Supreme Court temporarily blocks full SNAP benefits even as they’d started to go out
Jennifer Ludden The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily granted the Trump administration’s request to block full SNAP food benefits during the government shutdown, even as residents in some states had already begun receiving them. The Trump administration is appealing a court order to fully restart the country’s largest anti-hunger program. The high court decision late Friday […]
Why Is the Milky Way Warped?
The UniverseFridays Our Milky Way’s Warped Disk Keeps Getting Weirder Observations show the disk of our galaxy is not flat but warped and waving. Astronomers are still working out the reasons why By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings Observations from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission have revealed a giant wave rippling through the […]
After California’s vote to counter Trump, here’s where redistricting stands
Larry Kaplow Loading… California voters this week made the biggest Democratic move yet against President Trump’s effort to reshape voting maps in favor of Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections. They overwhelmingly approved a map for congressional districts that could help Democrats win five more seats in the U.S. House. The ballot language itself referred […]
How Supermassive Black Holes Can Become Cosmic Nightmares
The UniverseFridays Do We Live in a Haunted Galaxy? Huge eruptions from the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole in the distant past may have sterilized much of the inner galaxy By Phil Plait edited by Lee Billings Stay connected to The Universe: Get email alerts for this weekly column by Phil Plait Galaxies are spooky […]
Why an interstellar comet has scientists excited
Jaclyn Diaz An ancient comet that entered our solar system this summer is offering a rare opportunity to learn more about distant planetary systems far beyond the reach of any spacecraft, researchers say. The comet is special both because it is interstellar — meaning it came from outside our solar system — and also because […]
‘Arsenic Life’ Microbe Study Retracted after 15 Years of Controversy
‘Arsenic Life’ Microbe Study Retracted after 15 Years of Controversy A controversial arsenic microbe study unveiled 15 years ago has been retracted. The study’s authors are crying foul By Dan Vergano edited by Lee Billings Felisa Wolfe-Simon speaks during a news conference at NASA Headquarters on December 2, 2010 in Washington, DC. “Can you imagine…
What we know about Columbia’s $221 million settlement with the Trump administration
By Elissa Nadworny , Jordan Owens Pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters face off outside of Columbia University on April 22, 2024. The news that Columbia University will pay more than $200 million to the federal government comes after several investigations and months of negotiations with the Trump administration. The settlement announced on Wednesday restores Columbia’s access…
President Trump takes aim at college sports with a new executive order
Becky Sullivan WASHINGTON — President Trump has taken aim at college sports with a new executive order signed Thursday that seeks to empower federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, which disburses funds to public universities, to help enforce new provisions on athletic scholarships and “pay-for-play” licensing deals for athletes. The order directs the…
‘Japanese First’: breakthrough by rightwing populists sparks fears of anti-foreigner backlash in Japan
Analysts say the Japanese are suffering a crisis of confidence that is feeding xenophobia amid economic insecurity and a record number of foreign residents The emergence of a rightwing populist party in Japan’s upper house election on Sunday running on a Trump-style “Japanese First” slogan has raised concerns of a backlash against the growing foreign…
JoJo Siwa Bursts Into Tears Over Chris Hughes’ Comment on Her Hairline
JoJo Siwa started crying when boyfriend Chris Hughes complimented her on her “good hairline,” leading the Dance Moms alum to explain how she was “bullied” over her head as a kid. JoJo Siwa‘s boyfriend Chris Hughes is learning about a painful chapter of her life. The Dance Moms alum tearfully opened up about how she…
France will recognise Palestinian state, Macron says
France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, President Emmanuel Macron has said, which will make it the first G7 nation to do so. In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the UN General Assembly in New York. “The urgent need today is for…
Hulk Hogan, Professional Wrestler Who Defended His Right to Privacy in the Digital Age, Dies at Age 71, Reportedly from Cardiac Arrest
Hulk Hogan’s Biggest Impact May Have Been in Digital Privacy Hulk Hogan, a larger-than-life wrestler known for his showmanship, succumbed to cardiac arrest after a career marked by digital hoaxes and a landmark battle against online exploitation By Deni Ellis Béchard edited by Jeanna Bryner Hulk Hogan attends a New Era In Florida Gaming Event…
Supreme Court blocks rule that blocks Voting Rights Act for now
By Nina Totenberg , Anuli Ononye The Supreme Court on Thursday preserved the status quo in most of the country, guaranteeing voters, at least for now, the ability to sue to enforce rights guaranteed under the 1965 Voting Rights Act. At issue in the North Dakota case is Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act,…
