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May 20 2026TECHNOLOGY

Immersive Social Media: A New Game‑Like Platform Gets $17 Million

A young entrepreneur who grew up glued to her phone decided that the next step for social media was more than scrolling. She imagined a place where people could actually become the characters they love, not just talk about them. That idea led to a startup called Status AI that opened its doors last

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May 20 2026POLITICS

Trump’s New White House Ballroom: A Bunker‑Like Dome With Drone Tech

Donald Trump introduced fresh details about a massive new space at the White House that he says will look like a bunker and can host up to 1, 000 guests. The building is planned to be 90, 000 square feet, larger than the historic residence itself. Trump told reporters that the structure will have a

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May 20 2026CRIME

U. S. Opens New Probe Into Former Venezuelan Leader

The United States is starting a second criminal investigation into former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, which could lead to more charges against him. A U. S. Justice Department employee and another insider said the probe is being handled by the Miami office of the U. S. Attorney’s Office and

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May 20 2026EDUCATION

UNM Faculty Fight Back Against Big Health Cost Jump

The University of New Mexico’s faculty union is standing up against a planned 13. 1% rise in health‑insurance premiums that could cut into teachers’ paychecks next year. The union says the hike would make it harder for staff to afford their own coverage, especially those with families. One assist

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May 20 2026POLITICS

Lawmakers want to help allies buy tech instead of China

U. S. senators from both main parties plan to introduce a new bill this week. The goal? To make American AI and technology more attractive to friendly governments overseas. Their idea is simple: set up a new team inside the State Department. This team would handle funding and paperwork so allies can

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May 20 2026HEALTH

Why Ebola in Africa is getting less attention than a cruise ship virus

Health experts are scratching their heads over why the world seems more worried about a handful of hantavirus cases on a cruise ship than a massive Ebola outbreak in Africa. While passengers played bingo on the water, a rare strain of Ebola was quietly tearing through the Democratic Republic of Cong

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May 20 2026OPINION

Turning graffiti targets into neighborhood art

Austin has a quiet battle playing out on street corners where plain green utility boxes once stood. These dull metal boxes were easy pickings for overnight taggers, but the city decided to flip the script. Instead of fighting vandalism with more locks or fines, they turned nine boxes into canvases f

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May 20 2026EDUCATION

Schools need more money—here's how the budget hike affects local homeowners

The Baldwin-Whitehall school system plans to spend about 100. 7 million dollars next year, which is nearly 10 million more than this year’s spending. To cover the gap, leaders suggest raising property taxes by 4. 7 percent. The current tax rate sits at 25 mills, but if the plan passes, it will climb

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May 20 2026TECHNOLOGY

A Fresh Take on Fixing Finance Teams' Tech Headaches

Finance departments today juggle too many tools that don’t talk to each other. General ledgers, payroll software, spreadsheets, and outsourced accounting services often create more chaos than clarity. The problem isn’t just the tools themselves—it’s how they’re stitched together. Many companies adde

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May 20 2026ENTERTAINMENT

New Ways to Fund Films Let Fresh Voices Shine

A decade ago, Hollywood was a closed circle that rewarded familiar names and predictable stories. Big budgets went to proven stars, leaving new directors—especially women—rarely seen at major festivals. Last year only ten percent of festival directors were women, showing how hard it is for fresh sto

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