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Has there ever been a mountain taller than Everest?
Mount Everest may be the king of the planet today, but has Earth ever thrust a larger mountain from its surface?
Landmark China trial achieves 84% efficacy treating cancer with waste water tech
Nano-carbon iron injection halts tumour growth in 16 patients, induces shrinkage in two, with Phase II trial now under way with 52 others.
Today's 5️⃣ top stories: Tebas-Florentino war, Bellingham until 2031
Saturday, October 17 is here, bringing a day packed with football and news. So let's run through the five stories you can't miss to start your day...The Tebas–Florentino Pérez feud is heating up���...
Casa Grande author releases new book
CASA GRANDE — Casa Grande author Jacqueline McDonald has released a new book about sin, redemption and the world-wide fight for Christianity.
Cleveland Browns Path To The Playoffs
Welcome to my weekly Cleveland Browns rooting guide looking at the best outcomes for the Cleveland Browns. With many of the top quarterbacks in the league not being selected in the first three picks, the Browns winning games isn't a bad thing, it shows the roster is loaded and able to continue improving with another offseason.What we will cover weekly in this article:- Current AFC Playoff Games-...
Hackers Use Compromised ConnectWise Credential to Sign In to 173 Microsoft 365 Tenants
Attackers used a compromised ConnectWise Cloud Backup credential for unauthorized sign-ins across 173 Microsoft 365 tenants.
Franciscan Health, Tonn and Blank planning Michigan City medical office building at former Marquette Mall
Press release, Franciscan Health: Project supports healthcare ministry’s regional approach to healthcare MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. – Franciscan Health, in partnership with Tonn and Blank Construction, is planning a medical office building on a portion of the former Marquette Mall property. Franciscan Health plans to operate a 120,000-square-foot medical office building through the renovation of the former J.C. Penney store at the northwest corner of U.S. 421 and U.S. 20. The land is just 2.5 miles north of Franciscan Health Michigan City, which sits at U.S. 421 and Interstate 94. The building will house more than 45 physicians, cost-effective imaging, an
Three takeaways from Spurs' 126-97 preseason rout of Sacramento
Dylan Harper scored 19 as the Spurs routed the Kings 126-97, finalized their starting lineup and emerged healthy ahead of Tuesday's season opener.
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(ANALYSIS) Political shamelessness threatens democracy by weakening leaders’ respect for ethical principles and the rule of law. Drawing on Plato’s Laws, this article explores reverence as a virtue that encourages humility, self-restraint and recognition of human limitations, arguing that responsibl
An American pope brings American-style governance to the Vatican, even in a health crisis
Pope Leo XIV has brought an American style of governing to the Vatican, including in the way it handles health crises.
Arts and entertainment throughout the region
A listing of arts and entertainment events throughout the region.
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
Arts and entertainment throughout the region
A listing of arts and entertainment events throughout the region.
Hurricanes @ Jets: Preview and Game Thread
The Carolina Hurricanes (6-1-1) begin their annual “State Fair road trip” with a match against the Winnipeg Jets (4-1-2) on Saturday afternoon. The Canes have won six games in a row and have looked good doing it. Sebastian Aho with 13 points (6G 7A), Andrei Svechnikov 11 points (6G 5A), and Mark Jankowski are each […]
Man killed during attempted robbery at east Las Vegas business identified; three suspects sought
According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, three men entered a second-floor business suite intending to commit a robbery when the employee was shot.
Washington Wizards Close Preseason with Narrow Loss vs. Pelicans
AJ Dybantsa left the game midway through the second quarter with an ankle injury as the Washington Wizards fell, 107-106, agains the New Orleans Pelicans
Michigan Proposal 2 aims to limit corporate money in politics
Michigan voters will decide in November whether to overhaul the state’s campaign finance laws through a citizen-led ballot initiative that would ban utility companies and certain government contractors from donating to state candidates.
Congressional Staff Open Letters Containing Suspicious Substances
The incidents, the first of which was reported on Thursday, came as election officials have reported a growing number of threats directed at them.
