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Explosive co-op shooter Aliens: Fireteam Elite gets a sequel, and it's coming soon
It's official: Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 will release later this year.
Frontier flight reported it struck person in Denver, airport says
Denver International said a "brief engine fire" was extinguished by firefighters at the scene.
DC Wrap: U.S. fires on Iranian tankers; Pentagon releases UFO files
A look at the day's biggest stories in national politics
CAIR Releases Analysis of Anti-Muslim Oklahoma Politics
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today released a new analysis detailing a multi-front effort to push Oklahoma Muslims outside the circle of the state’s protected civic and religious life — through legislation, thro
Pricing and censorship complaints be damned: Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen sold over 4 million units in six weeks
Both versions managed to sell an impressive amount in the first month and a half on sale.
Lawyers for press dinner gunman seek to disqualify Pirro and Blanche from case citing their presence at event
The legal team of the man accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner last month has asked the court to disqualify top Department of Justice officials from being involved in his case, arguing there is a conflict of interest because they were present during the incident.
Why Firefighters Burned Down an Old Building on the National Zoo’s Science Campus
When faced with the challenge of an aging facility, staff at the Zoo's science campus found a creative solution to its closure.
Study: Health Risks from Wildfires May Be Unseen
A new study assesses the effects of wildfires over two decades and shows that wildfire smoke contributes to excess deaths in the United States each year.
Price Controversy Did Nothing To Stifle Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen On Switch
While Pokopia's off to a great start
Science with Stevie: Droughts & Wildfire Risk
Meteorologist Stevie Daniels discusses the ongoing severe drought in Maryland and how it can lead to an increased risk of wildfire spread in this Science with Stevie segment.
Oil back over $100 as US-Iran ceasefire comes under pressure; UK house prices drop
Rolling coverage of the latest economic and financial news
New Business Licenses: 5.8.26
Chesterfield reports an athletics club, skin care company, fire protection and more. (BizSense Pro required)
US and Iran trade fire, threatening fragile truce
Any agreement between the United States and Iran could also help lower tensions in Lebanon
Mount Healthy businesses in limbo over 100+ alleged fire code violations
Small business owners at Hilltop Plaza say they are fearing for their future after court filings obtained by WLWT show the City of Mt. Healthy is seeking an injunction over alleged fire code violations at the property.
Mozilla says AI helped squash 423 Firefox security bugs
Yet it remains unclear if Anthropic's uber model was effective, or if better model middleware is what makes the difference
SeaWorld Orlando Unveils Massive Summer Entertainment Lineup Featuring New Drone Show, Nighttime Spectaculars
SeaWorld Orlando is preparing for one of its biggest summer entertainment seasons ever, unveiling an expanded lineup of nighttime shows, fireworks, immersive experiences, and an all-new drone spectacular set to debut beginning June 12.
US forces strike military facilities in Iran as countries exchange fire
US forces targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for launching a series of “unprovoked” missile, drone and small boat attacks against American warships transiting the Strait of Hormuz, US Central Command said on Thursday.
Mozilla says 271 vulnerabilities found by Mythos have "almost no false positives"
The developer of Firefox says it has "completely bought in" on AI-assisted bug discovery.
How Anthropic’s Mythos has rewritten Firefox’s approach to cybersecurity
Security researchers at Mozilla say Anthropic's Mythos has unearthed a wealth of high-severity bugs in Firefox.
Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 announced for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC
Publisher Daybreak Game Company and developer Cold Iron Studios have announced cooperative third-person shooter sequel Aliens: Fireteam Elite 2 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC (Steam, Epic G…
Class of 2026: Academic Renewal Helps Lucas Koon Right His Path to a Business Degree
Business major Lucas Koon returns to UNCG after a first-year misfire to graduate with a 3.5 GPA and internship experience from Volvo.
Storm not enough to help summer sports venues
While the snow provided much needed relief for reservoirs and fire prone areas, it wasn’t quite enough to help some high country outdoor sports venues.
Google’s video streaming strategy has backfired
Google stopped making sub-$50 streaming dongles when it discontinued the Chromecast line in 2024. That's becoming a problem.
Crews fight overnight fire at Asheville business
The Asheville Fire Department worked to put out a fire at an Asheville business early Thursday morning.