Thailand reports 14 people killed in clashes at border with Cambodia
Both countries accused other of firing first after weeks of simmering tensions broke out into fighting at six locations Thailand and Cambodia fought in their most deadly border clashes in more than a decade on Thursday, with Thai officials reporting 13 civilians and a Thai soldier were killed in rocket and artillery attacks. Clashes broke…
Starmer pleads with resident doctors to halt strike
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged resident doctors not to follow their union down the “damaging road” of strike action, which is due to begin on Friday. , Sir Keir said this would cause “huge loss for the NHS and the country,” as he criticised the British Medical Association (BMA) for “rushing” into strikes. Resident…
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban Applying for Portugal Residency
Nicole Kidman submitted a visa application as a first step in her and husband Keith Urban’s process of becoming residents of Portugal, E! News has learned. Nicole Kidman‘s latest move is shaping up to be a family affair. The Oscar winner has put in an application to become a resident of Portugal, E! News has…
Is there a better way to farm shrimp? A new project says yes
The shrimp on your plate has a story. Over the past three decades, the world’s appetite for shrimp has surged — almost tenfold. Wild shrimp stocks alone can’t keep up with this demand, so farming shrimp has filled the gap. But this rapid growth has come at a heavy cost. Mangrove forests — which shelter…
Review – Green Arrow #26: Drugged
Ray: Chris Condon’s second arc dials back the clock to one of the darkest chapters of Green Arrow’s history – Roy Harper’s addiction, and the horrible way Ollie reacted when he found him shooting up in that infamous issue. Now, Roy’s seemingly relapsed – being found unconscious in an alley, in a coma, after a…
Advocates demand closure of ‘Alligator Alcatraz’, citing appalling conditions
Non-profit groups say detained immigrants in Florida are denied medical care and living in ‘cages flooded with feces’ Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, confirmed that 14 Mexican citizens are held at the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” jail in Florida, as local organizations and doctors call for the facility’s shuttering. On Tuesday, a number of non-profit organizations held…
Gravitational Wave Science Faces Budget Cuts Just Years After Breakthrough Discoveries
Opinion We Just Discovered the Sounds of Spacetime. Let’s Keep Listening Less than a decade since the first detection of gravitational waves—ripples in spacetime itself—proposed budget cuts threaten to silence this groundbreaking science By Lieke van Son Illustration of two black holes orbiting each other. Long ago, in a galaxy far away, two black holes…
DOJ to question Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. And, Trump unveils new AI order
By Brittney Melton here to get it delivered to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day. The Justice Department and the House Oversight Committee are seeking to interview Ghislane Maxwell, a convicted associate of Jeffrey Epstein. This inquiry comes as questions about the Epstein files…
Food Network Star Anne Burrell’s Cause of Death Revealed
After Anne Burrell’s passing in June, the Food Network star’s cause of death has been revealed as suicide, according to the New York City’s medical examiner’s office. New details have emerged in Anne Burrell’s death investigation. The beloved Food Network star died by suicide at the age of 55 on June 17, the New York…
BBC and news agencies warn journalists in Gaza at risk of starvation
BBC News and three leading news agencies have expressed desperate concern for journalists in Gaza, who they say are increasingly unable to feed themselves and their families. Those reporting the conflict from Gaza now face starvation and “the same dire circumstances as those they are covering,” a joint statement from BBC News, Agence France-Presse (AFP),…
Twelve killed in Thailand-Cambodia military clashes on disputed border
Clashes between Thai and Cambodian troops at their disputed border have killed twelve people, Thai authorities say. The fighting marks an escalation of the dispute between the two South East Asian neighbours that dates back to more than a century. Most of the casualties were civilians and they were all from three Thai provinces, according…
Why Bindi Irwin Has Been So Honest About Her Endometriosis Journey
Bindi Irwin suffered in silence with endometriosis for a decade. Now 27, the mom of 4-year-old daughter Grace has found sharing the truth about her experience to be part of the healing process. Bindi Irwin named her daughter Grace Warrior, knowing from personal experience that some of life’s challenges may require every last ounce of…
Study Finds COVID Pandemic Accelerated Brain Aging in Everyone
The Pandemic Aged Everyone’s Brain—Even in Healthy People A study of nearly 1,000 people showed that brain aging was not linked to infection status By Gemma Conroy & Nature magazine The brains of healthy people aged faster during the COVID-19 pandemic than did the brains of people analysed before the pandemic began, a study of…
Trump’s EPA now says greenhouses gases don’t endanger people
