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Kristin Davis pitches her idea for final “Sex and the City” chapter when cast is ‘gray’
The actress would love to see Charlotte, Carrie, and Miranda pack their bags for a once-in-a-lifetime girls’ trip.
Poll: Americans are anxious, pessimistic and deeply unhappy with Trump ahead of the midterms
The share of Americans who believe the country is on the wrong track is at the highest level of the president’s second term, according to the NBC News Decision Desk Poll.
Many Women Are Still Struggling to Fill Estrogen Patch Prescriptions. What to Do If You Can’t Get Yours
As demand for menopause treatment increases, estrogen patches are hard to find at pharmacies. Here’s what to do if you can’t refill your prescription.
DP World India Championship: Eugenio Chacarra wins to move top of Race to Dubai standings with Rory McIlroy finishing in a share of 42nd place
Eugenio Chacarra completes third win of DP World Tour season with victory in Delhi; Rory McIlroy shoots two-over final-round as he finishes joint-42nd and slips to third in Race to Dubai; watch Genesis Championship live on Sky Sports from 4am Thursday
Sunday football open thread
OK, no time for frills, fuss, or too many words. Tottenham Hotspur’s men’s team doesn’t play football until Monday afternoon/evening when they host Coventry, but there are still football games to watch and talk about, if you wanna do so. Which I assume you do, because there are always comments on these open threads, and […]
Leukemia That Refuses to Choose: The Science of Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia
A new review in Cancer Cell International synthesizes contemporary classification, clonal biology, and precision therapy for mixed phenotype acute leukemia, arguing that management must track the founding clone across phenotypic states rather than rely on static lineage labels.
Meet the marine technician documenting Antarctica's beauty while protecting its future
Andrew Naslund crosses the world's roughest sea to help scientists study Antarctica's fastest-warming region.
TV Tinsel: Television dresses up for Halloween
It’s that time of year when witches wax their broomsticks, monsters slither out from under beds, and goblins gather at midnight for a séance. Television is doing its best to
Dementia rates are high in Louisiana. These experts have tips to keep our brains healthy.
There are simple ways to reduce your risks of Alzheimer’s disease and other cognitive issues. Doctors share their advice for better diets, sleep and easy exercise.
Top Picks 2026: Best Home, Tech, and Health Products via @ConsumerReports
These Top Pick products are all exceptional choices. They’re the rare stand-outs our experts would confidently recommend to family and friends.
Amazon's delivery box: a symbol of instant gratification and convenience
The Amazon delivery box — a fixture everywhere from suburban front porches to city apartment lobbies — is more than just a cardboard box. It’s symbolic of a shopping culture
Walmart’s AI-enabled 2-in-1 laptop and tablet is on sale for $100
"Worth more than what I paid for it."
‘These are really tough times’: House Republicans confront voter fury over Trump’s Washington in final midterm stretch
GOP operatives conducting a focus group in a traditionally red Midwestern state this month were shocked by what they heard from Republican voters.
Health Matters: Parents see a bicycle, but doctors report motorcycle-level injuries among young e-bike riders
Local health experts warn of risks as youth e-bike use grows From his office window looking out on downtown Edmonds, Assistant Police Chief Josh McClure watches kids on electric bikes […]
Rally held in Rochester to pass the New York Health Act
Rally held in Rochester to pass the New York Health Act
Scientists Found Dozens of Hammerhead Sharks Hanging Out Near Swimmers. Here’s Why.
Drone surveys spotted groups of up to 100 young hammerheads near Australian swimming beaches, where shark control measures pose a threat.
Every Major USB-C Cable Brand Ranked Worst To Best
All of these USB-C cable brands are worth buying, but because the devil is in the details, some brands have managed to separate themselves from the pack.
Bigfoot Subs puts mythic twist on traditional sandwiches
Williamsport, Pa. — Bigfoot was recently sighted in Williamsport — not the cryptid, but a sandwich shop.
Three takeaways from Elon Musk's latest political donations
New filings show the world's richest person spent this summer again trying to help Republicans win office, with most of his focus on one candidate.
Reform politician says smart glasses helping him make speeches in Wales' parliament
Jason O'Connell sparked debate when he started wearing the glasses, which have an autocue feature.
