Monmouth University.

The poll tested six potential Democratic and six potential Republican vice presidential picks, and Sanders was the only name to stand out from the pack. Among undecided voters, a whopping 50 percent said they would be more likely to support the Democrats if it’s a Clinton-Sanders ticket. That could be a substantial number of voters — the HuffPollster model indicates that 9.8 percent of voters are undecided.

Although voters would like Sanders as the vice presidential nominee, the Clinton campaign reportedly does not view a Clinton-Sanders ticket as an option. Sources told the Wall Street Journal that Hillary Clinton is not considering Bernie Sanders as a running mate.

Clinton’s campaign is instead exploring other alternatives and has reportedly begun to narrow its VP shortlist. Among the floated names are Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro of Texas.

In the Monmouth poll, Warren is the second-place finisher among vice presidential options — 24 percent of voters said they would be more likely to vote Democratic if Warren were on the ticket. A recent CNN/ORC poll shows that 34 percent of the Democratic electorate believes Clinton should select Warren, while 54 percent said they would rather see someone else on the ticket.

Kaine mobilizes a low level of voter interest — a mere 5 percent of likely voters backing Clinton in a recent Bloomberg Politics national poll say that Clinton should select Kaine as her running mate. Only 9 percent of all voters nationwide say they would be more likely to vote Democratic with Kaine on the ticket, according to the Monmouth poll.

Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University polling institute, attributes Kaine’s and Warren’s low impact on voters in part to lack of name recognition. According to a Morning Consult poll, almost half of voters don’t know who Kaine is, and about a quarter haven’t heard of Warren. 

On the GOP side, the only clear standout is former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin — but she would be a liability on the ticket. The Monmouth poll shows that 42 percent of all voters would be less likely to vote Republican if Trump chooses Palin as his running mate.

Other viable hopefuls could make some voters more likely to vote Republican. Twenty-seven percent would be more likely to vote Republican with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio on the ticket. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich could attract 24 percent of voters. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie might entice about one in five voters, and Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions would make just under 10 percent consider the Republican ticket more carefully.

Trump has made it clear, however, that Marco Rubio is not under consideration for the vice presidency. And Chris Christie’s plummeting public approval ratings suggest that he might not be a beneficial addition to the ticket.

The CNN/ORC poll also asked the Republican electorate what qualities they desire in a vice presidential candidate. Results overwhelmingly show the electorate largely wants to see Trump select someone who can either boost his military or political credentials (47 percent and 43 percent, respectively).

At a rally in Tampa earlier this month, Trump floated three names for the VP pick: Newt Gingrich, Jeff Sessions, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Rice later stated she was not interested.

However, the actual impact of the running mate selection has historically proven to be marginal. “They usually do not have a significant impact on the national electorate,” says Monmouth University polling institute director Patrick Murray. “At best, they can help with a specific constituency or in a key state. At worst, they can demonstrate poor decision-making on the part of a person who aspires to be a leader of the free world.”

The Monmouth University poll of 803 registered voters nationwide was conducted June 15-19, 2016. Respondents were reached by both landline and mobile telephone. Results have a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.

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The glamorization of sleep deprivation is deeply embedded in our culture. Everywhere you turn, sleep deprivation is celebrated, from “You snooze, you lose” to highly burned out people boasting, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” But perhaps those who equate sleep with laziness or lack of dedication can be convinced of the benefits of sleep by looking at what’s going on in a world that is the ultimate in pragmatism, where performance and winning are everything: sports.

Take Michelle Brooke-Marciniak, an All-American collegiate basketball player at the University of Tennessee who was once named the Final Four’s MVP. She went on to play in the WNBA, and then brought her understanding of the link between sleep and performance to the world of business, co-founding the sleepwear and bedding company SHEEX in 2007. In answer to my questions, she shared her insights on how being an athlete has informed her experience as an entrepreneur.

1. As a prominent student-athlete, where was sleep on your priority list?

At that age, my goals were making the Dean’s List in academics; and athletically, helping lead the University of Tennessee Lady Vol basketball team to Southeastern Conference and NCAA titles. I did not make an immediate connection between sleep and my performance. I knew I felt terrible when I did not get sufficient sleep before a big competition, but I was determined to power through that feeling during an exam or a big game to achieve my goals. I was more focused on good nutrition, my fitness and staying injury-free. My coaches established curfews for the team and told me to “get some rest” and “sleep well” and “get off your feet” and “get a good night’s sleep,” so they obviously understood the direct connection between sleep and my performance, even if I did not.

