An explanation has been given after an image went viral that appeared to show the Stars and Stripes lying on the South Lawn.
Day: November 18, 2025
The U.S. is escalating military operations across Latin America.
In the wake of my dear colleague Larry Brooks’ untimely passing, the hockey community mourned deeply.
Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe is to step down to take up a position at the World Bank
H. Armstrong Roberts/ClassicStock/Getty Images
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A stranger walks up to you and says, “May I meet you?” How do you react?
Do you run the other way? Do you stare in confusion? Or do you strike up a conversation?
Billionaire Bill Ackman’s suggestion for how young men introduce themselves to women in public generated a big reaction.
The Pershing Square CEO’s idea immediately got the meme treatment, but others said they appreciated the advice. (You can read his full post on X here.) BI’s Katie Notopoulos also has some thoughts on how Ackman could spruce up his pitch.
Ultimately, Ackman’s dating advice is about fostering more human-to-human interaction. That touches on a growing problem: the loneliness epidemic.
In May 2023, then-surgeon general Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a warning about the risks of loneliness. But in the two years since, it feels like we’re no closer to finding a cure, and the rise of AI-powered companions has only complicated the field.
There is one potential solution on the horizon.
“Social prescribing” is the idea of doctors and healthcare professionals referring patients to specific community services or activities, which could be anything from a dance class to a book club, writes BI’s Amanda Hoover.
As silly as it might sound to get a prescription to party, there’s some evidence backing it up.
While the concept is fairly new to the US — one of the biggest domestic proponents, Art Pharmacy, was founded in 2022 — the UK has been using social prescriptions for decades.
And it could save us all money! One 2024 study estimates that every dollar invested in social prescribing programs could have a $4.43 return across society. That’s thanks to a reduction in hospitalizations and higher rates of employment, among other benefits.
It’ll take some time to figure out, but the push for more human-to-human interaction is undeniable and transcends generations (and net worth).
My newsletter colleague Amanda Yen (a Gen Zer) and senior tech correspondent Melia Russell (a millennial) had a blast at one of Andrew Yang’s popular Offline parties, where phones are banned.
The lack of tech also spurred more conversation … and some unique one-liners.
“I said I was a journalist covering the event, and the guy went, ‘Are you gonna write you met your future husband Kamal here?'” Amanda told me.
Read the original article on Business Insider
France’s child protection chief demanded probe into second-hand clothes platform Vinted after ads were found redirecting users to adult websites.
The Maga base rallied on inflation and racial grievances, but stressing race over the economy is costing the US president
Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign strategy leaned heavily on two sources of grievance among the Maga base. The first was the rising cost of living, propelled by the sharp burst of inflation that peaked at 9% a year in July 2022. Though inflation had receded to 2.7% by election day, frustration over prices convinced many voters that Trump would be a superior steward of the economy. The other theme was race.
The strategy won the presidency. Then, Trump made a mistake: focusing relentlessly on hostility towards immigrants and the diverse citizens of urban America, the president pretty much ignored – nay, worsened – his supporters’ economic woes. In elections earlier this month, US economic grievances came back to bite him. Pummeled by voters, Trump is now trying to recover his economic narrative. But it may be too late.
The U.S. received more loans from China over the last 24 years than any other nation did, a surprising new report finds.
It is the second-largest tropical forest on Earth, and one of the most vital carbon sinks, but is losing out when it comes to climate policy and funding
In October 2023, leaders, scientists and policymakers from three of the world’s great rainforest regions – the Amazon, the Congo, and the Borneo-Mekong basins – assembled in Brazzaville, capital of the Republic of Congo. They were there to discuss one urgent question: how to save the planet’s last great tropical forests from accelerating destruction.
For those present, the question was existential. But to their dismay, almost no one noticed. “There was very little acknowledgment that this was happening, outside of the Congo basin region,” says Prof Simon Lewis, a lecturer at the University of Leeds and University College London, and co-chair of the Congo Basin Science Initiative (CBSI).
After a 43-day shutdown, and legal fights over SNAP benefits for millions, the repo trucks are still rolling.