Senedd member says smart glasses help with speeches in the Senedd
Jason O'Connell sparked debate when he started wearing the glasses, which have an autocue feature.
The strange genius of Nathan Fielder, explained in 5 episodes
Nathan Fielder’s ‘You Can See Everything’ has everyone talking. But how do you even begin to explain his whole... thing? These five essential TV episodes are a good place to start.
Readers Write: Political ads, sexual violence, the demise of Hourcar, letter writing
These ad makers must think our brains are mush.
Byron Donalds launches 50-stop bus tour to 'meet voters where they are'
The GOP ticket is hitting the road.
AHN takes lifesaving training into western Pennsylvania classrooms
AHN's new Building Bridges program teaches students CPR, Narcan use and other lifesaving skills while introducing health care careers.
AHN takes lifesaving training into western Pennsylvania classrooms
AHN's new Building Bridges program teaches students CPR, Narcan use and other lifesaving skills while introducing health care careers.
Man gets 2 life sentences for killing 2, injuring 3 in Chester business shooting
A man was sentenced to two life terms in prison for killing two brothers and injuring three other people at a laundry business in Chester in 2024.
Health Act Rally in Rochester
New Yorkers will rally on October 17 in a coordinated day of action calling on the State Legislature to pass the New York Health Act and guarantee healthcare for every New Yorker. Across hundreds of miles, New Yorkers will stand together on the same day, under the same banner, with one unified message for Albany: New York is facing a healthcare crisis.
Heat reduces photosynthesis in California redwoods
California redwoods reduce photosynthesis at high temperatures, which may affect their long-term survival and forests’ capacity to store atmospheric carbon.
Intel Nova Lake Reportedly Ditches The Expected Core Ultra 400 Name For Laptop H And U Chips, As All Five Families Adopt Core Ultra 4000
Intel's upcoming Nova Lake processors will adopt a unified Core Ultra 4000 naming convention across all families, launching in Q1 2027.
‘Danger zone’: These 5 US states are about to be hit hardest by El Niño, experts warn
A powerful El Niño is underway. Here’s how the weather pattern could affect hurricanes, wildfires, flooding and extreme weather across the US.
PSA: Apple’s official silicone iPhone Duo case will require adhesive to stick
iPhone Duo is just about a week away from launching, and now that preorders have opened, Apple’s official iPhone Duo...
The 10 best final girls in horror movie history, ranked
From Sidney Prescott in ‘Scream’ to Selena in ‘28 Days Later,’ these final girls did more than survive — they fought back and became horror legends. Here are our 10 favorites, ranked.
Science icon Bill Nye to speak at RIT’s homecoming
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – RIT has a special guest in town for its homecoming weekend. World-class science educator Bill Nye, best known for his Emmy-winning television series Bill Nye The Science Guy, ...
Science icon Bill Nye to speak at RIT’s homecoming
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – RIT has a special guest in town for its homecoming weekend. World-class science educator Bill Nye, best known for his Emmy-winning television series Bill Nye The Science Gu…
Science icon Bill Nye to speak at RIT’s homecoming
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – RIT has a special guest in town for its homecoming weekend. World-class science educator Bill Nye, best known for his Emmy-winning television series Bill Nye The Science Guy, will be this year’s Brick City Weekend & Student Government speaker. Nye will be at the Gordon Field House at 2 p.m. Since […]
Easton’s Witches’ Walk back for 2nd year. Is the magic still there to draw 1,000 again?
New this year, the Twin Flame Experience — a local husband-and-wife duo — will perform theatrical fire-spinning shows between 6 and 7 p.m. both days.
Modern Warfare 4 Emerges to Best Call of Duty Steam Rating in a Decade
Modern Warfare 4 is the highest-rated Call of Duty game to hit Steam in over a decade, but will that persist when multiplayer gets here?
Rally to pass the New York Health Act
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – Dozens of community members are expected to gather on Saturday morning to call on the State Legislature to pass the New York Health Act. New Yorkers will stand together wit…
Best Ina Garten fall recipes, including soup, pasta, and sandwiches
Ina Garten has many delicious recipes that are perfect for fall, including an easy breakfast sandwich, a quick weeknight Bolognese, and chicken chili.
