SCROLL NEWS / DISCOVERY
Search headlines
Find the stories shaping the conversation.
Results for " watch " 6,583 found 🔀 AI-powered Shuffle
Liverpool want move for £60m Premier League star
Richard Hughes left Liverpool with a lot of work to do to their team. Even though the Reds' former sporting director managed to spend way over £600 million during his time with the Anfield outfit, th...
How to watch Michigan State basketball vs. UConn on Tuesday
Here's how you can watch Michigan State basketball against UConn on Tuesday
New TV shows to watch this week: Tune in to ‘Eternally Yours’ on CBS, stream ‘Yaga’ on AMC+ and revisit ‘Servant’ on Apple TV
Plus, Connie Britton plays a mom under suspicion in "Phony," and "The Diplomat" returns for Season 4.
San Antonio Spurs vs. OKC Thunder: How to watch the 2026 NBA season opener: TV channel, where to stream, schedule and more
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt – Remastered on Switch 2 Gets Patch 5.01 With Sharper Visuals
The Witcher 3 Remastered on Nintendo Switch 2 has just received Patch 5.01, and it introduces major improvements to image clarity.
Sports on TV/radio listings: Oct. 19
Where to watch and/or listen to today's sporting events that will be televised or broadcast on the radio.
Washington Commanders vs. San Francisco 49ers: How to watch Monday Night Football, start time, where to stream free and more
Behind the scenes at Nicolas Cage’s zombie shoot in Minnesota
MINNEAPOLIS — Watching a farmer draw water from a Stillwater well would be a chore if the “farmer” wasn’t Nicolas Cage, one of the biggest stars to commit to a
Massive mistake at Liverpool, costs them £280k-per-week star
Liverpool have made an enormous mistake and it's going to cost them a true star. Not what Andoni Iraola needed, in all truth.Andoni Iraola can be pretty proud of his efforts on Saturday. His decisions...
🎥 Pitch completely flooded! Referee still considers kicking off
This has to be satire. Or so you might think when you watch the following clip from Spain’s fourth division. A match there was called off last weekend due to severe flooding in the region. But that ...
When the Haze Keeps You Indoors, Your Health Routine Doesn’t Have to Stop
From indoor workouts and mindful eating to better sleep and heart health, Samsung Galaxy Watches and Samsung Health offer practical ways to stay on top of your wellbeing when the air outside keeps you home.
China takes aim at life science leadership as Danish companies are urged to “really take it seriously”
A new five-year plan from Beijing aims to make China a life science superpower by 2030, and two China analysts say the target is within reach.
Starwatch: Catch the Orionid meteor shower streak across the night sky
As Earth passes through dust left by Halley’s comet, observers may see 10-20 fragments per hour
From politicians on TikTok to fetching a ping-pong ball: Edith Pritchett’s week in Venn diagrams
Hard to watch …
WKYC Channel 3
WKYC (Cleveland) is your source for breaking news, Northeast Ohio weather, traffic, and live coverage in Cleveland and across the region. Get the latest updates from the WKYC team — from major local headlines and investigations to severe weather, community stories, and the moments everyone’s talking about. Watch live newscasts, stream breaking coverage, and catch up on the top stories shaping Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and surrounding communities. Subscribe for: • Cleveland breaking news + live updates • Northeast Ohio weather forecasts and severe weather alerts • Investigations and accountability reporting • Community stories across the region • Major events, sports, and local explainers WKYC — Cleveland news and weather, live and on demand. 🔗 More: https://www.wkyc.com/
Trained community volunteers to monitor seagrass for study
The research is geared toward finding the best ways to train community volunteers to collect data on underwater seagrasses in waters throughout the state in a program led by Coastal Carolina Riverwatch and the University of North Carolina Wilmington and funded by North Carolina Sea Grant.
Cowboys vs. Packers live updates, inactives, where to watch: Dak Prescott, Jordan Love face off on 'Sunday Night Football' in Week 6
Former Lions DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson Ejected For Spitting
Former Detroit Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson was ejected from the Bills-Raiders game after spitting toward Brock Bowers. Watch the incident.
