Shows

Exclusive: Doctors say ‘highly concerning’ poll highlights risk to patients of turning to AI for medical adviceOne in seven people are using AI chatbots for health advice instead of seeing their GP, a UK study has found.The poll of more than 2,000 people found that – of the 15% turning to chatbots – one in four had done so because of long NHS waiting lists. Continue reading...

More than half of the benefit of the CGT concession went to the top 1% of income earners, the most recent data showsWant to get more charts in your inbox every fortnight? Sign up for The Crunch hereThis year’s federal budget includes changes to negative gearing and capital gains (CGT) and discretionary trust tax concessions – policies that some blame for fuelling housing speculation and that disproportionately benefit the richest.The top 1% of lifetime earners alone have received more than $700,000 in tax concessions over their working life from capital gains tax, negative gearing and discretionary trusts, according to figures in the budget. Continue reading...

Researchers find 50+ hours a week can be detrimental to health but lighter responsibilities have positive effectThe stresses and strains of caring for someone for 50 hours or more a week leads to “accelerated cognitive decline” in middle-aged and older people, research shows.However, providing care for only five to nine hours a week has the opposite effect, boosting brain health so much that the benefits last until older age. Continue reading...

Research on weight limits of elevators made in UK and Europe 1972-2004 raises concerns over safety and equityLifts are no longer big enough to fit the UK’s larger citizens, according to researchers.A study of maximum capacity in elevators in the UK and mainland Europe found lifts have not kept up with increasing obesity levels, raising concerns about safety and equity. Continue reading...

• A Politico analysis of data from Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) reveals the administration saved less than 5 percent of its claimed savings through nearly 10,100 contract terminations. • DOGE, led by efficiency advocates, was tasked with reducing government waste and cutting unnecessary spending across federal agencies. • The significant gap between claimed and actual savings raises questions about the effectiveness of the administration's cost-reduction strategy and the accuracy of reported figures.

Report suggests that popular initiatives such as NT Live and NT at Home are making UK audiences more adventurousTheatre streaming services and cinema screenings of stage performances are not a threat to “in-person” attendance and are making audiences more adventurous, according to new research commissioned by the National Theatre.Introducing the findings on Monday, the NT’s director, Indhu Rubasingham, said that the boom in filmed theatre had raised major questions including the concern that popular initiatives such as NT Live and NT at Home would have a negative impact on live attendance. The organisation commissioned research by the agency Indigo to learn more about audiences’ attitudes to filmed theatre. Continue reading...

• Brent crude oil hovers around $100 per barrel amid fears of tightening diesel and jet fuel supplies, exacerbating energy market strains. • Despite rising commodity pressures, the S&P 500 reaches new record highs, creating stark cognitive dissonance in financial headlines. • This divergence underscores investor resilience or detachment from potential inflationary risks in the broader US economic picture.

Fears over a natural disaster or cyber attack are pushing households into contingency planning, Link survey showsMillions of Britons are “prepping” for a potential “major disruptive event” by keeping a stash of cash at home, stockpiling tinned goods or ensuring they have a battery-powered torch close to hand, new data suggests.With war raging in the Middle East and Ukraine, extreme weather becoming more frequent, and warnings that the UK’s critical infrastructure is at risk from cyber-attacks and power outages, many people feel the world has become a more dangerous and chaotic place. Continue reading...

• An mRNA vaccine demonstrated potential in a trial with 16 pancreatic cancer patients, reducing recurrence risk post-surgery according to Nature journal. • Eight patients responded positively, stimulating long-term immune responses as noted by Forbes. • Pancreatic cancer has a 12% five-year survival rate; this could transform outcomes for the 66,000 annual US cases if scaled.

• A new POLITICO-Citrin Center-Possibility Lab survey released May 8, 2026, found that strong majorities in both parties prefer an independent panel draw House district lines. • The polling data suggests voters across the political spectrum have grown frustrated with partisan gerrymandering and support reform measures limiting partisan advantage in redistricting. • The bipartisan sentiment contrasts with ongoing state-level redistricting battles where Republican and Democratic parties continue fighting over congressional boundaries.