Bar Harbor in limbo as legal disputes over cruise ships continue
The disputes stem from an ordinance that aimed to limit disembarkations to 1,000 passengers per day.
These 20+ Games Are Coming To Xbox Next Week (October 19-23)
Including one of the biggest Xbox first-party releases of 2026!
Brain cells meant to protect us may be fueling cognitive decline
Scientists have uncovered a surprising cause of age-related cognitive decline involving brain cells previously thought to be entirely beneficial. As these cells become dysfunctional, they can produce abnormal amounts of myelin, disrupting nerve fibers and potentially contributing to worsening memory and thinking skills.
SpaceX Dragon Delivers Groundbreaking Science and Solar Arrays to ISS
SpaceX has delivered tiny brain models, 3D heart tissue, and artificial retina technology to the space station in a mission that could open new doors for medical research on Earth. SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft successfully arrived at the International Space Station on October 15, docking at 10:27 a.m. EDT with the space-facing port of the station’s
California redwoods are struggling in the heat — and it's not clear how much damage is being done
When temperatures rise, California redwoods slow down their rate of photosynthesis, a discovery that could have implications for the long-term survival of the iconic species.
I'm a real estate agent building an ADU. I still made these costly mistakes.
Even for a real estate agent, Shalini Karnani Bonjour says building an ADU has been hard. Here are the biggest mistakes she made and lessons learned.
Susan Dell is the one running the Dells’ $10 billion giving operation—and her biggest bets are on kids, health care, and UT Austin
Michael Dell may be one of the richest men in the world, but his wife Susan is helping decide where billions of their fortune go.
‘Marva to a T:’ Craft prepares for final show at WYO Theater
The upcoming Fall Premiere production, “Anything Goes” will be Marva Craft’s last before she retires from directing the WYO Theater stage.
Brenner named Guardian of Small Businesses
COLUMBUS – The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), Ohio’s leading small business advocacy organization, named state Sen. Andrew Brenner and state Rep. Meredith Craig as Guardians of Small Business, NFIB’s highest legislative honor. NFIB Ohio State Director Jared Weiser presented the awards at NFIB’s Ohio Leadership Council meeting Thursday.
YouTube Gold: The Genius Of Red Auerbach
Even today, coaches could learn a tremendous amount from Red Auerbach
Column: The Great Outdoors (Indoors Edition)
After a lifetime lived in the Montana/Wyoming area, I like to fancy myself a great outdoorsman — somebody who could, if necessary, go full Leonardo-DiCaprio-in-The-Revenant in order to survive.
Best Disney+ deals and bundles: Best streaming deals in October 2026
Catch the best from Marvel, Star Wars, and more with these Disney+ deals and bundles.
Healthcare costs top survey of Americans’ biggest economic concerns, followed by gasoline, food, utilities
The cost of healthcare is the top economic issue for voters, according to a recent national survey, as politicians in Arkansas and across the U.S. prepare to make their final pitches ahead of the November midterm elections.
Africa’s richest man plans to open his Ethiopian fertiliser business to investors through at least 10% stock-market listing
Aliko Dangote plans to list at least 10% of his Ethiopian fertiliser business on ESX, opening a potential ownership route into the Gode venture
Caleb Wilson Flashes in Bulls' Preseason Finale Versus Timberwolves
Chicago took care of a short-handed Minnesota team to wrap up preseason play.
Late artist Lil Poppa’s mother launches foundation focused on youth mental health
The mother of Jacksonville late recording artist Lil Poppa is honoring her son’s life by creating a foundation focused on mental health awareness, suicide prevention and youth support.
Reed Harris added to ASU's Tillman Leadership Council
Reed Harris leads the Big 12 in receiving yards and touchdowns. He is second in catches behind Baylor's Gavin Freeman.
