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By Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times (TNS) Every day millions of people share more intimate information with their accessories than they do with their spouse. Wearable technology — smartwatches, smart rings, fitness trackers and the like — monitors body-centric data such as your heart rate, steps taken and calories burned, and may record where you go along the way. Like Santa Claus, it knows when you are sleeping (and how well), it knows when you’re awake, it knows when you’ve been idle or exercising, and it keeps track of all of it. People are also sharing sensitive health information on health and wellness apps , including online mental health and counseling programs. Some women use period tracker apps to map out their monthly cycle. These devices and services have excited consumers hoping for better insight into their health and lifestyle choices. But the lack of oversight into how body-centric data are used and shared with third parties has prompted concerns from privacy experts, who warn that the data could be sold or lost through data breaches, then used to raise insurance premiums, discriminate surreptitiously against applicants for jobs or housing, and even perform surveillance. The use of wearable technology and medical apps surged in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, but research released by Mozilla on Wednesday indicates that current laws offer little protection for consumers who are often unaware just how much of their health data are being collected and shared by companies. “I’ve been studying the intersections of emerging technologies, data-driven technologies, AI and human rights and social justice for the past 15 years, and since the pandemic I’ve noticed the industry has become hyper-focused on our bodies,” said Mozilla Foundation technology fellow Júlia Keserű, who conducted the research. “That permeates into all kinds of areas of our lives and all kinds of domains within the tech industry.” The report “From Skin to Screen: Bodily Integrity in the Digital Age” recommends that existing data protection laws be clarified to encompass all forms of bodily data. It also calls for expanding national health privacy laws to cover health-related information collected from health apps and fitness trackers and making it easier for users to opt out of body-centric data collections. Researchers have been raising alarms about health data privacy for years. Data collected by companies are often sold to data brokers or groups that buy, sell and trade data from the internet to create detailed consumer profiles. Body-centric data can include information such as the fingerprints used to unlock phones, face scans from facial recognition technology, and data from fitness and fertility trackers, mental health apps and digital medical records. One of the key reasons health information has value to companies — even when the person’s name is not associated with it — is that advertisers can use the data to send targeted ads to groups of people based on certain details they share. The information contained in these consumer profiles is becoming so detailed, however, that when paired with other data sets that include location information, it could be possible to target specific individuals, Keserű said. Location data can “expose sophisticated insights about people’s health status, through their visits to places like hospitals or abortions clinics,” Mozilla’s report said, adding that “companies like Google have been reported to keep such data even after promising to delete it.” A 2023 report by Duke University revealed that data brokers were selling sensitive data on individuals’ mental health conditions on the open market. While many brokers deleted personal identifiers, some provided names and addresses of individuals seeking mental health assistance, according to the report. In two public surveys conducted as part of the research, Keserű said, participants were outraged and felt exploited in scenarios where their health data were sold for a profit without their knowledge. “We need a new approach to our digital interactions that recognizes the fundamental rights of individuals to safeguard their bodily data, an issue that speaks directly to human autonomy and dignity,” Keserű said. “As technology continues to advance, it is critical that our laws and practices evolve to meet the unique challenges of this era.” Consumers often take part in these technologies without fully understanding the implications. Last month, Elon Musk suggested on X that users submit X-rays, PET scans, MRIs and other medical images to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence chatbot, to seek diagnoses. The issue alarmed privacy experts, but many X users heeded Musk’s call and submitted health information to the chatbot. While X’s privacy policy says that the company will not sell user data to third parties, it does share some information with certain business partners. Gaps in existing laws have allowed the widespread sharing of biometric and other body-related data. Health information provided to hospitals, doctor’s offices and medical insurance companies is protected from disclosure under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act , known as HIPAA, which established federal standards protecting such information from release without the patient’s consent. But health data collected by many wearable devices and health and wellness apps don’t fall under HIPAA’s umbrella, said Suzanne Bernstein, counsel at Electronic Privacy Information Center. “In the U.S. because we don’t have a comprehensive federal privacy law ... it falls to the state level,” she said. But not every state has weighed in on the issue. Washington, Nevada and Connecticut all recently passed laws to provide safeguards for consumer health data. Washington, D.C., in July introduced legislation that aimed to require tech companies to adhere to strengthened privacy provisions regarding the collection, sharing, use or sale of consumer health data. In California, the California Privacy Rights Act regulates how businesses can use certain types of sensitive information, including biometric information, and requires them to offer consumers the ability to opt out of disclosure of sensitive personal information. “This information being sold or shared with data brokers and other entities hypercharge the online profiling that we’re so used to at this point, and the more sensitive the data, the more sophisticated the profiling can be,” Bernstein said. “A lot of the sharing or selling with third parties is outside the scope of what a consumer would reasonably expect.” Health information has become a prime target for hackers seeking to extort healthcare agencies and individuals after accessing sensitive patient data. Health-related cybersecurity breaches and ransom attacks increased more than 4,000% between 2009 and 2023, targeting the booming market of body-centric data, which is expected to exceed $500 billion by 2030, according to the report. “Nonconsensual data sharing is a big issue,” Keserű said. “Even if it’s biometric data or health data, a lot of the companies are just sharing that data without you knowing, and that is causing a lot of anxiety and questions.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Mobile app to bring down sudden cardiac death casesTulane QB Mensah transfers to Duke
Baroness Owen of Alderley Edge became the youngest person to receive a life peerage when she entered the House of Lords at the age of 30. She was elevated to parliament’s upper chamber in Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list 18 months ago after working as a special adviser to the former prime minister. She is now seeking to make her mark in the Lords with a private member’s bill to criminalise the non-consensual creation and solicitation of digitally altered sexually explicit images — known as deepfakes. • Kathleen Stock: We’re not ready for the voodoo of deepfakes Owen, 31, said women have “lost their ability to choose who owns sexually explicit images of them”. “Anyone can walk into the pub, take a picture of aMONACO — Canadians Alex Tessier, Sophie de Goede and Laetitia Royer have been named to World Rugby's Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Year. Canada sevens captain Olivia Apps, meanwhile, was selected to World Rugby's Women’s Sevens Dream Team. The women's 15s world all-star squad also featured six players from top-ranked England and three from No. 2 New Zealand. The other three came from the U.S., Ireland and France. Tessier was also a finalist for the World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year award won by England fullback Ellie Kildunne. France's Pauline Bourdon Sansus and England's Alex Matthews were the other finalists. Tessier won her 50th cap in 2024 and, playing at inside centre alongside fly half Claire Gallagher, led the Canada women to a historic first-ever victory over New Zealand to win the 2024 Pacific Four Series in May. The 22-19 comeback victory lifted Canada into second place in the women’s world rankings, its highest position since November 2016. Tessier's strong kicking game was also key for Canada. The 31-year-old from Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., scored 27 points in starting all six matches for Canada in 2024 to up her career total to 48 points (including five tries) in 54 appearances. Tessier plays professionally in England for the Exeter Chiefs. De Goede made the all-star team despite tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in training in June. A finalist for the Women's Player of the Year award in 2022, the Victoria back-rower plays in England for Saracens. Royer, from Loretteville, Que., is a second-row forward who plays in France for ASM Romagnat. Top-ranked South Africa dominated the men's 15s all-star squad with seven players represented. Ireland had four players with New Zealand three and Argentina one. --- World Rugby's 15s Dream Teams of the Year Women 1. Hope Rogers (U.S.); 2. Georgia Ponsonby (New Zealand); 3. Maud Muir (England); 4. Zoe Aldcroft (England); 5. Laetitia Royer (Canada) ; 6. Aoife Wafer (Ireland)' 7. Sophie de Goede (Canada) ; 8. Alex Matthews (England); 9. Pauline Bourdon Sansus (France); 10. Holly Aitchison (England); 11. Katelyn Vahaakolo (New Zealand); 12. Alex Tessier (Canada) ; 13. Sylvia Brunt (New Zealand); 14. Abby Dow (England); 15. Ellie Kildunne (England). Men 1. Ox Nche (South Africa); 2. Malcolm Marx (South Africa); 3. Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand); 4. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa); 5. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland); 6. Pablo Matera (Argentina); 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa); 8. Caelan Doris (Ireland); 9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland); 10. Damian McKenzie (New Zealand); 11. James Lowe (Ireland); 12. Damian de Allende (South Africa); 13. Jesse Kriel (South Africa); 14. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa); 15. Will Jordan (New Zealand). World Rugby Sevens Dreams Team of the Year Women Olivia Apps (Canada) , Michaela Blyde (New Zealand), Kristi Kirshe (U.S.), Maddison Levi (Australia), Ilona Maher (U.S.), Jorja Miller (New Zealand), Séraphine Okemba (France). Men Selvyn Davids (South Africa), Antoine Dupont (France), Aaron Grandidier Nkanang (France), Terry Kennedy (Ireland), Nathan Lawson (Australia), Ponipate Loganimasi (Fiji), Matías Osadczuk (Argentina). This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024. The Canadian Press
The Onion's rejected purchase of Infowars in an auction bid supported by families of the Sandy Hook Elementary shooting dealt them a new setback Wednesday and clouded the future of Alex Jones' conspiracy theory platform, which is now poised to remain in his control for at least the near future. What's next for Infowars and Sandy Hook families' long-sought efforts to hold Jones accountable over calling one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history a hoax was unclear, after a federal judge in Houston late Tuesday rejected The Onion's winning bid for the site . U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston said he did not want another auction but offered no roadmap over how to proceed. One possibility includes ultimately allowing Sandy Hook families — who comprise most of Jones' creditors — to return to state courts in Connecticut and Texas to collect on the nearly $1.5 billion in defamation and emotional distress lawsuit judgments that Jones was ordered to pay them. “Our hope is that when this process ends, and it will end, and it will end sooner rather than later, is that all assets that Alex Jones has available are paid to the families, and that includes Infowars, and that as a result of that process Alex Jones is deprived of the ownership and control of the platform that he’s used to hurt so many people,” Christopher Mattei, an attorney for the Sandy Hook families, said in a phone interview Wednesday. The families, meanwhile, were preparing the mark the 12th anniversary of the Dec. 14 shooting. The sale of Infowars is part of Jones’ personal bankruptcy case , which he filed in late 2022 after he was ordered to pay the $1.5 billion. Jones was sued for repeatedly saying on his show that the 2012 massacre of 20 first graders and six educators was staged by crisis actors to spur more gun control. Lopez said there was a lack of transparency in the bidding process and too much confusion about The Onion's bid. He also said the amount of money offered in the only two bids was too low and there needed to be more effort to try to raise as much money possible from the selling of Infowars' assets. The Onion's parent company, Global Tetrahedron, submitted a $1.75 million cash offer with plans to kick Jones out and relaunch Infowars in January as a parody . The bid also included a deal with many of the Sandy Hook families for them to forgo $750,000 of their auction proceeds and give it to other creditors. Lopez called it a complex arrangement that led to different interpretations of the bid's actual value as well as last-minute changes to a proposed sale order. The other bidder was First United American Companies, which runs a website in Jones’ name that sells nutritional supplements and planned to let Jones stay on the Infowars platforms. It offered $3.5 million in cash and later, with Jones, alleged fraud and collusion in the bidding process. Lopez rejected the allegations, saying that while mistakes were made there was no wrongdoing. Christopher Murray, the trustee who oversaw the auction, said he picked The Onion and its deal with the Sandy Hook families because it would have provided more money to Jones' other creditors. The next steps remained unclear Wednesday. The judge directed Murray to come up with a new plan to move forward. Murray and representatives of The Onion did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The judge said there was a possibility there could be a trial in 2025 to settle Jones' bankruptcy. He said Murray could try to sell the equity in Infowars' parent company. He also said Murray could abandon the efforts, which could allow the Sandy Hook families to return to the state courts where they won their lawsuits against Jones and begin collection proceedings against him. The judge said he wanted to hear back from Murray and others involved in the bankruptcy within 30 days on a plan to move forward. Mattei, who represented the Sandy Hook families in the Connecticut lawsuit, said everyone is waiting to see what plan the trustee comes up with. Jones, meanwhile, continued to allege fraud and collusion on his show Wednesday and threatened legal action over what he called an attempted “rigged auction.” On the social media platform X, he called the judge's ruling a “Major Victory For Freedom Of The Press & Due Process." “I don’t want to have to go after these people, lawsuit-wise, but we have to because if you don’t then you’re aiding and abetting and they do it to other people. They made some big mistakes," he said. It's a solemn and heartbreaking week for relatives of victims of the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The 12th anniversary is Saturday, and some of the victims' relatives were traveling to Washington, D.C., to attend the annual National Vigil for All Victims of Gun Violence on Wednesday evening. The families usually mark the anniversary out of the public eye. Many of the families said their lawsuits against Jones bought back the unbearable pain of losing their loved ones, as well as the trauma of being harassed and threatened by believers of Jones' hoax conspiracy. Relatives said they have been confronted in public by hoax believers and received death and rape threats. Robbie Parker, whose 6-year-old daughter Emilie was killed, testified at the Connecticut lawsuit trial in 2022 that the decade of abuse his family suffered made them move across the country to Washington state, and even there he was accosted in person. The families have not received any money from Jones since winning the trials. Jones has been appealing the $1.5 billion in judgments, and has since conceded that the shooting did happen. Last week, a Connecticut appeals court upheld most of the judgment in that state but reduced it by $150 million. Associated Press writer Juan A. Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.https://arab.news/jv6gm RIYADH: The National Center for Wildlife published a study titled “Predator Diversity and Conservation in Saudi Arabia” in the journal Diversity, documenting 14 predator species across six families in the Kingdom. Using camera trap technology, the center recorded 4,787 nights of footage from 58 predator habitats, gathering data on species diversity, diet, distribution, threats, and habitat characteristics, according to the Saudi Press Agency. The red fox was the most frequently observed species, recorded in 15 ecological sites, followed by the striped hyena, seen in 13 sites, with the highest number in the Raidah Protected Area in Asir. The Arabian wolf was also widespread, while the honey badger was the least frequently observed, SPA reported. The study confirmed that Saudi Arabia’s habitats, especially in the southwestern regions of Asir, Jazan, the Najran highlands, and the Sarawat Mountains, support diverse predator species. The sand cat and sand fox were also noted in desert ecosystems. The research highlighted significant threats to predators, including killing, poisoning, trafficking, and habitat loss, according to SPA. CEO of the National Center for Wildlife Mohammed Ali Qurban emphasized the need for further research to better understand the species’ lives, habitats and genetic traits. “This will enrich our scientific knowledge, enhance the effectiveness of habitat rehabilitation and conservation plans, and positively impact the protection of biodiversity for these wild animals in their natural habitats,” he said.The Australian government recently passed legislation that bans social media for anyone under 16 . Prime Minister Anthony Albanese hailed the legislation for putting “the onus on social media platforms — not young people or their parents” — for protecting youth from online harms. Australia is the first country in the world to pass a nationwide ban of social media for teens, set to take effect in a year . But other measures have been enacted or considered here in Canada and elsewhere. In the United States, it will be illegal for children under 14 in Florida to have social media accounts starting Jan. 1, 2025. Beginning in 2024, Québec began banning cellphones in classrooms . This fall, with the start of the 2024–2025 academic year, Ontario also began banning cell phones in schools . This follows a lawsuit filed by four school boards in Ontario against social media companies for disrupting youth learning. Québec is reportedly considering a social media ban — following Australia’s lead — that would limit social media use for teens under 16. Provincial governments recognize that social media and cellphones can be problematic for youth, and they’re not waiting on the federal government to take action. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently announced that the proposed Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) , originally introduced in February 2024 , will be separated into two bills . The idea is to pass the part of the bill focused on child protection to address problems like sextortion , image-based sexual abuse, revenge porn and other forms of online sexual violence. Since the Online Harms Act is still being debated, MPs in Canada may look to other countries, like Australia, for guidance on protecting youth from these online harms. Youth and online harms Some people in Canada approve of Australia’s social media ban and see it as a potential solution , including some teens . This idea has received a lot of traction in public discourse too, including with the book The Anxious Generation that argues social media should be banned until age 16 . Many of us may recall the stories of Rehtaeh Parsons , Amanda Todd and more recently a boy in British Columbia who died by suicide after being cyberbullied and sextorted. Some studies have shown that social media use is related to anxiety and depression among adolescents . Bans or regulations raise important questions about how we, as a society, should respond to social media use among youth and deal with online harms. Challenges with bans We are a team of researchers who study technology-facilitated sexual violence among youth aged 13–18 in Canada. We have conducted 26 focus groups with 149 youth from across the country, and launched a nationally representative survey of around 1,000 youth to learn about their experiences with online harms, what they know about the law and which resources work — and which ones don’t. Our initial findings show that youth experience a range of harms as they use digital platforms and social media. We also found that algorithms are fueling harms. Youth have emphasized they want tailored supports and resources to help them have safe, healthy and enjoyable experiences with technology. A full ban of social media is not realistic, in part because social media companies have no idea how to implement it . Some ideas are to use facial recognition technology or check someone’s age using credit cards . Another idea is to upload government IDs to third-party platforms for age verification. However a ban is implemented, it will almost certainly gather more user data, which raises questions about youth data privacy and security . These measures may also drive youth towards other platforms that are less regulated, such as on the dark web. This could actually make it harder to protect youth from online harms. Bans also don’t actually solve the problem . For example, abstinence-based interventions don’t work when it comes to sex education . It is unlikely that an abstinence-based approach would work with social media . Furthermore, technology is increasingly integrated into our daily lives, and youth need to be taught about healthy and responsible online interactions. Youth are learning how to become digital citizens . Kicking the problem down the road until they’re 16 or older will postpone the consequences, not solve them. This could cause more harm than a ban intends to solve . A ban also frees social media companies, governments and parents from any accountability. Rather than meaningfully addressing the harmful content and their impacts, a ban removes any and all responsibility from the people and institutions whose job it is to protect youth. Holistic interventions Technology companies need to develop their products with kids in mind , rather than prioritizing their profits and putting child safety and health second. Kids need guidance and support , and a ban does nothing to remove harmful content or resolve its negative impacts. Rather than bans, we suggest implementing holistic interventions that emphasize digital citizenship and youth rights and responsibilities so people of all ages learn how to have safe and healthy interactions with technology. This requires a consolidated effort across various sectors of society, including schools , community organizations and, importantly, both tech companies and government agencies. While there are resources available for educators, parents and youth about how to have safe and healthy online interactions , we need to act now. Rather than resorting to blanket bans, we should prioritize comprehensive societal changes that address the root causes of these harms. By doing so, we can promote youth safety and help our communities confront online harms. Christopher Dietzel receives funding from Le Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture (FRQSC). Kaitlynn Mendes receives funding from SSHRC and the Canada Research Chairs Program.
By Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times (TNS) Every day millions of people share more intimate information with their accessories than they do with their spouse. Wearable technology — smartwatches, smart rings, fitness trackers and the like — monitors body-centric data such as your heart rate, steps taken and calories burned, and may record where you go along the way. Like Santa Claus, it knows when you are sleeping (and how well), it knows when you’re awake, it knows when you’ve been idle or exercising, and it keeps track of all of it. People are also sharing sensitive health information on health and wellness apps , including online mental health and counseling programs. Some women use period tracker apps to map out their monthly cycle. These devices and services have excited consumers hoping for better insight into their health and lifestyle choices. But the lack of oversight into how body-centric data are used and shared with third parties has prompted concerns from privacy experts, who warn that the data could be sold or lost through data breaches, then used to raise insurance premiums, discriminate surreptitiously against applicants for jobs or housing, and even perform surveillance. The use of wearable technology and medical apps surged in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, but research released by Mozilla on Wednesday indicates that current laws offer little protection for consumers who are often unaware just how much of their health data are being collected and shared by companies. “I’ve been studying the intersections of emerging technologies, data-driven technologies, AI and human rights and social justice for the past 15 years, and since the pandemic I’ve noticed the industry has become hyper-focused on our bodies,” said Mozilla Foundation technology fellow Júlia Keserű, who conducted the research. “That permeates into all kinds of areas of our lives and all kinds of domains within the tech industry.” The report “From Skin to Screen: Bodily Integrity in the Digital Age” recommends that existing data protection laws be clarified to encompass all forms of bodily data. It also calls for expanding national health privacy laws to cover health-related information collected from health apps and fitness trackers and making it easier for users to opt out of body-centric data collections. Researchers have been raising alarms about health data privacy for years. Data collected by companies are often sold to data brokers or groups that buy, sell and trade data from the internet to create detailed consumer profiles. Body-centric data can include information such as the fingerprints used to unlock phones, face scans from facial recognition technology, and data from fitness and fertility trackers, mental health apps and digital medical records. One of the key reasons health information has value to companies — even when the person’s name is not associated with it — is that advertisers can use the data to send targeted ads to groups of people based on certain details they share. The information contained in these