Most Major Carbon Emitters Barely Mention Health In Their Climate Plans
Low- and middle-income countries that contribute little to global warming have done the most to plan for its toll on health, while the major economies behind
Cowboys Shocking Numbers: Can Dak Prescott Finally Beat Packers? How To Watch NFC Showdown On SNF
Streaming’s Biggest Show Returns…and a Buzzy Genre Struggles
(Welcome to my weekly streaming ratings report, the single best guide to what’s popular in streaming TV and what isn’t. I’m the Entertainment Strategy Guy, a former streaming executive who now analyzes business strategy in the entertainment industry. If you were forwarded this email, please subscribe to get these insights each week.) Obviously, the big news of the week (if not month) is Netflix letting go of executive Bela Bajaria, their chief content officer. I’m going to cover this in my next “Most Important Story of the Week”, but I also have a data angle that I might publish before then. (Too much news this month, am I right?) But first, I have a bonus Streaming Ratings Report issue for you. Today’s article is a bit of a grab bag of topics I’ve wanted to write about, but couldn’t squeeze into the (already very long) Streaming Ratings Report issues. The NFL drives huge viewership numbers, so I’ve got a look at that. A whole bunch of TV shows returned to the traditional broadcast channels, and I have thoughts. And I have a quick look at adult animated shows, since a couple flopped earlier this month. Plus, the Emmys aired earlier this month, and we got some fun data bout how popular those nominated shows are and why I’m not optimistic about the show’s future. That’s a lot, so let’s dive right in. Subscribe Sports - Football Remains the King of Streaming Over the last two Streaming Ratings Reports, I sorta ignored the biggest “show” each week. (I was tempted to say “piece of content” but I know that word bugs folks.) In my database, I call these “specials”, and they sure are special. I speak of the king of American TV: football!!! Streaming football is back and, unlike some other sports, it routinely dominates all viewership. Probably the best way to show this is to update one of my favorite graphics, the “40 Million Hour Club”1 since football games have joined that club each week they’ve premiered: (Yep, that’s the data through 28-Sep, the first four weeks of the season. As a reminder, I take the average minute audience provided by Nielsen, factor out a percentage of linear TV viewers in home markets, and multiply the run time by the three-hour runtime.) Again, the numbers are huge. Let’s start with Netflix. They grabbed the rights to the bonus opening week NFL Kickoff game (which was on YouTube last year) and it put up 18.5 million viewers on average. That nets out to 47.4 million hours of estimated streaming hours. That’s good! Though, notably, it’s well below Christmas Day games from previous years. Compared to other streamers/broadcasters, that’s a bit of a mixed result. On one hand, Netflix’s 18.5 million average is about what YouTube claimed last year, though Nielsen used a bespoke methodology at that time, so I trust this viewership figure more. So that’s good. (The game also shifted from a Friday to a Thursday and that could have helped the viewership as well.) And Netflix continues to best Prime Video in total viewership—as you’ll see next—though Netflix has had much higher-profile (opening week and Christmas Day) games. NBC/Peacock’s opening game the night before averaged 25.1 million average viewers, which is just much bigger than Netflix (or Prime Video). That’s the big caveat to all streaming viewership records: even in success, they can’t compete with traditional linear TV. Previously, I called this my “hierarchy of viewership”, and the data keeps supporting that thesis. The downside for NBC is that this game’s viewership was down compared to previous years, though it may be a counting issue. Here’s a great chart from Sports Media Watch: Indeed, looking at all the opening week games across all windows, Netflix still lags the other primetime windows, but does well compared to the afternoon games: I saw a few folks make the case that streamers still lag traditional broadcasters in reach, and I’d add they really lag compared to “broadcast plus streaming” options like NBC/Peacock, ESPN/Disney+ and CBS/Paramount+. The best data I saw for this came from Samba TV, who charted reach through the 2025 season, and, wow. (Samba TV’s numbers are historically lower than Nielsen’s, so don’t compare their household figures to Nielsen’s hours, but use them as a proxy for the relative reach of the streamers.) The good news is Prime Video is NOT having a down year. Their opening Thursday Night Football game reached 18.6 million viewers (about what Netflix got), but that’s a high for Prime Video on Thursdays and the biggest Thursday night game since 2015. The TNF games the weeks of 21-Sep and 28-Sep continued this streak, getting 43.1 (16.8 million average viewers) and 42.5 total hours (16.6 million average viewers), which were both up from last year. Still, that continues the (typical) season slide: (For those new-to-streaming-football-numbers folks, the viewership declines for Thursday Night Football as the year goes along.) Overall, it appears as if Prime Video is now part of the “football habit”, be it for customers at home or out at places like bars and