Jeff Brady The Trump administration wants to overturn a key 2009 Environmental Protection Agency finding that underpins much of the federal government’s actions to rein in climate change. The EPA has crafted a proposal that would undo the government’s ‘endangerment finding,’ a determination that pollutants from burning fossil fuels, such as carbon dioxide and methane,…
DC This Week Roundup – Secrets Revealed
Ray: This compelling miniseries continues to unfold as Michael Holt takes his first step into superheroes. In the present day, he’s deep into investigating the mysterious rifts plaguing the Justice League, and some of the visuals here are great. It’s impressive just how neatly De Landro shifts art styles between this and the more noir-accented…
White House hits back at reports Trump named in Epstein files
The White House has pushed back against reports that President Donald Trump is among hundreds of names that appear in justice department documents relating to the late convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein. The claims were “nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media”, a White…
Physicists Blast Gold to Astonishing Temperatures, Overturning 40 Years of Physics
Superheated Gold Defies ‘Entropy Catastrophe’ Limit, Overturning 40-Year-Old Physics Physicists superheated gold to 14 times its melting point, disproving a long-standing prediction about the temperature limits of solids By Clara Moskowitz edited by Lee Billings Join Our Community of Science Lovers! Gold usually melts at 1,300 kelvins—a temperature hotter than fresh lava from a volcano.…
Erik Menendez Undergoes 2 Surgeries After “Serious” Health Diagnosis
Erik Menendez—who has a parole hearing next month after spending over 30 years in prison—underwent two surgeries for an undisclosed medical condition, according to his wife Tammi Menendez. Erik Menendez isn’t out of the woods yet. His wife Tammi Menendez shared an update on Erik’s health after the 54-year-old—who is serving 50 years to life…
Ex-marine convicted of killing three people released to US in prisoner swap
Dahud Hanid Ortiz, convicted in Venezuela of triple homicide in Madrid, is one of 10 US nationals flown to Texas A Venezuelan American murderer and ex-US marine, who killed three people in Spain in 2016, was released to the US during last Friday’s high-profile prisoner swap between the US, El Salvador and Venezuela, according to…
Thai and Cambodian soldiers fire at each other in disputed border area
By The Associated Press BANGKOK — Thai and Cambodian soldiers fired at each other in contested border area Thursday after the nations downgraded their diplomatic relations in a rapidly escalating dispute. It was not immediately clear if the clash was ongoing. A livestream video from Thailand’s side showed people running from their homes and hiding…
OK, is Martin Van Buren responsible for the tiny word that punches above its weight?
By Scott Neuman From Buenos Aires to Bangkok, Montreal to Moscow, the languages may differ, but nearly every taxi driver or street vendor in the world understands one word made famous during a raucous U.S. presidential campaign nearly 200 years ago. It’s “OK”: a tiny word that punches well above its weight. It means both…
Can a Chatbot be Conscious? Inside Anthropic’s Interpretability Research on Claude 4
Your Chatbot Says It Might Be Conscious. Should You Believe It? As large language models like Claude 4 express uncertainty about whether they are conscious, researchers race to decode their inner workings, raising profound questions about machine awareness, ethics and the risks of uncontrolled AI evolution By Deni Ellis Béchard edited by Dean Visser &…
Trisha Paytas Reveals Shocking Name She Almost Gave Her Son Aquaman
Though Trisha Paytas and her husband Moses Hacmon settled on the name Aquaman Moses Paytas-Hacmon, the couple nearly gave him an aquatic name inspired by one of his poems. Trisha Paytas nearly dove into different waters when choosing her son’s name. While announcing that she had given birth to her and Moses Hacmon’s third child,…
Gazans ‘wasting away’ as mass starvation spreads, humanitarian groups warn
More than 100 international aid organisations and human rights groups are warning of mass starvation in Gaza and pressing for governments to take action. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Save the Children and Oxfam are among the signatories of a joint statement that says their colleagues and the people they serve are “wasting away”. Israel, which…
Kilmar Ábrego García must be released from jail as he awaits trial, judge rules
Lawyers for man wrongfully deported to El Salvador in March describe human smuggling charges as ‘preposterous’ A federal judge ruled on Wednesday that Kilmar Ábrego García must be released from jail as he awaits trial on human smuggling charges. The decision from judge Waverly Crenshaw means that Donald Trump’s administration can potentially attempt to deport…
Get in the Game With ‘Super Mario Party Jamboree – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Jamboree TV’
When it launched last October, Super Mario Party Jamboree quickly became my family’s go-to for competitive multiplayer, not to mention a series favorite for Mario Party’s special brand of digital boardgame tomfoolery. Fast forward nine months, and Jamboree is back with fresh features, new mini-game types, and a much longer name. Super Mario Party Jamboree…
