Industry
The Lego Pokémon Line Shows Toys Are Only for Rich Adults Now
Who cares about kids when adult collectors are willing to pay top dollar? From the moment a pixelated Gengar and Nidorino faced off in the opening animation of the first games on the original Game Boy back in 1996, the franchise has been a perennial favorite of kids and adults alike. With 2026 marking 30th anniversary, Lego's first-ever collaboration with the enduringly popular monster-catching megahit is perfectly timed--a crossover of pop culture titans with just one problem: Anyone who isn't an ultra-fan with cavernously deep pockets isn't invited. The recent announcement of a line of Lego Pokémon wasn't a surprise--the Danish brick brand first revealed it had entered into a "multi-year partnership" with The Pokémon Company back in March 2025 --but the makeup of the range itself was. Despite the mass appeal, Lego is launching with just three sets, and every single one is age-rated 18+.
The Squirrels Keep Beating My Family's Expensive "Squirrel-Proof" Bird Feeders. I Figured Out Why.
Like a true Midwesterner, my dad has been feuding with the squirrels in his backyard for years. Every few months, he comes home with a new "squirrel-proof" bird feeder, each more expensive than the previous, each one promising to finally do the trick. My mom rolls her eyes at the pile of hardware-store receipts and discarded feeders. I shake my head watching this all play out--knowing full well those feeders never stood a chance. Walk down the birdseed aisle in any hardware store and you'll find an entire product category promising "squirrel-proof" solutions.
Waymo-backed robotaxis quietly ply the streets of Tokyo as tests continue
Without much fanfare, robotaxis have been plying the streets of Tokyo. You can't hail one or order one on an app, and when exactly that will be possible remains a mystery. Nihon Kotsu, the old-school Japanese taxi company running the tests with Mountain View, California's Waymo, isn't saying, and analysts are left guessing. What is clear is that 2026 will be a key year if Japan wants to play catch up, said Mai Niizoe, a senior researcher at Sompo Institute Plus, a Tokyo-based think tank. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.
The Instant Smear Campaign Against Border Patrol Shooting Victim Alex Pretti
Within minutes of the shooting, the Trump administration and right-wing influencers began disparaging the man shot by a federal immigration officer on Saturday in Minneapolis. Within minutes of Alex Pretti being shot and killed by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis on Saturday, the Trump administration, backed by right-wing influencers, launched a smear campaign against the victim, labeling him a "terrorist" and a "lunatic." Pretti, 37, was killed during a confrontation with multiple federal immigration agents. Pretti was an American citizen and a registered nurse who worked in the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to a colleague who spoke to the Guardian . Video from a bystander shows Pretti was attempting to help a woman who had been pepper sprayed by an immigration agent when officers tackled him.
'British FBI' to take over terror and fraud probes in reforms to police
'British FBI' to take over terror and fraud probes in reforms to police A new national police force is being created to take over counter-terror, fraud, and criminal gang investigations. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the new National Police Service (NPS), described as a British FBI, would deploy world class talent and state of the art technology to track down and catch dangerous criminals. It will bring the work of existing agencies such as the National Crime Agency and regional organised crime units under the same organisation, buying new technology such as facial recognition on behalf of all forces. Mahmood said policing was stuck in a different century and the new body will form part of a series of police reforms she will unveil on Monday. The NPS will cover England and Wales but be able to operate in the wider UK, setting standards and training.
Report reveals that OpenAI's GPT-5.2 model cites Grokipedia
Tests conducted by the Guardian show that GPT-5.2 sourced some of its info from the AI-generated online encyclopedia from Elon Musk's xAI. OpenAI may have called GPT-5.2 its most advanced frontier model for professional work, but tests conducted by the cast doubt on its credibility. According to the report, OpenAI's GPT-5.2 model cited Grokipedia, the online encyclopedia powered by xAI, when it came to specific, but controversial topics related to Iran or the Holocaust. As seen in the's report, ChatGPT used Grokipedia as a source for claims about the Iranian government being tied to telecommunications company MTN-Irancell and questions related to Richard Evans, a British historian who served as an expert witness during a libel trial for Holocaust denier David Irving. However, the noted ChatGPT didn't use Grokipedia when it came to a prompt asking about media bias against Donald Trump and other controversial topics. A study done by US researchers also showed that the AI-generated encyclopedia cited questionable and problematic sources.
Google AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any medical site for health queries, study suggests
No hospital network, government health portal, medical association or academic institution came close to YouTube's number of citations, the researchers said. No hospital network, government health portal, medical association or academic institution came close to YouTube's number of citations, the researchers said. How the'confident authority' of AI Overviews is putting public health at risk Google's search feature AI Overviews cites YouTube more than any medical website when answering queries about health conditions, according to research that raises fresh questions about a tool seen by 2 billion people each month. The company has said its AI summaries, which appear at the top of search results and use generative AI to answer questions from users, are "reliable" and cite reputable medical sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Mayo Clinic. However, a study that analysed responses to more than 50,000 health queries, captured using Google searches from Berlin, found the top cited source was YouTube .