restaurants. And its viewership is slowly catching up to broadcast. One last chart shows this. Last season, Nielsen started adding out-of-home viewership to the charts, so I try not to do season-to-season comparisons as I did for the first few years. And while Nielsen added Big Data viewing this year, I’m going to compare the last two seasons. Here’s that chart, which shows the season-over-season gains: When it comes to streaming football, we have to keep a few seemingly contradictory thoughts in our head… First, streaming doesn’t come close to matching broadcast’s reach and, thus, viewership. Second, even with that gap, football is still the biggest “thing” on streaming. It’s very, very popular. Third, while some methodology changes have likely helped Prime Video’s numbers, their viewership does appear to be growing. Lastly, yeah, the NFL started the season off poorly, with week one dragging down the numbers in year-over-year comparisons. However—and again, methodology changes may have helped this—the viewership grew compared to previous seasons over the next couple of weeks. So football is still king. On streaming and off. Television - Adult Animation Continues to NOT Make the Streaming Charts In the last two reports, two adult-animated shows whiffed: Netflix’s animated comedy, Dang! Paramount+’s Sega-video-game-inspired fantasy/comedy, Golden Axe. Neither made the charts, but that’s usually the case for animated shows. I mean, here’s literally every animated show that’s made the Nielsen Original charts since the start of 2025: And one of those shows is G_abby’s Dollhouse_! A kids show! The problem with charts like this is that they don’t give you a sense of how many shows miss the charts. Netflix had at least eleven animated flops, including comedies like Big Mouth (a show everyone assumed was popular in the pre-Streaming Ratings Era), Long Story Short, Haunted Hotel, Mating Season, Strip Law, and Alley Cats, and action shows like Blood of Zeus, Castlevania: Nocturne, Devil May Cry, Splinter Cell: Deathwatch, and Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. Prime Video had at least six animated misses, two in the same universe (Hazbin Hotel, Helluva Boss), three more comedies (#1 Happy Family USA, The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy and Kevin) and an action show (The Mighty Nein). Disney+ had MCU and Star Wars animated misses (Eyes of Wakanda, Marvel Zombies, Star Wars: Visions, Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord, and Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld) but I can’t tell how many of those shows were geared towards adults. HBO Max had Harley Quinn and Hulu had Solar Opposites. None of these shows made the charts! That’s a lot of misses! If I remade the chart with all those misses, here’s how it would look: Listen, I know the counter arguments. First, it’s cheaper to produce animated shows than live action. Fair enough, but with viewership this low, even that cheaper price point starts to not matter. Second, just look at the acquired charts. Hit animated comedies can generate viewership for years! Shows like The Simpsons, South Park, Family Guy, and Bob’s Burgers do really, really well. Fair enough, but streaming has failed to recreate the dynamic that Fox has mastered so well. That’s a problem for streaming still. Television - Emmys! The annual Emmys broadcast was a few weeks ago, and I’ve got data on how the nominees performed on streaming, plus hot takes on this year’s viewership (and the big news about the broadcast’s, er, streamcast’s future). We’re just getting started with this issue, but the rest is for paid subscribers of the Entertainment Strategy Guy, so if you’d like to find out… The top Emmy-nominated shows… ...why I’m worried about the future of the Emmys telecast... ...the pros of broadcast television ...and the cons... ...please subscribe! We can only keep doing this great work with your support. Coming Soon! Next week, we’ve got a double issue (since the weeks of 21-Sep and 28-Sep were so light), but then I’ll be all caught up after a deluge of streaming ratings data from Nielsen in September. In the meantime, I’m going to try to take a look at Netflix’s stats to explain why Bela Bajaria is out. But even light weeks give me plenty to talk about. The Great British Baking Show returns to Netflix and Apple TV has a buzzy new star-studded comedy. And Netflix has a controversial-but-appears-to-be-popular new game show. Plus big films like Toy Story 5, Backrooms and The Breadwinner head to streaming. And is East of Eden a hit? After that, The Kardashians return to Hulu, Prime Video has a reboot of Carrie, and Netflix has a horror show, Below. Disclosure Day heads to Peacock, The Housemaid heads to HBO Max_,_ a new Ben Affleck film, Animals, lands on Netflix, and Apple TV has a new John Cena action film based on, checks notes, Hasbro’s Matchbox toys. Okay. Longterm, some interesting TV production news. HBO Max ordered How to Survive Without Me, starring Kaley Cuoco, Joshua Jackson, Ray Romano and Rita Wilson, for fifteen episodes! I love that some streamers (or, at least, HBO Max) are finally ordering TV shows with more than eight episodes. In less wise production news, Landman does not appear to be coming back this year, since it just started production. Frankly, I don’t love this (get your shows out on time) but Landman is so popular, I doubt it matters.