Quite honestly, when I was in college, I didn’t appreciate how important sleep was to my overall well-being and athletic performance. I remember trying to stay up really late two nights before a game so I would be exhausted the night before the game. My adrenaline would be so high the night before a game that if I did not exhaust myself the day prior, then I would not be able to sleep before we played. I think if you advance the calendar some 20 years ahead to today’s world, athletes know a lot more about sleep. I believe the knowledge revolving around sleep is a huge advantage for today’s athletes, and even today’s college students.

2. How did your sleep change when you turned pro for the WNBA? How did you manage practice times, games, and travel, and what effect did that have on your performance?

Playing professional sports is similar to the business world in that poor performers do not get paid or keep their jobs, not to mention the fact that your performance is on a very public stage. One of the biggest challenges many college athletes have when transitioning from college to pro is the realization that total responsibility for your body, health, time and, ultimately, your performance, immediately falls on your shoulders 24/7. Unlike my college coaches, pro coaches do not establish a curfew, plan your pre-game meals, or help you with time management – you are on your own and are getting paid to behave and perform like a professional. Thus, when turning pro, I started to understand and take more responsibility for the impact that my actions had on my health, my mind, my performance, as well as my attitude. I knew that I needed to train hard in order to be physically and emotionally prepared for competition. I knew that I needed to eat food to fuel my body in order to compete at the highest level physically and mentally, and I started to understand that my body craved good sleep in order to prepare me in all three areas: physical strength, mental stamina and emotional conditioning. Sleep was the one thing that I did not sufficiently value in college, but I started to pay close attention to as a professional — how many hours of sleep did I need, the best time of day for me to sleep, the need for power naps (or not?). As a professional athlete, you travel more frequently than you do as a collegiate athlete; therefore, it is more physically taxing, whereas college was more mentally taxing because of academics. Although I was better than the average athlete at caring for my body and mind in college, I thought I improved significantly as a professional athlete because I made the connection between sleep and health (performance) and I made sleep integral to my training regimen.

3. When you were playing, did you notice a connection between how much you slept and how well you played?

Absolutely. Unfortunately, I did not come to this realization until I was a professional athlete. Had I known the significant improvement that sleep can have on your performance when I was in college, I would have definitely focused more on how much and how often I slept, just as I did on what I ate and how I physically trained. I have no doubt that I would have performed better both academically and athletically at Tennessee. I think if I went back and actually calculated my best games in college and throughout my career, there would be a direct correlation with the quality of my sleep in the one, two and three days before competition. I know for a fact that I slept like a baby the night before we won the NCAA National Championship game 🙂

4. How is the notion of sleep changing in the sports world? What’s the sleep culture like in the WNBA?

The sleep culture in the WNBA is far more advanced than it was 20 years ago. The prevalent access to sleep monitoring devices and sleep doctors, as well as the open dialogue about sleep performance in the media and society, in general, has made getting 7 or 8 hours of sleep to improve your well-being and performance very trendy. It may be a cultural phenomenon in our “always connected modern day society,” but it is a positive phenomenon. Instead of the badge of honor answer of “I only need 4 hours of sleep” to today’s answer of “I can’t function as well if I don’t get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep”… it truly is a cultural phenomenon. This shift has entered the forefront of everyday conversation due to people like you, Arianna, who are drawing attention to the how, what, why and when of sleep. We are truly seeing a sleep revolution (just as your book is titled) to educate all people, from college students to professional athletes to entrepreneurs to stay-at-home moms and dads, on the importance of great sleep.

5. What inspired you to found SHEEX? And what was your relationship with sleep as an entrepreneur starting her own business?

SHEEX was founded on the idea that the super-soft, functional fabrics that you wear to perform at the gym could provide the same features and benefits to you while you sleep. SHEEX Co-founder Susan Walvius and I were inspired to start SHEEX after falling in love with the feel and function of the ridiculously silky-soft upscale athletic gear that I wore while training for marathons and triathlons. Throughout our careers as basketball players and coaches, we watched athletic apparel evolve from cotton into performance fabrics; so, we made the connection that traditional cotton sheets could also evolve into the same performance fabrics for your bedroom.

