Vox

The Trump administration is targeting AI as the future of American schooling. But they picked a bad year to ask Americans to trust the technology with their kids.

Earlier this month, top leaders at Anthropic, OpenAI, and Google DeepMind publicly urged an AI development slowdown, warning that companies racing to build ever more powerful systems could lose control of them. Trump responded by calling the panic a “hoax” and said the US would not “hinder or stifle” the industry, because “whoever wins AI wins.”

Yet the public is not convinced, and parents perhaps least of all. A growing number of red states have been cracking down on AI in the classroom and giving parents the choice to opt out of its use.

Even at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank with close ties to Trump, leaders are warning about the risks of AI in the classroom. While the White House touts the vision of AI-personalized learning, many parts of the GOP are saying this is the wrong direction for America’s students.

Learn more: www.vox.com/technology/504061/ai-education-schools…<media_url>

11 hours ago | [YT] | 382

Vox

High energy prices, an unpopular war, and frustration with the economy are hammering Republicans across the country in competitive races.

But they have at least one more card to play: the trans card.

Republican groups are spending millions to fund a blizzard of trans-focused attack ads that accuse Democrats of supporting taxpayer-funded “sex change surgeries for children,” of wanting to “let biological men enter girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms,” and of letting “men play in girls’ sports.”

The question of how Democrats respond to these trans rights attacks is, in many ways, a bellwether for deeper questions within the party.

How far does the party’s longtime commitment to expanding rights extend, how much do Democrats actually disagree on the underlying substantive issues, and just how far do the outer reaches of the party’s big tent extend?

Read more: www.vox.com/politics/504097/democrats-trans-attack…<media_url>

1 day ago | [YT] | 893

Vox

The AI freakout of the past few weeks has centered on nothing less than the risk of human extinction — on the possibility that artificial intelligence could wipe us all out.

But the reality is, AI programs are already having a direct and sinister effect on people’s physical health: UnitedHealth Group, the largest health insurer in the US, has been accused of using AI programs to deny payments to people, despite their doctors saying the care was necessary, and is facing a class-action lawsuit.

Humana and Cigna are facing their own litigation over similar allegations. Meanwhile, Medicare has launched its own AI tool that will help the government determine whether to approve prior authorizations, and doctors are sending the federal government reports of patients at their offices who are in tears because they can’t get the medicine to manage their chronic pain.

Read more about how AI is threatening people’s health right now: www.vox.com/good-medicine-newsletter/503932/ai-hea…

2 days ago | [YT] | 1,208

Vox

Most modern dating followed a predictable pattern: Two singles met at church, school, work, at a party hosted by a mutual friend, or through family.

But since the early 2010s, the most popular way to meet a potential romantic partner has been through online dating. And dating apps have played a huge role in how we approach dating altogether.

While effective at connecting users with multiple eligible singles, apps don’t encourage slow-burn connections, which is how humans have historically grown attracted to one another. And when a date goes awry, terrible tales can be mined for engagement online, where commenters are quick to validate a unique experience as universal, often reinforcing gendered stereotypes, like “all men are toxic” and “all women are shallow.”

This leads to the bigger question — how is anyone supposed to let their guard down when dating?

Read more: www.vox.com/life/503630/modern-dating-combative-ap…<media_url>

3 days ago | [YT] | 915

Vox

President Donald Trump’s proposed triumphal arch is going in a new direction: drone port and sniper platform.

Trump has been pushing to build this 250-foot-tall “triumphal arch” near the National Mall since at least this January. Relative to some of his other projects, however, it’s been slow going, and now he has a new plan.

He announced the updated design in a Sunday morning post, writing, “At the strong request of the United States Military, and for National Security purposes, I have agreed to convert” the arch into “a top grade Military Complex/Triumphal Arch.”

In reality, we don’t yet know if this version of the arch will happen, or even if the military actually requested it at all.

Read more: www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump/503463/tru…<media_url>

📸: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

4 days ago | [YT] | 815

Vox

We are in the midst of a loneliness epidemic: More than half of Americans say they feel isolated, and we’re getting together less and less. In 2023, only about 4% of adults said they went to a party on a weekend or holiday.