Macron faces political firestorm after riots
Worst street violence in years comes six months ahead of one of Europe’s most closely watched elections
Chargers vs. Chiefs live updates, inactives, where to watch: LA seeks first win of season as Mike McDaniel's seat heats up
Promising Entertainment Stocks To Follow Today
Walt Disney, Spotify Technology, Verizon Communications, Take-Two Interactive Software, and Caesars Entertainment are the five Entertainment stocks to watch today, according to MarketBeat's stock screener tool. Entertainment stocks are shares of publicly traded companies that produce or distribute
Independent Journalist Warns That Global Health Diplomacy Is Deeply Unequal, Newsrooms Struggle To Survive
Independent journalism is increasingly important to understanding the political and financial forces shaping global health, yet the reporters covering these
How to Watch Grimsburg Season 3, Episode 3
Grimsburg is back after a week off with Season 3, Episode 3, "Breaking Badly." Jon Hamm returns to Grimsburg as Detective Marvin Flute to solve the town's
David Crowley says Black infant health is a priority; no response from Tom Tiffany
David Crowley, the Democratic candidate for governor, responded to a questionnaire from the Cap Times about Wisconsin’s ongoing Black infant mortality crisis. Tom Tiffany, the Republican nominee, d…
MGM+'s 'From' will debut on Netflix ahead of Halloween. How to watch
This Halloween-worthy binge hits the spooky checklist: monsters, mystery, and jaw-dropping moments.
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 […]
Sunday Night Football: How to watch the Dallas Cowboys vs. Green Bay Packers game tonight
Here’s how to watch Bills at Raiders in Week 6
All the ways to catch the action live when the Buffalo Bills take on the New England Patriots in Week 4
Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: How to watch the NFL international game today, start time, where to stream and more
Find out how to watch the Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars NFL London game this week.
I grew up progressive. I became a conservative. Here's why
My parents watched 'The Daily Show' every night. I laughed along – until I didn't. How a kid from Detroit ended up to the right of his whole family.
Where to watch Packers vs. Cowboys: Channel, live stream, time, schedule for NFL 'Sunday Night Football'
Here is everything you need to know to watch Packers vs. Cowboys, including TV and streaming options for the game.
Where to watch Browns vs. Ravens today: Channel, live stream, time, TV schedule for Week 6 NFL game
All you need to know to watch the Ravens face the Browns, including TV channel and live streaming details.
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 […]
Nebraska vs Oregon – Game Thread of STAYING ALERT!
Are you awake? Are you ready to go? What an incredible day in college football. Georgia lost. Texas lost. Indiana lost. Alabama lost. Missouri lost. Right now Notre Dame is…… just took the lead against BYU. Miami and FSU are in overtime. What will Nebraska do? We will be doing a watch along on Youtube,.
Lionel Messi makes MLS history in latest Inter Miami masterpiece
By Jaime UribarriTo watch Lionel Messi with Inter Miami CF is to watch history unfold in real time.Case in point: Matchday 31’s Walmart Saturday Showdown.Messi scored a pair of highlight-reel goals ...
