December 18, 2025
POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMANITIES

Why Warner Bros Discovery Rejected Paramount Skydance’s Bid — and What Was at Stake for Media, Creators, and Audiences

Warner Bros Discovery’s board has unanimously urged shareholders to reject Paramount Skydance’s $108.4bn takeover bid, choosing instead to proceed with a $72bn deal to sell its film and streaming businesses to Netflix. While Paramount argued its offer was financially superior, Warner Bros’ leadership cited significant regulatory, financial, and structural risks—many tied to the broader implications […]

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DAPP 911 POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMANITIES

Trump Executive Order Labels Fentanyl a “Weapon of Mass Destruction,” Prompting Sharp Debate

President Donald Trump has signed an executive order classifying illicit fentanyl and its precursor chemicals as a “weapon of mass destruction” (WMD), a designation traditionally reserved for nuclear, chemical, or biological threats. The move marks a dramatic escalation in the federal government’s approach to the opioid crisis and has sparked immediate debate over its legality, […]

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DAPP 911 POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMANITIES

U.S. Jobs Report Shows Mixed Signals for Fall Economy

The delayed release of U.S. employment data for October and November presents a complicated picture of the American labor market as the economy moves toward the end of 2025. While November delivered modest job gains, those gains followed a sharp contraction in October and were accompanied by a rising unemployment rate, fueling debate among economists, […]

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POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMANITIES

Outrage in Oklahoma: Teen Convicted of Multiple Sexual Assaults Avoids Prison — What It Reveals About Youth Sentencing and Justice System Gaps

A high-profile case in Stillwater, Oklahoma has ignited nationwide debate about how the U.S. juvenile and criminal justice systems handle violent sex crimes when the defendant is a minor. Jesse Butler, an 18-year-old former high school student, pleaded no contest in 2025 to a series of serious sexual assault charges involving multiple victims, including two […]

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POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMANITIES SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

ICE, Profit, and Impunity: What Growing Abuses Mean for Public Safety and Accountability

In the last year, a series of stories about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have gone viral: a pregnant woman forced to labor under a non-removable tracking watch; a U.S. citizen of Somali origin tackled and choked on a Minneapolis sidewalk; an ICE supervisor jailed for alleged domestic violence; and a massive new deportation […]

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POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMANITIES

Stephentown Recount Exposes Critical Vulnerabilities in Voting Machines — and the Global Risks of Uncorrected Tabulation Errors

The Stephentown Memorial Library budget vote—initially reported as a landslide defeat, only to be overturned by a full county recount—has become far more than a small-town election story. What unfolded in Rensselaer County, New York, represents a microcosm of a much larger and increasingly urgent question: How accurate are voting machines worldwide, and what happens […]

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Food POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMANITIES

Scientists Warn Synthetic Chemicals Pose Massive Global Health and Environmental Threat

A major scientific report released Wednesday warns that four families of synthetic chemicals widely used in the global food system—phthalates, bisphenols, pesticides, and PFAS “forever chemicals”—are driving rising rates of cancer, infertility, neurodevelopmental disorders, and ecological degradation. The financial impact is staggering: researchers estimate the global health burden reaches up to $2.2 trillion per year, […]

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POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMANITIES

Eileen Higgins Wins Miami Mayoral Race in Landmark Democratic Upset

Eileen Higgins, a Democrat and former Miami-Dade County commissioner, won the Miami mayoral runoff on Tuesday in what observers are calling one of the most significant political upsets in Florida in years. Her victory ends a decades-long Republican hold on the mayor’s office and signals renewed Democratic energy in a state where the GOP has […]

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Media & Entertainment POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMANITIES

Jimmy Kimmel Extends ABC Contract Through 2027 Amid Free Speech Debate

Jimmy Kimmel will continue hosting Jimmy Kimmel Live! through at least 2027 after signing a new one-year contract extension with Disney’s ABC Network. The extension, first reported by Bloomberg and later confirmed by ABC, ensures that Kimmel — already one of the longest-running late-night hosts in U.S. television history — will remain on the air […]

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POLITICS, TECHNOLOGY & THE HUMANITIES

Amnesty Report Alleges Severe Abuse at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” Immigration Jail

A newly published Amnesty International report alleges severe and systemic mistreatment of migrants at Florida’s state-run Everglades detention facility—nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz”—as well as at the privately operated Krome North immigration processing center in Miami. The findings, based on interviews with detainees, advocacy groups, and an onsite visit to Krome, describe conditions that Amnesty says amount […]

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