Is the FDA Really Suppressing Science? Plus. . .
It’s Thursday, May 7. This is The Front Page, your daily window into the world of The Free Press—and our take on the world at large. Today: Aaron MacLean says Trump is poised to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in the Iran war. Joe Klein on the life of CNN founder Ted Turner. Jillian Lederman on why cruise ships are here to stay. And much more. But first: Is the FDA suppressing science? On Tuesday, The New York Times published a story with an alarming takeaway. “FDA Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe,” read the headline. It is the latest in a string of stories that all have the same message: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and other agencies, are engaged in a cover-up—and silencing scientists trying to get the word out about the Covid vaccine. What all these stories suggest—some more subtly than others—is that the outsiders now running the public health establishment, officials such as Marty Makary at the FDA and Jay Bhattacharya at the National Institutes of Health, are on a revenge tour. That they are doing harm to the country to get back at the scientists and bureaucrats who ostracized them for deviating from the public-health consensus during the pandemic. It’s a seductive narrative. But is it true? That’s the question we address in our latest editorial. —The Editors Read [ Marty Makary's FDA Has All the Right Enemies ](https://www.thefp.com/p/marty-makary-vaccine-study-fda) [ Trump Blinks First ](https://www.thefp.com/p/iran-peace-deal-pakistan-trump-strait-of-hormuz) Aaron MacLean In return for no detectable concessions, President Trump this week gave up on forcing open the Strait of Hormuz. Now, the Trump administration looks desperate for a deal to end the war with Iran. It’s easy to understand the desire to end the war, but are they blowing the chance at victory? Aaron MacLean makes sense of the administration’s latest moves—and Iran’s response—in his column today. Read full story Aaron MacLean and Niall Ferguson: Live in New York City Join Aaron MacLean and Niall Ferguson on May 19 for a live recording of School of War at the iconic New York Historical. In a conversation as timely as it is wide-ranging, Aaron and Niall will explore the strategic stakes of the moment, including the Middle East, China, and the future of American leadership on the global stage. Get Tickets Now [ Ted Turner, the Optimist Who Built CNN ](https://www.thefp.com/p/ted-turner-cnn-tribute) Joe Klein The man who gave us CNN and the 24-hour news cycle, Ted Turner, died Wednesday at the age of 87. Today, political writer Joe Klein—who almost ghostwrote Turner’s autobiography—remembers his friend, the American media mogul who stood out for his idealism and lack of a filter—something that got Turner in trouble more than once. “His was not a traditional intelligence, but one of horizon: Ted saw things before other people did,” Joe writes. Read full story [ Nothing Can Sink the Cruise Ship ](https://www.thefp.com/p/cruise-ship-hantavirus) Jillian Lederman A viral outbreak on a cruise ship that left three passengers dead has left some people wondering: Are cruise ships on the way out? Not so fast, says Jillian Lederman, who has been on many a cruise herself. Read her piece on why 38 million people a year take a cruise—and aren’t about to stop. Read full story [ The Great Writers Who Were Terrible People ](https://www.thefp.com/p/the-great-writers-who-were-terrible) Shilo Brooks Throughout history, some of the greatest literary geniuses have also been immoral bigots. In the latest episode of Old School, Shilo Brooks is joined by Eli Lake for a conversation about those geniuses, from Voltaire to Norman Mailer and Roald Dahl—and why we should read their work despite their odious prejudices. Listen on MORE FROM THE FREE PRESS [ Inside the Digital Intifada ](https://www.thefp.com/p/digital-intifada-social-media-hamas-terror) Warren Kinsella Read full story [ This Week in American History: Trump’s Over-Arching Problem ](https://www.thefp.com/p/this-week-in-american-history-trumps-over-arching-problem) Jonathan Horn Read full story [ Humanity Is Still Evolving—and Fast ](https://www.thefp.com/p/humanity-is-still-evolvingand-fast) Razib Khan Read full story THE NEWS Thirteen D.C. Metropolitan Police officers have been placed on administrative leave and could face termination after an internal investigation found evidence that crime statistics were manipulated to make the city look safer. The Republican-led House Oversight Committee previously alleged that former D.C. police chief Pamela Smith pressured officers to skew data. Tennessee Republicans unveiled a redrawn U.S. House map yesterday that would split up Memphis’s black-majority