Michigan Democrat confirms sister-in-law's terror watchlist lawsuit days before Obama campaign appearance
Abdul El-Sayed acknowledged his sister-in-law's involvement in a federal terrorist watchlist lawsuit, days before former President Barack Obama campaigns with him.
Favorite Business Case Studies of MBA Graduates
A look at over 20 cases that defined the MBA experience for the Best & Brightest and MBAs to Watch Class of 2026.
The Watch: Hidden PFAS Found in Bottled Drinks, Tap Water
Sports drinks and electrolyte waters contained high levels of contaminants … ED visits spike when ‘peaker’ power plants fire up … and more.
For Trump opponents, the midterms have already begun as ‘No Kings’ rallies push early voting at county elections offices
The rallies also encouraged people to sign up to serve as poll watchers on Election Day.
Nathan Fielder’s movie on Elizabeth Holmes absolutely lives up to the hype
(CNN) — About a third of the way through “You Can See Everything,” Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s new documentary about Elizabeth Holmes, we watch the disgraced Theranos founder and
Trust TV on Instagram: "“Pilgrimage is a strategy to win votes ahead of 2027 Elections” – Analyst speaks on clerics in politics & the battle for Influence Watch Full Interview: https://youtu.be/oBu4CqReTV0 #trusttvnews #insidethenorth"
1 likes, 0 comments - trusttv_news on October 17, 2026: "“Pilgrimage is a strategy to win votes ahead of 2027 Elections” – Analyst speaks on clerics in politics & the battle for Influence Watch Full Interview: https://youtu.be/oBu4CqReTV0 #trusttvnews #insidethenorth".
Knicks’ Season Opener: 3 Things To Watch Against 76ers
In the New York Knicks' season opener, the team will begin their quest to defend the NBA title. There will be no easing into things over the Knicks' first 10 games. In particular, when they welcome the Philadelphia 76ers to Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Oct. 20, they'll be facing a revamped opponent with plenty …
WFAA
WFAA (Dallas–Fort Worth) is your source for breaking news, Texas weather, traffic, and live coverage in Dallas, Fort Worth, and across North Texas. Get the latest updates from the WFAA team — from major local headlines and investigations to severe weather, community stories, and the moments everyone’s talking about. Watch live newscasts, stream breaking coverage, and catch up on the top stories shaping Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, Plano, and surrounding communities. Subscribe for: • Dallas–Fort Worth breaking news + live updates • Texas weather forecasts, storms, and severe weather alerts • Investigations and accountability reporting • Community stories across North Texas • Major events, sports, and local explainers WFAA — Dallas–Fort Worth news and weather, live and on demand. 🔗 More: https://www.wfaa.com
One of My Top Three Shows of 2026 Was Just Renewed—Finally
I watch TV for a living, so I see a lot of great television shows. But one of my favorite three shows of the year wasn't renewed for a new season—until this week. Here, why I'm so excited 'Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed' is getting a season two on Apple TV.
Sonay Kartal: British star digs deep to beat Jelena Ostapenko and secure a spot in her first-ever WTA 1000 final
Sonay Kartal defeats Jelena Ostapenko to reach her first-ever WTA 1000 final; You can watch the WTA Wuhan Open final - live on Sky Sports on Sunday from 11.30am
Alabama vs. Tennessee: How to watch today's NCAA college football game, where to stream and more
How to watch the Alabama vs. Tennessee game this Saturday.
Weekend reads: Computer science conferences impose caps; Lancet strikes to continue; Is this the ‘mathocalypse’?
If your week flew by — we know ours did — catch up here with what you might have missed. The week at Retraction Watch featured: A company named Springer that isn’t the publisher is offering authors…
Notre Dame vs. BYU: How to watch tonight's NCAA college football game, where to stream and more
How to watch the Notre Dame vs. BYU game this Saturday.
Ohio State vs. Indiana: How to watch today's NCAA college football game, where to stream and more
How to watch the Ohio State vs. Indiana game this Saturday.
