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SC health officials report measles exposure at 3 new locations
According to the South Carolina Department of Public Health, 185 cases of the measles have now been confirmed across the Upstate.
NC receives $213 million from CMS for rural health care
"Thanks to Congress establishing this investment and President Trump for his leadership, states are stepping forward with bold, creative plans to expand rural access, strengthen their workforces, modernize care, and support the communities that keep our nation running."- CMS administrator, Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Meet the 2026 Business Awards & Hall of Fame honorees
Meet the six honorees who will be recognized at the Business Awards & Hall of Fame, hosted by Business Report and Junior Achievement in March. These are this year’s winners, selected by a panel of independent community judges. All of this year’s honorees will be profiled in the March edition of Business Report and honored […]
Man accused of placing pipe bombs near GOP and Democratic headquarters in Washington to remain in jail pending trial
Brian Cole Jr. allegedly placed explosives outside the Democratic and Republican National Committee buildings on January 5, 2021.
Opinion | Trump Is the Jan. 6 President
Tragically, America is still living in a political era that began on Jan. 6, 2021.
How long has Trump been in office? 2026 will bring his first year back
President Donald Trump returned to office for his second term on Jan. 20, 2025. He served his first term from 2017-2021. It has nearly been 365 days.
Alleged DC pipe bomber to appear at detention hearing as his attorneys argue he should be released from jail
Ahead of a detention hearing Tuesday for the man accused of placing two pipe bombs near the Republican and Democratic National Committee buildings in 2021, defense attorneys argue their client should be released from jail while awaiting trial, in part because the bombs never detonated.
Looking Ahead to 2026: Views on Fixed-Odds Betting
BloodHorse has reprised its online year-end survey to ask some of the sport's leading individuals for their opinions on pertinent issues facing the sport.
George Clooney and his family are now citizens of France. Good luck with that!
George Clooney, his wife Amal and their 8-year-old twins are French citizens as of last week, reports say. The Clooneys bought property in France in 2021.
New owner with checkered political past takes over newspaper serving Missouri’s capital
A trio of newspapers that cover Missouri’s capital city and surrounding communities will now be run by a polarizing figure in state politics.
Remembering what Windows 10 did right—and how it made modern Windows more annoying
Remembering Windows 10's rollout can help diagnose what ails Windows 11.
Fourth Fest Entertainment Announcement
Another Bond County Fourth Fest will be held again this summer in downtown Greenville. “We’re excited to kick off this year’s announcements for Bond County Fourth Fest as we celebrate America’s 250th birthday,” said Randy Alderman, co-chair of the Bond County Fourth Fest. “Our first headliner will perform Friday night, July 3rd — the world’s
The year measles came back
Doctors reflect on how the virus’s resurgence has affected their patients and themselves in 2025: “It’s been insane.”
Keeping UH Competitive In A Changing College Sports Landscape
In the NIL era, doing nothing risks a downward spiral. UH needs a balanced approach to stay competitive.
Top 10 for 2025: Business Bites
Y'all love the business bites. Here's the top 10 roundups for 2025, in descending order of web hits. -Business Bites: Chik-fil-A files traffic study, Winco, Panera, Ocean Star Seafood, local wins Emmy Award, United Way surpasses fundraising goal, Christian bookstore opens in the mall [January] -Business Bites: Elevation closing; Panera files for building permit; Safety
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted U.S. political parties, memo says
The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of Jan. 6, 2021 told investigators someone needed to "speak up" for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen, prosecutors said Sunday.
D.C. pipe bomb suspect disliked both political parties and felt violence would be justified, prosecutors say
Brian Cole is accused of planting the bombs near the headquarters of the Democratic and Republican parties on Jan. 5, 2021. The bombs failed to go off before they were discovered.
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted US political parties because they were 'in charge,' memo says
The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol told investigators after his arrest that he believed someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen. He also said he wanted to target the country’s p...
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted US political parties because they were 'in charge,' memo says
The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol told investigators after his arrest that he believed someone needed to “speak up” for people who believed the 2020 election was stolen
Pipe bomb suspect told FBI he targeted US political parties because they were 'in charge,' memo says
The man accused of placing two pipe bombs in Washington on the eve of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S.
Avalanche Rally Late, Edge Golden Knights 6–5 in Shootout
The post-Christmas game was a sloppy one, but the Avalanche finally scored a win in the shootout.