Ketchikan nonprofit launches initiative to strengthen health advocacy for local Filipino families
The Ketchikan Wellness Coalition has been awarded a grant to expand health advocacy for Filipino families in Ketchikan and on Prince of Wales Island. The initiative is called Malasakit Matters. Malasakit is a Tagalog concept that means to have deep compassion and ownership for someone else’s wellbeing. The program is aimed at training Filipino youth […]
Dreaming Big, Building Better: Hugg & Hall Reaches A Major Milestone
Hugg & Hall Equipment Co. celebrates 70 years in business, highlighting its Arkansas roots, family leadership, growth and innovation in construction equipment.
Manny Rutinel smashes Colorado House race fundraising record in 8th CD
Democratic congressional candidate Manny Rutinel raised more than $4.2 million in the most recent quarter in his bid to unseat Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans in Colorado’s most competitive U.S. House race, hauling in more than twice as much as Evans and setting a new state record. Across the board, the state’s Democratic nominees outraised […]
New details emerge in US probe of Chinese-American scientists over China ties
House committee on China releases results of investigations into some 30 scientists as chairman pushes for stricter research security rules.
North Star Sports and Entertainment Network to broadcast 14 Minnesota Men’s Hockey matches
The North Star Sports and Entertainment Network, in partnership with FOX9, will broadcast 14 regular-season Minnesota Men’s Hockey matches during the 2026-2027 season.
Gaston’s science department launches rock collecting project
By Caylie Moore, Features Editor Since the beginning of the school year, Gaston High School students have been working on a pen pal project — but don’t underestimate the point of this assignment, Features Editor Caylie Moore cautions. This project is no ordinary exchange of simple letters, nor unnecessary busywork for a drawn-out English class, […]
Oil reaches $110 per barrel
Welcome to The Hill’s Business & Economy newsletter{beacon} Business & Economy Business & Economy The Big Story Oil hits $110 per barrel for first time since May …
Player Availability Report: #SKCvRSL
Player Availability Report is SportingKC.com’s look at the latest status updates around the team ahead of upcoming matches and is presented by Saint Luke’s. All details listed are from the league’s official Player Status Report that is submitted the day prior to the match. Sporting Kansas City returns home this
Apple blames ‘extraordinary’ demand as foldable iPhones sell out
Deliveries of the $2,000 Duo slip to 2027 within hours of going on sale
Emerald Bay Camping & Marine Science Adventure
NAC Avalon Ocean Club embarked on its first-ever overnight camping adventure down the coast to Emerald Bay. This marked the farthest and longest our young ocean warriors have ventured from Avalon as a team, and what an incredible 24 hours it was. What started as an idea became a reality through an amazing collaboration with […]
73+ brands dropped new products this month — these are the ones our editors already love from Away, Kindle and more
Amazon’s most itty-bitty e-reader is officially here, along with an automatic pour-over machine from Breville and a Nutrofol hair serum to get rid of split ends.
Davis Community Guitar Orchestra presents fall concert
The Davis Community Guitar Orchestra invites music lovers of all ages to an afternoon performance on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Davis Community Church, 412
AI chatbots could make healthcare more accessible, but some doctors are still wary
AI chatbots are everywhere these days, helping to write emails or draft resumes and answer users’ burning questions about everything from their love life to medical advice.
Olympiacos Target Former Manchester United Winger
Olympiacos are revisiting a move for former Manchester United man and free agent Adnan Januzaj to bolster their wing depth as injury concerns and lack of impact plague current options.
Apple's $79 iPhone Duo Case Sticks On With Adhesive
Apple's iPhone Duo Case uses adhesive to attach to the device, according to people who have picked one up. The case comes in two pieces and uses adhesive strips along the inside edges to attach securely to an iPhone Duo. An included insert instructs users to peel off the adhesive's protective film, put each half on the Duo, and then press down to make sure it's well-adhered. The iPhone Duo Case is made from polycarbonate and comes in Sand and Navy Blue.
HomeView will include these Apple apps at launch
Apple’s HomeView is available to pre-order now and ships November 13. Here are the Apple apps you’ll be able to use on HomeView at launch.
Business Community Update: Fall 2026 - City of West Chicago, Illinois
The City of West Chicago is pleased to welcome several new businesses to our community, along with businesses that have recently changed ownership, relocated, or expanded their operations. These investments reflect the continued growth and diversity of West Chicago's business community. New Businesses Please join us in welcoming the following businesses to West Chicago: ALM
Measles cases spike by 37 in the past week
Lancaster County’s measles cases continue to climb with 37 new cases in the past week, the highest rise in people sickened with measles in a seven-day period since early September.