MSU vs. Northwestern. How to watch Big Ten football game
The MSU Spartans host Northwestern at noon Saturday, Oct. 17. Fans are in for sunny, yet cold, weather.
U.S. campaign finance watchdog is sitting out the midterms. Here’s what that means.
The Federal Election Commission has been unable to advise campaigns or investigate alleged violations.
Where to watch Tennessee vs. Alabama today: Channel, live stream, time, schedule for Vols vs. Tide
Tennessee hosts Alabama in the latest edition of the college football rivalry. Here's how to watch it with TV and live streaming information.
Use This Emergency Brake On Climate Change And Air Pollution, Experts Urge Finance Ministers
They are urging climate negotiators at the upcoming Climate Change Conference in Antalya, COP 31, to create a formal roadmap to tackle air pollution and
Let’s Hope The Next A’s GM and PBO Are Watching
The post-season is always a blend of exciting and frustrating. Exciting to see games with so much riding on every pitch and to see some of the best teams strut their talent. Frustrating that the A’s are not one of those teams and to reflect on the gap between how the best teams play and […]
Sports Overtime: Week 8 (Friday, Oct. 16, 2026)
Watch highlights and view scores from Week 8 of the 2026 NSAA football season.
WATCH: Maine Health Care Professionals Slam Collins’ Health Care Record
This week, Maine health care professionals gathered to slam Susan Collins for failing to protect Mainers’ health care. Dr. Nirav Shah and Maine State Nurses Association Co-President Erin Oberson called out Collins for advancing Trump’s Medicaid cuts and voting to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has eviscerated America’s public health system.
Science Museum of Virginia Opens “Rescue” Exhibit
Watch Virginia This Morning each weekday from 9 to 10 a.m. Find the show on Facebook and Instagram at @VirginiaThisMorning.
Great Lakes Sports & Entertainment Network to air Pistons-Raptors game Friday
The Detroit Pistons are taking on the Toronto Raptors for a preseason game, and there’s a new way to watch.
Important Players to Watch: College Football Week 5
The season is progressing but Jesse Legree and Jeremiah Smith are elevating every week along with others
Hometown’s Best: Vote for your favorite place to watch sports in Southwest Virginia
The search is on for Southwest Virginia’s favorite place to watch sports, and the finalists for this year’s Hometown’s Best have officially been announced.
Indiana football hosts Ohio State: 3 Things to watch for
Indiana football is set to play its biggest home game in program history Saturday. Here’s what to watch for.
This week in health care policy: October 8–15, 2026
Innovation watch Merck expects faster production of its personalized cancer vaccine. CEO Rob Davis told CNBC the six-week turnaround for intismeran autogene, built from each patient’s tumor and paired with Keytruda, will shrink over time. In August, Merck and Moderna reported that the vaccine delayed recurrence and spread in a 1,137-patient Phase 3 melanoma trial, […]
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.
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.
Elizabeth Holmes broke down in tears watching Amanda Seyfried portray her in “The Dropout”
The moment was captured for the documentary about Holmes, “You Can See Everything.”
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
How Digital Entertainment Is Changing the Way People Spend Their Free Time
Digital entertainment has changed considerably over the past decade. Watching a game, following a favorite team, playing online games, and keeping up with sports discussions can all happen from the same device. What once required a television, a gaming console, or a trip out of the house can now fit into a few spare minutes […]
Apple Pre-Orders Kick Off With First Discounts on HomeView and Apple TV 4K
Pre-orders are now live on Apple's newest devices, including the HomeView and Apple TV 4K, and Amazon has the first-ever discounts on these devices. We're also tracking great deals on MacBook Pro, Mac mini, and Apple Watch SE 3 in this week's best Apple deals. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
The Definitive Futuristic Mechanical Watch Debuts Its Ultimate Version
Ressence unveils the Type 10 DN, the brand's first watch to combine an in-house movement with an oil-filled dial.