Polls open in Myanmar as military stages first election since 2021 coup
UN, human rights groups and opposition parties say political process exercise is not is not free, fair or credible.
Who did more harm to public health in 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio did more lasting damage to global public health by dismantling USAID than RFK jr. did at HHS and the CDC.
Whiskey, Soup, Parody and Politics: Lessons from Two Key District Court Trademark Decisions of 2025
This year started with a district court decision defining the parameters of parody and trademark infringement and ended with a case that could have taken the overlap of parody and political free speech to a new level, had it not settled.
Unions sue Baltimore City for refusal to negotiate health benefits
Baltimore City’s major unions sued the city, alleging it is refusing to negotiate aspects of health benefits in violation of a 2022 ordinance.
Faith, science and doctors’ struggle with end of life care
If you believe in medical miracles, it can keep you as a physician from giving up too soon.
Science history: James Webb Space Telescope launches — and promptly cracks our view of the universe
The James Webb Space Telescope blasted off from a launchpad in French Guiana in 2021, before reaching a spot in orbit a million miles away. It soon began breaking cosmology.
AMC Entertainment Stock Hits All-Time Low Despite Avatar Success, Billionaire Buy-In
AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc (NYSE:AMC) stock hit a new all-time low Tuesday at $1.64, even as the company reported its strongest pre-Christmas weekend since 2021. Here’s what investors need to know. Don't Miss: These five entrepreneurs are worth $223 billion – they all believe in one platform that offers a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends 7 Million Gamers Already Trust Gameflip With Their Digital Assets — Now You Can Own a Stake in the Platform What To Know: The bearish price action s
HHS, Robert Kennedy Jr. declare public health emergency for WA after storms, flooding, landslides
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is declaring a public health emergency for Washington after strong winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides damaged the region.
Breakthrough Listen Searched Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS For Technosignatures During Its Closest Approach To Earth
The team found nine "events" that they investigated further. Meanwhile, another team looked at the "non-gravitational" acceleration of the comet, finally pinning down a better estimate of its size.
Weekly Entertainment Report for live music and lively arts in Southern NH, Dec. 24-28
'Tis the season for lively arts and music.
Stigma Is the Enemy of Science and Human Progress
History shows we often dismiss what we don’t yet understand. Here’s why stigmatizing today’s uncomfortable questions may be holding humanity back.
Alec Baldwin shares health struggles stemming from 'Rust' fallout
Alec Baldwin recently discussed the physical and mental health issues he's struggled with since the 2021 'Rust' shooting.
Atoms form basic building blocks of life
The tiny atom, the basic building block of everything, is itself almost nothing, but atoms form a crossroads where science and theology can meet.
Marco Rubio, Ron DeSantis far behind JD Vance in Turning Point USA straw poll
Are conservatives 'all-in' for the Veep?
This Louisiana 20 year old turned four years in a hospital into a business idea
Hunter Henry received a heart transplant in 2021. Four years later he owns his own business, inspired by his time eating hospital food.
AMC Entertainment Scores Its Biggest Pre-Christmas Holiday Weekend Since 2021, as More Than 4 Million Moviegoers Visited an AMC or ODEON Cinemas Location From Thursday Through Sunday
LEAWOOD, Kan., December 22, 2025--AMC Entertainment (NYSE: AMC), the largest theatrical exhibitor in the United States and the world, today announced a strong opening-weekend performance for AVATAR: FIRE & ASH at AMC’s U.S. theatres and internationally at ODEON Cinemas. Combined with solid performances from several other new releases and holdover films, AMC enjoyed its best pre-Christmas holiday weekend since 2021, based on attendance and admissions revenue.
Health literacy
WHO fact sheet on health literacy, including key facts, overview, existing inequalities, the importance and social benefits of health literacy, and WHO's response.
The internet just made a 300TB copy of Spotify!
Nearly all of Spotify has been scraped, and it's already on torrents.
Algeria bill seeks to criminalise French colonial rule: What to know
Algerian parliament is set to vote on Wednesday on the draft law, which speaker calls a 'defining milestone'.
US seizes another vessel off Venezuela as Trump administration ramps up pressure on Caracas
Personnel from the United States boarded and seized a vessel off the coast of Venezuela, according to an official familiar with the matter, as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on Caracas.
