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At 15, He Became an 'Evil' Online Predator
At 15, He Became an
Infamous Online Predator
LONGFORM
Sep 15, 2024 8:30 AM CDT

At 15, He Became an Infamous Online Predator

The Washington Post unravels how a bullied teen became Discord's most alarming groomer

(Newser) - The group known as 764 is infamous for some of the most depraved online harassment targeting children. On apps such as Discord, where moderation is easily skirted, predators groom minors until they obtain collateral, like nude photos, from them. They then threaten to distribute this collateral unless the children livestream...

She Lost Custody of Her Baby Over a Costco Salad
She Lost Custody of Her Baby
Over a Costco Salad
longform
Sep 15, 2024 7:00 AM CDT

She Lost Custody of Her Baby Over a Costco Salad

The Marshall Project reports on the issue of hospital drug tests resulting in false positives

(Newser) - Before she went to the hospital in Santa Rosa, California, to deliver her fifth child, Susan Horton ate a Costco salad with poppy seeds. You can probably see where this is going: The hospital drug test turned up a false positive for opiates, and social services placed her baby in...

The World Has Only 2 Shakers Left
The Last Remaining Shakers
Are Ages 67 and 86
longform
Sep 15, 2024 5:30 AM CDT

The Last Remaining Shakers Are Ages 67 and 86

New York Times Magazine writer visits their community in Maine

(Newser) - "The youngest Shaker in the world is 67 years old, and his name is Arnold," writes Jordan Kisner in the New York Times Magazine . That would be Brother Arnold Hadd, to be precise, who joined the Shaker community at their Sabbathday Lake village in Maine at the age...

He Flew to Asia for a Job. The Offer Was a Ruse
He Flew to
Asia for a Job.
The Offer
Was a Ruse
longform
Sep 14, 2024 3:25 PM CDT

He Flew to Asia for a Job. The Offer Was a Ruse

New York Times shares the story of a Ugandan man who was forced to be a scammer

(Newser) - Jalil Muyeke was the victim of Internet scammers. But as Tara Siegel Bernard writes for the New York Times , "the masterminds behind these schemes didn't drain his bank account. ... They stole seven months of his life." The 32-year-old from Uganda is one of thousands of such victims:...

The Ozempic Capital of America Is in Kentucky
The Ozempic Capital of
America Is in Kentucky
longform
Sep 14, 2024 8:00 AM CDT

The Ozempic Capital of America Is in Kentucky

1 out of 25 people in Bowling Green had a prescription for a weight loss drug

(Newser) - It might be natural to assume the Ozempic center of America is a wealthy, image-conscious place like Hollywood. But as Madison Muller, Devin Leonard, and Tanaz Meghjani write for Bloomberg Businessweek , that assumption is off by about 2,000 miles. It turns out Bowling Green, Kentucky, boasts the highest percentage...

Toilet Paper Is 'Absolute Worst' With Shrinkflation
Yes, Your
Toilet Paper
Rolls Are
Smaller
longform
Sep 8, 2024 5:00 PM CDT

Yes, Your Toilet Paper Rolls Are Smaller

The Hustle's Mark Dent says TP is the 'absolute worst' with shrinkflation

(Newser) - "Toilet paper is shrinkflation at its absolute worst," laments writer Mark Dent over at the Hustle . His deep dive into the ever-dwindling size of the rolls confirms what many have suspected for some time. Yes, your toilet paper is probably running out more quickly, and Dent has brought...

He May Be First Executed Over 'Shaken Baby Syndrome'

Robert Roberson is scheduled to die in October, though science behind his conviction is disputed

(Newser) - The science behind what we know as "shaken baby syndrome" has been called into question in recent years, and the controversy is about to reenter the spotlight in a big way in Texas. There, Robert Roberson is scheduled to be executed on October 17 over the death of his...

America Suffers From a 'Perpetual Penny Paradox'
The American Penny
Is a Vexing 'Paradox'
longform
Sep 8, 2024 5:56 AM CDT

The American Penny Is a Vexing 'Paradox'

Caity Weaver struggles to understand why we keep minting them in New York Times Magazine

(Newser) - Caity Weaver calls it the "Perpetual Penny Paradox." In a New York Times Magazine story about the American coin, she tries to understand why the US keeps minting them when almost nobody uses them. The piece has a "it would be funny if it weren't true"...

Why One Young Woman Is Selling Her Final Hours to Strangers
Why One Young
Woman Is Selling
Her Final Hours
to Strangers
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Sep 7, 2024 4:15 PM CDT

Why One Young Woman Is Selling Her Final Hours to Strangers

A look at the performance-art project of a dying 32-year-old

(Newser) - At age 27 in 2019, Emily Lahey, a member of Australia's military who ran 3 to 6 miles a day, started getting headaches and other symptoms that doctors chalked up to sinusitis. When she started to lose vision in her left eye, however, doctors ultimately discovered a tumor in...