Democratic district, the latest move in a nationwide push to redraw congressional boundaries ahead of the midterms. The effort follows a Supreme Court ruling last week on Louisiana’s districts, which Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said gave states the green light to redraw maps along partisan lines. Israel struck Beirut for the first time since a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect last month, saying it targeted a commander of the militant group’s elite Radwan force in the city’s southern suburbs. The strikes risk destabilizing that truce at a delicate moment, as Iran and the U.S. report progress toward a deal to resolve their own standoff. The U.S. Air Force is aiming for a Fourth of July delivery of a Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar, hoping to add it to the Air Force One fleet in time for the U.S.’s 250th anniversary, Reuters reported. (For more on the controversy surrounding the aircraft, read Jed Rubenfeld’s piece “It’s a Terrible Idea, but Trump Probably Can Accept a Free Jet from Qatar.”) Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick testified privately before Congress that he has no memory of why he and his family dined on Jeffrey Epstein’s private island in 2012, according to Reuters. The admission contradicts Lutnick’s earlier claim that he had cut ties with the convicted sex offender well before that visit. Weeks before a former JPMorgan investment banker filed a lawsuit packed with explosive allegations, the bank reportedly offered him $1 million to settle his sexual assault and harassment claims, according to The Wall Street Journal. The suit, filed by Chirayu Rana, alleges he was sexually assaulted by a female colleague, subjected to racial discrimination, and forced into a degrading dynamic at work. JPMorgan says the claims lack merit, and the female colleague’s lawyers call the accusations fabricated. A new report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research shows that, for the first time in roughly 20 years, church attendance is trending upward, with more people volunteering and clergy expressing renewed optimism. The study’s authors described the findings, based on a survey of more than 7,400 congregations, as showing signs of widespread recovery from low attendance numbers.
Sally Field remembers Robin Williams trying to make her laugh on 'Mrs. Doubtfire': 'It wasn't funny'
Sally Field says her 'Mrs. Doubtfire' costar Robin Williams was forever trying to make her laugh on the set, but she didn't find his antics funny.
Republican who defied Trump, then lost his election fires back: ‘loyalty lies’ with ‘the people of my district’
Report: Tigers' Triple-A manager Gabe Alvarez fired over 'inappropriate' text message to colleague
The Triple-A Toledo manager was abruptly dismissed on May 5 for a "violation of club policy."
‘The Book Of Mormon’ Cancels Broadway Performances Through May 17 Due To Fire
Producers of Broadway’s The Book of Mormon and venue owner ATG Entertainment have canceled performances of the hit musical comedy through Sunday, May 17, due to the May 4 fire at the Eugene O’Neill Th...
National Science Board member with longtime New Mexico ties speaks out on firing
At the end of April, the Trump administration fired the entire National Science Board, which one former member says threatens U.S. science.
📸 Two handballs? Second yellow? Penalty? Bayern are baffled!
There’s real fire in the second leg of the CL semi-final — and not just because PSG extended their aggregate lead to two goals with an early strike. By now, fierce debate has already erupted over ...
Man charged with assaulting Secret Service agents near Washington Monument
A man who allegedly fired at Secret Service agents near the Washington Monument earlier this week has been charged in connection with the shooting.
Lockheed opposes Northrop bid to remove firewall on solid rocket motor business
Northrop argues that a 2018 consent order is hampering its ability to ramp up solid rocket motor production needed for critical munitions.
Hawaiʻi Balks At Funding Maui Fire Victim Health Study
Lawmakers did not pass a bill that would have funded the continuation of the most comprehensive study of the long-term health effects of the wildfires.
Palo Alto PAN-OS Flaw Under Active Exploitation Enables Remote Code Execution
CVE-2026-0300 exploited via public PAN-OS portal before May 13, 2026 patch, enabling root RCE on firewalls.
April Social Media Round-Up—Trailblazer Cancer Research Grants, World Health Day, and More
April has come to a close and we are barreling towards the summer. Before you head outside to enjoy spring, take a moment to catch up with Pfizer’s social channels, which have been on fire. Check out updates across our channels.
