June 18, 2026

05a Health

Newsom Forces Apple And Google To Track Kids’ Ages Under New California Law– dailycaller.com

pgnewser October 14, 2025 0

Blurb:

Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a first-in-the-nation law that forces operating systems and app stores to pass along users’ age brackets to apps — a win for Big Tech over Hollywood in a year-long fight over how to police kids online.

The Digital Age Assurance Act, carried by Democratic Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, pushes age-gating up the stack to Apple, Google and other OS makers starting Jan. 1, 2027, with civil penalties up to $7,500 per child for willful violations. It avoids photo-ID uploads and instead has parents enter a birth date at device setup; apps must request the resulting age signal via API.

Are Abortion Pills Contaminating Our Water?– www.lifenews.com

pgnewser October 14, 2025 0

Blurb:

As the use of the mifepristone chemical abortion pill continues to rise in the U.S., concerns are growing that residue from the powerful drug as well as the remains of aborted babies are contaminating the water supply and may be contributing to fertility problems, as well as other health concerns.

Recently released research by Liberty Counsel Action (LCA) pointed out that when mifepristone was originally approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2000, it was predicted that the impact of the drug on the environment would be minimal, and therefore “no further study was completed.” As LCA noted, since mothers who take the abortion pill are instructed to deliver their dead baby into their toilet at home, the assessment “failed to address the issue of how the fetal remains would be disposed of, essentially ignoring the reality that in many cases, said remains would enter U.S. water systems in violation of various fetal disposal and medical waste laws.”

Earth enters ‘new reality’ as coral reefs reach first climate tipping point– phys.org

pgnewser October 14, 2025 0

Blurb:

The world faces a “new reality” as we have reached the first of many Earth system tipping points that will cause catastrophic harm unless humanity takes urgent action, according to a report released by the University of Exeter and international partners.

With ministers gathering ahead of the COP30 summit, the second Global Tipping Points Report finds that warm-water coral reefs—on which nearly a billion people and a quarter of all marine life depend—are passing their tipping point.

Social media - Wikipedia

Social Media Sued by NYC for Driving Children Mad

pgnewser October 9, 2025 2

New York City has filed a 327-page lawsuit in federal court against all the major social media companies, alleging they have driven children into a mental health crisis. They join a growing list of civic authorities nationwide bringing similar suits. So far, about 2,050 similar lawsuits are working their way through the court system.

The city declared in its lawsuit, “Defendants should be held to account for the harms their conduct has inflicted. As it stands now, [the] plaintiffs are left to abate the nuisance and foot the bill.”

NYC sues social media giants for allegedly addicting children

from www.aljazeera.com

Blurb:

New York City has filed a lawsuit accusing Facebook, Google, Snapchat, TikTok and other online platforms of fuelling a mental health crisis among children by addicting them to social media.

The 327-page complaint filed on Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan seeks damages from Facebook and Instagram owner Meta Platforms, Google and YouTube owner Alphabet, Snapchat owner Snap and TikTok owner ByteDance. It accused the defendants of gross negligence and causing a public nuisance.

The city joined other governments, school districts and individuals pursuing about 2,050 similar lawsuits in nationwide litigation in the Oakland, California, federal court.

New York City is among the largest plaintiffs with a population of 8.48 million, including about 1.8 million under age 18. Its school and healthcare systems are also plaintiffs.

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said allegations concerning YouTube are “simply not true”, in part because it is a streaming service and not a social network where people catch up with friends.

Senate heads home with no deal to speed confirmations as irate ...

As WIC Funding Dries up from Shutdown, Tariffs come to the Rescue

pgnewser October 9, 2025 1

President Donald Trump has pledged to use tariff revenues to meet the funding shortfall for the program Women Infants and Children (WIC). The news came through the Press Secretary, Karoline Leavitt, who claimed the administration had found a “creative solution” to use tariff funds to keep the program going through the shutdown.

As Schumer Shutdown Continues, Trump Administration Will Use Tariff Revenue to Fund WIC Program

from townhall.com

Blurb:

As the Schumer Shutdown continues, President Trump and his administration are working hard to ensure women and children have access to the programs they rely on to feed themselves.

Some had expressed concern about the program running out of funding while Democrats keep the government shut down in pursuit of health care coverage for illegal immigrants. This includes Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), whose family relied on WIC while he was an active duty Navy SEAL

Instead, the President plans to use tariff revenue to fund the program during the shutdown.