We researched the function of the fabric on a deeper level, to clearly understand the physical impact and importance of having this highly technical performance fabric next to your skin while you sleep. In our research, we quickly discovered that every human being has a real inconsistent “temperature” story while they sleep (most people sleep hot). We found a great demand for moisture wicking, temperature controlling, breathable, and vaporizing fabrics on your bed during your nightly sleep experience.

Being an entrepreneur is so mentally exhausting, I literally fall into bed most nights. As I get older and busier, trying to get a solid 7 to 8 hours of sleep at night is now a necessity for me to perform my best as the leader of my company. As hard as it is to get sleep as an on-the-go entrepreneur, I try my best to adhere to that discipline every night.

6. What do you see as the future of the relationship between technology and sleep?

Technology has always been viewed as a method to learn more and advance further, and we are seeing technology and sleep become more and more seamless as the two subjects are interwoven into everyday conversations. The more technology permeates our daily routines from checking email, to getting the latest headlines, to exercise, and most recently to even checking the contents of your refrigerator, we will become more comfortable with how technology can better help you sleep. And, with society’s growing obsession with sleep, we see that companies are constantly innovating new ways to think about sleep when it comes to what you sleep on, sleep in, sleep around and how you track the impact of those products.

The public demand is there to keep bringing sleep solution products to the marketplace. In the next 10 years, I think we will be amazed at the technological advancements in products to help people sleep better, and products that were once never imagined will become part of everyone’s sleep routine.

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Paul Krugman is “less horrified” by the British voting to quit the European Union than he had expected, but things are still dire.

In a blog post published Friday morning, the Nobel Prize-winning economist said leaving the single market comprised of 26 other European nations will stymie long-term investment in the United Kingdom and “erode trade even if there isn’t any kind of trade war.”

“Yes, Brexit will make Britain poorer,” Krugman, a columnist for The New York Times, wrote. 

He warned that the U.K. will become less productive, too.

However, he played down the financial fears that roiled markets across the globe since results of the historic vote were announced. He raised three main points that should calm some nerves: 

• The value of the pound plunged on Friday, but far from the levels seen during the recession in the early 1970s, when the currency fell by a third, he noted.

• Britain borrows in its own currency, allowing it to avoid a “classic balance-sheet crisis due to currency devaluation.” 

• Negotiations to leave the EU could take up to two years, and Krugman said he could see CEOs choosing to delay any spending moves until the path forward becomes more clear.

Still, Krugman said the Brexit underscores serious problems within the EU:

It seems clear that the European project – the whole effort to promote peace and growing political union through economic integration – is in deep, deep trouble. Brexit is probably just the beginning, as populist/separatist/xenophobic movements gain influence across the continent. Add to this the underlying weakness of the European economy, which is a prime candidate for “secular stagnation” – persistent low-grade depression driven by things like demographic decline that deters investment. Lots of people are now very pessimistic about Europe’s future, and I share their worries.

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Wiz Khalifa sat down with “The Breakfast Club” radio show on Friday to talk all things Amber, Kanye, and the infamous butt tweet.

“That was his bad,” said Khalifa about the origin of the feud, which started when Kanye mistook Khalifa’s tweet about “hitting the kk” as a reference to his wife, Kim Kardashian. The rapper was actually referring to his “Khalifa kush.”

“He apologized,” Wiz said. “I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s squashed though, because when you see him talk about it, it doesn’t add up to what he said to me on the phone, so I just don’t even.”

Khalifa didn’t offer much when asked about the infamous feud, but when probed by one of the hosts, he admitted,”Do I like him? Who would in that situation?”

The Taylor Gang rapper went on to discuss his ex-wife Amber Rose, saying that there will always be love between the two. He blamed the institution of marriage for the demise of their relationship. 

“It’s just the relationship part. It’s not easy to just be like, oh, I get along with this person so we’re married, that s**t takes years we didn’t take that time,” he said. “As far as the marriage goes, that s**t is over, but us still building and getting to know each other, that’s gonna last forever.”

When asked about Rose’s infamous tweet to Kanye West, posted below for reference, Khalifa said he thought it was hilarious.

“I was crying!” he said. 

Though they spoke after to clear the air, it’s unlikely we’ll ever see a collaboration from Rose’s two former flames.

“There are certain things you say and certain things you don’t’ say,” Wiz explained. “He’s one of them people who’s like, ‘I just wanna get my point across,’ so I’m like, that’s cool, but it’s all about how you get your point across. That was more my message.”

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