Critical Palo Alto Firewalls Vulnerability Exploited in the Wild to Gain Root Access
Palo Alto Networks has disclosed a critical buffer overflow vulnerability in PAN-OS software, tracked as CVE-2026-0300, that is already being actively exploited in the wild.
White House Insists Iran War Is Over, Even While Missiles Fly
The White House is turning to rhetorical leaps as President Trump tries to put the biggest political crisis of his presidency behind him.
Brian Kelly says Lane Kiffin can do the one thing he couldn’t at LSU
LSU football fired Brian Kelly for not winning it all. Now he explains why his replacement Lane Kiffin might.
Data center opposition is 'catching a fire' across North Carolina politics
As North Carolina localities consider data center projects or halt development with moratoriums, their decisions are having political repercussions.
'Ceasefire is not over,' Hegseth says as U.S. acts to reopen Strait of Hormuz
Hegseth said "Project Freedom" is a temporary and defensive operation meant to resume the flow of traffic through the vital waterway.
Supreme Court strikes down Louisiana map in major gerrymandering ruling, sparks political firestorm
Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to react to the Supreme Court’s Louisiana map ruling, discuss President Donald Trump’s Iran strategy, and highlight tax cuts boosting small businesses and workers
Flutter Entertainment Announce Management Participation in Upcoming Event
DUBLIN and TORONTO, May 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Flutter Entertainment (“Flutter”) (NYSE:FLUT, LSE:FLTR), the leading online sports betting and iGaming operator, today announced that Peter Jackson, Chief Executive Officer, and Rob Coldrake, Chief Financial Officer, will participate in the following event: J.P. Morgan fireside chat scheduled on Monday, May 11, 2026 at 8:30am EDT / 1:30pm BST The live audio webcast for the J.P. Morgan fireside chat can be accessed via www.flutter.com/investors
Dragons on Fire: Kudos for Student Achievement: Winter 2025
Students have earned fellowships, scholarships, awards and more over the past quarter.
Illinois fires softball head coach Tyra Perry
Another vacancy to fill.
Secret Service shoots man who fired at agents near Washington Monument
The US Secret Service says its officers shot an armed man Monday afternoon near the Washington Monument after he fired at agents and wounded a juvenile bystander.
3 things to know about USF St. Pete building destroyed in fire
The aging Marine Science Lab could withstand hurricanes. But Saturday’s blaze was another story.
Lightning strike likely sparked massive fire that destroyed USF St. Pete marine science lab, officials say
University of South Florida officials now believe a lightning strike sparked the massive fire that tore through the marine science lab on the St. Petersburg campus, as concerns grow over the loss of decades of research and critical equipment.
Man in mental health crisis dies in officer-involved shooting in southwest Wichita, police say
WPD says the incident happened in the 1400 block of W. Haskell, where a Wichita Police officer discharged their firearm.
Trump’s gambit to move ships through the Strait of Hormuz tests the fragile ceasefire
President Donald Trump’s initiative to guide ships through the Strait of Hormuz was a high-stakes, high-risk attempt to jolt loose a resolution to the standoff that had come to define his war against Iran.
Kid Cudi Fires M.I.A. From Tour Following Political Rants: "I Won't Have Someone On My Tour Making Offensive Remarks"
Kid Cudi has cut ties with M.I.A., who will no longer be a part of his Rebel Ragers Tour.
Entertainment: World Knife Competition
The competition is about to heat up in Laie at the Polynesian Cultural Center as fire knife dancers from around the world compete over four nights.
Science research building at Florida college likely total loss in fire
Authorities are looking into lightning as the cause of the fire as there were strong storms at the time.
The Crossword, May 4: Fire Away
Don’t be shy! Solve our Monday crossword. This week’s puzzle was constructed by Rebecca Goldstein and edited by Hoang-Kim Vu. Rebecca is a research scientist and crossword constructor in the Bay Area. She is also a co-director of Westwords, a crossword tournament taking place in Berkeley, Calif., and online on Sunday, June 14. Defector crosswords, launched in partnership…
Magic fire coach Jamahl Mosley after another first-round playoff loss
Orlando's loss to the Pistons after leading the series 3-1 ultimately led to Mosley getting ousted.
