controversy

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We Should Blame Ourselves, Too, for Bachelorette Scandal

Backlash over Taylor Frankie Paul controversy exposes viewers' complicity: Mother Jones writer

(Newser) - Taylor Frankie Paul isn't the only reality star under the microscope after fresh controversy, argues a piece by Inae Oh in Mother Jones that turns the lens back on viewers, as well as on the reality-TV machine that made Paul famous. The so-called MomTok influencer's "soft-swinging" admission...

Woman, 25, at Center of Euthanasia Fight Is Dead

Noelia Castillo dies by assisted death, reigniting debate over Spain's euthanasia law

(Newser) - A 25-year-old Spanish woman whose battle to end her life sparked a national debate over euthanasia has died through assisted dying in Catalonia. Noelia Castillo, left paraplegic and in chronic pain after a 2022 suicide attempt following a reported sexual assault, used Spain's 2021 euthanasia law to request an...

Bill Maher Is Mark Twain Prize Winner, Despite WH Denials

Real Time host to receive Kennedy Center award in June, despite 'fake news' cries from Trump's team

(Newser) - Bill Maher is getting the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor after all, despite the Trump White House insisting just days ago that he wasn't. The Kennedy Center on Thursday named the Real Time host as the 27th recipient of its top comedy honor, confirming a report the Trump...

Veterans Condemn WH's Iran War Memes as Disrespectful

They trivialize sacrifice, distance Americans from civilian suffering, critics say

(Newser) - White House social media posts that have spliced real Iran war footage with scenes from video games and cartoons are landing badly with a group that usually backs the military: veterans. The Washington Post reports that former US Central Command spokesman Joe Buccino, a retired Army colonel who served in...

Communities Push Back on High-Voltage Lines for AI

Across the US, locals are miffed at power lines erected to support massive data centers

(Newser) - For John Zola, his 40 acres of property in northern Pennsylvania were once a paradise, complete with apple orchards, a barn, meadows, and more than enough land for four houses. He says it's been "hell," however, since a contractor hired by the local power utility knocked on...

Op-Ed: Teens Actually Don't Love AI in Their Schools
Op-Ed: There's a Teen
Rebellion Afoot Over AI
OPINION
Mar 12, 2026 2:40 PM CDT

Op-Ed: There's a Teen Rebellion Afoot Over AI

Writing for NYT , Jessica Grose details pushback against surveillance in schools, teachers' AI use

(Newser) - Teen rebellion these days isn't about sneaking in more screen time: It's about demanding less of it, and on one's own terms. In a New York Times opinion piece , Jessica Grose spotlights teens who are pushing back against school tech policies, surveillance software, and even their teachers'...

Rosanna Arquette Slams Tarantino for 'Creepy' Use of Racial Slur

Director pushes back at Pulp Fiction actor, who's criticizing repeated deployment of n-word in his film

(Newser) - Quentin Tarantino isn't quietly absorbing Rosanna Arquette's criticism of his language choices in Pulp Fiction. In a statement released to Deadline , the 62-year-old director accused the actor, who appeared in the film, of chasing attention after she told the Times of London she's "over the use of...

Timothee Chalamet Sets Off Tempest in a Teapot

Actor makes a crack about popularity of ballet, opera; it does not go over well

(Newser) - Timothée Chalamet didn't mean to start a culture war with an offhand line about ballet and opera, but here we are. In a recent interview with Matthew McConaughey, the 30-year-old Oscar nominee said he didn't want to end up working in "ballet or opera" trying to...

FDA's Controversial Vaccine Chief Steps Down, Again

Vinay Prasad is heading back to UC San Francisco, per FDA chief Marty Makary

(Newser) - The Food and Drug Administration's top vaccines regulator is heading for the exit again. Dr. Vinay Prasad, who took over the agency's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research last year and briefly resigned in July before returning a short time later, will leave next month, an FDA spokesperson...

Kesha Slams White House for Using Her Song

Singer condemns administration's TikTok war clip as violent, 'inhumane' propaganda

(Newser) - Kesha says the White House just crossed a line with "Blow." On Monday, the singer accused the Trump administration of using her 2010 track in a Feb. 10 TikTok that shows US bomber jets and a strike on a ship timed to the lyric "This place about...

