“I didn’t always see eye to eye with every choice Robert Mueller made,” stated Andrew Weissmann, a member of Mueller’s team, in an interview with the BBC. “It’s crucial for people to understand the degree of integrity and thoughtfulness that influenced his decision-making, as well as the amount of faith he placed – perhaps even more than I did – in the American populace, in citizens, and in Congress.”
The BBC interviewed Australian youth regarding the social media restriction for those under 16, three months after the legislation was enacted on 10 December 2025.
As per the law, social media platforms are required to implement “reasonable measures” to prevent minors from accessing their services, with potential penalties of up to A$49.5m (£24.5m) for non-compliance.
There are no penalties for children or parents regarding violations of the restriction.
The Australian authorities reported that 4.7 million accounts belonging to individuals under 16 were deactivated, deleted, or limited shortly after the ban was initiated.
On Monday, a study declaring that all four DNA bases were detected on an asteroid generated widespread headlines. Yet many of those headlines dropped an important qualifier: “again.” The paper itself references similar findings as far back as 2011, and the years since have produced multiple confirmations and more thorough analyses. The new work was notable less for proving the bases exist in Ryugu than for resolving a prior puzzle: earlier investigations had missed them there even though they appear in numerous other asteroid samples.
Beyond the headlines, the study reveals some interesting details, since it may help answer a crucial question: how those bases arrived there in the first place. Better understanding that process could be key to refining our picture of how the raw ingredients for life reached Earth.
Begin with a description of what the researchers observed. DNA and RNA, the two nucleic acids used by life, share a similar architecture. That includes the backbone: a chain of alternating sugars and phosphate groups chemically bonded together. While the specific sugar differs between DNA and RNA, the chain mainly differs in length; otherwise the backbone of every DNA or RNA molecule is the same.
The bases are what give nucleic acids the identity needed to carry genetic information. There are four (A, T, C, and G in DNA; A, U, C, and G in RNA), and one base is attached to each sugar in the backbone. The sequence of bases along the backbone encodes genetic information, enabling life as we know it. It’s been suggested that, before life arose, the order of bases along RNA molecules dictated the sorts of chemical reactions they could catalyze.
The DOE spokesperson said its radiation guidelines “are aligned with Gold Standard Science… with a focus on protecting people and the environment while avoiding unnecessary bureaucracy.”
The department has already chosen to discard the long-established radiation protection principle called “ALARA”—the “As Low As Reasonably Achievable” standard—which tells anyone working with radioactive materials to limit exposure.
It frequently pushes exposures well below legal limits. While many specialists acknowledged that ALARA can be enforced too rigidly at times, the decision to remove it altogether drew opposition from numerous leading radiation health experts.
Sources close to the discussions said it remains uncertain whether the agencies will actually revise the legal limits for radiation exposure.
Internal DOE documents advocating for changes to dose rules cite a report produced by the Idaho National Laboratory that was assembled with assistance from the AI tool Claude. “It’s really strange,” said Kathryn Higley, president of the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements, a congressionally chartered organization that studies radiation safety. “They fundamentally mistake the science.”
John Wagner, director of the Idaho National Laboratory and the report’s lead author, acknowledged to ProPublica that the science around changing radiation exposure rules is hotly debated. “We recognize that respected experts interpret aspects of this literature differently,” he wrote. He said his analysis was not intended as the final verdict, but was “intended to inform debate.”
Because the effects of very low radiation doses are difficult to quantify, the U.S. has historically taken a cautious stance. Raising dose limits could put the United States out of step with international norms.
Cohen has told the nuclear industry he views his role as ensuring the government “is no longer a barrier” to them.
In June, he dismissed the idea of companies contributing to a fund for workplace accidents. “Put yourself in the shoes of one of these startups,” he said. “They’re raising hundreds of millions of dollars to do this. And then they would have to go to their VCs and their board and say, listen, guys, we actually need a few hundred million dollars more to put into a trust fund?”