Kid Chemist in Metro Detroit: Hands-On Science, Open Play, Classes & Birthday Parties
Kid Chemist offers classes and activities for students from Pre-K through high school, with programs designed to spark curiosity, build confidence and make science fun. Families can visit locations in…
How The Dodgers Fell Short In NLCS
The Los Angeles Dodgers will not three-peat as World Series champions after a series of issues, including struggles at the plate for Shohei Ohtani.
Political violence: How justifications influence voter approval
What happens when political violence is presented as a justified response to threat or injustice coming from an out-group? A study by Ursula Daxecker, director at the Max Planck Institute for Politics ...
WKU celebrates CAYA Advancing Research and Community Health Institute
The Institute was made possible through a $1.375 million gift from CAYA Collaborative Care Inc., formerly LifeSkills
Three Cardinals Named Gold Glove Award Finalists
Once again, the St. Louis Cardinals were one of baseball’s better defensive teams. St. Louis tied with Toronto for second in fielding run value (46), finished third in outs above average (38), and fifth in Fangraphs’ defensive value metric (22.0). Although the Cardinals had several above-average defenders, a few standouts in the field did much …
Cam Christie returning to Clippers, per report
Cam Christie is returning to the Los Angeles Clippers.
White House press secretaries with tenures lasting under two months
Katie Zacharia, former White House press secretary, served a five-day stint. She's among three others who held the position for under two months.
Proposed AI Governance Framework: Risk-Mitigation Recommendations for Health Plans
Senator Maria Cantwell has outlined a comprehensive AI governance framework intended to drive legislative and executive actions addressing potential AI risks — and for health plans, this framework could determine how AI can be used in prior authorization and other consequential clinical and administrative decisions. The framework explicitly calls out AI-assisted prior authorization — including CMS's WISeR model — as an area where meaningful human oversight is required. Read our alert for six risk-mitigation recommendations health plans should take now.
East Las Vegas businesses on edge after deadly shooting, 3 suspects sought
A deadly robbery at an east Las Vegas business is now a homicide investigation and the three people police say were involved are still on the run.
3 Connecticut business owners arrested for alleged workers’ comp violations
ROCKY HILL, Conn. (WTNH) — Three Connecticut business owners were arrested on Thursday related to alleged workers’ compensation law violations, according to the Office of the Chief State̵…
Shohei Ohtani's Health and a Possible Lockout Loom Over an Uncertain Offseason for the Dodgers
LOS ANGELES (AP) — After their earliest postseason exit in three years, the Los Angeles Dodgers head into the offseason facing uncertainty over next year. Shohei Ohtani was dogged by injuries to his left knee and right biceps over the second half and into the playoffs that rendered him ineffective ...
Berkeley Talks: Michael Pollan and Christof Koch talk psychedelics and consciousness
The author and neuroscientist explore how altered states challenge our understanding of the mind — and why consciousness is more than a problem to solve.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter & a New ABC News/Washington Post/Ipsos Poll, Sunday on “This Week” with Co-anchor Martha Raddatz
Energy Secretary Chris Wright & Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter will be on "This Week" airing on Sunday, October 18.
Geese shred Hollywood Forever (and Dodger fan egos) at their three-night stand in L.A.
Cameron Winter had one last knife to twist for the Dodger faithful in the audience at Hollywood Forever on Thursday night.
‘Whalefall’ ending explained: Who survives? What happened on the boat? How does it differ from the book?
Austin Abrams and Josh Brolin star in Whalefall, a heart-racing thriller based on Daniel Kraus’ novel. Who survives? What happened on the boat? How does it differ from the book? Here’s the answers.
The Moon Is Shrinking, and Scientists Say That Could Be a Problem for NASA
Researchers identified more than 10,000 lunar faults, raising concerns about moonquakes, landslides, and the safety of future lunar missions.
Frontier, fuboTV, E.W. Scripps, Sphere Entertainment, and AMC Entertainment Stocks Trade Down, What You Need To Know
A number of stocks fell in the afternoon session after The LSEG/Ipsos Primary Consumer Sentiment Index fell 5.3 points from September to 45.2 in October 2026, the lowest reading since October 2011. According to LSEG, the survey was taken from Sept. 25 through Oct. 1. The monthly drop was the second-largest on record, behind only April 2020. The index is now below its May 2020 pandemic low of 45.4 and is 7.7 points under its level of a year ago.That kind of break in confidence hits the companies
More than $1 million in federal funding headed to rural Wisconsin businesses
More than $1 million in federal funding is headed to rural communities across Wisconsin, including three in southern Wisconsin where officials hope the money will help fill empty downtown storefronts.