Portland home décor retailer Schoolhouse lays off most employees, future uncertain
Schoolhouse sold to Food52, a New York food and lifestyle publisher, in 2021.
Scandals, prediction markets: Is 2025 a turning point for sports betting?
Here are the stories that dominated sports betting's year -- and will continue to be battlegrounds in 2026.
Lamont details $168 million plan to cover federal cuts for food, health care, housing aid
Gov. Ned Lamont detailed his plans Thursday to use $168 million from an emergency fund lawmakers created last month. In a letter to legislative leaders, Lamont said he was tapping into the $500 million fund for access to food, housing, and health care. “We wanted to do – make sure that we had people’s backs and that our people weren’t…
Penguins to be sold to new owners Hoffmann family; Fenway Sports Group out after 3-plus years
Rumors have swirled about a potential sale. Now, the Penguins will have their third owners since 2021.
Apple Tested a MacBook With the A15 Chip
An internal Apple kernel debug kit suggests Apple has tested a MacBook with the A15 chip, alongside a separate A18 Pro-based MacBook that appears to be closer to a shippable product. The information comes from internal kernel debug kit files used by Apple engineers. The kit was accidentally released on Apple's website earlier this year, but it was quickly pulled after information started leaking out of it.
Science Central to host first holiday event, Winter WonderLab
The Winter WonderLab will take place December 18 through 20.
When politics overtakes the pulpit, faith and community lose
A call for open-hearted, compassionate Christianity free of political messaging.
Exclusive: House Judiciary Committee expands Jack Smith probe
The House Judiciary Committee is demanding interviews with four current and former Department of Justice officials who were involved in subpoenaing phone records for several members of Congress around the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack, the day before Republicans interview former special counsel Jack Smith.
AI blueprint from NAACP prioritizes health equity in model development
Artificial intelligence could further widen race-based disparities in healthcare, the organization says. Its new blueprint is meant as a first step in a larger, more ambitious campaign to ensure that racial fairness is a priority for U.S. healthcare AI.
Business News: Swiss Watch Industry Faces First Employment Downturn Since Post-Covid Era
Employment in the Swiss watch industry fell by 1.3% in 2025, the first drop since 2021, according to an industry association report.
iPhone 17e and iPhone 18 Pro Modem Specs Leak Online
Internal Apple code suggests the iPhone 17e may ship with Apple's first-generation C1-series cellular modem technology while omitting Apple's N1 wireless chip, and it indicates Apple is still deciding between the C1X and C2 for the iPhone 18 Pro. The details come from internal kernel debug kit files derived from an Apple prototype device running an early build of what became iOS 26. The considerable leak has revealed specific details about dozens of upcoming Apple devices.
Amid rise in flu cases, Health Ministry recommends vulnerable people wear protective face masks
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Nicholas Hum: Australian Paralympic long jump medallist dies aged 32
Australian Para-athlete Nicholas Hum, who won bronze in long jump at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2021, dies at the age 32.
Gov. DeSantis appoints Alan Suskey, Cody Vanlandingham to Florida Athletic Commission
Both donated thousand to DeSantis' federal PAC after he announced his 2023 candidacy.
Award of Merit, Sports/Entertainment: Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion
Combining living habitats, hands-on exploration and behind-the-scenes functions, the $141-million, 50,000-sq-ft Ocean Pavilion differs from other aquariums by highlighting the interconnectedness of human and marine life.
Science in a French City, Which I Shall Not Name
It has a beautiful historic center with typical old European streets and an impressive number of museums. It is a delightful area of narrow cobbled streets, small charming squares, and beautiful old buildings. It is a very old city—more than 2,000 years old. It is a green city with many parks. There are 14 churches and cathedrals in this city, although over the years it has become less Christian and more Muslim. [Alex Gordon]
UK Wants All iPhones to Block Explicit Images Unless You Prove Age
Apple and Google will soon be "encouraged" to build nudity-detection algorithms into their software by default, as part of the UK government's strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, reports the Financial Times. According to the report, Home Office officials want device operating systems to prevent any nudity from being displayed unless users can verify that they're adults through biometric checks or official ID.