Israeli forces have killed over 1,000 aid-seekers in Gaza since May, the U.N. says
By The Associated Press DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — More than 1,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since May while trying to get food in the Gaza Strip, mostly near aid sites run by an American contractor, the U.N. human rights office said Tuesday. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes killed 25 people across Gaza, according…
From Canada to Finland, a US neo-Nazi fight club is rapidly spreading across the globe
More than a dozen men wearing black masks and sunglasses – obstructing any open source investigators from easily identifying them – appeared in a Telegram video in front of city hall in London, Canada, in June. While this type of scene with masked men chanting is a relatively common occurrence in the US, this incident…
Trump Administration Changes at NIH, EPA, NASA, NSF Spark Internal Dissent
Science Agency Staffers Speak Out about Trump Administration’s Actions Hundreds of staffers at the National Institutes of Health, Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and the National Science Foundation have signed public letters to leadership opposing the direction in which the agencies are headed By Meghan Bartels edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier University of Minnesota researchers, scientists…
Top UN court says countries can sue each other over climate change
A landmark decision by a top UN court has cleared the way for countries to sue each other over climate change, including over historic emissions of planet-warming gases. But the judge at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Netherlands on Wednesday said that untangling who caused which part of climate change could be…
Bryan Kohberger Sentencing: Murder Victims’ Families Speak in Court
During Bryan Kohberger’s sentencing hearing for the murders of four University of Idaho students, the families of the victims spoke out about how the killings impacted their lives. The families of Bryan Kohberger’s victims are detailing their unfathomable losses. In the moments leading up to the 30-year-old’s sentence for the murders of University of Idaho students…
Eswatini opposition attacks US deal as ‘human trafficking disguised as deportation’
Men from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and Cuba to be temporarily held in kingdom Civil society and opposition groups in Eswatini have expressed outrage after the US deported five men to the country, with the largest opposition party calling it “human trafficking disguised as a deportation deal”. The men, from Vietnam, Jamaica, Laos, Yemen and…
City traders jailed for interest rate-rigging have convictions quashed
Two former City traders who were at the centre of one of the biggest scandals of the financial crisis have had their convictions quashed following a 10-year fight. Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo were jailed following trials for manipulating the interest rates used for loans between banks. They were among 19 City traders convicted in…
Biggest Trial of Four-Day Workweek Finds Workers Are Happier and Feel Just as Productive
The Biggest Trial Yet Confirms Four-Day Workweek Makes Employees Happier The largest yet study on a four-day workweek included 141 companies, 90 percent of which retained the arrangement at the end of the six-month experiment By Jenna Ahart & Nature magazine Join Our Community of Science Lovers! Moving to a four-day work week without losing…
Joey Lawrence on Reconciling With Wife Samantha Cope After Breakup
Joey Lawrence shared in an exclusive interview with E! News how he and wife Samantha Cope reconciled after she filed for divorce in 2024. Joey Lawrence and Samantha Cope weren’t ready to jump ship. Over the last year, the pair—who share 2-year-old daughter Dylan Rose Lawrence—almost split for good after Samantha filed for divorce, only…
How effective is ‘precooling’ your home during off-peak hours? It depends
By Ayana Archie Heat waves have swept through much of the U.S. already this summer, breaking temperature records, straining power grids and buckling roads. And a long-lasting heat dome is set to bake much of the country’s midsection in triple-digit temperatures in the coming days, according to AccuWeather. And when the heat is on, so…
Ozzy Osbourne, Who Suffered with Rare Form of Parkinson’s, Dies at 76
Ozzy Osbourne’s Death Puts Spotlight on a Form of Parkinson’s Ozzy Osbourne, lead singer of Black Sabbath, has died at age 76. He had been previously diagnosed with a form of Parkinson’s disease linked to the gene PRKN By Lauren J. Young edited by Andrea Thompson Ozzy Osbourne at the press conference for Ozzy Osbourne…
Review – Absolute Batman #10: Locked in Ark M
Ray: Scott Snyder has been writing DC Comics for so long that it’s hard to remember that he used to be very well-known as a hard-boiled horror writer. So he likes to remind us occasionally – Severed, Night of the Ghoul, and Dark Spaces: Dungeon are some of the most disturbing comics I’ve ever read.…
Trump announces trade deal with Japan that lowers threatened tariff to 15%
By The Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced a trade framework with Japan on Tuesday, placing a 15% tax on goods imported from that nation. “This Deal will create Hundreds of Thousands of Jobs — There has never been anything like it,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that the United States “will…
