TikTok Appears Poised to Launch Its Own Music Streaming Service
TikTok may have plans to scale its presence in the world of music streaming, according to recent trademark filings uncovered by Business Insider. The app’s parent company, ByteDance, submitted an application in May with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for “TikTok Music,” a service that would enable TikTok users to “purchase, play, share, [and] …
Massachusetts Trader Joe’s Employees Vote for Union
Employees at a Trader Joe’s location in Hadley, Massachusetts, voted Thursday in favor of forming the chain’s first-ever union. The final count was 45 to 31, according to the Associated Press. “This victory is historic, but not a surprise,” the independent union Trader Joe’s United tweeted after the vote. “Since the moment we announced our …
Uber to Pay Riders with Disabilities in Lawsuit Settlement
Uber will pay more than two million dollars as part of a legal settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) after the company was accused of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act for imposing wait fees on passengers with disabilities who required extra time to get into Uber vehicles, according to Reuters. Under the …
Wordle to Become a Board Game
The popular daily word puzzle Wordle is soon to become a multi-player board game, according to CNN. The New York Times, which purchased Wordle in January after the game went viral last fall, is collaborating with Hasbro on the project, dubbed “Wordle: The Party Game.” Hasbro will pay the Times a fee to license the rights …
NASA Unveils First Webb Telescope Images of Unseen Universe
NASA has released the first batch of detailed, full-color images taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, which reveal previously obscured cosmic expanses that formed as many as 13 billion years ago. The images target five areas of space, including galaxy clusters SMACS 0723 and Stephan’s Quintet, star-forming region NGC 3372 in the Carina Nebula, …
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe Assassinated at Campaign Event
Japan’s former prime minister Shinzo Abe was shot dead on Friday while delivering a campaign speech in the city of Nara, just east of Osaka, according to CNN. Among Japan’s most prominent politicians, Abe, 67, was the longest-serving prime minister before he stepped down two years ago. He had traveled to Nara to speak on …
Heat Dome Puts Mid- and Southwest States on High Alert
Scorching temperatures nationwide are creating a heat dome in the middle of the country and across several Southwestern states, leaving around 60 million people under heat advisories. The heat dome phenomena occurs when hot air gets trapped over a particular area by a “lid” of high atmospheric pressure. When patterns in the jet stream – …
Celebrating Ball Culture and Community
Though its origins date back to the late 1800s, ball culture as recognized today truly began to take shape amidst the social and artistic movements of the early 20th century Harlem Renaissance. At first, performances mainly featured white men, but by the 1960s, Black and brown queer and trans communities were carving out their own …
Outraged Over Roe Ruling, Marchers Return to NYC Pride with New Fervor
Thousands of people converged in Manhattan on Sunday to take part in New York City’s annual Pride March. Though no less spirited, this year’s event carried the weight of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn of Roe v. Wade, which has left many reeling since it was announced late last week. Members and allies of …
Supreme Court Officially Overturns Roe v. Wade
The Supreme Court officially overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday, striking down nearly 50 years of legal precedent that assured constitutional protections for abortions, and enabling states to ban abortions outright. The justices voted five-to-four with conservative members leading the charge, including Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Trump appointees Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, and Amy …