Refugee and migrant health system review in Lithuania
Lithuania has experienced a substantial increase in the number of refugees and migrants, particularly following the 2021 Belarus border situation and the mass displacement from Ukraine in 2022. By late 2024, over 91,000 Ukrainians had been cumulatively registered in Lithuania, with about 47,000 holding valid temporary protection status. This increase, alongside sizeable communities of Belarusian nationals, Russian citizens and other regular migrants covered under compulsory health insurance contributions, has brought new challenges for Lithuania’s health system, especially related to continuity of care, interpretation support and equitable access across municipalities. This report presents the findings of a joint review of the health system in Lithuania, conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Lithuania, and other partners. The review examines the capacity of Lithuania’s health system to provide services for refugees and migrants. It focuses on the health challenges facing refugees and migrants, the policies and systems in place to address these challenges, and the opportunities to strengthen long-term health system capacity. Furthermore, the report offers practical recommendations for addressing the barriers refugees and migrants face in accessing health services.
US Sen. Rand Paul concerned redistricting efforts will lead to violence
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, in an interview for "Meet the Press," said he is concerned efforts to redraw congressional districts may stir tension.
Business School Undergrads Are Still Coming — But They’re Taking Longer To Decide
Applications to undergraduate business programs climbed 38% over five years, but global enrollment remained largely flat.
Can Lawmakers Find a Solution to Expiring Health Care Subsidies?
The United States Senate rejected a pair of health care bills that would have delivered relief to more than 20 million Americans before the end of the year. Now, cost-saving subsidies added to the Affordable Care Act in 2021 are likely to expire on New Year’s Eve, causing patient prices to increase by as much as 100%. NBC’s Anne Thompson reports in this week’s Sunday Focus.
Former Starbucks To Be Demolished, Replaced With New Bank: CT Business News
Longtime Business Closes / CT's Top Restaurants, Chefs Of 2025 / Downtown Landmark Celebrates 50 Years / Stop & Shop Closing Store & More...
Lee Cataluna: Selling Out On College Sports Is The New Career Plan
Sadly, a good college education is succumbing to fast money and superficial celebrity.
Winter Doesn't Slow Down Entertainment in Buena Vista - by Carly Winchell
Buena Vista (BV) has become known as a small town with a lively music scene. Entertainment does not die down during the winter months either. Below are a
Southwick business reaches agreement over loan fraud
As part of the settlement, Comark admitted to receiving a PPP loan in January 2021, meant to be used as financial assistance during the covid pandemic.
Political power and profitable trades in the US Congress
The debate over whether US members of Congress should be allowed to trade individual stocks has become a mainstream policy concern. This column uses data on every US congressional stock trade from 1995 to 2021 to reveal that while rank-and-file members do not systematically beat the market, once some of them assume leadership positions their portfolios start to look very different and outperform those of regular members. The pattern raises uncomfortable questions about how political power, corporate access, and personal wealth interact.
HB 289 could expand wrongful death act to unborn children in the Sunshine State
Two possible abortion bills already sparking debate.
There’s no room for hunger at UC Berkeley School of Public Health
In 2021 UCBPH launched a food pantry run by the Dream office, which quickly grew to encompass direct stipends, and personal and home care products.
Recent Trends in Commercial Health Insurance Market Concentration
Commercial health insurance markets remain highly concentrated across coverage types. However, the individual market, which consists mostly of the ACA Marketplaces, has attracted more insurers and witnessed greater insurer competition across a variety of measures since the implementation of the enhanced premium tax credits in 2021, according to a new Healthy System Tracker analysis.
Devlin playing 'best football of his life'
With rival fans and a few pundits claiming the air had been seeping out of Hearts' bubble after a few dropped points, the victory over champions Celtic may make them reconsider their opinion. While the spotlight has been on Hearts' new recruits this season - the likes of Claudio Braga and Alexandros Kyziridis have claimed much of the attention - the standout player is now in his fifth season at Tynecastle. Few people had heard of Cammy Devlin when he joined the club in summer 2021.
