Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Wednesday.
Meta to pay up to $17.1 billion over claims it harmed youthsThe social media giant behind Facebook and Instagram reached a landmark settlement today with dozens of U.S. states and territories that had accused it of harming children by designing its platforms to be addictive, like cigarettes. Meta, the parent company, agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion in penalties and make major changes to its products. The financial cost is enormous, but it is unlikely to undermine the stability of the trillion-dollar company. Instead, the long-term effect of the settlement is more likely to be determined by the changes to the user experiences of Facebook and Instagram — some of which strike at the heart of Meta’s advertising model. Here’s what the company agreed to:
It is not yet clear how aggressively Meta will work to verify how old users are, a critical component in most of its changes. But if the new restrictions are effectively enforced, our tech reporter Mike Isaac told me, “it could have a dramatic impact on how young people use the largest social media platforms in the future.”
Surprise floods swallow villages in NepalA wall of water and mud crashed through a Himalayan river valley between Nepal and the Chinese territory of Tibet today, destroying villages in its path. At least 160 people were killed and hundreds are missing, though the toll is expected to rise. Surveillance footage verified by The Times showed crowds at the Gyirong Port border crossing running, before torrents of water and thick clouds engulfed the area. Initial assessments indicate that an ice avalanche set off the flooding. A chunk of ice about 2,000 feet wide appears to have broken off from a glacier and tumbled thousands of feet toward a river in Nepal; the impact registered as the equivalent of a 5.2-magnitude earthquake. Warming temperatures caused by climate change may have accelerated the glacier’s collapse, scientists said.
New pill could transform pancreatic cancer careThe Food and Drug Administration announced today that it had approved a first-of-its-kind pill for treating advanced pancreatic cancer, a disease long considered one of the most hopeless in medicine. The drug, taken in the form of two pills a day, has electrified cancer specialists and patients. It is not a cure, but it is the first treatment to substantially extend the lives of patients with pancreatic cancer.
Trump officials aim to widen the definition of a ‘small’ businessThe Small Business Administration has proposed vastly expanding the definition of small businesses to give much larger companies — including some earning as much as $1 billion a year or employing as many as 3,000 people — access to contracts, loans and other assistance. The Trump administration says the plan would allow the agency to continue supporting businesses as they grow. Many business owners support some broadening of qualifications. But some are now raising alarms about the proposal because it would put tiny companies in direct competition with significantly larger rivals. In other Trump administration news:
More top news
This question comes from a recent edition of the newsletter. Click an answer to see if you’re right. (The link is free.) John Ratcliffe, the director of the C.I.A., made a secret trip to which capital yesterday?
Rupert Grint will join ‘Harry Potter’ once againStarting next year, the role of Ron Weasley in Broadway’s “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” will be played by the man most associated with the character: Rupert Grint. Through all eight “Harry Potter” films, Grint played the young red-haired wizard — though this time he will play Weasley as an adult. Grint’s Broadway stint will begin a month after Tom Felton, who as a child played Draco Malfoy in the films, concludes his 14-month run in the show. Felton’s tenure has hugely boosted ticket sales.
How experts measure the aging processWhat if there was a single metric that could capture every aspect of your health — how strong you are, how clear your vision is, how sharply you think? That’s the goal of “intrinsic capacity.” It’s a holistic measurement of what someone’s body and mind are capable of, and it’s becoming a preferred way to assess the human aging process. Though, you can’t just ask your doctor to test your intrinsic capacity — at least not yet. My colleague Dana Smith, a health reporter, explains how it works.
Dinner table topics
Make a tray of blackberry Napoleons, a.k.a. dessert sandwiches. Watch these movies and shows before they leave Netflix next month. Read “Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea,” which captures Emily Wilson’s excitement for translation. Try these nail clippers. Some really are better than others. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