Magic fire Jamahl Mosley after another first-round playoff loss
Orlando allowed Toronto to score 31 unanswered points in a 52-point loss earlier in the season that spelled poorly for Mosley's future with the team.
Lebanon's most senior Shi'ite politician says no to negotiations with Israel until war stops
Lebanon's parliament speaker, who is the most senior Shi'ite politician and a close ally of Hezbollah, said on Monday there could be no negotiations with Israel without a halt to the war that has raged on in southern Lebanon in spite of a ceasefire.
Denis Leary’s ‘crazy idea’ puts civilians through FDNY training to raise funds for fire departments
Actor-comedian Denis Leary has found a unique way to raise funds for his Leary Firefighters Foundation.
University responds after fire destroys lab hub at USF's Marine Science College
USF officials deal with damages following fire at Marine Science building
USF Marine Science dean laments loss of research in laboratory building fire
“I think almost everybody that was doing research and using that facility will be impacted one way or another,” said Dean Tom Frazer. “We're still concerned that samples may have been lost that may be irreplaceable."
Olmsted Falls business closes after fire destroys building
The Eye Place in Olmsted Falls announced in a social media post Sunday that it would be closed after Friday’s fire.
Alzheimer’s drugs may not work and could raise brain risks
Drugs designed to clear amyloid beta from the brain—once seen as a promising path to slowing Alzheimer’s—may not actually help patients in any meaningful way, according to a major review of over 20,000 participants. Even more concerning, they may increase the risk of brain swelling and bleeding, sometimes without obvious symptoms.
Man arrested at Trump's Miami golf club for disorderly conduct, Secret Service says
The incident occurred one week after shots were fired during the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, D.C., and Mr. Trump was rushed off the dais.
Potentially lost in USF St. Pete fire, irreplaceable marine research
Freezers holding samples from around the globe help advance world-class research. What comes next?
Investigation into fire at USF St. Pete Marine Science Lab | FOX 13 Tampa Bay
Investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the 2-alarm fire Saturday evening at the USF St. Pete campus. FOX 13's Heather Healy reports.
Fire destroys a lab building on a University of South Florida campus
A fire at the University of South Florida's Marine Science Laboratory building in St. Petersburg caused significant damage, with initial assessments suggesting the structure may be a total loss.
Scenes from the USF St. Petersburg fire show billowing smoke, roof ablaze
St. Petersburg Fire District Chief Michael Lewis said more than 60 units with about 200 firefighters were summoned to the scene.
Lightning may have sparked fire destroying top US marine science lab, officials say
About 200 firefighters responded to devastating blaze at University of South Florida’s lab on Saturday
Flames tear through roof of USF Marine Science Laboratory in St. Petersburg
A large two-alarm fire broke out Saturday at a building on the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus, sending plumes of smoke into the sky.
‘Fire Country’s Jordan Calloway Teases ‘Intense’ Finale: How Will It End?
Plus, will Jake have time to plan a wedding before the end of the season?
Rural youth show higher firearm exposure, suicide risk and mental health harms
Rural youth experience higher rates of firearm exposure, handgun-carrying and associated mental health risks, according to Rutgers researchers. Their study, published in Trauma, Violence, and Abuse, has ...
Broncos map proposed entertainment zone, parking and tailgate park for Burnham Yard
The verbal fireworks didn’t begin until the second hour of a meeting that began by passing around a peace pipe.
Savannah Bananas pack 102,000 fans into Texas A&M's Kyle Field for biggest game ever
Barnstorming baseball circus that is the Savannah Bananas pack stadiums across the U.S. But they've never seen anything like what they saw Saturday.
Trump Says ‘You’re Fired’ to the Members of the National Science Board
Here’s why that’s a needed reset.
Gov. Jeff Landry canceled the May 16 House elections. What happens now?
“I’m sure we’re going to have fireworks somewhere,” one key state legislator said.
Large fire breaks out at marine science lab on USF St. Petersburg campus
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Massive fire destroys University of South Florida laboratory building: 'Total loss'
A massive fire broke out at the University of South Florida's Marine Science Laboratory in St. Petersburg, with no injuries reported, authorities said.