The New WHO Pandemic Treaty and Global Health Governance: Incorporating Common but Differentiated Responsibilities into PABS - Georgetown Journal of International Affairs
On May 20, 2025, the World Health Assembly unanimously adopted the World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement, an international treaty designed to strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. The product of three years of arduous negotiations, the treaty marks a new era of global cooperation in public health. However, core aspects of the agreement remain unresolved—notably the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) System, which is intended to ensure equitable access to pandemic-related materials and benefits. To support the successful implementation of the WHO Pandemic Agreement, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Introduction For the first time, an international treaty has enshrined the principle of “One Health,” the compelling idea that the health of animals, humans, and the environment all contribute to pandemic risks. SARS (2003), H1N1 (2009–10), Ebola (2014–16), and COVID-19 all emerged through zoonotic spillover from animal hosts—respectively, civets, hogs, and bats. Together, they underscore the need for a coordinated, cross-sectoral approach. The Pandemic Agreement responds to this call, requiring state parties to acknowledge the ecological interplay and commit to a comprehensive “One Health” strategy. Specifically, Article 5 charges governments to address “the drivers of pandemics and the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease at the human-animal-environment interface,” including wild animal markets, deforestation, and antibiotic overuse. Yet the effectiveness of this “One Health” vision depends equally on the free flow of scientific information and data among countries and institutions. Just as environmental and animal health factors have been neglected in past global frameworks, so too has data sharing been marginalized, despite its centrality to timely detection and response. The Pandemic Agreement takes an important step by requiring governments to enhance data collection and cooperate with the World Health Organization (WHO). However, these provisions will remain aspirational without a robust Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) annex. The PABS system will determine whether countries and researchers can rapidly exchange pathogen samples and genetic data while ensuring equitable access to resulting research and development, including diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. Without such mechanisms, the treaty’s promise to operationalize “One Health” and strengthen global preparedness will risk becoming largely symbolic, echoing earlier failures to translate shared principles into coordinated action. Equity Concerns When the 2025 Health Assembly adopted the Pandemic Agreement, it left the difficult question of access to pathogens and the sharing of resulting benefits to be addressed in a separate agreement. Negotiations on this separate agreement, PABS, are now underway in Geneva. Yet governments remain divided over fundamental questions of equity between the countries that primarily contribute to the system and those that primarily draw from it—and consequently benefit. For example, wildlife in countries bordering the equator is likely to produce PABS materials, but companies in Europe are likely to use them to develop lucrative products. The most likely contributor countries are likely to be those biodiverse countries around the equator, such as Brazil, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Indonesia, where the number of human-mammalian viral host interactions is large. Conversely, countries most likely to benefit from this material are those with the technology, investors, and infrastructure to capitalize on genomic data, such as the United States, EU member states, and Japan. This imbalance reflects a broader pattern seen in prior international frameworks. Now, as in the past, the wealthiest countries in the world (a useful heuristic is membership of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)) disproportionately benefit from systems in which pathogens and genomic sequencing data are contributed to a common source. Under the International Agreement on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (the “Plant Treaty” or “Seed Treaty”) and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework, companies from Europe and North America disproportionately withdraw biological samples and data for development into lucrative medical products. Their governments and companies have both statutory and contractual claims to the products that those companies correspondingly produce. PABS appears poised to follow the same pattern. The text calls for strong language on access to pathogens and associated data, but the corresponding benefits that should flow to poorer countries are couched in equivocal or non-binding language. Common but Differentiated Responsibilities To address these inequities, the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities” should be formally incorporated into the negotiating agenda of the PABS annex. Common but differentiated responsibilities are often a feature of climate change negotiations. The basic principle is that, even though all countries should reduce carbon emissions, governments that became rich and powerful through massive carbon emissions (e.g., France, the United Kingdom, the United States) should have a greater obligation to address the resulting crises. Applied to PABS, it would require that governments hosting and supporting companies developing lucrative products carry greater obligations toward the cost of running the PABS system; share benefits or final medical products; and transfer technology to help countries worldwide develop their own capacities to innovate and manufacture vaccines during an emergency. For example, an annex could mandate that any company based in an OECD country that withdraws PABS material would be obligated to donate the resulting diagnostics, therapeutics, or