He Made $150K Taking Videos of Idling Trucks
He Made $150K Taking
Videos of Idling Trucks
longform
Sep 7, 2024 3:15 PM CDT

He Made $150K Taking Videos of Idling Trucks

In New York , Rafil Kroll-Zaidi reveals the lucrative NYC gig he and others have

(Newser) - Fun fact: It's illegal for trucks or buses to idle for more than three minutes in New York City, and the limit drops to 60 seconds around schools. Amazing fact: Rafil Kroll-Zaidi estimates he made $150,000 last year by taking more than 2,000 videos of idling scofflaws...

Is This the Future? Inside a Privately Run, For-Profit City

Prospera sits off Honduras—which is souring to it

(Newser) - Before Rachel Corbett could set foot in Próspera, she had to sign an "agreement of coexistence"—thereby "binding myself to 4,202 pages of rules," any violation of which would be handled by an arbitration center operated by three retired Arizona judges. In a lengthy...

Looming Large in 2024 Races: Piles of Crypto Cash

Public Citizen reports on the 'unprecedented' surge

(Newser) - A report by the public advocacy group Public Citizen reveals a remarkable stat about political fundraising in 2024: Nearly half of all the money donated by corporations has come from cryptocurrency companies. That $119 million, mostly from the companies Coinbase and Ripple, has a unique quality: It is funneled to...

Many Flight Attendants Barely Make a Livable Wage
Many Flight Attendants
'Are Barely Surviving'
longform
Aug 31, 2024 5:00 PM CDT

Many Flight Attendants 'Are Barely Surviving'

Washington Post looks at the pay struggles, especially among new hires

(Newser) - One thing is clear after reading a Washington Post deep dive into the occupation of flight attendant: The harsh realities of the job are a world apart from the often glamorized public perception of it. And no, the piece by Natalie B. Compton isn't talking merely about the joy...

'Professional Whistleblower' Can Be a Lucrative Gig

GQ profiles somebody who's made tens of millions of dollars exposing fraud

(Newser) - Richard Overum is a rich man, and he has Bernie Madoff to thank. Federal law enacted after the infamous Madoff Ponzi scheme put incentives in place encouraging people to report financial wrongdoing to the government. As Gordy Megroz writes in GQ , these whistleblowers are entitled to a cut of up...

In the Future, Cows May Take a Pill to Help the Climate
Scientists Attempting
to Rejigger Cow Stomachs
longform
Aug 26, 2024 9:19 AM CDT

Scientists Attempting to Rejigger Cow Stomachs

Washington Post reports on a gene-editing experiment designed to reduce methane emissions

(Newser) - "It's completely out of the box," University of California at Davis professor Ermias Kebreab tells the Washington Post . "Nobody has done it before." The reference is to an attempt to change the stomachs of cows through gene editing to make them belch less methane, a...

California Beach Town's Vexing Problem: Sewage
California Beach Town's
Vexing Problem: Sewage
longform
Aug 25, 2024 8:23 AM CDT

California Beach Town's Vexing Problem: Sewage

New Republic looks at the cross-border pollution affecting Imperial Beach

(Newser) - The "town awash in poop" is not a sought-after tourism slogan, but it's how the New Republic describes the California surf town of Imperial Beach near San Diego. The problem for residents is that the description is an apt one. The poop in question comes from across the...

'NFL People Were Wondering if I Could Read a Playbook'

Michael Oher of Blind Side fame says book and movie created false perception that he's stupid

(Newser) - The football player made famous in the book and movie The Blind Side is speaking publicly for the first time since he filed a lawsuit against the couple who took him in as a teen. In a New York Times Magazine profile, Michael Oher talks about how he feels exploited...

Cluster of Brain Diseases Continues to Confound Canada

New York Times explores the controversy in picturesque New Brunswick

(Newser) - When a neurologist in New Brunswick, Canada, started seeing a sharp uptick of patients suffering from a seemingly new neurological syndrome , it triggered a government investigation. In 2022, that investigation concluded that no such mystery syndrome existed , that all of the patients in the cluster suffered from a range of...

Nike Made Green Promises, but Its Private Jets Are Busy
Nike's Green Promises
Undercut by Private Jets
longform
Aug 18, 2024 12:25 PM CDT

Nike's Green Promises Undercut by Private Jets

Use of the company's 2 planes is up, reports ProPublica

(Newser) - Nike has made some of the most aggressive promises of any corporation when it comes to reducing its carbon footprint. "It's about leading with actions, not words," is how executive chairperson Mark Parker put it in 2019. "We are more committed than ever to help save...

For Some, the Psychedelic Trip Is a 'Gamble Worth Taking'
He Gambled His Life
on Ibogaine, and Lost
longform
Aug 18, 2024 9:30 AM CDT

He Gambled His Life on Ibogaine, and Lost

The psychedelic drug can help people get over their addictions without withdrawal symptoms

(Newser) - For some, ibogaine is a wonder drug, a psychedelic that can help cure addiction and eliminate any symptoms of withdrawal in one dose. It's also illegal in the US, and can be deadly, as detailed by Mattha Busby in a lengthy piece for Rolling Stone . His story revolves around...

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