consumer profiles is becoming so detailed, however, that when paired with other data sets that include location information, it could be possible to target specific individuals, Keserű said. Location data can “expose sophisticated insights about people’s health status, through their visits to places like hospitals or abortions clinics,” Mozilla’s report said, adding that “companies like Google have been reported to keep such data even after promising to delete it.” A 2023 report by Duke University revealed that data brokers were selling sensitive data on individuals’ mental health conditions on the open market. While many brokers deleted personal identifiers, some provided names and addresses of individuals seeking mental health assistance, according to the report. In two public surveys conducted as part of the research, Keserű said, participants were outraged and felt exploited in scenarios where their health data were sold for a profit without their knowledge. “We need a new approach to our digital interactions that recognizes the fundamental rights of individuals to safeguard their bodily data, an issue that speaks directly to human autonomy and dignity,” Keserű said. “As technology continues to advance, it is critical that our laws and practices evolve to meet the unique challenges of this era.” Consumers often take part in these technologies without fully understanding the implications. Last month, Elon Musk suggested on X that users submit X-rays, PET scans, MRIs and other medical images to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence chatbot, to seek diagnoses. The issue alarmed privacy experts, but many X users heeded Musk’s call and submitted health information to the chatbot. While X’s privacy policy says that the company will not sell user data to third parties, it does share some information with certain business partners. Gaps in existing laws have allowed the widespread sharing of biometric and other body-related data. Health information provided to hospitals, doctor’s offices and medical insurance companies is protected from disclosure under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act , known as HIPAA, which established federal standards protecting such information from release without the patient’s consent. But health data collected by many wearable devices and health and wellness apps don’t fall under HIPAA’s umbrella, said Suzanne Bernstein, counsel at Electronic Privacy Information Center. “In the U.S. because we don’t have a comprehensive federal privacy law ... it falls to the state level,” she said. But not every state has weighed in on the issue. Washington, Nevada and Connecticut all recently passed laws to provide safeguards for consumer health data. Washington, D.C., in July introduced legislation that aimed to require tech companies to adhere to strengthened privacy provisions regarding the collection, sharing, use or sale of consumer health data. In California, the California Privacy Rights Act regulates how businesses can use certain types of sensitive information, including biometric information, and requires them to offer consumers the ability to opt out of disclosure of sensitive personal information. “This information being sold or shared with data brokers and other entities hypercharge the online profiling that we’re so used to at this point, and the more sensitive the data, the more sophisticated the profiling can be,” Bernstein said. “A lot of the sharing or selling with third parties is outside the scope of what a consumer would reasonably expect.” Health information has become a prime target for hackers seeking to extort healthcare agencies and individuals after accessing sensitive patient data. Health-related cybersecurity breaches and ransom attacks increased more than 4,000% between 2009 and 2023, targeting the booming market of body-centric data, which is expected to exceed $500 billion by 2030, according to the report. “Nonconsensual data sharing is a big issue,” Keserű said. “Even if it’s biometric data or health data, a lot of the companies are just sharing that data without you knowing, and that is causing a lot of anxiety and questions.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.9 photos of the Pop-Tarts Bowl mascots because college football is absurdWelcome to the online version of From the Politics Desk , an evening newsletter that brings you the NBC News Politics team’s latest reporting and analysis from the White House, Capitol Hill and the campaign trail. In today’s edition, we report on the fallout from Matt Gaetz withdrawing from consideration to be the next attorney general. Plus, senior politics reporter Jonathan Allen puts the former Florida congressman's fall in historical context. Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox every weekday here. Trump’s ‘retribution’ campaign hits the harsh reality of governing in Washington By Henry J. Gomez, Olympia Sonnier, Jake Traylor and Julie Tsirkin Matt Gaetz’s withdrawal Thursday as a candidate for attorney general illustrates the roadblocks President-elect Donald Trump could face as he attempts to convert his campaign of “retribution” into a governing coalition capable of working within the realities of Washington. Gaetz, until recently a Florida congressman, embodies Trump’s grievance- and vendetta-driven agenda like few others can. He has been one of Trump’s most pugilistic defenders and the bleeding edge of MAGA resistance in Congress, even against his own Republican leadership. But it was a tough sell from the moment Trump announced Gaetz as his choice eight days ago — in a pick that shocked much of Washington. The Justice Department that Trump wanted him to lead had once investigated Gaetz in a sex-trafficking case it closed without charging him . Meanwhile, an unreleased report from a separate House Ethics Committee investigation also hung over Gaetz’s head, and details of what two women who allege he paid them for sex told the committee were beginning to trickle out. Gaetz’s hasty retreat is also emblematic of how the president-elect and his team often reject the conventions of Capitol Hill. Although Gaetz’s liabilities and legal troubles were well documented, deeper vetting by Trump’s team might have unearthed details of the ethics probe sooner. And there was little, if any, effort to take the temperature of senators before Trump surprised the political world with his announcement last week. At least five Senate Republicans were planning to vote against Gaetz and had communicated to other senators and those close to Trump that they were unlikely to be swayed, according to multiple people with direct knowledge. The “no” votes included Sens. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, as well as Sen.-elect John Curtis of Utah. And at least 20 — and perhaps as many as 30 — Senate Republicans were very uncomfortable about having to vote for Gaetz on the Senate floor, one source said. Read more → Putting Gaetz’s withdrawal in historical context By Jonathan Allen It’s rare for a newly elected president to lose a pick for any Cabinet post, much less attorney general. The last time the Senate actually voted down a nominee: George H.W. Bush’s 1989 appointment of longtime Texas Sen. John Tower to run the Pentagon. But it’s not even Thanksgiving, and Donald Trump is already looking for a backup top law enforcement officer after Matt Gaetz withdrew his AG bid Thursday. Republican senators apparently found his recent charm offensive less influential than his long campaign to discredit them and the allegations of sexual misconduct against him, which Gaetz has denied. Gaetz had not been formally nominated — Trump doesn’t take office until January — but he is the first attorney general pick to fall since 1993, when two of Bill Clinton’s selections, Zoë Baird and Kimba Wood, withdrew from consideration following revelations they had hired undocumented immigrants. New presidents typically compile Cabinet rosters with at least one eye on their chances of winning confirmation. Gaetz did not fit that mold. On a broader level, Trump has picked more fights with the Senate than most presidents. And he may find that the Republican majority there is less pliant than he would like. Former Fox News personality Pete Hegseth, his choice for defense secretary, has run into some early resistance. So, too, have Tulsi Gabbard and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his picks for director of national intelligence and secretary of health and human services, respectively. Their fates remain to be determined. But Trump isn’t off to a good start. He will have to put more thought into nominating people who can win confirmation on their own, or whom he can push across the finish line with senators. Otherwise, he risks a repeat — or worse — of Barack Obama’s Cabinet failures. In 2009, Tom Daschle (Health and Human Services), Bill Richardson (Commerce) and Judd Gregg (Commerce) all withdrew for different reasons. The last time around, Trump lost just one of his initial Cabinet picks, when Andrew Puzder withdrew as the labor secretary nominee in February 2017. ➡️ More on the Trump transition That’s all from the Politics Desk for now. If you have feedback — likes or dislikes — email us at politicsnewsletter@nbcuni.com And if you’re a fan, please share with everyone and anyone. They can sign up here .