Timothy Busfield child sex abuse charges thrown out, judge orders
A New Mexico judge tosses out the multiple child sex abuse charges that actor Timothy Busfield had been facing.
Scientists turn cancer-promoting protein into a weapon against tumors
Researchers have discovered that a protein known to help cancer cells thrive can also make immune cells more effective at destroying tumors.
Appeals Court Questions Justice Dept. Claim that Trump Owns White House Records
A three-judge panel appeared unconvinced by claims that a federal law requiring the president to preserve and hand over his presidential papers was unconstitutional.
Build Stakeholder Trust Before You Need It
Preparing relationships for change deserves as much attention as preparing the business.
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 […]
Airline High School students run their own store to build real-world business skills
Airline High School students are getting a hands-on lesson in business through the Viking Exchange, a student-run store designed to help prepare them for the workforce and life after graduation.
Cook Political Report moves 11 House races towards Democrats as Trump continues campaigning
The non-partisan Cook Political Report moves nearly a dozen races toward Democrats with less than three weeks before the election. NBC’s Monica Alba and Garrett Haake report on President Trump's campaign trip to Georgia and Cook Political Report’s Erin Covey joins to discuss the rating shifts.
Sony Just Put Audiophiles on Notice with Its New Portable Hi-Fi Players
Sony says the three new models are "engineered to deliver exceptional sound."
Chris Mason: Burnham and Swinney tussle over where power lies in Scotland
UK political debate has a distinctly Scottish feel after SNP's annual conference, says the BBC's political editor Chris Mason.
Sister Monica Heeran, longtime PeaceHealth leader and Northwest healthcare pioneer, dies at 95
SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — PeaceHealth mourns the passing of Sister Monica Heeran, a visionary leader who rose through the ranks of Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene and would shape healthcare throughout the Northwest and beyond.Sr. Monica died Oct. 9 at St. Mary on the Lake in Bellevue, Wash. She was 95.She boldly led PeaceHealth through a period of great innovation, guided by her faith, compassion and generosity toward those in need.
5 things to know about Kings Entertainment's Spooky Takeover
The International Drive attraction gets an autumn makeover throughout October.
Self-care is the first line of action for all healthcare
As healthcare systems face growing pressure from aging populations, chronic diseases, workforce shortages and unequal access to care, self-care is increasingly being recognized as a potential solution.
NY and CT get $2.7M settlement from health network BCHP, IT company XTIUM for data breach
Impacted residents will have fraud alert coverage through the settlement, a state spokesperson said.
The Bay Area's biggest show of the year just opened. Is it worth splurging on a ticket?
It scandalized off-Broadway and is now on a national tour. Is the biggest show to come to Bay Area theater this year worth the price of admission?
Timothy Busfield's child sex-abuse case dismissed
Timothy Busfield's child sex-abuse case has been thrown out.
What we know about Billy Evans, Elizabeth Holmes' long-term partner
Elizabeth Holmes, her partner Billy Evans and their two children are the focus of the new, nearly three-hour long documentary, "You Can See Everything."
What Does Hims & Hers Health (HIMS) Expansion Into The UK And Australia Mean?
Hims & Hers Health (NYSE:HIMS) announced the launch of Hers personalised hair loss and wellness care in the UK in October 2026. The Hers UK rollout introduces tailored treatment plans for women's hair loss alongside broader wellness services through the company's telehealth platform. The business is also expanding its Hers care platform into Australia, adding another English speaking market to its international footprint. The Hers UK hair loss launch and Australia expansion open new chapters...
Newport Healthcare Brings Back CEO, Lays Off Staff
Newport Healthcare’s CEO office is turning over at the same time it institutes additional layoffs and facility closures to again shrink its national
Gov. Hochul calls inquiry into Rich Schaffer and Suffolk Dems 'political hit job'
At three Suffolk Democrats were questioned by the FBI.
Students explore careers from health care to skilled trades at Career Connect
Wood County Christian School swapped its traditional college and career fair for face-to-face conversations this year, launching a Career Connect panel that brought local professionals to the gymnasium Friday.