Here’s more from The Hill:

The White House said Tuesday it will use money from tariff revenue to fund a supplemental nutrition program facing a funding shortage amid the ongoing government shutdown.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on the social platform X that President Trump and the White House had identified the “creative solution” to shift tariff funds to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, commonly known as WIC, which was set to run out of money in the coming days.

Innovation. `Bone-02' — A glue that heals fractures in just 3 ...

Bone Glue Could Revolutionize Emergency Medical Healthcare

pgnewser October 9, 2025 1

Chinese researchers have developed a glue that, when applied, turns into, effectively, human bone. Lead researcher Lin Xianfeng said the glue has the potential power to “achieve precise fixation within two to three minutes.” If it proves to be as affective as possible, Bone-02 could not only rapidly heal broken bones, it could save millions of lives.

Researchers ecstatic over medical breakthrough that could change the way we heal: ‘Potential for use in emergency fracture treatment in battlefields or disaster zones’  

from The Cool Down

Blurb:

A cutting-edge medical breakthrough could help change the way that doctors are able to treat fractures.

As reported in Interesting Engineering, a team of Chinese researchers has developed Bone-02, a dissolvable bone glue that aims to streamline the healing process in fractures. The technology is inspired by the way oysters attach to surfaces underwater.

Led by Lin Xianfeng, an associate chief orthopedic surgeon, the research team sought to reduce the number of potential complications that arise in traditional fracture treatments. According to Lin, the groundbreaking adhesive has the ability to “achieve precise fixation within two to three minutes.”

Research into Bone-02 began in 2016 after the team began to look for methods to combat the wet, blood-rich environment of the human body. Lin explained that he took inspiration from marine species after observing oysters that were effectively adhered to a bridge’s underwater structure despite the force of the waves hitting against them. Oysters are able to stick to underwater surfaces by secreting an organic cement onto the hard surface, which then hardens and binds the oyster to its new home.

Scientists suggest the brain may work best with 7 senses, not just 5– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser October 9, 2025 0

Blurb:

Skoltech scientists have devised a mathematical model of memory. By analyzing its new model, the team came to surprising conclusions that could prove useful for robot design, artificial intelligence, and for better understanding of human memory. Published in Scientific Reports, the study suggests there may be an optimal number of senses — if so, those of us with five senses could use a couple more!

“Our conclusion is of course highly speculative in application to human senses, although you never know: It could be that humans of the future would evolve a sense of radiation or magnetic field. But in any case, our findings may be of practical importance for robotics and the theory of artificial intelligence,” said study co-author Professor Nikolay Brilliantov of Skoltech AI. “It appears that when each concept retained in memory is characterized in terms of seven features — as opposed to, say, five or eight — the number of distinct objects held in memory is maximized.”

In line with a well-established approach, which originated in the early 20th century, the team models the fundamental building blocks of memory: the memory “engrams.” An engram can be viewed as a sparse ensemble of neurons across multiple regions in the brain that fire together. The conceptual content of an engram is an ideal abstract object characterized with regard to multiple features. In the context of human memory, the features correspond to sensory inputs, so that the notion of a banana would match up with a visual image, a smell, the taste of a banana, and so on. This results in a five-dimensional object that exists and evolves in a five-dimensional space populated by all the other concepts retained in memory.

Lockheed, Verizon testing 5G-linked drone swarm for intel collection

‘Swarms of Killer Robots’: Why AI is Terrifying the American Military – Politico

pgnewser October 7, 2025 0

Lockheed, Verizon testing 5G-linked drone swarm for intel collection

‘Swarms of Killer Robots’: Why AI is Terrifying the American Military – Politico
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Excerpt:

Artificial intelligence technology is poised to transform national security. In the United States, experts and policymakers are already experimenting with large language models that can aid in strategic decision-making in conflicts and autonomous weapons systems (or, as they are more commonly called, “killer robots”) that can make real-time decisions about what to target and whether to use lethal force.

But these new technologies also pose enormous risks. The Pentagon is filled with some of the country’s most sensitive information. Putting that information in the hands of AI tools makes it more vulnerable, both to foreign hackers and to malicious inside actors who want to leak information, as AI can comb through and summarize massive amounts of information better than any human. A misaligned AI agent can also quickly lead to decision-making that unnecessarily escalates conflict.

