How rumors and conspiracy theories got in the way of Maui's fire recovery Some of the rumors and conspiracy theories were driven by the island's history, but others were pushed by social media influencers and foreign governments. Pien Huang Play AudioListen 6 mins
She got famous on YouTube. Now it helps fund her research in quantum gravity This theoretical physicist and mathematician drops a new video several times a month, dispensing her dry wit and pithy wisdom to a loyal fan base of nerds across the internet. Scott Neuman
Appeals court slaps Biden administration for contact with social media companies The panel of judges say that the administration's efforts to flag what it considered to be harmful content likely amount to a violation of the First Amendment. Shannon Bond
Maker of the spicy 'One Chip Challenge' pulls product from store shelves The maker of the extremely spicy chip said it is working to recall the product as Massachusetts authorities probe the death of a teen whose family said the challenge was a contributing factor. The Associated Press
Saudi man sentenced to death for tweets in harshest verdict yet for online critics A retired teacher in Saudi Arabia a death sentence for his tweets criticizing the country's leadership to just a handful of followers, according to rights advocates and his family. Aya Batrawy Play AudioListen 4 mins
Meta says Chinese, Russian influence operations are among the biggest it's taken down Facebook's parent company says both operations used fake accounts across social media sites to promote Chinese and Russian interests Shannon Bond
For Trump, X marks the spot for his social media return. Why that could really matter Donald Trump posted again for the first time in three years since being banned from various social media, taking to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter to post his mugshot. Domenico Montanaro
From drone videos to selfies at the front, Ukraine is the most documented war ever NPR's Greg Myre has covered more than a dozen wars dating back to the 1980s. He says the conflict in Ukraine is the most documented war ever, providing a view we've never had before. Greg Myre Play AudioListen 8 mins
After rebranding, X took @x from its original Twitter owner and offered him merch Gene X Hwang owned @x on Twitter. Until Elon Musk rebranded the platform and took the handle. Kai McNamee Play AudioListen 4 mins
New study shows just how Facebook's algorithm shapes conservative and liberal bubbles Research conducted at the height of the 2020 election reveals new details about how Facebook's algorithms handle political content. But it suggests there are no easy fixes to political polarization. Huo Jingnan Play AudioListen 4 mins
