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Lego Unveils 'Most Revolutionary Innovation' in 50 Years

New sensor-packed 'Smart Bricks' are sparking debate over imagination vs. interactivity

(Newser) - Lego is rolling out a high-tech twist on its classic bricks, though not everyone is thrilled about it. At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, the Danish company introduced "Smart Bricks," sensor-packed tiny blocks that light up, make sounds, and respond to movement, launching in March with a Star ...

Russians Blast NYE Plan to Cut Mobile Internet

'Security' justification draws ridicule amid growing censorship, dependence on apps

(Newser) - Ringing in 2026 by ringing a doorbell instead of a phone may be in store for millions of Russians. A senior lawmaker warned on Wednesday that mobile internet could be shut off in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other regions on New Year's Eve for "security" purposes, prompting a...

Chappell Roan Isn't So Keen on Brigitte Bardot Anymore

After tribute, singer now says she rejects the late actor's far-right, anti-immigrant political stances

(Newser) - Chappell Roan's RIP to Brigitte Bardot didn't survive a second look. After news broke that the French film icon had died over the weekend at age 91, the singer briefly honored her on Instagram, calling Bardot her inspiration for the song "Red Wine Supernova." Lyrics for...

Convicted Murderer Is Now a Public Safety Board Member

Local DA, others condemn convicted murderer Kyle Hedquist's appointments in Salem, Oregon

(Newser) - An Oregon city's decision to give a convicted murderer a seat at the table on public safety oversight has triggered a sharp backlash. Kyle Hedquist, who was convicted in the 1995 killing of a 19-year-old and later freed after a sentence commutation, has been appointed to Salem's Community...

Man Went From Hosting Palm Beach Elite to 'Alligator Alcatraz'

Community pressure, media spotlight help secure Jose Gonzalez's release in Southern Florida

(Newser) - A popular restaurant host who books Palm Beach's power tables is back home this week after almost two weeks in the remote South Florida detention center nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz." The New York Times reports on the story of Jose Gonzalez, longtime manager and public face of Bice...

60 Minutes Exec: I Had to Obey Bari Weiss

Decision to spike deportation segment continues to drive CBS newsroom backlash

(Newser) - CBS' flagship newsmagazine is now at the center of its own story after a finished 60 Minutes investigation into Trump-era deportations was yanked just before going on the air. In a private staff meeting on Monday, executive producer Tanya Simon said she backs the reporting on Venezuelan migrants deported to...

At LA Home Depot, a Painful Surprise for Day Laborers

Advocates slam high-pitch noise devices, say they cause physical harm like headaches and nausea

(Newser) - A Home Depot in Los Angeles is under fire for using high-pitched noise devices that critics say are making life miserable for day laborers who gather outside the store looking for work. The nonprofit Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California (IDEPSCA) says that three sound-emitting machines were installed...

UK Baker Slams 'Ugly' Mexican Bread, Gets Slammed Back

Green Rhino bakery co-founder Richard Hart now says: 'I made a mistake'

(Newser) - A blunt critique of Mexican bread by a British baker has sparked a cascade of social media outrage, ultimately leading to a public apology. In an interview for a food-themed podcast that resurfaced online, Richard Hart, the co-founder of Green Rhino bakery in Mexico City and a well-known figure in...

Trump World Circles Wagons Around Embattled Susie Wiles

Allies rally after WH chief of staff's candid remarks to Vanity Fair on president, aides, Epstein files

(Newser) - Susie Wiles is suddenly the most publicly defended person in President Trump's orbit. After Vanity Fair ran a two-part profile by Chris Whipple based on 11 interviews with Wiles, the White House chief of staff and longtime adviser came under scrutiny for remarks in which she questioned some of...

McDonald's Scraps 'Creepy' AI Christmas Ad
A McDonald's Holiday Ad
Is Creeping People Out
in case you missed it
Dec 14, 2025 2:10 PM CST

A McDonald's Holiday Ad Is Creeping People Out

Dutch holiday spot removed after backlash over AI-generated visuals

(Newser) - McDonald's latest holiday ad tried to skewer Christmas stress, but it ended up being pulled after viewers panned it as AI junk. The 45-second spot, produced for McDonald's Netherlands, used artificial intelligence to depict a chaotic "most terrible time of the year," with rapid-fire scenes of...