He also suggested regulators should not worry about preparing for so-called 100-year events—disasters that have roughly a 1 percent chance of occurring but can be catastrophic for nuclear facilities.
“When SpaceX started building rockets, they sort of expected the first ones to blow up,” he said.
This story first ran on ProPublica.
ProPublica is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative newsroom. Read the original story here. Sign up for The Big Story newsletter to have stories like this delivered to your inbox.
Pratheek Rebala and Kirsten Berg provided research assistance.
Iran launched two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia but did not strike the U.S.-U.K. military installation in the Indian Ocean, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, referencing multiple U.S. officials.
One missile malfunctioned during flight, while a U.S. naval vessel launched an SM-3 interceptor at the other; however, it was unclear if the interception was successful, the newspaper noted on Friday. The Journal did not indicate when the missiles were launched.
A representative from the U.K. Ministry of Defence informed CNBC that they are preparing a statement.
The White House and the British embassy in Washington did not respond promptly to requests for comments from Reuters.
This reported attack signifies Iran’s initial operational deployment of intermediate-range ballistic missiles and a notable effort to extend threats beyond the Middle East to U.S. interests, the Wall Street Journal stated.
The U.K. reached an agreement in May 2025 to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands, where the Diego Garcia facility is situated, to Mauritius, which has long contested the U.K.’s claim and ownership of the archipelago in the Indian Ocean.
U.S. President Donald Trump has consistently criticized the U.K.’s decision.
Officials in South Korea report that 11 individuals lost their lives as a massive fire consumed a vehicle components factory in the central city of Daejeon. Three more are still unaccounted for and 59 sustained injuries.
Footage reveals large flames and dense smoke emanating from the structure, while firefighters battled to bring the fire under control. At the time of the incident, there were 170 employees present inside.
The firefighters noted that they could not access the facility earlier because of fears it might collapse. There was also a concern regarding the potential ignition of stored sodium on the premises.
A nighttime search commenced for those missing once the building was declared safe to enter. Authorities have yet to officially determine the cause of the fire, but indicated that it seemed to have escalated quickly.
Up until 1973, the notorious White Australia policy shaped immigration, restricting the entry of non-white immigrants to favor those from European nations. Despite the conclusion of that policy, immigration matters, particularly those concerning asylum seekers, continue to be contentious.
On Friday, a jury in California found that Elon Musk had misled investors in Twitter with public remarks that depressed the company’s stock price before Musk completed his purchase of the service. Because the case was a class action, Musk could be liable for damages to a wide group of investors—potentially amounting to billions of dollars.
In the period leading up to Musk’s eventual acquisition of the social network, he made several statements on the platform and during a podcast appearance, largely alleging a high number of bot accounts on the site. Those comments sparked concern the deal might collapse and pushed Twitter’s share price down, leading some investors to sell at reduced prices.
Many of those investors filed a lawsuit that was certified as a class action, alleging the statements defrauded them and were made deliberately as part of a broader plan. The jury dismissed claims about a wider scheme but held Musk responsible for the tweets.
Although damages have not yet been set, the plaintiffs’ lawyers say they could ultimately reach as high as $2.6 billion.
There’s a virus you may never have encountered by name that is estimated to inhabit up to 90 percent of people and remains dormant in your cells for life—but if it becomes reactivated, it can devastate your brain. If that sounds alarming, researchers reported this week that there might be a newly identified trigger for activation—one that could affect as many as 10 percent of adults globally.
The agent is human polyomavirus 2, better known as the JC virus or John Cunningham virus, named after the patient from whom it was first isolated in 1971. It is detectable in the urine and stool of infected individuals and transmits via the fecal–oral route. Many people are believed to acquire it in childhood, and serologic surveys indicate that 50–90 percent of adults have encountered it at some point.
Investigators suspect the virus initially infects the tonsils or possibly the gastrointestinal tract. Wherever it enters, that first infection produces no symptoms. At that stage, a person carries what’s called the archetype JC virus, which establishes a persistent but clinically silent lifelong presence.