Pamela Anderson Kisses Costar Liam Neeson in Red Carpet Photo
Pamela Anderson planted a sweet kiss on her costar Liam Neeson’s cheek while walking the red carpet at the July 22 premiere of their new movie The Naked Gun in London. It looks like Pamela Anderson is quite taken with Liam Neeson. The Baywatch alum shared an adorable PDA moment with her costar on the…
‘A hospital gave us two death certificates for dad to cover up their mistake’
The family of a man who was issued with two death certificates after he died following a heart procedure says the hospital covered up what happened to him. Brian Holmes died at Castle Hill Hospital, near Hull, which the BBC last month revealed was at the centre of a police investigation into several deaths. The…
UK’s aid cuts ‘will hit children’s education and raise risk of death’
Cutting aid budget to 0.3% of national income will hurt many African countries, says FCDO impact assessment Labour’s deep aid cuts will hit children’s education and increase the risk of disease and death in some African countries, according to the government’s own impact assessment. Keir Starmer announced earlier this year that he would reduce the…
U.S. withdraws from U.N. cultural agency over ‘divisive social and cultural causes’
Juliana Kim The Trump administration will withdraw the U.S. from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) — about two years after the U.S. rejoined the group under Biden. The agency focuses on promoting international collaboration in education, science and culture. It’s best known for its list of World Heritage sites, which acknowledge…
Jeremy Bowen: Israel’s allies see evidence of war crimes in Gaza mounting up
Two years ago, Hamas was putting the finishing touches to its plan to attack Israel. In Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu believed that the Palestinians were a problem to be managed. The real threat, he insisted, was Iran. Netanyahu’s rhetoric opposing Hamas was undimmed, but he had also given permission for Qatar to funnel money…
Review – Absolute Flash #5: Heating Up
Ray: The Absolute line continues to have an unparalleled creative record, as just about every issue is phenomenal. That’s definitely the case for this issue, as Wally West faces his largest-scale threat ever – but it may not be a villain at all. Last issue saw the runaway teenager still struggling to master his powers…
Man rescued trying to reach Spain from Morocco in rubber ring and flippers
Family in yacht pulled young man from the sea off Costa del Sol A man who was apparently trying to reach Spain from Morocco using a rubber ring and flippers has been rescued after he was spotted by a family sailing to the Balearic islands. The family were on their yacht 13 nautical miles south…
An uprooted people, a legacy of conservation
A new Conservation International study is shedding light on an unsung group and their relationship with nature. Their forebears were strangers in a strange land. Yet over hundreds of years, in the shadows of their ancestors, they migrated and mixed into societies across South America, quietly reshaping the natural landscape. They are the descendants of…
Ex-Unite boss McCluskey took private jet flights arranged by building firm, report finds
Former Unite boss Len McCluskey enjoyed private jet flights and football tickets arranged by the firm building a multi-million pound hotel for the union, according to an internal report. Flanagan Group, which is run by friends of Mr McCluskey, overcharged Unite by at least £30m for the Birmingham hotel and conference centre project, the Unite…
Ashley Benson Shares Rare Photos of Her & Brandon Davis’ Baby Girl
Ashley Benson, who welcomed daughter Aspen with husband Brandon Davis in February 2024, shared rare pics of their 17-month-old during their family vacation to Monaco. Ashley Benson has the prettiest little family. Indeed, the Pretty Little Liars alum shared a rare glimpse into her and husband Brandon Davis’s Mediterranean vacation with their 17-month-old daughter Aspen.…
Why I’m Suing OpenAI, the Creator of ChatGPT
Opinion Why I’m Suing OpenAI, the Creator of ChatGPT My lawsuit in Hawaii lays out the safety issues in OpenAI’s products and how they could irreparably harm both Hawaii and the rest of the U.S. By Tamlyn Hunt “I believe that most people and institutions are totally unprepared for the A.I. systems that exist today,…
Have all girls or all boys? Study suggests the odds aren’t 50/50
By Scott Neuman Couples who’ve been surprised by a string of baby boys or baby girls could be forgiven for wondering whether the odds in the offspring lottery are more than just pure chance. A new study by Harvard University researchers that examines the birthing records of 58,007 women suggests their hunch might be correct.…
Arrests in China after more than 230 kindergarten children poisoned by lead paint in food
Principal at school in Gansu province reportedly wanted to attract more enrolments by ‘enhancing’ the colour and look of the food served to children Chinese authorities have arrested six people and launched disciplinary investigations into almost 30 others after more than 230 kindergarten children were poisoned by food coloured with industrial-grade lead paint The incident,…