JPMorgan's New HQ Is a 'Mountainous Lump' Along NYC Skyline

Critic calls out 'obscene' use of steel, domineering design in JPMorgan Chase's new Manhattan HQ

(Newser) - Oliver Wainwright is out with a harsh review of JPMorgan Chase's new headquarters in Manhattan. Writing for the Guardian , Wainwright's take is unrelenting from the start, describing the 60-story building as a "mountainous lump" that "galumphs its way up above the others, climbing in bulky steps...

Amanda Seyfried on Charlie Kirk Slam: 'Not F---ing Apologizing'

Actor defends Instagram comment on slain conservative in which she called him 'hateful'

(Newser) - Amanda Seyfried isn't walking back her criticism of Charlie Kirk , even as backlash continues over her remarks after the conservative activist's killing in September. In a new interview with fashion site Who What Wear , the Oscar-nominated actor was asked about an Instagram comment in which she called Kirk...

Liam Neeson Finds Himself at Center of Anti-Vax Storm

Actor's reps says his narration in COVID movie doesn't equal endorsement of its debunked claims

(Newser) - Liam Neeson is distancing himself from anti-vaccine politics even as his voice anchors a new film steeped in vaccine skepticism and praise for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Naked Gun actor narrates Plague of Corruption, a documentary based on a book by Judy Mikovits, a former researcher who rose to...

SZA Slams 'Rage Baiting' ICE Ad Featuring Her Song

Singer condemns ICE's use of 'Big Boys' to promote immigration enforcement video

(Newser) - SZA's viral "cuffing season" anthem just got pulled into an immigration fight she wants no part of. The singer denounced the White House after it used "Big Boys" —the spoof track she performed in a 2022 Saturday Night Live sketch—in a social media post praising...

Trump's Birthday Replaces Juneteenth as Free NPS Day

MLK Jr. Day also yanked off of list of 'patriotic' free entrance days to national parks

(Newser) - Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth are two federal holidays no longer included on the NPS list of entrance-free days to the country's national parks—but June 14, which is both President Trump's birthday and Flag Day, is now on that list. TMZ notes that the shift...

Zillow Drops Climate Risk Tool After Complaints From Realtors

Move follows gripes that climate-risk labels were hurting home sales

(Newser) - Zillow has quietly removed a feature from its listings that showed the climate risks faced by individual properties, following pushback from real estate agents and homeowners who say the data is hurting sales. The tool, introduced last fall, gave buyers a snapshot of risks like wildfires, iffy air quality, severe...

NYT Sues Pete Hegseth Over 'Press-Restrictive Scheme'

Pentagon has banned reporting without official approval; press corps revolts

(Newser) - The New York Times has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Defense and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, challenging a controversial Pentagon policy that bars journalists from reporting any information—even unclassified material—unless it has been formally cleared by defense officials. The newspaper says the rule, put in place...

Tarantino Disses 'Weak' There Will Be Blood Star

Fans, Hollywood insiders slam director for his harsh critique of 'weak sauce' actor Paul Dano

(Newser) - Quentin Tarantino sparked backlash this week after calling Paul Dano the "weakest f---ing actor in SAG" during an appearance on the Bret Easton Ellis Podcast, Deadline reports. Tarantino criticized Dano's performance in There Will Be Blood, in which Dano played opposite Daniel Day-Lewis, as "weak sauce."...

Prof Suspended After Giving Student a Zero on Gender Paper

U of Oklahoma instructor failed student's essay that called idea of multiple genders 'demonic'

(Newser) - A University of Oklahoma instructor has been placed on leave after giving a student a zero on an essay that cited the Bible and called the idea of multiple genders "demonic," reports the New York Times . The controversy began when psychology major Samantha Fulnecky, 20, submitted a reaction...

Pavarotti Statue Encased in Ice Rink Prompts an Apology

Skaters invited to 'high-five' the opera legend, angering widow

(Newser) - A mayor in Italy has issued an apology after a bronze statue honoring Luciano Pavarotti, the celebrated tenor, ended up encased in the middle of a temporary Christmas ice rink, with skaters encouraged to "give [him] a high-five"—a move that his widow says "ridiculed" the opera...

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