Hollywood fire crews extinguish business structure fire
The fire has since been extinguished, according to fire authorities, and crews remained on scene conducting overhaul and ensuring the area is safe.
Fire Damages USF Marine Science Lab; Hazmat Evaluation Planned Overnight
A multiple-alarm structure fire significantly damaged a marine science laboratory, with officials indicating the building is likely a total loss due to extensive water and fire damage. The fire was reported at approximately 5:12 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, 2026. Fire crews reported that the structure was already heavily involved in the attic upon arrival. […]
Massive fire engulfs science lab at University of South Florida St. Petersburg: 'Total devastation'
Fire Breaks Out at University of South Florida Marine Science Lab
A fire broke out Saturday evening at a University of South Florida marine science lab in St. Petersburg, prompting an evacuation.
NOLA.com's Live from Jazz Fest: Final festival bites, the importance of a Trombone shorty set
Will you pick Trombone Shorty, Tedeschi Trucks Band or Earth, Wind & Fire? Keith Spera previews the closing sets. Today's live show is presented by Explore Louisiana and New Orleans and Company.
Two-alarm fire strikes USF Marine Science Laboratory on St. Petersburg campus
Emergency calls came in sometime after 5:30 p.m. Saturday. No injuries have been reported, and the building was evacuated, officials say. No cause has been determined.
‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field
‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field ‘The reality, for better or worse’: Columbia comp sci students and faculty grapple with AI’s disruption of the field A field that once seemed like a direct path to stable, lucrative work is becoming less certain under AI, students and faculty told Spectator. By Ria Vasishtha and Arjun Menon May 3, 2026 Shanying Liu / Deputy Illustrations Editor Asia Genawi, SEAS ’29, first encountered artificial intelligence during her sophomore year at her high school in Indiana. Back in 2023, policies on AI varied widely—even within the same district—and some schools had no guidance at all. As Genawi began to see the effects of AI trickle into her classroom, she turned to guidance from her home state’s Department of Education, which she said she found “outdated and inaccessible.” Genawi spent the rest of her high school career dedicated to the issue, including writing a 15-page memo exploring varying AI policies across Indiana schools, which she sent to every Indiana state senator and representative whose contact information she was able to find. She later helped draft a bill that would have required public high schools to establish and share their own AI policies with students in an accessible format. But with so many other bills already awaiting referral, hers never made it to committee. When Genawi arrived at Columbia to study computer science, she found that the gaps she had spent years trying to address in Indiana had followed her there. Many students and professors were also grappling with what AI meant for the field. Across Columbia’s undergraduate schools, computer science has become the most popular major—accounting for around 11 percent of degrees awarded in Columbia College, 32 percent in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, and 12 percent in the School of General Studies in 2024. While the number of computer science majors in SEAS grew from 166 to 173 during the 2024-25 academic year, the total number across the three schools fell around 4.5 percent from 393 to 375, driven by declines at Columbia College and General Studies. At Barnard, it has grown to become the second most popular major as of 2025, up from third the year prior. The number of degrees awarded have grown fivefold since 2016. Faculty members and students in the department told Spectator that the surge in the major’s popularity has been driven in large part by its apparent promise of a secure, well-paid career path. However, they noted that the recent rise of generative AI has compromised the sense of stability that once defined the field, even as interest in technical skills among students persists. According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in 2024, out of 74 majors tracked, computer science had the fifth highest unemployment rate among majors at 7 percent, while computer engineering had the second highest at 7.8 percent. “Anecdotally, people are moving away from CS as a major,” Daniel Bauer, a senior lecturer in the computer science department, said. “They’re still taking some of our classes, right, because they think they need that, but they’re instead majoring in other things.” Bauer described a field that had shifted from what he called a “nerdy outlier discipline” to one that “everyone needs,” a sign that technical skills have become a baseline expectation across industries with the emergence of AI. “A lot of people thought, ‘Oh, it’s a guaranteed path to a stable income. You get a six-figure job right out of your undergrad,’” Bauer said. Now, companies may see AI as a way to reduce demand for entry-level programmers, especially in what he calls “code monkey jobs,” roles where a large number of employees are “just writing out code nine-to-five.” Chris Murphy, a senior lecturer in the computer science department, described the current moment as the convergence of two