Robocalls Finally Have the U.S. Government’s Attention

Anyone with a mobile phone knows the unpleasant sensation of answering a call from an unfamiliar number only to hear a pre-recorded marketing or scam pitch from a company you have no interest in patronizing. Around 33 million robocalls are made each day to Americans, according to the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC)—more than 50 billion a year.

This is more than just an annoyance; in…

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The Tax Loophole That Helps Temu and Shein Keep Prices So Low

On Super Bowl Sunday, the e-commerce giant Temu flaunted their alluringly low prices in multiple ad spots during the game, encouraging customers to “shop like a billionaire.” Halsey Cook, the CEO of the South Carolina-based textile manufacturer Milliken & Company, was less than enthused. For the past couple years, he’s been watching as products similar to Milliken’s apparel lines ha…

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Elon Musk Takes Stand to Defend Controversial Tweets. Here’s What to Know About the Trial So Far

Elon Musk is on trial for a Twitter-related controversy dating back to 2018, and on Friday he defended his actions in a San Francisco court.

The trial revolves around Musk’s tweets from August 2018 where he claimed that he had secured financing to take Tesla private, spurring a stock frenzy that many of the automaker’s shareholders claim ruined their shares.

Musk said …

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Britney Spears Marries Partner Sam Asghari in Intimate Ceremony—But Not Without Ex-Husband Drama

Britney Spears married longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari in an intimate ceremony Thursday, according to multiple media reports including People and the BBC. The day, however, was not spared from drama.

According to the AP, earlier in the afternoon before the wedding, Spears’ ex-husband Jason Alexander crashed the wedding venue before authorities were called. Ventura County Sheriff&#821…

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Petrobras Head Resigns as Bolsonaro Rages About Fuel Prices

Petrobras’s chief executive officer Jose Mauro Coelho resigned following a fuel price increase that has angered President Jair Bolsonaro and prompted calls for a congressional inquiry.

Petroleo Brasileiro SA, as the company is formally known, announced his resignation in a statement on Monday. Bolsonaro had already fired Coelho in May and named a replacement, but he remained in the …

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Twitter Withdraws From EU Disinformation Code, Commissioner Says

Twitter exited the voluntary European Union’s Code of Practice on Disinformation, the bloc’s Internal Market Commissioner Thierry Breton said.

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‘Spoiler Alert’ Author on Grief and Film

It’s an age-old question: If you could choose who would play you in a movie, who would you pick? Michael Ausiello, author of Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies, got to make this choice for the adaptation of his memoir, and he went with Jim Parsons. Ausiello tells TIME that the choice dates back about five years when he asked the actor and producer known for The Big Bang Theory and…

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Jonathan Majors Was ‘Shocked’ by Guilty Verdict

Actor Jonathan Majors, who last month was found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend, spoke to the media for the first time since his conviction in the domestic violence trial.

In an interview with ABC News, parts of which aired on ABC’s Good Morning America on Monday, Majors denied that he caused any physical harm to his ex, Grace Jabbari, saying he was “rec…

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Zillow Offers Free Money to Entice Buyers

With mortgage rates at 21-year highs and the number of homes sold each month hovering near their lowest point in more than a decade, mortgage brokers are going to unusual lengths to induce buyers to enter the housing market.

One of the more eye-catching gambits is from Zillow, the online real estate platform, which is offering new home buyers thousands of dollars to help them with their d…

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Your Next House Could Be Made on an Assembly Line

Walking down the assembly line as the bell dings, marking a lunch break, Ken Semler points to a man carefully sealing the frame of a house with foam as evidence that this factory can build houses faster, cheaper, and better than traditional homebuilders.

“There’s no way you can do quality work in the field to the level you can in the factory,” says Semler, a tall, chatty…

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