11 – Breaking News & Latest Updates 2026
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Health

Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
Computer says no.

The spreading AI tools in hospitals are making it harder for nurses to do their jobs well:

Before giving the oxycodone, Beebe scanned the bar code. The system denied permission, adhering to the doctor’s earlier instructions to begin the longer-acting pain meds five hours later. “The computer doesn’t know the patient is in out-of-control pain,” she said.

Still, she didn’t act. “I know if I give the medication, I’m technically giving medication without an order and I can be disciplined,” she said. She watched her patient grimace in pain while she held the pain pill in her hand.

What it’s like to wear the Dyson Zone around an NYC covered in wildfire smoke

Things didn’t go the way I thought they would, but then again, what sort of gadget would be equipped for something like this?

Victoria Song
What New York City looked like stifled in wildfire smokeWhat New York City looked like stifled in wildfire smoke
Amelia Holowaty Krales and Justine Calma
Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
Good morning, would you like to have an existential crisis?

DEVITO: We deteriorate.

SCHWARZENEGGER: Except in some fantasy. When people talk about, “I will see them again in heaven,” it sounds so good, but the reality is that we won’t see each other again after we’re gone. That’s the sad part. I know people feel comfortable with death, but I don’t.

DEVITO: No.

“Liz, what does this have to do with tech?” Nothing, hope that helps.

Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
Who wants to be a guinea pig for Neuralink?

Turns out, a lot of people! Kind of seems like they’re unclear on which of Elon Musk’s claims are backed by science, though:

“Also not sure if it will be possible right off the bat, but I am also a Tesla owner, and it would be pretty rad if I could communicate with my car using just my mind.”

Umar Shakir
Umar Shakir
Apple’s VR/AR goggles might come with some important warning labels.

Apple’s recent focus on accessibility in its devices includes features like the upcoming Personal Voice and Assistive Access mode. Now, according to Mark Gurman, Apple’s considering including warnings that people with specific health conditions should not buy or use the headset that it’s expected to reveal next week.

That includes people with Meniere’s Disease, past traumatic brain injuries, post-concussion syndrome, migraines and vertigo.

A similar notice (PDF) for Meta’s Quest notes the risk of seizures and possible interference with medical devices. In another tweet, Gurman said Apple could add additional warnings for ADHD, anxiety, pacemakers, pregnancy, and more.

Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
Hey, remember that eating disorder helpline that fired its unionizing staff and replaced them with a chatbot?

You are never gonna guess what happened.

That’s right, the chatbot started giving people with eating disorders advice on losing weight! (See also: Vice, Daily Dot)

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Theranos co-founder Elizabeth Holmes has reported to prison.

Elizabeth Holmes will begin serving her 11-year federal prison sentence for defrauding investors in her blood testing company. She is still appealing her conviction.

John Carreyrou, whose Wall Street Journal article seemed to initiate her undoing, tweeted the video of her walking in with the caption “Bad Blood, the final final chapter.”

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes must report to prison on May 30th.

US District Court Judge Edward Davila has denied Holmes’ request to stay out of prison while she appeals her fraud conviction and 11 year sentence, saying she must report to prison by 2PM ET on May 30th, 2023.

Separately, a ruling on Monday set the restitution owed by Holmes and former Theranos CEO Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani at $452 million. Despite the years and the dollars, however, as Elizabeth Lopatto wrote last year: Elizabeth Holmes’ verdict won’t change Silicon Valley.

The victims owed restitution by Holmes and Balwani.
The victims owed restitution by Holmes and Balwani.
Image: US District Court
Justine Calma
Justine Calma
Electric vehicles still create some air pollution.

Frito-Lay plans to deploy a fleet of more than 700 electric delivery vehicles in the US by the end of the year. Its first pilot Ford eTransit truck “arrived just in time for Earth Day” last year. To be clear, electric vehicles are much better for the climate than their gas-guzzling counterparts.

But EVs still churn up particulate pollution from the wear and tear of tires, brakes, and roadways. So even if big brands electrify their fleets, they’ll still need to think about how their operations affect the environment and public health. They can be more mindful of where they put up new warehouses, for example. Warehouses are magnets for truck traffic and pollution, which can be a nightmare for nearby communities.

Adi Robertson
Adi Robertson
Supreme Court stops the clock on an abortion pill rollback for five more days.

It’s been a long week after Texas and Washington issued conflicting rulings on the abortion-facilitating pill mifepristone, and the Supreme Court is offering a brief time-out while it considers the next move.

Charles Pulliam-Moore
Charles Pulliam-Moore
Neon’s Sanctuary is coming to test your limits.

Film Twitter™ loves to work itself into a frenzy over Hollywood’s aversion to making movies featuring characters who enjoy having sex, which makes it seem like Neon’s upcoming thriller Sanctuary is going to make quite a splash when its first trailer arrives tomorrow.

Richard Lawler
Richard Lawler
Judge denies Elizabeth Holmes’ latest attempt to stay out of jail.

Judge Edward Davila denied the Theranos founder’s request to go free while appealing her fraud conviction(s), according to a report by NPR.

Holmes’ 11-year sentence is scheduled to begin on April 27th. However, as Yahoo Finance points out, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco could decide that she can remain free on bail for now.

Although the Court finds that Ms. Holmes is not a flight risk or a danger to the safety of the community, it is unable to find that she has raised a “substantial question of law or fact” that if “determined favorably to her on appeal would be likely to result in a reversal or an order for a new trial.”
Image: US District Court, San Jose
Hatch Restore 2 review: TikTok made me try it

Ironically, the app that usually convinces me to spend too much on junky products led me to the best piece of sleep tech I’ve tested in a while.

Victoria Song
Elizabeth Lopatto
Elizabeth Lopatto
Denied care by an algorithm.

Cigna has been denying patients’ claims without actually looking at them, ProPublica reports.

A Cigna algorithm flags mismatches between diagnoses and what the company considers acceptable tests and procedures for those ailments. Company doctors then sign off on the denials in batches, according to interviews with former employees who spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We literally click and submit,” one former Cigna doctor said. “It takes all of 10 seconds to do 50 at a time.”

Mitchell Clark
Mitchell Clark
This may be the end for covid exposure notifications.

iOS 16.4 may let state health officials turn off the exposure tracking system launched in September 2020, according to 9to5Mac. Warnings that you’ve been near someone who had covid seem like a good idea, but the reality of an opt-in system that only some states used pretty much doomed it from the start. Still, I hope my home state keeps it on.