New PEN America report analysed 3,743 unique titles removed from libraries and classrooms and found books about activism and social movements were targetedA new report has found that the number of banned non-fiction books doubled during the 2024-2025 school year in the US.PEN America analysed the 3,743 unique titles removed from school libraries and classrooms in the July to June period and found that over 1,100 or 29% were non-fiction, more than double the year prior. Continue reading...

Reform UK leader has registered wide range of financial interests on top of his Commons salary since July 2024Cameo, speeches, pushing gold bullion: how Farage has made millions since becoming an MPNigel Farage’s income since he was elected as an MP has now reached £2m on top of his parliamentary salary, analysis of the register of MPs has shown.Farage’s earning power sets him alongside a small number of MPs who have been able to leverage their status for external income alongside their day jobs – drawing comparisons to Boris Johnson, who made about £5m on top of his MP’s salary in the six months after he resigned as prime minister. Continue reading...

• Researchers at UCL and UCLH conducted a trial where patients with stage 2 or 3 colorectal cancer received just nine weeks of pembrolizumab immunotherapy before surgery, challenging the standard approach of surgery followed by months of chemotherapy. • Early results showed 59% of patients had no detectable cancer after completing immunotherapy and undergoing surgery, and after 33 months of follow-up, none of the patients have experienced a relapse. • This outcome represents a significant shift in colorectal cancer treatment protocols, suggesting that short bursts of targeted immunotherapy prior to surgery may deliver more durable results than conventional post-operative chemotherapy regimens.

Though Trump’s popularity has dwindled, staying loyal to him seems to still be a winning strategy among the GOPBy just about every measure, Donald Trump’s sway with US voters has slipped since he won re-election two years ago, but there’s one place where his power remains unmatched: within the Republican party.The latest evidence of his ability to control who’s in and who’s out in the GOP came on Tuesday, when primary voters in Indiana ousted five of seven state senators who had last year defied the president’s demand to redraw the state’s congressional maps and gerrymander the state’s last two Democratic representatives out of their seats. Continue reading...

Firms raising prices at fastest rate in three years, driven by soaring energy and wage bills but also extra cost of metals and plasticsBusiness live – latest updatesOil prices fall as Trump hails ‘progress’ on Iran dealAirlines and other companies are increasingly using fuel surcharges to cover soaring costs, a survey has found, in a further sign of Iran war-linked inflation hitting the economy.A poll of companies in the services sector, which includes airlines, found rising fuel prices had contributed to businesses raising prices at the fastest pace in more than three years in April. Continue reading...

Revelation comes after report commissioned by department released in response to charity’s FoI requestThe Ministry of Defence has no system for examining whether UK military action has killed or injured civilians in war, a study commissioned by the department has revealed.The MoD also “does not maintain a central register of civilian harm incidents or allegations” and, despite mass casualties caused by other countries, has concluded there is no need to do so because its existing mitigation is considered effective. Continue reading...

‘Least affordable’ areas mainly in London commuter belt, UK Finance finds, with Iran war not yet reflected in dataBusiness live – latest updatesUK homebuyers are facing the worst mortgage affordability pressures for almost two decades, although the “pain” is not being felt equally across the country, according to industry data.The banking body UK Finance said that at a nationwide level, initial mortgage repayments were typically swallowing up more than a fifth (21.3%) of a homebuyer’s gross income – the highest level since 2008. Continue reading...

A federal judge also warned White House to tread carefully as it moves ahead with plans to revamp DC golf courseA federal judge weighed into a dispute over Donald Trump’s controversial plans to revamp a historic Washington DC golf course on Monday, warning the president’s administration to tread carefully as it also dumped “toxic” rubble from the demolished White House East Wing there.District court judge Ana Reyes likened the saga to an episode of the hit television comedy Parks and Recreation during an emergency hearing in the capital to hear an application for a temporary restraining order filed by the DC Preservation League. Continue reading...

Reform UK is ‘doing something right when it comes to visibility’ on multiple AI systems, say researchersAI platforms are more likely to reference Nigel Farage than any other UK leader when prompted about British politics, according to an AI search analytics firm.“We are confident in saying that Reform are showing up significantly more than you would expect,” said Malte Landwehr, an expert at Peec AI, the firm that did the research. “So they’re doing something right when it comes to LLM [large language model] visibility.” Continue reading...