Anime Gambling Horror Game Ditches Free Steam Demo Over Fears Of Getting Ripped Off By AI
Drunken Goddess Reflux will have a closed beta instead
Live-work-create tech village eyed for Manchester
A tech-entrepreneur turned venture capitalist is eyeing one of the largest undeveloped tracts in Manchester for a community where tech- and startup-minded people would live and work.Freedom Village would be located on 250 acres of mostly wooded land at Hackett Hill, which is located in the northwestern corner of Manchester.
Jennifer Lawrence Officially Launches New Business Venture That Fans Weren’t Expecting
Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence is officially making her stride into the commercial beauty landscape. She is stepping into the beauty business with a haircare brand of her own. The actress is ...
Stand Up for Science Traces the Surprising Story Behind Ozempic and Related Drugs in the Latest 'Traces
Venom from a desert lizard, a hormone that vanishes in minutes & 40 years of persistence: the “overnight” weight loss drug revolution wasn’t overnight at all
HomePod is about to get free upgrade with these new features
There’s no new full-size HomePod launching yet, but Apple has confirmed three features coming to the existing HomePod 2 soon.
“Something Out of Science Fiction”: A Ghostly Green Star Has Been Revealed for the First Time
White dwarfs glow in a rainbow of colors, one recorded for the first time in new research showing how these stars can defy expectations.
iPhone co-creator Fadell on Duo: There are both business and entertainment uses for these devices
iPhone co-creator and former Apple executive Tony Fadell joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss Apple’s opening of pre-orders for the iPhone Duo, use cases for HomeView, and more.
iPhone co-creator Fadell on Duo: There are both business and entertainment uses for these devices
iPhone co-creator and former Apple executive Tony Fadell joins 'Squawk on the Street' to discuss Apple’s opening of pre-orders for the iPhone Duo, use cases for HomeView, and more.
Scientists Discovered Two Bizarre New Sea Spiders, and One Has Red Eyes and Hairy Legs
They may not be true spiders, but these ancient marine arthropods are stranger than anything crawling across land.
New copper roof just the beginning for First Baptist in Rome
The First Baptist Church in Rome is looking a bit shinier these days after a new copper roof was installed — all that's missing is the 30-foot, wood-frame copper steeple. Church officials said the steeple will be reattached in the coming week, completing a post-tornado roof repair.
Health officials warn mosquito-borne illnesses confirmed on Gulf Coast
We're taking a look at what these illnesses are, where they are being reported and what's being done to stop the spread.
Health officials warn mosquito-borne illnesses confirmed on Gulf Coast
IN-DEPTH WITH SARAH WALL: A warning from health officials about several mosquito-borne illnesses confirmed on the Gulf Coast: We're taking a look at what these illnesses are, where they are being reported and what's being done to stop the spread.
Newcastle United v Aston Villa Live TV and these global channel listings
Around the world, here are the channels you can watch Newcastle United v Aston Villa Live TV. The global TV listings are featured below for local (to you) coverage on Saturday (5.
AASHTO Journal - State DOTs Use Art to Promote Safety, Health, Beautification
Across the country, state departments of transportation are using a bevy of artistic approaches to promote safety, health, and community beautification efforts. [Above photo by Oklahoma DOT] For example, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation is currently seeking student participants for its “Keep Our Land Grand” poster contest. Formerly known as the “Trash Poster Contest,” the […]
ASUS ProArt P16 "RTX Spark" Laptop Review - NVIDIA's First Full PC Platform Brings Powerful AI & Gaming Capabilities
NVIDIA RTX Spark launches with ASUS ProArt P16, featuring N1X SoC, 6144 CUDA cores, & up to 128 GB memory for impressive gaming and AI.
Lisandro Martínez's future at Manchester United uncertain after board criticism
Manchester United currently occupies 13th place in the Premier League with six points from six matches, having won only two of nine games this season.This decline in form, which includes a five-game ...