According to Imogen Willetts, a party historian and author of the book Up All Night: A History of Going Out, this moment is an outlier.

“For most of human history, the experiences that we associate with nightlife — drinking, dancing, music, hedonism — those experiences were simply part of religion because religion was so all-encompassing,” she told Vox.

If parties are so ingrained in humankind, then, what are we missing when we don’t get out the door on a Friday night anymore? And what lessons can we learn from the turnups of yore?

Find out: www.vox.com/explain-it-to-me/502777/history-of-par…<media_url>

🎨: A.H. Fish/Condé Nast via Getty Images

5 days ago | [YT] | 1,508

Vox

A decade ago, insulin became the poster child for America’s out-of-control drug prices.

The 2017 death of Alec Smith, who was rationing his insulin before he died, and repeated price hikes for a 100-year-old medication (the patent for which was originally sold for $1 to a university to prevent it from being exploited commercially) sparked widespread outrage that a lifesaving medication could be unaffordable to the people who depend on it to survive.

Today, despite legislation passed to cap the price of insulin at $35 and splashy apologies from drugmakers, millions of people continue to struggle to pay for their insulin.

Find out why: www.vox.com/good-medicine-newsletter/503183/insuli…<media_url>

6 days ago | [YT] | 1,398

Vox

The weather forecast might still be screaming “summer,” but the calendar betrays the truth: The holidays are going to be here before you know it.

What’s usually billed as a jolly time of year can inspire dread — all the planning, all the spending, all the gathering can be exhausting, especially if you have a large family.

Of course you’d like to put that off for as long as possible, right? Surely these conversations can wait until after Halloween.

But waiting too long can actually make the holidays more stressful.

Getting ahead of this coordination can help minimize the stress on everyone in a few months. So even though end-of-year celebrations might be the furthest thing from your mind, the ideal time to start planning them is, we’re sorry to say, right now.

Read more about why early fall is the ideal time to start bugging the family group chat about the holidays: www.vox.com/advice/502674/start-holiday-planning-n…<media_url>

1 week ago | [YT] | 458

Vox

When we think about the stakes in healthcare, we tend to think of them in terms of life and death, being sick or being healthy. The conversation is about your physical well-being and maybe your mental health — and it pretty much stops there.

But your health impacts so much more, especially for women, a new survey from Gallup and Pivotal, a philanthropic group founded by Melinda French Gates, shows.

“Women are often taught to put themselves last and minimize their own needs,” Melinda wrote to Vox in an email. “They don’t always have time to care for themselves because they’re so busy caring for others. And they might not be able to afford childcare or home health support for their aging parents. Our survey showed one in six women delayed healthcare because of their responsibilities caring for their family members. For Black women it’s one in five, and Hispanic women one in four. Too many women are facing an uphill road to even just get to a doctor’s office.”

“It’s possible to make it easier for people to balance healthcare and family responsibilities — but it’s going to take action from many angles. That’s exactly why I invest in both women’s health and in caregiving, and I’d encourage more philanthropists to do the same.”

Read more about why we need to invest more in women’s health — and how to accomplish it — here: www.vox.com/health/503206/womens-health-care-menop…<media_url>

📸: Courtesy of Pivotal Ventures

1 week ago | [YT] | 1,216

Vox

Kamala Harris hasn’t said whether she’ll run for president in 2028 — but Democrats are already trying to shape the field.

Megadonor Reid Hoffman says Harris would face a “very challenging path,” while California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he won’t run if she does. Together, their comments may signal growing pressure on Harris to make an early decision — and a major shift among donors who once supported her.

Harris still has significant support among Black voters and women. But if she enters the race, she could do so without much backing from the Democratic establishment. Could that push her toward a more populist, grassroots campaign — and is that a campaign Kamala Harris wants to run?

Read more and subscribe to Astead Herndon’s The Midterms, Actually newsletter: www.vox.com/politics/503096/midterms-actually-camp…<media_url>

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1 week ago | [YT] | 3,247