forces: the downturn of the job market and generative AI coming onto the scene. “Things kind of started to really pick up in 2014, 16,” he said, recalling the years after the weaker 2010 market. Murphy added that this was also a period where “students were getting more experience outside of class than they were inside of class” through internships, jobs, and side projects. Murphy suggested that the earlier momentum helped make computer science feel like both an academic program and a reliable pathway into work. That feeling is harder to sustain now as the industry reconfigures, which is a shift that students are seeing firsthand. Rebecca Yu, SEAS ’27, said that during a recent internship in Big Tech, she saw that “every single tech company was racing to integrate” large language models. She added that her manager said her intern class was the first to complete their assigned projects, which she attributed to the increased efficiency that comes with AI. Frank Liu, SEAS ’29, said that with AI lowering the barrier to coding, companies now expect everyone to write code. “A lot of companies outright say if you’re not using coding in your job, you might get fired for not being productive enough,” Liu said. Yu similarly expressed that students increasingly have to accept AI being a part of industry workflow, adding that many also “make use of it to maximize their productivity.” Richard Li, CC ’28, described a “franticness” among his peers as the pace of change accelerates. He explained how “some new tool” is released regularly, noting that tools rise and fall in prominence within weeks. He has come to believe that he doesn’t need to “match that speed all the time” and keep up with every development. Li has learned that AI tools allow him to “take a breath” and “get back into the loop much easier than before” when he needs to. While some companies specifically target Columbia when hiring, sending representatives to campus career fairs and recruiting large numbers from Columbia, a computer science degree cannot be treated as a static credential, Yu described. “You can’t just get your degree and stop learning after that. You have to always be learning,” Yu said. “That is something you basically have to expect for your job.” AI has not only affected students’ decisions to major in computer science, but also reshaped how the subject is taught. Across departments, faculty members no longer treat work done outside the classroom as a reliable measure of understanding, shifting instead toward in-person exams, quizzes, and attendance checks. While homework once made up as much as 60 to 70 percent of a student’s grade in computer science classes, Murphy said that breakdown has since flipped, with exams and quizzes now accounting for the majority. “The assumption—especially among pessimists—is that they’re using it to do their homework,” Murphy said. “They take the homework assignment. They put it into generative AI. Out comes the solution. Submit solution. The end.” Murphy said that faculty members ranged in their responses from fully prohibiting AI use to actively teaching students how to effectively work with AI. He said he shifted his approach this year after his teaching assistants called his belief that students weren’t using the technology “naïve,” and now permits students to use AI on assignments. His surveys of students in his introductory classes have told a more complicated story than the one so-called pessimists offer: Around 60 to 70 percent of students who reported using AI said they used it to have concepts explained to them, to clarify assignment instructions, to generate test cases, or to create practice questions. “Those are all ways that you might have had a tutor in the past to do that, and now you have this AI essentially as your tutor,” he said. Bauer has taken a different approach, teaching students how to use AI productively without sacrificing the core principles of the discipline. “People who are trained to actually use AI tools productively, while being in charge of designing the overall project, will be very much in demand in the next couple of years,” he said. Over the past year, a working group of computer science faculty has been redesigning the introductory and intermediate programming sequence to integrate generative AI as both a subject and a tool, representatives from SEAS wrote in a statement to Spectator. The effort is “coordinated” across the department, “not course-by-course,” with a systematic assessment of how AI integration is affecting student outcomes underway to shape the next round of changes. The goal, the department explained, is for students to be able to “read, verify, and reason about code, whether they or a model wrote it.” Tony Dear, senior lecturer in the computer science department, is piloting individualized AI feedback in a discrete mathematics course, while a machine learning course is also testing a Socratic AI dialogue system designed to “guide inquiry rather than supply answers,” the statement reads. Beyond individual courses, SEAS funded seven cross-departmental faculty projects in generative AI this past academic year, spanning biomedical engineering, chemical engineering, industrial engineering, and computer science, according to the statement. This phenomenon extends beyond the computer science department. SEAS’ new AI minor, which it announced in November 2025, reflects the University’s attempt to adapt. The minor