Talarico compares his campaign to David and Goliath after GOP invests over $158M against him
The Democrat faces more than $158 million in outside spending by Republican leadership and the world's richest man, Elon Musk.
Can AI solve our mental health access problem?
Last week I asked you what worries you most about AI in health. It was close, but your top answer was “AI giving bad health advice.” Last week’s poll results: You’re in good company. This concern was top of mind at a conference I joined at Stanford last week, where researchers, clinicians, and people who build AI systems spent a day debating trust and safety in health AI. Stepping back, I’m also hearing your emerging concerns about AI’s impact on our well-being generally. I see this as a matter of public health, and we’ll take it in pieces as we learn together. Today we’ll focus on AI chatbots used for therapy for mental health. Early this month, Governor Newsom vetoed Senate Bill 903, California’s most ambitious attempt to regulate AI use for mental health. It’s at the center of active debate, and raises the questions patients, family members, citizens, and voters will face as AI moves deeper into health care. Let’s work through it. What is “AI-based therapy”? It’s really two things: purpose-built mental health apps designed to deliver structured support, and general chatbots like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini that people increasingly use for emotional support—even if they weren’t built for it. Spoiler alert: I don’t know whether the shift toward AI therapy is good or bad. The evidence isn’t there yet. But I do know it’s already happening, and I have some ideas about how we can roll it out with safety in mind. The therapy dilemma, in a nutshell Mental health challenges are common, and strain health and well-being across populations. Therapy (interactive dialogue with a trained, empathetic practitioner) helps many people heal. The demand for licensed therapists far exceeds the supply in California, and AI-based therapy can narrow that gap. AI-based therapy remains novel, unproven, and not well tested. Right off the bat, we can see we’re dealing with trade-offs here. Since the main driver of demand for therapy from a robot is lack of access to therapy from a human, we’ll start there. It’s too hard to find and afford a human therapist California is short roughly 55,000 licensed, non-prescribing therapists and counselors, about 40% of what we need. Psychiatrists, who rely on talk therapy as a complement to prescribed medications, are even more scarce. Eight counties have none, and density ranges from 1.7 per 100,000 residents in San Benito County, to 68.1 in Marin County. My wife is a psychiatrist in Marin, and even here access is tight. If it’s hard in the best-supplied county, imagine rural Sierra County, or the San Joaquin Valley. In 2024, more than half of Californians who tried to make a mental health appointment struggled to find a provider who took their insurance, compared with 14% for physical health care. When Senate staff posed as “secret shopper” patients and called 120 mental health providers in Medicare Advantage networks, they landed an appointment less than once for every five tries. Insurers pay behavioral health clinicians about 22% less than medical and surgical clinicians for comparable office visits. On top of that, billing denials and prior authorizations hit hardest at the solo and small practices common in mental health. Psychiatrists opt out of Medicare at the highest rate of any specialty. In many places, a cash practice for therapy fills quickly with patients paying $250 or more an hour, with no insurance paperwork at all. Families who can pay cash find providers more easily. Those who rely on insurance, including Medi-Cal enrollees, older adults, rural residents, and non-English speakers, compete for what’s left. So we can’t pretend the human system works, and we can’t blame people for turning to AI for support when they’re in distress. AI is filling the gap It’s estimated that roughly a quarter of AI users use it for mental health support. If you have internet, it’s available 24/7, it’s cheap, and it speaks your language. Uninsured adults are about twice as likely as insured adults to do it (30% vs. 14%). It feels anonymous in ways that may enable people to ask things they’re unsure or embarrassed about. The largely hidden, personal use makes it hard to study whether it’s actually helping people with their mental health issues, but researchers are trying. Does AI therapy work? A 2026 analysis of nearly 40 randomized trials found chatbots showed a real but small reduction in depression symptoms. But most of these trials were compared to an alternative of no therapy, not a human therapist. So the benefit of AI therapy is probably real, but modest, and mostly untested against the alternative of human contact. We need more studies. Serious concerns OpenAI’s own estimate is that more than a million ChatGPT users each week show signs of suicidal planning or intent. These are high stakes encounters, and AI doesn’t always get it right. That’s partly because a chatbot can sound like a therapist, but it has no