Public Works

OpenAI is paying a network of influencers across Instagram and other platforms to promote ChatGPT and cast the company as 'good for the world', according to a Business Insider report. The strategy includes sponsorships and ad partnerships as the company works to shape public perception of its AI tools.

The CDC has confirmed a multistate outbreak of E coli infections linked to raw milk cheese. Health officials are investigating the source and working to identify affected products and prevent further illnesses. Raw milk cheeses, made from unpasteurized milk, carry a known risk of bacterial contamination, and outbreaks tied to them periodically prompt public health warnings and recalls across the United States.

The FDA is investigating an E. coli outbreak connected to a recall of raw milk cheese. The agency is working to trace the source of contamination and determine how many people have been affected. Health officials are warning consumers to avoid the recalled products, and the recall has renewed debate over the safety of unpasteurized dairy products.

Canadian farmers are speaking publicly about the mental health challenges they face working in the field, sharing personal struggles in interviews covered by CTV News. The discussions highlight isolation, financial pressure and unpredictable conditions as key stressors in agricultural life, prompting conversations about support and reducing stigma in rural communities.

Georgetown University has released 'Seasons of Fury: Four Families and the Rise of Islamophobia in America', an account following four American families whose lives have been shaped by anti-Muslim bigotry. The work frames rising Islamophobia through personal stories rather than statistics, and is drawing attention as debates over hate crimes and anti-Muslim sentiment continue across the United States.

Oregon's public universities and their classified workers have narrowly avoided a strike, reaching an agreement at the last minute, according to Oregon Public Broadcasting. Classified staff include essential non-faculty employees such as support and administrative workers. The eleventh-hour deal spares campuses across the state from a work stoppage that would have disrupted university operations.

Blue Origin's chief executive says the company has a path to launch this year while it rebuilds its launch pad. The statement suggests the company is working to return to flight operations following work on pad infrastructure, with the executive expressing confidence in meeting a 2024 launch timeline despite the ongoing rebuilding effort.

Divya Mittal, a former IAS officer known for her administrative work in Uttar Pradesh, has announced she is entering politics as an independent candidate. In her announcement, she described Uttar Pradesh as her 'karmabhoomi', or land of work, signalling a direct bid for public office without party backing. Her move is drawing attention as another example of a serving or former bureaucrat stepping into electoral politics in India.

A Caltech robotics researcher is calling for safety to be the top priority in the development and deployment of humanoid robots. The remarks come as companies worldwide race to put human-shaped machines into homes, factories, and public spaces. The researcher's warning highlights growing concern that commercial momentum may be outpacing safeguards for humans working alongside these machines.

South Korea's National Space Committee, operating under the Aero-Space Administration (KASA), has held a workshop for its civilian members. The session is aimed at briefning outside experts and civilian representatives on the committee's space policy work. The announcement was posted on the administration's official website. Public interest so far appears limited, with little wider discussion recorded.

A new jailbreak exploit for the PlayStation 5 has been made public, shared on GitHub under the name Relapse. If it works as claimed, it would let users run unsigned code on Sony's console, a milestone given the PS5 has resisted jailbreaks far longer than earlier PlayStations. Hackers and modders are discussing what firmware versions it affects and what homebrew it could enable.

America.gov will deploy artificial intelligence to handle bureaucratic chores traditionally performed by US agency workers, according to the Independent. The move raises questions about the future of federal employment and the role of automation in government administration, with critics and supporters debating whether AI can reliably take over administrative work within US agencies.

Oceanographer Dawn Wright has given an interview with Yale School of the Environment about mapping the deep ocean, discussing efforts to chart the seabed and what remains unknown about the abyss. The conversation highlights the scale of unmapped ocean floor and why completing this work matters for science and policy.

Astronomers are tracking newly discovered near-Earth asteroid 2026 SA8, which is making a close but entirely safe pass by our planet. The object, spotted only recently, highlights how near-Earth objects are constantly being detected as survey telescopes improve. No impact risk has been reported, and space enthusiasts are sharing the flyby details as an example of planetary monitoring working as intended.

Researchers at the University of Rochester are emphasising that suicide prevention works best long before someone reaches a crisis point. Their message centres on early support, recognising warning signs, and building access to mental health care so intervention can happen in everyday settings. The reminder has struck a chord amid growing public attention to mental health worldwide.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports that many write-in votes cast in Wisconsin elections are frequently counted incorrectly or disqualified, raising questions about how well the process works for voters who choose candidates not on the ballot. The report points to recurring errors in how write-ins are recorded and validated during the state's vote counting.

The health and care working group of Germany's Pirate Party is calling on the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) to revise its recommendation on COVID-19 vaccination. It wants broad vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 reinstated in the catalogue of recommended immunisations, arguing the current guidance no longer reflects the need for wide protection against the virus.

Jack Smith, the former special counsel who led the federal investigations into Donald Trump, has publicly and forcefully defended the cases he brought, rejecting criticism of his team's conduct. His intervention comes as Republicans accuse his office of improper tactics and work to undermine the legitimacy of the prosecutions and the evidence gathered during the probes.

Minnesota education officials are recruiting students and adults to help improve how standardized testing works in the state. The effort, reported by MPR News, invites input from the people most affected by assessments, aiming to make testing fairer and more useful. It signals a broader review of how the state evaluates student performance.

The Trump administration has launched America.gov, a new AI-driven platform intended to connect and streamline US government services for the public. The initiative, reported by FedScoop, aims to tie together federal websites and services into a single portal, with artificial intelligence handling navigation and delivery of information. Coverage is focusing on how the technology will work and its implications for how Americans interact with government online.

Researchers at Leiden University have published a new study examining which forms of support and treatment are most effective in helping survivors recover from intimate partner violence. The findings are drawing attention among professionals and the public, as they offer concrete guidance on what actually works for recovery rather than simply documenting harm.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife are searching for a bear believed responsible for at least 20 break-ins to garages across Jefferson County. Officers are working to locate and relocate the animal, which has been repeatedly getting into secured garages, likely in search of food. Residents are being urged to secure trash and lock garage doors to avoid attracting the bear.

Voting rights scholar Carol Anderson is set to appear in Red Wing, Minnesota, for a live conversation with broadcaster Kerri Miller. The event, promoted by MPR News, will focus on Anderson's work on voter suppression and voting rights in the United States, drawing an audience interested in democracy, civil rights and current debates over ballot access.