vaccines to the WHO during a public health emergency or pandemic. Questions remain about how robust those donations would be, but the principle is that they should deliver highly significant lifesaving benefits to be equitably shared. Theoretically, this approach mirrors the PIP Framework, in which companies withdrawing influenza samples are required to pay half of the operating costs. In practice, however, the framework has fallen short. The PIP Framework Secretariat has struggled to secure payments from companies, with companies often disagreeing over how much is owed. Additionally, without another pandemic influenza to test the strength of the agreement during a public health emergency, corporate compliance with sharing mechanisms remains unknown. Even if these limitations did not characterize the PIP Framework, partially paying for operating expenses does not address the inequity in access to genetic data and pathogen samples that left less developed countries last in line for COVID-19 vaccines (and, before them, H1N1). Common but differentiated responsibilities would go further, addressing governments’ legitimate grievances regarding information sharing. It would make withdrawals of PABS material and resulting products more transparent, building trust across the board. Enforcement and Enduring Success A key implication of this approach is that the governing mechanism of the PABS must have real enforcement authority. The WHO Pandemic Agreement delegates its core governance responsibilities to a Conference of the Parties (COP)—a governing body composed of one representative from each participating government, similar to those established under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The proposed WHO Pandemic Agreement COP is charged with oversight functions but ultimately possesses no real authority to compel a government to take any action it does not wish to take. The text does not give the COP the ability to, for example, sanction a party that does not comply with either textual obligations or PABS provisions. In other words, there are no effective mechanisms in place to ensure compliance. Perhaps just as significant, establishing a meaningful enforcement mechanism within the PABS system would strengthen the WHO’s credibility and its ability to ensure compliance across global health governance. By setting a precedent for accountability, such a mechanism could enhance the organization’s authority not only within the Pandemic Agreement but also in enforcing the revised International Health Regulations and other frameworks for public health emergencies. Conclusion The PABS annex can—and should—be different. It should establish clear responsibilities for funding as well as for sharing the diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines that result from contributions to the system. The system, in turn, must include a dedicated body empowered to hold governments and the corporations they sponsor accountable for their responsibilities before, during, and after pandemics. Doing so would restore trust in the broader agreement, which was eroded as commitments were repeatedly diluted while parties scrambled to meet their own self-imposed deadlines during the Pandemic Agreement negotiations. A robust PABS Annex would cement a grand social bargain. Wealthier countries and their corporations would gain unimpeded access to scientific information essential for developing and manufacturing lifesaving medical products. As such, they would stand to gain considerable economic benefit. Yet that privilege must be matched with responsibility. The grand bargain must include not only the right to innovate, but also the duty to ensure that innovation serves all. As medical products are developed and produced through collective contributions, every person must have equal access. All human beings deserve an equitable chance to survive—to save their own life, the lives of their families, and the well-being of their communities. … Sam Halabi, JD, MPhil, is the Bette Jacobs Endowed Professor at Georgetown University’s School of Health and the Director of the Center for Transformational Health Law at Georgetown Law. He serves as the co-lead for the WHO’s Working Group on Regulatory Consideration on AI and Health’s training workstream. He earned his JD from Harvard, his MPhil from Oxford, and undergraduate degrees from Kansas State University. Lawrence Gostin, LLD (Hon.), JD, BA, is University Distinguished Professor and Founding Director and Timothy and Linda O’Neill Professor of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law. He is the author of Global Health Security: A Blueprint for the Future (Harvard University Press, 2021); Global Health Law (Harvard University Press, 2014); Public Health Law: Power, Duty, Restraint (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2016); Public Health Law and Ethics: A Reader (University of California Press, 3rd ed., 2018); Law and the Health System (Foundation Press, 2014); Principles of Mental Health Law & Practice (Oxford University Press, 2010). He also directs the WHO Collaborating Center at Georgetown University. Image Credit: United States Mission Geneva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Google Maps Quietly Added This Long-Overdue Feature for Drivers
Google Maps on iOS quietly gained a new feature recently that automatically recognizes where you've parked your vehicle and saves the location for you. Announced on LinkedIn by Rio Akasaka, Google Maps' senior product manager, the new feature auto-detects your parked location even if you don't use the parking pin function, saves it for up to 48 hours, and then automatically removes it once you start driving again. Saving your parking spot in Maps isn't a new ability in itself.
The Mystery Of The Game Awards Monolith Appears To Have Been Spoiled By A Trademark Filing
A piece of routine paperwork may have just leaked one of The Game Awards 2025's biggest mysteries.
Hochul: Statewide shootings down 60% since 2021; shootings in 2025 reach new low
The cities of Albany, Buffalo and Syracuse saw double-digit declines in gun violence.