Disapproval rose to 62%, the worst of his two terms in office, amid economic issues since launching his war against IranSix months out from November’s midterm US elections, Donald Trump’s disapproval rating has reached 62% – the worst of his two terms in office – according to a new Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos poll.The US president received his worst ratings on the cost of living and other economic issues since launching his deeply unpopular war against Iran in February, which has plunged the global economy into an oil crisis and sent gas prices rocketing to a four-year high. Continue reading...

Figures for England and Wales prompt calls for more rigorous police investigations of casesOnly 3% of suicides related to domestic abuse in England and Wales in the past five years have resulted in any sort of prosecution, figures show.Between 2020 and 2025, 553 people took their own lives after suspected abuse in an intimate relationship, but only 17 posthumous charges were brought.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email [email protected] or [email protected]. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

• At CETaS conference on May 1, 2026, director Alexander Babuta highlighted Anthropic’s Claude Mythos Preview's advances in math, cybersecurity, software engineering, and vulnerability detection. • The frontier model promises improved automated tools for security professionals. • Experts express optimism on AI's defensive potential against powered hacking threats.

• A new POLITICO‑Citrin Center‑Possibility Lab survey released Friday shows that strong majorities of both Republicans and Democrats favor an independent commission to draw U.S. House district lines, weakening arguments against ending partisan gerrymandering. • The Trump administration is weighing proposals to codify independent redistricting panels by tying federal funds to states that adopt such commissions, a strategy that could reshape battleground districts in 2026 and beyond. • Civil‑rights groups and voting advocates cheered the poll findings, arguing that independent commissions would reduce partisan manipulation of maps that currently skew toward both parties.

• A new suicide prevention strategy shifts focus from crisis intervention to upstream policies designed to give people reasons to live and address root causes of suicide risk. • The approach has demonstrated effectiveness in helping individuals in acute distress, including a farmer profiled by CBS News who benefited from this comprehensive intervention model. • This prevention philosophy represents an evolving understanding of mental health intervention that emphasizes long-term resilience and life satisfaction over immediate crisis management.

Reduction procedures and implant removals reflect shift toward comfort and more active lifestyles, surgeons sayBreast reductions and implant removals have overtaken enlargements for the first time, data shows, as experts link the shift to more active lifestyles.The latest annual audit from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) shows there were 4,761 breast enlargement procedures in 2025, down 8% on the previous year. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Documents released to campaign group 38 Degrees reveal UK officials briefed on possibility of altering food standardsBritish officials were briefed on the possibility of allowing chemical-washed chicken into the UK before a meeting with the US embassy, new documents reveal.The Food Standards Agency is also looking at studies performed in the US on washing chicken with bacteriophages, including chlorine dioxide, to remove pathogens, according to the documents, released to the campaign group 38 Degrees under freedom of information laws. Continue reading...

Democrats within reach of House majority after voters rebel against Republican gerrymanderingSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxMonths into his second term, Donald Trump wagered that he could beat the historic trend of the party in power losing seats in midterm elections if Republican-led states redrew congressional maps to sweep Democrats out of office.The gamble is looking to be a bust, or at best a draw, for the president, after Democrats fought back with their own redistricting efforts, the latest of which came to fruition in Virginia on Tuesday, when voters approved a plan that could remove all but one of the five Republicans in its current House of Representatives delegation. Continue reading...

Federal Communications Commission will look into the TV ratings system and whether shows with transgender or non-binary characters demand a warning for parentsThe Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is launching a new inquiry into the TV ratings system, including whether content related to gender identity is not adequately flagged for parents, in the latest warning shot to broadcasters from the agency headed by the Trump loyalist Brendan Carr.The new proceeding, announced on Wednesday, asks for public comment on the transparency of the TV Oversight Management Board, which oversees the rating system and guidelines. That system was developed after Congress passed a law in 1996, leading to the creation of numerous ratings such as TV-Y, for programs deemed appropriate for all children, and TV-MA, for mature audiences. Continue reading...