Idaho receives $329,000 federal grant to boost small business exports
Idaho secures a $329,000 federal grant through the State Trade Expansion Program to help small businesses expand into international markets.
iOS 27.2 has three new changes just added this week
iOS 27.2 is launching soon, and Apple keeps introducing new updates with each beta. Here are three changes added to iOS 27.2 this week.
Luxury Yachts, Entertainment, and a Cause: Yacht Rendezvous Returns to Fort Lauderdale
Some of the world’s most spectacular superyachts will arrive at the iconic Pier Sixty-Six for the 37th Annual Boys & Girls Clubs Yacht Rendezvous. The exclusive weekend will bring together yacht owners, business leaders, philanthropists, and special guests for unforgettable experiences, live entertainment, and networking opportunities, all in support of programs that help empower local youth throughout Broward County.
Roger Marshall praises Trump's tariff policies after Kansas executive says they hurt his business
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, locked in tight campaign with Democrat Adam Hamilton, throws full support behind President Donald Trump's tariff war.
Official NVIDIA Marketplace Seemingly Removes GeForce RTX 5090
NVIDIA's official marketplace, where gamers across the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia could purchase GeForce RTX cards through NVIDIA's official channels, is showing more signs that the GeForce RTX 5090 might indeed be nearing its end of life. There are officially no more GeForce RTX...
We have reached a new threshold in genAI gloom, with a game dev cancelling a demo for fear of copycats ripping them off before release
The creators of Drunken Goddess Reflux have cancelled a demo for fear of genAI copycats making a clone before they release the game.
Fanatics plans flagship Atlanta Hawks store at Centennial Yards
Fanatics plans to open a flagship Atlanta sports store at Centennial Yards through a new retail partnership with the Atlanta Hawks.
Duke Health debuts three autonomous delivery robots to help healthcare providers
Duke Health’s autonomous robots are transporting supplies throughout the university's hospital in Durham.
Hometown’s Best: Vote for your favorite Southwest Virginia live music, entertainment, or sports venue finalist in 2026
The search is on for Southwest Virginia’s favorite live music, entertainment, or sports venue, and the finalists for this year’s Hometown’s Best have officially been announced.
Shrek 2 Remastered Microsoft Store page appears
A Microsoft Store page for the unannounced Shrek 2 Remastered developed by Aspyr has gone live.
Hometown’s Best: Vote for your favorite Southwest Virginia pet care business finalist in 2026
The search is on for Southwest Virginia’s favorite locally owned pet care business, and the finalists for this year’s Hometown’s Best have officially been announced.
Kaley Cuoco welcomes 2nd daughter with Tom Pelphrey, reveals name
Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey attend the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on Sept. 14, 2026, in Los Angeles, California. (Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
Sell Rating Could Be A Turning Point For Sphere Entertainment Stock (SPHR)
Argus recently cut its view on Sphere Entertainment to a SELL rating, citing weaker scores on management quality, growth potential, and valuation, while assigning only medium marks to financial strength and the industry backdrop. The downgrade highlights a key tension in Sphere Entertainment’s story: an experience-heavy, capital-intensive model that faces questions about execution discipline and long-run profitability. This raises the question of how Sphere Entertainment's investment...
Garlin Gilchrist: Media Q&A at Detroit business luncheon
Michigan Democratic Secretary of State candidate Garlin Gilchrist joined the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce Annual Business Luncheon on Friday, Oct. 16, and took questions from the media before the event.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Shrink Their Hollywood Business as Layoffs Hit Archewell Productions
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly been quietly cutting staff at Archewell Productions. “They cut staff over the last 12 to 18 months,” an insider told Page Six on Thursday, October 15. Th...
Alliance for Health releases H.R. 1 predictions | The Pajaronian
About one in three people who rely on Santa Cruz County Alliance Medi-Cal—25,000 people—will lose benefits by the end of 2028, said Central California Alliance for Health CEO Michael Schrader.