is specifically designed for noncomputer science majors and aims to provide “essential AI knowledge” while emphasizing practical and responsible use across disciplines, according to the SEAS website. At the center of the minor is AI in Context, a course taught by a team of faculty from the departments of computer science, applied mathematics, philosophy, music, literature, and the Writing Center, the representatives told Spectator. Bauer described it as targeted at students who want to bring AI into fields like economics or biology, rather than as a path into software engineering itself. At the graduate level, SEAS announced a new Master of Science in artificial intelligence in February, with the inaugural cohort starting in the fall. While recognizing how AI has helped them navigate coursework, students also described its rise as isolating, even among members of the Application Development Initiative, one of Columbia’s largest computer science clubs. “As people start to ask AI for questions that they would normally ask students and members, it starts to isolate people” Li said. Alexa Kafka, BC ’27, echoed Li’s sentiment, pointing out that computer science has always been a collaborative discipline with code reviews and pull requests, even as AI makes independent work easier. Despite this, Kafka noted that she hasn’t been to office hours “in at least a year.” Bauer added that faculty are exploring long-term solutions to the assessment problem. “One of the things that we’re trying to do at the department or school level is to maybe move towards computerized testing facilities,” Bauer said, referring to ideas in the department to revitalize computer labs as an alternative to pen-and-paper exams. “We have to accept that this is the reality, for better or worse.” But more exams, students say, does not mean better learning, nor does it reflect how computer science is actually done. “Code is so variable and can be approached in so many directions, there’s never just going to be one correct answer. There can be multiple optimal solutions,” Kafka said. Students also expressed concern that the shift toward exam-heavy grading pulls focus away from the applied, project-based work that better reflects both discipline and industry expectations. ADI has tried to respond more quickly than the curriculum can. Through a vibe coding workshop this past semester, club members said they wanted to help students understand not just that AI exists, but how to use it deliberately. “Vibe coding” refers to the practice of prompting AI to write code for a task or project, and has become widespread enough that ADI felt the gap in formal instruction was worth addressing, according to Sophia Huang, BC ’29. The workshop introduced students to the concept of context engineering, which Shaina Sahu, SEAS ’27, described as not just writing a prompt, but optimizing “the rest of the relevant information that you would feed into the model.” Without that, students said that AI-generated code can fail at scale or introduce difficult-to-detect bugs. Genawi said the shift toward AI has changed what it means to be good at computer science. “I think the shift has kind of gone towards what can you create and what can you do, instead of, what do you know,” she said. Indeed, during ADI DevFest, its annual hackathon, Li said more teams are trying to complete their projects than in years past. While sign-ups have historically outpaced submissions, Li said this is beginning to change because teams “have a tool that completes the vision for them.” While many students see AI as an equalizer that lowers the barrier to entry for coding and technical work, Murphy said it also creates new equity concerns inside the classroom around who can afford stronger tools and who already knows how to use them. “The equity issues I worry about are students who have access to paid versions of things versus free versions of things,” he said. Although popular AI models like ChatGPT and Claude have free versions available, both have paid models that can reach over $100 per month, which output different qualities of code. Murphy also pointed to differences in prior exposure to AI literacy itself. “Students who go to high schools or K-12 education, where they’re taught AI literacy, prompt engineering, context engineering, they understand how to do this, as opposed to students who go to schools who don’t teach that,” he said. “Then they come in, and then they’re somehow expected to know how to use these tools.” For Genawi, those disparities begin long before students arrive on campus. “It’s very interesting to consider how lucky you were geographically,” she said. “To be born where you were is influencing your ability to get access to these spaces.” Students like Yu, though broadly apprehensive about the future of computer science, are not without hope. “I’m optimistic, because I think if you’re truly passionate about CS, there will definitely be a place in the field to do something you want to do,” she said. Senior Staff Writer Ria Vasishtha can be contacted at ria.vasishtha@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec. Staff Writer Arjun Menon can be contacted at arjun.menon@columbiaspectator.com. Follow Spectator on X @ColumbiaSpec. Want to keep up with breaking news? Subscribe to our email newsletter and like Spectator on Facebook. Produced with Spectate by Emily Ta
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