AI is everywhere whether you like it or not, and some online have turned to a choice word to express their frustration.
Why it matters: Referring to an AI bot as a "clanker" (or a "wireback," or a "cogsucker") has emerged as a niche, irreverent internet phenomenon that illuminates a broader disdain for the way AI is overtaking technology, labor, and culture.
President Trump's social media company Truth Social unveiled a new search tool powered by AI answer engine Perplexity on Wednesday — but Truth Social users who run Perplexity searches may find their results limited to a narrow set of typically Trump-supporting media outlets.
Why it matters: Increasingly, where you ask online matters as much as what you ask.
There's no question that breast milk is the gold standard for infant nutrition, but the pressure to exclusively breastfeed can be crushing for new mothers.
Why it matters: Pediatric nutrition experts are clear that infant formula is safe, and it's essential if breastfeeding comes at the health expense of the mom.
President Trump said Wednesday that he plans to impose 100% tariffs on "all chips and semiconductors coming into the United States" — with a big carveout for companies that have committed to making them here.
Why it matters: Semiconductor chips are essential to the production of a wide range of goods, including cars, computers, phones, health tech and AI servers.
U.S. adults' stance on corporate activism has flip-flopped, according to a Wednesday Bentley University-Gallup report.
Why it matters: After years of decline in support, more Americans across demographics and political affiliations want businesses to take a public stance on hot-button topics including free speech, immigration policy, diversity, climate change and health care issues.
The nation's violent and property crime rates dropped to a two-decade low in 2024, following the COVID-era surge in homicides, according to new FBI data released this week.
Why it matters: The numbers show crime was heading toward a 20-year record low in the last year of the Biden administration, despite President Trump's false campaign claims that President Biden was overseeing a nationwide crime spike.
Mark Zuckerberg isn't waiting for AI talent. He's opening up the checkbook like he's an NFL GM trying to reach the Super Bowl.
Why it matters: Some top executives and researchers in AI are moving from companies like Apple and OpenAI to Meta as Facebook's parent company looks for any leg-up in the race to build the top AI products.
Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 — a law aimed at ending discrimination and violence against Black Americans, Latinos and Indigenous people attempting to vote.
Through the lens: To commemorate the historical moment, here are some images that led to the law and its aftermath that transformed the United States into a genuine multiracial democracy.
ESPN announced a slew of new sports rights deals Tuesday and Wednesday, helping to position the network as a must buy for sports fans ahead of the fall 2025 season.
Why it matters: The deals provide a glimpse of ESPN's content priorities ahead of its new streaming service launch this fall.
A stunning court verdict against Tesla last week exposed significant legal risks for every carmaker deploying vehicles that increasingly drive themselves.
Why it matters: For the first time, a jury found that it wasn't just the driver's negligence that caused a fatal crash in Florida. Tesla must also shoulder some of the blame, jurors said, because it didn't put enough guardrails on its Autopilot technology to prevent the driver from using the system improperly.
If you follow markets and the economy, the only thing you've heard over the last few days is that AI spending is propping everything up, from GDP to the S&P, and that can't last forever.
Why it matters: When bubbles burst, they don't do it gently.
Colorado on Wednesday will become the second state to require pre-merger notifications, regardless of industry.
Washington became the first earlier this year, and at least five other states — including California — and the District of Columbia are considering similar rules.
Why it matters: States often lack visibility into pending mergers. These new laws aim to change that dynamic, which could increase antitrust enforcement actions.
Wednesday marks the 80th anniversary of the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima, Japan — an event that helped end World War II but also brought the world into the nuclear age and the Cold War.
Japan uses the anniversary to commemorate the lives of the Hibakusha, survivors of the bombing, and asks the world to heed the dangers of nuclear war.
The big picture: Here are some images from this crucial moment in world history.
The National Football League has agreed to sell the NFL Network and certain other media assets, including linear rights to the RedZone channel, to Disney-owned ESPN, in exchange for a 10% equity stake.
Why it matters: Media ethics professors will have a field day with this one.
The taxes you pay on beer in Washington are lower than in many U.S. states, but far from the lowest in the country, per an analysis by the Tax Foundation.
Zoom in: Washington's beer taxes amounted to $0.26 per gallon — the 25th highest rate among U.S. states, according to the Washington, D.C-based think tank.
As a working group begins to reimagine public schools in Indianapolis, funding and transportation are top of mind for many Marion County voters.
The big picture: State lawmakers created the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance (ILEA) this past legislative session, charging the group of city government and education leaders with crafting plans that address facility and transportation management, examining governance structure and looking for increased efficiency.
The alliance is expected to recommend by the end of the year how best to deepen collaboration between public and public charter schools.
Almost 3 in 4 Americans support government public awareness campaigns to discourage smoking and efforts to track the effectiveness of the messages, according to an Ipsos poll.
Why it matters: This spring's sweeping layoffs at Health and Human Services eliminated the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Office on Smoking and Health, which was behind the "Tips From Former Smokers" ad campaign that's been credited with reducing premature deaths and the cost of treating smoking-related illness.
Carol Leonnig and Aaron C. Davis, both Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post reporters, will be out Nov. 4 with "Injustice," billed as an investigation of "the subversion of the Justice Department over the last decade," starting with the department's "defensive crouch" in President Trump's first term.
Why it matters: "With a plethora of sources deeply embedded in the ranks of three presidencies," says the publisher, Penguin Press, "Leonnig and Davis reveal the daily war secretly waged for the soul of the department, how it has been shredded by propaganda and partisanship."
Generation Alpha influences just under half of their households' spending according to a report shared exclusively with Axios from public relations firm DKC.
Why it matters: The young cohort's $101 billion in direct spending power gives restaurants and retailers a glimmer of hope at a time when the kids' parents are fretting about the state of the economy.
The U.S. travel industry is warning that a new $250 visa fee could deter millions of international visitors just as the country gears up to host the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Summer Olympics.
Why it matters: The fee comes at a crucial moment for U.S. tourism, with America's 250th birthday next year.
Onyx Impact is launching an effort to counter digital disinformation in Black communities — tapping influencers, local Black media, and digital tools to strengthen trust, boost engagement and fight suppression ahead of elections.
The Titan submersible implosion that killed five people occurred in large part because operator OceanGate had failed to follow "established engineering protocols for safety, testing, and maintenance" of the vessel, a U.S. Coast Guard report finds.
The big picture: OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush may have faced criminal charges if he hadn't been killed during the "preventable tragedy" that occurred during a June 2023 diving trip to the wreck of the Titanic, according to the damning report that was published Tuesday.
Disney announced Tuesday that ESPN will acquire the National Football League's NFL Network, and would get broad rights to its other media platforms such as RedZone, in exchange for a 10% equity stake in the sports network.
Why it matters: The landmark deal brings the country's biggest sports league even closer to the preeminent sports network as streaming upends live TV.