Bacteria - Wikipedia

Bacteria hidden inside tumors could help beat cancer– www.sciencedaily.com

pgnewser October 7, 2025 0

Bacteria - Wikipedia

Bacteria hidden inside tumors could help beat cancer– www.sciencedaily.com
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Excerpt:

An international team of scientists led by researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS), Imperial College London and the University of Cologne have discovered that microbes associated with tumors produce a molecule, which can control cancer progression and boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy.

Most people are familiar with the microbes on our skin or in our gut, but recent discoveries have revealed that tumors also host unique communities of bacteria. Scientists are now investigating how these tumor-associated bacteria can affect tumor growth and the response to chemotherapy.

New research, published online in Cell Systems on September 10, 2025, provides a significant breakthrough in this field, identifying a powerful anti-cancer metabolite produced by bacteria associated with colorectal cancer. This finding opens the door to new strategies for treating cancer, including the development of novel drugs that could make existing therapies more potent.

The researchers used a sophisticated large-scale screening approach to test over 1,100 conditions in a type of microscopic worm called C. elegans. Through this, they found that the bacteria E. coli produced a molecule called 2-methylisocitrate (2-MiCit) that could improve the effectiveness of the chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

FOIA Documents Reveal South Carolina Attorney General Reportedly FAILED to Prosecute Child Predators in Dorchester County — Nearly Every Case Dismissed or Dropped | The Gateway Pundit– www.thegatewaypundit.com

pgnewser October 7, 2025 0

FOIA Documents Reveal South Carolina Attorney General Reportedly FAILED to Prosecute Child Predators in Dorchester County — Nearly Every Case Dismissed or Dropped | The Gateway Pundit– www.thegatewaypundit.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

Rep. Nancy Mace (right) and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (left). Mace is demanding answers after FOIA documents revealed Wilson’s office failed to prosecute the majority of child exploitation cases in Dorchester County.

Documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act reveal that South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) has reportedly failed to prosecute the overwhelming majority of child pornography and sexual exploitation cases in Dorchester County.

According to internal records reviewed by Rep. Nancy Mace, from 2019 to 2022, the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office (SCAG), under Wilson’s leadership, handled 385 warrants for child pornography cases in Dorchester County, yet only 29 resulted in convictions.

That’s a conviction rate of just 7.5%, with 356 cases dismissed outright and not a single one taken to trial.

“We obtained FOIA documents showing South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson failed to prosecute p*dophiles in Dorchester County,” Rep. Nancy Mace wrote on X.

“Nearly every single child p*dophile case under Wilson’s watch in Dorchester County has been dismissed or dropped. WE WANT ANSWERS. NOW,” she added.

Violent predators are exploiting gender ideology to continue their heinous crimes– www.lifesitenews.com

pgnewser October 7, 2025 0

Violent predators are exploiting gender ideology to continue their heinous crimes– www.lifesitenews.com
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Excerpt:

If you are a violent criminal seeking to escape from the full consequences of your misdeeds, identifying as transgender is the way to go.

It worked well for the attempted assassin of Brett Kavanaugh, who got a mere eight-year prison sentence instead of the 30 years requested by the Department of Justice, with the judge referencing his freshly minted transgender identity as one of the mitigating factors at sentencing last week.

It also worked for convicted pedophile Christopher Williams, who was placed in the Washington Correctional Center for Women after identifying as transgender. A September 29 report from Reduxx revealed that Williams has brutally assaulted a female inmate, striking her multiple times in the head. Williams was accused of sexually assaulting another female inmate last year.

As Reduxx reported based on testimony from the victim, “the two were in a common area on August 7 when Williams, who stands 6’3″, began punching her in the face in an apparent retaliation against her for calling him a ‘rapist.’ Jones, in contrast, is 5’4″.” The female inmate had tried to avoid Williams, who began to stalk her by sitting near her whenever he could. He attacked her from behind while she was standing at a microwave, throwing her onto the ground and smashing her in the back of the head.

“I was kicked and punched continuously. At this point, I saw who was doing this – Christopher Williams. I was immediately in fear for my life, trying to block while protecting my face and head, kicking out with my feet,” the woman, who remains unnamed for safety reasons, told Reduxx.

German government advisory body proposes raising retirement age to 73 by 2060– rmx.news

pgnewser October 7, 2025 0

German government advisory body proposes raising retirement age to 73 by 2060– rmx.news
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Excerpt:

Germany’s pension system should gradually raise the retirement age to 73 by 2060, according to a report by the Economics Ministry’s new scientific advisory board.

