House Passes TikTok Ban & Dollar Tree Closing 1,000 Stores

Since the 2016 election, America has witnessed college campus protests against “controversial” or “dangerous” speakers. The Coddling of the American Mind explores this phenomenon, showing how a set of dangerous and false beliefs have taken root in the minds of today’s college students, convincing these young people that they are inherently fragile and must be protected from the allegedly harmful impacts of speech with which they disagree. This attitude threatens academic freedom, undermines democracy, and is ultimately harmful to the social and emotional development of today’s youth.

Take a deep dive into the ever-shifting perspectives on higher education in America with Michael Barbaro and Paul Tough on The Daily's insightful episode. As they navigate through the evolving attitudes and rising skepticism towards a college degree, the hosts unravel complex issues concerning steep costs, the decrease in college enrollments, and political influences. With the backdrop of liberal ideologies on campuses and societal dynamics, follow Barbaro and Tough as they explore these critical dimensions influencing the perceived necessity of college education.

The second half of this enlightening discussion explores the fiscal aspects of education, illustrating the diminishing 'college wealth premium', the impact on different demographics, and risks related to college choices. Highlighting the paradox of increasing need amidst growing disincentives for college enrollment, the episode wraps up on a hopeful note. It calls for common responsibility and policy-led solutions to create an affordable education system and emphasizes the crucial role of higher education in addressing global challenges. Dive in to demystify the intricate landscape of American higher education!

In recent months, the White House, Congress, US armed forces, and more than half of US states have banned the Chinese-owned social media app, TikTok, from government-issued devices. There’s broad concern that TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, could share Americans’ personal data with the Chinese government, or push Chinese propaganda and misinformation. Some experts say the US should treat TikTok the way it wants other countries to treat American social media platforms—and use moderate measures to protect national security and citizens’ personal data. But Congress may not heed this advice.

In a vital update from NPR News Now, correspondents including Korva Coleman, Eleanor Beardsley, Kinnan Abdalhamid, and Bobby Allyn take us through the latest on global and domestic fronts. The battle for peace in the Middle East hits yet another snag, as Korva Coleman delivers a succinct breakdown of the collapsed cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, including the heavy implications and the subsequent surge in hostilities that have disrupted the region's pursuit of tranquility. Eleanor Beardsley delves into the nuances behind the allegations from Israel's Prime Minister's office, while grappling with the sobering reality of increasing casualties in Gaza.

On U.S. soil, Coleman brings the spotlight back home with the account of a tragic shooting of college students in Burlington, shedding light on the victims' Palestinian heritage and underlining the breached sense of security in academic institutions. The episode also covers the involvement of the FBI in a possible hate crime investigation, signifying a rise in concerns about gun violence and its underlying motives. Meanwhile, political ethics take center stage as the case of Congressman George Santos unfolds, examining the balance between allegations of federal corruption and the legal processes within the House of Representatives. Finally, Bobby Allyn explores free speech debates, centering on Montana's legal skirmishes over TikTok bans and data security, which paints a broader picture of the digital landscape and its regulatory challenges. Each segment underscores NPR News Now's commitment to delivering comprehensive, on-the-ground reporting.

Dive into "The Daily" with Michael Barbaro, Natasha Singer, and Frances Haugen as they tackle the controversial topic of social media's influence on youth, drawing stark comparisons to the legal challenges once aimed at the tobacco industry. This episode examines how state officials are following in the footsteps of those who curbed tobacco's reach—the same tactics now repurposed to protect young minds from the potential psychological harms of platforms like Meta's Instagram. The speakers unpack the cultural and mental health implications, especially surrounding the planned, yet controversial, Instagram for Kids and the damning insights from whistleblower Frances Haugen.

As the conversation unfolds, the speakers probe Meta's intricate design features that may encourage addictive behavior, such as endless scrolling and instantaneous notifications. They delve into the consequences these features have on young users, from fostering an addictive digital environment to exacerbating mental health issues through idealized digital beauty standards. While Meta defends its intentions—touting new user safety measures and disputing the claims against it—the podcast highlights the struggle to regulate the tech giant, touching upon the broader challenges in holding social media platforms accountable and the industry-wide push for change. This episode is a thought-provoking exploration of the high-stakes tug-of-war between technological innovation, commercial success, and the well-being of our most vulnerable users.

Sales of new smartphones have been on a downward spiral for more than a year and experts don’t expect a spectacular recovery to happen any time soon. Some experts say the softening smartphone market is good for buyers looking for deals. But others argue that customers shouldn’t buy new phones as soon as they’re released because it doesn’t benefit them financially or add real value to their user experience, and doing so is bad for the environment.

If you’ve been struggling to concentrate, journalist Johann Hari wants you to know that you’re not alone—and the struggle isn’t your fault. In Stolen Focus, Hari makes the case that we have a societal attention crisis: We’re all losing our ability to concentrate, which means we can't progress on our individual goals, and we can’t collectively confront the major challenges humanity faces.

Hari argues that our attention crisis is the result of outside forces stealing our focus, not the fact that we’re not trying hard enough to concentrate. He examines these forces, including everything from our food to the economy, and unlike other authors writing about distraction, he proposes societal solutions rather than individual tips.

In this guide, we’ll explore Hari’s evidence of an attention crisis, the seven factors causing this crisis, and his three-part solution. We’ll also share suggestions for action based on Hari’s insights, as well as explore perspectives from other authors that complement his ideas.

Do you ever get the sense that the world is getting worse over time? In Enlightenment Now, psychologist Steven Pinker says you might be falling prey to psychological biases that are distorting your perception. Because, he argues, things are actually getting better by every measure.

Pinker provides statistics on such factors as health, wealth, equality, human rights, happiness, peace, and freedom, to show that all of those things have improved over time, all around the world. And he says the driving forces of this progress are reason, science, and humanism— values that are derived from the European Enlightenment.

In this guide, we’ll delve into the data Pinker presents to show why he believes humanity is on the path of progress. Throughout, we’ll compare his ideas to those of other scholars, provide counterpoints, and update some of the statistics with more current data.