Morocco health alert issued due to diphtheria: US Embassy
In the North African country of Morocco, the country’s Ministry of Health reported a small diphtheria outbreak with clusters in multiple regions in Morocco in late September. Moroccan health teams are tracing contacts and providing preventive treatment and vaccines. This has prompted the US Embassy to issue a health alert for U.S. citizens in Morocco. Diphtheria is a serious bacterial infection. It spreads primarily from person to person through coughs and sneezes (respiratory droplets). Most Americans were vaccinated as children and have received Td or TdaP boosters as adults. The risk to U.S. citizens in Morocco remains low. U.S. Citizens may contact their local doctors if they would like immunizations. Embassy officials advise citizens to watch out for the following symptoms: Sore throat or hoarse voice, mild fever, a thick gray or white coating in the throat or nose, swollen neck and trouble swallowing or breathing. If you or a family member has trouble breathing or swallowing, please contact your local doctor. They also advise on the following actions concerning vaccines: Check your vaccination records and your family members’ records. Get a booster if you need one. Adults need a diphtheria booster (Td or Tdap) every 10 years. Make sure your children are up to date on their routine vaccines. Outbreak News Today is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribe
Plague is stoppable. The next health threat may not be.
The word plague is scary. Centuries ago, the Black Death killed tens of millions of people and changed the course of history. Plague still kills people around the world, and the word still evokes catastrophe. New fears of plague surfaced on October 2, when a lab worker in Irkutsk, Russia, died of pneumonia. Reports suggested that she may have contracted plague through a laboratory exposure. Understandably, people were alarmed. On October 7, the World Health Organization called for the Russian Federation to be transparent about what it knew. WHO issued an update on October 10. Russian authorities told WHO that testing did not identify plague and that investigations found no laboratory release. WHO said confidence in its risk assessment remained limited and that further clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory information was needed. The cause of the woman’s illness remains unknown, and WHO says a laboratory-associated exposure cannot be excluded. As I explained in a recent interview, this incident is very unlikely to lead to a pandemic. Plague is still active, including in the U.S., which sees a handful of cases each year. But it is a disease we can prevent and treat. Plague doesn’t spread readily, and it responds to antibiotics. The standard response—isolate the patient, trace contacts, and administer antibiotics and monitor for symptoms among contacts for seven days—works. We have even planned for antibiotic-resistant plague. At CDC, we developed a playbook for antibiotic-resistant plague and ran exercises on how to find and stop it. CDC guidance anticipates engineered resistance and recommends two different classes of antibiotics if there’s reason to suspect it. There is no evidence that resistance—or even confirmed plague—is involved in this incident. We have thought through how to address plague, but we’re not ready for the next major health threat that emerges from a lab or from animal spillover to humans. What should concern people is how little stands between the world and the next pathogen to get loose. Since peak COVID, epidemic preparedness has fallen off the political agenda, but the risk is greater than ever. More labs handle dangerous pathogens with more ways to make those pathogens deadlier, and more people live and work in close contact with animals. There are actions we can take now: We need better lab safety in every country. The number of labs that work with dangerous pathogens has increased worldwide over two decades, but there’s no enforceable international standard and no inspection regime; the Biological Weapons Convention, fifty years on, still has no verification mechanism. Labs that study dangerous germs need strong safety systems, training, and oversight. We need to reduce spillover events. Three in four emerging human infections start in animals, and there’s a lot we can do to reduce spillover risk, but the world is doing very little of it. Live-animal markets are one place to act. For instance, closing live-bird markets helped control H7N9 influenza in China. Reducing opportunities for people to encounter infected animals can prevent infections before they become outbreaks. In The Formula for Better Health, which is now out in paperback along with the hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook versions, I argue that labs do too many risky experiments with too many dangerous pathogens in too many institutions, and that every experiment should first answer one basic question: Is the likely benefit greater than the risk? Spillover risk can also be reduced: In the book, I discuss how Brazil cut its deforestation rate by 70% from 2004 to 2012 while increasing agricultural production and reducing risky contact between people and forest animals. We need faster detection and response. Delay costs lives. Strong surveillance, good labs, and trained responders can turn a single case into a small cluster of infections instead of an epidemic. Resolve to Save Lives has worked for nearly a decade to help countries find and stop outbreaks faster. The 7-1-7 target, which Resolve to Save Lives developed with partners in Uganda and elsewhere, provides a clear standard: detect within 7 days, notify within 1 day and complete all essential early response actions within 7 days. In Uganda’s Kasese district, for example, a review of a measles outbreak using 7-1-7 identified shortages of accessible funds, fuel, and vehicles that delayed the response. District leaders established funds they could access quickly. When, a few months later, the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever appeared, the district detected it in three days, notified authorities in one, and mounted an effective response in two. Only one case was confirmed, and the patient survived. Because funds were available before the emergency, authorities were prepared and able to act. This kind of preparation can’t wait until the next crisis begins. Plague is an old disease we that know how to stop. The next threat may be harder to recognize, harder to treat, and easier to spread. Safer labs, less risk of spillover, and faster outbreak detection and response need sustained investment now, while we still have time to prevent the next emergency. Share
Texas vs. Florida: How to watch, date, time, TV channel
Texas looks to rebound against Florida after a loss to Oklahoma dropped the Longhorns from the No. 1 spot in the national polls.