The panel of economists warns that without significant reform, the system will become unsustainable as productivity stagnates and the population continues to age.

The report, presented on Monday and cited by Bild, concludes that demographic realities and low economic growth leave no alternative but to extend working lives. It was prepared by economists Justus Haucap of the University of Düsseldorf, Stefan Kolev of the Ludwig Erhard Forum, Volker Wieland of the Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability in Frankfurt, and Veronica Grimm of Nuremberg University of Technology. All four are known for advocating free-market solutions and limited government intervention.

“The time for reforms is becoming increasingly urgent,” the authors wrote. “Economic output has been stagnating for years, while comparable economies are growing significantly more dynamically.” The report attributes this to weak productivity growth and demographic decline, arguing that Germany must adjust its retirement policies to reflect rising life expectancy.

Planned Parenthood - City of Jersey City

Planned Parenthood’s Lost Medicaid Funding Leads Women to Pro-Pregnancy Centers

pgnewser October 6, 2025 0

Planned Parenthood - City of Jersey City

Thanks to President Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill,” Planned Parenthood is getting defunded, leading women to choose Pro-Pregnancy Centers as a result. Planned Parenthood lost its Medicaid funding, leading women on Medicaid to ACTUAL pregnancy centers.

Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers Expect Client Surge, Thanks to Trump– www.dailysignal.com
Source Link
Excerpt:

Pro-life pregnancy centers expect an increase in appointments after President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill” defunded Planned Parenthood facilities, a center director told The Daily Signal.

Trump’s spending bill instructed the federal government to end Medicaid payments for one year to abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood, that received more than $800,000 from Medicaid in 2023. As a result, women are getting turned away by abortion facilities and are instead making appointments at privately funded pro-life pregnancy centers, which support them in carrying their babies to term, at no cost to the clients.

James Harden, president and CEO of New York pregnancy center network CompassCare, said he has “absolutely” seen an increase in appointments since the bill passed.

“We built a team in the Bronx, and they’re already fully booked,” Harden told The Daily Signal. “We’re triple-booking right now.”

Climate change: News, features and articles | Live Science

EU Signals its about to clamp down on Human Action in the name of saving the Planet from Climate Chage

pgnewser October 6, 2025 0

Climate change: News, features and articles | Live Science

Climate change threatens Europe’s resources, European Union warns – India Today
Source Link
Excerpt:

The European Environment Agency said biodiversity in Europe is declining due to unsustainable production and consumption, especially in the food system.

Due to over-exploitation of natural resources, pollution and invasive alien species, more than 80 per cent of protected habitats are in a poor or bad state, it said,

“The degradation of our natural world jeopardises the European way of life,” the agency said in its report: “Europe’s environment 2025”.

“Europe is critically dependent on natural resources for economic security, to which climate change and environmental degradation pose a direct threat.”

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent and is experiencing worsening droughts and other extreme weather events.

But governments are grappling with other priorities including industrial competitiveness, and negotiations on EU climate targets have stoked divisions between richer and poorer countries.

WHO

WHO Warns the Bacteria are winning, Innovation is losing

pgnewser October 6, 2025 0

WHO

WHO flags surge in drug-resistant bacteria, warns of innovation crisis – Business Standard
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Excerpt:

Across the world, doctors are sounding the alarm: drug-resistant bacteria are spreading faster than new treatments and diagnostic tools can keep up. The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), when bacteria, viruses, and other microbes no longer respond to medicines is among the top threats to public health, claiming over a million lives annually.
Yet despite the growing threat, the pipeline of new antibacterial treatments is shrinking and struggling to innovate.
Risks and Benefits of AI for Businesses and Cybersecurity | SBS

As AI redefines work, US employers cut jobs and remain cautious in hiring – Computerworld– www.computerworld.com

pgnewser October 6, 2025 0

Risks and Benefits of AI for Businesses and Cybersecurity | SBS

As AI redefines work, US employers cut jobs and remain cautious in hiring – Computerworld– www.computerworld.com
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Excerpt:

 

Ben Johnston, COO of small business lender Kapitus, said US businesses are grappling with tariffs that raise costs on imported goods, potentially making domestic manufacturing more competitive long term. But in the short term, those tariffs risk driving up inflation and disrupting global supply chains, threatening jobs across the manufacturing, wholesale, and retail sectors.