HAMISH MCRAE: Investors should expect some big bumps in 2025 By HAMISH MCRAE Updated: 21:50 GMT, 28 December 2024 e-mail View comments So will 2025 be any better? The past year has been disappointing for most of British business, for UK investors – unless they have a large chunk of their money in the US – and for those of us who predicted better times a year ago. We start from an uncomfortable position. It has been a year of two halves, the first showing decent growth and the second very little at all. The third quarter was flat, and early reports from retailers about November and December suggest that if anything, things have got worse. My own predictions a year ago that the FTSE 100 index would rise to 8,500 and the pound to $1.40 looked all right during the year, with the Footsie topping 8,474 in inter-day trading in May and the pound reaching more than $1.34 at the end of September. But they look hopeless now. My other predictions have proven even worse. The market value of Apple, instead of falling back below $3 trillion, has shot up to nearly $4 trillion. The yield on 10-year gilts, far from staying at around 3.5 per cent, is now more than 4.6 per cent. And as for my expectation that the value of Bitcoin would collapse to below $20,000 – well, it topped $106,000 a few days ago. The only thing that I got more or less right was that UK house prices would rise by 5 per cent. Halifax calculates they were up 4.8 per cent in November and the trend has been rising, so when we get the December numbers, we should be there. So what went wrong? The easy answer is that the new government has been much less competent than we could reasonably have expected, saying the economy was in a mess when actually it was growing very well, and then clobbering it with that dreadful Budget. As a result, the reassessment of the UK as a good place to invest hasn't happened; indeed quite the reverse. Troubled times: The new government has been much less competent than we could reasonably have expected But it's not just our politics. Inflation did come down, but now it is rising again. That is pushing up long-term interest rates and will damage growth this year. The big economies on the Continent – Germany and France – are in trouble. And the huge boom in the US has got new legs from Donald Trump's election victory. Why keep your money in gloomy Britain when you can get a much better return in buoyant America? Let's look forward. Anyone peering into 2025 has to try to answer two questions. One is, will the UK avoid recession? The other is, when and how will the US boom end? The official view is that UK growth won't be too bad. The Bank of England and the International Monetary Fund both expect it to be around 1.5 per cent, and the Office for Budget Responsibility thinks it will be 2 per cent. Well, maybe they are right, but it's hard to square this relative optimism with what most businesses are saying. For example, the Confederation of British Industry's industrial trends survey showed that manufacturing orders are at their lowest since the Covid pandemic. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Brace for rougher times ahead - and hearing a lot more about... Will the UK stock market be the one to back in 2025? Shares... Share this article Share HOW THIS IS MONEY CAN HELP How to choose the best (and cheapest) stocks and shares Isa and the right DIY investing account What we really don't know is how small and medium-sized enterprises will react to the rise in employer National Insurance Contributions, which will hit in April. These firms employ nearly 17 million people, some 60 per cent of the workforce. Will they increase prices? Yes, of course. Cut staff? Some will, but we don't know how many. It's odd. We hear so much about big companies, the ones whose people get invited to talk to ministers, but very little about small ones – which in aggregate matter vastly more. If there's going to be a recession, they will be in the front line fighting it off. The other great imponderable will be what happens in America. We know that the market boom has to end. It is already taken on that heady, frothy, over-the-top feeling. But we can't see when or how that will happen. Nor, even more importantly, how a market correction – or crash – will affect the real economy. Long-term, the US will surely dominate the world economy to an even greater extent than now. Short-term, I'm worried. So, a hope. It is that the US will have a calm and measured end to its boom. If it does that, the rest of us will scramble through the coming year in an OK shape. If not, there are big bumps ahead. 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MONACO - Canadians Alex Tessier, Sophie de Goede and Laetitia Royer have been named to World Rugby’s Women’s 15s Dream Team of the Year. Canada sevens captain Olivia Apps, meanwhile, was selected to World Rugby’s Women’s Sevens Dream Team. The women’s 15s world all-star squad also featured six players from top-ranked England and three from No. 2 New Zealand. The other three came from the U.S., Ireland and France. Tessier was also a finalist for the World Rugby Women’s 15s Player of the Year award won by England fullbackEllie Kildunne.France’s Pauline Bourdon Sansus and England’s Alex Matthews were the other finalists. Tessier won her 50th cap in 2024 and, playing at inside centre alongside fly half Claire Gallagher, led the Canada women to a historic first-ever victory over New Zealand to win the 2024 Pacific Four Series in May. The 22-19 comeback victory lifted Canada into second place in the women’s world rankings, its highest position since November 2016. Tessier’s strong kicking game was also key for Canada. The 31-year-old from Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., scored 27 points in starting all six matches for Canada in 2024 to up her career total to 48 points (including five tries) in 54 appearances. Tessier plays professionally in England for the Exeter Chiefs. De Goede made the all-star team despite tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in training in June. A finalist for the Women’s Player of the Year award in 2022, the Victoria back-rower plays in England for Saracens. Royer, from Loretteville, Que., is a second-row forward who plays in France for ASM Romagnat. Top-ranked South Africa dominated the men’s 15s all-star squad with seven players represented. Ireland had four players with New Zealand three and Argentina one. —- World Rugby’s 15s Dream Teams of the Year Women 1. Hope Rogers (U.S.); 2. Georgia Ponsonby (New Zealand); 3. Maud Muir (England); 4. Zoe Aldcroft (England); 5. Laetitia Royer (Canada); 6. Aoife Wafer (Ireland)’ 7. Sophie de Goede (Canada); 8. Alex Matthews (England); 9. Pauline Bourdon Sansus (France); 10. Holly Aitchison (England); 11. Katelyn Vahaakolo (New Zealand); 12. Alex Tessier (Canada); 13. Sylvia Brunt (New Zealand); 14. Abby Dow (England); 15. Ellie Kildunne (England). Men 1. Ox Nche (South Africa); 2. Malcolm Marx (South Africa); 3. Tyrel Lomax (New Zealand); 4. Eben Etzebeth (South Africa); 5. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland); 6. Pablo Matera (Argentina); 7. Pieter-Steph du Toit (South Africa); 8. Caelan Doris (Ireland); 9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland); 10. Damian McKenzie (New Zealand); 11. James Lowe (Ireland); 12. Damian de Allende (South Africa); 13. Jesse Kriel (South Africa); 14. Cheslin Kolbe (South Africa); 15. Will Jordan (New Zealand). World Rugby Sevens Dreams Team of the Year Women Olivia Apps (Canada), Michaela Blyde (New Zealand), Kristi Kirshe (U.S.), Maddison Levi (Australia), Ilona Maher (U.S.), Jorja Miller (New Zealand), Séraphine Okemba (France). Men Selvyn Davids (South Africa), Antoine Dupont (France), Aaron Grandidier Nkanang (France), Terry Kennedy (Ireland), Nathan Lawson (Australia), Ponipate Loganimasi (Fiji), Matías Osadczuk (Argentina). This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024.It has been more than three decades since the final episode of Bread aired It's been over 30 years since the cast of Carla Lane's Bread provided viewers with a unique glimpse into Liverpool life, a perspective only this city could offer. Set in Liverpool during the mid-'80s, the series centers around the devoutly Catholic Boswell family and first aired on May 1, 1986. It didn't take long for the show's iconic ceramic hen from the title sequence and the theme tune sung by the cast to become familiar to millions of viewers. The street featured in the show was Elswick Street in Dingle , and it ran for eight series until 1991. As one of the nation's favorite sitcoms, Bread was created by the late Carla Lane, who sadly passed away in 2016. Viewers will remember many unforgettable moments, including Rita Tushingham’s guest appearance as the neighbor Celia, Liverpool singer Sonia playing