Team USA Hockey Stars React to Trump Remark
Team USA Hockey Stars
React to Trump Remark
2026 Olympics
Feb 26, 2026 8:02 AM CST

Team USA Hockey Stars React to Trump Remark

Goalie Jeremy Swayman is apologetic over president's joke on inviting women's team to WH

(Newser) - Jeremy Swayman says he wishes the US men's Olympic hockey team had handled a recent moment involving President Trump very differently. Back with the Boston Bruins after the team's gold-medal run in Milan and a visit to the White House and State of the Union , the backup goalie...

Hunter Hess Doubles Down on Defending His Love for US
Olympian Slammed by Trump:
'I Love the United States'
2026 Olympics
Feb 20, 2026 7:26 AM CST

Olympian Slammed by Trump: 'I Love the United States'

American freeskier also snarked on president's criticism of him, making the 'L' sign for 'loser'

(Newser) - American freeskier Hunter Hess got to the end of his successful run in the Olympic halfpipe qualifier, then leaned into the camera. He bent his left thumb and forefinger into the shape of an "L," lifted it to his forehead, and pointed at it with the other hand....

Russia Inches Its Way Back Onto the World Sports Stage

Committee allows Russians to represent their nation at Paralympics next month, for first time since 2014

(Newser) - Russia is about to step back onto one of sports' biggest stages, and not everyone is cheering. More than 10 years after a massive state-backed doping scandal pushed it to the sidelines, and amid its ongoing war in Ukraine, Russia will send six skiers to next month's Paralympic Games...

Gene Simmons Does Not Want Rap in Hall of Fame: 'It's Not My Music'

Kiss bassist ups criticism of hip-hop being eligible for Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, gets criticism back

(Newser) - Gene Simmons is still railing against the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's embrace of hip-hop, and he's not softening his language. Appearing on the LegendsNLeaders podcast , the Kiss co-founder said rap "does not belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, nor does opera or...

Workers Don't Love Amazon's New 'Chief Heartthrob'
Amazon's Super
Bowl Gag
Isn't Landing Well
With Workers
in case you missed it
Feb 8, 2026 11:00 AM CST

Amazon's Super Bowl Gag Isn't Landing Well With Workers

Making Chris Hemsworth 'Chief Heartthrob' on company's org chart irks many amid layoffs

(Newser) - Amazon briefly added a superhero to its organizational chart, and some workers weren't amused. On Thursday, employees logging into Amazon's internal directory found Chris Hemsworth listed as "Chief Heartthrob" for Alexa devices, complete with an Amazon email, a side gig as a "bar raiser" (an internal...

Trump on Racist Obama Post: 'I Didn't Make a Mistake'

No apology for post from his account showing Obamas as apes, though he says he condemns it

(Newser) - President Trump's racist social media post featuring former President Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as primates in a jungle was deleted Friday after bipartisan backlash calling the video offensive. However, Trump said later Friday he won't apologize for the post. "I didn't make a mistake,...

Queen's Mug on Aussie Coin Doesn't Land Well

'Looks like she just ran into a wall,' one says of Elizabeth II's portrait on commemorative piece

(Newser) - Australians hoping for a regal tribute to Queen Elizabeth II are split over a new coin design that some say barely looks like her. The Royal Australian Mint has issued two collector coins—a $5 piece and a 50-cent silver coin—to mark what would have been the late queen'...

Snow Sculpture Removed From Contest for Anti-ICE Symbols

'A Call to Arms' featured 'hidden' protest signs against ICE using American Sign Language

(Newser) - A snow sculpture has been hauled out of a Minnesota park after organizers decided its hidden messages went too far. The US team's entry in the World Snow Sculpting Championship in Stillwater— "A Call to Arms," a sphere of outstretched hands—was removed from Lowell Park on...

Paul Dano Breaks Silence Over Tarantino Diss

Co-stars, directors defend There Will Be Blood 's Dano after Kill Bill director called him 'weak'

(Newser) - Paul Dano has finally addressed Quentin Tarantino's much-discussed slam on him, though he mostly let everyone else do the talking for him. At Sundance ahead of a 20th-anniversary screening of Little Miss Sunshine, Dano was asked about Tarantino calling him the "weakest" actor in SAG and criticizing his...

Tate Brothers Visit Miami-Area Club, Dance to Ye's Hitler Song

Mayor, ADL denounce antisemitic display, song at Vendome amid visit by siblings, Nick Fuentes

(Newser) - Miami Beach's Vendome nightclub is under fire after video showed a DJ blasting an antisemitic track by the rapper formerly known as Kanye West while a group of high-profile right-wing influencers appeared to cheer it on. Clips circulating online show Ye's song "Heil Hitler" playing inside the...

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