AI is also beginning to displace workers, especially in white-collar jobs. Companies are currently investing heavily in AI technologies that can analyze data and quickly make decisions that once could only be made by humans, Johnston said.

Companies are using AI to gather and analyze data from the web, internal systems, and third parties — tasks once done only by humans — mainly in white-collar roles like analytics and underwriting. And as robotics advance, AI could soon take on physical tasks in blue-collar jobs like driving, factory work, and even home healthcare, Johnston noted.

A Feminist Approach to AI in Sub-Saharan Africa • Stimson Center– www.stimson.org

pgnewser October 6, 2025 0
  1. A Feminist Approach to AI in Sub-Saharan Africa • Stimson Center– www.stimson.org
    Source Link
    Excerpt:

    Across Africa, AI is being harnessed to achieve positive impacts for marginalized communities. However, while AI can be used for good, some fear it could further marginalize and harm those it is intended to empower. Despite emphasis from both public and private sectors on equality and equity, uncertainty around policy-enabling environments, skills, and resources still presents a bottleneck for building inclusive AI. Though there are promising femtech solutions aimed at addressing specific gender concerns, the question of addressing needs and wants from a feminist approach in AI lingers.

    Gender is often still an afterthought when it comes to policy implementation and practice, but there are many initiatives, charters, and agreements in Africa that support equality and aim to eliminate violence against women, combat the disproportionate effect of poverty on women, and support women’s participation in the political and economic spheres. For example, Agenda 2063 promotes gender equality and an engaged, empowered youth. The African Union strategy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) 2018-2028 also aims to strengthen women’s agency in Africa and ensure that women’s voices are amplified and their concerns are fully addressed. The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa similarly requires member states to tackle “all forms of discrimination against women through appropriate legislative measures.”

    In Africa, there is a strong normative framework on gender equality and women’s and girls’ rights, and correspondingly, there are some civil or governmental initiatives that support women in national digital transformation policies. In Rwanda, for example, women have become increasingly influential in building national plans for artificial intelligence, and in Kenya, women have impacted the national plan for data uses. However, Africa is still facing challenges in integrating AI and policy. The Oxford AI Worldwide Readiness Index exemplifies the gap between the United States, ranked as first, and Mauritius, considered the African flagship country in AI policy, ranked 69th. There are only four African countries – Mauritius, South Africa, Rwanda, and Egypt – whose scores were higher than the global average of 47.59.

    Policy efforts across the continent are increasing but still limited. In mid-2021, Egypt launched its national AI strategy, christened “Artificial Intelligence for Development and Prosperity,” making clear the country’s ambitious goals for development and economic growth. Senegal followed suit in 2023 with a strategy of its own, also focused on economic development. On April 20, 2023, Rwanda released its “National AI Policy for Responsible AI Adoption,” which emphasizes AI for sustainable development. In 2024, Kenya published its draft national AI strategy with goals including social inclusion, ethics, and equity in AI.

     

Gov. Shapiro signs order to protect vaccine access, coverage in Pa. and combat misinformation – PennLive.com

pgnewser October 3, 2025 0

Gov. Shapiro signs order to protect vaccine access, coverage in Pa. and combat misinformation – PennLive.com
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Excerpt:

Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday signed an executive order aimed at protecting access to recommended childhood and adult vaccines, maintaining insurance coverage and aligning state health policies with the guidance of respected experts.

“As the federal government continues to create chaos and confusion, my Administration is stepping up to preserve access to vaccines, provide Pennsylvanians with clear, evidence-based guidance, and protect the freedom to make decisions over your own health care,” said Shapiro at a press event at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

U.S. Military Continues mRNA Vaccine Research after RFK, Jr., Cuts Funding– www.scientificamerican.com

pgnewser October 3, 2025 0

U.S. Military Continues mRNA Vaccine Research after RFK, Jr., Cuts Funding– www.scientificamerican.com
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Excerpt:

The abrupt termination last month of nearly half a billion dollars in US government contracts for mRNA vaccine research rattled scientists working inside and outside industry. The cuts raised alarm about the country’s commitment to the Nobel-prizewinning technology, which is credited with saving millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic and is regarded as essential for fighting viruses in the future.

Yet not all large-scale research into mRNA vaccines in the United States is being dismantled. Nature has learnt that, even as the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — led by vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr — pulls back, the country’s military continues to bankroll parts of the same research.