license, no duty of care, and it’s not clear who to hold accountable when it gets things wrong. AI is also designed to help users in whatever task they’re seeking to accomplish. People may feel like they’re getting therapy, but they’re mainly getting a convincing conversation. It’s easy for an AI companion to wander into gray areas, like playing along with “creative writing” that may be about the user’s own suicidal intent. Courts are driving safety conversations A wave of lawsuits have been filed on behalf of families claiming that chatbots pushed people they loved toward self-harm, including teens who died by suicide. The first settlements came this year. OpenAI is headquartered in San Francisco, and dozens of cases alleging that ChatGPT drove users to suicide or self-harm are now before a San Francisco judge. Character.ai has filed for bankruptcy after several states brought lawsuits accusing the chatbot of pushing dangerous content to kids. But the technology seems to be improving. Last month, an independent evaluation found that newer AI models “almost never endorse suicide.” That’s progress, but our societal appetite for even one preventable death is very low. So how do we move forward? Finding a middle ground Earlier this month the governor vetoed Senate Bill 903, a bill designed to place guardrails on the use of AI for therapy. The bill would have prohibited any AI-based platform from being advertised as psychotherapy, and would have required a licensed professional to review and approve each encounter where AI was used to support therapeutic decisions. Newsom called it overly broad, since even routine screening questions would have needed clinician sign-off. Knowing we’re already short on mental health providers, requiring human review of AI encounters may not relieve our access problems. Still, the answer isn’t no oversight. Here’s one feasible short term solution. Rather than reviewing each encounter, a licensed clinician can design the guardrails: what counts as a crisis, what triggers an immediate handoff to a human, and what gets sampled for audit each month. The AI runs inside that structure. Conversations get checked, failures get reported, and a real clinician owns the framework. Medicine already has models to learn from. The FDA process for rolling out newly approved medications is an example. After a product reaches patients, we keep watching for adverse events. Patient-facing AI needs the same “digital pharmacovigilance”: systematic tracking of harms, near misses, and the types of groups that get hurt and why. It’s also critical that users know that they can reach a human if they’re in crisis. Most chatbots now include messages like these: Bottom line The rush to use unproven AI tools for mental health support is mostly a workaround, a sign of a health system people can’t get into. We need better access to proven care from licensed clinicians. That takes reimbursement that makes accepting insurance viable, and a bigger workforce. But, built and tested well, AI could be part of the answer. It could be the 2 a.m. check-in when no one else is awake, or a way for patients to practice skills their therapist taught them. It could be the first step to get someone the right level of care, and take paperwork off clinicians’ plates so they spend more time with patients. None of this is simple. The SB 903 veto doesn’t end the debate, and the legislature will be back. In the meantime, those of us using these tools need to stay informed, ask hard questions, and hold the companies building them accountable. I’ll try to do my part, and we’ll keep learning together. Love,Matt P.S. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health challenges, emotional distress, substance use problems, or just needs to talk, call or text 988- you’ll reach a real person— or chat at 988lifeline.org 24/7. Dr. Matt Willis is the author of Your Local Epidemiologist in California. A California native, he’s served as a primary care physician, CDC epidemiologist, and public health officer for Marin County, where he guided the pandemic response. He lives in Marin with his family and their dogs, Teddy and Ramona. Thank you Cynthia He, MD, PhD, and Parnika Saxena, MD, for their guidance in preparing this article. Cynthia works in an outpatient mental health clinic, treating patients who have Medi-Cal or, sometimes, no insurance. Parnika works in an inpatient psychiatric unit, treating patients with public or private insurance or self-pay ability. All opinions are their own and do not represent their employers.
To the editor: The taint of corporate involvement in politics and government
hen we hear Republican candidates earnestly talking about reducing regulations, cutting government programs and lowering taxes to help ordinary Americans, we need to recognize the distinction between tactics and strategy. These proposals are tactics. The broader strategy behind them is to drastically reduce the role of government in our lives. We have watched this strategy
iPhone 18 Pro one month later: These features keep impressing me
I’ve had the iPhone 18 Pro for a month now, and during that time three main features have consistently impressed me.