Adrian’s girlfriend Ellia, and the family’s holiday to Italy in the 1988 Christmas special, among others. But what have the stars of the show been up to since then? After Bread, the cast has participated in a variety of projects, including Hollywood films, theater tours, and soap operas. Unfortunately, some of the legendary actors are no longer with us. Here, we take a brief look back at what several of the characters have done since the show ended. Jean Boht - Nellie Boswell Jean Boht played Nellie, the matriarch of the family and "tough love" mum to the Boswell clan. Fearsomely protective of her children, Nellie was a fan favourite who demanded respect at the kitchen table from her sons. Wirral-born Jean’s career spanned the years from 1962, seeing her star in Some Mothers Do ’Ave ’Em, Juliet Bravo in the mid-1980s, and Mothers And Daughters, in 2004. She has also visited soapland, with appearances in Casualty, Doctors, Holby City and The Bill. She also appeared on stage with Jeremy Irons in Embers in 2006 and starred in Chris Shepherd's award-winning short film Bad Night for the Blues in 2010.. In her personal life, Jean, now aged 90s, married American conductor Carl Davis in 1970 and together they have three daughters. Boht died aged 91 on Tuesday, September 12, 2023. Sharing the news in a statement, her family said: “Jean had been battling vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease with the indefatigable spirit for which she was both beloved and renowned. She was a resident at Denville Hall, the home for members of the theatrical profession.” Ronald Forfar - Freddie Boswell Nellie's adulterous husband Freddie Boswell was played by Ronald Forfar. Recognisable from his shock of untrained white hair and a cheeky comeback, Freddie's affair with Lilo Lil was a constant through. Forfar previously starred in an episode of ITV spy series The New Avengers in 1976 and in TV series Airport Chaplain the following year. And after finishing Bread, he continued to have a prestigious acting career as well as becoming a novelist. He went on to appear in the Chuckle Brother's Chucklevision several times between 1998 and 2002. Forfar lived in Normandy renovating a country cottage between 1996 and 2009, before moving to Paris and Kent in later years, but died aged 81 in September 2020. Eileen Pollock - Lilo Lill Despite not being a Boswell, Eillen Pollock's character Lilo Lill was one of the most recognisable characters on the show. Eileen brought to life Lilo Lil, who was the 'other woman' in Freddie Boswell's marriage to Nellie, between 1986 and 1991. The Belfast actress later appeared in the film version of Frank McCourt's book Angela's Ashes in 1999 and starred in Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman movie Far and Away in 1992, as landlady Molly. And in more recent years, Eileen turned her attention to the theatre, performing in a one-woman show Now I'm Sixty and in 2010 directed The Irish Wake of Paddy McGrath. She also delighted audiences with appearances in numerous pantomimes - which she said fulfilled a childhood dream of hers. But in 2020, her family announced she had sadly died at the age of 73. Jonathon Morris - Adrian Boswell Jonathon played Adrian Boswell, who stood out from his brothers as he looked to pursue a creative career. Best known for his role in Bread as Adrian Boswell, Boswell has continued to act. He presented CBBC game show The Movie Game from 1991 to 1993, replacing Phillip Schofield and made appearances on the popular '90s Channel 5 game show Night Fever. Prior to Bread, he had previously starred in the short-lived ITV sitcom That Beryl Marston! Born in Manchester in 1960, Morris also appeared in Beau Geste, Doctor Who, and The Prisoner of Zenda and in 2005 he competed in the third series of Channel 4 sports-based reality show The Games. In 2012, he revisited the setting of Bread on Elswick Street in Dingle ahead of his appearance in an ECHO Arena production of Sleeping Beauty. Peter Howitt - Joey Boswell Peter Howitt played the oldest of the Boswell children, Joey, until series five when Graham Bickley replaced him. The actor's first notable roles were in the long-running ITV series How We Use To Live and in Emmerdale in 1985. Peter has since gone on to write and direct romantic comedy and box office hit Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow in 1998, as well as Johnny English and Dangerous Parking. He now lives in Vancouver, Canada, with his wife and family. The writer and director recently paid tribute to Carla Lane's essential role in shaping the show . He said: "She wrote about five or six hit shows, consistently good, consistently funny. I flew all the way to Liverpool when she died. It was so important to pay my respects to someone who changed my life. It changed all of our lives." Victor McGuire - Jack Boswell Victor McGuire, from Tuebrook, played the loveable Jack Boswell in Bread and has since made notable appearances on both cinema and television screens. He later went on to play Ron Wheatcroft opposite Nicholas Lyndhurst in Goodnight Sweetheart and starred in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, The Woman in Black, Dalziel And Pascoe, Casualty and 2point4 Children. He has also appeared as security guard Ian in the Sky1 sitcom Trollied, Casualty, Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens in 2015, and had a spell as Big Garth on Coronation Street in 2019. More recently, viewers will have spotted him in The Responder and Kate and Koji. In 2020 he appeared as a policeman in an advert for Haribo. He also starred in ITV sitcom Kate & Koji as a customer named Mr. Mulholland, which he later reprised in 2022. Gilly Coman - Aveline Boswell Gilly Coman played Nellie's daughter Aveline, who was rose among the thorns of her brothers in the Boswell family. At the centre of one of Bread's most memorable moments, more than 21m viewers watched her Catholic character marry Protestant vicar Oswald in 1988. The actress also starred in Brookside, Coronation Street and Inspector Morse. Tragically, the mother-of-three died in 2010, of a suspected heart attack, aged 54. Nick Conway - Billy Boswell Youngest son Billy Boswell was played by Nick Conway. In the show, the character seemed to have a battle on his hands just to achieve the most basic of tasks - though not always through any fault of his own. Nick also appeared in Starting Out, Thank You Mrs Clinkscales, When Saturday Comes, Keep On Running and Juliet Bravo. The actor, from Shrewsbury, has starred in episodes of The Bill, Doctors and Coronation Street as recently as 2010. He has featured in many theatre productions and currently runs a theatre school. He currently works as a DJ under the name Nick Campbell. Melanie Hill - Aveline Boswell Actress Melanie Hill replaced Gilly as Aveline on Bread and stayed with the show until it was brought to an end in 1991. In her career, she was had starring roles in The Syndicate, BBC drama Waterloo Road and in the film Stardust. She is known for playing Cathy Matthews in Coronation Street between 2015 and 2022. Nowadays, she can be seen on Casualty where she plays Siobhan McKenzie. What are your favourite memories of Bread? Let us know in the comments section below. Bryan Murray - Cousin Shifty Decades after Bread aired, some of the cast members spoke to the ECHO and reflected on making the programme, their most memorable moments and working with Carla Lane, one of the most celebrated TV writers of her generation. Bryan Murray, now in his seventies played The Boswells' cousin Shifty, a role for which he won a BBC TV Personality of the Year Award. He said: “When you meet Jean, the warmth she gives you is the equivalent of your mother. You’re being welcomed home. Jean was amazing." Bryan has since gone on to star in a variety of television programmes and films such as Fair City and Brookside, Silent Witness and The Tudors.Wall Street ends little changed after giving up a big morning gain
By Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times (TNS) Every day millions of people share more intimate information with their accessories than they do with their spouse. Wearable technology — smartwatches, smart rings, fitness trackers and the like — monitors body-centric data such as your heart rate, steps taken and calories burned, and may record where you go along the way. Like Santa Claus, it knows when you are sleeping (and how well), it knows when you’re awake, it knows when you’ve been idle or exercising, and it keeps track of all of it. People are also sharing sensitive health information on health and wellness apps , including online mental health and counseling programs. Some women use period tracker apps to map out their monthly cycle. These devices and services have excited consumers hoping for better insight into their health and lifestyle choices. But the lack of oversight into how body-centric data are used and shared with third parties has prompted concerns from privacy experts, who warn that the data could be sold or lost through data breaches, then used to raise insurance premiums, discriminate surreptitiously against applicants for jobs or housing, and even perform surveillance. The use of wearable technology and medical apps surged in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic, but research released by Mozilla on Wednesday indicates that current laws offer little protection for consumers who are often unaware just how much of their health data are being collected and shared by companies. “I’ve been studying the intersections of emerging technologies, data-driven technologies, AI and human rights and social justice for the past 15 years, and since the pandemic I’ve noticed the industry has become hyper-focused on our bodies,” said Mozilla Foundation technology fellow Júlia Keserű, who conducted the research. “That permeates into all kinds of areas of our lives and all kinds of domains within the tech industry.” The report “From Skin to Screen: Bodily Integrity in the Digital Age” recommends that existing data protection laws be clarified to encompass all forms of bodily data. It also calls for expanding national health privacy laws to cover health-related information collected from health apps and fitness trackers and making it easier for users to opt out of body-centric data collections. Researchers have been raising alarms about health data privacy for years. Data collected by companies are often sold to data brokers or groups that buy, sell and trade data from the internet to create detailed consumer profiles. Body-centric data can include information such as the fingerprints used to unlock phones, face scans from facial recognition technology, and data from fitness and fertility trackers, mental health apps and digital medical records. One of the key reasons health information has value to companies — even when the person’s name is not associated with it — is that advertisers can use the data to send targeted ads to groups of people based on certain details they share. The information contained in these consumer profiles is becoming so detailed, however, that when paired with other data sets that include location information, it could be possible to target specific individuals, Keserű said. Location data can “expose sophisticated insights about people’s health status, through their visits to places like hospitals or abortions clinics,” Mozilla’s report said, adding that “companies like Google have been reported to keep such data even after promising to delete it.” Related Articles A 2023 report by Duke University revealed that data brokers were selling sensitive data on individuals’ mental health conditions on the open market. While many brokers deleted personal identifiers, some provided names and addresses of individuals seeking mental health assistance, according to the report. In two public surveys conducted as part of the research, Keserű said, participants were outraged and felt exploited in scenarios where their health data were sold for a profit without their knowledge. “We need a new approach to our digital interactions that recognizes the fundamental rights of individuals to safeguard their bodily data, an issue that speaks directly to human autonomy and dignity,” Keserű said. “As technology continues to advance, it is critical that our laws and practices evolve to meet the unique challenges of this era.” Consumers often take part in these technologies without fully understanding the implications. Last month, Elon Musk suggested on X that users submit X-rays, PET scans, MRIs and other medical images to Grok, the platform’s artificial intelligence chatbot, to seek diagnoses. The issue alarmed privacy experts, but many X users heeded Musk’s call and submitted health information to the chatbot. While X’s privacy policy says that the company will not sell user data to third parties, it does share some information with certain business partners. Gaps in existing laws have allowed the widespread sharing of biometric and other body-related data. Health information provided to hospitals, doctor’s offices and medical insurance companies is protected from disclosure under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act , known as HIPAA, which established federal standards protecting such information from release without the patient’s consent. But health data collected by many wearable devices and health and wellness apps don’t fall under HIPAA’s umbrella, said Suzanne Bernstein, counsel at Electronic Privacy Information Center. “In the U.S. because we don’t have a comprehensive federal privacy law ... it falls to the state level,” she said. But not every state has weighed in on the issue. Washington, Nevada and Connecticut all recently passed laws to provide safeguards for consumer health data. Washington, D.C., in July introduced legislation that aimed to require tech companies to adhere to strengthened privacy provisions regarding the collection, sharing, use or sale of consumer health data. In California, the California Privacy Rights Act regulates how businesses can use certain types of sensitive information, including biometric information, and requires them to offer consumers the ability to opt out of disclosure of sensitive personal information. “This information being sold or shared with data brokers and other entities hypercharge the online profiling that we’re so used to at this point, and the more sensitive the data, the more sophisticated the profiling can be,” Bernstein said. “A lot of the sharing or selling with third parties is outside the scope of what a consumer would reasonably expect.” Health information has become a prime target for hackers seeking to extort healthcare agencies and individuals after accessing sensitive patient data. Health-related cybersecurity breaches and ransom attacks increased more than 4,000% between 2009 and 2023, targeting the booming market of body-centric data, which is expected to exceed $500 billion by 2030, according to the report. “Nonconsensual data sharing is a big issue,” Keserű said. “Even if it’s biometric data or health data, a lot of the companies are just sharing that data without you knowing, and that is causing a lot of anxiety and questions.” ©2024 Los Angeles Times. Visit at latimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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Looking for Wednesday’s Connections hints and answers instead? You can find them here: Happy Thursday, and happy Macy’s parade day! No matter where you are in the world and whether or not you celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you’re spending time with loved ones. One thing I’m personally very thankful for is, well, you. Putting this column together is a highlight of my day. Having so many of you read it has changed my life in ways I can’t begin to describe. I’ll never get tired of people telling me how much they enjoy it or (especially!) saying that they stop by after playing each day’s game themselves, just to see how I got on. And I definitely appreciate when anyone lets me know that I made an error. So, thank you. I’m very happy we’re starting to build a small community around Connections and this column over on Discord. It’s always fun to find out how other people solved (or didn’t!) each grid. I’ll start including a link to the Discord here in the near future, but I’m intentionally keeping it small to begin with. If you’d like early access, shoot me an email ! Today’s NYT Connections hints and answers for Thursday, November 28, are coming right up. How To Play Connections Connections is a free, popular New York Times daily word game. You get a new puzzle at midnight every day. You can play on the NYT website or Games app. You’re presented with a grid of 16 words. Your task is to arrange them into four groups of four by figuring out the links between them. The groups could be things like items you can click, names for research study participants or words preceded by a body part. There’s only one solution for each puzzle, and you’ll need to be careful when it comes to words that might fit into more than one category. You can shuffle the words to perhaps help you see links between them. Each group is color coded. The yellow group is usually the easiest to figure out, blue and green fall in the middle, and the purple group is usually the most difficult one. The purple group often involves wordplay. Select four words you think go together and press Submit. If you make a guess and you’re incorrect, you’ll lose a life. If you’re close to having a correct group, you might see a message telling you that you’re one word away from getting it right, but you’ll still need to figure out which one to swap. If you make four mistakes, it’s game over. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen with the help of some hints, and, if you’re really struggling, today’s Connections answers. As with Wordle and other similar games, it’s easy to share results with your friends on social media and group chats. If you have an NYT All Access or Games subscription, you can access the publication’s Connections archive. This includes every previous game of Connections , so you can go back and play any of those that you have missed. Aside from the first 60 games or so, you should be able to find my hints for each grid via Google if you need them! Just click here and add the date of the game for which you need clues or the answers to the search query. What Are Today’s Connections Hints? Scroll slowly! Just after the hints for each of today’s Connections groups, I’ll reveal what the groups are without immediately telling you which words go into them. Today’s 16 words are... And the hints for today’s Connections groups are: What Are Today’s Connections Groups? Need some extra help? Be warned: we’re starting to get into spoiler territory. Today’s Connections groups are... What Are Today’s Connections Answers? Spoiler alert! Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Connections answers. This is your final warning! Today’s Connections answers are... I'm pleased to get back to winning ways with a perfect game. Here's how I fared: 🟨🟨🟨🟨 🟩🟩🟩🟩 🟪🟪🟪🟪 🟦🟦🟦🟦 I always enjoy when there's a timely theme to Connections (the emoji grid on April 1 remains a personal favorite). So I got a kick out of seeing THANKS and GIVING on the top row. After a few tougher games (even though yesterday's should have been easier for me), I was very glad to have a straightforward grid today. The combo of THANKS and CREDIT made the yellows clear, as did CHEAT and CON for the greens. There was really only one possible meaning for GOBBLE, but I figured that the other group would be the purples. Sure enough, I deduced that connection and completed that group first. That left the blues for a smooth win. That’s all there is to it for today’s Connections clues and answers. Be sure to check my blog for hints and the solution for Friday’s game if you need them. P.S. One of my favorite songs of the year is Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us." It feels apt to share it following this week's news about Drake accusing UMG (the record label for both artists) and Spotify of artificially inflating the popularity of the track. Just take the L, man. The song was a mega hit. “Not Like Us” is an utter demolition of Drake that, following some back and forth, decisively crowned Lamar as the winner of a feud between the pair. I've never heard a catchier diss track nor a more stunningly efficient ethering (even though I needed to look up the meaning of some lyrics) of someone. For the sake of keeping things somewhat family friendly, I've included a clean version of the track below, but the unrestricted music video is on YouTube for your enjoyment: If you’re so inclined, please do follow my blog for more coverage of Connections and other word games and even some video game news, insights and analysis. It helps me out a lot! Also, follow me on Bluesky ! It’s fun there.Trump Cabinet picks, appointees targeted by bomb threats and swatting attacksWho are the favorites to win Golden Globes? | Streamed & Screened podcast
As a longtime user directly affected, I’ve followed the rollout of the European Union’s big Digital Markets Act (DMA) over the past few years, wondering how it might impact the time but also other devices and services from tech companies that are deemed gatekeepers in the region. I’ve also often criticized the DMA and what the EU is trying to do in the region to improve competition and user access to services. With the DMA now fully implemented, I can’t see anything I like about the iPhone and iPad features Apple has to deploy. , third-party app stores, and third-party payment systems on my devices. I’ve also looked at what others are doing related to the DMA, namely , which has been quite vocal about . As a user of the latter, I said I’d never bridge any chat app with WhatsApp. Instead, I’d download a separate chat app if need be to talk to one of my contacts. I was wondering what Meta’s endgame was all along, and the recent Meta-Apple developments have answered my questions. It looks like Meta made no fewer than 15 interoperability requests (and counting) from Apple under the DMA laws. That would explain why Meta is so keen on having WhatsApp appear to be interoperable with other services. It’s a way to say that Meta is doing the interoperability work to claim similar benefits from rivals like Apple. Sign up for the most interesting tech & entertainment news out there. By signing up, I agree to the and have reviewed the However, Apple has released a report that details the privacy implications of Meta’s requests. Apple says that if it were to make the changes Meta wants, the giant social network provider could gain access to iPhone and iPad features that should always be private. I know what you must be thinking. This is a battle between tech giants, and the user might not really win. I get that. But I’m also an iPhone user in the EU who will be impacted directly by what happens in this particular case. More importantly, I’m old enough to remember which of these two tech giants protected user privacy better and which has had to deal with the most user privacy violations of the two. That’s why it’s a no-brainer to choose Apple’s side on this and hope the EU will do the same. Whatever happens, I’ll never grant Meta the kind of access it’s requesting Apple. It’ll still be up to the user to really want interoperability from competing services. So what does Meta want? According to Apple’s , Meta wants access to iPhone and iPad features that would endanger user privacy. From the document: As we strive to comply with the DMA, we carefully review each interoperability request we receive. As an example of our concerns, Meta has made 15 requests (and counting) for potentially far-reaching access to Apple’s technology stack that, if granted as sought, would reduce the protections around personal data that our users have come to expect from their devices. If Apple were to have to grant all of these requests, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp could enable Meta to read on a user’s device all of their messages and emails, see every phone call they make or receive, track every app that they use, scan all of their photos, look at their files and calendar events, log all of their passwords, and more. This is data that Apple itself has chosen not to access to provide the strongest possible protection to users. It’s not just about Meta. If the EU makes Apple approve all of Meta’s requests or many of them, other companies might follow. That could include more malicious actors who can’t wait to get their hands to more access inside the iPhone and iPad. Apple also lists the iPhone and iPad technologies Meta would like access to under the DMA, as seen above. It also provides specific examples of Meta’s requests regarding iMessage, AirPlay, App Intents, and CarPlay. “In many cases, Meta is seeking to alter functionality in a way that raises concerns about the privacy and security of users, and that appears to be completely unrelated to the actual use of Meta external devices, such as Meta smart glasses and Meta Quests,” Apple said in a comment . Meta provided its own comment, accusing Apple of using privacy as a shield to avoid interoperability. “What Apple is actually saying is they don’t believe in interoperability,” a Meta spokesperson told . “Every time Apple is called out for its anticompetitive behavior, they defend themselves on privacy grounds that have no basis in reality.” Again, one of these companies has always tried to protect user privacy, while the other has been involved in privacy scandals. I choose to side with the former. Apple is appealing to the EU to safeguard user privacy in Europe. This privacy is already enshrined in the GDPR legislation but might be skirted by DMA interoperability changes. The European Commission announced it’s holding consultations on the proposed measures that Apple should implement to ensure interoperability between iOS, iPadOS, and other operating systems. The Commission’s covers the consultations, stating that interested parties (citizens, companies, organizations, and developers) can submit feedback by January 9th. We’ll have to wait and see what happens after that. By March, the EU will evaluate the feedback received and make specific interoperability compliance requests to Apple.Trump Cabinet picks, appointees targeted by bomb threats and swatting attacks
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