Patrick Mahomes: Is Kansas City Chiefs quarterback entering Tom Brady-like second half of Hall of Fame career?
Patrick Mahomes is returning from a torn ACL at the end of last season and looks back to his best; will Kansas City Chiefs put together second half of career reminiscent of Tom Brady; watch Chiefs vs Chargers live on Sky Sports on Sunday at 9.25pm
Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (HIMS) is Attracting Investor Attention: Here is What You Should Know
Zacks.com users have recently been watching Hims & Hers Health (HIMS) quite a bit. Thus, it is worth knowing the facts that could determine the stock's prospects.
Sixers vs. Celtics preseason: How to watch, lineups, broadcast info
The Philadelphia 76ers will take on the Boston Celtics in the preseason finale on Friday back in the City of Brotherly Love.
Five storylines to watch as Spurs enter a new season
Here are five plot points that will help determine whether the Spurs can fight their way back to another NBA Finals
Sports on TV/radio listings: Oct. 16
Where to watch and/or listen to today's sporting events that will be televised or broadcast on the radio.
How to watch Kentucky vs Little Rock preseason game today
The Kentucky basketball preseason begins today against Little Rock. Here is how fans can watch the game.
Entertainment RX: Matthew Gilbert's recommendations for the grieving
Entertainment RX is an entertainment-guided advice column offering things to read, listen to, or watch that somehow address — or, in some cases, distract from — the issues readers write in about.
Where to watch Sixers vs. Celtics today: Channel, live stream, time, TV schedule for NBA preseason game
Philly and Boston close out the preseason Friday night. Here's when and where to watch.
Where to watch World Gymnastics Championships 2026: Schedule, times, channels, live streams for men, women
Here's everything you need to know about the 2026 World Gymnastics Championships, including TV channel and streaming options for the annual meet.
Watch: Will disenchanted Iowa Republicans reject Trump in the midterms?
The BBC's Sarah Smith travelled across the state ahead of the midterms, as the president faces political headwinds.
Science Hill vs Maryville - Boys Varsity Football 10/16/2026
Watch the Science Hill vs Maryville - Boys Varsity Football 10/16/2026 live and on demand online on the NFHS Network
From 'Death of Robin Hood' to 'Sacrifice,' 10 movies to stream now
Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY's Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids.
Watchdog Questions Zeldin’s Tour With Embattled GOP Candidates
The EPA administrator is visiting battleground districts and states in the runup to the midterm elections. Are the trips for policy or politics?
Seahawks vs. Broncos live updates, inactives, where to watch: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Sam Darnold take on short-handed Denver secondary on ‘Thursday Night Football’
5 movies like 'Knives Out' to scratch the funny murder mystery itch
What to watch next? We've got the best movie recommendations for Benoit Blanc fans.
WATCH: 2nd Congressional District candidate forum with Goodlander and Williams
Tune into a livestream of our candidate forum with Republican Lily Tang Williams and Democrat Maggie Goodlander, starting at 6 p.m. on Oct. 15.
Inde Navarrette studied anime to learn screenwriting. She's onto something.
Turns out, watching "Jujutsu Kaisen" really can count as homework.