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, […]
Red Bull New York Debuts New, Lower Prices on Fan Favorites at Sports Illustrated Stadium
Matchday just got better. Red Bull New York are always looking for ways to improve the experience at Sports Illustrated Stadium, and fan input is a big part of that. The latest step: lower prices on six fan-favorites, starting with the Saturday, October 17 match vs. Toronto FC. Crispy Fries
John Mills urges Washington football OL to keep pushing forward
After struggling through the first half of the season, John Mills has urged Washington's offensive line to keep pushing forward.
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.
Live entertainment emerging as winner in streaming era
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT EMERGING AS WINNER IN STREAMING ERAIn a digital world where entertainment is just a tap away at home, do people still crave the thrill of live spectacle and value shared experiences?UBS believes they do. In a recent note, the brokerage said it remains constructive on the long-ter…
We’re Living in a Golden Age of Hot-Guy Politicians
From Zohran Mamdani and Abdul El-Sayed to Jon Ossoff and Pete Buttigieg, a new generation of politicians is going hard on policy while being easy on the eyes.
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.
WHO scales up Ebola readiness in 22 countries across three continents
The World Health Organization (WHO) is strengthening Ebola preparedness amid conflict and displacement affecting millions of lives in a region that spans parts of Africa, Asia and Europe.
NCAA sues Ohio gov. over eligibility order for 5th-year athletes
The NCAA has filed a federal lawsuit against Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine three days after he signed an executive order giving the state's colleges and universities the option of allowing athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 to play a fifth year.
Fort Smith Regional Airport traffic down 5.4% through September
Traffic out of the Fort Smith Regional Airport fell more than 20% in September, which followed a 12.5% decline in August. The declines result from fewer departures out of the...
CentraCare to Be Official Health Care Provider for Johnnie Athletics
(KNSI) - CentraCare and Saint John's University have agreed to a three-year partnership that makes CentraCare ...
Chris Murray challenges Palumbo with affordability, health care focus
Democrat Chris Murray has placed affordability, health care and environmental protection at the center of his campaign as he tries to unseat incumbent Republican state Sen. Anthony Palumbo. Mr. Murray — an attorney who was elected chairman of the Suffolk County Community College Board of Trustees in 2019 and has also chaired the Citizens Campaign...
Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Put In Doubt Kingdom’s Sports and Business Events
The Iran-backed group’s attacks have disrupted sports tournaments and threatened business events that the kingdom has long used to attract investment and raise its profile.
Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia Put In Doubt Kingdom’s Sports and Business Events
The Iran-backed group’s attacks have disrupted sports tournaments and threatened business events that the kingdom has long used to attract investment and raise its profile.
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.
Math Professor Secures National Science Foundation Grant to Advance Math Education
Professor of Mathematics, Dr. Dana Clahane, was recently awarded a federal grant of $499,893 by the National Science Foundation (NSF). A prestigious award, the grant will elevate undergraduate mathematics education in a project titled “Building Mathematics Research Communities at Two-Year Colleges” (BMRCTYC). Over the next three years, BMRCTYC will establish local Mathematics Research Communities at eight... Read more »
Hallmark Channel's Countdown To Christmas Begins Today
Ready or not the new Hallmark Channel holiday movies are here!
Packers Get Dak Prescott Admission Over Old Lambeau Boast
The Green Bay Packers have given Dak Prescott grounds to reconsider one of the first conclusions he reached at Lambeau Field.Prescott went into Green Bay as a rookie in 2016 and left with a 30-16 victory over the Packers. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns in the win, while rookie […] The post Packers Get Dak Prescott Admission Over Old Lambeau Boast appeared first on HEAVY.
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.
Tesla's new Roadster car can thrust itself in the air. Don't expect to drive it anytime soon
Thursday's launch arrived after years of delays and anticipation around the new Roadster — and Tesla shares climbed about 2% in morning trading on Friday after its unveiling.
Princeton Engineering - Endowed professorships recognize excellence in computer science
Three computer scientists at Princeton Engineering have been named to endowed professorships.
Google revealed as company considering Roanoke County site
Google is considering Roanoke County’s Wood Haven Technology Park for a data center, with a due diligence period running through March 2027.
Sarkisian, No. 7 Texas look to bounce back against Florida
Steve Sarkisian and No. 7 Texas return to DKR for a three-game homestand, beginning Saturday against a Florida team led by first-year head coach Jon Sumrall.