Society

Legislation that would bar the United States government from spying on journalists—except under rare, specific circumstances—is currently stalled in Congress, despite having passed the House of Representatives with unanimous support nearly one year ago. Now, with only weeks left to legislate, press advocates are urging Senate Democrats to pass the bill, known as the PRESS…

On November 9, a TikTok user called Etheria77 posted a nine-minute long video in which she outlined a conspiracy theory suggesting that Elon Musk’s Starlink internet satellite system was used as part of a sophisticated effort to steal the election on behalf of president-elect Donald Trump. “California and other swing states were able to use…

It’s the day after Donald Trump declared his election victory, and a tech scout for NATO is peering down at a miniature factory, the size of a shoebox, designed to manufacture semiconductors in space. Chris O’Connor, with his black bomber jacket and military haircut, has spent the past year scouring Europe for companies that will…

“I need help getting into shape. Can I use AI as a personal trainer?” —Sweat Breaker Dear Sweat, Nope. The most popular AI tools, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Anthropic’s Claude, can’t actually help you trim down that waistline or make your pecs look plump. Sure, Claude can draft a decent nutrition plan, and ChatGPT can…

Over the past few days, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this TikTok I watched over the weekend. In it, fashion influencer Elysia Berman claims that the foundations of a second Trump presidency have been laid for a long time, citing the quiet luxury, conformity, and old money trends dominating the lifestyle industry.…

Mary Springowski has been obsessed with microchips ever since the accident in 2016. That was the year a loaded parts cart at a Ford plant in northeastern Ohio rammed into her leg and tore her Achilles tendon, laying her up for weeks. A 25-year veteran of Ford and the United Auto Workers, Springowski was a…

For American companies grousing about new cybersecurity rules, spyware firms eager to expand their global business, and hackers trying to break AI systems, Donald Trump’s second term as president will be a breath of fresh air. For nearly four years, president Joe Biden’s administration has tried to make powerful US tech firms and infrastructure operators…

If you’ve ever shopped for a beauty product, you’ve probably heard of Sephora. The brand is known for its excellent rewards program, free birthday gifts, free samples, generous return policy, and a giant variety of shades and products for everybody. Splurging on makeup, skincare, and haircare products can be expensive, but a Sephora promo code…

In perhaps the largest swatting case to ever be prosecuted, an 18-year-old from Lancaster, California, has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a nationwide spree of hundreds of shooting and bomb threat hoaxes that sent police scrambling to high schools, courthouses, and the homes of law enforcement officials. Alan Winston Filion now faces a…

The social media app Bluesky just reached the top of the free download charts for Apple’s app store in the United States, making it—for the moment, at least—more popular than Meta’s Threads and OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The decentralized social media platform has received a fresh influx of users over the past week as more X users…