When you pay your cellphone bill, there’s a good chance some of that money is helping someone else connect to the world. There’s also a chance it’s going somewhere intended to help someone but not fulfilling that goal. It’s all part of the Federal Communications Commission’s Universal Service Fund (USF). At its inception, the program’s […]
Premium content: This is from our forthcoming subscriber-exclusive Media Miss newsletter, where we will take you inside the algorithms and agendas shaping what you see. This week I dig into the latest Silicon Valley buzzword, plus a look at the media’s left-right divide on the Iran war. Media Mechanics Self-publishing platform Substack is taking shots […]
After 15 years of what Johnson & Johnson called “meritless” litigation, the publicly traded company committed to a $5.5 billion settlement on Monday with plaintiffs who alleged talc-based products, including the company’s popular baby powder, caused ovarian cancer. If finalized, the landmark settlement would resolve tens of thousands of remaining cases against the pharmaceutical giant. […]
Not long ago, many physicians believed autism wasn’t caused by biology at all. Until the 1960s, a dominant theory held that autism resulted from emotionally distant parents. “The idea that mothers caused their child’s autism because they were cold and withdrawn and they were not giving to their children was a prevailing view,” said Helen […]
Serena Sullivan vividly remembers a recent email she received from someone claiming to be the chair of her department at National University in San Diego: He was in a meeting and urgently needed Sullivan’s phone number. Sullivan was incredulous. Shouldn’t her boss already have that? “There was a sense of urgency and an appeal to […]
President Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to revive key parts of his executive order overhauling mail-in voting after lower courts blocked the policy in 23 states and Washington, D.C. The administration filed an emergency appeal Monday asking the justices to allow enforcement of the March order while the broader legal fight continues. The […]
Whether the U.S. and Iran are holding peace talks is becoming more uncertain after new drone attacks overnight. President Donald Trump says the countries are talking, but he told reporters he’s prepared to take action if efforts break down. “We’re having good talks so we’ll see what happens,” Trump said aboard Air Force One Monday. […]
Has the internet reached peak slop? On LinkedIn, short, choppy sentences are ubiquitous. Cryptocurrency enthusiasts and serial entrepreneurs leverage artificial intelligence-optimized LinkedIn posts — rife with em dashes — to promote their personal brands. Instagram, once known for highly manicured depictions of the human experience, has become an endless scroll for engagement farming and branded content. […]
Florida just set a record by executing the oldest death row inmate in state history, and on Tuesday, it’ll break that record. It will also become the first state in more than a decade to execute two inmates on the same day. James Duckett, 68, is scheduled to die by lethal injection at Florida State […]
A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck Kumamoto, Japan, on Tuesday, leaving dozens injured. Officials say many more could be trapped after a shopping mall collapsed during the quake. Police are still working to confirm whether any customers and employees were still inside when the earthquake struck, but say most customers were evacuated. However, 20 to 30 […]