Nancy Mace escalated airport incident into ‘spectacle’, police investigation says
Republican congresswoman berated TSA personnel in October with profanity and insults, leaving facility employees ‘visibly upset’
Pebble's founder introduces a $75 AI smart ring for recording brief notes with a press of a button
After rebooting the Pebble smartwatch, founder Eric Migicovsky is expanding his company's device lineup with a new smart wearable: an AI-powered smart ring known as Index 01. Named for the finger where the ring is meant to be worn, the new $75 ring is not meant to be a competitor to the always-on, always-listening AI devices, like the AI pendant Friend, but instead offers a way to record quick notes and reminders with a press of a button on the ring's side. AI only comes into play via the open source, speech-to-text, and AI models that run locally on your smartphone, via the open source Pebble mobile app. That is, if the Ring's button is not being pressed, it's not recording. (And this is a press-and-hold gesture, too, which means you can't start the ring's recording and then let go to surreptitiously record a conversation.) You can wear the stainless steel ring while in the shower, washing hands, doing dishes, or in the rain, but you would have to take it off for other water-related activities, like swimming. At launch, it's water-resistant to 1 meter. The ring is also not a fitness tracker or sleep monitor. It doesn't record details about your heart rate or health. And it's not there to be your AI friend. "I'm not trying to build some AI assistant thing," Migicovsky told TechCrunch in an interview. "I build things that solve one main problem, and they solve it really well," he explains. "I think of as external memory for my brain...that's what this is. It's always with you." Plus, the ring has been designed to be highly reliable and privacy-preserving, he says, as all your thoughts are stored on your phone, not in the cloud. There is no subscription. Migicovsky has been wearing the ring for three months now and says he cannot imagine going back to a world where he doesn't always have a memory device with him. "The problem is that, during the day, I get ideas or I remember something, and if I don't write it down that second, I forget it," he says. The ring solves this problem, he adds, without becoming another device you need to charge. "The battery lasts for years," Migicovsky claims. Technically, the ring is said to support roughly 12 to 14 hours of recording. On average, the founder says he uses it 10-20 times per day to record 3-6 second thoughts. At that rate, he'll get about two years of usage. When the ring's battery dies, you can ship it back to the company for recycling. When using Index, you can record up to five minutes of audio, which can be saved to the ring and synced to your phone later. This makes sense for recording briefer, personal thoughts and notes, even when you don't have your phone handy, but it wouldn't work for recording a longer chat, like a presentation, meeting, or in-person interview of some kind. The ring also supports 99+ languages and has a bit of on-device memory, in case you're not in Bluetooth range of your device, where the recording is ultimately saved and transcribed. (The raw audio is retained, too, in case the speech-to-text is garbled due to loud background noise). If you own a Pebble smartwatch or one from another brand, your recorded thought can even appear on the watch's screen so you can verify it's correct. The ring works with Pebble's mobile app, which offers notes and reminders, but can optionally integrate with your phone's calendaring system, too, or other apps, like Notion. And the ring's software is open source, which makes it hackable by the community, the founder points out. Because of its open nature, the ring's button is already programmable. In addition to the press-and-hold gesture, you can program the ring to do other things with a single or double press, like play or pause your music or control the shutter on your phone's camera. You could use it to send a message through the universal chat app Beeper, which Migicovsky also created, or you could add your own voice actions via MCP. A new approach to hardware Migicovsky acknowledges that hardware can be difficult to get right -- as the previous exit of Pebble to Fitbit showed. (Fitbit, too, was later acquired by Google in 2021). "I didn't earn any money during Pebble -- we exited, but it was not a great exit," Migicovsky admits. This year, however, he decided to reboot the Pebble project after Google open sourced the PebbleOS, which opened up the door to new hardware. With his new company, Core Devices, Migicovsky plans to do things differently. Still, the founder doesn't regret his previous choices, he clarifies. "I wouldn't have gone back and changed anything. I loved what we built. I loved what we did. I love the company that we built, but it's not the only way to build a company," he told TechCrunch. " And, speaking as an ex-YC partner, there are -- there's a time and a place for building a venture-backed startup. Some companies are phenomenal when they raise money and build a big team, and I tried that...I think what I'm doing now is trying an alternative path, which is start from profitability," he says. The new company is a small team of five, self-funded, and focused on sustainability. So far, Core Devices has shipped the Pebble 2 Duo smartwatch with a black-and-white display. Its first run sold out, and the company is now preparing to ship the upgraded version, the Pebble Time 2. The newer device, which has seen 25,000 pre-orders, is a stainless steel watch with a larger, color e-ink screen. As for the Index 01, the ring's pre-order offer ends in March 2026. After that, the price increases to $99. It currently comes in silver, polished gold, and matte black and works with iOS and Android devices. Customers can select from eight ring sizes and three colors.
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