Washington — As legal battles over the U.S. Postal Service’s new regulations for mail ballots move forward, state and local election officials are raising concerns about the logistical hurdles they will have to surmount to implement the requirements just weeks before the November elections. Mail ballots will go out to voters in several states in…
“Buy now, pay later” loans were originally promoted as a way to help consumers afford small purchases, such as electronics and clothing. Now, financial firms are also pushing the loans as a means for people to cover essential expenses, such as rent, groceries, electricity bills and even medical costs. Consumer advocates warn that using BNPL…
Meta announced privacy updates to its artificial intelligence-powered glasses after reports that users of the device were filming people without their consent. The glasses include an LED light that signals when filming has started. Meta said it recently disabled the glasses’ cameras if the light is physically tampered with. The light previously had to be…
A Dutch drug addiction and mental health institute warned users on Friday about potentially lethal ecstasy pills shaped to look like the head of President Trump. The respected Trimbos Institute said that several of the pills have been handed in recently at a network of centers that test drugs for users before they take them. …
A federal appeals court on Friday rejected Kalshi’s efforts to stop Nevada from regulating speculation on sporting events on its platform, handing states an important win in the battle over which level of government has authority to oversee the rapidly growing prediction-markets business. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said Kalshi failed to show that…
Vaping company Juul Labs on Friday received federal permission to sell an updated version of its e-cigarette, which includes an optional age-verification system designed to prevent underage use. The decision from the Food and Drug Administration allows the company to sell a new version of its top-selling vaping device for the first time since it…
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has granted a $16.7 million no-bid contract for 6,000 gloves that can deliver electric shocks, a new use-of-force tool that the agency claims will help officers control resisting detainees and avoid using more serious or lethal weapons. Dubbed the G.L.O.V.E., or Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter, the device operates as…
Missouri’s deputy attorney general was found alive in the remote Wyoming wilderness this week, six days after he vanished during a backcountry hike, authorities said. Shaun Mackelprang, 55, went missing Aug. 20 in western Wyoming’s isolated Wind River mountain range, where he had set out to summit Gannett Peak, which is the state’s highest point, according…
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, settled a landmark social media addiction lawsuit on Wednesday brought by dozens of states, according to a court filing. Meta agreed to pay up to $17 billion to the states that sued and add child-safety measures to its platforms. The settlement resolves claims filed by 47 states and…
Callaway Golf CEO Chip Brewer on Tuesday apologized for an advertisement that sparked an online backlash for its depiction of a male golfer shoving a female golfer to the ground when she attempts to use his driver. The online video ad, which was released online and has since been pulled, sparked criticism for depicting violence…
