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Are Noise-Cancelling Headphones Impairing Our Hearing? Some Audiologists Worry (Maria)
The author writes, “They are prized for making commutes more bearable and shielding against the din of daily life. But noise-cancelling headphones have come under scrutiny after audiologists raised concerns that overuse might impair people’s hearing skills. While the technology has clear benefits, including helping people listen to music at lower volume, some specialists suspect that constantly filtering out background noise may have unintended consequences.”
DOGE’s Millions: As Musk and Trump Gut Government, Their Ax-Cutting Agency Gets Cash Infusion (Dana)
From ProPublica: “Most of DOGE’s money, records show, has come in the form of payments from other federal agencies made possible by a nearly century-old law called the Economy Act. To steer those funds to the new department, the Trump administration has treated DOGE as if it were a federal agency. And by dispatching members of its staff to other agencies and having those staffers issue edicts about policy and personnel, DOGE has also behaved as if it has agency-level authority.”
‘We Are in Danger’: Migrants Deported From US Were Locked in Hotel and Held at Remote Camp in Panama, Lawyers Say (Reader Jim)
From CNN: “For days, they say they were locked inside a hotel in Panama, surrounded by tight security with limited contact with the outside world. Nearly 300 migrants from Asia, all deported by the US, were held there by Panamanian authorities who agreed to take them in and eventually repatriate them. It’s part of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, which it has pressured Latin American nations to help with. Some migrants have been transferred to a remote camp at the edge of a jungle that few can access, lawyers representing some of the migrants told CNN. Now, they wait to learn if they will be sent back to the countries they fled or to another nation willing to receive them.”
The USAID Shutdown Is Upending Livelihoods for Nonprofit Workers, Farmers and Other Americans (Reader Steve)
The author writes, “Beyond the impact of the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, some 14,000 agency employees and foreign contractors as well as hundreds of thousands of people receiving aid abroad — many American businesses, farms and nonprofits — say the cutoff of U.S. money they are owed has left them struggling to pay workers and cover bills. Some face financial collapse.”
‘It’s Blackmail’: Ukrainians React to Trump Demand for $500B Share of Minerals (DonkeyHotey)
The author writes, “Ukraine’s lithium deposits are among the biggest in Europe and the US is looking for ‘payback’ for previous military assistance.”
No Consensus on Who Comes to Mind When Americans Are Asked to Name a News Influencer (Gerry)
From Pew Research Center: “About one-in-five U.S. adults (21%) say they regularly get news from news influencers on social media, according to our recent study. … But because the idea of ‘news influencers’ is relatively new, we also wanted to know who Americans are thinking of when they hear the term. So in an open-ended question, we asked U.S. adults who say they regularly get news from news influencers to name the first one who comes to mind for them. In response, half named a person (as opposed to an organization or entity) or gave no response. The 425 people they named reflect a wide range of backgrounds — from journalists to opinion commentators to politicians to content creators.”
An Ancient Roman Basilica Has Been Discovered Below London’s Financial District (Dana)
The author writes, “Archaeologists in London have uncovered a section of Roman masonry that belongs to a nearly 2,000-year-old town hall, in what historians say is one of the most significant discoveries in the British capital since an ancient amphitheater was unearthed in the 1980s.”