For most people, the JC virus remains harmless and asymptomatic. But in a small subset, the virus can awaken, rearrange its genome, and transform into a form that attacks the brain, causing a catastrophic disorder known as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML).
In PML, the mutated or “PML-type” JC virus invades the brain and destroys specific neural cells, including oligodendrocytes, which produce the myelin sheaths that insulate neurons. The result is widespread demyelination, leading to neuronal dysfunction and death. On scans, PML produces characteristic brain lesions; paired with detection of JC virus DNA in cerebrospinal fluid, these findings establish the diagnosis. Clinically, PML can mimic conditions from stroke to multiple sclerosis, producing symptoms such as speech problems, visual disturbances, motor deficits, and seizures.
PML was first described in 1958 in a cancer patient. It remained exceedingly rare until the 1980s, when cases began appearing in people with HIV/AIDS. Indeed, PML became an AIDS-defining illness, affecting 2–5 percent of HIV-infected patients early in the epidemic and at that time was uniformly fatal. After highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was introduced in 1996, PML incidence fell and survival improved, though many survivors are left with substantial long-term impairment.
On Wednesday, Tumblr’s automated system banned ‘Sub-200’ accounts, some of which were mistakenly flagged.
On Wednesday, Tumblr’s automated system banned ‘Sub-200’ accounts, some of which were mistakenly flagged.
On Wednesday, Tumblr users found themselves in disarray after an automated system banned numerous accounts in a single afternoon. Many users reached out to The Verge regarding the incident, indicating that the mass bans disproportionately affected accounts managed by individuals identifying as trans women, many of whom received no clear explanation for their account termination. Emails sent to some users regarding the bans stated, “This action was taken as a result of an internally-generated report. Automated means may have been utilized to identify the content in question.”
Chenda Ngak, communications lead at Tumblr’s parent company Automattic, validated the bans in a statement to The Verge, noting that many were erroneous and had since been reversed. “We continually strive to uphold platform health and adjust our systems to obstruct harmful elements. In this effort, our automated system incorrectly flagged several users, including, but not limited to, members of the trans community. We have disabled that system and reinstated those users while we enhance it. We deeply apologize to anyone affected by this mistake.”
The series of bans on Wednesday emerged just a day after Tumblr rescinded a controversial modification to its reblogging feature this week, which incited outrage among many users of the platform. A few users who reached out to The Verge suggested that the bans might be in response to posts opposing the modification, but Ngak emphasized that, “The reported terminated accounts are not linked to the recent discourse surrounding reblogs.” Ngak further added that “there is no proof that trans users were disproportionately represented among the sub-200 accounts affected.”
However, numerous users who contacted The Verge voiced apprehensions regarding a pattern of moderation problems on Tumblr, particularly involving trans users. In 2024, Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg engaged in a public dispute with a Tumblr user known as predstrogen who identified as trans. Predstrogen expressed frustration over Tumblr’s inaction in the face of alleged harassment, eventually stating a desire for Tumblr’s CEO to “experience a painful demise involving a car enveloped in hammers that explodes multiple times, scattering hammers everywhere.” Following this, predstrogen’s Tumblr account was banned, while the dispute persisted on other social media platforms, where Mullenweg disclosed private account information, including predstrogen’s side blog names on Tumblr.
This incident is not the first occasion Tumblr has encountered challenges with automated content moderation. In 2022, Tumblr settled with the New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) over claims of discrimination arising from an adult content ban enacted in 2018, which alongside widespread accuracy issues allegedly had a disproportionately negative effect on LGBTQ+ content. This ban was implemented before Automattic’s acquisition of Tumblr in 2019, by its former owner Verizon. CCHR’s settlement mandated a review of Tumblr’s moderation algorithms and required the platform to revise its user appeals process to combat algorithmic bias.
In recent years, Automattic has scaled back its aspirations for Tumblr. In 2023, after the platform failed to meet growth objectives, Mullenweg informed The Verge that “the majority” of the platform’s non-support, safety, and moderation personnel were being reassigned to different divisions.
